PLE: Creating Products in Classified Environments September 9, 2019 Aerospace and defense companies are faced with daunting security challenges as products become increasingly sophisticated. As product complexity grows—integrating thousands of software, electrical and mechanical parts—the security risks and organizational hurdles grow in tandem. One
Mobility’s Growing Need September 12, 2019 A&D manufacturing is one of the most highly regulated industries, and for good reason: The FAA handles over 43,000 flights a day. Add in private jets and defense aircrafts, and we’re talking about the safety of millions of people daily. When manufacturers don’t comply with regulations, fines can be massive.
Terrestrial Scanning: A Game Changer September 6, 2019 In many manufacturing industries today, 100% inspection is commonplace. This market-changing trend obviously drives OEMs to design inspection devices that collect data much faster than in the past. The data-capture issue becomes more formidable with larger, complex components, particularly in the aerospace manufacturing industry where tolerances continue to get tighter and assemblies continue to get bigger.
When Is Hard Turning the Right Solution? September 10, 2019 Hard turning has long been used for finishing when it comes to high-volume applications. Now, tooling suppliers have pushed cubic boron nitride (CBN) insert technology further, with geometric innovations that further increase the efficiency—and cost-effectiveness—of hard turning.
Time to Apply High Tech to Low Tech Components September 10, 2019 Mention “aerospace” and most thoughts run immediately to exotic alloys, ultra-precision machining systems, sophisticated electronics and a host of other high-tech subjects. There is more to the story, particularly where passenger aircraft are concerned.
Five Trends to Watch for This Year September 6, 2019 The global aerospace and defense (A&D) business landscape is undergoing significant disruption driven by a keen focus on innovation and digital transformation, and geopolitical situations. Despite some future uncertainty, demand for commercial aerospace and defense in 2018 finished with a continued, upbeat industry outlook.
To Recruit The Right Talent, Think Like a Scout September 10, 2019 This fourth of July, I enjoyed a game at our regional Single-A affiliate stadium, with sun, beer, brats, and great baseball. We also had the pleasure of sitting next to two scouts who were clocking pitches and logging the stats and performance of every player on the field.
Hybrid Additive/Subtractive Tech Changing the Face of Design and Manufacturing September 10, 2019 Some of the key trends in manufacturing are brought about by convergence of the design and manufacturing industries. With manufacturers under more pressure than ever to deliver better products faster and at lower cost, the need to connect and automate design and manufacturing processes to reduce iterations, errors, and delivery times is becoming critical.
Four Major Concerns for Manufacturing CFOs, CPOs September 8, 2019 As manufacturing CFOs (chief financial officers) and CPOs (chief procurement officers) are tasked with greater responsibility, there are four major industry themes that are top-of-mind for them. Although cost reductions, increases in efficiency, and visibility into valuable data are still important, there are other strategic challenges that need to be addressed.
From Service Bureau to AM Manufacturer September 7, 2019 How can a 3D printing service bureau become a manufacturer? Ask Corey and Donovan Weber, half-brothers who founded Forecast 3D in 1994. In 2018 their 60,000 ft2 (55,740 m2) manufacturing shop printed about two million parts on 45 industrial additive machines.