From Multispot Welding to Limiting Soot: Tips for Optimal Laser Joins September 28, 2018 In our May webinar titled “Lasers in Manufacturing: State of the Art in 2018,” we noted the emergence of some novel technologies to produce the “holy grail” of laser welding: spatter-free joins with no porosity and, when required, highly aesthetic outcomes.
Thick Plate, Tube and More: Laser Cutting Advice from the Pros September 28, 2018 From cutting various thicknesses of sheet metal and metal plate or different widths of tubing to navigating intricate materials or process issues, some of the laser industry’s leading suppliers have weighed in with tips and insights into their novel solutions.
Students Experience RAPID + TCT Show August 8, 2018 AS A TEAM OF FOUR MANUFACTURING engineering undergraduate students from Western Washington University (Bellingham, WA), we had our minds blown within seconds of walking onto the RAPID + TCT show floor when we attended the event, April 23-26, in Fort Worth, TX.
IMTS: Fabricating & Lasers Pavilion Shows Need for Constant Improvement August 9, 2018 The Fabricating & Lasers pavilion of IMTS shows how makers of machine tools have to keep improving their product lineup. For one thing, customer expectations continue to rise.
Adding it Up at IMTS 2018 August 8, 2018 Additive manufacturing (AM) pioneer Charles Hull introduced the first commercial 3D printer, the SLA-1, in 1987. Jaws dropped, machinists wondered about their next career, pundits said it spelled the death of traditional manufacturing. None of that happened, thankfully; in fact, some said 3D printing was a bunch of hype, good for little more than investment casting patterns and proof of concept prototypes.
IMTS 2018 Showcases New Manufacturing Technology Trends August 6, 2018 To stay current with technology and peer into the future of manufacturing, take a look at our preview of IMTS—The International Manufacturing Technology Show, to be held at McCormick Place in Chicago from Sept. 10 through Sept. 15. In the following pages, ME provides in-depth examinations of each pavilion at IMTS, as well as previews of the products you will be able to see displayed at exhibitors’ booths.
Medical Machining Shifts Into High Gear—With a Laser Assist July 5, 2018 Constant refinement of medical machining from tooling design to finished product requires not only the ability to handle a broad range of plastic and metal materials but also to achieve predictable results—particularly in the face of strict regulations.
Service Bureau Experienced With HP’s 3D Printing June 4, 2018 The only users who’ve clocked more time with HP’s Multi Jet Fusion additive manufacturing system than service bureau GoProto Inc. (Portland, OR) may be the actual developers of the technology.
Precast Concrete Turns to 3D Printing, Magazine Says May 29, 2018 The precast concrete industry is looking at using 3D printing, Additive Manufacturing magazine said. Gate Precast used 3D printed forms during construction of a 42-story building in New York, the magazine said. The publication said Gate Precast determined 3D printed tool worked “for a job requiring high repeatability over many concrete pours.”
Affordable, Accessible Metal Additive Manufacturing May 9, 2018 Manufacturing has been a way of life since the first industrial revolution. By the 1980s, advanced factories created products in ways never before imaginable. That same decade, a new form of manufacturing with the promise to revolutionize the way we make things was born—additive manufacturing (AM).
