AEROSPACE

10 Things to Know About Creep-Feed Grinding

Because of the high material removal rate creep-feed grinding can deliver in challenging materials, grinding might not be just the last step in the process—it might be the process.
#Basics

Solar Atmospheres Receives Northrop Grumman Approval for South Carolina Facility

All five Solar Atmospheres facilities are now an option for customers with Northrop Grumman requirements for vacuum heat treating.

Solar Atmosphere Receives Boeing Approval for Vacuum Oil Quenching

The approval was granted for oil quenching of alloy steels in the company’s new furnace, the Neo.

Arch Cutting Tools Acquires Custom Carbide Cutter Inc.

The acquisition adds Custom Carbide Cutter’s experience with specialty carbide micro tools and high-performance burrs to Arch Cutting Tool’s portfolio.
#economics

Sandvik Coromant Extends Line of Ceramic Milling Heads

Sandvik Coromant has developed two solutions designed for shoulder and face milling of nickel-alloy aero-engine parts.

How Small Machine Shops Can Fight Supply Chain Problems

Supply chain disruptions are still presenting challenges in manufacturing. This article examines the effects on aerospace, automotive and medical industries. It also covers ways that machine shops can be successful securing work despite the challenges created by the supply chain.

SolidCAM Wants to Help Machine Shops Get into Additive Manufacturing

SolidCAM's partnership with Desktop Metal is aimed at making additive manufacturing more accessible to job shops and other manufacturers.

When a Lathe With Live Tooling Rivals a Multitasking Machine

This shop is working its way up to a full-fledged B-axis multitasking machine. Meanwhile, turning centers with a Y-axis and live tooling are doing just fine.

Modern Bar Feeds Bring New Life to Automatic Swiss Lathes

Cam-actuated Swiss lathes are still the fastest way to process many parts. By adding modern bar feeders, this shop has dramatically improved their utilization with the ability to work unattended, even in a lights-out environment.

New Laser Technology in Non-contact Optical Dimensional Metrology

LADAR technology from API sets a new standard in non-contact optical dimensional metrology for manufacturing industries.

10 Tips for Titanium

Simple process considerations can increase your productivity in milling titanium alloys.
#titaniummachining #Basics

Out of This World: Space Exploration Innovations at IMTS

The more time passes, the more it becomes clear that space exploration and manufacturing have a close-knit future together. (Click through for a slideshow of the coolest space gear we found on the show floor!)
#imts

Plant tour: Joby Aviation, Marina, Calif., U.S.

As the advanced air mobility market begins to take shape, market leader Joby Aviation works to industrialize composites manufacturing for its first-generation, composites-intensive, all-electric air taxi.

Jeff Sloan Editor-in-Chief, CompositesWorld

IMTS is the Place for Aerospace

The aerospace industry will receive a lot of attention at IMTS, as conferences explore both the material and process needs of the complex, advanced industry. (Check out the slideshow for aerospace industry highlights!)
#imts

Velo3D Adds StarHagen to Contract Manufacturer Network

StarHagen joins Velo3D’s Contract Manufacturer Network with the purchase of an end-to-end solution from the additive manufacturing technology company.

Machine-Ready Blanks Help Shops Reduce Setup Time and Scrap

Machine-ready blanks from TCI Precision Metals are designed to help shops shorten setup time and reduce amounts of scrap. These blanks are ready to ship but can also be custom ordered.

Small Hole EDM Drill With Automation

The SY-4060 is a part of a lineup of CNC EDM drills from Belmont Equipment & Technologies.
#imts

How to Turn Machine Shop Downtime Into Process Expertise

To take advantage of a lull in business, JR Machine devised a week-long cutting tool event that elevated the shop’s capabilities with aerospace alloys.
#titaniummachining #Basics

When Organic Growth in Your Machine Shop Isn’t Enough

Princeton Tool wanted to expand its portfolio, increase its West Coast presence, and become a stronger overall supplier. To accomplish all three goals at once, acquiring another machine shop became its best option.
#Basics

Machine Monitoring Boosts Aerospace Manufacturer's Utilization

Once it had a bird’s eye view of various data points across its shops, this aerospace manufacturer raised its utilization by 27% in nine months.

Nathaniel Fields Associate Editor, Modern Machine Shop

The Strategic Value of Machine Tool Flexibility

This aerospace and defense supplier has a strategy to take advantage of the flexibility in its newest and largest five-axis gantry-type machining center.

Toolpath-Level Machine Monitoring Improves Aerospace OEE

Machine monitoring software that records historical efficiency to the toolpath level helped aerospace manufacturer Leesta improve its OEE by ten points.

Beyond the Machines: How Quality Control Software Is Automating Measurement & Inspection

A high-precision shop producing medical and aerospace parts was about to lose its quality management system. When it found a replacement, it also found a partner that helped the shop bring a new level of automation to its inspection process.

Digital Twins Give CNC Machining a Head Start

Model-based manufacturing and the digital thread enable Sikorsky to reduce lead times by machining helicopter components before designs are finalized.

Best Practices: Machining Difficult Materials

Cutting hardened steel, titanium and other difficult materials requires picking the right tools, eliminating spindle runout and relying on best practices to achieve tight part tolerances.

Can Transparency Bring More Efficient Sourcing?

A resource that aims to be free for machine shops asks detailed capability information so parts can be matched to producers, and OEMs can target RFQs to shops that are ready to run the work.
#zaxis

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