Advanced Manufacturing Now

SME this year gave the Dick Aubin Distinguished Paper Award to the authors of "Liquid Metal 3D Printing: A Magnetohydrodynamic Approach." One of the authors, Swati Chandran Thirumangalath, explains what the paper says about the work she did as a design and simulation engineer at Vader Systems in Buffalo, NY.

SME's Additive Manufacturing Community this year gave Dieter Schwarze, PhD, of SLM Solutions GmbH the 2017 Industry Achievement Award. The award recognizes  of his significant and continued impact on additive manufacturing through development of processes and technology applied in industry. In 1989, Schwarze began his R&D work on additive manufacturing and its commercialization. He is one of the p...

Brian Bittner, national sales manager of Beamer Laser Systems, talks to Senior Editor Bill Koenig at the Eastec Show, held in May in West Springfield, MA. Bittner describes the company's operations.

Jill Young of Exsys  (San Antonio, FL) describes the company's products and markets in an interview with Bill Koenig, senior editor at Advanced Manufacturing Media. They spoke at SME's Eastec Show in May.

Rod Leek of Vektek LLC talks about his company's line of clamps and workholding products with Senior Editor Bill Koenig. They talked at the Eastec show in West Springfield, MA, held in May.

Dyan Finkhousen, director of open innovation & advanced manufacturing at GE Global Operations, discusses Fuse LLC, an 8-month-old service offering of GeniusLink that involves small batch mfg. Key takeaways: The benefits GE businesses, customers and sponsors find by using Fuse to solve tough technology challenges; the types of problems that are a good fit for Fuse; and how to learn about and partic...

Matt Sand, president of 3DEO, and Matt Petros, the company's CEO, discuss 3DEO's additive manufacturing technology and the markets it serves. 3DEO produces low-cost metal parts for customers. 3DEO says its process is "fundamentally different than anything else in additive manufacturing." "We started the company with the idea there has to be a better way to make metal parts with additive manufactur...

Gene Granata, Vericut product manager at CGTech, describes Vericut's new additive module. Set to be available publicly at the end of September, it can be used in a hybrid simulation along with subtractive technologies. With this and other technology, CGTech works with customers and tech partners to solve AM challenges, such as accurate laser cladding and material deposition, detecting collisions b...

At RAPID + TCT in Pittsburgh, Roger Kelesoglu, director of sales enablement at Stratasys, previews the company's new Continuous-Build 3D Demonstrator. (It's not yet clear when it will be commercially available.) It allows for continuous production of plastic parts--with a cloud-enabled software management control system that enables automation on the front end all the way through the manufacturing...

Duann Scott, head of business development and strategy for digital manufacturing at Autodesk, details the solutions his firm offers. He also weighs in on which manufacturing industry segments he believes will use AM the most heavily. Mr. Scott outlines the most compelling recent advances in the technology, and he addresses the barriers to more widespread industrial adoption.

Benjamin Fisk, general manager of 3D additive manufacturing for Methods Machine Tools Inc., discusses his company's 3D printing strategy. Fisk talks about the speed in which 3D printing is being adapted among manufacturers as well as his company's partnership with 3D Systems. He was interviewed by Senior Editor Bill Koenig during the RAPID + TCT show in Pittsburgh in May.

Tom O'Reilly, VP, Global Business Development at Rockwell Automation, details how his company's five-year plan to restructure its facility and supplier networks has led to a four- to five-percent annual improvement in productivity: "If you look at how we did/do it, here are some examples: inventory days dropped from 120 to 82. We reduced our CAPEX ... by 30 percent per year. Our delivery within ou...

SLM Solutions Software out of Austria is set to this year begin selling a new package to improve workflow in AM, SLM Solutions' Richard Grylls said At RAPID + TCT in Pittsburgh. "It will help to streamline the entire workflow--from the initial idea from the designer to geting it into the machine in one piece." He also talks about how OEMs can help a customer quality and certify metal parts. Grylls...

John Graham, senior product marketing manager for Ansys Spaceclaim, Ansys Inc., talks with Manufacturing Engineering Senior Editor Patrick Waurzyniak about how 3D modeling software can help manufacturers streamline designs and boost manufacturing productivity. With today's 3D modeling software, manufacturers are able to efficiently repair incomplete models, reverse engineer files, and incorporate...

Jeannine Kunz, vice president of Tooling U-SME, details how awareness of AM's capabilities is clearly on the rise:  Some big manufacturers are focusing on what AM means to their human capital, and AM is often being incorporated into existing roles. Kunz also discusses how Tooling U-SME can help customers increase their use of additive technologies while the world waits for standards.  Her division...

Randolph Bradley, Technical Fellow in Supply Chain Management at Boeing, explains the Center for Excellence in Logistics and Distribution's reason for being, and Boeing's involvement with the industry-academia partnership. Among what is covered: energy use in the supply chain; demand forecasting using Bayes' Rule (also used to crack Germany's Enigma code during WWII), and insights gained from MHI'...

Joe Lampinen, Senior Director, Global Practice Consultant for Engineering, Business, & Professional Services at Kelly Services, explores how manufacturers today must meet the challenge of engaging younger workers just entering the profession. These workers have the expectation that they will change employers ten times or more during their careers. Employers must be able to upskill and engage all o...

What's up with AM machines this year? At the Aerodef conference, SLM Solutions' Winthrop Sheldon  takes on this and several other market-trend questions.  "You're seeing more multi-laser systems. You're seeing generally more open systems (in terms of parameter control and material use). And you're also seeing larger format systems. So there are quite a few new trends that I feel SLM was instrument...

Dimitrije Milovich, president and CEO of Radius Engineering Inc. (Salt Lake City), discusses the role small manufacturers play in aerospace. His company has fewer than 40 employees but has established a niche in aerospace. Milovich was at SME's AeroDef Manufacturing Show in Fort Worth, TX, where he received  the 2017 J.H. "Jud" Hall Composites Manufacturing Award. He spoke with Senior Editor Bill...

EnvisionTEC CEO Al Siblani explains why the SLCOM 1, a machine that does selective lamination composite object manufacturing and is in beta testing, is an important development in 3D printing: "There's absolutely no limitation in terms of geometry in terms of what kinds of composite parts you can build—unless it's a closed volume. Besides any closed volume, the SLCOM 1 allows you to additively man...

Zane Michael, director of thermal business development for Yaskawa America/Motoman Robotics Division, explains why the biggest challenge for welding manufacturers today is the shortage of welders. He notes that fabricators can apply robotic welding technology with a high degree of success by first using simple systems, and explains why human welders still play a major role in robotic welding by an...

At the Aerodef conference in Texas, Conrad Leiva, VP for product strategy and alliance at iBASEt and chair of the smart manufacturing working group at MESA, says companies should first evaluate their business model today to get ready for a smart manufacturing future. Next, they should look at their IT infrastructure. And don't forget to address digital handoffs between systems. "We're coming from...

For starters, NASA's HUNCH program brings projects, mentors, expertise and schools. SME's PRIME initiative brings mentors, equipment and a scholarship component. "It's kind of a big deal that those things mesh so well," says Blake Ratcliff, program manager of NASA HUNCH.

Sandra Rios, ‎Head of Product Management & Marketing, AXOOM GmbH, explores the development of the platform market for the Internet of Things, the company's vision for the IoT platform market, and its plans in North America.

At the Aerodef show in Texas, Mike Judge, executive vice president of Cincinnati-based 5ME, delivers the lowdown on cryogenic machining. He notes that 5ME can add cryogenic machining to machines in the field. (Installation takes 1-3 days.)