Category: Advanced Manufacturing

In short, yes. Machining titanium is often billed as the pinnacle of a machine tool’s capabilities, but really it’s less about the machine itself and more about the machinist. That doesn’t mean that tooling and your machine aren’t important, but like so many things in the world of machining, there are a million ways to…

Modern manufacturing has been characterized by the rise of the machines. Gradually, robots have replaced human workers on assembly lines, carrying out repetitive tasks that are easy to replicate. For example, on vehicle production lines a robotic arm can hold a car door in place, while another bolts it to the frame. The automation of…

VR and AR are all the rage these days! It started out in the gaming industry, which is understandable, but it has transitioned into the worlds of marketing and B2B business. One of the earliest steps into the business world, that I witnessed, was modeling and designing architecture. This is pretty intuitive step, if you…

Evolution is a powerful thing. It’s the driving force behind life as we know it. With the technology available to us today, it was only a matter of time before the power of evolution was harnessed to shape the material world too. Generative design is an automated, iterative approach to design that uses the power…

Virtual Reality (VR), and its close relatives – Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR), have seen significant advances over the past few years. Oculus Rift and PlayStation have brought VR to the gaming community, but the possibilities extend much further than just creating immersive video game experiences. To clear up any confusion, VR is…

When you think of artificial intelligence (AI), chances are that a vision of supremely intelligent computers and robots taking over the world and enslaving the human race spring to mind. We’ve been conditioned by sci-fi books and movies to fear the worst.The reality is far different – mundane even. AI is basically the operation of…

Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machining involves using technical equipment to automatically machine materials into products, parts or prototypes. It is a form of subtractive manufacturing that has become a popular method in making precision parts for the aerospace, automotive, power and other technical industries. The materials used are typically metal, wood, plastics and composites, which…

The process of designing and manufacturing products is no longer confined to the real world. Technological advances in computing and visualization devices mean that it is now possible to use virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) to help design teams create products that would have been inconceivable not so long ago.…

Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) is used to design and manufacture products. It can enhance repetitive processes such as drilling holes or cutting layers. The manufacturing process automatically converts design drawings into machine-friendly codes. This allows the machine to read the design and then manufacture the product according to the design specifications. How does it work and…

Though it may not always feel like it, the world of manufacturing is always changing and adapting. Whether it’s logistics and sourcing or methodologies and time to market, there’s always a need to evaluate where your manufacturing and production are going. Industrial Manufacturing More traditional manufacturing is often reliant on the low-cost/high-quantity model. Whether your…

What started as a high-end machining technique focused on machining complex shapes has now transitioned to a nearly industry standard technology to optimize the CNC Milling industry. 5-axis machining has veritably reinvented how we think about milling parts. Machining with 5-axis machines allows us to cut costs on machining time, achieve higher precision on complex…

In the past, the world of design was relegated to engineers sitting at drafting desks as they contemplated the calculus of parts and the physics of their components in the wild. Typically, designers would mock up their drawings and then pass the design to a machinist or toolmaker to develop parts for prototyping or production.…

An Engineer’s guide to understanding and implementing additive manufacturing in the production process…  Introduction Image Source: Marines Additive manufacturing (AM) is a term used to described the set of manufacturing processes that progressively add layers of material to manufacture your products, and it could change the way you go about engineering your products. Instead of…

Although there are dozens of CAM systems available, choosing one is not as difficult as many believe. It comes down to choosing the best one for your application. This paper is meant to help give you the tools to help pick the best one for you. Consider the packaging CAM software is available in three…