Category: Advanced Manufacturing

The automotive industry has always been on the forefront of technological developments and tends to be the first adopter of new technology. Even if these new technologies are only used initially on their concept vehicles or in high-performance racing vehicles. The massive manufacturing advances being made across the board point to a future of significant…

For a very long time, manufacturing has been a world of high quantities and proprietary techniques. It didn’t matter how the work got done, it just needed to get done (en mass and on time). Now, in a world of ever-increasing production quotas, we are constantly looking for ways to improve production efficiency and finding…

Additive manufacturing is a process that creates solid objects from a computer-generated design. The digital model is divided into different layers and an actual product is built layer-by-layer until the final, desired output is obtained. An example of a process which uses these manufacturing principles is 3D printing, which is gaining popularity around the world.…

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…