Category: Advanced Manufacturing

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.…

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…

One of the most important things to consider when you’re looking to create a mold is surface finish. No matter what material or method is being used to create your mold, whether you’re machining or using an EDM system or another form of mold making, the surface finish of your mold will always affect the…

Many different manufacturing processes are used to actually manufacture tooling for mold making. Most mold making involves CNC machining, or subtractive processing of the material. Other operations besides milling are used, including 3D printing and EDM operations. Moldmakers today are under pressure to create their mold tooling faster than ever before. Although EDM manufacturing is…

For machine shop operators considering milling machines, one of the most basic questions they have to answer relates to configuration: vertical or horizontal mill? The answer depends on the nature of the business—in particular the type and volume of work being done in the shop—but also cost, capabilities of the workforce, and the facility itself. All…