June-July 2018
Digital Issue
New program launches, significant improvements in production rates, and rapid growth in commercial passenger and freight traffic has been boosting the production rates of commercial jets. Single-aisle jets and private business aircraft are driving jetliner demand as the low-cost carrier business model soars – which is good news for aircraft manufacturers and the metal fabricators who supply them with parts, assemblies and other support services.
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It’s easy to get caught up in the latest production technology, but sales are the fuel that keeps all of the systems on the shop floor running. To win new sales in the competitive fabrication market, here are three key areas where you can increase your chances to generate more business.
A wide range of fluxes are available for the SAW process, including some that are specially formulated to bring specific properties and characteristics to the finished weld. With so many types of flux available, how do you know which option is the best choice for your application?
Many shops are unaware that a lot of their spindles are BIG-PLUS, so they don’t realize the capabilities they possess that this system provides. If you identify these spindles on your floor and want to start taking advantage of them, there are some things you should know.
Globe Engineering installs a new Unison machine to bend a range of aluminium, stainless steel and titanium tubes measuring up to 1.25 in diameter.
The 2018 edition of the International Manufacturing Technology Show is on track to be one of the largest IMTS events ever at McCormick Place in Chicago from September 10-15. This special sneak peek provides technical reviews of some of the machinery, tooling, systems and accessories that will be exhibited to help you get a head start on navigating the show floor and managing your time while you’re there.
New program launches, significant improvements in production rates, and rapid growth in commercial passenger and freight traffic has been boosting the production rates of commercial jets. Single-aisle jets and private business aircraft are driving jetliner demand as the low-cost carrier business model soars – all of which is good news for aircraft manufacturers and the metal fabricators who supply them with parts, assemblies and other support services.
Used with water or coolant, 1/8 NPT small external mix atomizing nozzles from EXAIR are an efficient way to evenly cool hot items in an automated process, but they can also be used to coat, treat and paint a variety of products.
The fully automatic AV-2026NC bandsaw from Cosen Saws cuts complex angles on structural material either on the front end, the back end or both. It is capable of making a bull nose angle cut, which manufacturers often use to make bracing parts, as well as making opposing angles, parallelograms, polygons, and straight cuts.
To select the best sheet metal strategy and cutting order, users of this 3D simulation software can calculate graphically and interactively how heat sources affect sheet metal during the laser or plasma cutting process.
These custom machines were built to spin-form lip skins out-of-round by 8½ in to 9 in for the nacelle on the engines of Boeing 737 Max and 777X aircraft. They hold tight tolerances that are verified by thermo-imaging cameras and fed back by the CNC for accuracy tracking and in-process adjustments of the heating torch.
It’s easy to get caught up in the latest production technology, but sales are the fuel that keeps all of the systems on the shop floor running. To win new sales in the competitive fabrication market, here are three key areas where you can increase your chances to generate more business.
This press manufacturer was challenged to build a sophisticated system that could form aircraft parts with complex geometries in a low volume, high mix production environment, using a fully automated die handling system and the largest staging table of its kind in the world for continuous production. The result? Die change time reduced from two hours to ten minutes.
Want to reduce costs, improve process consistency, simplify part assembly, increase edge strength and create a more uniform finish? A wide range of operations are good candidates for a switch to automated deburring, and following these steps can help optimize the process for efficiency, quality and productivity.
Since its release, Amazon has sold over 20 million Echo devices with Alexa, their voice activated assistant. It has changed the way we complete many daily tasks, from shopping to getting weather updates. But could it do the same for manufacturing? How will voice recognition technology improve manufacturing processes?
The 8.0 Ah and 4.0 Ah slim battery packs from Metabo use LiHD battery technology for angle grinders, saws, drilling applications and more.
Aerospace suppliers are taking measures to upgrade production capabilities, manage growth and cope with accelerating production ramp-up while integrating new technologies such as composites, electrification, and new generation engines into the mix. Here are some of the latest metal cutting systems that can help them stay competitive at this fast-changing pace.
Ironman heavy duty grinders from Walter Surface Technologies are built to meet the large-scale needs and exacting standards of the aerospace, military, naval, energy, transportation and other industries.
Machining aerospace components involves very long cycle times and often high raw material costs that present competitive challenges for OEMs and production job shops alike. But here are two examples of how the latest CAD-CAM-CNC workflow can improve design-to-part protocols, machining time, tool life, surface finish, dimensional accuracies and overall production efficiencies.
Since its release, Amazon has sold over 20 million Echo devices with Alexa, their voice activated assistant. It has changed the way we complete many daily tasks, from shopping to getting weather updates. But could it do the same for manufacturing? How will voice recognition technology improve manufacturing processes?
The 8.0 Ah and 4.0 Ah slim battery packs from Metabo use LiHD battery technology for angle grinders, saws, drilling applications and more.
The IoT Revolution is picking up speed to change the manufacturing world forever. But digital transformation doesn’t happen overnight: it’s an evolutionary journey from today’s practices to tomorrow’s that requires a roadmap to follow.
The Weld-Mask 2 from Miller Electric allows access to tight spaces, protects the eyes and head, and provides the ability to wear a hard hat, reusable respirator and safety glasses for total protection and compliance.
High cost and large size have always been the main reasons why linear friction welders have seen limited use outside of aerospace applications. But that is changing with a new line of affordable LFW systems that have a much smaller footprint and utilize a patented electro/mechanical oscillation device that is new to the world of linear friction welding.
A wide range of fluxes are available for the SAW process, including some that are specially formulated to bring specific properties and characteristics to the finished weld. With so many types of flux available, how do you know which option is the best choice for your application?
Security features, tracking, arc monitoring and traceability make it nearly impossible to stray from established protocols and parameters that maintain weld integrity during the robotic welding of safety critical welds. It may take a considerable amount of upfront work to get to full data harmonization, but the results are confident customers and improved product quality that can help secure future operations.
The need to weld many different material types and use different welding processes is increasing on the jobsite and in the shop. The ability to weld most any material – anywhere – with one lightweight, portable welding system that delivers industrial-level output can provide significant benefits for productivity, efficiency, and profitability.
For reliable and efficient blowoff and cleaning in corrosive, high temperature or washdown environments up to 400 deg F, 303SS Air Jets from Exair replace open tubes and pipe nipples on parts cleaning, drying and cooling operations to produce up to 1.25 lb of force upon the target.
Virtually all manufacturers agree that a blade that has been properly broken-in will have a significantly increased service life. So why would this important step be skipped over?
Suppliers of CNC machining centers, toolholders and cutting tools are increasingly urging OEMs, contract manufacturers and job shops that machine complex aerospace parts to add an overlooked, yet critical component that can prevent vibration and chatter issues – as well as the incorrect assignment of blame for causing the problems.
Many shops are unaware that a lot of their spindles are BIG-PLUS, so they don’t realize the capabilities they possess that this system provides. If you identify these spindles on your floor and want to start taking advantage of them, there are some things you should know.
Though there are less expensive methods for adding threads to sheet metal parts, in-punch tapping is far and away the fastest, most accurate way to produce threads. Ultimately, the decision comes down to the thread type, specification and how many tapped holes are needed.
Want to reduce costs, improve process consistency, simplify part assembly, increase edge strength and create a more uniform finish? A wide range of operations are good candidates for a switch to automated deburring, and following these steps can help optimize the process for efficiency, quality and productivity.
Take a closer look at some of the newest systems that can increase NDT and inspection throughput and reduce operating costs for measuring complex parts, detecting the smallest cracks or other defects, and meeting the demanding standards of NADCAP, Boeing or Airbus.
