Automation and robotics can go a long way toward increasing capacity and growing a business dedicated to aerospace manufacturing. But Trinity Precision has learned that refining the indirect and unseen aspects of its operations can be just as valuable.
Learn more about the materials and processes that will shape next-generation aircraft in a collection of stories from Modern Machine Shop, Additive Manufacturing and CompositesWorld, available to read or download for free.
Thyssenkrupp Bilstein’s North American operations is finding out. The shock absorber manufacturer has eight cobots and counting in its Ohio production facility, plus two autonomous vehicles. Here are scenes from its shop where the picture of automation is changing.
When Precision Metal Products purchased its first 3D printer last year, the company hoped to collapse both tooling costs and lead times. But the technology’s impact is reaching core business operations, enabling the shop to focus on higher-margin, lower-volume production.
Even for high-volume machine shops like Alpha Grainger, every part is critical. When the bottleneck to inspect a vast number of parts resulted in lost business, the company built, then invested in, digital vision systems to gain a competitive advantage.
Advance CNC Machining’s progression from vertical machining centers through five-axis machining changed more than the complexity of its parts. Ultimately it transformed core business operations.
When the Great Recession hit Linda Tool, leadership for the 66-year-old machine shop decided against cutting staff. Instead, they made a series of strategic investments and decisions around five-axis machining that has allowed them to scale up the business without increasing headcount.
In addition to an innovative new turning technology, Emag has rolled out numerous changes to its IMTS booth this year—including a move from the north to the south hall.
While also known for its vertical machining centers and five-axis machines, Matsuura Machinery Corp. of Japan and Matsuura USA have been involved with hybrid manufacturing for roughly 16 years. But in a first for IMTS, Matsuura USA is exhibiting its Matsuura Lumex Avance-25.
At its newly-designed booth, EOS is debuting the new M 300 Series metal additive platform: a four-laser system that features full-field overlap and increased productivity of four to 10 times over its workhorse M 290.