On Dec. 9, 2020, Bell Flight’s Autonomous Pod Transport (APT) flew with 110 lb of payload over an 8-mile route at Bell’s testing site near Fort Worth, Texas. To date, the APT test program has completed more than 300 flights.
“The APT flight test team continues to push the capabilities of our aircraft, and we are excited to hit this milestone,” says John Wittmaak, unmanned aerial systems program manager.
In 2021, Bell engineers plan to demonstrate several military and commercial operations with the APT while simplifying user interfaces and enhancing the aircraft’s autonomous features.
SkyVision team wins AUVSI award
The SkyVision joint effort between the Air Force, the state of Ohio, and industry partners won first place in the Technology & Innovation (Hardware – Platform) category of 2020’s Association for Unmanned Vehicles Systems International (AUVSI) Awards.
SkyVision’s ground-based detect and avoid capability enables UAS to sense and avoid other aircraft when operated remotely, especially when flown in beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) mode.
AeroVironment teams with Robotic Skies for UAS MRO
Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) provider AeroVironment Inc. is teaming with Robotic Skies, a global maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) network for UAS, to provide field maintenance, inspection, and repair support for AeroVironment customers.
Robotic Skies Founder and CEO Brad Hayden says, “With Robotic Skies, AeroVironment customers can get the benefit of high-quality, OEM-certified maintenance and the peace of mind knowing they can meet any maintenance-related waiver requirements.”
Founded in 2014, Robotic Skies has 200 independently owned and operated certified repair stations in its growing network, spanning more than 40 countries.
Air Force awards Lockheed Martin F-16 depot sustainment program
The contract value is estimated throughout 10 years and includes depot-level maintenance activities, predefined programmatic work, aircraft modification, and unplanned drop-in maintenance.
Work will be performed at the company’s Greenville, South Carolina site, establishing the first U.S.-based F-16 industry depot to support government-owned depots.
F-16s make up approximately 45% of the Air Force fighter fleet, and several modernization and structural programs will significantly increase depot level workload, as the Air Force plans to operate the F-16 for decades to come.
The contract depot will provide additional capacity for F-16 repair and modernization efforts to support nearly 2,000 F-16’s currently operating in 25 partner nations.
The WTX high-feed drill features four cutting edges for increased precision, productivity, and service life.The pyramid geometry ensures extremely aggressive and precise drilling performance.
WTX achieves 0.03mm positioning accuracy and consistent centering properties. Drilling quality, hole tolerance, surface finish, and positioning accuracy increase component quality, reducing or eliminating rework. Low burr formation when entering/exiting the hole eliminates subsequent deburring.
The four-flute design enables high feeds in steel processing and secure and quick chip removal.
The applied Dragonskin uses TiAIN nanolayer coating with a 0.35 coefficient of friction and allows for maximum application temperatures of 1,832ºF.
The M2471 milling cutter includes a double-sided round insert with eight cutting edges, reducing cutting material costs up to 20%.
Featuring 0.98" (25mm) diameters with parallel shank or ScrewFit modular interface, it allows face and copy milling steel, stainless steels, and materials with difficult cutting properties. Indexing using the flank face of the indexable insert ensures simple, safe handling. The indexable insert is available in G57 and K67 geometries for medium machining conditions and for good machining conditions. It’s also available in Tiger·tec Silver PVD grades WSM35S and WSP45S, boosting tool life.
It offers high metal-removal rate even on low-performance machines due to its soft cutting geometries and positive cutting characteristics.
The TURNPWR lathe control is a workshop-oriented turning control that enables users to program conventional machining operations at the machine in a user friendly programming language. It’s designed for turning machine tools with up to two axes.
The Acu-Rite conversational programming format for controls is a user-friendly method of writing part programs and is included in the TURNPWR. G-code (ISO) programming can also be used.
A 12.1" high-resolution display boasts a clear screen layout. Preview graphics in the editor illustrate machining steps for programming the contour and corresponding tool path generated using only dimensions pulled from a production drawing.
TURNPWR is a closed-loop system with positioning feedback provided by rotary encoders inside the motor assemblies. When fitted with the optional Acu-Rite precision glass scales (1µm/0.00005" resolution), TURNPWR also includes Position-Trac, allowing users to quickly re-establish workpiece zero after shutting down or power loss.
The Safety Resource Microsite offers a range of resources to help ensure safe design, application, and use of Norton abrasives products.
Content includes safety data sheets for Norton’s products including grinding wheels, portable wheels, and coated/ non-woven abrasives. Various safety videos also cover applications using form belts, precision grinding and dressing, guard conversions on right angle grinders, and wheel mounting.
A Safety Icon Library demonstrates how to identify different types of safety icons including hazard alert, prohibition, mandatory action, and proper machine use.
The i-One system consists of exchangeable micro-grain carbide drill inserts and premium tool steel toolholders with coolant channels. It allows engineers to help customers maximize machining productivity and profitability. i-One drills come in various insert sizes, and toolholders are available in 3xD, 5xD, and 8xD depths and in ODs from 0.393" to 1.328" (10mm to 33.73mm).
The HN80E-5X 5-axis horizontal machining center, the largest in the heavy-duty HN-5X series, features 49.2" of travel in the X-axis, 48.4" in Y-axis, and 47.2" in Z-axis. Max. workpiece diameter is 49.2" x 39.4", and max. weight is 3,300 lb.
Simultaneous 5-axis machining improves cycle times and machined surfaces of complicated and 3D curved components. A 5-axis compensation function ensures high accuracy for extended periods. Five-face machining reduces the number of setups and simplifies fixtures for substantially reduced changeover times. For additional efficiency, the tool magazine is driven by a servo motor for fast, reliable indexing
Manufactured by Litz Hitech Corp., the MV 1600H 3-axis vertical machining center (VMC) combines durable construction, a rigid boxway Z-axis, and linear guideways on the X- and Y-axis.
Rapid rates are 36m/min on the X- and Y-axis and 24m/min on the Z-axis.
The work area spans 63.0" x 31.5" while the table has a capacity of 3,300 lb and measures 66.9" x 33.5". Weighing 41,800 lb, the VMC has a heavy-cast construction, dampening reverberations to deliver greater precision and improve surface finishing.
Standard features include a 40-tool automatic tool changer (ATC) that handles large tools. Comprehensive chip management includes an external chip conveyor, chip flush in the bed, spindle flush, and an extra coolant gun.
The Fanuc 0i-MF control comes with a 200-block look-ahead and Manual Guide i software preinstalled.
The top agenda item for many chief financial officers (CFOs) in 2021 isn’t cost cutting but investing in technology or infrastructure to adapt to the post-pandemic world.
Of the 100 CFOs polled for the 2021 BDO Manufacturing CFO Outlook Survey, 26% report investing in technology or infrastructure. The survey, conducted in September 2020, included manufacturing companies with revenues ranging from $250 million to $3 billion, with 77% of them having revenues of less than $1 billion.
How else do CFOs plan to navigate continuing COVID-19 challenges while making moves to seize emerging opportunities in 2021?
Eskander Yavar, national leader of BDO’s Manufacturing Practice and a National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) board member, reveals the survey’s key takeaways, including:
83% say their business will take at least 1 year to recover, 51% expect customer demand to increase in the next 6 months
49% say the pandemic enabled faster decision-making, 38% say it led to product or service innovation, and 34% say it accelerated digital transformation/Industry 4.0 adoption
20% say supply chain stability is central to recovery, followed by 17% each for low input costs and productivity gains
44% will introduce new aftermarket services, 42% will pivot to new products
Nearly three-quarters of the CFOs report their businesses are currently struggling or just surviving. Most project it’ll take more than a year for their business to fully recover from the effects of the pandemic.
The health crisis forced manufacturers to get creative to survive. Many introduced Industry 4.0 solutions such as automation to enable social distancing in their workplaces and let some frontline staff work remotely.
Supply chain stability emerged as the factor most critical to the recovery of the manufacturing industry. Yavar says that for 2021 and beyond, manufacturers will prioritize meeting immediate challenges while simultaneously making investments that increase their business’ resiliency for the long term. More than half (52%) plan to invest in supply chain technologies this year to introduce new efficiencies, increase end-to-end visibility, and improve flexibility and responsiveness.
In the short term, “Manufacturers should reevaluate their just-in-time inventory strategies and consider developing alternative sources of supplies or stockpiles of critical materials or products,” Yavar says. Long-term, “Savvy manufacturers recognize that digitizing the supply chain is no longer optional at this point, but – provided they move quickly enough – is also a source of competitive advantage.”
Three-quarters of the manufacturers polled have introduced or are planning to introduce new aftermarket services. Subscription-based analytics, reporting dashboards, condition monitoring, and preventive maintenance are among the offerings enabled by Industry 4.0.
The remainder of this year will be a balancing act between mitigating risk, navigating continued uncertainty, and seizing new opportunities, Yavar concludes. “To succeed, manufacturers must balance making investments that increase connectivity and resiliency to mitigate disruption with longer-term plans for transformation to meet changing customer expectations and adapt to shifting market trends.” – Eric
