The iSpeed5 is a fully tool changeable, high speed electric spindle system. As a 350W (0.5hp) variable speed system, it is available in 60,000rpm or 80,000rpm max. speeds. The controller can run multiple motor spindles at different parameters and fully integrates with a machine tool CNC control. The system eliminates the need for external motor cords or air lines, allowing for continuous lights-out high-speed machining. The motor spindles connect to the controller through a constant clean stop block. The iSpeed5 delivers less than 1µm TIR. Spindles are available in most CAT, BT, and HSK tapers. NSK America Corp.

CT metrology system

New features have been added to the 225kV microfocus X-ray computed tomography (CT) system, including:

Rotating.Target 2.0: More efficient cooling enables 3x smaller focal spot size for clearer imaging; data quality, image resolution maximized; doubles running time before preventive maintenance is required

Half.Turn CT: Novel method for nearly halving the angle through which a specimen rotates during the X-ray cycle, speeding the process without losing image quality

Motorized focal spot to imager distance (FID) adjustment: No need to increase X-ray power; shorter FID may be selected, giving faster scan times or a higher signal-to-noise ratio when using low-energy X-ray power

Local.Calibration: Allows rapid, repeatable, automated calibration of voxel size at any CT scan position

Auto.Filament Control: Controls X-ray source, doubling lifetime of the filament, lowering cost, increasing system uptime without losing microfocus resolution

Quick.Change plug-and-play filament cups: Easily repeatable process that reduces downtime, eliminates human error

Nikon Metrology Inc.

Hydraulic vise

The 130mm double-acting hydraulic vise with high holding forces offers quick clamping and repeatability for improved speed and part tolerance. The vise comes with multiple mounting patterns, jaw options, and easily accessible plumbing and maintenance ports.

Positioning the jaws just outside the workpiece minimizes travel when clamping, and combined with hydraulic workholding speed, reduces clamping and unclamping operations to 1 second. These repeatable operations lead to measurable machine uptime and productivity increases, especially for high-mix, low-volume manufacturers.

Hydraulic pump kits include everything to hook up and control a vise including the compact pump – mounted horizontally or vertically – and a manual or solenoid zero leak valve to control clamping.

Jergens Inc.

LED profile projector

The PJ-Plus series of profile projectors uses LED lighting, provides reliable measurements, and offers stable dimension and angle measurements in harsh environments.

The LED illumination source eliminates the need for a cooling fan in the main unit, decreasing the entry of oil, mist, and dust into the measuring instrument. It also uses a more efficient stepless illumination control instead of the conventional 2-step illumination adjustment system, allowing for lighting levels to be set to suit the surface texture and workpiece color.

Mitutoyo America Corp.

Counterbalance support hinge

The CB counterbalance support hinge can be used in tandem with the CB counterbalance hinge, for applications where the counterbalance hinge supports full torque requirements of the panel or lid.

It enables ergonomic lifting and position control when combined with a CB counterbalance hinge by using stored energy to balance the weight distribution of a lid or panel. Hinges are fully adjustable, allowing opening and closing performance to be tailored to the application’s requirements.

With robust, all-aluminum construction, the hinges offer improved corrosion resistance and consistent performance in hot and cold temperatures and increased life cycle, reducing the need for maintenance.

Southco

Dallas, Texas-based Preo Aerospace LLC will exclusively supply sales and marketing support in the United States and Canada for Thommen Aircraft Equipment Ltd., Muttenz, Switzerland.

Thommen manufactures displays, air data computers, altimeters, interior lighting, digital clocks, and chronographs for helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, and unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for new aircraft and the retrofit market.

Preo Aerospace was co-founded by Pete Ring and Kyle Williams. Ring has more than 20 years’ experience in various aerospace leadership roles. Williams is a 15-year industry veteran specializing in building, managing, and growing Part 145 repair stations, MRO facilities, and aftermarket resellers for avionics manufacturers. Both are pilots.

Constant Aviation earns FAA Safety Management System certification

Cleveland, Ohio-based maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) business Constant Aviation’s Safety Management System (SMS) has earned compliance with the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) Voluntary SMS Program. Constant Aviation becomes only the fourth MRO among more than 4,500 maintenance organizations nationally and the first independent business jet MRO Part 145 Repair Station to achieve this designation.

SMS has become the global standard for aviation safety programs. While they are optional for MROs, domestic customers and foreign certificate holders increasingly request them.

FAA’s Part 5 SMS program provides aviation organizations with systematic procedures, practices, and policies to manage safety risk through applicant, participant, and conformant levels.

Constant has been operating under these processes for the past year, and in that time, has reduced incident severity and workplace injuries by more than 55%. The company’s incident costs were also reduced more than 200%, for direct savings greater than $250,000.

The FBX drill for flat-bottom drilling offers up to 200% higher metal removal rates compared to traditional ramping techniques when machining high-temperature alloys, stainless steel, other steels, and cast irons. The drill is part of a three-step tooling concept that maximizes metal removal rates and decreases cycle times when machining aerospace structural components.

Combining the advantages of a flat bottom drill and a Z-axis plunge mill, the FBX drill speeds up machining compared to the traditional time-consuming, low metal removal rate first process step of entering the material using ramping techniques. The flat bottom design eliminates radial forces while four cutting edges provide increased feed and speed rates. Once the drill has shaped the basic structure of the component, the next process steps are roughing and finishing with indexable and solid end mills.

Four cutting edges provide stability in challenging applications such as chain hole drilling and plunging, while large chip flutes ensure hassle-free chip evacuation. Supported by a series of exchangeable coolant nozzles to help eliminate heat buildup, the drill point has a center insert with two cutting edges and chip splitters for maximum feed capabilities.

Drill bodies are available in 60mm, 75mm, and 90mm diameters, in 150mm and 95mm lengths. The modular drill connects to bolt taper flange (BTF) mount adapters, available in various spindle connection styles.

Kennametal Inc.

A technology promising to someday revolutionize manufacturing is artificial intelligence (AI). If you’re thinking of a humanoid robot watching people to learn a simple task, you’re missing a more immediate application of AI in manufacturing – metrology. Surprised?

Advances in imaging technology, software, and computing power are making it easier to automate observation, identification, and reporting of flaws on parts, which improves quality in manufacturing.

Dr. Jonathan Lee leads research and development (R&D) for Nanotronics, a science technology company that developed a system combining AI, automation, and sophisticated imaging to detect manufacturing flaws and anomalies.

I asked what’s changed to propel his company and others toward a marketable solution enabling AI-assisted part inspection. Is it better cameras? Stitching software? Smarter and faster data crunching? Well, it’s all of those.

Lee answers, “Year-on-year improvements in the price and performance of commodity hardware are making ever more complex models and processing practical. As costs come down, there are more installations, and that brings in larger data volumes, driving the creation of more specialized models, and increasing customer confidence in deploying AI and automation.”

At Nanotronics, they study human-machine interactions and assembly processes with automated tools, and feed that back into design and process changes.

“We enable our customers to enhance their own efforts to maintain effective process control, and to tighten the loop between detecting some defect, determining its source, and ultimately mitigating any issues,” Lee says. The company’s nSpec product combines advanced computer vision, machine learning, AI, optical microscopy, and robotics to recognize, classify, and measure nanoscopic flaws, allowing for real-time correction.

They take this further with Intelligent Factory Control (IFC), their term for combining legacy process control data, imaging, or other sensor data, and using them to reduce process variation, increase yields, reduce rework, or provide insight into the root causes of process variation.

IFC enables machines to autonomously correct irregularities in the production process, making self-inspecting, self-optimizing factories an achievable goal.

This sounds like a perfect tie-in with Industry 4.0.

Lee agrees, saying, “More data from more sources increase the likelihood that we can assign causality to issues seen in inspection. Digital twins give higher fidelity models of what should be, which permits us to be much more aggressive in detecting deviations to track and correct.” The goal is to change a production process item by item to hit required quality metrics with minimal rework, or across multiple variables rather than one feature at a time – all without needing constant human attention and supervision.

Nanotronics is building a high-tech manufacturing hub in New York’s Brooklyn Navy Yard. The new facility will allow the company’s AI researchers, computer scientists, and other experts to work with skilled machinists on a manufacturing floor. The objective is to develop innovations that will reduce a factory’s footprint, producing less waste while bolstering speed, from R&D through production. – Eric