Manufacturers can cut internal and external forms rapidly and accurately into workpieces with rotary broach tooling and can produce precise hexes, squares, serrations, splines, and other custom shapes on CNC machines.

An internal live spindle holds an end-cutting broach tool at a 1° angle. In a lathe, the rotary broach toolholder is stationary while the spindle and rotary broach rotate 1:1 with the workpiece. Driven by the workpiece, the rotary broach tool’s corners continually change contact points on the workpiece, wobbling while it cuts each corner of the form rapidly.

In a mill or vertical machining center (VMC), the toolholder’s body rotates in the machine spindle while the holder’s spindle and broach remain stationary, creating the wobbling action while the rotary broach tool’s corners continually change contact points on the workpiece. Form sizes can be broached up to 2" in aluminum or brass and 1" in steel, with depths up to 1.5x the form’s minor diameter.

Slater Tools Inc.

Workpiece positioning system

The connectable ZeroAct workpiece positioning system offers manual and electric zero-point clamping in milling, inspection, and finishing.

Modules rapidly and simultaneously open and close, generating 15kN clamp force. Up to three 40mm x 150mm x 150mm clamping modules can be attached in a row with connecting pins from 5mm to 105mm. By actuating the first unit, all three units clamp simultaneously.

An electric e-motion version uses 24V power that operates with a built-in electro-motor for fully automated loading and unloading. Pull-down pins are interchangeable with the manually operated ZeroAct and other APS/WPS zero-point systems.

Modules provide repeat accuracy of <0.005mm, are sealed against corrosion, and feature built-in air cleaning so the clamping system’s support surface remains clean and free of chips.

SMW Autoblok

Compact lathe

The 8L lathe can fill turning needs in a variety of spaces. Rigid enough to cut plastic, stainless steel, or titanium, it can be equipped with an integral coolant tank, separate chip drawer, storage drawers, side shelving, and a tool holder/tool kit.

The lathe’s 5C spindle accommodates parts up to 1" diameter, and users can add a 3- or 4-jaw chuck to cut stock up to 8" in diameter.

Intuitive conversation lathe programming PathPilot software lets operators do rigid tapping and leverage built-in Dropbox support for transferring programs.

Tormach Inc.

Anaheim, California-based Cadence Aerospace, a provider of complex aerospace components and assemblies for commercial and defense customers, appointed Kevin W. Martin as CEO for the company’s engines systems segment. Martin will also continue as Cadence CIO, reporting to Julian Guerra, Cadence Aerospace CEO and CEO for the company’s aerostructures segment.

Martin will oversee Engines Systems operations at Cadence’s Aero Design & Manufacturing Inc. in Phoenix, Arizona; B&E Precision Aircraft Components in Southwick, Massachusetts; and Tell Tool in Westfield, Massachusetts.

Martin succeeds Bob Quaglia, who is retiring as CEO of the Cadence Engines Systems segment. Quaglia has been appointed as a member of the Cadence Board of Directors.

Solar Atmospheres, Kittyhawk partner

Heat-treating specialists Solar Atmospheres of California and hot isostatic pressing (HIP) specialists Kittyhawk have formed a strategic partnership. Solar Atmospheres and Kittyhawk are both Nadcap, ISO9001, and AS9100 certified.

Image source and copyright:
Lockheed Martin. Used with
permission.

Fastems to laser clean F-35 wing components

Two Fastems automated structure laser cleaner (AutoSLC) units are joining the F-35 Lightning II wing assembly line in Fort Worth, Texas. The project is estimated to be completed by the end of 2021.

The AutoSLC robotized system uses a laser ablation scan head to automatically remove primers and other protective coatings from F-35 wing components, providing pristine surfaces to which nutplates can be mechanically bonded without using rivets. Previous methods of coating removal entailed time-consuming manual sanding and solvent wiping, which yielded inconsistent bonding results. Automated image processing gathers information on quality anomalies for traceability and process improvement, allowing Fastems’ AutoSLC system to process more than 3,000 drilled holes while reducing touch labor hours.

“The path to successful cooperation with Lockheed Martin has been open and frequent collaboration from the very beginning and, together, developing a clear unified vision for the project. This has made processes and decision making much faster and has allowed us to deliver and even exceed the expected results,” Fastems CEO Mikko Nyman says.

“At Lockheed Martin, we test and validate any new complex solution from the initial concept, through design and build, and after delivery. The fact that Fastems understands and shares this attention to detail positions them well to deliver a quality product at every phase,” says Steve Callaghan, vice president, F-35 Business Development and Strategic Integration.

Moog acquires Genesys Aerosystems

Elma, New York-based Moog Inc. purchased Genesys Aerosystems and its S-Tec Corp. subsidiary in December. Genesys provides flight control systems for military and commercial aircraft and will keep its locations in Mineral Wells, Texas; and Anchorage, Alaska, as part of Moog’s Aircraft Controls segment.

Genesys specializes in advanced avionics suites; synthetic vision navigation; digital radios; air data, attitude, and heading reference systems (ADAHRS); global positioning systems (GPS); compact sensors; and autopilots for fixed- and rotor-wing aircraft.

Moog’s precision control components and systems control military and commercial aircraft, satellites, space vehicles, launch vehicles, missiles, automated industrial machinery, marine, and medical equipment.

The Additive Manufacturer Green Trade Association (AMGTA) published its first commissioned university research project, a literature-based systematic review of the environmental benefits of metal AM. The paper, “State of Knowledge on the Environmental Impacts of Metal Additive Manufacturing,” was written by Dr. Jeremy Faludi from Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) and Dartmouth College and Corrie Van Slice, a former senior research engineer at Faludi’s lab at Dartmouth. Van Slice is now a manufacturing sustainability research engineer at TU Delft. According to its authors, the report synthesizes existing academic literature comparing environmental impacts of metal AM with conventional manufacturing methods and provides context with impacts of common metals and processing methods found in a materials database.

Key takeaways:

• While AM generally has much higher carbon footprints per kilogram of material processed than conventional manufacturing (CM) when considering the direct manufacturing process itself, impacts depend greatly on part geometry
• The need for additional life cycle assessment (LCA) studies to quantify environmental impacts to definitively compare metal AM to CM; especially direct comparisons of AM to machining, and for binder jetting and directed-energy deposition (DED); LCAs should also include more of the product life cycle

SDK connects AM to the smart factory

Stratasys software tools integrate its 3D printers in production environments with the factory floor via the GrabCAD Software Development Kit (SDK). Each SDK package includes application programming interfaces (APIs), documentation, and code samples for development partners and manufacturing customers to establish two-way connectivity between Stratasys FDM 3D printers and enterprise software applications. Users can integrate, manage, and support additive manufacturing (AM) for production of end-use parts.

Initial partners for the GrabCAD SDK program include Link3D and Identify3D.

The first two available SDK packages enable users to integrate with GrabCAD Print software and Stratasys manufacturing systems including the F900, Fortus 450mc, and F123 Series of FDM 3D printers.

6K Additive expands metal powder production team

6K and 6K Additive, developer of additive manufacturing (AM) powders derived from sustainable sources, has hired AM experts who bring extensive knowledge in quality, powder manufacturing, and process as the organization begins production of its onyx line of AM premium powders in its recently commissioned 40,000ft² lights-out facility.

Recent additions to the team include:

• Dr. George Meng, Director of Process for Additive
• John Meyer, Director of Technology, AM Products
• Dave Novotnak, Production Process Manager, AM Products
• Joe Muha, Quality Manager, AM Products

EOS, Texas A&M partner on AM professional development

Metal and polymer 3D printing technology supplier EOS has partnered with Texas A&M University (TAMU) to provide a professional development program in industrial 3D printing. Using virtual learning with conventional training methods, the additive manufacturing (AM) program offers a hands-on, expert-led training program to meet evolving industry needs and challenges.

In concert with EOS’ applied engineering group Additive Minds, the TAMU Engineering Experiment Station program takes a deep dive into the latest powder bed AM processes – such as direct metal laser solidification (DMLS) and selective laser sintering (SLS), as well as an understanding of other AM processes, materials, design, case studies, best practices, and troubleshooting. The certificate-level training program was developed by subject matter experts from TAMU (Dr. Alaa Elwany, associate professor of industrial and systems engineering and director of the metal AM laboratory) and EOS’ Additive Minds Consultants Maryna Ienina and Dr. David Krzeminski.

Aircraft can continue to fly if an engine fails however, for quadrotor drones – those with four propellers – such a failure poses a serious problem. With only three working rotors, drones lose stability and inevitably crash unless an emergency control system is used.

Researchers from the University of Zurich and the Delft University of Technology have developed a system to overcome that – if a rotor suddenly fails, built-in sensors can feed data to autonomous control systems to stabilize the drone and keep it flying.

“If a rotor fails, the drone begins to spin around like a ballerina,” says Davide Scaramuzza, head of the Robotics and Perception group at the University of Zurich (UZH) and the National Rescue Robotics Grand Challenge research unit of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), which finances the study. “The rapid rotation causes conventional controls to fail. Unless the drone has access to very precise position measurements.”

As soon as the drone starts to spin, it can no longer determine its position in space and crashes.

One possible solution is to give the drone a reference position using GPS. However, corresponding signals cannot be received in all environments. Rather than relying on a GPS measurement, the scientists use the visual information from multiple built-in cameras.

Researchers equipped quadrotors with standard cameras that recorded several images per second at a constant speed and event cameras with independent pixels only activated by a noticeable change in light. The team’s algorithms combine information from both sensors to track the quadrotor’s position. The on-board computer controls the drone while it flies with only three working rotors.

Tests showed that both types of cameras work well in normal lighting conditions.

“However, when the light decreases, standard cameras show motion blur, which ultimately causes the drone to crash. The event cameras, on the other hand, work well even in very little light,” says first author Sihao Sun and postdoc in Scaramuzza’s laboratory.

The scientists believe that their work can improve the flight safety of quadrotors in areas where the GPS signal is weak or absent.

The researchers have made their controller and algorithm open source.

Delft University of Technology

University of Zurich

Literature: Sihao Sun, Giovanni Cioffi, Coen de Visser, Davide Scaramuzza: Autonomous Quadrotor Flight despite Rotor Failure with Onboard Vision Sensors: Frames vs. Events. Jan. 5, 2021, IEEE Robotics and Automation Letter. DOI: 10.1109/LRA.2020.3048875.