Articles

Polymer 12 Apr 2017

Consider Thickness, Tolerance and Proximity in Laser-Sintered Holes

A study offers guidelines for hole design in laser sintering applications.

Basics 12 Apr 2017

Wanted: Flexible Shops and Open-Minded Pros

AM is more complicated than the hype implies. It needs creative people to advance its adoption in this industry.

Polymer 5 Apr 2017

Guidelines for Wall Thickness in Laser Sintering

A study reveals insights for additively manufacturing reliable walls and avoiding warpage.

Metal 3 Apr 2017

At Rapid: A 73-Year-Old Machine Shop’s Journey into Metal AM

Imperial Machine & Tool Co. presents at Rapid 2017 about incorporating metal additive manufacturing into a traditional machine shop environment.

Metal 31 Mar 2017

GE Team Secretly Printed a Helicopter Engine, Replacing 900 Parts with 16

GE Additive’s Ehteshami says, “To make these parts the ordinary way, you typically need 10 to 15 suppliers, you have tolerances, you have nuts, bolts, welds and braces.” With additive, “all of that went away.” The helicopter project is a detail in a story worth knowing.

Aerospace 29 Mar 2017

Aerospace Contractor Brings Custom Tooling In-House with FDM 3D Printing

Adding an FDM 3D printer enabled a producer of subassemblies for aircraft to bypass traditional tooling solutions on many custom tools and bring much of this work in-house.

28 Mar 2017

Observations of AMUG 2017

Record attendance for the event this year threatened to exceed the capacity of the venue. Here are a few impressions of this year’s AMUG conference.

Metal 24 Mar 2017

Laser Optimization Helps Brings AM to the Next Level

A new productivity-boosting technology, called parallel mode, redefines metal 3D printer process speed.

Mold Tooling 22 Mar 2017

Design Enhancements for Conformal-Cooled Insert Leverage 3D Printing Capabilities

A collaborative mold project reveals that the value of 3D printing isn’t in the process, it’s in the products.

Production 20 Mar 2017

Staying Focused on the Promise of AM

For this company, realizing that promise is a long-term undertaking. In the short term, it involves sometimes saying no.

Production 15 Mar 2017

Does Additive Manufacturing Make Sense in a “Subtractive” Machine Shop?

Definitely yes, says this shop—a metal 3D printed part is almost always a machined part as well, and an established machine shop is perhaps the best business to realize AM’s promise for production.