Articles

Production

How Additive Manufacturing Is Like (and Different from) CNC Machining

A leading machining business applies the skill of a toolmaker to using additive manufacturing effectively. The manufacturer shares application examples, as well as thoughts on the challenge and promise of this technology.

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Aerospace

Optimizing Mass and Material

Most machined parts have more material than necessary. This is true even after all of the cutting is finished.

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How 3D Printing Methods Differ

It was about a year ago that 3D printer makers Stratasys and Objet announced their plan to merge. This video from the now-united company shows a 3D-printed part made with both of the machine lines.

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Automotive

Driving Change, Layer by Layer

A vehicle currently in development will not only have a body produced entirely via additive manufacturing processes, but also promises to break new ground in fuel efficiency.

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Quick Replacement Parts (Including Precious Ones)

Shops that have additive manufacturing capability in-house can sometimes use this 3D printing to quickly make replacement components for critical equipment.

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Accepted Terminology for Additive Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing can be challenging to understand because of how many processes the term includes. Here is a list of officially recognized terms recognized by two major standards organizations.

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Tooling

3D Printing’s Expanding Role

By providing solid prototypes of proposed part designs, one company has saved enough money in avoided rework to pay for its new 3D printer several times over.

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Metal

What if Metal Follows the Same Path as Plastic?

It will, says Directed Manufacturing. This company sees metal additive manufacturing becoming as much of an established technology for final part production as plastic additive manufacturing is now. It expects to buy more metal additive machines in anticipation of the work that’s coming.

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Nature Triumphant

The freedom to tailor a part’s shape to its engineering needs—particularly when the result is a complex organic form—might be the most transformative benefit of additive manufacturing.

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Postprocessing

Machining for Additive Manufacturing

Even though one is “subtractive” and one is additive, CNC machining and additive manufacturing are not competitors.

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Aerospace

The Meaning of the Morris Technologies Acquisition: An Interview with GE Aviation

Located in the Cincinnati area near GE Aviation’s Evendale, Ohio, headquarters is a leading supplier of contract additive manufacturing services—Morris Technologies. To secure this company’s capacity for its own use, GE Aviation acquired Morris Technologies and sister company Rapid Quality Manufacturing (RQM).

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Video: Adding Strength for Additive Manufacturing

A computer program strengthens designs before they are printed.

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