Robotics & Automation News

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additive

Robots vs CNCs: What’s better for working metal?

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By David Alatorre, CTO, Rivelin Robotics

The use of metal additive manufacturing has revolutionized the manufacturing industry, allowing for the creation of complex and intricate parts in a faster and more cost-effective manner.

However, essential post processing of these parts introduces time and financial constraints to the overall cost-per-part that can negate the benefits of additive manufacturing altogether. Support removal is the critical first step of post processing metal additive manufacturing parts, and it is a challenging one.

Today, supports are still essential for part fidelity during the manufacturing process, but they must be removed to achieve the required finished product with the intended shape, features and tolerances. [Read more…] about Robots vs CNCs: What’s better for working metal?

DoE offering $30 million for new materials and manufacturing to lower cost of large wind turbines

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The US Department of Energy has announced a $30 million funding opportunity to advance the cost-effective domestic manufacturing of materials, including lightweight composites, that allow wind turbines to produce power more efficiently.

Because wind energy is the largest source of renewable power in the United States and one of the most affordable sources of energy today, it is a critical tool for reducing our reliance on fossil energy, and next-generation technologies and manufacturing improvements will help bring down costs even more.

The improved materials and manufacturing processes envisioned under this funding opportunity have the potential to reduce wind energy costs and expand the deployment of the nation’s wind energy portfolio in support of President Biden’s goals to reach 100 percent clean electricity by 2035 and a net-zero-emissions economy by 2050. [Read more…] about DoE offering $30 million for new materials and manufacturing to lower cost of large wind turbines

VulcanForms raises $355 million to ‘pioneer industrial-scale digital manufacturing infrastructure’

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VulcanForms, an MIT-born company that builds and operates advanced digital manufacturing infrastructure, has raised $355 million and is valued at over $1 billion.

VulcanForms’ investors include Eclipse Ventures, Stata Venture Partners, Fontinalis Partners, D1 Capital Partners, Standard Investments, Atlas Innovate, Boston Seed Capital, Industry Ventures, and the Simkins Family.

The company also revealed its first two digital production facilities, in Devens, MA and Newburyport, MA, capturing the full value chain for precision metal components and assemblies. [Read more…] about VulcanForms raises $355 million to ‘pioneer industrial-scale digital manufacturing infrastructure’

ASME updates 3D printing standard to streamline production

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Since the 1940s, engineers have used a common design language – a set of definitions, symbols and practices – to draft engineering drawings that can serve as clear manufacturing blueprints or inspection checklists.

While this system still works well for many traditional manufacturing methods, it has not equipped engineers to produce clear and consistent design documents for additive manufacturing, commonly called 3D printing. And the absence of standard methods of communication leaves room for information about 3D-printing designs to be lost in translation.

This week the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) published an updated standard – based in large part on research by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) – that includes language specifically for 3D printing. [Read more…] about ASME updates 3D printing standard to streamline production

How Additive Manufacturing Works and Provides Benefits

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Additive manufacturing is known as 3D printing. Computer-aided programs are used to create 3D objects.

Additive manufacturing is getting popular nowadays. It is a very cost-effective process to design the objects.

Objects are designed with the help of materials such as plastic, ceramic or metal powder. After the design, these printing objects are assembled with heat or a laser beam. [Read more…] about How Additive Manufacturing Works and Provides Benefits

Additive manufacturing startups MakerBot and Ultimaker agree to merge

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MakerBot and Ultimaker, two of the best-known startups in desktop 3D printing, have come to a “business combination agreement” – or a merger.

The company says the move will accelerate the adoption of additive manufacturing by providing a comprehensive desktop 3D printing ecosystem of hardware, software, and materials.

The new entity will be backed by existing investors, NPM Capital and Stratasys, and will benefit from a planned cash investment of $62.4 million to fuel innovation and expansion into new markets. [Read more…] about Additive manufacturing startups MakerBot and Ultimaker agree to merge

Sydney’s ‘factory of the future’ open and ready to drive statewide innovation

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A $25 million facility has today been launched to drive innovation and foster industrial output in the heart of Sydney’s Tech Central. The facility is a foundational node for complementary facilities that support the NSW Government’s projects at Western Sydney Aerotropolis and Western Sydney parklands.

Located in the Engineering precinct of the University of Sydney’s Darlington campus, the Sydney Manufacturing Hub is a new manufacturing-focused research facility that will work alongside industry to deliver cutting-edge R&D in additive manufacturing and materials processing.

It is geared to enable concept-to-production demonstration capabilities, including advanced pre- and post-processing of materials for faculty, students, small and medium-sized companies, and, if needed, larger companies to experience and leverage metal 3D printing (also known as additive manufacturing) and advanced manufacturing – often for the first time. [Read more…] about Sydney’s ‘factory of the future’ open and ready to drive statewide innovation

Cost reduction in aerospace through additive manufacturing

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Spacecraft are developed on Earth, tested, fully assembled and transported in one piece by a launch vehicle to their respective places of operation. Each component must be designed to withstand the high loads of the launch phase.

In most cases, in addition to complex test procedures, this leads to an oversized structure of the spacecraft components, because in orbit they experience only a fraction of the stresses they must endure during rocket launch.

The maximum take-off mass required for transport with the launch vehicle and the volume of satellites, for example, thus cause high space transport costs. [Read more…] about Cost reduction in aerospace through additive manufacturing

Aston Martin to integrate 3D printed parts into Callum Vanquish 25

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The Aston Martin Callum Vanquish 25 by R-Reforged will be the first in a series of bespoke and limited-edition supercars to be designed and produced using MakerBot’s Method X 3D printer, with other projects already in the pipeline.

MakerBot, a 3D printing company and subsidiary of Stratasys, says product design and engineering firm Callum has installed a Method  3D printer to produce functional prototypes, tooling, and production parts across a number of luxury vehicles and lifestyle brands, including the limited edition Aston Martin Callum Vanquish 25 by R-Reforged. [Read more…] about Aston Martin to integrate 3D printed parts into Callum Vanquish 25

General Motors opens new 3D printing facility

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General Motors has opened a 15,000-square-foot “Additive Industrialization Center”, a facility exclusively dedicated to productionizing 3D printing technology in the automotive industry.

GM says the AIC is the “capstone” of its expertise and increased investment in 3D printing over the past several years.

Audley Brown, GM director of additive design and materials engineering, says: “The core component of GM’s transformation is becoming a more agile, innovative company, and 3D printing will play a critical role in that mission. [Read more…] about General Motors opens new 3D printing facility