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Renishaw unveils revolutionary LIBERTAS™ 3DP tech

Renishaw's new LIBERTAS software technology addresses two of the most persistent challenges in metal AM: poor downskin surface finish and the need for support structures. Users have greater freedom to manufacture complex geometries.
Read the full article.

Innovate like a PRO: Protolabs' new AI-enabled manufacturing platform

ProDesk by Protolabs accelerates innovation for product development and procurement teams. It features real-time, AI-powered quoting with design for manufacturability (DFM) analysis across injection molding, CNC machining, and 3D printing. The platform enables seamless team collaboration and customizes quotes with instant feedback on materials, lead times, secondary operations, and finishes prior to production.
Learn more.

SDP/SI Shaftloc Fastening System

Shaftloc is a unique, reusable locking device for securely mounting mechanical components like gears and sprockets onto shafts without the need for keyways, set screws, or adhesives. Its simple, two-piece design offers a cost-effective alternative to traditional fasteners, providing high clamping force and vibration resistance. Installed with standard tools, Shaftloc is perfect for designers seeking flexible, hubless mounting solutions. Available in four styles.
Learn more from SDP/SI.

How Autodesk Research uses Markforged 3D printing

In advanced R&D, "good enough" doesn't cut it. To pioneer its Performance-Aided Design (PAD) workflow, Autodesk Research partnered with Markforged to close the gap between digital simulation and reality. Using sensors and digital twins, PAD replaces delayed field reports with real-time feedback. To test this high-stakes system, Autodesk built massive UAV platforms -- including a 300-lb aircraft. Facing extreme dynamic loads and weather, these drones provide the ultimate torture test for rapid design iteration.
View the video.

Top Tech Tip: How do you 3D print STL files?

Learn the basics of 3D printing STL files -- the files that serve as the digital foundation for 3D printing -- and a whole lot more from the experts at Xometry. These files have advantages, of course, but did you know they have disadvantages too? Also learn about STL tools and programs, and how to reduce file size or even repair a file you are having trouble with.
Read the Xometry article.

When metals can't survive: Machined ceramics as an alternative

Technical Ceramics are so hard and wear resistant that they cannot be machined with conventional tools -- but they can outlast and outperform other materials in demanding or harsh applications. INSACO's proprietary diamond grinding process and specialized techniques developed over many decades allow the company to produce and document parts to exacting specifications consistently. Learn all about the alternatives you have when metals just can't take it.
Read the INSACO article.

Radio Flyer cuts ebike prototype time radically with Fuse X1 large-format SLS 3D printer

Radio Flyer cut prototype lead times for its Flyer Loop cargo ebike frame from two months to two days using Formlabs' new Fuse X1 SLS large-format 3D printer. "We can now print an entire Flyer Loop cargo ebike overnight and be gluing it together the next day," said Agostino LoBello, product development engineer at Radio Flyer. "I can iterate three times as often with nine times less labor." The Fuse X1 delivers production-quality parts with 50% lower costs and triple the throughput of comparable industrial systems, featuring automated powder handling and a compact, easy-to-install design. [Credit: Image courtesy of Formlabs]
View the video.

Compact industrial sand 3D printer

ExOne has launched the S-Print Pro, a compact industrial sand 3D printer that brings production-grade binder jetting to smaller foundries, pattern shops, and print service providers. Aimed at businesses competing on cost and flexibility, it handles low-volume casting, spare parts, and custom components. The system processes furan binder with silica sand, CeraBeads, or silicon carbide.
Learn more about this capable machine.

Engineer's Toolbox: How to pin a shaft and hub assembly properly

One of the primary benefits of using a coiled spring pin to affix a hub or gear to a shaft is the coiled pin's ability to prevent hole damage. Another is the coiled pin absorbs wider hole tolerances than any other press-fit pin. This translates to lower total manufacturing costs of the assembly. However, there are a few design guidelines that must be adhered to in order to achieve the maximum strength of the pinned system and prevent damage to the assembly.
Read this very informative SPIROL article.

Get reliable labeling done right

Videojet Technologies has released the Videojet 9310 label applicator, designed to simplify everyday labeling on rigid and flexible packaging. Using Intelligent Motion technology, it digitally controls label tension and alignment to ensure consistent placement with minimal manual adjustments. The system features a simple label path, an intuitive touchscreen, and flexible mounting options to reduce downtime and keep production moving.
Learn more.

Your phone is now your smartest hydraulic tool

Commissioning a proportional valve traditionally requires cables, laptops, and complex software. The new Bosch Rexroth 4WRAE valve changes that. Featuring integrated digital electronics and Bluetooth connectivity, it pairs with the "easy2connect" app. Technicians can now visualize performance, adjust settings, diagnose errors, and force solenoids directly from their phones, simplifying setup for IO-Link or analog systems.
Learn more.

A new take on indexing plungers

JW Winco has expanded its extensive standard parts range with the GN 823 indexing plunger. Featuring an intuitive operating lever, it allows easy activation with a single finger, even when wearing gloves or out of sight. Available in screw-on or weldable stainless steel variants, this robust component suits both delicate installations and heavy-duty industrial applications. Available in two installation options: screw fastening or welding.
Learn more.

Fast-cure composite for aero and defense manufacturing

Toray Composite Materials America has launched 3960-FC, a fast-cure variant of its high-performance 3960 prepreg system for mission-critical aerospace and defense applications. This material reduces cure time by up to 45% while maintaining proven mechanical performance, stiffness, and exceptional toughness. It is highly compatible with automated manufacturing technologies like AFP and ATL, as well as traditional processing methods.
Learn more.

Best high-speed rotary bearing in THK history

THK's High-Speed, Double-Row Angular Contact Ring BWH is the fastest rotary bearing in company history. By utilizing balls inside a cage instead of rollers, this new structure achieves unprecedented speeds. It supports loads from all directions while matching the high rigidity and rotational accuracy of standard cross-roller ring design options.
Learn more.

100,000 hours: KNF diaphragm pump achieves exceptional lifetime

Reaching 100,000 hours of uninterrupted performance is a remarkable achievement for micro diaphragm gas pumps. It represents more than 11 years of continuous operation in a controlled environment, exceeding the demands of most real-world applications. This milestone highlights KNF's engineering expertise and the reliability built into every pump.
Get a closer look at the 100,000-hour lifetime test.

Far-out space struts: NASA awards orbiting 3D printer concept $100K for development

NASA's Space Technology Program is turning science fiction into science fact. The program announced August 1 that it has selected 28 proposals for study under the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program.

Eighteen of these advanced concept proposals were categorized as Phase I, and 10 as Phase II. They were selected based on their "potential to transform future aerospace missions, enable new capabilities, or significantly alter and improve current approaches to launching, building and operating aerospace systems."

One of the more "far-out" Phase I concepts is called "SpiderFab," which basically entails 3D printing large structures in space. Developed by Tethers Unlimited, this process envisions a floating 3D-printing factory unit that creates structures on the fly (pun intended). NIAC Phase I awards approximately $100,000 for one year to enable proposers to explore basic feasibility and properties of a potential breakthrough concept.

SpiderFab's description, as presented to NASA by Tethers Unlimited CEO and Chief Scientist Robert Hoyt, is reposted in full below.

SpiderFab: Process for On-Orbit Construction of Kilometer-Scale Apertures
Robert Hoyt, Tethers Unlimited, Inc.

Currently, a significant fraction of the engineering cost and launch mass of space systems is required exclusively to enable the system to survive launch. This is particularly true for systems with physically large components, such as antennas, booms, and panels, which must be designed to stow for launch and then reliably deploy on orbit. Furthermore, the sizes of apertures and spacecraft structures are limited by the requirement to stow them within available launch fairings. Deployable structures and inflatable/rigidizable components have enabled construction of systems with scales of several dozen meters, but their packing efficiency is not sufficient to enable scaling to the kilometer-size baselines desired for applications such as long-baseline interferometry and sparse aperture sensing.

We propose to develop a process for automated on-orbit construction of very large structures and multifunctional components. The foundation of this process is a novel additive manufacturing technique called "SpiderFab," which combines the techniques of fused deposition modeling (FDM) with methods derived from automated composite layup to enable rapid construction of very large, very high-strength-per-mass, lattice-like structures combining both compressive and tensile elements. This technique can integrate both high-strength structural materials and conducting materials to enable construction of multifunctional space system components such as antennas. The SpiderFab technique enables the constituent materials for a space structure to be launched in an extremely compact form, approaching perfect packing efficiencies, and processed on-orbit to form structures optimized for the micro-gee space environment, rather than launch environments. The method can also create structures with 2nd and higher orders of hierarchy, such as a 'truss-of-trusses', achieving 30X mass reductions over the 1st order hierarchy structures used in most space applications. This approach can therefore enable deployment of antenna reflectors, phased array antennas, solar panels, and radiators with characteristic sizes one to two orders of magnitude larger than current state-of-the-art deployable-structure technologies can fit within available launch shrouds.

The SpiderFab process for on-orbit construction of large, lightweight structures will dramatically reduce the launch mass and stowed volume of NASA systems for astronomy, Earth-observation, and other missions requiring large apertures or large baselines, enabling them to be deployed using much smaller, less expensive launch vehicles and thereby reducing total life cycle cost for these missions. Potential applications include construction of multiple high-gain antennas in Earth and solar orbit to support a deep-space communications network, long-baseline interferometry systems for terrestrial planet finder programs, and submillimeter astronomy of cosmic structure. The proposed space system fabrication technologies will also enable these systems to be re-configurable and repairable on orbit, and can evolve to support ISRU of orbital debris in Earth orbit and asteroid materials in deep space exploration missions.

In the proposed effort, we will develop concept designs for space systems that will use the SpiderFab process to create and integrate very large apertures and other structures for NASA space science and exploration missions. We will develop an architecture concept combining the SpiderFab process with robotic assembly technologies and automated quality control/metrology techniques to enable on-orbit construction of kilometer-scale antenna apertures to enable capabilities such as high-bandwidth communications with deep-space probes and radar imaging of deep-space objects. We will then evaluate the potential performance benefits for candidate missions relative to state-of-the-art deployables technologies.

Source: NASA

Published September 2012

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