#ADDITIVE

Contest Seeks Innovative End-Use 3D Printed Parts

The Cool Parts Showcase is looking for 3D printed components that are currently in use or show promise as future solutions.

Stephanie Hendrixson
Executive Editor, Additive Manufacturing

5 Ways to Use Polymer 3D Printing on the Shop Floor

A low-cost desktop 3D printer has many potential uses in a production manufacturing environment, as a means of making durable tooling to support machining, inspection and more.

Is 3D Printing in Your Shop or on Your Radar?

Recent shop visits reveal that some machining businesses have added/are considering adding 3D printing equipment, while others are content sending that work — for items such as polymer fixtures and jigs — to outside vendors.

Swiss-Types

Video Tech Brief: Vacuum-Assist Collection of Small, Machined Parts

Marubeni Citizen-Cincom offers an optional vacuum collection system for very small parts machined on its Swiss-type CNC lathes to avoid losing or damaging parts. Main system components are 3D-printed made at its U.S. headquarters.

Non-Machining Processes Worth Considering

Here are three in-house processes outside of machining parts from which your shop, employees and customers could benefit.

Machining Centers & Milling Machines

Romi Hybrid Machining Centers Enable 3D Metal Manufacturing

Switching back and forth from subtractive machining to additive manufacturing is as simple as making a tool change.

Parts Cleaning

Manufacturing Knowledge is Power

The Knowledge Centers with video produced by brands such as Production Machining on the IMTS spark online platform take deep dives into technology and trends related to various CNC machining and manufacturing topics.

Emerging Leaders

Gift a 3D Printer to an Employee?

Some shops have purchased inexpensive polymer 3D printers for their operations. Does it make sense to take this a step further and give (or loan) a sharp young employee one to experiment with at home? This small investment could pay off for your shop in different ways.

Derek Korn
Editor-in-Chief, Production Machining magazine

Turning Machines

Metal Additive Manufacturing: Multitasking’s Latest Trend

Why are an increasing number of machine tool builders adding additive manufacturing to their equipment’s already versatile machining capabilities? Because additive and subtractive are complementary.

Turning Machines

3D Printing’s Value in a Production Turning Environment

A shop had a problem with chips and coolant being shot back through tube material it was machining on a bar-fed CNC turning center. Its solution was to 3D-print a plug to insert into the back end of the tubes. It uses its 3D printer in other ways, too.

Machining Centers & Milling Machines

3D Printing vs. CNC Milling for Prototyping

Many factors, such as price, part size and material come into play when deciding whether 3D printing or CNC milling is the best method for making a prototype.

Additive Manufacturing Advances to Production

As additive manufacturing technology progresses and its use grows, it has become an accepted production process. Here are some applications for full production additive, and how the industry is achieving it.

Automation & Robots

Customizing Collaborative Robots with 3D Printing

A company that helps manufacturing companies implement collaborative robots has found that additive manufacturing can produce custom parts for these systems faster and cheaper than machining.

DMP Flex 350 Metal 3D Printing Machine is Ideal for Application Development, Production and R&D

With the DMP Flex 350, manufacturers achieve high repeatability.

Cutting Tools

Get an Inside Peek at 3D Printed Tooling

Booth features 3D-printed milling cutter, both a complete tool and a partial tool, to show internal cooling channels and other complex features.

Lori Beckman
Senior Editor, Production Machining

Cutting Tools

Ceratizit Presents Team Cutting Tools and Turns Turning Upside Down

Luxembourg-based Ceratizit Group invited more than 50 journalists from 15 countries for their Open Days 2019 press event from May 13-15 to present the new Team Cutting Tools and its new turning technology High Dynamic Turning.

VIDEO: Creating an Unsmashable Guitar

Several of Sandvik’s divisions teamed up with a guitar designer to produce an unsmashable metal guitar for renowned musician Yngwie Malmsteen.

Additive Manufacturing Basics for Turning Shops

An additive manufacturing expert shares what turning shops should know about the technology, gives examples of how to use it and suggests steps for adopting AM.

Additive Manufacturing in the Turning Shop

Additive manufacturing will not be replacing turning operations any time soon, but the two processes can complement one another.

3D Metal Printer Enhanced for Faster Manufacturing

Lens controlled atmosphere hybrid system supports building, repairing, coating and finishing of metal parts as large as 860 mm.

Incorporating Additive into Your Process Mix

Although many people are intrigued by the process of additive manufacturing, some might be under the assumption that it is beyond the capabilities of a metalworking shop; however, this assumption isn’t correct. Here are some examples of shops that have become proficient with the process, and your shop can, too.