The advent of computers brought the concept of numerical systems to reality for many industries. Manufacturing, in particular, has widely embraced the technology, with CNC machining now seen as the gold standard and offering many advantages over more traditional measures. CNC vs. Traditional Machining: the basics CNC stands for Computer Numerical Control and such a …
Why CNC Machining Beats Traditional Machining Every Time Read More »
Metal 3D printing can also be known as DMLS (Direct Metal Laser Sintering), and DMLM (Direct Metal Laser Melting) is an additive layer technology. A metal 3D printer uses a laser beam to melt 20-60 micron layers of metal powder on top of one another. This powdered metal is spread out over the entire build …
Revolutionary New Metal 3D Printing Technology (Selective LED-based Melting) Read More »
CNC fabrication involves the use of Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines to shape and resize a block of material (known as a workpiece) by automatically removing bits of the material. Typically, the materials used are plastic or metal, and when the removal is completed a finished part or product has been produced. This process is …
Deciding on the ideal coating for your engineering application is always a very difficult task, you need to decide on chemical, process, mechanical and component compatibility. Some coatings are not ideal for specific applications. There are many different types of coatings for a vast array of applications, however this post will focus on an advanced …
What is Parylene coating and when should you use it? Read More »
Highly Accelerated Life Testing (HALT) refers to a reliability testing technique that aims to expose the weaknesses of a product. The main objective is to expose the product to incremental stresses, in order to discover flaws and defects. A HALT test must be conducted during the early stages of the product design process. HALT was …
Burnishing is the process of rubbing metal with a small hard tool, which can be either a ball type or roller type, to compact the surface. It is a very useful finishing technique which can increase the work piece surface finish as well as adding micro hardness. Burnishing is also known by various other names …
The best way to describe electroforming is a metal forming process used to manufacture parts using electrolyte deposition onto a model. In the manufacturing industry this model is known as a mandrel. It is a highly specialized process which sounds fairly simple in theory but not so easy in practice. We will now take a …
Thermoforming is a plastic manufacturing process where a thermoplastic sheet is deformed into a specific shape. The process starts with the heating of a flat plate like sheet of plastic which is then manipulated by either applying pressure or using a vacuum. The process is also know by a number of other names such as:- …
Shot peening (also known as shot blasting) is a surface conditioning process carried out after various manufacturing processes. In simple terms it increases/improves the surface finish. Shot peening is done with the help of small balls which are streamed out in the form of a jet at very high velocity, accelerated and directed toward a …
Parkerizing is a method used on ferrous metals such as wrought iron, cast iron, steel and alloy steel, offering added protection from corrosion. This process is not suitable for non-ferrous metals like a copper, brass, aluminium, and plastic items. It can also be used to improve the wear resistance of materials by adding a surface …
Electropolishing is a material removal process using an electrically powered chemical process called electrolysis. In this process the amount of material being removed is very small as it is done for polishing purposes only. A negatively charged copper electrode and positively charged workpiece are dipped into a solution of fast flowing electrolyte solution. When connected …
What is Electropolishing and what is it used for? Read More »
Hydraulic pumps are omnipresent and used in applications ranging from mud pumping (drilling site) to movement of the antenna in space stations. They convert the mechanical energy supplied by the motor to hydraulic energy. It develops the flow of fluid at the required pressure to overcome the external load. A hydraulic pump is a critical …
In simple terms, cold rolling is an industrial process used to change the material properties of sheets or strips of metal. The metal is fed between two rollers which compresses it. The resulting mechanical properties vary, depending on how much strain is applied. The main benefits of cold rolling are that it results in a …
Circular sawing involves the use of a rotating cutting blade that can be fed horizontally, vertically, or at an angle into the material. Circular sawing is highly accurate because of the rigidity of the machines and the cutting blade. This process can produce burr-free surfaces and can reduce the need for secondary finishing operations. The …
Circular sawing – process description and design guide Read More »
Bandsawing: As per the name of the process, the saw is formed as a band and is continuously cycled in one direction around pulley wheels. This enables a continuous cut to be made. The blade has to be sufficiently thin to bend around the pulley wheels. It is possible to make a contour cut, but …
Bandsawing – process description and design guide Read More »
EDM stands for Electrical Discharge Machining. An EDM machine is the piece of equipment used to carry out this manufacturing process. The principle behind EDM was first observed in 1770 by Joseph Priestley, who was experimenting with electrical discharges. He noticed that the sparks had eroded some of the electrode material. Almost 200 years later …
Centrifugal casting is a permanent mold process which makes use of centrifugal force to fill a mold with molten material. There are 3 types of this process: centrifugal casting, semi-centrifugal casting and true centrifugal casting. The principle is the same for all three types: the mold is rotated around an axis and molten metal is …
Compression molding is one of the oldest and most widely used processes for the production of thermosetting plastic parts. Compression molding machines consist of platens to which the two halves of a mold is attached. The name given to the raw material used for the production of the parts is known as a charge. A calculated …
Compression Molding – manufacturing process guide Read More »
What is Broaching? How does a broach work? Broaching is a subtractive manufacturing process that produces features by removing material form a part with a toothed tool known as a broach. The process is divided into two main types: linear broaching and rotary broaching. Both variants are detailed in the article below. This process is …
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Many types of additive layer manufacturing processes have become well-known in recent years, but Electron Beam Melting (EBM) is still relatively new an uncommon. Electron Beam Melting does not require molds to be produced and is therefore a less expensive and faster lead-time manufacturing process than many traditional processes like casting, forging, and machining. It …
Electron Beam Melting (EBM): process, materials, uses Read More »
Is it possible to use ionized gas as fuel? Have you ever wondered what makes those neon signs glow? Or what makes the auroras so spectacular? You guessed it – it’s ionized gas. When a gas is ionized, it visually manifests as bright light, as seen in fluorescent lamps, neon lights, and even outer space. …
When The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt came in 1984, readers weren’t sure how to treat it: was it a management help book, a drama with a thorough technical background, or a technical story with a drama background? What members of public was it for? What was its purpose? Should it be taken as a hard …
History is littered with innovative ideas and processes which we often take for granted today but were groundbreaking in their day. Something as simple as producing lead shot, in an effective and efficient manner, goes back to 1782 and the creation of “Shot Towers”. Have you ever sat back and thought how the perfectly spherical …
Die casting is a permanent mould casting process in which molten metal is poured into a mould and removed after solidification. There are two main types of this process: Gravity Die Casting (GDC) and Pressure Die Casting (PDC). In GDC, molten metal is poured into the mould using gravity. In PDC, the molten metal in …
Die Casting – design guide, materials, advantages and disadvantages Read More »
Viscosity refers to the amount that a fluid (gas or liquid) resists changing shape. In other words, how much a fluid opposes flow. Therefore, the viscosity of water refers to how much water resists flow or movement. A more technical way to describe viscosity is that it’s a measure of how much a given fluid …
Injection moulding seems like it would be a straightforward process. Simply insert the plastic pellets into the hopper, inject the molten material into a mould, pop it out and repeat – not much planning or organising involved. That is until you start doing it on a large scale. This is where ERP software becomes imperative …
What is the best ERP software for plastic injection moulding products? Read More »
Computer Aided Design (CAD) was seen by many as a turning point in the world of business but now we have Computerised Numerical Control (CNC). The ability to directly convert a 3D CAD file into an actual prototype component brings with it an array of significant benefits. There is no doubt that CNC is rebasing …
Composite spraying is an open-mould composite manufacturing process which makes use of a manually controlled spray gun to spray a chopped fibre with catalysed resin directly into the mould. After curing, the part is removed from the mould. Process Steps: A mould of the desired final shape is prepared. A gel coat is applied to …
Even though the original concept of a steam hammer dates back to James Watt in 1784 it was not until the 1840s that the first working steam hammer was produced. The first working machine was built by François Bourdon in France and led to a very heated dispute with British inventor James Nasmyth who claimed …
While many of us will be well aware of the dangers of working in a steel mill, the excessive temperatures and molten steel, few people will have heard of the steel mill cobble. Unfortunately for those working in these challenging and dangerous environments the term “steel mill cobble” does not really reflect the dangers associated …
Extreme manufacturing danger: the steel mill cobble Read More »
What you’re about to witness is a roundup of some absolutely mental manufacturing techniques that are insanely interesting, and just a little bit wacky. Some will make you awe-struck at their ingenuity, some will make you question everything you know, and at least one will make you ask ‘what’s the point?’ Well, the point is …
Swaging is a process that belongs to the forging class of manufacturing processes, where the dimensions of the work piece is changed using dies which apply force to the part. The process is divided into two main types; extrusion or rotary. Extrusion is similar to wire drawing, where a work piece is forced through a …
You know a trend transitioned from a hobbyist tool and news candy to solid production asset when aeronautics and aerospace officially start using it. Additive manufacturing (also referred to as 3D Printing) crossed that milestone some time ago for several industries. The aero field is now making additive manufacturing the way of tomorrow and as …
Additive Manufacturing in the Aerospace Industry Read More »
Blow moulding is a permanent mould process used for the manufacturing of hollow plastic parts. The process can be divided into two main types: extrusion blow moulding and injection blow moulding. Extrusion blow moulding requires less costly tooling, but injection blow moulding offers greater control over part parameters like wall thickness and weight. This process …
Explosive forming is a process in which forces produced by an explosion are used to shape a workpiece. The explosive energy replaces the male part of the tool that is used in regular forming processes. Explosive forming – process description A die is manufactured according to the desired shape of the product. Dies can be made from a number …
To the untrained eye it may be easy to assume that injection moulding is simply a quicker and more cost-effective method of manufacturing when compared to traditional methods. While this is obviously a major attraction for those looking at injection moulding there is much more to this process than just speed and cost. We will …
What are the main advantages of injection moulding over traditional manufacturing? Read More »
Metal forging is the oldest metal forming process which produces parts by the process of metal deformation. The forging process is classified into two different types on the basis of the deformation mechanism: impact forging and compression forging. In impact forging, an impact force is applied to the work piece using a hammer. In compression …
In this article we will give an overview of the components of a lathe; the lathe machine parts and their primary functions. Lathes refer to a reductive machining tool where material is removed using in cutting, drilling, turning and sanding. One primary feature of a lathe is a single axis around which a piece of …
Automation basics: The term automation is derived from the Greek root words of ‘Auto’, meaning “self”, and ‘Matos’, meaning “moving”. So, automation can be described as a mechanism that has the ability to move by itself. Automated systems tend to achieve significantly superior performance to manual systems, specifically in terms of power, precision and speed. …
The discipline of tooling design is fundamental to manufacturing. The cost of manufacturing and of the end product depends heavily upon tool design. Tool design affects cost in several ways. First, it determines the tool life, which is how long the tool last before requiring a replacement. Second, it affects the quality of the product, and …
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