Digital Manufacturing Report - DMR: Features

Top Predictions from the American Chemical Manufacturing Summit

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:02:21 -0400

Tuesday marked the opening day of the 2013 American Chemical Manufacturing Summit, bringing players from the agrochemical sector to pharmaceuticals to discuss the state of the industry. And while many of the keynotes, panels and workshops catered to unique challenges faced by chemical manufacturers, a number of key delegates voiced predictions that will affect the whole of the manufacturing industry...

GE Turns to Makers to Bring 3D Printing to Aerospace

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:35:16 -0400

At 30,000 feet, equipment failure is simply not an option, which is part of why additive manufacturing has been a bit slow to catch on in the aerospace industry. But according to Michael Idelchik, vice president of GE’s advanced technologies research, GE Aviation is still looking for more ways that additive manufacturing can help to create a better airplane...

Is Automation to Blame for Our Economic Woes?

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 14:00:19 -0400

Despite reassurances of automation professionals throughout the industry, some experts simply aren't convinced that technological advancements in robotics and automation aren't negatively impacting U.S. employment rates, which is what Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee of the MIT Sloan School of Management have been arguing over the past year and a half.

Simulations Sail into the Shipyard

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 12:12:48 -0400

As far as modeling and simulation are concerned, nautical transportation isn’t one of the first things to come to mind. Still, it presents a unique use case for computer-integrated manufacturing, as the focus of the modeling and simulation is on the construction process itself. By coordinating the insertion of massive hull blocks, it not only streamlines construction, but it improves safety as well.

Additive Manufacturing: Beyond Prototyping

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 13:36:26 -0400

One of the largest issues facing manufacturers in the US and Europe alike is the challenges posed by low production costs boasted by developing countries. And with so many possibilities continuing to emerge from additive manufacturing research, this technology is looking to offer a possible solution to our manufacturing problem.

Siemens to Manufacture a Brighter Workforce

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 16:12:09 -0400

Preparing the workforce continues to be a pressing concern, with academics and industry professionals both expressing concerns over the readiness of engineering graduates searching for their first job. And less than a month after its launch of its training initiative for veterans, Siemens has announced an additional training program designed to help students better prepare themselves for careers in engineering.

Can Obama’s National Network Fill the Missing Middle?

Wed, 05 Jun 2013 15:20:17 -0400

A little over a year after President Obama announced his plans to create a National Network of Manufacturing Institutes (NNMI), it appears that the first spokes are beginning to form around a number of upcoming regional hubs. And with the recent presentation of the network’s preliminary design document, plans to fill out the remaining 11 designated institutes seem well underway.

What Drives the Offshoring Tide?

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 16:36:52 -0400

As the tug of war continues between offshoring and reshoring, the goal of lawmakers has primarily been to identify incentives with which we can lure manufacturers back onto U.S. soil. But as one team of researchers has pointed out, we must first better understand what factors ultimately play the largest role in drawing a manufacturer to one location versus another...

Modeling a Stronger Nuclear Weapon

Fri, 31 May 2013 17:45:01 -0400

When it comes to systems that you really want to model out carefully, nuclear weapons likely come out at the top of that list. So when the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Kansas City Plant (KCP) found that their weapons’ metal tubing wouldn’t meet specifications, they turned to Sandia National Laboratories, hoping the lab’s computer modeling team could find a workaround.

NASA, the Navy to Streamline Supply Chains with 3D Printers

Wed, 29 May 2013 13:56:05 -0400

It would seem that additive manufacturing is poised to take on an even greater load for U.S. government agencies, as the Navy and NASA have both announced big plans for 3D printers. As it stands, the Navy’s aircraft carriers could benefit substantially from “floating factories” that could churn out replacement parts for fighter craft and for the carrier itself on the fly (so to speak).

How Self-Driving Cars Could Turn Our Roads Green

Tue, 28 May 2013 18:29:21 -0400

With self-driving cars coming up on the horizon, the big question has always been about safety. But recently, concerns about energy efficiency have arisen as well, posing questions such as the effects they may have on energy, oil, and climate change.

Aircraft Mock-ups Emerge from Gulfstream’s 3D CAVE

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:38:36 -0400

Simulations may be increasingly taking advantage of HPC to become more and more sophisticated, but the way those mountains of data are displayed don’t always keep up in terms of staying on the cutting edge. But one avenue for reviewing digital designs, called a cave automatic virtual environment (CAVE), looks to be making up for this trend by combining engineers’ modeling information with virtual reality.

Understanding Fluid Flow in Microchannels

Wed, 22 May 2013 09:38:31 -0400

The ability to control fluid streams at microscale is of great importance in many domains such as biological processing, guiding chemical reactions, and creating structured materials. Recently, it has been discovered that placing pillars of different dimensions, and at different offsets, allows fluid transformations to “sculpt” fluid streams.

Floodgates Open for the Industrial Internet

Mon, 20 May 2013 17:11:09 -0400

So far, the story surrounding the industrial Internet has been centered around GE, and their plans to infuse their factories with thousands of sensors that will bring big data to manufacturing. But after record-breaking floods from Hurricane Sandy took their toll on New York and New Jersey, environmental and civil engineers have found a new application for the Internet-connected sensor system.