A Special Report
ing techniques include using a third-party software package like Celeritive Technologies’ well-established VoluMill toolpath op- timization program, or using internally developed systems like DP Technology’s ProfitMilling or Delcam’s recently developed, patent-pending Vortex high-efficiency area clearance strategy that is now available with the company’s PowerMill and PartMaker CAM software.
On the Cloud
The migration to the cloud marches on, with many PLM and enterprise resource management (ERP) software releases now available in cloud-based versions. The lure of lowering costs through the cloud-based model has made the cloud an increasingly attractive option for manufacturing users, with cloud applications eliminating the substantial costs of hosting on-site or on- premises applications, as well as allowing the outsourcing of costs related to installing new software and in-house software sup-
new touch-based software packages are available including PC- DMIS Touch from Hexagon and the TouchDMIS system from Next Metrology Software. In the aerospace world, metrology software tools are indispensable, with software like Verisurf’s X7 Model-Based Definition (MBD) package giving aerospace
Advanced software has been a key enabler in the advanced manufacturing industry of the future. Increasingly, that software is also on the cloud.
port. Cloud-based CAE simulation applications like finite ele- ment analysis (FEA) in Autodesk’s Sim 360 system give users an alternative to access Web-based CAE applications and har- ness the nearly unlimited computing power available over the Internet. Another recent entry, Autodesk’s CAM 360, recently brought CAM software to the cloud as well, while other develop- ers, such as Geometric Technologies and Dassault Systèmes, have tested and offered at least limited cloud-based CAM. ERP on the cloud now enables plant management person- nel to easily check the status of factory-floor equipment via smartphones, and these systems also are becoming more tightly intertwined with manufacturing execution systems (MES) to allow viewing machine status virtually in real-time and to adjust as needed to changing conditions. In CNC controls, more options are available for program- ming directly at the CNC on the shop floor. Another develop- ment is the ability to program robots directly with the CNC machine controller rather than through native robotic controls. Siemens and Kuka have teamed up to offer programming of Kuka robots directly via the Siemens control, and Fanuc has a similar effort for its robots.
For measurement and inspection, new touch-based ver- sions of the DMIS software for CMMs became available in 2013, aiming to lower the learning curve for CMM users. Two
engineers the ability to create, build, measure and analyze complex aircraft systems and airframe components with the high accuracy required by mission-critical applications.
Aerospace & Defense Growth Continues The aerospace industry had a better-than-expected year, in both commercial and defense sales. According to Deloitte, Teal Group and PwC, the global commercial aerospace sector should continue its revenue and earnings growth in 2014. Boeing, after its 787 battery scare of a year ago, ended 2013 with some cheerful developments. In December, it said it was close to its long-stated goal of producing ten 787s per month, and it also started the new year with a deal with its machinists’ union that will ensure that the 777X will be built in Washington state. In June, Boe- ing painted a rosy picture for commercial aircraft sales, projecting a total market close to $5 trillion, with increased demand for single-aisle aircraft and more fuel-efficient air- planes. Boeing predicts demand for 35,000 new airplanes in the next 20 years.
The other half of the commercial-aviation duopoly, Airbus, announced in January 2014 that it exceeded its commercial targets in 2013, achieving a company-record 626 aircraft deliver- ies—493 A320s, 108 A330s, and 25 A380s—to 93 customers
March 2014 |
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