Time to change the oil on your applications? It’s worth keeping an eye on the latest Inventor / Vault Updates that are released for your products.
We’ve had a few cases recently of users reporting the following issues:
New Copy Design (Vault 2016) – Part number property not updating (and other property issues) when performing Copy Design.Frame Generator (Inventor 2016) – Frame member description not being updated when changing memberBoth of these have been resolved/improved in recent Service Packs and updates. The reason for the “improved” status is that there may still be some fringe cases that cause issues with the Copy Design property updates, but most of the cases we know about have been resolved.
You can get the updates here:
Please note, that Vault hotfixes and updates should not be applied unless you know exactly what you are doing. If you don’t administer the Vault system at your workplace, forward this post on to your IT department. All clients and the server have to have the updates applied at the same time. Alternatively, you can engage us to do this work for you.
If you have moved to the 2017 products, then you should find that those issues don’t affect you, but if that’s not the case, we’d like to know about it.
The 2017 products have been out for a while now, and feedback has been good. If you’d like to take advantage of the new functionality, then we can help with that.
Perhaps you haven’t even seen what’s new in the 2017 products. If that’s the case, then you might want to take a look at these links:
Right, time for a coffee while those Inventor / Vault updates install.
Here is an item posted last month by Neil Markam a member of CADPRO's support team for Inventor users. Have you ever wondered how to create a dimension to the imaginary point at which two drawing lines would meet? Sometimes you need to draw a dimension starting or finishing at the intersection between two projected surfaces each side of a sheet metal bend. Inventor’s drawing environment includes a great tool to achieve...
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This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. www.cadpro.co.nz
Spirit AeroSystems Inc. is installing one of the world’s largest autoclaves at its Wichita, Kan., facility. The new autoclave is 120 feet long, has a 30-foot diameter and an internal volume of more than 78,000 cubic feet.
The autoclave, which is one of nearly 40 at Spirit’s Wichita location, in part of a 94,000 square-foot expansion to Spirit’s Composite Fuselage Facility, where the company makes the carbon-fiber nose section for Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner. As one of the largest manufacturers in the world, and Wichita’s largest employer, Spirit has composite expertise for large, complex aerostructures as well as jet engine nacelles.
“Spirit continues to invest in our composite manufacturing capability and this latest expansion will help us meet record demand for the products we build,” said Terry George, Spirit’s vice president of the 787 program. “Spirit’s capabilities in composites are unmatched, and we are looking forward to continuing to meet our customer’s composite manufacturing needs.”
The autoclave won’t be the only huge machine in that facility. Spirit also has a four-story-high “Electroimpact” automated fiber placement machine that creates the Dreamliner’s airplane’s cockpit and forward cabin section by laying strips of carbon fiber on tooling in the shape of the Dreamliner’s fuselage section.
Spirit has also been busy with production of parts for the Boeing 737. According to a recent article on Kansas.com, by early 2017 the company will be manufacturing 47 parts of the Boeing 737 per month – the highest rate since the company was founded 11 years ago. The article adds that Boeing’s unfilled orders for the 737 — including its current Next Generation and new Max variants — stand at 4,385. At 47 airplanes a month, that figures to nearly eight years of building 737s.
Source: Composites Manufacturing July 18, 2016
Dave (left) and Nate (right) Evans, cofounders of Fictiv, believe anyone with an internet connection should have access to production-grade manufacturing machines (image courtesy of Fictiv).
Dave and Nate Evans, cofounders of Fictiv, run what they describe as “a manufacturing platform” from a small office in San Francisco’s Civic Center. Walking inside, you come across whiteboards with scribbles and doodles, staffers squinting at Macs and PCs, and a friendly, fluffy golden retriever that belongs to an employee. What you don’t see are rows and rows of 3D printers and CNC (computer numeric controlled) machines cranking out parts.
How, then, does Fictiv deliver on its promise to produce your 3D printed parts in 24 hours and machined parts in three days? The answer rests with the way Fictiv harnesses its network of manufacturing partners.
Dave, a Stanford-trained mechanical engineer and one of the earliest employees of Ford’s Research Lab in Palo Alto, is Fictiv’s CEO. Nate, a designer, artist, and entrepreneur with a master’s degree in Chinese, is Fictiv’s Chief Experience Officer. (Nate’s title is abbreviated as CXO, thus the awkwardness of having two CEOs is averted.)
“Fictiv is the most efficient way for manufacturers and industrial designers to fabricate their parts,” said Nate. His vision is, “anyone with an internet connection should have access to the kind of production-grade machines Ford or Tesla would use.”
Fictiv built the software infrastructure to submit digital files, get quotes, and place orders. Users get a series of technology and material options relevant to the production method they’ve specified (for example, inexpensive PLA parts, strong ABS parts, or transparent parts in 3D printing).
Fictiv’s online ordering system automatically inspects the submitted part to ensure it can be made (image courtesy of Fictiv).
A key component of Fictiv’s browser-based software is the automated design for manufacture (DFM) analysis. Dave explained, “When you upload a part, the software is looking at it to see if the part can be produced.”
If the geometry is flawed or unsuitable for machining, the customer gets instant feedback, with suggested remedies. In the preliminary estimate, the analysis is software-driven. But once the customer requests a full quote, a mechanical engineer on Fictiv’s staff inspects the file in person.
While some crowd-funded startups may have no qualms about uploading their concepts to a cloud-hosted software, many in traditional manufacturing, such as automotive and aerospace, still wrestle with the security concerns of the cloud. Dave said, “That’s why we sign a lot of NDAs,” but also pointed out the concerns may be disproportionate to the real risk.
“When you’re emailing your design to get quotes, you don’t know what happens to those file attachments,” he said. “With our system, only the vendor who’s going to produce the part will get to see the file — nobody else.”
The actual production is done by its manufacturing vendors, who are recruited, vetted, and brought on board with rigor and diligence. The vetting process takes two weeks, Dave revealed.
“Machine shops go through ebbs and flows,” Dave pointed out. “So we leverage the idle machines to produce parts on demand. We bundle a lot of orders from different customers and drive business to a vendor, so we have a lot of purchasing power.”
Currently, Fictiv targets startups, innovators, inventors, and designers who need parts produced in quantities of 500 or lower.
With the ability to produce low-volume parts at a reasonable cost, 3D printing empowers a whole new wave of makers, innovators, and inventors who would not otherwise be able to turn their ideas into reality. However, most 3D-printed parts do not have the same strength as machined metal parts. Metal parts are easy to produce in CNC, but the technology favors large volume production. The fact that Fictiv’s platform offers both choices for low or moderate volume is significant.
Stratasys, a 3D printing machine maker, offers on-demand manufacturing services through its Stratasys Direct Manufacturing division. Production options include PolyJet, stereolithography, laser sintering, and CNC machining.
Another on-demand additive manufacturing vendor, CloudDDM, gets its speed advantage by building its operations close to the UPS distribution center in Louisville, Kentucky. The company offers single-day turnaround for 3D-printed parts. Makers, inventors, and engineers may also turn to 3D Hubs, a site that lists 3D printing service providers by region, to produce their prototypes.
For small and midsize businesses that do not have onsite production facility, on-demand manufacturing service providers fill a critical need. They become the remote manufacturing arm, an extension of the in-house design team.
Sandvik Coromant will reveal for the first time at IMTS 2016 new connectivity-based solutions designed to help manufacturers optimize their machining and decision making process. The new solutions have been developed to improve every aspect of it, from design, production planning and through machining to post-process analysis and intelligence.
Digitalization within manufacturing is increasingly important for the digital manufacturing future success of machine shops the world over however; embarking on this transformational journey brings also challenges and complexities. To help manufacturers overcome them, Sandvik Coromant has devised digital solutions that support those looking to take steps towards a connected future.
“Sandvik Coromant has a long heritage of bringing new technology developments to the metal cutting industry, each of which is based on the values that our customers hold highest, such as greater productivity and profitability,” says Magnus Ekbäck, Vice President Business Development at Sandvik Coromant. “Connected software and hardware does the same thing but in a different way. At IMTS, visitors will discover how advancements such as data exchange and machining intelligence will improve efficiency and optimize production processes. New technologies open new possibilities and we are keen to share our knowledge and help customers take the lead in digital machining.”
The data collected at each step of the digital machining processes combined with Sandvik Coromant’s competence in interpreting and optimizing them will provide manufacturers with better insight about their machining environment and ultimately help them increase their overall profitability. For those wanting to discuss how best to benefit from digital advances such as connectivity, digital machining and big data, as well as the latest machining trends, leading experts from Sandvik Coromant will be available at IMTS 2016 to engage in discussion and address visitors’ specific inquiries. A wide selection of tools will also be on show at the exhibition, some of which will be taking part in live demonstrations.
IMTS 2016 takes place on 12-17 September at McCormick Place, Chicago, USA. Sandvik Coromant has two booths at the show, W-1500 (West Building) and NC-509 (North Building, Hall C).
Source: A Sandvic Coromant press release July 14,2016