Register for next week’s roundtable, Smart manufacturing with advanced machine tools, and learn from our panel of experts how smart manufacturing is delivered by combining manufacturing, information, and communication technologies ? connecting the entire manufacturing system for efficiency and competitiveness.
Taking place Wednesday, May 18 from 12PM – 1PM ET, this roundtable will be your opportunity to find out the latest how Industry 4.0, robotics, ultraprecision tools and more advancements are being incorporated by Makino, Okuma, and Mitsui Seiki.
Some key topics discussed will be:
How machine tools advancements are integrating with changes demanded by end-users
How today’s CNC machines make it easier, less costly to complete custom projects quickly
What challenges customers have had which led to advancements in machine tools to deliver smart manufacturing
OMNIVISION launched new laryngoscope reference designs that include a range of OMNIVISION products that help improve patient care by providing crisp, clear images for single-use video laryngoscopes. Visualization makes insertion of the endotracheal tube easier and faster and avoids failures in difficult airways, significantly reducing the chances of complications and even death.
OMNIVISION’s ready-to-go reference designs help medical device OEMs speed time-to-market in the development of laryngoscopes. They feature high quality images and a wider field of view (FoV), and include CameraCubeChip CMOS image sensors, low power mechanical designs, optics, batteries, as well as capabilities for recording and playback.
“The video laryngoscope, a device used in the visualization of the airway, is quickly displacing traditional direct laryngoscopy,” says Ehsan Ayar, product marketing manager at OMNIVISION. “Producing the best images of the larynx requires smaller z-height and superb optics, which is enabled by our OmniBSI and OmniBSI+ technologies. We have designed all of our premier imaging technologies into a ‘ready-to-go’ reference kit to help shorten development time for these important, high demand devices.”
Ayar adds, “Enhanced visualization helps to avoid endotracheal intubation failures in difficult airways that can lead to dental damage, laryngeal, dysrhythmia and cardiac spasm. Further, single-use devices eliminate cross-contamination that can result with reusable endoscopes.”
The global video laryngoscope market approached $219.7 million in 2019 and is set to hit $795.0 million by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 17.4%.1 Driving the fast adoption rate is the fact that video laryngoscopy results in more successful intubations in a shorter period of time than traditional direct laryngoscopy.
In addition, single-use blades with OMNIVISION cameras have been in high demand globally for treating COVID-19 patients. A high percentage of patients need to be intubated to go on a ventilator, and video laryngoscopy is used over direct laryngoscopy since it improves intubation success and maximizes operator distance.
The complete reference design for video single-use laryngoscopes includes:
OVM9724-RADA-R1?a small form factor, short-focus 720p CameraCubeChip that features a 1.4µm OmniBSI pixel with 62.8-degree FoV and 32mm-88mm depth of field, ideal for medical intubation/laryngoscopy.
OVM7695?a small form factor 1/13-inch VGA system-on-chip CameraCubeChip that uses a 1.75µm OmniBSI+ pixel and features a 61-degree FoV.
OV788?a single-chip, high definition video/audio processor that features ultra-low power consumption, fast boot-up, small footprint and requires no external memory. It can provide high quality video encoding or decoding up to 720p at 30 frames per second and has an image signal processor for RAW sensor connection. Its multiple sensor interfaces (3 DVP + 1 MIPI) opens up a wide variety of applications. It also has dual RISC processors with data and instruction cache for customized algorithms.
https://www.upmet.com/additive-manufacturing
UPM
UPM’s additive manufacturing solutions center
United Performance Metals (UPM) has recently unveiled its new additive manufacturing solutions center in Hamilton, OH.
United Performance Metals’ (UPM innovative additive center provides new, stainless steel, nickel, and titanium build plates customized to any size or machine. UPM provides end-to-end innovative supply chain solutions for the additive manufacturing market from feed stock supply management to finished part manufacturing. The company also offers closed-loop refurbishment of existing build plates through additional milling and grinding, and wire EDM build plate removal.
“We are thrilled to launch our new innovative additive facility as it builds on our history of providing specialty solutions and services to the most innovative companies in the world,” says JJ Johnson, general manager of the new additive facility. “We have been working hard over the last two years to build this facility and the feedback from customers has been incredible. We are humbled and honored with the customer response and are adding resources and capabilities to meet their evolving needs.”
AMT
Q1 machine tool orders highest since 1998
2022 has been extremely impressive for U.S. manufacturing technology orders.
Monthly orders of manufacturing technology surpassed half a billion dollars for the first time in 2022, totaling $552.3 million in March, according to the latest U.S. Manufacturing Technology Orders Report published by AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology. March 2022 orders were 15.2% higher than February 2022 orders and 20.4% higher than March 2021. The first quarter of 2022 had orders totaling $1.47 billion, 26.5% higher than the first quarter of 2021 and the highest Q1 of any year since 1998.
“The first quarter of 2022 has been extremely impressive for manufacturing technology orders,” says Pat McGibbon, chief knowledge officer at AMT. “Previous forecasts had predicted a strong beginning to 2022 and a soft summer which would rebound by IMTS in September, as summer orders are often delayed in anticipation of new products being exhibited at IMTS. However, inflation, the war, and saber-rattling in the east are creating a level of uncertainty and risk that businesses must consider. Despite these challenges, we see the manufacturing sector continuing to invest in additional capacity.”
According to the ISM® Report On Business® – Manufacturing (PMI®), the manufacturing sector grew in March but at a slower rate than in previous months. Growing backlogs at all levels of the manufacturing sector have been expanding in the last several months. "The rebound of demand for manufactured goods overwhelmed supply chains and created a backlog of orders," McGibbon says. "This backlog is now propping up a floor on the demand for manufacturing technology. As consumer demand varies from month to month, tackling these backlogs necessitate additional machinery capacity."
Despite the near-record orders for manufacturing technology, the first quarter of 2022 had the first negative GDP growth since the onset of COVID. The contraction was primarily due to a widening trade imbalance that masks the underlying strength of the consumer.
“To have one of the best quarters in manufacturing technology orders and then find out GDP was contracting over the same time almost defies logic,” McGibbon says. “However, there have been many instances over the past several months where orders have been up, despite some headwind that would have been a major issue for the industry prior to COVID.”
Economists had predicted consumer demand would soon shift back to services, but this shift has been happening at a slower rate than anticipated.
McGibbon says, “Supply-side issues continue to conceal the true potential of consumer demand for manufactured goods, where expenditures have been slipping the past few months. While these issues result in shortages for industries that manufacture final consumer goods, manufacturers of components farther from the consumer are amassing backlogs. Assuming demand for the final good persists despite growing delivery times and rising prices, these growing backlogs for components could fuel demand for manufacturing technology well into the summer months.”
Coventry Associates
Eccentric Positioning System driven by Sinumerik CNC
Ultra-high precision robotic machine tool positions an object anywhere in a 215mm circle with accuracy, speed, and controlled force.
Shrewsbury, Massachusetts-based Coventry Associates has developed a 3-axis system for a variety of machining operations. Called the Eccentric Positioning System (EPS), this fully electric system, eliminates pneumatics and hydraulics, reduces setup and cycle time, uses less energy, has a smaller footprint than any existing system of machining, and is offered at a competitive cost, according to Craig Gardner, president of Coventry Associates.
EPS is a mechatronic system that consists of a stack of three eccentric rotary tables. By controlling the rotation of each rotary table, the precise position and angle of a tool is achieved. The positioning accuracy and adaptive performance of the EPS system is enabled by the Siemens Sinumerik CNC.
EPS has already been incorporated into an ID grinding machine where it has demonstrated that it can do three things that no one else in the industry can do. First, it can dress or grind any shape without the use of diamond rolls or special dressing attachments. Second, it can grind by adaptively controlling the normal grinding force rather than the feed rate which dramatically improves material removal rates. Third, it compensates in real time for deflections that result in workpiece diameter and/or taper variation, improving both quality and throughput.
“It has potential applications in all grinding and turning operations for the machine tool industry,” Gardner states, further observing that the EPS will be made suitable for any machining operation that requires a combination of high positioning accuracy and controlled force.
Coventry’s launch product, EPS SingleTool, is designed for bearing ID grinding operations, using a single wheelhead. A shoe or chuck workhead can be used, with single point or rotary dresser for shaping any contour. Power consumption is 10kW max. and the weight is 630kg, with exterior dimensions of 305mm x 660mm x 560mm.
Coventry validated the positioning performance of the EPS SingleTool using a laser interferometer to measure its resolution, accuracy, repeatability, and straightness capability. Because of the unique kinematics of the EPS, all motions are three axis interpolated moves. The results of these measurements are shown in Table 1. These measurements show state of the art positioning capability with a repeatability of 52nm. The system also has high static and dynamic stiffness as well as the ability to grind with large forces and make rapid motions to minimize the time required to make non grinding motions.
Figure 3 shows accurate steps and repeatability without backlash in 0.125um steps over a total travel of 5µm
Figure 4 shows the X deviation or “straightness” achieved during three back and forth (six passes total) Z-axis moves. This data shows that the difference between the maximum and minimum values for all six passes was less than a micron over 200mm of travel.
Similar results were obtained for the X axis straightness as shown on Figure 5.
Coventry worked closely with the Fraunhofer USA offices in Boston, Massachusetts, plus two key partners, Saint Gobain Abrasives and Siemens Industry Inc., to develop the initial SingleTool ID grinding application.
“Our business strategy is to bring the EPS to market as a hardware and software solution, either as a complete machine to end users or as a platform for machine builders. Our solution features all-electric operation, using no pneumatics or hydraulics. We typically see resolution less than 0.12 microns with 0.05 microns repeatability, plus linear accuracy to 0.12 microns with consistent static and dynamic stiffness to a maximum grinding force of 3.34kN. Rapid motion, including acceleration and deceleration, is tracking a 203mm movement in 1.16 sec,” Gardner explains.
Posted by Elizabeth Engler Modic
