Aerospace

Boeing employees and community members this week commemorated the 90,000 square-foot expansion of Boeing Helena to support 777X airplane production. Boeing Helena is set to install new machine tools to fabricate critical titanium parts for the twin-aisle 777X.

June U.S. cutting tool consumption totaled $186.57 million according to the U.S. Cutting Tool Institute (USCTI) and AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology. This total, as reported by companies participating in the Cutting Tool Market Report (CTMR) collaboration, was down 2.8% from May’s $191.93 million and up 6.0% when compared with the total of $175.97 million reported for June 2016. With a year-to-date total of $1.095 billion, 2017 is up 5.8% when compared with 2016.

The Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT) reports that June manufacturing technology orders climbed 6.5 percent over May. The latest U.S. Manufacturing Technology Orders (USMTO) report also shows a year-over-year increase of more than 10 percent, the fifth consecutive month posting a year-over-year gain.

UI LABS and ManpowerGroup have released a workforce analysis that identifies 165 data-centric jobs that will define the future of manufacturing in the United States. Descriptions for jobs such as collaborative robotics specialist, manufacturing cybersecurity strategist and enterprise digital ethicist give a window into the advanced skills and knowledge needed to put new technology into practice and remain globally competitive.

Padded reamers are utilized throughout the manufacturing industry to generate the final hole geometry and meet demanding surface finish tolerances. Some examples of padded reamer applications are automatic transmission valve channels, engine valve guides and engine crankbore/cambores. Because the reaming process is one of the
last manufacturing steps prior to assembly, it is extremely important to optimize the process to reduce costly scrap.

Fives Landis Corp., Hagerstown, Md., a manufacturer of precision grinding solutions and grinding accessories, will open a technology center at its headquarters.

New commercial agreement between Spirit and Norsk Titanium identifies thousands of titanium parts currently manufactured at Spirit or by its suppliers as 3D-printing candidates.

An Australian manufacturer of rotary shank cutting tools, Sutton Tools, has gained market share in the highly competitive aerospace industry by producing superior tools using the linear motor technology on ANCA’s MX7. To gain traction in the aerospace market Sutton’s needed to push the boundaries of what could be expected from a tool machining materials in the aviation industry.

Boeing and Georgia Tech formally opened a new advanced development research center designed to solve some of the toughest technical challenges in manufacturing. In the Boeing Manufacturing Development Center, company researchers and Georgia Tech engineering students will work together to implement automation in industrial applications. The center is located in Georgia’s Tech new 19,000-sq.-ft. Delta Advanced Manufacturing Pilot Facility.