Patent describes co-location of welding, subtractive elements in CNC mill.
Columbus, Ohio – Fabrisonic LLC, a manufacturer specializing in metal 3D printing applications, using ultrasonic additive manufacturing (UAM) technology, was issued U.S. patent 9,446,475 for a system to co-locate both the additive and subtractive elements of their ultrasonic additive manufacturing equipment. The patent covers enhancements to the Fabrisonic hybrid metal 3D printers. The patented UAM weld head becomes a tool in the CAT 50 tool-changer of a standard CNC mill.
“By co-locating the welding and milling functions, accuracy can be improved and overall build volume can be increased without increasing machine footprint,” states Fabrisonic’s CEO Mark Norfolk. “Our patents now count 10, which adds confirmation to Fabrisonic’s leadership in developing metal 3D printers.”
Fabrisonic developed the technology along with Dave Bartholomew and Charles Sidlosky from Ultra Tech Machinery of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
Ongoing flight tests of T-X offering to continue in Greenville, South Carolina.
Greenville, South Carolina – Two Lockheed Martin T-50A aircraft are now soaring together in the skies over Greenville, South Carolina. The inaugural Feb. 20, 2017 flight of the second production-ready T-50A from Lockheed Martin's Advanced Pilot Training (APT) operations center in Greenville is meant to further demonstrate the company's offering in the U.S. Air Force's T-X competition.
In February 2016, Lockheed Martin officials announced plans to offer the T-50A in the APT competition and build the aircraft at a final assembly and checkout (FACO) facility in Greenville. Lockheed Martin formally unveiled its T-50A FACO and operations center in August 2016.
The T-50A is intended to train 5th-generation jet fighter F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II pilots, as well as pilots for frontline 4th-generation fighter aircraft. The T-50A, developed with Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), builds upon more than 150 T-50s already flying, with more than 200,000 flight hours and more than 1,800 pilots who have trained in this aircraft.
Lockheed Martin's accompanying T-50A Ground-Based Training System features an immersive, synchronized ground-based training platform.
Source: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co.
Transaction creates a global firm in the design and manufacture of complex aerostructures; LMI headquarters to remain in St. Louis.
St. Louis, Missouri – LMI Aerospace Inc. has entered into a merger agreement to be acquired by Sonaca Group, a global aerostructures company headquartered in Gosselies, Belgium. Under the agreement, LMI shareholders will receive $14 per share in an all-cash transaction. Sonaca’s offer represents a 52% premium over LMI’s closing share price on Feb. 16, 2017, of $9.19 per share.
In connection with the merger agreement, Sonaca has obtained debt and equity financing commitments.
“This deal brings our combined company to the forefront as a leader in the design and manufacture of complex aerostructures while working to diversify our global customer base,” said Dan Korte, LMI Aerospace chief executive officer. “In addition, LMI and Sonaca have complementary product portfolios while largely serving different aerospace primes and Tier 1 suppliers around the world, enabling us to better serve our customers.”
“The addition of LMI Aerospace to the Sonaca Group supports our vision to expand our capabilities in the United States,” said Bernard Delvaux, Sonaca chief executive officer. “Sonaca and LMI have both distinguished themselves in the industry through capabilities such as wing movables, wing panels, complex fuselage and structural assemblies, and together we will be able to strengthen our competitive advantage in the global aerospace market.”
LMI’s independent directors unanimously approved the transaction. The deal is expected to close mid-2017, subject to LMI shareholder approval as well as certain regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.
LMI has 21 locations across the United States and in Mexico, the United Kingdom, and Sri Lanka. Sonaca Group has production facilities in China, Romania, Canada, and Brazil.
Upon transaction close, LMI will operate as LMI Aerospace – A member of the Sonaca Group, with headquarters remaining in St. Louis. Korte will continue to serve as LMI Aerospace CEO and will report directly to Delvaux. Other members of the LMI senior leadership team also will remain in place and will continue their current reporting relationships. The company will continue investing in its current footprint, continuously improving its U.S. and worldwide infrastructure and the capabilities of its teams.
Enables higher productivity and accuracy in CNC programming from CAD models; provides high level of interoperability with Autodesk Inventor 2017 software, R3.
Moorpark, California – 3D Systems officials announce that its suite of GibbsCAM 2016 software for programming CNC machine tools has been certified by Autodesk for Autodesk Inventor 2017 mechanical CAD software. Among other benefits, this certification assures that engineers and CNC programmers can use GibbsCAM 2016 to program complex and simple parts for machining on all kinds of CNC lathes, mills, turning centers, machining centers and multi-tasking machines, directly from Inventor and Inventor CAD models.
GibbsCAM 2016 is certified for Inventor 3D mechanical design software under the Autodesk Certified Apps Program, marking the sixteenth consecutive year that GibbsCAM has been certified under the program. Certification demonstrates that GibbsCAM 2016 is of high quality and provides interoperability with Autodesk’s latest release, Inventor 2017, R3.
Meeting the requirements of the Autodesk Certified Apps Program demonstrates a commitment to shared Inventor-GibbsCAM customers, and ensures that these customers can achieve the highest productivity from Inventor resources with the latest features of GibbsCAM 2016. Integration with Inventor, combined with GibbsCAM’s automation features, makes preparation for machining much simpler and faster, providing huge time savings for Inventor users. GibbsCAM’s short learning curve and unique, shop-friendly user interface provide additional productivity from ease of use, reliability, and speed of programming.
Interoperability with Autodesk Inventor GibbsCAM seamlessly reads Inventor Part Model (IPT) and Inventor Assembly (IAM) files, preserving all CAD, color information, and hole features and attributes assigned within Inventor, to provide continuity in recognizing and communicating part and feature attributes. Alternatively, with the GibbsCAM Autodesk Inventor Add-in, Inventor users can transfer files directly into GibbsCAM on the same workstation with the “Transfer to GibbsCAM” menu option. Once machining processes are defined in GibbsCAM, they are automatically updated when the Inventor model is revised. Users can additionally employ the GibbsCAM Plug-in for Autodesk Vault software to allow interaction between GibbsCAM and the Autodesk data management software. The combination of GibbsCAM 2016 and Inventor cover the range of design, manufacturing and product data management across multiple industries. Whether parts have simple geometry requiring general machining, or complex geometry requiring multi-axis milling, multi-task machining, or Swiss-style turning, GibbsCAM 2016 easily accommodates the Inventor production environment.
3D Systems – GibbsCAM is an authorized member of the Autodesk Developer Network, and is an Autodesk Authorized Independent Software Vendor. GibbsCAM 2016 software is a Certified App for Inventor.
Airplane is scheduled to fly in the coming weeks, with deliveries to customers in 2018.
North Charleston, South Carolina – The Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner, the third member of the 787 Dreamliner family, made its debut Feb. 17, 2017, at Boeing South Carolina.
Thousands of employees at the North Charleston site celebrated the event, along with U.S. President Donald Trump and South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster.
“What’s happening here at Boeing South Carolina is a true American success story,” said Dennis Muilenburg, Boeing chairman, president and CEO. “In just a few short years, our team has transformed a greenfield site into a modern aerospace production facility that is delivering 787s to airlines all over the world and supporting thousands of U.S. jobs in the process.”
The 787-10, built exclusively at Boeing South Carolina, will now be prepared for its first flight in the coming weeks.
Kevin McAllister, Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and CEO, noted that Singapore Airlines is the launch customer.
Boeing will start delivering 787-10 aircraft to airlines in 2018. So far, the airplane has won 149 orders from nine customers across the globe.
An 18ft (5.5m) stretch of the 787-9, the 787-10 is expected to deliver up to 10% better fuel use and emissions than the competition. Since entering service in 2011, the 787 family has flown more than 140 million people on 530 routes around the world, saving an estimated 13 billion pounds of fuel.