Modern Machine Shop

FEB 2018

Modern Machine Shop is focused on all aspects of metalworking technology - Providing the new product technologies; process solutions; supplier listings; business management; networking; and event information that companies need to be competitive.

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SHOP TALK MMS FEBRUARY 2018 48 mmsonline.com Industry News whether in planning the motion of a robot arm or the layout of a factor y f loor, for example. Cloud-linked computers and graphical process- ing units that instantaneously render 3D models and photorealistic images are accelerating design iteration. Some displays featured complex lattice structures producible only via the latest additive manufacturing technologies and based on concepts initially conceived not by a human being, but by a com- puter. In short, automation is compressing the product development cycle even as it enables more people in more places to make their dreams reality. What does this new product development paradigm mean for producers of machined parts? Trends toward greater specialization of ser vices and greater modularity, customi- zation and geometric complexity in product lines will continue, as will the trend toward demand for more data on part and process alike. Amid what's been referred to as the "uberization of manufacturing," there's no room for confusion about exactly what's hap- pening on the shop f loor. This need for operational visibility has led Autodesk to develop Fusion Production, a workf low management system that offers function- ality including production planning, job tracking and machine monitoring. The system is is said to be par- ticularly useful for smaller contract manufacturers. The company expects to share more detail on availability and pricing for Fusion Production this year. In the meantime, technology available now can report- edly help plug in to a more seamless supply chain with increasingly less room for paper prints, less time to render models and simu- lations, and less patience for transferring design files from format to format. The idea is to be defined by the data rather than by the sof t- ware tools used to work with that data. Kalitta Motor- sports offered perhaps the most striking AU example of a machining business with data at the center and a merged design/manufactur- ing workf low. Read more on page 90. | Autodesk Inc. 855-612-9998 autodesk.com/make

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