Register for our free webinar “Shopfloor intelligence from Industry 4.0” to find about more about intelligent connectivity.

Don’t miss the June 15, 2022 12PM ET webinar featuring Associate Editor Jake Kauffman moderating this roundtable. Sponsored by CGTech, Okuma America, Scytec, and SMW Autoblok, Kauffman and the panelists will dive into how connectivity between machines and technology enable manufacturers to make better, faster decision to optimize production while saving time and money.

Confirmed speakers for the Shopfloor intelligence from Industry 4.0 webinar include Larry Robbins, president - Commercial Division – SMW Autoblok, Josh Davids, president of Scytec, and Jeff Voegele, VERICUT product specialist with CGTech.

Get your questions answered in this 1-hour webinar. Can’t attend that day, no problem. When you register you will automatically receive a link to the recording about 5 business after the webinar.

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Learn about automated optical measurements on stationary parts.

About the presentation  Precision-machined parts in aviation, automotive, and manufacturing industries have tightly controlled tolerances for the dozens of small geometries spread throughout a single part. Commonly referred to as edge break, chamfers and rounded edges can have specifications on the order of a few thousandths of an inch called out on every edge transition on the part. The sheer number of measurements needed on each part paired with the high volume of parts demands the ability to take not only one measurement quickly but dozens in a rapid process. Quick, single-frame measurements of edge break geometries and defects can be done with polarized structured light (PSL). The vibration immunity provided by single-frame measurements allows for PSL instruments to be mounted on collaborative robots. Robotic automation of such a device yields accurate measurements at volume quickly. This presentation discusses gage studies and the increased speed of inspection with automated optical measurements on stationary parts, parts moving on a production line, and rotationally symmetric parts on a rotary stage. It also looks at ongoing projects aiming to automate the inspection process itself, enabling one operator to inspect entire parts in minutes rather than days.

Meet your presenter Dr. Erik Novak is Vice President and General Manager at 4D Technology, where he was worked since 2013.  He’s been developing instrumentation for precision metrology for more than 24 years in applications such as semiconductor, optics, aerospace, automotive, photovoltaics, and medical devices. Erik has received seven international product awards, holds more than a dozen patents, and has more than 60 publications and book chapters related to surface measurement and industrial process control.

About the company For more than 20 years, 4D Technology created innovative metrology products for measuring surface quality and defects on precision surfaces, as well as the surface and wavefront quality of optics. 4D’s patented Dynamic Interferometry® technology enables measurements in environments where vibration, air turbulence, or rapid motion have traditionally prevented accurate measurement. We have distributors all over the world, and a customer support organization to ensure your investment operates at peak capability for a long time to come.

Learn more in Smartforce Student Summit Booth 215618.

The National Institute of Metalworking Skills (NIMS) has new On-The-Job-Training (OJT) training solutions for employers to learn more about at IMTS 2022. The NIMS booth is 215618, located in the lower level of the North Building of McCormick Place where the Smartforce Student Summit takes place. IMTS 2022 happens Sept. 12-17, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois.

Both employers and educators can learn all about NIMS “Smart Training Solutions” framework that is providing excellent results among employers that implement it. It’s flexible for any employer’s needs and is data driven to ensure that performance is measured and visualized.

“Technology is changing so rapidly that employers are being challenged to keep their employees up to speed,” said NIMS Executive Director Montez King. “Our solution takes all of that into account without getting bogged down into a multi-year program. Employers benefit from a training solution that listens to their operations and tells them when training and evaluation opportunities arise. Now that’s Smart!”

In addition to Smart Training Solutions, NIMS also provides credentialing in roles for Industry 4.0, CNC machining, GDT, dimensional measurement, industrial maintenance, and more.

For more information, visit the Smartforce Student Summit at IMTS 2022, booth 215618, or visit www.nims-skills.org.

VoloConnect expands the market for Volocopter's family of eVTOL aircraft to $290 billion, zero operating emissions for safe, sustainable flight speeds of >155 mph and >60 mi range.

Urban air mobility (UAM) pioneer Volocopter achieved another milestone to bring UAM to life: its fixed-winged passenger aircraft, the VoloConnect, completed its first flight in May 2022. This accomplishment makes Volocopter the only eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft) developer to have an entire fleet of distinct aircraft configurations undergoing flight tests.

Volocopter's third product solution, the VoloConnect, offers further and faster journeys than any other Volocopter aircraft to date, with a range of over 60 mi and flight speeds above 155 mph. The passenger plane's extended range and higher payload will bring business travelers and commuters beyond the city center on routes like Burbank to Huntington Beach in Los Angeles, CA. With the VoloCity and VoloConnect air taxi designs fulfilling demands for metropolitan flights and suburban connections in densely populated regions respectively, Volocopter is ready to serve a broader range of passengers' flight needs. The VoloConnect is targeting a 2026 entry into service, while the VoloCity is targeting commercial launch in 2024.

"Having a whole family of electric aircraft in the test flight phase is a pioneering feat," said Florian Reuter, Volocopter CEO. "Volocopter's leadership in the industry stems from announcing plans and then delivering on them visibly with public test flights. Our technology platform is the foundation for our family of aircraft approach and has proven to deliver results at an astounding speed. Volocopter is bringing these innovative designs off the ground, into the air, and then to cities worldwide!"

"This is an extraordinary moment for us – seeing the VoloConnect soar to the sky marks the achievement of one of our key milestones and demonstrates just what we are capable of in a short time and in line with the company's overall strategy for crewed and uncrewed aircraft,” says Sebastian Mores, Chief Engineer, VoloConnect. “Furthermore, new technologies will be tested that will gradually be implemented during the overall program development," said Mores.

Volocopter designed the VoloConnect and its other eVTOL aircraft to meet the highest aviation safety standards according to EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency). The prototype completed its first flight in May 2022 after just 17 months in the making and performed a few maneuvers for 2 minutes and 14 seconds during its first flight. The prototype has all the planned aerodynamics and performance features of the future commercial product.

The VoloConnect is a lift-and-cruise aircraft optimized for missions beyond the urban and suburban space. Keeping moving parts to a minimum, its six rotors facilitate vertical takeoff, while two electric fans in combination with uplift-creating wings ensure high forward speeds. Its prototype is currently passing a demanding series of flight tests to verify that the aircraft and its systems are in line with performance limits and prepared for the subsequent development. This phase encompasses low-speed, transition, high-speed, and engine failure testing for automated and later autonomous flights – all standard-issue tests for eVTOL passenger aircraft manufacturers. Within the first three test flights of this campaign, the team was able to verify a significant portion of the eVTOL's envelope with forward speeds up to 40 mph and 28 mph sideward flight speeds during tests.

VoloConnect is poised to boost Volocopter's total addressable UAM market, alongside its existing aircraft family members, the VoloDrone and VoloCity. The technological differences between the VoloCity and VoloConnect passenger aircraft abound. Important to note are their unique designs for their specific flight missions, with the multirotor VoloCity air taxi poised to serve intracity routes, while its larger lift-and-cruise sibling will focus on longer urban and suburban missions.

The new company name, Tribonex, reflects its technological advancements and positions the company as the global leader in providing dedicated solutions for solving problematic wear and friction issues experienced across many component applications.

ANS was founded 14 years ago as an advanced surface finishing and coating technology innovator. The company offers its technologies as a commercially viable and cost-effective solution to reduce component wear and friction on many of the critical parts that are produced within the industrial and mobility component manufacturing segment.

The new company name, Tribonex, reflects its technological advancements and positions the company as the global leader in providing dedicated solutions for solving problematic wear and friction issues experienced across many component applications. The strategic focus also included a new ownership position by First Venture Sweden AB, a technology fund listed on the Nasdaq Nordic stock exchange.

The company’s flag ship technology known as Triboconditioning, is a patented mechano-chemical surface treatment process, which has been successfully applied to both inner and outer diameters of various components used within the mobility powertrain, hydraulics, and industrial industry sectors.

Applications span from automotive drivetrain components, such as transmission gears, drive shafts and differentials, to engine components such as cylinder bores, blocks, liners cam/crankshafts, to industrial components used within hydraulic motors, pumps, compressors, rock drills, and specialized gears and bearing. All areas where reduced friction and wear are important elements for efficient and reliable performance.

The need for increased wear and friction reduction technologies is ever evolving and demanding with much interest being generated by market shifts towards electromobility and the use of alternate fuels such as hydrogen being used in the mobility sector.

To meet these new demands for tougher wear resistance and improved efficiency, the company will also accelerate its development and implementation of one of its proprietary solutions referred to as Triboconditioning CG (TCG). This novel mechano-chemical surface treatment is built upon the principles of Triboconditioning but is applicable for use on components with complex geometries, such as gears used within EV/hybrid transmissions, differentials as well as industrial applications including components used within hydraulic and compressor products.

The TCG process adds additional component benefits including the prevention and/or minimization of pitting, scuffing, NVH, etc.

Tribonex strives to provide its clients with excellent services, technical support, and product development through its highly qualified Uppsala based team members as well as through its USA sales team and partners, Sunnen Products and Precision Finishing, Inc.