Digital manufacturing

CNC (computer numerically controlled) machines

digital manufacturing lab – example

• subtractive technique (in which a product is created through removal of material) – CNC (computer numerically controlled) machines * VF2-TR, a five-axis milling machine * DS-30Y, a dual-spindle turning center with Y-axis milling. handle hard-to-machine materials such as stainless steel and Inconel, and can make just about anything, from sculptures to high-performance pump impellers for rocket engines, with a precision of plus or minus 5 microns.
• additive process – 3D printers * fused deposition process * cross-linked polymer process * a selective laser sintering metal printer * SLS plastic printer * 3D laser scanner.
• digital structuring of electronic circuits – multi-layer printed circuit boards to build PCBs with both through-hole and surface-mount components on both sides of the finished board. design tools – Altium Designer, Eagle PCB software.

Meet a CNC machinist

• Linda Ratliff – CNC Machinist, Aventics – I primarily make parts for the various pneumatic devices we make, and I must say, the sheer variety of products we make is astounding. I have made parts that go on fire trucks, railroad cars, medical devices, and more.

That’s engineering

• numerical control – a way to automate machines. In numerical control, the commands these machines get come from a storage medium; they are not controlled and operated manually.
• milling machine – machine tool that operates by moving a work piece against a cutter.