July 2019

| 42 | July 2019 www.smartmachinesandfactories.com | APPLICATIONS | Additive Manufacturing (AM) is moving into series production, opening up opportunities for suppliers, service providers and end- users. Unfortunately, despite the many advantages of AM, poor surface finish is a major barrier to adoption, particularly in demanding end-use applications, such as the civil aerospace industry. To help overcome this issue, TTL, a leading industry name for CAD/CAM and CNC machining since 1987, with the support of the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) and a range of technology partners including Siemens, is seeking to develop an effective commercial solution.  Removing the need to use conventional post-processing approaches to the finishing of parts, which are traditionally costly, time- consuming and difficult to control. Through a commitment to partnership and the use of smart technologies, including Siemens’ range of software tools and CAD/CAM robotics, TTL has developed ‘FlexiFinish’ – an automated, flexible, precise and comprehensive finishing solution for complex external and internal surfaces. Advanced CAM and process modelling tools are employed to plan and control the finishing operations, selecting the most effective combination of finishing method for each surface from a comprehensive array of options, which, combined with carefully monitored in- process optical inspection, enable superior surface finishes. Through the combination of multiple finishing and post-processing technologies (laser polishing, adaptive finishing and shot peening), FlexiFinish provides a robotic, fully automated system, which offers maximum flexibility to component geometries, while dramatically reducing the lead time for finishing. One industry set to benefit from the innovation development being spearheaded by TTL is the civil aerospace sector.  The sector struggles to exploit the benefits of Additive Manufacturing due to the stringent surface quality and integrity requirements for critical and highly stressed parts. However, the nature of the autonomous post- processing technique can also be exploited by the casting/forging industries to lower finishing costs and increase manufacturing efficiency. ... we‘ve got it covered Industrie 4.0 Whit Thanks to advancing digitalisation, production is increasingly merging y with the IT world. Production is becoming faster and the customers’ requests are becoming more distinct. Security must now be considered alongside Safety. This all requires intelligent factories with digitally networked systems in which people, IT systems, safety & automation components and machiner communicate securely with one another. Pilz Automation Technology Corby NN18 8TJ 01536 460766 sales@pilz.co.uk www.pilz.co.uk For Industrie 4.0 advice and solutions from Pilz: Visit www.pilz.co.uk and enter Webcode 150609 or simply give us a call! Modular ‹ Expandable ‹ Visual ‹ Simple & Intuitive ‹ Connected Safe and smart automation solutions that enable the intelligent production of the future – talk to a Pilz expert today! aper e P AM: Opening up opportunities