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Space X Crew Dragon Splashdown Marks Success Of First NASA Commercial Crew Flight Test

NASA passed a major milestone recently in its goal to restore America’s human spaceflight capability when SpaceX’s Crew Dragon returned to Earth after a five-day mission docked to the International Space Station.

About 6 hours after departing the space station, Crew Dragon splashed down at 8:45 a.m. EST approximately 230 miles off the coast of Cape Canaveral, Florida. SpaceX retrieved the spacecraft from the Atlantic Ocean and is transporting it back to port on the company’s recovery ship.

Demonstration Mission-1 (Demo-1) was an uncrewed flight test designed to demonstrate a new commercial capability developed under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The mission began March 2, when the Crew Dragon launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and racked up a number of firsts in less than a week.

  • First commercially-built and operated American crew spacecraft and rocket to launch from American soil on a mission to the space station.
  • First commercially-built and operated American crew spacecraft to dock with the space station.
  • First autonomous docking of a U.S. spacecraft to the International Space Station.
  • First use of a new, global design standard for the adapters that connect the space station and Crew Dragon, and also will be used for the Orion spacecraft for NASA’s future mission to the Moon.

NASA and SpaceX teams gathered in the early morning hours at the company’s headquarters in Hawthorne, California, to follow the spacecraft’s return journey and ocean splashdown.

“We were all very excited to see re-entry, parachute and drogue deploy, main deploy, splashdown – everything happened just perfectly. It was right on time, the way that we expected it to be. It was beautiful,” said Benji Reed, director of crew mission management at SpaceX.

A critical step in validating the performance of SpaceX’s systems, Demo-1 brings the nation a significant step closer to the return of human launches to the space station from U.S soil for the first time since 2011, when NASA flew its last space shuttle mission. However, NASA and SpaceX still have work to do to validate the spacecraft’s performance and prepare it to fly astronauts.

“If you just think about the enormity of this flight and all of the prep that went into it – getting the pad refurbished, getting the flight control room set up, getting the vehicle built, getting the Falcon 9 ready, all of the analysis and mission support that went into it – it’s just been a tremendous job. Our NASA and SpaceX teams worked seamlessly not only in the lead-up to the flight but in how we managed the flight,” said Steve Stich, deputy manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

Crew Dragon carried a passenger on this flight test – a lifelike test device named Ripley, which was outfitted with sensors to provide data about potential effects on humans traveling in the spacecraft. After SpaceX processes data from this mission, teams will begin refurbishing Crew Dragon for its next mission, an in-flight abort test targeted to take place this summer. Demo- 2, the first crewed test flight, will carry NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley on the spacecraft’s final flight to certify Crew Dragon for routine operational missions.

EU And Airbus Achieve Major Win Against US

Airbus welcomes the report of the WTO Appellate Body, published recently, which confirms that the United States failed to withdraw the subsidies granted by federal, state and local authorities to Boeing and to remove the harm those subsidies caused to Airbus.

The Appellate Body has rejected every single United States argument whereas it has taken all EU legal points on board. In addition, the WTO highest court has also qualified a number of additional US federal and state programmes as illegal subsidies and even, as prohibited subsidies as in the case of the Foreign Sales Corporation scheme (FSC), a major win for the EU.

The report requests that further compliance steps are necessary from the United States and Boeing. Failure to do so will provide the European Union the possibility to seek countermeasures on imports of US products. Airbus General Counsel John Harrison stated, “this is a clear victory for the EU and Airbus. It vindicates our position that Boeing, while pointing fingers at Airbus, has not taken any action to comply with its WTO obligations, contrary to Airbus and the EU. With this damaging report, continuing to deny they receive massive illegal subsidies from the United States government is no longer an option. Stated differently, absent settlement, the US will pay – in perpetuity – billions in annual sanctions driven by every single flying Boeing programme, while the EU would face, in the worst case, only minor issues.

He added, “we hope that these findings will prompt the United States and Boeing to move forward constructively in this long-standing dispute and join us in working towards a fair-trade environment. In the absence of a constructive approach, the EU now has a very strong legal case to move forward to countermeasures.”

Airbus thanks the European Commission and the governments of France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Spain for their continuous support throughout the long dispute process. Their longstanding efforts to restore a fair level playing field are now clearly showing results.

Machine Tools Should Be A Major Focus Of The EU-US Trade Talks

CECIMO – the European Association for Machine Tool Industries and related Manufacturing Technologies – welcomes the European Commission’s efforts towards regulatory cooperation and the removal of non-tariff barriers in the planned trade deal between the EU and US on industrial goods.

Machine tools are a key enabling technology without which no manufacturing process would be possible. As machine tools are imported into both the EU and US with very low or null tariffs, non-tariff barriers remain the main obstacles in trade with the US. The lack of reciprocity in conformity assessments between EU and US (Federal and State level) certification bodies and standards entail important administrative and financial costs for companies – especially SMEs.

Other issues such as visas for service personnel and overly-protective product liability rules in the US should be tackled as well, without lowering product quality requirements. However, to ensure progress in the trade talks, the scope of the negotiations should be focused on industrial products and avoid sectors which the European Parliament had requested to include during its vote on 19 February.

“European policymakers need to ensure that the interests of European machine tool builders are prioritized and that European manufacturing technologies preserve their competitive position on the global market” says Dr Roland Feichtl, Member of the Supervisory Board of KRAUSECO Werkzeugmaschinen and President of CECIMO. Mr Marcus Burton, Non-Executive Director at Yamazaki Mazak and Chairman of CECIMO’s Economic Committee, explains that “focusing trade talks on industrial products and regulatory alignment for machine tools in particular will be key in resuscitating the trans-Atlantic trade relationship between the two biggest world economies and rebuilding business confidence in global trade”.

In July 2018, US President Donald Trump and the European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker met to explore a possible trans-Atlantic trade relationship, amid a context of increased trade tensions originating from the US imposing tariffs on steel and aluminium and the threat of import tariffs for European cars. In September 2018, an Executive Working Group, co-chaired by EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström and US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, was formed to identify concrete actions for regulatory cooperation.

Traditional Metal-Cutting Machines Are A Long Way From Being Ripe For The Scrap Heap

The mobility concept for individual transportation will in the relatively near future be a combination of progressively downsized internal combustion engines and electric drives, say some, while others predict that electro-mobility will secure jobs or even create new ones.

This, at least, is certain: traditional metal-cutting machines are a long way from being ripe for the scrap heap – equipped with smart technologies, they will also play a prominent role at EMO Hannover 2019.

“Changing over to electro-mobility signifies a radical transformation of production technology,” the then President of the Fraunhofer Society, Prof. Hans-Jörg Bullinger, warned back in 2010. For example, he predicted, the entire value added chain will alter in the automaking sector. The importance of electrification for value creation in the drive chain was scrutinised in last year’s VDMA study on Transformation of Powertrains. It was authored by the Aachen-based company FEV Consulting, which specializes in the automotive and aviation industries. It forecasts that the increasing dynamism in the electrification of vehicles and in drive technology will lead to radical changes in Germany’s entire mobility and vehicle industries and in significant parts of the mechanical engineering sector. Moreover, a vitally crucial role will be played by the research community and cross-sectoral networks.

Though the FEV’s experts anticipate that sales of internal combustion engines (including hybrid drives) for passenger cars in Europe, the USA and China, the three markets examined, will fall by ten percent by 2030 compared to 2016, nonetheless, substantial business will remain for component manufacturers, plus machinery and line producers. Because improved drive technologies – e.g. efficiency-boosting measures in the internal combustion engine and the transmission – also entail more stringent requirements for the production technology involved.

Manfred Maier, managing director and COO of the Heller Group, Nürtingen. Photo: Heller

At the same time, the study’s authors are anticipating a share of 22 percent in these three markets for exclusively electro-powered vehicles. The effects of electrification on the individual production processes that dominate for conventional drives are substantial. With a battery-electric drive, for instance, their value added is reduced by an average of 64 percent (excluding battery cell production). For (plug-in) hybrid drives, by contrast, value added will rise by 24 percent – here, besides an internal combustion engine an electric drive is also installed.

What’s crucial here is the bottom line. There, the study shows that the combination of hybrid drives, a higher level of complexity at the internal combustion engine and rising sales figures for vehicles (particularly in China) will exert a beneficial effect overall on the amount of value added.

In the estimation of the VDMA’s President Carl Martin Welcker, “the mobility transmutation process means enhanced opportunities for additional value creation in the mechanical engineering sector – for us, “transformation of powertrains” can be a source of growth”. There is still time for the companies, he continues, to master the transformation successfully, in order to modify business models and technologies appropriately. At the same time, however, the study shows clearly that hybridisation and electrification will gain wide acceptance on the market.

Mechanical engineering sector benefits from electro-mobility

The opinion of the VDMA’s President is shared in full by Marc Kirchhoff, Head of Industry Management Automotive at Trumpf in Ditzingen, “plant and machinery manufacturers in Germany can benefit from electro-mobility.” The mobility of the future will at Trumpf at the very least secure jobs in R&D, production and applications engineering and in some cases create new ones, “since lasers are indispensable for competitive production of electric cars. And today we’re already seeing a rising level of demand for production technologies involving electro-mobility.”

Due not least to the “equal attractiveness of internal-combustion and electric vehicles” forecast for 2024, says the VDMA’s President, the process of transformation should be tackled now at the latest by the companies concerned. That, says Kirchhoff, “is precisely what we’re doing, and on different levels. With our knowledge of the sector and the applications involved, for instance, we’re already supporting the sector in comprehending and developing new technologies and setting up complete production lines for series manufacturing. Many component suppliers and automotive specialists ask us to help in changing over their production operations for electro-mobility, because we’re familiar with the requirements nowadays faced by electric car manufacturers and their component suppliers, not least from other sectors.”

The new CBC (Cylinder-Bore-Coating) process technology as a constituent of automated production lines for crankcases. Photo: Heller

Many of the company’s existing products can be used as they are for manufacturing electrical components. For example, more than 500 lasers have been sold worldwide for use in battery production alone – and the number is rising steeply. “Our technologies are in widespread use among battery manufacturers,” reports Kirchhoff. “At Trumpf, one euro in ten of automotive sales is already accounted for by battery manufacturing.”

Kirchhoff explains the effects of electrification on the company’s individual production processes like this, “in our order books, we are seeing a significant rise in focusing lenses in conjunction with high-performance lasers for ultra-productive lines in the field of electro-mobility.” This is complemented by progressively more inquiries for green lasers used for welding copper and for solutions for cutting carbon-fibre-reinforced plastics.

It can thus be concluded that many firms in the automotive industry and its component suppliers, but also some new players on the market, have recognised the signs of the times and are preparing their production halls for mass manufacturing of electric cars. And because these inquiries are rising so significantly, “we offer lasers and laser systems specifically for the requirements of electro-mobility”.

Proportion of metal-cutting set to remain steady in the medium term “The individual-mobility concept of the near future will be a combination of progressively smaller internal combustion engines and electric drives,” believes Manfred Maier, Managing Director and COO (Chief Operations Officer) of the Heller Group, Nürtingen. There are numerous indications that the politically postulated goal of fully electrified vehicles cannot be created overnight; this will involve a protracted process featuring numerous intermediate steps: “For example, it’s probably going to take years, perhaps even decades, to put in place a fit-for-purpose infrastructure.”

Currently, at least, all relevant studies concur in predicting that passenger car fleets worldwide will increase by another 30 million vehicles over the next ten years. Purely electric vehicles are forecast to account for hardly more than ten percent of this figure. In the upcoming ten, twenty or more years, says Maier, “internal combustion engines will accordingly remain the paramount drive concept. For us, this means that in the medium term the proportion of metal-cutting work will tend to increase and as time goes by will not significantly decrease – if at all.”

In response to the call by the VDMA’s President to tackle with promptitude the process of transformation in the companies, Maier has a differentiated opinion, “first of all, we should realise what’s actually involved here. The paramount focus is on global CO2 emissions. This involves much more than just the questions of what drive concept a car is powered by or how a city’s air quality can be improved.”

This is why for years now, he continues, Heller has been productively engaged not only with the cutting of blocks, heads, crankshafts and transmission housings. The product spectrum primarily comprises four- and five-axis machining centres, plus milling and lathing centres for meeting the multifaceted requirements of the general mechanical engineering sector, the aerospace industry, energy engineering, contract production and many other sectors.

In addition, Heller has also adapted to the new situation in terms of its corporate structure. The Development New Business & Technologies Department addresses issues that will not immediately and directly become major earners, but may be important in the more distant future. Specialists there address the possibilities of additive manufacturing and new materials like CFCs.

The CBC (Cylinder-Bore-Coating) technology implemented exclusively in Heller’s machining modules, explains Maier, “is an excellent example of innovative technology supplementing the existing comprehensive machine portfolio. And it makes a significant contribution towards reducing CO2 emissions.” In 2016, the CBC technology was even nominated for the German Future Prize. The CBC cylinder bore coating process is based on the LDS two-wire technology used by Daimler and BMW, and is “so far the only one that can be reliably used for a relatively high production volume”. Around one million four- and six-cylinder engines will be produced with it per annum at Daimler in Untertürkheim alone. And since the end of 2018, a total of 65 coating lines for over eight million motors have been up and running worldwide.

EMO Hannover as a platform for solutions of the future

Heller’s COO Manfred Maier summarizes his expectations of the world’s premier trade fair for the metalworking sector as follows: “EMO Hannover 2019 offers us a platform for talking to our customers about current and future manufacturing requirements and finding shared solutions. EMO is at the same time also an excellent indicator for identifying developments in technologies and processes, and in machine tool manufacturing and at our customers as well, and possibly deriving from them new business models.”

New Extra Long Swisscut Inserts

ISCAR is launching a new SWISSCUT XL line featuring up to 10mm grooving depth capability. The new line will enable deeper machining when compared to the existing SWISSCUT INNOVAL line, enabling parting off up to 20mm diameter and turning at up to 5mm depth of cut.

Two clamping screws provide very strong clamping and stability. The insert clamping screws can be reached from both tool sides and there is no need to remove insert clamping screws for indexing, which means no danger of falling parts.

The front insert extraction/insertion feature enables indexing the insert on the machine while maintaining a minimum overhang from the gang tool. A compact tool design with no projecting elements allows insertion of the tool through the constrained slots of a Swiss-type machine magazine.

A stopper plane beyond the cutting zone enables use of the second cutting edge of the insert, even if the first used cutting edge is completely broken.

The tools are offered in 12 and 16mm square shanks and inserts are available for parting, back turning, front turning and groove-turn threading applications. Inserts are available in carbide grade IC1008.

For more information, please contact ISCAR South Africa – Tel: 011 997-2700

Laser Marking Innovation

The use of the motorized Z axis is extremely simplified by the use of the joystick which is an essential tool if combined with the SmartFocus system. In particular, it allows the operator to easily determine the correct position of the scanning head for optimal marking, both on flat and complex surfaces with curves and edges.

The door of the MicroMark G3 has a vertical opening on the three sides of the machine to allow easy and comfortable access to the marking chamber. In addition, working with the door open wearing the safety goggles, it is possible to mark even bigger parts that would not normally fit in the machine.

Upon request the MicroMark G3 can be equipped with a motorized three sides door which allows for speeding up of the loading/unloading process. In fact, once the part is inside the marking cabinet and the operator pushes the starting cycle button, the door closes automatically and once the marking is completed it opens up again.

The 20mm thick work table measures 530 x 410mm. It is made of surface ground aluminium with a 30μm hard-anodized coating. The standard hole pattern is 50mm center to center. Each hole is ø8H7 at the top with M6 threads at the bottom. This makes it easy to affix guides, jigs or accessories with either pins or screws.

The exhaust system is fundamental for the operator’s health and the cleanliness of the machine. The pump with lateral channels, which has a die-cast aluminium structure, ensures a high air speed flow. The 3-stages filter has both HEPA H14 and activated carbon elements which remove potential smells, odors and micro-particles.

In order to simplify machine programming, it is possible to use the reader to scan production orders. LASIT software, using the key read by the scanner, can access a database and collect the variable fields as well as select the drawing that needs to be marked.

The Smart Focus provides for fast and accurate focus. By controlling the Z axis with the joystick, users can immediately and precisely focus the laser by intersecting the dot of the red lighted diode laser with the red lighted line of the scanning head. The red lighted line is electronically produced and it can be moved to obtain a marking that is out of focus when required.

The exclusive Lasit capability of projecting on the part to be marked virtually every pattern with the safe red light makes the centering of complex parts quick and easy for everyone. The pattern can be either imported (DXF) from your 3D model or desiG3ed directly in FlyCAD®.

For more information, please contact Elcomp – Tel: 011 238-7996/7

AMADA ENSIS 9KW/6KW Fiber Laser Cutting Machine

ENSIS-3015AJ 9kW/6kWis designed for high-speed stable cutting over the entire range of machining, from thin to thick sheet metals, which has been made possible by the evolution of AMADA’s original beam control technology (ENSIS technology) and the expansion of oscillator output from the conventional 3kW to 9kW/6kW.

High quality cutting over the thick material range is achieved by overcoming problems related to fiber lasers through reduced dross and bevel and improved surface roughness.

NC equipment is provided with the AMNC 3i, which can be operated easily like a smartphone. It is adapted to AMADA IoT V-factory and visualizes machine operating results including power consumption and processing costs, contributing to performance. Furthermore, it enables smart manufacturing through maintenance and support to maximize machine capacity, as well as proposals to improve production efficiency.

AMADA’s high-output oscillator provides for maximum output of 9kW/6kW to enable high-speed and high-quality cutting over the entire processing range (thin, medium thickness and thick sheet metals), based on energy saving and high-quality beams.

ENSIS technology allows the laser beam to be controlled freely into the optimum beam form according to material quality and thickness. Additionally, the auto collimation mechanism is provided as a new feature. The variable range of the condensing diameter has been expanded greatly to achieve excellent stable cutting over the entire thickness range. Furthermore, combined with a high-output oscillator, the technology enables high-speed stable cutting of thick sheet metals, cutting with reduced dross and bevel and improved surface roughness.

In addition to the new beam control technology, the fiber laser cutting machine employs Clean Fast Cut (CFC) technology and Easy Fast Cut (EZFC) technology to dramatically reduce the consumption of assist gas during nitrogen cutting, which is used mainly to cut stainless steel. It applies an original non-contact nozzle developed by AMADA that supplies assist gas at a low pressure to reduce processing costs, while maintaining cutting quality.

For more information, please contact Amada – Tel: 011 453-5459

HD-TC Profile-Pipe Cutting Laser More Stable With Added Laser Sensors

DURMA shortened process time by improving centering with the newly added laser sensor centering option added to the HDTC machines.

It is possible to control the size and irregular structure of the profile during cutting or before cutting with the help of sensors to ensure that the internal contours to be cut are at the right point.

In existing HD-TC machines, the centering measurement is achieved by scanning the profile surface through capacitive sensors. The advantage of the laser sensor system is that it gives more precise results in a shorter time. The user can take measurements at the distance determined by the user, and precise results are obtained in a shorter period of time as the process of measuring by the sensor is shortened for parts requiring precise measurement with internal contours.

The advantage being fast set-up time, less problems during cutting, best solution in a short time and measurement frequency is dependant on operator request.

For more information, please contact Spectrum Machine Tools – Tel: 011 865-4090

Durma HDF/HDFL 3015

An integrated shuttle table maximizes productivity and minimizes material handling times. The shuttle table and pallet change system allows convenient loading of new sheets or unloading of finished parts, while the machine is cutting another sheet inside the working area.

The available shuttle table is fully electric and maintenance free; there are no hydraulic oils to handle and table changes are fast, smooth and energy-efficient.

An optional lateral automatic scrap conveyor allows the removal of scrap pieces from the working area without the need to interrupt the cutting process. The sideways operation of the short conveyors allow for easy maintenance and trouble-free running.

The Durma HDF/HDFL 3015 fiber machine achieves highest dynamics and fastest laser processing cycle times thanks to the combination of rigid mechanics and a state-of-the-art numerical control and drive system. Programmes can be loaded easily into the machine with a USB stick or over a fast Ethernet connection with the company network.

In the high-pressure auto-focus cutting head for the fiber laser the cutting lens is shielded from the laser process by an exchangeable low-cost protection window. The 1μm wavelength light is very sensitive to dust or other contamination produced in the cutting or piercing process, therefore the cutting head is being well protected in an additional cover to ensure that all critical parts remain as clean as possible.

The integrated capacitive distance sensor is capable of having the head follow height differences in the sheet even at the extreme high cutting speeds that can be achieved with the fiber laser technology, while state-of-the-art linear motors promote accuracy and increase productivity.

The CAD/CAM software provided has all the tools to import or draw parts, prepare and optimize automatically different geometries for the laser cutting process and make efficient nests.

The all-solid-state fiber laser technology reduces maintenance requirements, and offers the lowest possible running cost with a wall-plug efficiency of 30% and without the need of any laser gas. When the application requires a broader spectrum of material types to be cut and the maximum thickness range is limited, the fiber laser is the ideal solution and it will cut faster at lower cost than any CO2 laser at the same laser power.

For more information, please contact Spectrum Machine Tools – Tel: 011 865-4090

First Cut Takes Over Messer SA Operation

First Cut recently concluded a mutually beneficial agreement with the company Messer Cutting Systems in Europe to take over the latter’s South African operation.

Messer has had a presence in South Africa for the past 15 years from a single office in Gauteng. In terms of the new agreement, Messer will be able to service the entire country more effectively via First Cut’s presence throughout South Africa. The agreement came into force in January this year, and the Messer agency is now part of First Cut’s machine division managed by Anthony Lezar.

Messer Cutting Systems equipment comes into its own in industries such as motor vehicle and mining equipment manufacturing, construction, shipbuilding and railroad rolling stock manufacturing. Messer boasts a 120 years successful track record and its name is synonymous with high quality. In line with this, Messer equipment currently in service in South Africa is renowned for its longevity and outstanding performance.

The PowerBlade has a large area for processing with fibre laser, with working widths of up to 4,500mm, and working lengths of up to 50 metres.

Popular products available in South Africa and with relevance in the laser and fabrication sectors are Messer’s LaserMat and PowerBlade units. The LaserMat’s many advantages include large area processing with the CO2 laser and on-board resonator. The machine has working widths up to 4,500mm and working lengths of over 50 metres. Beam path length compensation guarantees the highest cut quality over the entire working area. The LaserMat’s onboard laser protection hood (laser protection class 1) permits direct crane loading, even with large special formats or parts. The infinitely rotating laser bevel head allows for continuous bevels from -45° to +45°.

This machine is highly dynamic and has simultaneous speeds of up to 140m/min with the highest acceleration of up to 1g. Its track has been specifically designed for laser requirements and has been grouted after levelling to deliver the highest positioning – and repetitive accuracies.

In addition to versatile products such as these, Messer places considerable emphasis on innovation in order to promote productivity. At EuroBLECH 2018, Messer Cutting Systems launched the notable new MetalMaster Xcel cutting machine. With an emphasis on fast process cycles, high acceleration and even better cutting quality and accuracy through smooth guidance from the helical gearing and linear guides, the MetalMaster Xcel is ideal for the busy fabrication shop.

In terms of the range of Messer Cutting Systems equipment, First Cut will be distributing the complete portfolio, and will be able to provide everything showcased on the Messer website. Furthermore, Messer welding electrodes will now be manufactured and sold by First Cut in South Africa.

With immediate effect, all Messer equipment in operation locally will be supported by First Cut and in order to maintain the continuity of Messer’s after-sales service, spares and backup, First Cut has taken over the company’s current service technicians and most of its local staff. Some members of First Cut’s technical team have already been sent for training in Germany.

For more information, please contact First Cut – Tel: 011 614-1112

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