Additive technology or 3D printing, though has been in application for a while now, has brought in a process revolution in the manufacturing sectors across the world. 

Additive manufacturing or 3D printing involves producing or constructing a three-dimensional product using a slew of materials (metal, resin, plastic, thermoplastic, ceramic, fiber, etc.) by printing layers upon layers of the material.

It uses a computer-based digital model, which is first created virtually. Subsequently, the additive manufacturing machine (various types in these as well) uses the virtual design and inputted specs as a guideline to print a 3D prototype or a working model. 

Additive Manufacturing Training Program for the US Federal Employees 

In the United States of America, the Department of Defense has been paving the way for the incorporation and successful implementation of additive manufacturing capabilities in its production processes. With the first-ever Additive Manufacturing Strategy, the DOD is setting up sustainable and quality additive manufacturing technologies and digital manufacturing processes.

One of the key partners of the US Department of Defense in its additive manufacturing journey has been the Phillips Corporation. Through a dedicated Federal division, Phillips has partnered with the United States government to provide additive manufacturing capabilities to the various federal departments, including the Department of Defense, and solve all manufacturing roadblocks for the US Government. 

And one of the ways they have been successful is through the Phillips Federal Division’s Additive Manufacturing Training. Partnering with EOS North America, Phillips Corporation is offering ‘Additive Minds’ – the only Additive Minds Certified Trainers in North America – to offer advanced consulting and training for Federal employees.

Being a new as well as rapidly evolving technology, additive manufacturing requires proper and in-depth training of human resources to ensure successful and efficient implementation of the 3D printing capabilities. Phillips offers a wide range of interactive, practical, and experiential training courses that can be customized to meet the unique needs of the manufacturing unit.

Tim McClanahan, Business Development Manager at the Phillips Federal division says, “We don’t ask you to come to a facility and learn on a ‘similar’ machine. We teach you how to produce your parts on your machine in your facility. We believe that’s how people learn.”

Features of Phillips Federal Division’s Additive Training for US Federal Employees 

The Additive Manufacturing Training by Phillips Federal Division offers the following benefits to US Federal employees:

1. Customized and uniquely designed training program at the actual manufacturing facility by experts in the niche manufacturing processes.
2. The hands-on training approach improves resource proficiency as well as process efficiency.
3. The trainers have worked at critical levels of manufacturing processes, including shop managers, additive consultants, and applications engineers, and thus have an expert command over all additive manufacturing machinery.
4. The training program can be tailor-made to suit the team’s proficiency – beginner to expert.
5. With on-site training, the training experts ensure that the program is customized to the facility’s specific product, manufacturing process, and challenges.
6. The Phillips Federal support extends beyond the training program. They provide knowledge support, materials, additive machines, and maintenance.

There are three types of training provided by Phillips Federal:

1. Software Training – Educate federal employees about the various software programs used in additive manufacturing
2. Applications Training – Train federal employees about the various uses and applications of additive manufacturing
3. Consulting Packages – Discuss with our experts the various ways in which you can optimize and better your processes

Additive manufacturing offers a variety of advantages, including higher process efficiency, affordability, speed, lower wastage, energy efficiency, elimination of costs on warehousing, and so on. It has the capability to create groundbreaking innovations and completely revolutionize the global manufacturing sector. However, it is imperative to have the proper knowledge of the processes and the applications to derive maximum benefit from them.

The Additive Manufacturing Training for US Federal employees by Phillips Federal seeks to achieve just that.

Additive manufacturing technology is growing and reinventing at a rapid pace. Sleeker machines, falling costs and improved efficiency allow for better products. Additionally, these benefits are making contemporary additive manufacturing technology easier to adopt and implement than traditional manufacturing. Even the demand for products manufactured with 3D printing is on the rise.

All in all, the benefits of adopting additive manufacturing technology are many. Let us look at some more benefits of additive technology for manufacturing professionals.

Advantages of Additive Technology to Manufacturing Professionals 

• Low entry cost: While specialised materials and processes in additive manufacturing may cost a bit higher, the entry cost for 3D printing and additive technology is falling rapidly. Most common materials, additive processes and industrial-quality printers are affordable.
• Energy-efficient and material saving: Additive manufacturing involves laying materials one over the other and simply filing off any supports or burrs. Thus, the overall material wastage is low, thereby saving material cost and energy.
• Cheaper prototyping: With additive manufacturing, you can test prototypes and design iterations, 3D print new parts and proof-test new designs with minimal wastage of material, time and money.
• Quicker and cheaper for small batch manufacturing: Additive manufacturing ensures speed and cost-efficiency in the case of small-batch productions which don’t involve large-scale manufacturing and mould-based production. Simply get the material, printers and designs and you are set.
• Allows virtual inventory: Additive technology eliminates the need for warehousing parts and scrapping them when new technology comes in. Simply store the requisite designs virtually and print out the parts when necessary.
• Recreate any traditional or legacy part: Continuing from the above point, additive technology allows you to virtually store the designs for out-of-production or legacy parts. You can print them out if and when required and ensure quality consumer service to loyal and repeat customers.
• Implement newer, stronger materials: Having virtual designs and implementing additive technology allows manufacturers to redesign or recreate a part with efficient design and more robust materials, thereby keeping up with the innovations in base materials in your industry.
• Replace assembly line with a single step printing: Conventional manufacturing involved higher assembly steps and thereby higher costs and more inventory for complex products. With additive manufacturing you can print out the entire product in a single step from start to finish, thereby saving costs and time required.
• Supports AI-based designing: Additive technology can easily incorporate artificial intelligence-based generative designing processes that allow designers/engineers to simply input the necessary specs and material and the programme will help with varied designs that efficiently satisfy the requirements.
• Manufacture strong lattice structures: Traditional manufacturing processes struggle to create lightweight, intricate, and material-saving yet strong lattice structures. Additive technology, with the help of AI-based generative designs, can very easily manufacture robust, cost-effective and lightweight lattice structures.

 Conclusion 

Additive manufacturing technology and 3D printing have proved to be innovative and disruptive technology that is being employed in a wide variety of sectors. It helps manufacturing professionals create unconventional and groundbreaking products while implementing efficiency gains in their manufacturing process.

Phillips Federal is utilising the benefits of additive manufacturing technology to help the various departments and wings of the United States Federal Government for developing a competitive advantage and make groundbreaking innovations possible.

A CNC Waterjet is a tool used in industries that uses water, with or without added substances, to cut through various materials. If soft materials like rubber or wood need to be cut, then the tool uses only water. On the other hand, for harder materials like iron, copper, etc., you can add an abrasive substance like aluminum oxide to the water.

What is Waterjet CNC cutting?

Waterjet CNC cutting is a process used by manufacturing companies using high-pressure streams of water to cut different shapes in materials. Water pumps provide pressurized jets of water that are projected through a high-precision nozzle. The approximate speed of water after leaving the nozzle is around thrice the speed of sound. 

This allows manufacturing companies to cut through materials like rubber, plastic, and wood using water as the only medium. For cutting through harder surfaces, abrasives like cement, concrete, aluminum, etc. are added to the water.

So, the answer to the question – What is Waterjet CNC cutting is simple – it is a Computer Numerical Control machine that uses water (and abrasives if needed) to cut specific shapes through various materials required during a manufacturing process.

Some popular CNC Waterjet cutting machines are:

• OMAX 80X (OptiMAX 80X) – abrasive waterjet

• OMAX 60X (OptiMAX 60X) – abrasive waterjet

• OMAX 5555 – ideal for medium-size materials

• MAXIEM 1530 – cuts through a broad range of materials and thicknesses

• OMAX 55100 – for a more versatile cutting envelope

How does Waterjet cutting work?

Here is a quick look at the working of a CNC Waterjet machine:

• Kerf width – This is the width of the stream coming out from the waterjet. Hence, the inside radius of the cut is equal to the kerf width set by you. 
• Initial piercing – This is the first cut made by the waterjet. This is usually wider than the kerf width.
• Tapering in Kerf width – When you use a waterjet at high speeds, the top of the cut is usually wider than the bottom because the stream loses energy as it cuts through the material. If you use a low-speed stream, then the cut is wider at the bottom since it removes more material while exiting. When cutting through extremely thick materials barrel tapers are formed where more material is removed at the center of the cut.
• Water pump – Typically, two types of pumps are used to pressurize the water in a waterjet machine – linear intensifiers and rotary direct drive pumps. 
• High-pressure tubing – When high-pressure water leaves the pump, it travels through tubing that is designed to withstand such pressures.
• Waterjet cutting head – The cutting head of a waterjet machine is usually a very tiny hole cut in a diamond, ruby, or sapphire. When the pressurized water passes through it, its velocity increases to over 2500mph. 
• Waterjet abrasive system – Waterjet Abrasive Systems allow the user to add an abrasive to cut through hard materials. These systems make the cutter 1000 times more powerful than pure-water cutters. Waterjet Abrasive Systems also make the stream wider and allow the cutter to cut through around 10 inches of a hard material without generating heat or creating mechanical stress.

How much does a water jet cutting machine cost?

While there are different CNC Waterjet models available, the approximate cost of a waterjet cutting machine is in the range of $100,000 to $350,000.

A CNC Waterjet Cutter Machine is a powerful and high-precision tool that offers a range of benefits like the ease of cutting complex shapes and heterogeneous materials without generating excessive heat or mechanical damage. It is ideal for a wide range of applications in the manufacturing sector.