The advancements in material science in particular have a profound impact on the way products are designed and produced and how they function, which is both driving and being driven by the rapid pace of innovation both in terms of the technologies and applications themselves, and in terms of further material advancements.

Last year, the global advanced materials market was valued at $68.51 billion (USD) and is forecasted to reach $121.76 billion (USD) by 2033, with North American and Asian Pacific companies leading the charge, jockeying for market share, and redefining what is possible across sectors and industries.

A matter of scale
From small- to large-scale and everything in between, the rate of technological advancement is proving to be a beacon of opportunity for manufacturers across industry sectors and government agencies who see the value in these technologies and have the capital to see them scaled. Key to expansion is not only the development of the technologies, but also the materials, which are truly enabling in this regard. Often, the technology could not be proven without innovative new materials that empower the technology to shine.

A good example of a sector where materials are advancing as quickly as the technologies themselves is additive manufacturing, or three-dimensional (3D) printing. This process entails the construction of a 3D object from a digital model, and employs a variety of processes driven by computer controls which can be used to deposit, join, and/or solidify the materials that are specially formulated for these applications.

In the case of additive manufacturing, there are five main classes of materials: polymers, metals, composites, ceramics, and sand, which are used to achieve the final specifications of the component layer by layer. Compared with traditional manufacturing, material limitations still exist.

With this application, the material properties are developed in tandem with a part’s geometry, as the material will have an impact on the outcome. In addition to process parameters, material properties will have implications for a part or component’s strength, ductility, and finish.

Additive manufacturing is well known for its use in rapid prototyping and its ability to customize and offer production on demand and achieve more complex geometries. It also eliminates some of the requirements for tooling and jigs, resulting in less material waste and lower costs overall, and it can be ideal for supporting low-volume manufacturing, particularly where parts can be expensive, for instance in aerospace. The limits of additive manufacturing often come from the properties of the material itself, and as material options improve, so does the technology.

Certainly, with any relatively new technology, efforts are being made to prove it out, ensuring that speeds and scalability are competitive and that qualifications are in place to establish a standard that can be adhered to—particularly where mission-critical parts or components are concerned. But the potential of this manufacturing approach has caught the attention of many who are seeking new ways to scale its impact.

A more sustainable path forward
In many cases, material developments are driven by the need for more sustainable alternatives that satisfy the changing needs of the market, for instance the electrification of the economy, which has its own material challenges. Researchers continue to develop and identify new cathode materials like titanium fluoride phosphate that offer strong electrochemical capacity and material stability and can replace materials like lithium or cobalt, which are becoming increasingly dear due to limits to supply.

Indeed, material advancements can solve problems where materials are too dear, as is the case with battery production, but also where they are available en masse, as the world has seen with single-use plastics. Amazing research has gone into finding plastic alternatives, like bioplastics made from coffee grinds, which are biodegradable and take advantage of an existing material waste stream. The International Coffee Organization states that more than six million tons of coffee grounds are generated globally and more than half of used coffee grounds are sent to landfills, which proves to be a perfect opportunity to eliminate two problems simultaneously.

The development of bioplastics is not only timely, but also necessary, as researchers have discovered thousands of tiny bits of plastic in everyday items, like single-use water bottles, which then become consumed by humans and animals and cause serious health issues.

Material solutions for material problems
While some materials can be replaced, others are necessary to development, such as concrete. Concrete is the second most widely used material in the world behind water and is necessary to the core infrastructure upon which our economies and communities depend.

More than thirty billion tons of concrete is used annually in construction and its manufacture accounts for anywhere between five to eight percent of global CO₂ emissions. Luckily, there are major efforts being made to reduce this impact. Self-healing concrete was invented in 2006 by microbiologist Henk Jonkers at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. The healing agent, the nanomaterial bacillus, can be used to heal cracks autogenously or autonomously, which extends the life and performance of the concrete and the structures it is part of, leading to greater sustainability.

While on the other hand, Portland Limestone Cement or PLC, also referred to as Type 1L Cement, which is growing in popularity given the fact that it reduces the carbon footprint of a project immensely, is another shift that is having wider implications. When compared to the previous industry standard, Portland Cement, which is made using a blend of minerals including heated limestone and clay/shale which are heated to very high temperatures thus creating environmentally burdensome burn off, PLC is far less impactful on the environment because unburned limestone filler is added to the mix. However, it also takes longer to harden and doesn’t achieve the same level of hardness as its predecessor.

Carbon concrete is another Portland Cement alternative. By capturing the CO₂ generated during the manufacturing process and injecting it back into the cement, a mineralization process occurs, and it becomes permanently embedded in the concrete to offer greater environmental benefits and stronger cement performance outcomes.

According to Arch Daily, “It is a concrete that uses carbon meshes instead of iron elements, making it four times stronger and lighter than the usual reinforced concrete, signaling material and financial savings. Its manufacture takes place through a process of thermal decomposition (pyrolysis) in which ultrafine strands of carbon crystals are extracted and used to create a mesh where the concrete is spread before it hardens,” which makes it more lightweight and flexible as well.

Improved sustainability through the development of environmentally friendly materials like bioplastics and sustainable building materials is not only good for the environment, but it also serves to improve the health and well-being of people and communities. In fact, there are also material advancements taking place that can significantly change a person’s quality of life.

Recently, researchers at Northwestern University have discovered a promising new bioactive material that can regenerate cartilage and can be used instead of invasive joint replacement surgeries and treat the impacts of degenerative diseases.

Rich in potential
It is truly amazing how far material advancements have come, and how much promise they hold for the future. From responsive and smart materials to nanotechnology, material informatics, advanced composites, and two-dimensional (2D) materials, each of these markets promise exciting potential over the next several years.

At present, there are many 2D materials in the pipeline that boast outstanding electrical and optical properties, mechanical strength and flexibility, chemical and environmental stability, and versatile surface chemistry, which can support the development of electronics, sensors, and protective coatings. The use of these materials comes with unique requirements, chiefly the need for instrumentation that is capable of atomic-level and nano-scale visualization to quantify changes in the chemistry to ensure optimal performance. Luckily, there are a number of existing techniques and technologies that will support these activities, which demonstrate how profound material developments and their impacts can be and the implications their further discovery and development can have.

Not only do researchers continue to make materials that offer improved performance in terms of their strength, weight, and function, the rate of technological advancement and its adoption are paving the way for greater manufacturing efficiencies.

Once scaled, these advanced materials and the innovative technologies and processes they are a part of will redefine standards of efficiency, performance, and output, as well as environmental sustainability. That is, until the next best thing comes along, which is all but inevitable given the rate of growth the advanced materials sector can expect in the coming years.

The post Advanced Technologies, Advancing Materials<p class="company">The Cycle of Innovation</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Experts in the marketing and distribution of innovative 3D-printed metal alloys, ceramics, and composites including aluminum, copper, nickel, steel, tantalum, tungsten, and invar36, Elementum has enabled the 3D printing of previously unprintable and unique materials, while increasing the characteristics and availability of the most cutting-edge metal-alloy powders and 3D metal powders thanks to its patented Reactive Additive Manufacturing (RAM) technology.

By utilizing this RAM technology, manufacturers can now enhance their existing applications and create entirely new ones that yield performance outcomes and benefits beyond the already astounding advantages of AM technology. RAM creates alloy powders with sub-micron ceramic reinforcements to print high-performance, reproducible parts at a reasonable cost.

Elementum’s metal, ceramic, and composite powders, as well as their variations, increase the qualities of an additively built product, including stability, hardness, durability, low magnetic permeability, strength, conductivity, and ductility. The produced product is perfectly suitable for the harsh conditions and exact tolerances needed in sectors such as aerospace, automotive, energy, defense, healthcare, and tooling.

Some of the metals used by Elementum include six varieties of aluminum additive manufactured powder that offer a wide variety of high-performance properties; copper, which is extremely versatile and used for applications in nearly every type of industry; nickel superalloys that deliver excellent mechanical strength and creep resistance at high temperatures, good surface stability, and corrosion and oxidation resistance; and tantalum, a refractory metal with high ductility, exceptional biocompatibility, a high melting point, and the most corrosion resistance in common use today.

The company is also looking to work with steel alloy-based additive manufacturing powder that offers excellent mechanical strength, higher resistance at high temperatures, and good surface stability; and tungsten, a high-performance additive manufacturing powder that is the hardest pure metal with the highest tensile strength at temperatures above 1650°C.

In addition to providing powders for additive manufacturing in these different metal alloy groups, Elementum can combine other metals upon request from customers.

“I started Elementum 3D a decade ago now in 2014 with the focus of expanding the materials library for additive manufacturing,” says President and Founder, Dr. Jacob Nuechterlein. “At that time, there were approximately eight different metals that were printed commonly, and so our focus was to expand that capability to match what was in other manufacturing spaces. You can go to a machine shop and choose from 60 different aluminum alloys, much less eight metals total. So that was our goal; that was our focus. We’ve printed over 50 different alloys and have released for purchase 12 products in that timeframe.”

While Elementum has numerous excellent products to highlight, Nuechterlein mentions the company’s supply of aerospace-grade aluminums to an aerospace-dominated market in particular. Originally starting with aluminum, the company now also supplies nickel alloys, coppers, and other materials, with its most popular product now being the 6061 RAM2. “In fact, the 6061 RAM2 was the first material to be fully qualified through NASA standards at JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory),” he says.

NASA tasked Elementum 3D with collaborating closely with RPM Innovations, Inc. and their RAMFIRE (Reactive Additive Manufacturing for the Fourth Industrial Revolution) project engineers and scientists to design and fabricate a 36”-diameter aluminum aerospike rocket demonstration nozzle using Elementum’s A6061-RAM2 material. The build was carried out by RPM Innovations using their large-format LP-DED method, which combines wire or powder feedstock along with a focused energy source to produce 3D-printed items. Metal fusion and deposition happen at the same time with DED, while a nozzle operates in strictly controlled atmospheric conditions to drop material into the concentrated beam of a high-power laser. As the tool path moves forward, the feedstock melts and deposits.

While the previous method used laser-powder bed fusion (L-PBF) printing to create lightweight, additively made aluminum alloys that could withstand extreme temperature gradients of up to 6000°F in order to enable large-scale production, the aim was to convert rocket engine technology to a laser powder-directed energy deposition (LP-DED) technique. The RAMFIRE project used Elementum 3D’s A6061-RAM2 to print a large-scale LP-DED aerospike demonstration nozzle with integrated channels.

The aerospike’s rocket nozzle plume exits externally through an inside-out design as opposed to the conventional bell-shaped nozzle, with the primary benefit being that atmospheric and airstream pressure maintain the plume at ideal conditions for the rocket’s full trajectory as it climbs. This makes it possible for engines to operate with extreme efficiency, performing better across a range of pressures and altitudes and carrying larger payloads with a reduction in overall rocket weight.

With its unique RAM technology, Elementum has amassed significant knowledge and experience since 2014, when it began producing high-strength powdered aluminum feedstock that is “impossible to print.” Standard aluminum alloys are extremely vulnerable to hot ripping, a kind of fracture that occurs when heat and pressure build up quickly during laser welding operations. For this reason, the industry deems common wrought aluminum alloys, such as AA6061, to be non-weldable. The solidification process is regulated by Elementum 3D’s RAM chemistry, which results in printed material with strength comparable to—and sometimes even greater than—wrought aluminum, as well as finely grained, crack-free microstructures.

“So that’s been incredible, even over the last year or year and a half, where we’ve seen a massive uptick in adoption of our products and of new products,” says Nuechterlein. “People have begun to accept that you’re going to have to have unique alloys for additive manufacturing, as opposed to just trying to copy-paste what people have done in forgings and castings. So because that’s coming across, people are now fully developing qualification processes. They’re allowing us to help them and to support them in those efforts to do full qualification programs, either through federally funded projects, through programs like America Makes, or through project-based programs.”

The qualification and the acceptance of new products into the manufacturing world for additive manufacturing has been “pretty staggering” over even the last year to two years, he adds. And while metals—and the mining of them—aren’t always viewed kindly, Elementum has also managed to build environmentalism into its processes.

“For our products in particular, we can start with scrap material, scrap aluminum, because we’re starting with a common alloy,” Nuechterlein says. “We’re starting with standard, common materials like 6061 aluminum, which is the most popular alloy of aluminum we use in manufacturing. We start with that, and then we turn it into a powder form, and then we add our special additives to it to make it printable. It is a unique chemistry for printing, but we can start with scrap from other industries, and we don’t have to use bespoke or unique casting billets to form our products.”

It’s an important aspect of the company’s work, he says, and a “big deal” as it means Elementum can use recycled aluminum as its feedstock to make the metal powder. And it’s also often a priority for the company’s clients.

“We definitely have some customers that consider it important for them that we can start with scrap aluminum, or even their own scrap,” says Nuechterlein. “So they may be machining parts out of 2024 aluminum and they want to print parts out of 2024 aluminum as well. That’s something where we can start with.”

And it’s definitely unique to Elementum in the case of aluminums, he adds. “We’re starting from raw aluminum, as opposed to starting from scratch. So that’s something that is unique to Elementum.”

Also unique to the company is its ongoing commitment to advancements in printed materials technology. “We have new products that are coming out. We’re going to be releasing new high-temperature copper products, and we’re also going to be releasing new very high-temperature aluminum products,” says Nuechterlein. “Those are the two in the near pipeline. We were just actually funded to fully build out our Haynes 230 nickel, and then also we were fully funded by DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) to complete a development as well. So there are maybe four products coming out in the near future,” he tells us.

Elementum is also transitioning from initial qualification into production projects right now, which is an important transition for the entire industry, he says. “We’re seeing a transition from starting to do qualifying and seeing if we like it; now we’re looking at scale and volumes and production contracts.”

Any challenges, he says, tend to be scale-related with the raw materials business in general tending to perform better at larger scale. “You need more production and larger volumes to really get going, I think. That’s a challenge and an opportunity at the moment… we’re right on the precipice, I would say, for raw material companies really beginning to wildly succeed, because volumes are starting to pick up.”

But as Elementum continues to grow and exceed, generally its most exciting projects and programs are ones the team can’t really talk about, he adds, even though they’re breaking records behind the scenes.

“We’re breaking records for rocket technology and in automotive where we’re doing things that are really, I think, strong and exciting, and we can never talk about them,” says Nuechterlein. “I think everyone in the industry faces that challenge—the things that are most interesting you can’t really scream to the hilltops. But safe to say, the most exciting things will be revealed three years in the future.”

Aside from its impressive achievements in the industry, the company also manages to maintain exceptional attention to customer care. “We help with that business case and qualification step, so we don’t just hand you the material and say good luck,” says Nuechterlein. “We tend to want to be a part of the development of the project, the qualification process.”

Overall, Elementum has found that the programs that work best are when the company is included in the program and helps support that customer all the way through to full production. “Customer service and customer intimacy are the most important pieces of what we do, which is odd for a raw materials or a consumable supplier,” he adds. “We win when they go into big, large production runs. We have to get them into full production for it to be a big win for all of us. That’s our focus: to help them win and figure out ways that we can support each other to give them better chances of success.”

The post Elements of Success: Breaking Records, Building Trust<p class="company">Elementum 3D</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

WSU ranks third among all U.S. universities in aerospace R&D expenditures and first in industry-financed aerospace R&D expenditures. NIAR is supporting these efforts through the provision of the resources, equipment, technology, and expertise necessary to advance aerospace innovation.

Associate Vice President of Strategic Communications and Marketing for WSU Industry and Defense Programs, Tracee Friess, offered some historical context: “In 1985, NIAR was founded to increase research at Wichita State while also serving the aviation industry, which is such a big part of Wichita’s and Kansas’ economy,” a region that is referred to as the Air Capital of the World.

With an annual budget of more than $350 million last year, 1,500 employees, many of whom are student interns and alumni, and two million square feet of state-of-the-art facilities and resources across six facilities in Kansas and more recently Huntsville, Alabama, NIAR seeks to advance R&D, testing, certification, and training activities related to airframe technologies.

“Our laboratories, services, equipment, and capabilities are all based on what our clients in Wichita, in Kansas, throughout the U.S., throughout the globe, need from us,” Friess explains.

NIAR also supports WSU in the achievement of its vision to be one of the nation’s premier urban public research universities, known for providing impactful applied learning experiences and driving prosperity. Each year, NIAR employs more than 500 students, which Chief Engineer for Defense Industrial Base Strategy, Mark Shaw, describes as, “the world’s largest intern program, and because our labor largely comes from students, our cost structure is also very fair.”

Students from interdisciplinary backgrounds and a passion for aviation and aerospace can participate in work related to material qualification, advanced materials and coatings, machining and prototyping, impact testing, and many other areas of specialty.

“We are world-renowned in virtual engineering. We have a crash dynamics test lab. We do hundreds of millions of dollars in sustainment research for the Department of Defense (DOD). We have a ballistics and impact dynamics lab that does bird strike and ballistics testing, environmental testing and electromagnetic effects, virtual reality, and full-scale structural testing of aircraft and components,” explains Friess of the ever-expanding resources and capabilities at NIAR’s disposal.

Integrating new technologies
With the advent of new technologies, materials, and approaches comes new and often better ways of doing things. In response, the scope and focus of the organization expands, as it has with additive manufacturing. Additive manufacturing has enormous potential in the aerospace and defense sectors but needs to be scaled to realize that potential to its fullest, the implications of which are beyond imagination.

According to Shaw, “The thing we’re trying to solve is really creating a strong, largely U.S. industrial base for advanced manufacturing—specifically for me, metal additive manufacturing,” by scaling those technologies and the benefits they bring. “We have all the material data and material specs for casting and forging an old product; we’ve been doing these things since the ’50s and ’60s with little to no change. And now, we’ve introduced a new manufacturing method.”

If the additive manufacturing sector were left to develop in accordance with the natural course of things, it would take until 2050 to meet its potential. Unfortunately, the U.S. doesn’t have that kind of time on its side.

As Shaw explains, much of the work he does draws inspiration from the book Freedom’s Forge, a story of how industry propelled American success through World War II, a feat that was only possible because of the rate at which mass manufacturing was scaled.

“We’re still somewhat nascent; additive is new. There are a few people doing it really well, but not enough,” Shaw notes. “Because of what’s going on with Ukraine, we’ve recognized that we can’t even support spare parts for Ukraine, so if it’s us, we’re in trouble. Our supply chain is not ready.”

For organizations like NIAR that support the DOD, their timeline is under pressure to ensure military readiness in support of future conflicts. “So everything we do, everything I do, all the different pieces, actually fit into one mission. And that mission is to scale the metal additive manufacturing space,” says Shaw.

A matter of qualification
To achieve this feat, the DOD has accelerated its investment to more than $500 million to expedite research and testing programs to amass the data and capacity to reinforce critical domestic supply of parts and components more cost-effectively and efficiently, which begins with qualification.

Qualification is a major component of the work NIAR undertakes, and several efforts are underway to advance the sector in this regard. In fact, as Friess notes, NIAR has spent “30 years working with the FAA in order to create a shared materials database for advanced materials,” and its most recent iterations are taking shape.

A common qualification program called Performance-based Additive Qualification and Consolidated Strategy is an effort to collect the necessary data to create a framework for these activities which will result in a public standard that will provide additive manufacturers with information related to the required specifications, accepted methods, protocols, and materials.

“When a company chooses a material from our shared materials database, they can bypass some of the material testing that you would have to do for a new material; as long as they can prove that they are manufacturing the material to the specifications shared in the database, then they can skip some of those initial testing requirements, which makes it a lot more cost-efficient to use these shared materials,” Friess explains.

DOD has sponsored a materials database at NIAR to enable the joint forces to have access to a single repository for this information as the foundation for the implantation of additive manufacturing technology in the interest of national security. The goal is to identify a method whereby old technical data can be converted into new technical data and one of the ways this is being achieved is through digital twin work which is “a big deal,” at NIAR.

Instead of having to take each individual part and conduct an engineering analysis, stress analysis, vibration analysis, and other material testing—and have these things qualified every time, which is costly from a time and money perspective—the digital twin enables this process to be qualified and scaled on a plane-by-plane basis.

“We’re going to have to identify them, we’re going to have to create additive parts, and we’re going to have to put them on and print them. We have to approve them now hundreds of thousands at a time, so that’s something that we’re very much invested in—moving from our digital twin world to actually creating additive technical data,” explains Shaw, who acknowledges that digital twins are just one building block in the process, particularly where mission-critical components are concerned.

“One of the reasons that the DOD is so interested in digital twin technology is to sustain their fleets and the value of additive manufacturing for them is that when they need a part replaced, it is very difficult for them to find someone who wants to go through the trouble to develop the digital data to create that part and then go to the trouble of manufacturing a one-off part for the military,” he adds.

For instance, one part on a B52 would be too costly to make and it is unlikely that a manufacturer would want to spool up the factory for one part, a process that could be done with additive manufacturing if the materials and processes were qualified.

To date, NIAR has taken aircraft including a B1, F16, Blackhawk helicopter, Apache helicopter, and M113 armored personnel carrier, among others, through a full tear-down where the vehicles were scanned and reverse-engineered to create a digital twin.

Leading the way
As the technology is still in its infancy, the industry is just starting to see leaders emerge. Very few manufacturers have the capacity, scope, or sophistication to manufacture parts and components to the required standards and qualifications, which adds another element of challenge to the equation. NIAR’s Advanced Technologies Lab for Aerospace Systems (ATLAS) is like a maker space for manufacturers to come and test equipment, develop prototypes, and determine best manufacturing practices before embarking on capital investments of their own.

Efforts are also underway from an education and workforce development standpoint to determine who the industry experts are, what standards they need to train to, and what that training will look like to solidify the future trajectory of the sector for the benefit of the economy and national security.

“Our goal is to be an economic driver for the university, for the region, and for the state, doing that by continuing to work with our industry partners and develop the solutions and technologies that are needed by them. That’s our primary method of operation: to solve problems for industry,” says Friess of the work that will help the technology and the sector to take off.

The post Helping Additive Manufacturing Take Off<p class="company">National Institute for Aviation Research</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

A rapid ascent
From its humble beginnings, Design Works Engineering has expanded across Canada and beyond, now serving clients from coast to coast, as well as internationally. The company’s first office in Grande Prairie quickly proved inadequate for the demand, leading to expansions into Edmonton, Toronto, Vancouver, and more. Most recently, the firm opened an office in Halifax, establishing a presence on both coasts of Canada. Internationally, the firm broke into the U.S. market with an office in Nevada in 2021, followed by projects in the Middle East.

Design Works Engineering’s rapid growth can be attributed to its unique approach, which combines traditional engineering excellence with forward-thinking innovation. As Haydar Al Dahhan, the company’s President and CEO, explains, “Our team is made up of passionate professionals dedicated to delivering the highest standards of engineering excellence. Every project is an opportunity to challenge ourselves and push the boundaries of what’s possible.”

Client-centric relationships built on trust
Over the past decade, Design Works Engineering has built a reputation not only for technical expertise but also for forging strong, lasting relationships with clients. Many clients have returned for subsequent projects, thanks to the company’s transparency, dedication, and ability to deliver. One client in particular shared: “Working with Design Works Engineering has been a breath of fresh air. Their commitment to meeting deadlines, managing costs, and delivering exceptional results is unmatched.”

These long-standing partnerships are a testament to the company’s core values of trust, open communication, and relentless pursuit of excellence in every project, whether large or small.

Industry recognition and awards
Recognition from industry peers has also played a pivotal role in Design Works Engineering’s rise to prominence. The firm was ranked among Maclean’s Top 100 Canadian Growth Companies in 2020 and received the prestigious HOTFIRM award in 2022, further cementing its position as one of the fastest-growing engineering firms in North America. These accolades reflect not just rapid growth but a deep commitment to delivering quality services across multiple sectors and geographies.

Adapting to challenges with resilience
In the face of significant challenges, Design Works Engineering has consistently proven its resilience. During the Alberta economic downturn in 2015 and more recently during the COVID-19 pandemic, the company adapted quickly and efficiently, ensuring that projects stayed on track while maintaining the safety and well-being of its employees.

“Our ability to pivot during difficult times speaks to the strength of our team and our processes,” says Haydar. “We’ve learned that adaptability is one of our greatest assets, allowing us to serve clients in any environment.”

Innovation at the core
A key factor behind the firm’s success is its unwavering commitment to innovation. From adopting the latest technology, such as Revit and BIM, to exploring sustainable design solutions, Design Works Engineering stays at the forefront of the industry. The company’s investment in energy modeling and building science ensures that clients benefit from the most efficient, environmentally responsible designs possible.

“Our focus on sustainability isn’t just about meeting current regulations,” says Haydar, “it’s about setting the standard for the future. We want to ensure that the buildings we design today are prepared for the challenges of tomorrow.”

The firm’s energy modeling software allows for sophisticated simulations that optimize building performance, reduce water consumption, and minimize environmental impact. This proactive approach has not only earned Design Works Engineering accolades from industry peers but has also led to cost savings for its clients.

A notable achievement in sustainability is the work done on the Edmonton Business Campus, where Design Works Engineering successfully implemented a suite of green building technologies that reduced the building’s carbon footprint by over 25 percent. This project stands as a beacon of what’s possible when cutting-edge technology and sustainable design principles come together.

Building for the future
Design Works Engineering’s portfolio boasts a wide array of projects, ranging from high-rise apartments to sprawling commercial campuses. Highlights include the 88 James Street Apartments in St. Catharines, the KW & Stratford Perth Humane Society in Kitchener, and Durham Modular Supportive Housing in Beaverton. Each of these projects showcases the firm’s ability to balance technical excellence with creative design, all while meeting client goals for sustainability and cost-effectiveness.

In Alberta, the Edmonton Business Campus stands out as a tour de force of sustainable design, while the PolyKar Building and the Mickelson National Golf Club in Calgary further demonstrate the firm’s versatility and commitment to excellence. Across Canada, from The Regatta Apartments in Nanaimo, British Columbia, to The Crossroads Development in Prince Edward Island, Design Works Engineering has left its mark on communities coast-to-coast.

Expanding internationally, the firm recently made waves with its work on the Mysk Resort & Condo Hotel in Orlando, Florida. As the team continues to expand its global reach, it’s clear that Design Works Engineering is well-equipped to meet the needs of clients across diverse markets and industries.

A people-first approach
At the heart of Design Works Engineering’s success is its people. Haydar and his leadership team have cultivated a culture that values diversity, creativity, and collaboration. The firm’s staff hail from more than 30 different countries, bringing a wealth of perspectives and experiences to each project.

“Design Works is not a company where people hide; it’s a company where the best in people is exposed,” says Haydar. This ethos has led to a work environment where innovative ideas flourish and employees are encouraged to think outside the box to solve complex problems.

To further support this culture, the company has embraced Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, ensuring that every team member, regardless of their background, feels valued and empowered to grow. DEI efforts have resulted in an environment where unique perspectives are not just welcomed but celebrated, enabling Design Works Engineering to maintain a globally relevant outlook.

The company’s leadership places a high premium on professional development, continuously investing in its people through training, certifications, and opportunities for growth. “Our success is built on the shoulders of our team,” Haydar emphasizes. “We’re proud to have a group of professionals who are not only experts in their fields but are also passionate about what they do.”

A decade of giving back
Beyond its business success, Design Works Engineering is deeply committed to supporting the communities it serves. Over the years, the firm has contributed to numerous charitable organizations, including the Heart and Stroke Foundation, Alberta Health Services, and local initiatives such as the Grande Prairie Hockey Legends Program and the Swanavon Playground Society. One particularly close-to-heart project has been the firm’s collaboration with various Humane Societies, where its engineering expertise has helped enhance local infrastructure.

As the company looks forward to the next decade, Haydar is clear about one thing: “Our success is not just about profits or projects. It’s about the impact we’re making—on our clients, our communities, and the industry as a whole.”

Looking ahead
With 10 years of success behind them, Design Works Engineering is poised for even greater accomplishments in the future. The company’s continued focus on sustainability, innovation, and client satisfaction will undoubtedly guide its next phase of growth. As the firm expands into new markets and industries, it remains committed to its core values: delivering exceptional engineering solutions, fostering a collaborative and creative environment, and making a positive impact on the world.

As Haydar concludes, “Each year brings new challenges and opportunities. But through it all, we remain steadfast in our commitment to innovation, quality, and client satisfaction. We’re excited for what the next decade will bring.”

The post Going Global with Diverse People, Talent, and Solutions<p class="company">Design Works Engineering </p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Building on the company’s global success, alkus North America was established in 2017 to bring the countless advantages of its innovative polypropylene formwork solutions to the North American market, where it continues to be the standalone leader in the space.

A global standard
The alkus^® brand has become the international standard for formwork. Used by formwork manufacturers including MEVA since alkus was introduced; RMD Kwikform since 2005; Aluma since 2016; and Apache Industrial Services since 2019, the company continues to penetrate the market, now focused on growing its presence and impact in North America.

Understanding that construction is typically slow to innovate, with tried-and-true approaches held onto long into the future, the alkus^® panel offers innovative advantages that cannot be ignored. From CEO Matthew Pescador’s perspective, “It’s a system that replaces an older system, which is wood. Wood form facing is used in these forms all over the world, and [wood] would last a couple of years; then it’s labor-intensive to take that wood out, because the wood used to line the face of the form is no longer useable,” he explains.

“There’s a whole process of punching the rivets out and cleaning the panel frame and then putting a new piece of wood in. What alkus^® specifically does is it replaces the need to do that. So, when you put an alkus^® panel into your formwork panel, it can last 20 years or even longer,” he says. Like its wood counterpart, the composite panels come in a variety of sizes and thicknesses for every application and offer a life expectancy that outlasts wood 15 to 20 times longer. In fact, panels have been shown to last for more than 1,500 uses.

This durability is complemented by flexibility and reinforced by water-resistant qualities, which means no swelling, no rotting, no concrete discoloration, and consistent quality results when it comes to exposed concrete. This allows projects to advance to the next stage of construction faster, without the need to remedy the appearance of the concrete. The panels’ performance is backed by a seven-year warranty, which is unheard of in the market and speaks volumes to the company’s confidence in the performance of the product it manufactures.

Available in two varieties, the alkus^® AL—which is constructed with aluminum-reinforced polypropylene—can be used for wall, slab, and special structural elements, and the alkus^® GM—the company’s first, made from fiber-reinforced polypropylene—both offer immense advantages and savings over the wood alternatives.

Complete innovation
alkus^® panels are innovative in their own right, but it is how they are used as part of the alkus^® system that is the true differentiator of them on the market. Like most German-made systems, they are built to last.

“You’re not just necessarily buying a plastic plate that replaces wood; you are buying a system that replaces wood, and I say a system because it is fully articulated in its ability to be repaired and to be maintained,” explains Pescador. “alkus has come up with myriad different tools and repair processes for each individual situation so that the customer downstream has a tremendous toolbox when they buy into the system.”

The system includes an engineered drill bit that countersinks a hole for a polypropylene plug, the same material the panel is manufactured from. Once hammered in, it can be smoothed out using a specialized scraper to create a flush repair in a fraction of the time it would take to repair a wooden form. “That takes on average about two or three minutes to do for somebody who is skilled,” says Pescador. “It might take five minutes the first time you teach somebody how to do it. And that’s a key aspect of alkus: using the same materials essentially to repair it,” and in the process, saving tremendous resources by avoiding downtime and costs associated with replacement.

Another major benefit of the panel is that it saves contractors from having to repeatedly buy wood, thereby reducing costs over the long term. And, speaking of the long term, alkus’ product is sustainable; in both production facilities, there is a zero-waste system in use.

Describing the process, Pescador explains, “We use a machine, and we physically separate the aluminum and the polypropylene foam, which is on the inside, and the solid polypropylene, which is on the outside. We separate it in different recycling lines of operation and then the polypropylene gets sent back into our production lines and they remake panels out of it.”

It’s a “really beautiful thing,” he says, “because it’s green technology… it’s something that’s super sustainable because you can just reuse it and reform it over and over and over.”

Future-minded
Like the panels themselves, the trajectory of alkus North America is long-term. With a roughly estimated potential market valuation for composite form facing panels north of a billion dollars over the next 20 years, alkus is well-poised to take full advantage of the market as the standalone provider of these innovative formwork solutions.

“In three to five years, we want to be two and a half to three times the size we are now in terms of total revenue, so that’s a pretty tall order to grow the revenue, but the potential is really there,” shares Pescador, who believes the sky is the limit for alkus North America.

If demand is anything like is expected, the company will have to scale to keep up, which could see its North American footprint expand in the form of a domestic manufacturing presence—but only time will tell. Until then, the company will continue to amass market share by virtue of the inherent value it offers and the quality it produces. And, at a time when costs are higher than ever, skilled labor scarce, and uncertainty rife, alkus^® formwork is one way to optimize efficiency and performance on projects where concrete is the centerpiece.

The post The Future of Formwork Is Now<p class="company">alkus North America</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Since we last spoke in October 2023, “The single biggest change at [DY] would probably be us diving heavier into the line pump market. At the last World of Concrete show, we launched a new line pump called the HP-3250,” shares Marketing Director Braden Huggins.

Concrete line pumps feature stationary pumping units mounted on trucks or trailers; they are compact, deliver concrete through a hose, and are commonly used for residential projects such as driveways or pools. The company, which is based near Dallas-Fort Worth, also supplies truck-mounted boom pumps which feature long boom arms that flow huge volumes of concrete for large-scale work involving airports, sidewalks, tunnels, parking lots, dams, high-rises, and the like.

The HP-3250 Line Pump (the initials stand for ‘high pressure’) offers a maximum output of 144 cubic yards per hour and has a unique dual-pressure system. “Typically, these types of machines can only be in high or low pressure, and you have to swap out hydraulic lines [to change pressure]. It’s a long, convoluted process. With this machine, you just switch a lever,” explains Huggins.

The HP-3520 can be used with a chassis from manufacturers such as Western Star, Freightliner, and Mack. DY hopes this line pump will build on the success of its CTY-100 line pump, a popular product with a 14.1-cubic-foot capacity hopper that is mounted on a pickup truck. Recommended for urban settings or compact work environments, the CTY-100 is currently DY’s main concrete line pump.

As Huggins notes, the HP-3250 was presented at the January 2024 World of Concrete trade show in Las Vegas, a hugely important industry event. World of Concrete “is the largest concrete-related show in the world, and it’s the only opportunity for us to participate in something where our customer base would go. We don’t have regional shows; we don’t have international shows. This is basically it. It’s the biggest and best, and you almost have to be there,” says North American Sales Manager Mike Morris.

“In a way, it’s an honor [to be an exhibitor at World of Concrete]. They put all the concrete pump manufacturers in the center of the biggest hall. You are the star of the show in a way, as a concrete pump manufacturer. It’s a chance to show what you’ve got and really try to impress people,” adds Huggins.

This is not hyperbole; the World of Concrete website describes the gathering as “the industry’s ONLY annual international tradeshow dedicated to the commercial concrete and masonry construction industries.” This trade show has been going on for over half a century.

In addition to spotlighting new wares, DY enjoys the networking opportunities at World of Concrete, meeting current clients and prospective clients face-to-face. “That’s kind of the fun part of the trade show, too—the networking aspect. You meet these guys and over the years, you see them grow. You get to meet them again and again each year and catch up,” says Huggins.

The DY team is already preparing for the next World of Concrete show, scheduled for early 2025, also in Las Vegas. If all goes to plan, DY will officially unveil its new e-commerce site at this event, following a soft launch this fall.

“We’re very excited about that,” says Huggins. “Honestly, we delayed our launch of e-commerce because we want to do it right, set everything up our way, with our system and with our inventory. It’s going to be a game-changer.”

Long in the making, the new e-commerce site will augment the company’s existing capabilities. It has well-stocked brick and mortar parts and service centers and can deliver parts “for every concrete pump and model available,” within 24 hours. The new e-commerce site, featuring all manner of components, parts, pumps, and ancillary gear, takes this customer-first focus a step further.

“Our customer base can order their parts from a computer screen and have them shipped, as opposed to picking up their phone, calling, and then stopping by on their way home. It’s easier access for our customers [and allows them] to utilize their time better,” explains Morris. DY is eager to “expand our parts and service footprint throughout the country in the near future,” he adds.

As for other new products, DY will soon be introducing the TP-50 and TP-70 trailer pumps. Both are 16’ 2” inches long and 7’ 10” tall. They are trailer-mounted and require a hose for placement of the concrete. The TP-50 offers a rod-side output of 54 cubic yards per hour and piston-side output of 38 cubic yards per hour, while the TP-70 offers rod-side output of 73 cubic yards per hour and piston-side output of 48 cubic yards per hour.

“While the trailer pump market is fairly saturated,” the high-quality TP-50 and TP-70 should offer “a nice entry point for us,” says Huggins.

DY Concrete Pumps marks its tenth anniversary next year, an event it plans to highlight with an open house and celebratory marketing material. “It’s a big deal because, in the market, there’s a lot of uncertainty of any new company in the industry. When companies purchase heavy equipment, there’s a lot of trust required between not just the owner, but the operator and the manufacturer,” he says. “It’s a real partnership between manufacturer and end user.”

Morris says the company’s success is a testament to its leadership. “DY’s motto is ‘concrete pumps built by pumpers, for pumpers.’ We stand behind that in what we do. It all starts at the top here and the expectations of our leadership trickle down… You can buy a concrete pump anywhere, but you cannot buy our people. That’s what you’re getting when you get the DY product: industry-leading backing from industry-leading people.”

The company uses social media to help spread the word about its commitment to service and quality wares, and it is starting to get into more detailed, technical content. Such content might entail, say, a video detailing pump truck features or insights about solving common construction problems.

As for new hires, “You want someone who can be passionate about this stuff. Even though you don’t know what a concrete pump is when you come here, we want you to get excited, not necessarily about the product—maybe you don’t care about construction—but get excited about something, like the relationship with the customer, with your co-workers, or the skills you’re honing,” says Huggins.

Indeed, DY’s corporate culture is built around the idea that “everybody in this company is a salesperson. I don’t care if it’s the welder on the floor; I don’t care if it’s the accountant in the back,” says Morris. He does not mean that all staff members are required to go on sales calls, but that each employee must be mindful of representing the company at all times. The attitude and behavior of any staffer can influence sales down the line, for better or worse.

As DY approaches its tenth year in business, it faces certain political and economic headwinds. This is a U.S. presidential year, so there is uncertainty about future government policies that will affect businesses. On top of this, Chinese-made concrete pumps are making inroads on the North American market, driving down prices.

“There is nobody that manufactures a concrete pump—a boom concrete pump—in the United States, period. We’re all relying on external international markets, whether that be Korea or Turkey—where there’s a manufacturer—or China,” Morris says. However, concrete pumps from China are sometimes constructed with cost savings, not quality, in mind. If budget-conscious contractors show a preference for cheaper pumps, that impacts the revenue of suppliers of higher-end products. For its part, DY doesn’t source any steel from China, Morris notes.

Despite such challenges, he remains an optimist. “With over 300 delivered units, this company is just now getting traction in this market. I see this company in the next five years easily doubling in size,” he says.

The post New Products, New Plans, and a New E-Commerce Site<p class="company">DY Concrete Pumps</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Established in 2003 by three American packaging experts with years of experience in some of the country’s best-known packaging giants, Aesus Packaging Systems has established itself as a leader in the Canadian packaging industry, making it the top choice of many.

Aesus Packaging Systems is not only a relevant contributor to Canada’s national gross domestic product; the company also contributes to the country’s manufacturing security and innovation. Based in Pointe-Claire, Quebec, Canada, Aesus Packaging Systems is lauded for premium custom equipment development, fabrication, maintenance, and repairs across a number of industries that depend on packaging. Sectors the company serves range from medical equipment to personal care and cosmetics, to food and nutraceutical manufacturers, and beyond. Also fabricating most of the spare parts for its equipment means that its clients have peace of mind in knowing that the company’s craftsmanship and quality are guaranteed and delivered swiftly.

Aesus also adapts as the demand for packaging evolves. Therefore, the company offers arrays that can handle packaging options that are sensitive to the environment and easily recyclable. Trusted by Fortune 500 firms for efficiency and crisp, clear-cut product development processes, the company takes seriously the responsibility of keeping its clients operational at all costs. As such, it continuously invests in remaining up-to-date and capable of handling the fabrication volumes resulting from shifting market demand.

Providing its customers with the freedom of scalability in their production volumes, Aesus’ facility, technology, and other relevant resources are geared to adapt at lightning speed. As part of this commitment to excellence, a complete, state-of-the-art research and development department allows the team to provide clients with the technology and engineering they need to remain competitive, driving both time and money savings in the long term.

With acute attention to detail and years of experience in the field, the company has a vast collective knowledge base that benefits clients in developing new—and optimizing existing—packaging arrays and systems. To ensure that it caters to all demands, the company’s machines also vary in their levels of sophistication; while Aesus is well-versed in designing and fabricating complex systems, customers who need more straightforward, simpler arrays are also accommodated.

As a result, Aesus’ machines handle all packaging functions from filling and sealing to capping, labeling, and wrapping. From high-speed to standard, simpler to more complex machines, every budget is catered for. The company’s machines also handle a wide selection of materials as well as functions, which include pressure-sensitive labeling and shrink labeling of varying types.

As a thought leader in packaging equipment innovation, Aesus stands out for its fresh concepts—like its hybrid patented steam tunnels. These shrink-wrapping machines are applied to complex packing demands, as in the case of curved objects, which are wrapped with the help of infrared light and steam. With competition being rife amongst commercial traders as to whose label is the most appealing and attention-grabbing, the company has evolved into an expert in developing machines that handle any type and style of label.

Working with the company, too, is a pleasure. From the early ideation phases to design, prototyping, fabrication, and assembly, the team leaves no stone unturned to ensure that its machines’ performance will continue to impress years after their installation. For this reason, thorough quality testing follows fabrication, giving customers the opportunity to experience the systems in full operation before projects are shipped and signed off. To further ensure quality, Aesus’ turnkey offering also includes installation by expert field staff.

As smart technology evolves, packaging arrays follow suit, employing new methods to improve line integration through automation and achieving high-level connectivity amongst different packaging units within a single facility. This makes for better workflow and reduces human contact with often-sterile products, alongside higher product volumes and fewer issues—an all-around win if ever there was one. Naturally, these technologies also improve speed through sophistication, opening up a multitude of new possibilities that manufacturers could only dream of just a few years ago.

Thanks to predictive maintenance software, such systems can also be kept up and running for far longer than in the past, maximizing output and, therefore, profitability. There are a few technologies that make this possible: firstly, there are software suites like enterprise resource planning systems (ERPs) and manufacturing execution systems (MES) that manage and control data within the overall management systems of manufacturing outfits and their fabrication lines. Moreover, some technologies used to make line integration possible to coordinate, monitor, and control in real time are human-machine interfaces (HMIs) and programmable logic controllers (PLCs). These are joined by automated guided vehicles and robots to ease the overall process.

For exporters, such features mean that they can be competitive in markets around the world. Aesus ensures that its customers’ products get to shine on any shelf—no matter where they may be displayed. Within this international context, the company has developed an outstanding capacity for fitting into and accommodating its customers’ systems, making it an ideal partner when global merchandising and shipping regulations play a role.

Indeed, teaming up with Aesus means having full control over current and future packaging processes. As its custom design and engineering team is fully equipped to handle packaging array upgrades and improvements, any future changes in market demand or product design mean clients can return to the company with their new specifications or product demands as new projects. Once its experts have a full overview of the ideal outcomes and the contexts within which these must be accomplished, systems can be reconsidered, tweaked, or entirely overhauled depending on a customer’s budget and other considerations.

Ultimately, becoming futureproof is a top concern for any business, but it is especially so for those in manufacturing, considering the timelines involved in local and global logistics. In industries where packaging and time are of the essence and where optimum productivity determines success, complete equipment integration and faultless automation give manufacturers a much-needed edge in competitive markets. By collaborating with the Aesus team, manufacturers of packaged goods stand to enjoy a high level of customer service and packaging automation integration—game changers in a world where every second counts.

The post Acing the Game<p class="company">Aesus Packaging Systems</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Made from film, foil, plastic, paper, or other materials, flexible packaging can be bent, folded, and shaped without breaking or tearing. Bags and pouches, two of the most common types of flexible packaging, are ubiquitous in the commercial retail sector. Machines made by Modern are used to create packaging for coffee, pet treats, trail mix, sports protein powder, frozen vegetables, a breadth of other food items, and “anything that comes in a pouch, basically,” explains Regional Sales Manager Shawn Briggs. Outside of grocery channels, the company’s machines have also produced ration pouches for soldiers and medical pouches for doctors and dentists.

“We’re selling into the flexible packaging market, but we’re also targeting label manufacturers because they do a lot of digital printing and things like that. Our small platform Pacer machine is ideal for the digital print market,” Briggs says.

The company sells its products worldwide, with a particular focus on certain market niches. Stand-up pouches—that is, pouches containing food or other items that can remain upright on their bottoms without support—are becoming widely popular, so Modern has responded to market demand.

The stand-up pouch industry “has been in double-digit growth for years,” Briggs tells us. “Everybody wants to reduce to reduce their carbon footprint; everybody wants to put their product in pouches and eliminate milk jugs, laundry detergent jugs.” Some detergent pods now come in pouches with a resealable closure.

Most work at Modern Manufacturing is self-performed, and Briggs estimates that roughly 95 percent of tasks are done in-house. The company does, however, use subcontractors for powder coating, rubber coatings, and programming controls platforms.

Modern’s core offerings include the Momentum-610, a stand-up pouch making machine which excels at short-to-medium runs and boasts ‘the shortest change-over times in the industry,’ according to company literature. The Velocity-610 is another stand-up pouch making machine with many of the same setup features as the Momentum-610, but is designed for medium-to-high-volume runs.

The Pacer-356—the product Briggs referred to—is a compact pouch making machine for short runs and digital printing applications. Other machines are used to make medical header bags and center seal bags.

The machines produce pouches in a variety of styles, with pouch configurations on the Momentum-610 alone including Velcro zipper, slider zipper, side gusset, and bottom load, among others.

As noted, Modern Manufacturing also does custom CNC work, owning roughly a dozen CNC machines—mostly mills but also some lathes, and all of them high-speed. Parts can be manufactured from stainless steel, cold rolled steel, or aluminum with extreme precision as the company can achieve tolerances as low as 0.0002 inches.

Customers can either submit drawings of the piece they want or simply provide an old part, and Modern Manufacturing takes care of the rest. “If the customer has drawings, they submit the drawings, and we don’t do any design work. If they don’t have a drawing, if they just have an old part they need duplicated, we can reverse-engineer it,” Briggs explains.

The CNC segment serves a broader customer base than the flexible packaging equipment side of the business. “There are a lot of local companies that need CNC-machined parts,” says Briggs, “and we can make pretty much anything.”

Plenty of companies manufacture machines and offer CNC services but Modern Manufacturing stands out from the competition in speed, location, and price. “On our standard machine configurations, we offer about a two-week lead time,” says Briggs. “We are also located here in the States and have a fully staffed service department here in the States. So, we have a quick reaction time, and we are competitively priced against our competitors as well.”

The company also stays on top of technological developments and regularly introduces innovations to enhance productivity, efficiency, and ease of use. For example, machines made by Modern Manufacturing are semi-automated and feature Ethernet connections that enable operators to remotely monitor performance. “The owner can be at home and pull up a machine as he sits in his recliner at night and see what the production rates are and everything,” says Briggs.

In 2018, in Chicago, Modern Manufacturing introduced a solution called Inteliseal—or the Momentum Servo Inteliseal Stand-Up Pouch System—at PACK EXPO, a major trade show event for the packaging and processing industries. Inteliseal lets operators “control sealing head cycle distance, seal compression, and force. This new system includes seal head locators that enable operators to know precisely where the sealing heads are located. This allows for minor exact location movement as well as a reference point to be saved for repeat runs,” explains a Modern Manufacturing press release.

Developed by the company, Inteliseal offers Ethernet connectivity and greater operator control. The system is servo-actuated and features built-in settings that let operators select the features they require for a given film, pouch, or bag. Using Inteliseal reduces scrap and setup times and permits operators to run heat-sensitive films. Inteliseal is also “a much better system to maintain repeatability,” over other solutions, adds Briggs.

The company also conducts tests involving recyclable and biodegradable materials. Some flexible packaging materials are slow to decompose, so companies within the sector have been experimenting with eco-friendly alternatives. Modern Manufacturing maintains close relationships with the firms that manufacture film used in packaging materials. When these film manufacturers “come out with different materials, we’ll do test runs,” says Service Manager Mark Clark. “We run a lot of recyclable materials. We run compostable materials.”

While proud of its technical prowess, the company also places a strong emphasis on the personal touch and offers outstanding customer support. Onsite service, remote support, and operations manuals are all available, and Modern maintains a huge inventory of replacement parts, either made in-house or acquired from suppliers. Modern also stocks accessories such as pouch machine carriages and vacuum seal integrity testers.

“We communicate with our customers nonstop,” states Clark. “We are set up for troubleshooting. Most times, if a customer calls with a problem, unless it’s broken—the machine or the part—we can have their machines back up and running in less than 10 minutes.”

Modern Manufacturing currently has around 50 employees, says Briggs, and is currently in expansion mode. To bolster operations at its primary 30,000-square-foot facility, it leases an additional 10,000 square feet of space in another building. “We’re going to expand on the existing building so we can bring everything under one roof instead of having two different locations,” says Briggs.

As for new hires, the company looks for potential workers with “a great attitude and drive,” he says. Modern does “a lot of in-house training,” to then bring workers up to speed, adds Clark.

To promote its products, Modern Manufacturing is active on social media and frequently attends industry trade shows. On top of PACK EXPO, Modern has a presence at the Global Pouch Forum. Founded in 1997, the forum is the “go-to event” for anyone involved in the development, supply, or purchase of flexible packaging materials including films, pouches, and machinery.

Briggs cites the economy as the biggest challenge facing the company at present, specifically interest rates. On top of this, the ongoing U.S. presidential race has caused uncertainty about the financial and economic policies the federal government might pursue in the near future. “Historically in this industry, an election year is usually a down year for capital equipment purchases,” he says.

In light of such challenges, the company offers incentives to complement its excellent machines. Besides speedy lead time on standard pouch machines and comprehensive customer care, the team supplies some standard components free of charge. The company does “anything and everything we can do to keep the customer’s interest,” says Briggs.

Over the next few years, Modern Manufacturing aims to expand its CNC market and continue to enhance its bag and pouch making machines. “We’re constantly trying to come up with new designs to make things better and faster for the operators,” says Clark. “We’re not afraid to take a look at anything.”

“Five years down the road, we’d love to be the leading pouch supplier in the United States,” adds Briggs.

The post Next-Generation Bag and Pouch Making Machines<p class="company">Modern Manufacturing</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

By blending robust engineering principles with more efficient and effective technologies, the company’s recent and repeatable successes have been created from using both old and new ideas. Providing in-house fabrication, CNC machining, 3D printing, robotic integration, PLC programming, sub-assembly manufacturing, R&D, program management, engineering, and design, Kimastle concentrates on offering modular, adaptable automation that is both effective and efficient.

As co-owner Kirk Gilewski, Jr. explains, “We advise them how products and machines need to be designed. We reinforce this with research and understanding what materials they’re making their parts out of, and give them suggestions upfront on the design steps all the way through to establishing and understanding their cycle time and process: how many machines, employees, or robots it will take to produce the volume they’re requesting and meet all the quality requirements the customer has for us on those items.”

On the product side, Kimastle designs a series of punch press solutions, a combination of punching a hole and welding a bracket for a Front Park Assist Sensor (FPA) or Rear Park Assist Sensor (RPA) found in the front or rear of vehicles. “We created the technology that combines traditional punch with sonic welding in one system that punches the required hole and welds a sensor attachment bracket to the backside of the fascia in one operation. This helps to reduce the overall cost and footprint and eliminates potential risks of damaging the fascia from excessive material handling,” explains co-owner Craig Gilewski.

Kimastle also boasts a standard snap press with interchangeable tooling cartridges that allows the company to snap together front fascias, rear bumpers, and grills. The automotive industry has many variations of parts that have upper, middle, and lower components such as fascias that require the equipment to be utilized for multiple variants of vehicles. The press was designed to accommodate multiple types of products and technologies such as sonic welding, IR welding, heat staking, clip driving, and degating. Its ability to quickly change tooling makes it great for customers who have multiple products with extreme geometry or changes in design.

Meanwhile, the company’s wastewater management extruded pipe system features a continuous cycle with the machine integrated into its customers’ extruder line. The product—a plastic corrugated pipe—is used in building subdivisions, farms, and cities for water runoff, and has numerous areas that need to be either cut, deburred, labeled, have seals put on, or have multiple types of tape applied, which are all different processes required to make a finished product. “The pipe is extruded continuously from the customer’s extruder and is cut to length. Our machine poke-yokes its measurements through a series of sensors and camera checks and then goes through multiple stations that cut, deburr, and robotically apply a rubber seal. Precision machined robot end of arm tooling coupled with vision guided robotics achieves a repeatable process across multiple variations of pipe and seal types,” says Kirk.

It’s a complex process found at the heart of what Kimastle does. “Customers come to us with a product that needs to be built, and we come up with the most cost-effective solution within their budget, building a piece of automation around their product,” says Craig.

“That’s what we do day in and day out: constantly taking someone’s product and developing a way to automate it and make it more efficient, bringing quality to the customer, and constantly integrating new technologies,” says Kirk. “We’re able to detect and track defects and quality issues throughout our processes which is a huge part of having the supplier base we’ve gained over the years. We have a passion for the automated solutions we provide just like the passion our customers have for their products. Many customers say we feel like an extension of their company, not just one of their suppliers. We are proud of that!”

Kimastle boasts a large supply of tools and can provide a concept or prototype or conduct R&D when necessary. The company also learns along with its clients, enabling the team to add another tool to the tool belt across all industries. This ongoing gathering of knowledge has allowed the company to help its clients fix issues in manufacturing processes and effectively utilize more advanced machinery.

“That’s where we come in; we’re the integrators,” says Craig. “We’re the ones that are doing the research and taking the latest technologies and integrating them into our special machines. We get many requests, such as wanting to reduce dependency on labor, eliminate safety risks, make the process more repeatable and robust; whatever the customer needs, we try to help find a solution.”

For the last six years, Kimastle has also been dedicated to undertaking research and development in the 3D printing space, particularly because this technology can do things not traditionally done with CNC manufacturing. “With CNC, you take a raw piece of material, and you remove the excess material to build the shape of the part, whatever your design requires,” says Craig. “Whereas with 3D printing, the material is added and allows for more creative and complex designs. This improves the function of the end product, cuts down on waste, and reduces the cost of manufacturing in most cases.”

From a machinery standpoint, Kimastle can do things that it wasn’t capable of doing when limited just to CNC manufacturing. 3D printing can use carbon infused or lighter weight plastic materials. “The biggest challenge is getting the structural integrity,” Craig adds, “meaning people always wonder, ‘how do you get plastic to be more like aluminum or steel?’”

The properties of aluminum and steel are extremely strong, and Kimastle has done the research to find high-quality materials that result in a very strong product, in most cases able to meet the same quality expected from aluminum or steel in certain regards, and then advancing its designs to make them stronger.

The company is at the point where it’s able to start taking known technology and mix it with the new, using its expertise in design and bringing it into 3D printing technology to provide very advanced products. “We have a broad history and library of different designs that we know work, and we figured out a way to make them better,” says Craig. “That’s what we do on our machines and what we do in our processes. Our focus at Kimastle is to take the latest and greatest and repurpose it for making our products better quality.”

The Kimastle baton has recently been handed off to Kirk and Craig from their dad, uncle, and grandfather respectively, and the two have big plans for a bright future, which includes diversifying the company’s sales portfolio and expanding growth into other markets. “We love automotive,” says Kirk. “It’s been great, and we’ll always have it in our sales portfolio, but looking at how we can impact and improve other industries is exciting and new, and there’s a lot of opportunity for us to expand on our military and aerospace sectors. We also find it very intriguing to look deeper into the food and medical industry and expand there also.”

Both Craig and Kirk are keen to keep Kimastle growing and expanding in the coming years. “Craig and I have been working here for over 14 years; it’s what we know,” says Kirk. “When it comes to automotive, we know it very well. There practically isn’t a plastic product on an automotive vehicle we don’t know how to automate. Our plan is to try and hold the same values and entrepreneurial mindset that our family had before us and expand on that.”

This means, once again, combining traditional methods with new ideas. “We’re both excited for our futures,” says Craig. “We think we’re going to be able to provide customers with new ideas while still retaining the same expectations they had from the past. We’re going to take what they know and show them how we can even do it better. That challenge is fun and exciting.”

They are also excited about the industry in general despite a reduction in skilled trades laborers. Both have worked in every department at Kimastle, which is what has made them so well-rounded.

“Everything we’ve been taught how to do is from everyone before us; we’re trying to expand on that now,” says Kirk. “I think a company like Kimastle offers a lot of opportunity to the people who want to be hands-on and work in an industry that really changes and molds things. Kimastle is blessed to have so many talented and hard-working employees. They are the reason the Kimastle dream is a reality.”

Other changes and innovations include the company’s K-Base, a “standardized ergonomic assembly station that provides a cost-effective, high-quality manufacturing solution.” With every top manufacturer focusing on standardization and flexibility and investing in tooling products to help increase efficiencies within their processes, K-Base’s standardized design offers numerous options and configurations to handle a large majority of manually assembled products, providing a high-quality, painted steel base with an extruded aluminum or sheet metal overhead structure that can accommodate numerous types of tooling and automated controls.

“It’s an accumulation of 30 years of experience and working one-on-one with customers and understanding their specifications and requirements for their plants and manufacturing needs,” says Craig. “We took all of that knowledge and combined it into a product that doesn’t have us reinventing the wheel right from the start.”

The K-Base platform is essentially for the person who doesn’t have automation and wants to better their manufacturing process but doesn’t know where to start. “The K-Base creates a foundation for those people to expand off of, and it reduces the number of questions people have,” Kirk explains.

“There’s no wasting time trying to figure out operator ergonomics, where the Hilo fork tubes go, or what type of control system you may need to start with,” he adds. “It means starting with a solid foundation, a standard solution that affords the ability to focus all that energy on the product.”

“That’s the most important thing; a lot of our competition loses sight of the importance of taking that time and focusing it on the customer’s product and how we can make it better in that process, and that’s the tooling,” says Craig. “All of our time and effort really goes into the tooling and with the K-Base, it no longer has to go into the design of a frame.”

There are many qualities that help the company stand out, including its ability to do almost everything under one roof. “We’re not outsourcing the design or the manufacturing,” Kirk says. “It’s not that we won’t outsource, it’s that we always try to do it in-house.”

Many customers also say they like that Kimastle isn’t afraid of proposing new ideas. The company is always willing to discuss or provide new ideas on how to make a product better and go the extra mile by providing a conceptual drawing or working with the customer on prototyping.

“That’s what keeps us on the leading edge,” says Craig. “A lot of our competition will build exactly what they’re asked, and they don’t propose new ideas. They just go until they have a problem, and then they try and find a solution.” The Kimastle team instead proposes what they think could be done to make it better right away, which is what keeps customers coming back.

“We raise expectations by being open-minded and creative throughout the process, which we think is something a lot of people are starting to lose,” says Kirk. “This is the only way we do things. And in order to be an integrator, I think it’s essential that we keep an open mind to new technologies and are always at the leading edge of it, because that’s what makes us great.”

The post Creative and Cutting Edge: The Next Generation of Manufacturing<p class="company">Kimastle Corporation</p> appeared first on Manufacturing In Focus.

Founded in 1976 by Charles P. Becker, Jr., the business started in a different industry, making high-end inserts for wood-burning fireplaces. Realizing he needed press equipment to make some components, Becker decided to build his own press equipment in-house. Customers needing inserts started asking Becker to manufacture presses for them, which led to the company making a bold shift from fireplace inserts to focusing only on presses.

As one of America’s foremost press manufacturers, the company continues growing. Under the highly experienced leadership of CEO and President Jeff Debus, who joined the business in 1992, Beckwood is renowned for innovations that benefit all its customers.

More than machinery
Some companies simply sell presses—not Beckwood. A world-class manufacturer of hydraulic and servo-electric presses, automation systems, and hydroforming equipment, Beckwood is backed by a team of seasoned engineers who love a challenge. As the company boldly states on its website, “Our mission is to build and deliver better solutions that enable manufacturers to succeed,” and the company continues to live up to client expectations every single day.

Serving customers in industries such as aerospace, automotive, defense, medical, energy, and food and beverage, to name a few, Beckwood stays ahead of the competition through innovation. In fact, the company is in the unique position of respecting the past while embracing the future. Behind a line of high-quality hydraulic presses, the company is also embracing servo-electric technology, which merges hydraulic press flexibility with exceptional servo-mechanical press performance.

This customer-centric team services include equipment maintenance, spare parts, and a retrofit division. “We can take someone’s existing hydraulic press if the frame and structure are good, take the hydraulics off, and put servo-electric on there,” says Sales Manager Caleb Dixon, “and you almost have a brand-new technology press for a fraction of the cost.”

Providing custom and standard hydraulic press models for every application from one to 10,000-plus tons, the company is increasingly known for its servo-electric technology. This includes its linear servo press (LSP™ for short) press models, along with Beckwood’s EVOx™ line of servo-electric presses. Extremely precise, reliable, and energy-efficient, the company’s LSP line represents “a new era of servo-electric press technology that combines the flexibility of hydraulic presses with the performance of servo-mechanical presses.” Offering the highest degree of precise repeatability, the EVOx™ line is able to form parts to within a tolerance of ±0.0005″ and offers force and positional feedback at a rate of one sample per millisecond.

Available in models ranging from 5,000 lbf (2.5 ton) 6-inch or 12-inch stroke/12-inch daylight to 100,000 lbf (50 ton) 12-inch or 24-inch stroke/24-inch daylight, EVOx standard models are fully configurable to meet every need. They are also better for the environment.

“It really places into the higher-level initiatives everyone is trying to work toward, green initiatives and reducing carbon footprint,” comments Dixon of the presses, which are cleaner, energy-efficient, precise, and reliable. “So when you check all those boxes, you can open up a different space. Traditionally, it’s always been hydraulic and mechanical presses; now, there is something in between. It takes the best of both worlds that we can offer at a wider scope, higher tonnage, and faster speed. If you fast-forward five or 10 years, that’s going to be the preferred manufacturing method or pressing method, especially for 500 tons, maybe even 1,000 tons and under.” Both presses are featured on the company’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NttQB7-PAhY.

To ensure Beckwood remains an industry leader, the company’s team includes dedicated mechanical and structural engineers, hydraulic-specific engineers for hydraulic equipment, and electrical controls engineers working on innovative, patented products.

“We cover all three bases of projects within our engineering department,” says Dixon. “I like to think we are far ahead of everyone else. At the lower tonnage ranges, 30 tons and under, more and more companies are getting into it. Part of our initiative getting different patents in place was to be able to provide 500 tons right now, and maybe leapfrog up to 1,000. When you do that with a common setup you move really slowly, and it’s really expensive to do so. So the design we came up with combats both of those. It can be price-competitive with other pressing methods, and also, you still can have faster cycle rates and increase production rates and throughput.”

Beckwood advantages
Backed by decades of experience and ingenuity—and working in so many diverse markets—helps make Beckwood fearless when tackling challenging projects. Confident in its approach, Beckwood continues creating a new space in the press industry with its servo-electric technology. The company has been manufacturing servo-electric presses for almost a decade, and its recent patents will see the business deliver machinery of even higher tonnage. “That’s a huge benefit, and something we see as the future of the press industry,” states Dixon. “We are leading the charge.”

Another advantage for customers that comes from working with Beckwood is service. The company recognizes that it can be challenging to find qualified people, so by partnering with customers and providing hands-off solutions, they don’t have to worry about reliability, uptime, or having the correct maintenance personnel on site to take care of equipment. “We can be that partner for them in that regard with our service offerings and our service team,” says Dixon.

Yet another advantage for buyers is that Beckwood’s products are proudly made in the USA. From servo-electric presses to hydraulic presses and hydroforming equipment, manufacturing at the company’s 55,000-square-foot St. Louis, Missouri headquarters shows a further commitment to reshoring and strengthening the American economy. During the pandemic, many companies and their customers suffered from supply chain issues and a lack of parts. Making products in-house means greater quality control, accountability, and presses made to last.

All these factors and others make Beckwood a preferred supplier for the American government. This includes defense, encompassing air, land, and sea. Says Dixon, “Our equipment tends to lend itself very well to that space.”

Diverse markets
About 30 to 40 percent of Beckwood’s business is in aerospace and defense, and the rest is spread out over a variety of industries. Being involved in many markets means the company is not financially dependent on any one sector, and can take technology and lessons learned from one market and transplant them to another to drive new processes in different spaces.

In aerospace, Beckwood is one of only two companies in the world offering sheet hydroforming equipment, “a metal forming process that uses pressurized hydraulic fluid in a flexible diaphragm to shape sheet metal against a single, un-mated tool.” Highly effective and able to replace other metal forming processes, sheet hydroforming sees metals like aluminum, titanium, and Inconel made into unique, complex shapes. “That’s one thing in the aerospace industry in particular that makes Beckwood unique,” says Dixon. “You can’t go and source all these different pieces of equipment from any other company in the world. So we are really the one-stop shop for aerospace and defense manufacturers from an equipment standpoint.”

Selling most built-to-order products directly to consumers, the company also has some standard product lines with shorter lead times. The core of Beckwood’s business is tailoring products to customers’ specific needs, going through that design process, and collaborating with customers to provide custom solutions. Working with customers and understanding their needs, the company helps guide them to find the right equipment solution.

“We are all driving toward the same common goal of partnering with customers, and are in it for the long haul to make sure they are successful,” says Dixon. “It’s a culture and a mentality—and we’ve heard this from our customer base—that sets us up for future repeat business. 40 percent of our business in a given year is repeat business from existing customers.”

Committed to remaining a press industry leader, Beckwood is proud of its products, people, and services, says Dixon. “If you have a triangle, and on the triangle you have innovation, service, and price, you have to be great at one of them. We really want to dominate the service aspect, the customer experience. We want to be good at innovation and pricing, but we really want to dominate the service aspect. From our strategic planning, that’s what we are really shaping our company around.”

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