Plastic Injection Molding Company China

Stratasys has announced a development partnership with the Winnipeg, Canada, engineering group Kor Ecologic. The engineering group is creating a highly fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly motor vehicle, code-named Urbee, that is the first car ever to have its entire body 3D-printed via additive manufacturing processes.

In terms of US gallons, the electric/liquid-fuel hybrid vehicle offers fuel economy of better than 200 mpg on the highway and 100 mpg in city driving with either gasoline or ethanol. (Equivalents would be 85 km/l highway and 42.5 km/l city, or 1.18 l/100 km and 2.35 l/100 km city, respectively.)

The car is charged overnight from any standard home electrical outlet. Alternately, it can be charged by renewable energy from a windmill or a solar-panel array small enough to fit atop a single-car garage.

“Other hybrids on the road today were developed by applying ‘green’ standards to traditional vehicle formats,” says Jim Kor, president and chief technology officer of Kor Ecologic. “Urbee was designed with environmentally sustainable principles dictating every step of its design.”

Stratasys developed the fused deposition modelling (FDM) rapid prototyping process that was used to build the Urbee.

“Our goal in designing [the car] was to be as green as possible throughout the design and manufacturing processes. FDM technology from Stratasys has been central to meeting that objective. FDM lets us eliminate tooling, machining and handwork, and it brings incredible efficiency when a design change is needed. If you can get to a pilot run without any tooling, you have advantages.”

Urbee is the first prototype car ever to have its entire body 3D-printed by means of an additive process. All exterior components, including the glass-panel prototypes, were created using Dimension 3D Printers and Fortus 3D Production Systems at Stratasys’ RedEye on Demand digital manufacturing service.

A full-scale Urbee prototype was displayed for the first time in the United States at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas in early November by technology partner Tebis. A 1/6-scale finished model was shown at the Stratasys booth.

Synventive Molding Solutions,a world-leading designer, manufacturer, and supplier of custom process-improvement systems and related components for the injection moulding industry, has been acquired by Advent International, a global private equity investment company headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Purchasing the company from Madison Capital Partners, Advent International will support Synventive in its five-year growth plan by providing financial and strategic resources to enable it to grow both organically and through possible acquisitions.

Synventive has multinational headquarters and factories in the United States and the Netherlands, with additional manufacturing facilities in China and Germany. The company employs more than 550 people worldwide and has a global network of sales offices that provide sales and service to customers in more than 50 countries.

The acquisition by Advent International is expected to enhance Synventive’s long-term value by allowing it to continue to focus intensely on customer needs and product innovation in its core specialty of hot runner control technology.

“Synventive will continue with its current strategy, which is to become the supplier of first choice to the plastic injection molding industry,” said Synventive president and CEO Dale Barnhart. Efforts to develop new products, shorten delivery cycles, improve product quality, and seek ways to increase the value of its systems to plastic-injection moulders will be paramount, Barnhart added. “Just as important, we will also continue to enhance our sales, application engineering, and postsales service support.”

Synventive will continue to expand its geographic reach. The latest example of this intention is the new facility the company opened in China, which began production in August.

The globalization of manufacturing is driving business opportunities for California-based IQMS, the developer of EnterpriseIQ enterprise resource planning (ERP) software for repetitive, process, and discrete manufacturing environments. In 2004, 25% of the company’s growth came from elsewhere than the United States. Consequently, the company has officially launched IQMS Europe, which folds its exclusive distribution partnership with Plasticsgrid into the IQMS global organization.

IQMS and Plasticsgrid teamed up in 2002 to deliver the EnterpriseIQ system to manufacturers throughout Europe. A third party provided implementation services. Now, with IQMS Europe, one company will provide sales, marketing, implementation, and service to European customers. The consolidation strengthens the ERP provider’s overall position in Europe.

“IQMS Europe enables us to offer our customers a complete service with enhanced support and implementation services,” said Ola Gejde, managing director of IQMS Europe. “Our knowledge of the precise needs of manufacturers helps customers achieve faster implementation time and higher return on investment with EnterpriseIQ. EnterpriseIQ gives manufacturers the ability to manage their operations across multiple plants, multiple languages, and even multiple currencies with one comprehensive system.”

Plasticgrid has offices in Stockholm, London, and Kapellen, Belgium, and its managers in those locations have a combined 75 years of manufacturing, plastics and chemicals, and information technology experience. Their expertise gives IQMS Europe a strong understanding of the specific needs of manufacturers in the plastics, automotive, medical, and other industries.

One in four new IQMS customers last year were outside the United States. Earlier in 2005, the company formed IQMS Asia and opened its first office in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. A second IQMS Asia office recently opened in Shanghai. EnterpriseIQ software is now available in Simplified and Traditional Chinese, as well as English, German, Dutch, Swedish, and Spanish.

IQMS was named one of Start magazine’s “Hottest Companies” in 2004 and in 2005 was on the magazine’s list of companies to “Keep an Eye On” this year.

The worldwide mechanical computer-aided design (MCAD) and product life-cycle management (PLM) market grew to nearly $4 billion in 2004, according to research undertaken by Wohlers Associates Inc. in conjunction with Cyon Research. Wohlers and Cyon found that the top four firms in the field—Autodesk, Dassault, UGS, and PTC—had $3.871 billion in sales in 2004 as against $3.38 billion the preceding year, for an increase of 14.5%.

According to Wohlers Report 2005, net income for those four companies collectively grew by 79.7% during the period, from $271 million in 2003 to $487 million in 2004.

In terms of commercial seats, the leading MCAD product in 2004 was, according to the study, Autodesk Inventor. Following in order were CATIA, UGS NX, SolidWorks, Pro/Engineer, and Solid Edge. MCAD products not counted by the investigators included Alibre, KeyCreator, OneSpace Designer, IronCAD, thinkdesign, VX CAD/CAM, and Cobalt.

Cyon Research, which provides design, engineering, construction, and manufacturing firms with a strategic outlook regarding the software tools and processes on which those companies rely, worked closely with Wohlers, an independent business consulting firm, to determine CADsolid-modelling growth trends. This information has enabled Wohlers to forecast the expansion and acceptance of additive fabrication technology for applications such as rapid prototyping, which is the primary focus of Wohlers Report 2005. Wohlers’ worldwide study is a 256-page softcover publication that presents the state of the rapid prototyping, tooling, and manufacturing industry.

Anyone who missed the biggest-ever Yamazaki Mazak U.K. EMO display at this year’s machine tool exhibition in Hannover will have a second opportunity to catch up with the latest Yamazaki Mazak technology at the company’s “EMO Encore” event, which takes place at its Worcester Technology Centre November 22–25. The open house will feature 12 products from the thought-provoking EMO display.

Highlights will be the new Angulax 900 high-productivity machining centre (pictured), which introduces a new approach to multisurface machining, and the new Multiplex 8200Y multitasking turning machine that, with its combination of two spindles and three turrets, is ideally suited to single-setup applications. These post-EMO exhibits will be joined by other products from the Yamazaki Mazak portfolio, ranging from the relatively simple 2-axis lathes and 3-axis machining centres of the Nexus series to such advanced-technology machines as the Mark IV Integrex-300 ST multitasking machine equipped with the new Mazatrol Matrix CNC.

Matrix, which had its global launch at EMO 2005, is a sixth-generation control system capable of controlling up to 9 axes, including 5-axis simultaneous machining. Its calculation capability delivers high-speed, high-accuracy machining, even with submicron programme commands. Also, innovatively designed pulse encoders on each linear axis enhance surface finish quality by generating 16 million pulses per revolution.

For motor-sport enthusiasts, EMO Encore offers a not-to-be-missed opportunity to check out Kimi Raikkonen’s Team McLaren Mercedes Grand Prix car.

Methods Machine Toolshas moved to a new office in Buena Park, California, office to better coordinate service for its customers on the US West Coast. The facility in Buena Park, 25 miles (40 km) southeast of Los Angeles, is part of a new marketing alliance between the Massachusetts-based supplier of precision machine tools and Selway Machine Tool Company, a major West Coast distributor and representative headquartered in Union City, California.

According to Method Machine Tools president Bryon Deysher, the alliance will be better for prospective buyers of machine tools as well as for longstanding Methods customers.

“Joining forces with Selway means we will have more engineers and service technicians to provide better response times, expert advice, training, and technical support,” says Deysher. “In addition to a larger sales force, this alliance also means larger inventories of machine tools and spare parts. With a larger showroom capacity, we’ll have even more machines on display.”

Notes Scott McIver, chairman of Methods, “This new arrangement makes both Methods and Selway stronger for the future.” And Bill Selway, president and CEO of Selway, says that “with the synergy of our combined operations, we are looking forward to a successful sales and support organization for southern California.”

Methods Machine Tools Inc., has been a supplier of precision machine tools and accessories for over 40 years. Methods is the exclusive North American source for Matsuura CNC machining centers, Nakamura-Tome CNC turning centers, and Fanuc RoboDrill CNC milling,drilling and tapping Centers. The Methods EDM division is the exclusive North American source for Fanuc Wire EDM machines, Exeron die sinker EDM machines, and HoleMaster high-speed hole driller EDM systems. The company provides installation, parts, service, and training through a nationwide network of dealers.

Surfware Inc., developer of CAD/CAM systems under the SURFCAM brand, has announced an extensive collaboration with Faro Technologies, a leading provider of dimensional quality control products, to provide cutting-edge solutions in computer-aided manufacturing (CAM).

Among many new features in its latest service pack, the SURFCAM CAM software program now supports USB-enabled Faro portable measurement arms, marketed under the FaroARM name. Surfware actively pursued developing this specific enhancement to further augment what SURFCAM calls “design-to-reality” solutions.

“The SURFCAM and Faro alliance provides a seamless part digitizing to machining solution,” said Shaun Mymudes, Faro’s director of product management. “Using SURFCAM to capture dimensional data, Faro portable measurement arms provide our customers with a direct interface to a very high-end CAM program.”

The FaroARM interface for SURFCAM allows use of any Faro 6- or 7-axis portable digitizer as an auxiliary pointing device to input 3D coordinate data into an active SURFCAM session. It also allows SURFCAM users to freely intermix digitized input with all other input modes. This facilitates model creation, toolpath generation, and material removal simulation in a single environment, continuously displaying the FaroARM probe tip for graphical verification.

“Users can create, edit, generate and simulate toolpaths, then machine complex surface models all in a single setup without any file transfers,” said Don McKillop, president of CAM/CAD Technologies and the author of the FaroARM USB interface. “The SURFCAM FaroARM interface is uniquely suited for reverse engineering of complex 3D objects.”

This interface now supports both serial and USB connectivity, enabling the system to work with legacy and current Faro equipment. It includes a variety of convenient coordinate alignment techniques, probe calibration, probe changing within a session, system diagnostics, and a series of convenient digitizing modes. Digitizing modes include discrete point input, lock-plane input, streaming-coordinate mode input, and project-onto-plane input.

“We are proud to work with Faro Technologies to provide state-of-the-art ‘design-to-reality’ solutions,” commented Joe McChesney, product manager at Surfware. “We will strive to continue offering enhancements to SURFCAM that deliver the latest cutting-edge technologies to our customers.”

The recent 2003 International Moldflow User Conference was the occasion for Moldflow Corp. to announce a strategic partnership with Granta Design Ltd., known for its expertise in materials information technology. According to the agreement, portions of Moldflow’s proprietary plastics material database will be included in Granta’s CES4 Optimal Polymer Selector (OPS) product. OPS provides a systematic method for the selection of the most appropriate plastics material for a given application.

Granta customers will now be able to filter materials based on the availability of Moldflow material data, an important capability for customers using Moldflow analysis products in their product development processes.

“Granta customers will now have the ability to quickly eliminate materials that have not been characterized for use with Moldflow software tools in the earliest stages of determining material candidates for a given application,” says Peter Rucinski, Moldflow’s director of product marketing. “This further underscores the importance of having the necessary data to use Moldflow software products to perform analyses in those early stages of product development, when the cost of change is minimal yet the impact is greatest.”