AEROSPACE FORGING MARKET 2020 AND FORECAST

The Aerospace Forging Market is expected to see continued growth in coming years according to some reports.

Consider this report from EuroWire:

"Trusted Business Insights answers what are the scenarios for growth and recovery and whether there will be any lasting structural impact from the unfolding crisis for the Aerospace Forging market.

"Trusted Business Insights presents an updated and Latest Study on Aerospace Forging Market 2020-2029. The report contains market predictions related to market size, revenue, production, CAGR, Consumption, gross margin, price, and other substantial factors. While emphasizing the key driving and restraining forces for this market, the report also offers a complete study of the future trends and developments of the market. The report further elaborates on the micro and macroeconomic aspects including the socio-political landscape that is anticipated to shape the demand of the Aerospace Forging market during the forecast period (2020-2029).

"It also examines the role of the leading market players involved in the industry including their corporate overview, financial summary, and SWOT analysis.

Report Overview: Global Aerospace Forging Market

"The global aerospace forging market size was valued at USD 17.09 billion in 2020 and is anticipated to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.2% from 2021 to 2027. Increasing air passenger traffic across various regions is the primary factor driving the market for aerospace forging. With growing passenger traffic, giant companies such as Airbus and Boing are likely to witness an increase in the number of commercial aircraft deliveries over the coming years. As per the International Air Transport Association, air passengers are likely to double over the next decades compared to todays levels. Nearly 8.2 billion passengers are projected to travel using air transportation services by 2037.

"Continuous investments in military equipment and strong air transportation demand are projected to assist in the growth of aerospace forging industry in U.S. Operators are projected to replace the old models with advanced, lighter, and fuel-efficient models. As per the data published by Boeing, 9,130 new aircrafts are likely to be delivered in North America by 2038.

"The aerospace and defense sector requires a large number of forged components manufactured using various alloys. Components such as turbines, landing gears, engine parts, and machined parts are projected to witness increasing demand over the coming years. The high strength of these components makes them suitable in aerospace applications.

"R&D in new materials and methods and development of special and high-performance alloys are some of the other key factors likely to promote the use of forged parts over the long term. For instance, the development of 3rd generation of Al-Li alloys is projected to benefit the performance and light design of aircraft. These alloys have the potential to replace the conventional 2XXX and 3XXX series aerospace aluminum alloys.

Material Insights: Global Aerospace Forging Market

"Aluminum emerged as the largest segment in 2019 with a volume share of 55.7%. The use of aluminum in the aerospace industry is increasing at a rapid pace owing to its lightweight properties. Aircraft nowadays are becoming lighter, modern, and fuel-efficient compared to old models. The development of advanced aluminum alloys in combination with other metals is another key factor that is likely to propel the demand for aluminum forged parts.
Titanium is projected to expand at a CAGR of 7.1% from 2020 to 2027 in terms of revenue. It is a lighter material like aluminum and has a superior specific strength, corrosion resistance, and ability to withstand high temperatures. The amount of titanium used in aircraft is growing at a rapid pace. It also has high compatibility with materials, such as carbon fiber. However, difficulty during the forging of titanium material represents a major challenge for forging companies.

"Other materials such as stainless steel, nickel-based alloys, magnesium alloys, and copper are also used in the aerospace sector. Demand for precision forged parts is one of the key focus areas for aerospace forging vendors for the usage of these materials.

Aircraft Insights: Global Aerospace Forging Market

"The commercial aircraft segment held the largest share of 51.1% in 2019 in terms of volume and is expected to witness the fastest growth from 2020 to 2027. Strong travel demand has boosted the new aircraft demand in recent years. Growth in air passenger traffic in Asia Pacific is likely to attract demand for forged components over the long term.

"Globally, Airbus and Boeing delivered more than 20,000 jetliners over the last 10 years, an increase of 66% compared to the previous decade. As per the latest published data of Airbus, from 2028 to 2038, Asia Pacific is likely to witness demand for 10,040 new aircraft deliveries. The emerging middle-class population in developing countries is expected to play a significant role in rising passenger traffic. As per the same data, the middle-class population in Asia Pacific has increased from 32% in 2008 to 50% in 2018.

"The military segment is expected to witness considerable growth over the forecast period 2021-2027. Growing demand for military aircraft on account of the increasing defense budget is likely to remain a key factor for the growth of the segment. Defense spending has been witnessing an incessant increase over the last few years owing to the increasing global security concerns and focus on military modernization. This is also likely to create opportunities for defense contractors and vendors in the supply chain.

Regional Insights: Global Aerospace Forging Market

"North America accounted for the largest revenue share of 32.6% in 2019 and is likely to witness lucrative growth over the long term. The region is characterized by the presence of leading aerospace and component manufacturing companies. Some of the major companies are Boing, Northman Grumman, United Technologies, and Textron.
In terms of volume, Asia Pacific is likely to expand at the fastest CAGR of 7.8% over the forecast period. The growth of the region can be attributed to domestic air transport in countries, such as India and China. Investment in aviation infrastructure is another factor that is projected to contribute to the growth of the market. For instance, the development of Hong Kong Airport worth USD 24 billion is likely to increase its capacity to 100 million passengers per year by 2023.

"Europe is projected to remain an attractive regional market for the aerospace forging vendors. The aerospace sector in Europe is one of the advanced sectors consisting of over 2,000 companies. It is likely to represent numerous opportunities for market vendors, mainly for the exporters of forged parts in terms of subcontracting and production of metal parts.

Key Companies & Market Share Insights: Global Aerospace Forging Market
"The development of advanced materials such as lightweight aluminum and titanium is likely to open up new sales avenues for market vendors. Investment in new forging presses and production capacities is projected to remain a key strategy among market participants. For instance, in 2019, Otto Fuchs KG, a Germany-based company, invested in 30,000 tons forging press for the production of engine, landing gear, and structural parts. Some of the prominent players in the aerospace forging market include:

"Key companies Profiled: Global Aerospace Forging Market Report
Arconic
Scot Forge
Larsen & Turbo Limited
Precision Castparts Corp.
Jiangyin Hengrun Heavy Industries Co., LTD
ELLWOOD Group Inc.
Bharat Forge

"This report forecasts volume and revenue growth at the global, regional, and country levels and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends and opportunities in each of the sub-segments from 2016 to 2027. Trusted Business Insights has segmented the global aerospace forging market report based on material, aircraft, and region:

"Material Outlook (Volume, Kilotons; Revenue, USD Million, 2016 – 2027)

"Aluminum

"Steel

"Titanium

"Others

"Aircraft Outlook (Volume, Kilotons; Revenue, USD Million, 2016 – 2027)

"Commercial

"Military

"Others

"Regional Outlook (Volume, Kilotons; Revenue, USD Million, 2016 – 2027)

"North America

"The U.S.

"Canada

"Europe

"Germany

"France

"The U.K.

"Italy

"Asia Pacific

"China

"Japan

"India

"Central & South America

"Brazil

"Middle East & Africa..."

Original Source


LOW VOLUME PRODUCTION: WHAT FOLLOWS AFTER THE PROTOTYPE

New to the world of low volume production? Here is what happens after the prototype.

According to Swagger Magazine:

"A lot of designers and product developers get so busy getting their idea into a real physical object that they forget. A prototype is only step one. But what follows next? Many think that mass production comes right after that. But it isn’t so, strictly speaking. A very important step before mass manufacturing is called low volume production for the purpose of trial production.

THE BRIDGE TO LARGE VOLUME PRODUCTION

"Trial runs and pre-production prototype manufacturing are actually very important and you shouldn’t forget about them. Before you jump into mass production, you need to test your product on multiple people. They will tell you more about the efficiency, convenience, and aesthetics of your product. Massive client tests are especially popular in the automotive and medical industries where human safety and human comfort are the most important things.

"Another reason to have a short run production is to test your manufacturing technology. Before you fully invest into your own large production, before you buy all the expensive equipment, you could make a machine shop order to have a small batch automotive prototype, parts or other products made with your technology. That way you will be able to estimate the efficiency of your production before investing.

LOW VOLUME CNC PRODUCTION

"Low volume production using CNC machining is especially widespread. Why is that? Apart from the obvious fact that a lot of metal and plastic parts require machining to meet the required tolerances. This technique is the easiest to scale up. Once you have an NC program, you can use it any number of times. You only need to purchase materials and tools. Prototype NC programs are quite capable of efficiently providing you with a batch of up to 100 parts. If you need more, prototype programs may not be up to the task.

OPTIMIZING CNC MACHINING PROCESS FOR SUCCESSFUL LOW VOLUME PRODUCTION

"If you need a lot of pre-production components in your trial production stage, you will have to optimize the NC program so that it takes up less time for each part. That way you can receive the whole batch and move on to market production faster.

"What you can do for CNC machining optimization:
•Shorten idle runs and make them faster.
•Increase cutting parameters by implementing efficient cooling & using harder tools.
•Purchase or set up the tooling for the manufactured part.
•Use efficient, flexible 3-axis, 4-axis- 5-axis CNC machining etc.
•Employing professional CNC machinist

RAPID INJECTION MOLDING FOR SHORT RUN PRODUCTION

"Plastic pre-production prototypes have to be of the same quality as the final part. That is very important because such parts get taken to auto exhibitions and get shown to potential investors.

"However, you don’t want to be manufacturing a conventional heat-treated hardened steel injection mold. It is too expensive, you won’t use its full potential (hundreds of thousands of parts), it takes too long to produce and it will be very hard to add changes.

"For low volume plastic production, another type of mold is required. A type that is easily manufactured, can be easily modified and isn’t supposed to work for a large number of parts.

ALUMINUM BRIDGE TOOLING FOR PLASTIC PARTS

"Bridge tooling for plastic parts is the best way for rapid injection molding. Bridge or rapid injection molds differ from conventional molds. Firstly, they are made of softer materials, which makes them more flexible and easier to manufacture. Second, their base and the cavity are made separately and simultaneously. That makes the mold manufacturing process 2-3 times shorter. In addition, you can use the same base for multiple cavities.

"With bridge injection molds you can produce industry grade plastic parts in a matter of weeks rather than months. But this is viable for low volume production as the softer molds are not designed to last long.

LOW VOLUME PRODUCTION IN THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

"Car production is one of the many industries to benefit from modern low production techniques. Where can you use small batch manufacturing in the automotive industry?

•"Auto shows. Car sales are greatly dependent on presentation. All the cool cinematics, demonstrations, and model features determine the level of the manufacturers’ income. Another important presentation is the auto show. They are usually annual and all the best manufacturers compete for a place. So, it is extremely important to make your pre-production prototypes in time.

•"Crash tests. Safety is one of the most important car features. In order to test the safety of the car, crash tests are carried out. To get a good certification, your new product will have to undergo a lot of different crash situations: full frontal crash, side crash, back crash, roof strength and so on, there may be up to 10 tests in total. Each test, as its name suggests, simulates a car collision. So, each test needs a new car. 10 cars is a full scale low batch for the industry.

•"Mass customization. Some car manufacturers have advanced to a mass customization option. They make a large variety of car accessories available but each one is very limited. They can calculate the demand for each option and so make a huge customization list while maintaining the overall production volume at the same level.

•"Spare parts. Some manufacturers deal in spare parts for older cars ( the models too old to be supported by the official manufacturer). The spare parts market is huge but the demand for each part is low, so the more variety you have or the faster you can go from a base part to a small batch of spares, the more successful your company will be.

•"Limited editions. Each major car enterprise has a branch that designs awesome or deluxe models of their cars. They have a futuristic look, they use all the newest technologies and get all the best characteristics. However, those cars are usually only a limited series so they don’t require all the conventional tooling, just bridge tooling is enough; they don’t need super efficient machining technologies, they just need complex parts to be made with 5-axis milling and they need to be finished really well to have a great aesthetic look."

Original Source


Aerostar Touts Success of Reusable Dunnage Program

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Seeking new ways to save costs and streamline the shipping process, Aerostar Manufacturing’s Technical Sales Manager Ken Krasnodemski, had a brilliant idea. Looking over the books, Krasnodemski noticed the sizable cost of expendable packaging: tens of thousands of dollars spent annually on cardboard packaging from suppliers coming into the plant.

Always eager to find a better process, Krasnodemski found a viable alternative in reusable packaging. He proposed investing in their own collapsible reusable packages for shipping parts and castings to and from their supply base.

“Originally I was focused just on the cost savings aspect of this project,” said Krasnodemski, “but the positive impact it would make on the environment became quickly apparent and assisted in an expedited approval process on the investment.” Today, his reusable dunnage program has been successfully saving Aerostar money (and protecting the environment) for over 6 years.

Many parts shipped in by suppliers are transported in reusable packaging that’s long been paid for. By modest estimates, Aerostar saves more than $60,000 per year in packaging and labor costs combined. They’ve also prevented thousands of pounds of cardboard from being made and ultimately ending up in landfills.

Sometimes small ideas can have a huge overall impact on finances and the environment.

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Rapid Prototyping Materials Market Report

Curious about the future of the rapid prototyping materials market? Consider this report.

According to PRnews Leader:

"The research study on the Global Rapid Prototyping Materials Market is a thorough investigation of the value and supply chain of the market and offers all-inclusive data about the industry. The report also covers insightful information about pricing, cost, value, capacity, gross revenue, and profit margins with reference to historical analysis and forecast estimation. The report also strives to identify demands and trends in different sectors of the Rapid Prototyping Materials market in major geographies of the world.

"The Rapid Prototyping Materials market has witnessed dynamic changes in trends and demands owing to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The report provides a detailed outlook on how the pandemic has affected the key segments of the Rapid Prototyping Materials industry. The report includes an in-depth impact analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic on the overall Rapid Prototyping Materials industry and covers a futuristic impact scenario.

"The report studies the market dynamics to identify and scrutinize the strategic initiatives and tactics undertaken by the industry players in order to gain a robust footing in the market and to achieve a substantial global position. It provides exhaustive analysis and imparts insightful data to help the readers understand the Rapid Prototyping Materials industry in detail and gain a competitive advantage over other players. The report also provides strategic recommendations to new and emerging players to help them formulate better entry and investment strategies.

"The report covers extensive analysis of the key market players in the market, along with their business overview, expansion plans, and strategies. The key players studied in the report include:

"3D Systems Corporation, Arkema S.A, Stratasys, Ltd., Royal DSM N.V., EOS GmbH Electro Optical Systems, Materialise NV, Oxford Performance Materials, Golden Plastics, Renishaw PLC, Arcam AB, among others.

"The report offers a comprehensive analysis of the Rapid Prototyping Materials market inclusive of product portfolio, categories, applications, and a comprehensive analysis of the value chain structure. The study investigates several factors influencing the growth of the market and provides a competitive advantage to the readers.

"The Rapid Prototyping Materials market report is an investigative study that provides insights into opportunities, limitations, and barriers encountered by the companies that influence or hinder the growth of the industry. Overall the report provides valuable information and an overview of the market scenario to gain a better understanding of the market.

"Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2017-2027)
Polymers
Metals
Ceramics

"End- User Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2017-2027)
Aerospace & Defense
Healthcare
Transportation
Construction Goods & Electronics
Manufacturing & Construction
Others

"Form Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2017-2027)
Filament
Ink
Powder

"The report covers an extensive regional analysis and market estimation in each region and covers key geographical regions such as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa..."

Original Source


Aerostar Helps North American Manufacturers Diversify into India: Companies are moving manufacturing out of China

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Recently Bloomberg/Businessweek weekly, mentioned that Young Liu, chairman of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, declared that China’s days as the world’s manufacturing hub are over. The declaration comes with some heavy industry backing as Foxconn will be splitting its supply chain between the Chinese market and the US.

Enter Aerostar, a CNC precision manufacturing company based in Romulus, MI and Fort Wayne, Indiana is expanding its footprint in India. Its offices in Pune and Bengaluru, India are helping many American OEMs and Fortune 500 companies source manufactured components out of India, i.e.: machined castings, forgings, plastic injection molding parts, gears, assemblies, etc. It’s both: cost savings and risk mitigation for the customers. All the manufacturing facilities are IATF 16949 and or AS 9100.

Aerostar continues to help North American manufacturers save over 30% by sourcing engineering components in India through its partner supply base. Just in the past 3 months, Aerostar has received dozens of engineering component packages from new customers to be sourced in India and the US. The expanded activity in India doesn’t replace Aerostar’s US manufacturing however, but rather allows for dual sourcing options for its US customers.

The face of manufacturing is changing across the world, new supply chains are being created to mitigate risk and save costs. Companies like Aerostar offer excellent, competitive pricing, tight timelines and truly impressive quality.

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CNC Machining Centers Market Size is Thriving Worldwide 2020

While some markets have struggled this year, the CNC machining center market size is seeing growth worldwide.

According to The Daily Chronicle:

"The Global Cnc Machining Centers Market research report offers insightful information on the Global Cnc Machining Centers market for the base year 2019 and is forecast between 2020 and 2027. Market value, market share, market size, and sales have been estimated based on product types, application prospects, and regional industry segmentation. Important industry segments were analyzed for the global and regional markets.

"The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have been observed across all sectors of all industries. The economic landscape has changed dynamically due to the crisis, and a change in requirements and trends has also been observed. The report studies the impact of COVID-19 on the market and analyzes key changes in trends and growth patterns. It also includes an estimate of the current and future impact of COVID-19 on overall industry growth.

"The report has a complete analysis of the Global Cnc Machining Centers Market on a global as well as regional level. The forecast has been presented in terms of value and price for the 8 year period from 2020 to 2027. The report provides an in-depth study of market drivers and restraints on a global level, and provides an impact analysis of these market drivers and restraints on the relationship of supply and demand for the Global Cnc Machining Centers Market throughout the forecast period.

"The report provides an in-depth analysis of the major market players along with their business overview, expansion plans, and strategies. The main actors examined in the report are:

"Haas Automation
"KAFO
"DMG MORI
"Hwacheon
"Fair Friend
"Hurco Companies
"Makino Europe GmbH
"Okuma
"Komatsu NTC
"Heller
"SMTCL Americas
"Yamazaki Mazak
"Doosan Machine Tools
"Chiron
"Akira Seiki
"WIA
"Kent CNC
"Toyoda Machinery
"Yeong Chin
"Knuth Machine Tools

"The Global Cnc Machining Centers Market Report offers a deeper understanding and a comprehensive overview of the Global Cnc Machining Centers division. Porter’s Five Forces Analysis and SWOT Analysis have been addressed in the report to provide insightful data on the competitive landscape. The study also covers the market analysis and provides an in-depth analysis of the application segment based on the market size, growth rate and trends.

"The research report is an investigative study that provides a conclusive overview of the Global Cnc Machining Centers business division through in-depth market segmentation into key applications, types, and regions. These segments are analyzed based on current, emerging and future trends. Regional segmentation provides current and demand estimates for the Global Cnc Machining Centers industry in key regions in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa.

"Global Cnc Machining Centers Market Segmentation:

"In market segmentation by types of Global Cnc Machining Centers, the report covers-

"Vertical CNC Machining Center
"Horizontal CNC Machining Center

"In market segmentation by applications of the Global Cnc Machining Centers, the report covers the following uses-

"Metal
"Plastics
"Wood
"Composites
"Others"

Original Source


The Top 7 Methods for Making 3D Rapid Prototypes

Looking into rapid prototyping? Here are 7 methods to consider.

According to Tech Times:

"Rapid prototypes are used to help engineers fine-tune their designs. Almost every single manufactured product you can see around you will have started life as a prototype. Rapid prototypes are used to help engineers quickly evaluate their ideas, and determine if they can move forward with the manufacturing process. They will look at elements like the purpose of the product, the complexity, and the quality of the design to determine if changes need to be made.

What is rapid prototyping?
"This is a fairly modern term that is commonly used by product engineers. A common misconception is that rapid prototyping only happens at the start of the manufacturing process. In reality, it can happen at any stage, and could even be used between product releases to explore updated designs based on user feedback. It's an invaluable process for helping engineers to identify the best way to move forward with their designs. These are 7 of the top 3D rapid prototyping methods available today.

Stereolithography (SLA)
"This is the oldest rapid prototyping method available. It all starts with a 3D map of the design which is then created in layers or slices. It uses a high powered laser to harden layers of a liquid resin according to the design file. The prototype is created in vertical slices as the design is lifted from a reservoir of liquid resin.

Selective laser sintering (SLS)
"Selective laser sintering uses a high powered laser to sinter powdered material into a solid form. Sintering is a low-temperature process which turns powdered materials into a solid mass without melting. Every SLS rapid prototype starts life as a digital file which gives a 3D map of the structure's design. This process allows for more intricate and complex parts than stereolithography.

Direct metal laser sintering(DMLS)
"A similar process to selective laser sintering, direct metal laser sintering uses a fine metal powder instead of plastic. The sintering takes place in a sealed chamber filled with an inert gas like argon. This prevents the highly reactive powder from combusting under the pressure and heat. The result is a high strength and intricate design which can be used for a range of rapid prototype applications.

Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM)
"This is perhaps the cheapest and most accessible way to create rapid prototypes. Many hobbyists will use the simple fused deposition modelling process to create small models. This process uses a spool of plastic filament which is fed through a heated nozzle to create a single bead. These beads are used to build up the 3D design in layers. This process is so simple even school children are using brightly coloured filaments to create models.

Binder jetting
"Binder jetting is a newer process which is perfect for creating multiple prototypes at once. It starts with a bed of metal powder which is sprayed with a fine mist of liquid binder. A roller then passes over the bed to compress the material and make a single layer. This process is repeated to create additional layers. Once the spraying and rolling process is complete, the finished product is placed in an oven to burn off the binding material and fuse the metal particles together. The result is a solid structure that isn't quite as strong as welded metal but is still incredibly functional.

Poly jetting
"For precision 3D printing, poly jetting is the preferred method. This allows for incredibly accurate layer resolution with precision printing down to 0.0014mm. Poly jetting is a process which involves spraying a fine mist of photopolymer droplets onto a build platform. The polymer is cured between each layer before another is added. This allows for colour changes, different types of polymer and incredibly intricate designs.

CNC Machining Prototyping
"CNC stands for computer numerical control. Not many people think of CNC machining when they think of prototyping, but it is actually incredibly effective. CNC machines can cut a range of materials to incredibly precise tolerances by converting a 3D design into instructions for the lathing machine. The advantage is that the prototype can be made from the same material the final product will be made from, allowing for a more accurate and true-to-design prototype. This might be more helpful for a final prototype, or to cut down on the initial steps."

Original Source


Aerostar Presented “2020 Cummins COVID-19 Outstanding Supplier” Award for Excellent, Uninterrupted Service

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Aerostar Presented “2020 Cummins COVID-19 Outstanding Supplier” Award for Excellent, Uninterrupted Service

With over 40 years in the manufacturing industry, Aerostar Mfg has faced many trials, but 2020’s pandemic outbreak has brought the most traumatic supply chain challenges faced in recent history. This year Aerostar stepped up to that challenge, protecting both employees and clients with outstanding, uninterrupted service throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

That’s why Aerostar is being recognized with a 2020 Cummins COVID-19 Outstanding Supplier award. Established this year, Cummins was inspired to recognize companies that have taken on the heavy burden of continuing safe service throughout the crisis. The recognition is offered only to those suppliers who have gone above-and-beyond to support Cummins during COVID-19, like Aerostar Mfg.

Cummins recognized that dedication from Aerostar has allowed them to provide essential products and services to customers throughout the crisis. Aerostar’s support of Cummins, notably including their dedicated management team staying in close communications with Cummins and their commitment to employee safety have allowed production to continue uninterrupted throughout the outbreak.

Despite worldwide challenges, Aerostar is continuing to grow this year and focus on client satisfaction as well as continued, quality-focused and safe manufacturing practices.

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How Do Modern Technologies Help Prototyping

As technology continues to advance, prototyping gets easier and more efficient.

According to Robin Mitchell with Electro Pages:

"The advances in technologies have resulted in components almost too small to be usable by most, and yet prototyping has never been easier. What modern technologies aid prototyping and how cheap has prototyping become?

Shrinking Technology - Smaller, More Powerful Devices
"Since the introduction of electricity, it is truly amazing to see how far electronics has come. The first transistors, which would be mounted in large three-pin packages, can now be fabricated in the nanometres, with billions fitting on a single chip. Axial resistors have been replaced with SMD chip resistors measuring just millimetres across, and entire computer systems are now available on credit card-sized single-board computers.

"Creating a new design requires several stages of prototypes which can demonstrate critical errors, flaws, and realities of the end product. For example, a conceptual design for a computer might have a PCB that is only 10cm x 10cm, but the resulting prototype demonstrates poor heat dissipation properties. In the past, building prototypes would require mostly hands-on work with components being soldered on, and product casings being machined. However, all of the work was relatively easy thanks to the use of through-hole technology, large components, and generally large designs. A classic example that demonstrates the ability to add last-minute changes to a design can be found in the ZX Spectrum; a transistor needed to be added across the Z80 processor.

"However, changes in technology have seen components move away from their larger, through-hole varieties in favour of tiny SMD (surface mount device) parts that are near invisible to the naked eye. This causes problems for several reasons; the most crucial being that modern circuits are almost impossible to build by hand. Large SMD parts do exist (such as SOIC, QFP, and 1206), but generally speaking, end products try to use the smallest possible devices as these are often the cheapest to use. Not only do they use less material, but they use less PCB (printed circuit board) space, meaning that the PCB can be reduced in size, and this leads to further reductions in cost.

"You would be forgiven to think that prototyping in this new age of electronics is near-impossible, but this could not be further from the truth. As technology improves, so does the ability to use that technology, and a whole range of methods that used to be inaccessible to the broader public are now becoming commonplace in even the most basic of projects!

PCBs - Printed Circuit Boards
"PCB technology has come a long way, but not for the reasons you would think. In the past, many prototypes would be designed using stripboard, matrix board, and even breadboards. Such methods are perfectly adequate for through-hole parts, but cannot be used when dealing with SMDs. Chip converters do exist, which allow a user to solder an integrated circuit (IC) to a PCB which connects the pads on the IC to pin headers for use in breadboards, but these are not appropriate for passive components such as resistors, capacitors, and inductors.

"One solution in the past to this was to use a PCB, but these were incredibly expensive, and something that only businesses could afford. Homemade PCBs (utilising various chemicals such as Ferric Chloride), could allow makers to create intricate designs using SMD parts, but these had their flaw. For instance, through-hole plating was not achievable due to the complex chemical processes needed, and thus designs utilising more than one layer would be difficult to manufacture.

"However, the start of 2010 saw a new era of prototyping, and the cost of professionally made PCBs began to drop rapidly. Instead of hundreds of dollars, makers can now get multiple prototype PCBs for a few dollars, enabling them to efficiently work with SMD parts, 4-layer PCBs, and through-hole plating. The reason for this reduction in price? Continuing advancements in automation and production technology have allowed PCB manufacturers to group multiple customer designs, use parallel machines to perform the same tasks, and utilise effective Automatic Optical Inspection (AOI), to rapidly-produce quick prototype PCBs.

Prototyping 3D Printers
"In many instances, designing and building the circuit is only half the task; many projects require product enclosures. Designs of the past would require intensive manual labour to develop mechanical drawings and build the prototype enclosure. The cost of the enclosure would depend on the material it was made from, but this price would dramatically increase as the complexity of the design increases. One method around this was to utilise pre-made project enclosures, which would provide designers with a standardised container with screw mountings, knock-outs, and access ports. However, such enclosures provide next to no customizability and would be only useful to products whose housing was irrelevant.

"Move forward to today, and the scene changes completely. The first significant step that reduced the time needed to produce prototypes was the introduction of CAD; suddenly, designers could interact with their mechanical designs, use 3D visuals to check if a PCB would fit, where the connectors would be located, and how it would fit together. The use of CAD also significantly helps when linked to newer methods for production that utilise Computer Numeric Design (or CNC); instead of human operators, a design can be milled, drilled, cut, and sanded by a single machine.

"However, the real innovation in prototyping is the introduction of the 3D printer. While 3D printing technology has been around for decades, essential patents have recently expired, and the result is a wave of 3D printing machines that any home operator can use. Instead of needing a specialist company to manufacture a casing, a single designer can use CAD to create a 3D model of the casing, and a 3D printer to print the casing in many different materials including plastic, wood, and metal.

Pick and Place
"The introduction of SMD components also brought with it a new manufacturing technique; Pick and Place. These automated machines have components preloaded into reels, which are automatically imaged, picked up by a suction head, and then positioned onto the PCB. A camera performs an AOI on the PCB once done to ensure that all components have been placed correctly, and the board is then sent into a reflow oven to melt the solder paste to solder all the parts in one cycle. Such technology has been out of reach for individual makers due to the high setup costs, but some have built their Pick and Place machines (although these are far and few between).

"However, companies such as JLCPCB have begun to offer pick and place prototyping services at incredibly low costs. One factor that helps to reduce the cost of such prototypes is the encouragement for makers to use standardised parts. For example, multiple projects designed by different designers will often require the same basic components; 0603 resistors, SMD capacitors, and a microcontroller, and by identifying the most commonly used components, the Pick and Place setup can be mostly left alone (i.e. no need for constant reel changes). This dramatically speeds up production time, and the ability to ship PCBs straight from the production facility to the manufacturing facility further reduces this cost.

Modules and Shields
"The introduction of new ICs such as sensors can be exciting for makers, but only if they can get them into a prototype in the first place. Small SMD parts often require the use of a PCB, and developing the hardware support for an IC itself can be problematic. While some devices do come with example circuits, it is no guarantee that a particular design will work. Even if the hardware works, the cost for prototyping an individual IC can be somewhat excessive.

"The benefits of cheap PCBs and low-cost Pick and Place machines has seen many modules and shield be produced for the very purpose of prototyping. These boards contain all the hardware needed to operate a specific IC, usually include pin headers and sockets, and are cheaply available. Such boards are easily connected to breadboard circuitry, but the use of standardised layouts such as the Arduino Shield allows for prototyping boards to be stacked on-top of microcontroller development boards.

How Modern Technologies Help Prototyping Methods - Final Thoughts
"Modern technology brings plenty of advantages, but also comes with its challenges. The reduction in component size has made traditional prototyping more difficult, but if makers take advantage of low-cost PCB services, 3D printing, and the wide range of modules available, then any project can be tackled with ease."

Original Source


Aerostar Welcomes new International Sourcing Leader

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Intent on expanding global sourcing for its US customers, Aerostar Global has hired Sushrut Deshmukh to join its skilled team as International Sourcing Leader at India office in Pune. Sushrut likes traveling, experiencing different foods and cultures, and creating strong networks with people he meets along the way.

Equipped with 20 years industry experience Sushrut Deshmukh lends essential skills to the Aerostar global team. His most critical role is in development and implementation of effective sourcing strategies. These strategies are a combination of managing risk mitigation, capacity ramp up, process improvements, all while enhancing quality control.

Sushrut loves people and believes in creating strong personal bonds. “Work never seems like work,” said Sushrut, as he spearheads large sourcing projects in India for Aerostar’s US customers.

Aerostar Global is thrilled to welcome an International Sourcing Leader with strong skills and experience to its team. Sushrut will be working toward strategic growth plans for Aerostar Global Sourcing and to develop a world-class supply base for sourcing of castings, forgings, precision machining and complex assemblies for exports to its US customer base.

With an eye on expanding its sourcing and supply chain, Aerostar will continue to grow its Global team to help US customers outsource machined parts and assemblies.
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