WARREN, Mich. — Army Secretary Mark Esper climbed into the back of an experimental Bradley Fighting Vehicle on a recent afternoon, donning a helmet with plans to observe the armored behemoth from the inside.
Delta Sigma started thinking about augmented reality (AR) in 2005. By January 2008, the company, which designs and builds custom machinery to automate manufacturing and assembly processes for aircraft production, made its first installation on the F-22 vertical stabilizer.
North American manufacturing needs engineers who can think differently than previous generations. So why is the U.S. struggling with skills for additive manufacturing? Three major factors are contributing to the ever-widening skills gap for AM in North America.
The Birmingham (AL) Business Journal (5/10, Van der Bilj) reports that GE Aviation has opened a new $200 million manufacturing facility in Huntsville, Alabama.
Bloomberg News (5/8, Newcomer) reports that Uber and NASA have “announced a partnership to study urban manned aircraft.” Under the terms of the partnership, “Uber will share its data with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to move the world closer to developing air traffic management systems for a world with flying cars.”
The AP (5/4, Cooper) reported that, with a GDP of over $2.7 trillion, “California’s economy has surpassed that of the United Kingdom to become the world’s fifth largest.”
Eaton sees transformation using 3D metal printing as difficult but very worthwhile. The firm’s aerospace group is investing aggressively in additive manufacturing of both polymer and metal parts.