20 minute read
Announcements/Releases
Go Directly from Receiving to CNC Machining Clean
Deburred • Flat
Square • Close Tolerance Load & Go for Finished Machining Clean Deburred • Flat Square • Close Tolerance Load & Go for Finished Machining Save Time Increase Capacity
MRP
Machine-Ready for Production
MRP
Machine-Ready for Production
MRP
Machine-Ready for Production
GUARANTEED
Eliminate Material Prep Reduce Set Up Time Shorten Cycle Time, Chip-to-Chip Increase Throughput
Machine-Ready Blanks arrive square, fl at and parallel, and ready to go directly from your receiving dock into your CNC machines. By ending prep time and minimizing setup time, your operators and machines get to the high-value work of fi nish machining, faster.
Standard-Size Machine-Ready Blanks Ready-made and available to ship same-day, next-day in more than 1700 dimensional and alloy confi gurations. Perfect for short-run jobs, prototypes, tooling and more.
Order online at https://Shop.TCIPrecision.com/
Custom-Size Machine-Ready Blanks Made-to-order based on your net specifi cations as close as +/-.005" dimensionally and fl at, square, parallel to within .002". With a single PO order one to thousands; receive them all at once or JIT based on production.
Request a Quote Online: www.tciprecision.com/rfq
Call us to discuss your next production job.
800-234-5613 • www.tciprecision.com
Announcements & Releases
The Northwest Machine Tool Expo – September 1-2, 2021 at the Oregon Convention Center
An advanced technology event – the Northwest Machine Tool Expo – returns to the Oregon Convention Center for its 34th year this September 1-2. The free trade show and conference is directed to the interests of those who work in machining and manufacturing. In the expo, attendees will experience the latest products, services, equipment, and technologies; in the conference, they will learn in detail about stateof-the-art tools and automation -- all for free. The event brings together manufacturing managers, CNC programmers, shop managers, quality inspectors, purchasing managers, design engineers, and CEOs/owners, among others, all in one place. The Northwest Machine Tool Expo’s high-interest seminars include those on 3D and additive manufacturing, robotics, advanced software, and training. The hours for the expo are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on September 1 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on September 2. The Oregon Convention Center is at 777 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd in Portland, OR.
More information on the expo can be found on our website: www. MTENW.MachineToolExpos.com. Northwest Facilities Expo, is held concurrently at the Center, with crossover privileges between the events for attendees.
California Is Offering $150,000 Grants For Green Technology Entrepreneurs — But You’ll Need To Act Fast
The state is offering $150,000 grants to entrepreneurs working on sustainable technologies. But prospective applicants will need to act fast — the application window will only be open from Aug. 22 through Sept. 5.
The California Sustainable Energy Entrepreneur Development Initiative, or CalSEED, is an effort by the California Energy Commission to advance energy innovation in the state by giving entrepreneurs free money to validate or prove their concepts. Companies that get the $150,000 grants are also eligible for a $450,000 follow-on grant.
The grants, particularly for clean technology companies, offer very early stage capital to transform a viable idea into a viable company, said Gary Simon, chairman of CleanStart, a Sacramento-based clean energy industry group.
The grants are available to companies working in energy efficiency, energy storage, renewable technology, water savings, water treatment and electric vehicle and charging technologies.
“It’s good money. It’s not a loan, so you don’t have to pay it back, and they don’t take any equity,” Simon said.
In the past, the application for the program was opened in March and for longer than two weeks, but the scheduling for 2021 was pushed ahead because it wasn’t even authorized this year until June.
CalSEED is administered by the Oakland-based nonprofit New Energy Nexus on behalf of the California Energy Commission.By Mark Anderson – Staff Writer, Sacramento Business Journal
DATRON Dynamics Celebrates 25th Anniversary by Donating $25,000 of Tooling to STEM Programs
DATRON Dynamics, Inc., the North American provider of DATRON high-speed, precision CNC machines, will mark its 25th anniversary by donating $25,000 worth of cutting tools across ten educational institutions that have DATRON machines in their STEM program.
Each of the selected institutions, including the University of Oregon, the University of New Hampshire, the University of Maryland, the University of Western Ontario, the University of Washington, Southern New Hampshire University, Université Laval, and Mount Si High School of the Snoqualmie Valley School District, and two others, will receive a $2,500 voucher to purchase cutting tools for their DATRON machines. When asked about this important anniversary, Bill King, President of DATRON Dynamics, Inc. said, “DATRON Dynamics feels the best way to honor this milestone is by investing in the educational programs that are developing our next generation of engineers, machinists, and makers. I am thankful to DATRON AG for allowing us to represent this industry- leading technology, to our incredible team of dedicated employees for their tireless efforts and expertise, and finally to our customers, who have entrusted us with being a part of their growth and vision. I could not be more proud of what our team has built and accomplished over the past 25 years.”
About DATRON Dynamics
DATRON Dynamics, Inc. is the premier provider of DATRON CNC Milling Machines, tooling, service, and support in North America. With an East Coast headquarters located in Milford, NH and a West Coast division in Livermore, California, DATRON Dynamics combines the benefits of DATRON’s German-Engineered CNC technology with first class service and support across the US, Canada, and Mexico.
We Bend all Ferrous & Non-Ferrous Metals! YOUR METAL BENDING EXPERTS
AGRICULTURE AQUATIC LOCOMOTIVE AVIATION PIPE SPOOLS FOOD & BEVERAGE AUTOMOTIVE COILS HEAT EXCHANGERS HIGH PURITY TANKS PLAYGROUND MARINE ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SCAN HERE FOR COMPANY DIRECTORY!
www.albinaco.com/about/contact
BOB KROHA
ROB KROHA
CNC AND MANUAL MACHINERY SINCE 1979 New - Used -Appraisals - Auctions
CONTACT US TODAY: 510-249-1000, PERMACH.COM
Our Showroom At: 3305 Edison Way, Fremont, CA 94538 Is Open Monday - Friday From 8am To 5pm
Sincerely, Brian Smith President Albina Co., Inc. Phone: 503-692-6010 Ext. 105 Fax: 503-692-6020 bsmith@albinaco.com https://www.albinaco.com
Albina Co., Inc. “Your Metal Bending Experts”
It appears the White House is nearing a decision on the infrastructure bill. The bill promises significant investment in public transit, improvements to our roads, and upgrades and repairs to our bridges. If passed, the bill would be a step in the right direction towards beginning to repair our infrastructure and in addition plan for the future growth and the needs of our nation.
The bill proposes:
• $110 Billion for road and bridge repairs and rebuilds • $39 Billion to repair, modernize and expand public transit across the US • $66 Billion for rail maintenance and upgrades If passed, we are poised and ready to do our part. Check out the video below to see what type of infrastructure projects we get involved with.
Estimating / Project Managers: Aaron Hughes: ahughes@albinaco.com Mark King: mking@albinaco.com Jason Orefice: jason@albinaco.com KC Lesch: kl@albinaco.com
Operations Manager: Shane Beatley: sbeatley@albinaco.com
Traffic Manager/Purchasing: Ben Ingersoll: bingersoll@albinaco.com
VP of Sales: Brad Lund: blund@albinaco.com
Ellison Technologies, Inc. Appointed As The Exclusive U.S. Importer For ONA
The European builder, ONA, specializing in EDM technology, has named Ellison Technologies, Inc. as their exclusive U.S. importer responsible for sales, support and distribution.
ONA is the pioneer in EDM technology, developing its first die-sinking EDM in 1955. For the past 65 years, ONA has developed their own technology combining the expertise of applications and R&D&i. Today they offer quality EDM solutions, both wire and die-sinking EDM machines, along with customer-specific solutions.
“We are confident that our new partnership with Ellison will help U.S. customers to discover our full potential and capacity and will bring a new bright future for us,” said Javier Gonzalez, CEO of ONA.
As the U.S. importer, Ellison Technologies will provide existing and new ONA customers with enhanced local support, including sales and project management, engineering solutions, and national technical response centers for service and parts fulfillment.
About ONA
ONA is a global pioneer in EDM technology. At its corporate headquarters in Europe it brings together the expertise of a workforce skilled in EDM with a strong emphasis on R&D&i to deliver technical solutions tailored to the needs of each customer. Its high standards and the reliability that comes with over 65 years of experience provide a solid foundation for tackling EDM projects all over the world. Projects that focus entirely on meeting the specific needs and assuring the future profitability of each customer.
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
The new SVM 4100 goes toe-to-toe with the best value VMCs.
Our customers challenged us to create a lighter, faster, value-based VMC, and it’s here: the SVM 4100 is built and packaged to fit the way you work. Faster feedrates, amped up X/Y/Z accel/decel and boosted spindle accel/decel make this machine special.
If performance per dollar is what you’re after, you won’t find much better. The SVM 4100 is an asset for job shops and production houses that churn out aluminum parts every day. To get to work, contact us today.
WASHINGTON/OREGON Sales: (253) 872-1661 Service: (800) 994-0146 Parts: (888) 207-2787
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA Sales: (866) 814-7238 Service: (800) 994-0146 Parts: (888) 207-2787
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Sales: (562) 949-8311 Service: (800) 994-0146 Parts: (888) 207-2787
www.ellisontechnologies.com |
Welcome to the (Commercial) Space Age
In our recent research, we examined how the model of centralized, government-directed human space activity born in the 1960s has, over the last two decades, made way for a new model, in which public initiatives in space increasingly share the stage with private priorities. Centralized, government-led space programs will inevitably focus on space-for-earth activities that are in the public interest, such as national security, basic science, and national pride. This is only natural, as expenditures for these programs must be justified by demonstrating benefits for citizens — and the citizens these governments represent are (nearly) all on earth.
In contrast to governments, the private sector is eager to put people in space to pursue their own personal interests, not the state’s — and then supply the demand they create. This is the vision driving SpaceX, which in its first twenty years has entirely upended the rocket launch industry, securing 60% of the global commercial launch market and building everlarger spacecraft designed to ferry passengers not just to the International Space Station (ISS), but also to its own promised settlement on Mars.
Today, the space-for-space market is limited to supplying the people who are already in space: that is, the handful of astronauts employed by NASA and other government programs. While SpaceX has grand visions of supporting large numbers of private space travelers, their current space-for-space activities have all been in response to demand from government customers (i.e., NASA). But as decreasing launch costs enable companies like SpaceX to leverage economies of scale and put more people into space, growing private sector demand (that is, tourists and settlers, rather than government employees) could turn these proofof-concept initiatives into a sustainable, large-scale industry.
This model — of selling to NASA with the hopes of eventually creating and expanding into a larger private market — is exemplified by SpaceX, but the company is by no means the only player taking this approach. For instance, while SpaceX is focused on space-for-space transportation, another key component of this burgeoning industry will be manufacturing.
Made In Space, Inc. has been at the forefront of manufacturing “in space, for space” since 2014, when it 3D-printed a wrench onboard the ISS. Today, the company is exploring other products, such as high-quality fiber-optic cable, that terrestrial customers may be willing to pay to have manufactured in zero-gravity. But the company also recently received a $74 million contract to 3D-print large metal beams in space for use
on NASA spacecraft, and future private sector spacecraft will certainly have similar manufacturing needs which Made In Space hopes to be well-positioned to fulfill. Just as SpaceX has begun by supplying NASA but hopes to eventually serve a much larger, private-sector market, Made In Space’s current work with NASA could be the first step along a path towards supporting a variety of private-sector manufacturing applications for which the costs of manufacturing on earth and transporting into space would be prohibitive.
Another major area of space-for-space investment is in building and operating space infrastructure such as habitats, laboratories, and factories. Axiom Space, a current leader in this field, recently announced that it would be flying the “first fully private commercial mission to space” in 2022 onboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Capsule. Axiom was also awarded a contract for exclusive access to a module of the ISS, facilitating its plans to develop modules for commercial activity on the station (and eventually, beyond it).
This infrastructure is likely to spur investment in a wide array of complementary services to supply the demand of the people living and working within it. For example, in February 2020, Maxar Technologies was awarded a $142 million contract from NASA to develop a robotic construction tool that would be assembled in space for use on low-Earth orbit spacecraft. Private sector spacecraft or settlements will no doubt have need for a variety of similar construction and repair tools.
And of course, the private sector isn’t just about industrial products. Creature comforts also promise to be an area of rapid growth, as companies endeavor to support the human side of life in the harsh environment of space. In 2015, for example, Argotec and Lavazza collaborated to build an espresso machine that could function in the zero-gravity environment of the ISS, delivering a bit of everyday luxury to the crew.
To be sure, people have dreamt of using the vacuum and weightlessness of space to source or make things that cannot be made on earth for half a century, and time and again the business case has failed to pan out. Skepticism is natural. Those failures, however, have been in space-forearth applications. For example, two startups of the 2010s, Planetary Resources, Inc. and Deep Space Industries, recognized the potential of space mining early on. For both companies, however, the lack of a space-for-space economy meant that their near-term survival depended on selling mined material — precious metals or rare elements — to earthbound customers. When it became clear that demand was
WE BRING YOU MAGIC!
Full Fabrication Utilizing ALL Materials! From Design, To Laser Cutting, Forming, Welding, To Finishing And Full Assembly
COVID 19 SNEEZE GUARDS, QUICK, SAFE, HIGH QUALITY CALL TODAY TO PLACE YOUR ORDER: 503-477-7566
insufficient to justify the high costs, funding dried up, and both companies pivoted to other ventures.
These were failures of space-for-earth business models — but the demand for in-space mining of raw building material, metals, and water will be enormous once humans are living in space (and are therefore far cheaper to supply). In other words, when people are living and working in space, we are likely to look back on these early asteroid mining companies less as failures and more as simply ahead of their time.
Seizing the Space-for-Space Opportunity
The opportunity presented by the space-for-space economy is huge — but it could easily be missed. To seize this moment, policymakers must provide regulatory and institutional frameworks that will enable the risk-taking and innovation necessary for a decentralized, private-sectordriven space economy. There are three specific policy areas we believe will be especially important:
Your partner for innovative manufacturing
REVO®—the 5-axis revolution
In nite positioning and synchronized 5-axis motion provide measurement access at unprecedented speed and accuracy. Our newest solution—the RFP fringe probe—expands our family of multisensors further. It adds non-contact structured light inspection to our revolutionary 5-axis measuring system that already includes tactile scanning, touch-trigger, surface nish and vision probe solutions.
www.renishaw.com/revo
Renishaw Inc West Dundee, IL
© 2020 Renishaw plc. All rights reserved. usa@renishaw.com
CMM Revo Half Page Final.indd 1 Rocket Lab Rockets Ahead With Back-ToBack Missions And A Photon Deal
manufacturing company Varda Space Industries. Rocket Lab USA Inc. is blasting back into business after losing its 20th mission earlier this year with back-to-back missions for global monitoring provider BlackSky and a new deal with in-space
The Long Beach, California-based aerospace company announced this week that its next mission will be the first of three Electron rocket launches for BlackSky slated to take place from late August through September. The three missions will mark Rocket Lab’s fastest launch turnarounds to date.
The first, dubbed “Love at First Insight,” will lift off from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand carrying the eighth and ninth satellites in a planned BlackSky constellation that’s part of a multi-launch agreement between Rocket Lab and Spaceflight Inc., which is providing integration and mission management services for BlackSky. Rocket Lab will launch another four Gen-2 smallsats for BlackSky in two more missions in short succession. 4/6/2020 2:04:17 PM “Rapid launch with these three back-to-back missions enables BlackSky to fast-track their plans for a constellation that meets the hunger for real-time data produced by multiple images within 24 hours, rather than one image at the same time each day,” said Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck in a statement.
The mission will be Rocket lab’s 22nd Electron launch overall and fifth mission of the year, and will bring the total number of satellites launched by the company to 107.
The announcement demonstrates BlackSky and Spaceflight’s continued confidence in Rocket Lab despite an anomaly during its last mission for the client that resulted in the loss of its payload. Both the Federal Aviation Administration and Rocket Lab have since investigated the incident and cleared the company to resume launches, starting with a successful mission for the U.S. Space Force last month.
“We’ve been partnering strongly with Rocket Lab over the past several months to gain high confidence in a launch campaign that will increase the capacity of our space network,” added BlackSky CEO Brian E. O’Toole.
Meanwhile, in a separate announcement, Rocket Lab said it has signed a deal to produce three of its Photon spacecraft to integrate with Varda’s space factories.
cables, pharmaceuticals and semiconductors in space, then return them to Earth via a reentry capsule. Such high-value products deliver higher performance when produced in zero gravity.
Rocket Lab’s Photon will help by moving the spacecraft into operational orbit and handling station keeping, and by providing Varda’s 120-kilogram manufacturing and reentry modules with power, data and attitude control. Photon’s 3D-printed Curie engine will also perform multiple burns to guide the reentry capsule’s return trajectory to Earth.
The Photons will also use Rocket Lab spacecraft components, including radios, reaction wheels and star trackers.
The missions will last three months.
The first Varda Photon is slated to deliver in the first quarter of 2023, followed by a second later in the year and a third in 2024. Varda also has the option to buy a fourth Photon.
“The Varda team is undertaking ground-breaking work that really opens up new possibilities and markets for in-space manufacturing,” Beck said in a statement.
“We are one step closer to delivering valuable materials to our clients here on Earth,” added Varda CEO Will Bruey. has also been tapped for NASA missions to the moon and to Mars. By Annlee Ellingson – Staff Reporter, L.A. Biz
There’s No Shortage Of Hype Surrounding The Commercial Space Industry
But while tech leaders promise us moon bases and settlements on Mars, the space economy has thus far remained distinctly local — at least in a cosmic sense. Last year, however, we crossed an important threshold: For the first time in human history, humans accessed space via a vehicle built and owned not by any government, but by a private corporation with its sights set on affordable space settlement. It was the first significant step towards building an economy both in space and for space. The implications — for business, policy, and society at large — are hard to overstate.
In 2019, 95% of the estimated $366 billion in revenue earned in the space sector was from the space-for-earth economy: that is, goods or services produced in space for use on earth. The space-for-earth economy includes telecommunications and internet infrastructure, earth observation capabilities, national security satellites, and more. This economy is booming, and though research shows that it faces the challenges of overcrowding and monopolization that tend to arise whenever companies compete for a scarce natural resource, projections for its future are optimistic. Decreasing costs for launch and space hardware in general have enticed new entrants into this market, and companies in a variety of industries have already begun leveraging satellite technology and access to space to drive innovation and efficiency in their earthbound products and services.
‘Tesla For Boats’ Launches Out Of Stealth
stealth this month. A Los Angeles startup that aims to bring Tesla’s business model to electric boats with a bevy of former SpaceX employees launched out of
Arc Boats aims to brings its first vessel, the limited-edition Arc One — a 24-foot, 475-horsepower, $300,000 pleasure craft — to market this year, reported Bloomberg and The Verge.
The company, led by CEO Mitch Lee — the only Arc employee not formerly of SpaceX — is developing a 200kWh, 800-volt battery that promises top speeds of 40 miles per hours and 3–5 hours of boating.
Arc is fashioning its business plan after Tesla by introducing a high-end vessel to start, then ramping up production and sales to fund R&D in more affordable models.
The company has raised $4.25 million in seed funding led by Andreessen Horowitz. By Annlee Ellingson – Staff Reporter, L.A. Biz
VertueLab Lands Federal Grant For New PNW Partnership Aimed At Early Stage Cleantech
Portland nonprofit VertueLab, which works with cleantech and startups fighting climate change, received a nearly $1 million federal grant to formalize partnerships with Washington research organizations and build out a network of support for early-stage clean energy hardware startups in the Pacific Northwest.
