SpinOffs

A blog on what's new, notable, and next in turbomachinery

Posts about Manufacturing

National Manufacturing Day: Advanced Manufacturing Spotlight

National Manufacturing Day: Advanced Manufacturing Spotlight

By David Pincince, Business Development & Marketing Manager, Advanced Turbo Products
Oct 6, 2022

On the first Friday in October, manufacturers across the country open their doors in celebration of National Manufacturing Day in America. Students, parents, teachers, local leaders, and others are...

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Meet Claudio Raia

Meet Claudio Raia

By Kate Guerrina, Marketing Manager
Sep 17, 2021

Dave Schowalter, Director of Global Software Sales, introduces you to Claudio Raia, our newest team member and the Managing Director of Concepts NREC Europe. Welcome Claudio!

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What Are the 5 Axes in 5 Axis Machining?

What Are the 5 Axes in 5 Axis Machining?

By Christos Maninos, CAM Application Engineer & Peter Klein, Director, CAM Software
Aug 13, 2021

What is 5 axis machining? In short, it is manufacturing a component on a CNC milling machine that can travel in 5 different directions. These machines allow the cutting tool to reach around parts...

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Increased Milling Capability and Capacity for Large 5-Axis Impellers

Increased Milling Capability and Capacity for Large 5-Axis Impellers

By Sean McDermott
Aug 30, 2019

Concepts NREC has added two additional Hermle 5-axis mills in our shop, and we’re excited about the increased capabilities these new machines bring! In August of 2018 we received the first of these...

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Phase Change - Make Mine a Double!

Phase Change - Make Mine a Double!

By Mark R. Anderson
Feb 22, 2019

As I’ve always said, there’s as much thermodynamics in a glass of beer, as there is in a power plant. Don't believe me? Read on. Phase change is common phenomena that we see all the time. We’re most...

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Increases in Temperature Envelopes and Its Implications on Material Selection

Increases in Temperature Envelopes and Its Implications on Material Selection

By Arsalan Adil
Feb 1, 2019

Temperature envelopes in the turbomachinery industry are constantly increasing as the state of the art evolves in pursuit of better performance. This means engineers need to design compressors with...

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Flank Milling - How Hard Can It Be?

Flank Milling - How Hard Can It Be?

By Peter Klein
Jan 4, 2019

When designing compressors, engineers often use ruled-surface blades with the goal of making a shape that’s easily manufactured on a 5-axis machine. Theses blades can be quickly machined in one pass...

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Reverse Engineering - Going from Part to Art

Reverse Engineering - Going from Part to Art

By Sharon Wight
Dec 7, 2018

Have you ever needed to know the exact geometry of a compressor that has been running for years in your process plant? Perhaps you need to analyze how it would perform if the process fluid had to be...

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Material Properties  - What Really Matters?

Material Properties  - What Really Matters?

By Kevin Fairman
Nov 9, 2018

As an engineer in the rotating machinery world, it is my job to design things that work for a very long time. To help ensure this, we have evolved the best analytical tools to calculate the stresses...

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Trends in Composite Materials for Turbomachinery Applications

Trends in Composite Materials for Turbomachinery Applications

By Arsalan Adil
Sep 7, 2018

The advancement of composite material technologies over the past few decades has contributed to their widespread use in a vast array of aerospace applications. Most applications target weight...

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Are You a Smooth Operator? Different Approaches to Collision Avoidance in CAM Software

Are You a Smooth Operator? Different Approaches to Collision Avoidance in CAM Software

By Peter Klein
Aug 9, 2018

Computer-Aided Manufacturing software for turbomachinery generally uses 5-axis milling with some form of collision checking. It is a prerequisite given the expense of the machines, tools and parts...

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How Our Shop Slashed Their Roughing Time in Half

How Our Shop Slashed Their Roughing Time in Half

By Christos Maninos
Feb 22, 2018

The guiding principle behind Concepts NREC’s Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) software, MAX-PAC, is to simplify the task of creating efficient milling toolpaths for turbomachinery. Since we are...

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Shrouded or Open Impellers for Compressor Chillers - That is the Question

Shrouded or Open Impellers for Compressor Chillers - That is the Question

By Steve Kohr
Aug 2, 2017

One of the most important design choices facing a chiller compressor designer is whether to utilize open or shrouded impellers. The impacts of this verdict are wide ranging, which arguably makes this...

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The Challenges of Testing Turboshaft Engines with Dynamometers

The Challenges of Testing Turboshaft Engines with Dynamometers

By Jim Henry
Apr 13, 2017

The testing of turboshaft engines is necessary to ensure that post-repair performance meets or exceeds requirements for safe aircraft operation. Testing typically involves several phases such as:...

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Design Elements that Affect Machining Time in Turbomachinery

Design Elements that Affect Machining Time in Turbomachinery

By Mark R. Anderson
Mar 9, 2017

The primary options for laying out an impeller (i.e. flank milled versus point milled, open versus covered impellers, integral versus welded shrouds) determine the basic manufacturing process (see ...

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Manufacturing Methods Used for Turbomachinery

Manufacturing Methods Used for Turbomachinery

By Mark R. Anderson
Feb 22, 2017

There are two dominant manufacturing methods used to produce turbomachinery parts – Casting and 5-axis machining. This blog will explore some of the applications and restrictions of these two methods.

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