Ardel Engineering Blog

When you think about the manufacturing industry, what comes to mind?

Some people reflect on the days of the past, when the U.S. economy seemed full of countless opportunities. Others remain hopeful in imagining a future that encompasses a revival of such. 

If you agree with the latter, you’ll be surprised to learn that the time for a manufacturing comeback is now… right now. 

Automotive, consumer electronics, and IT are among some of the most popular applications.

Swiss screw machines are a type of automated lathe capable of machining turned parts. It was invented in Switzerland to manufacture precision components, and is operated by mounting a work piece on a rotary slide. These machines are better than their counterpart, Turret screw machines, which are operated by mounting the work piece on a vertical ram and working it into the lathe.

Of the two varieties of screw machines, the Swiss variety is far better suited for machining modern precision components. Swiss screw machines themselves are designated into two types—CNC and automatic.

Ardel Engineering is an ITAR registered CNC machining shop dedicated to providing precision parts and components for military and defense technologies.

ITAR, or the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, is a series of controls designed to restrict and regulate the export of products with defense industry applications.

To continue to provide our customers with the superior precision parts they have come to expect from us, we are consistently working toward upgrading and maintaining the latest technology available.

Utilizing state-of-the-art equipment enables us to serve a wide range of industrial customers with the quality and close tolerance parts required for their applications.

There are some exciting possibilities on the horizon for commercial space flight.

Last month NASA awarded funding to Boeing and SpaceX for both companies to continue working on their “space taxis” which could carry astronauts to and from space stations. This month Boeing has reached its final commercial crew design milestone for its CST-100. This means that the company can now begin planning for full-scale flight tests article construction.

Recently the head of the US Air Force Space Command, Gen. William Shelton, said he believes now is the time for the United State to begin developing a new engine.

According to the Defense News article he believes that a national program would be a good place to start. Currently the engine used on the United Launch Alliance Atlas V launch vehicle is supplied by Russia, which could cause problems with supply in the future.

Last year we wrote a blog about 3D printing in the aerospace industry, and over the past 12 months it seems we have continued to see buzz within the industry.

Recently companies like GNK Aerospace and others have announced plans to research techniques for additive manufacturing.

2015 may prove to be the year of new regulations.

First the European Union may adopt new medical device regulations, which were first proposed by the European Commission in 2012, and secondly, there will be updates to ISO 9001 guidelines.

At Ardel we are always monitoring industry news and one issue we’ve been watching recently is about conflict mineral statements.

In 2010 the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act was passed to help bring about financial reforms in the wake of the Great Recession. In an effort to help promote financial stability the act also includes provisions to dissuade companies from engaging in trade that supports regional conflicts. These provisions are now causing manufacturers to take a closer look at their supply chain as publicly traded companies must now be in compliance.

At Ardel, we specialize in working with the aerospace industry.

Not only is our machine shop outfitted with the latest precision machines, but we are also able to provide secondary processes such as plating and heat treating through our approved vendors.