Aerospace in Minnesota - Minnesota Precision Manufacturing ...

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OTHER GREATEXAMPLESOF DISRUPTIVETECHNOLOGYMusic industry:P2P and MP3Computers andsoftware: PCs,open-source software,blogs, memory sticks,multi-touch interfacetechnology Telecommunications:mobile and videophones, wireless,Voice Over InternetProtocol (VoIP)Retail: the InternetAutomotive: hydraulics,alternative fuel optionsMedical devicemanufacturing:biopharma treatmentsof heart conditions,nanotechnologydelivery systemsManufacturing: CADdesign softwareDISRUPTIVETECHNOLOGY“BOMBS”Microsoft Bob (graphicuser interface, GUI, ontop of Windows 3.1)Apple Newton(pre-PDA)Segway (was goingto revolutionizetransportation)DIVX (disposableDVD rentals)E-BooksSmart appliancesVirtual realitySpeech recognitionsoftware“Paperless office”concept WebTVDISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGY #3:Modeling and SimulationInstead of building expensive and hard-tochangeprototypes, high-speed computers allowengineers to build virtual representations ofparts, processes and systems, and to simulatetheir interaction with one another under manyconditions. While digital modeling is not new,the sophistication, accuracy and low barriers toentry made possible by new software and lowcostbut powerful computers portend disruptionin a wide range of design and engineeringdisciplines. More flexible and much less expensivethan physical modeling, digital models andsimulation technology allow the visualization ofthings before they are actually created. Thus, theability to innovate is greatly enhanced becausethe time and cost required to experiment withnew materials are dramatically reduced. Theuse of simulation-enhanced design early in themanufacturing process already enables significantbenefits to manufacturing companies by way ofcost reductions, scheduling improvements and riskreductions.There are benefits on the manufacturing side aswell as the design side. Aside from product designefficiencies, modeling and simulation innovationscould also have significant impact uponmanufacturing decisions. For example, factoryprocess simulation could provide companieswith the capability to virtually evaluate asubcontractor’s skills, machine capabilities, and soforth, leading to better supply chain management.DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGY #4:Reconfigurable Tools and SystemsReconfigurable tools and systems allowmanufacturers to perform sophisticatedmanufacturing operations not anticipatedin the original design, without requiringnew tool production. In its most commonconceptualization, reconfigurable toolingresembles a pin art impression toy; the kind wherepeople press their hands into hundreds of bluntno-stick pins to create 3D art designs.On the shop floor, such industrial versions ofthat item are called “discrete-die” reconfigurabletooling. Similar to the 3D toy mentioned above,the discrete-die tool is made up of bundles ofclosely spaced, individual elements, usually pins.The pins can be precisely moved up or down tochange the tool shape. Besides reducing the timerequired to obtain tools for low-run products,reconfigurable tools can also reduce the numberof machine tools, and therefore the shop spaceneeded for manufacturing.Reconfigurable systems expand this flexibilitybeyond individual machine tools and apply it ata factory level. A reconfigurable manufacturingsystem is one designed using digital hardware andsoftware at the outset, to allow rapid changes inshop layout and throughput, thus accommodatingrapid adjustment in product designs and volumes.DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGY #5:Rapid ManufacturingRapid manufacturing is sometimes called3D printing, freeform fabrication, layeredmanufacturing, additive manufacturing or“growing parts.” Basically, it is a manufacturingtechnique in which a solid product is created bydepositing powders or liquids in thin layers, andthen stacking the layers into a complex part—no molds and no tooling required.Rapid manufacturing enables the fabricationof custom objects with novel properties directlyfrom a design held in a computer file. At its core,rapid manufacturing is a fabrication techniquein which a computer digitally slices a 3D designinto thin cross sections, translating the resultingtwo-dimensional position information intoinstructions used by a rapid manufacturingmachine to deposit plastics or fast-setting liquidsinto the desired shape.Such technology has had a large effect on theprototyping industry, and soon could disrupttraditional ways of manufacturing short-run parts.Knowing what potentially disruptiveinnovations are on the horizon is vital for forwardthinkingcompanies. Futurists and technologyprognosticators make good money trying topredict the next big thing. Determining whichteam to back is what makes being an executivechallenging. But, it’s a better-than-even-moneybet that one or more of these ideas will have asignificant impact on Minnesota’s manufacturingenvironment in the not-too-distant future.George Steinbrenner. Big Market baseball.You either love him or you hate him. But you can’targue that he wins. He wins by buying provenplayers – not terribly imaginative, because heharvests what other programs grow, but in theend, he wins with this strategy. Not every programneeds a Steinbrenner approach. The MinnesotaTwins play Small Market baseball. We grow ourown. Among other things, success depends oncreativity at the scouting level, tighter margins,and vision. Sometimes our players are lost to thecompetition, but we get our own home runs – andwin big – with success stories like Rod Carew,Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva, Kirby Puckett,and Justin Morneau, among others. In both cases,the owners keep focused on their game plan andalways are looking for the next “disruptive” playerto take them to another series.As Yogi Berra says, “It ain’t over till it’s over.” PMSee MPMA office for full bibliography.
You think you know a guy….I have known Nick Martin, HegmanMachine Tool’s tooling and accessoriesmanager, for over ten years. And yet, as wetalked during a recent interview, I realizedhow little of his story I knew before today.Fill up your cup of coffee before you startreading, because Nick’s story is a goodone.Born in Zaandam, Holland, in 1948,the second of three boys, Nick immigratedto the United States at the age of 35, in1983. He was wooed to the United Statesby Dan Stenoien, then-president ofProductivity, Inc., who offered him a jobhere in Minnesota. He ultimately spent10 years at Productivity before movingto Hegman Machine Tool, where he hasworked since 1993.Nick has two children. His son, Dave,is 32 years old and lives in Den Haag,Holland. His son, Nicolaas, is 14 years oldand lives here in Minnesota.Nick’s father was a member of theDutch Underground, fighting against theoccupying Nazis during World War II.As a bit of history refresher, Holland wasinvaded by the Nazis in 1940. From thatpoint forward, all industry in Holland wasredirected to the German war effort.One such company, an armamentsfactory, employed Bertus Martin (Nick’sdad). In 1942 Bertus, his youngerbrother Jan, and best friend Gerrit deKloe were arrested by the Germans fortheir underground activities. Specifically,they were smuggling weapons out of thefactory and supplying the resistance.After a German tribunal, Jan was shot;Bertus and Gerrit were sent to Germanconcentration camps where they spentthe next three and a half years beforebeing liberated by the Russians in 1945.For the next three months following hisliberation, Bertus walked and bicycledover 500 miles to get home, as largeparts of Germany had been bombed andtransportation no longer was available.He arrived home to discover that hisother younger brother, Joop, had beeninjured in war-related activities and waswheelchair-bound.Bertus married his high schoolsweetheart, Tets, in the fall of 1945.Together they raised three sons, Jan, Nico(Dutch for Nick) and Bert. Motivated bywhat he had experienced, Bertus joinedthe Dutch military where he served asan officer the rest of his professional lifeuntil his retirement in the early 1970s.He worked closely with the U.S. Armyas the United States trained the Dutchmilitary in the 1950s. Having lost his ownfreedom, Bertus dedicated the rest of hislife to ensure that history would neverrepeat itself.Understandably, Nick’s childhoodwas deeply impacted by his father’sexperiences. He grew up in a militaryhome and moved with his family tonew duty stations every four years.Bertus was active in war-relatedorganizations, such as “B.N.M.O.” and“Stichting 1940-1945,” both supportingand honoring those who had sufferedand died during the war. Nick remembersattending memorial services throughouthis childhood, at which his father alwaysplayed a significant role. To this day,Holland’s Memorial Day is marked by amoment of silence at 8 p.m. every May 4,during which time the Queen lays a wreathat Dam Square’s World War II monumentin the heart of Amsterdam.At a very young age Nick knew hewanted a technical career. After completinghis mechanical engineering degree and hisown compulsory military service at age 24,his first job was at the company where hisfather had worked before being arrestedby the Germans – Artillerie Inrichtingen,now called Hembrug. During the warthe Germans stopped the manufacturingof weapons in this company due tosignificant underground infiltration, andin late 1942 the company started buildingmachine tools.Nick’s last position at Hembrug wasas export manager, during which hefrequently traveled to the United States.Productivity was a distributor for theirproduct line, and Nick met Dan Stenoien.The rest, as they say, is history.As Nick reflects on his life, he says:“I embrace my life here. I consider myselfto be an American and the United Statesof America to be my homeland. I will say,though, that my perspective is differentfrom that of most Americans, becausemy country of birth was invaded.I understand on a very personal levelthat evil is possible. My father’sexperiences in Nazi Germany were adetermining factor in the rest of his lifeand influenced my views I am sure.I don’t blame Germany or its people….my partner in life, Renate, was bornand grew up in Germany ....Instead, it isevil leaders who trigger events in the worldand the rest of us often don’t react untilhistory repeats itself.“My thanks to the men and womenof the U.S. military.” PM
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Page 48 and 49: Micro-Matics LLCRick Paulson(763) 7
Page 50 and 51: RemmeleEngineering, Inc.Greg Picker
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