____________________________________________________________________________________ Ingersoll Machine Tools
ask me is what on earth is a machine tool company doing building a telescope ,” says Jeffrey . “ But really , it ’ s nothing more than a huge machine-filled structure that needs to be incredibly rigid and structurally strong , both dynamically and statically . It also must be able to rotate accurately and repeat to microns of accuracy .
“ We were approached for this project because we had contacts in the industry , as we built a similar telescope for a solar observatory around ten years ago . These jobs often require long , almost generational contracts , but we were able to leverage our previous experience of building large hydrostatic structures with our world class machine tool experience to secure the contract .
“ Our experience with machining huge structures means we have in-house capabilities to design and test , then machine and assemble the telescope , before testing the internal machine tools . It ’ s a very bespoke structure ; we currently have a 16-footdeep hole in the floor of our plant because the telescope will be nearly as tall as the space shuttle and have a bearing diameter of 52 feet .”
Award-winning concepts
Jeffrey adds : “ We wouldn ’ t be able to complete projects without the support of our trusted suppliers and vendors . The secret to building a longstanding relationship like we have with DTI and Siemens , for instance , is trust and transparency . Developing a partnership is about respecting and engaging with people and sharing your goals to find ways of achieving them together .”
The secret to building a longstanding relationship like we have with DTI and Siemens , for instance , is trust and transparency
Additionally , the business printed a concept for the Rosenberg Space Habitat ( Rosenberg ), which was awarded the title of Illinois ’ ‘ Coolest Thing .’ Jeffrey comments : “ Illinois hosts an annual contest to find the coolest product produced by the state ’ s 16,000 manufacturers . We usually take part every year and end up somewhere in the top five products , but we were delighted that our concept for Rosenberg won this year !
“ It was a challenging project , as Rosenberg wanted to demonstrate what life would be like to live and work on the moon . However , it was a particularly interesting and exciting project to work on and one that we ’ re immensely proud of , especially as it gets the next generation of manufacturers excited about our work .”
As our conversation draws to a close , Jeffrey concludes : “ I ’ d like to see 3D printing and additive manufacturing become mainstream activity over the next five years . There ’ s constantly new materials and developments , so as other innovative processes emerge , the industry will one day think of 3D printing as nothing different to milling , drilling , or grinding .” ■
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