NEWS
Apple partners
with GE to host
Predix Industrial
Applications on
iPhone, iPad
Apple and GE have announced a
partnership to deliver powerful
industrial applications designed to
bring predictive data and analytics
from Predix, GE’s industrial Internet
of Things IoT platform, to iPhone and
iPad. The two companies unveiled a
new Predix software development kit
SDK for iOS, which gives developers
the tools to make their own powerful
industrial IoT applications.
The new Predix SDK for iOS
gives developers the ability to make
powerful, native applications that
take full advantage of the industrial
analytics from Predix and tap into
the power and ease of use of iOS,
the world’s most advanced mobile
operating system.
In collaboration with Apple, GE
is also developing applications for
both internal use and its customers,
giving workers powerful tools
to enhance their jobs and help
operations run more efficiently. GE’s
Asset Performance Management
APM Cases application, which is
available in the App Store, helps
industrial businesses increase
machine reliability and availability
while reducing maintenance costs and
managing operations risks. Customers
including Exelon Corp. are already
putting APM to work and seeing
improved equipment uptime and
overall productivity.
GE will standardise on iPhone
and iPad for mobile devices and also
promote Mac as a choice for its global
workforce of more than 330,000
employees. Apple will promote GE’s
Predix as the industrial IoT analytics
platform of choice to its customers
and developers.
Emirates initiates 3D printing of cabin parts
using SLS technique
Emirates has announced that it has used
3D printing technology to manufacture
components for its aircraft cabins. The
airline has reached a significant milestone
in innovation by using Selective Laser
Sintering, a new and innovative 3D
printing technique to produce video
monitor shrouds. One of the other recent
achievements has been the 3D printing,
certification and installation of aircraft cabin
air vent grills for onboard trials.
Emirates has worked with 3D Systems,
a US based 3D printing equipment and
material manufacturer and services
provider, and with UUDS, a European
aviation Engineering and Certification Office
and Services Provider based in France,
to successfully print the first batch of
3D printed video monitor shrouds using
3D Systems’ Selective Laser Sintering
technology platform.
This technology uses lasers to bind
together powdered plastic into the
required shape defined by a 3D model and
is different from the Fusion Deposition
Modelling technique normally used for
printing aircraft 3D parts. The material used
to print Emirates’ Video Monitor Shrouds
is a new thermoplastic developed by 3D
Systems, Duraform ProX FR1200, with
excellent flammability resistance properties
and surface quality suitable for commercial
aerospace business applications.
One of the major advantages of using
the Selective Laser Sintering technique is
the reduced weight of printed components
combined with optimisation of the strength
of the parts produced. Video monitor
shrouds that are 3D printed using the
Selective Laser Sintering technique can
weigh between 9% and 13% lighter than
components manufactured traditionally or
through the Fusion Deposition Modelling
technique. This has the potential to lead to
significant reductions in fuel emissions and
costs when consolidated over the entire
fleet of Emirates aircraft.
Additionally, with the Selective Laser
Sintering technique it is possible to print
more than one component at a time when
compared with other 3D printing methods.
This leads to quicker per-part production
times and lesser wastage of raw materials
used for production.
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