World’s largest all-composite aircraft flies

Stratolaunch Systems Corp. completed the first flight of the world’s largest all-composite aircraft at California’s Mojave Air and Space Port. With a dual-fuselage design and wingspan greater than the length of a football field, the Stratolaunch reached 189mph, flying for 2.5 hours up to 17,000ft over the Mojave Desert. As part of the April 13, 2019, flight, the pilots evaluated aircraft performance and handling qualities.

The Stratolaunch aircraft mobile launch platform is designed to provide convenient, affordable, and routine access to space. The reinforced center wing can support multiple launch vehicles weighing up to 500,000 lb.

Stratolaunch CEO Jean Floyd says the flight “furthers our mission to provide a flexible alternative to ground-launched systems.”

Stratolaunch Systems, started in 2011 by the late Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen, built the aircraft with partners at Northrup Grumman’s Scaled Composites.

Hoffman Estates, Illinois-based Star SU LLC is bringing a line of horizontal hobbing and gear-shaping machines to North America.

Star SU partner Samputensili’s Machine Tools Group and CLC, a producer of hobbing and shaping machines, will offer new machines under the brand Samputensili CLC S.r.l. from CLC’s manufacturing plant near Bologna, Italy.

The agreement expands Star SU’s line of gear hobbing machines for shafts and long workpieces and adds gear shaping to its gear manufacturing solutions.

Star SU is a partnership between Star Cutter Co. of Farmington Hills, Michigan, and SU America Inc., U.S. sales and manufacturing unit to SAMP S.p.A. – making it one of the world’s largest gear machine, tool, and gear tool manufacturing producers.

Omax, Hypertherm complete merger

Abrasive waterjet systems manufacturer Omax Corp., headquartered in Kent, Washington, has become a subsidiary of Hypertherm, a Hanover, New Hampshire-based manufacturer of industrial cutting systems and software.

The agreement combines Omax’s direct-drive pumps, software, and applications technologies with Hypertherm’s complementary portfolio of intensifier-based pumps and abrasive recycling systems.

“In uniting with Omax, Hypertherm can combine the strengths of two highly talented engineering groups – Omax engineers in Washington state with our waterjet group in Minnesota – to accelerate new waterjet technologies to market,” Hypertherm President and CEO Evan Smith says.

Omax Corp. owns the OMAX, MAXiem, GlobalMAX, and ProtoMAX brands of jet-machining centers.

Hypertherm’s product line includes cutting systems, CNC motion and height controls, CAM nesting software, robotic software, and consumables.