American Machinist articles from August 2007

American Machinist archives from August 2007

Cutting the coolant: reducing--or eliminating--coolant has economic and performance benefits.(TOOLING)
August 1, 2007... AN INCREASING NUMBER of shops are looking to reduce the amount of coolant used when machining. Cooling with an air/oil mist--minimum quantity lubrication (MQL)--or machining dry with no lubricant offers impressive economic and ecologic...

Staying competitive is a state of mind: competitiveness in today's world requires more than just new machines.(AUTOMATION)
August 1, 2007... TO BE COMPETITIVE, OR EVEN TO JUST survive in today's global economy, machine shops need to produce better parts faster and at a lower cost. The shops that are thriving, the shops that are successfully competing with shops across the...

ATLANTA Drive Systems, Inc.(NEW EQUIPMENT)
August 1, 2007... ATLANTA Drive Systems, Inc. has a new range of high-precision gear racks developed specifically for machine tool applications that require the highest levels of precision and power. www.atlantadrives.com

Carr Lane Mfg. Co.(NEW EQUIPMENT)
August 1, 2007... Carr Lane Mfg. Co. has introduced the Low-Profile T-Handle toggle clamp with optional safety lock that automatically engages when the clamp is closed. www.carrlane.com

CECO Environmental.(NEW EQUIPMENT)
August 1, 2007... CECO Environmental says its CECO mist-collector systems provides as much as 10 years of filter life with 99.5% mist-collection efficiency. www.cecoenviro.com

Champion Cutting Tool Corp.(NEW EQUIPMENT)
August 1, 2007... Champion Cutting Tool Corp. has introduced the Speed Threader--a single-piece high-speed steel die and die handle for cutting threads on rod stock and bolts. www.championcuttingtool.com

Chiron America, Inc.(NEW EQUIPMENT)
August 1, 2007... Chiron America, Inc. added the FZ 08 KS M five-axis machine to its five-axis product line for simultaneous five-axis machining and for machining in tilted working planes with three linear and two additional axes. www.chironameirca.com

Columbia Marking Tools, Inc.(NEW EQUIPMENT)
August 1, 2007... Columbia Marking Tools, Inc. introduced 10 and 20-W pulsed fiber diode lasers specifically designed for marking. www.columbiamt.com

Cortec Corp.(NEW EQUIPMENT)
August 1, 2007... Cortec Corp. has introduced EcoLine Cutting Fluid--a multifunctional biodegradable concentrate for metalworking operations. www.CortecVCI.com

Datron Dynamics, Inc.(NEW EQUIPMENT)
August 1, 2007... Datron Dynamics, Inc. introduced, a CNC machining center--the Excelsior Lite--designed for manufacturers who need innovative high-speed technology but can not afford a machining center. The machining center is made exclusively for tooling that...

Distech Systems, Inc.(NEW EQUIPMENT)
August 1, 2007... Distech Systems, Inc. has introduced a compact machine tool loader that is capable of loading and unloading both trays and conveyors. Weighing less than a ton, the DS1100-MTL-TD can be moved from one machine to another with a pallet jack. The...

Dynabrade, Inc.'s.(NEW EQUIPMENT)
August 1, 2007... Dynabrade, Inc.'s Versatility Grinder accepts a wide variety of different contact arms for hundreds of uses. This stationary machine utilizes 0.250 in.--2-in. wide by 72-in. long abrasive belts. www.Dynabrade.com

Elobau Sensor Technology Inc.(NEW EQUIPMENT)
August 1, 2007... Elobau Sensor Technology Inc. introduced its J4/J5 line of industrial joysticks, designed for heavy-duty use on various vehicles and equipment, including all types of machinery, cranes, forklifts, construction, oil and gas, forestry,...

Galeton.(NEW EQUIPMENT)
August 1, 2007... Galeton, a supplier of quality gloves and work gear, has introduced the all-new Shield safety glasses for effective and stylish eye protection. www.galeton.com

Greenerd Press & Machine Co.(NEW EQUIPMENT)
August 1, 2007... Greenerd Press & Machine Co. has introduced a new series of hydraulic presses for a wide variety of forging applications, including automotive and truck; aerospace; agricultural; industrial, hardware and tools; and surgical instruments. This...

Heatbath Corp.(NEW EQUIPMENT)
August 1, 2007... Heatbath Corp., a manufacturer of metal finishing products, has developed a heavy-duty, alkaline soak cleaner--Nuvat Classic--designed for steel, stainless steel, copper, brass and magnesium. www.heatbath.com

Heidenhain Corp.(NEW EQUIPMENT)
August 1, 2007... Heidenhain Corp. now has a line of inductive rotary encoders with bearings, the RIx 400 series. www.heidenhain.com

Hurco Companies, Inc.(NEW EQUIPMENT)
August 1, 2007... Hurco Companies, Inc. has launched its biggest vertical machining center ever--the VMX84. With X/Y/Z axis travels of 84 in. by 34 in. by 30 in., this machining center broadens the company's product line to meet the needs of customers who...

How many axes does anybody really need?(FROM THE EDITOR)
August 1, 2007... I'm no Luddite, but I'm also not a gadget freak. I don't always appreciate the little gadgets that suddenly seem to be everywhere all at once, and then vanish just as quickly. Sometimes, I feel that consumer gadgets--beepers are a great...

One guy with a few good ideas.(PRACTICAL IDEAS)
August 1, 2007... Every once and awhile, I pick up a good practical idea for remedying a machining problem. Some of these ideas come from other people, and some I've always known. In any event, here are a few I would like to pass along. When having to turn...

Mori Seiki extends warranty on new machines.(LEADING INDICATORS)
August 1, 2007... Mori Seiki (www.moriseiki.com) announced in late June that it will provide a two-year warranty on all machine tools installed after April 1, 2007. Under the new policy, all machine parts will be replaced free of charge for the first two years...

ISO certified.(LEADING INDICATORS)
August 1, 2007... * MS Action Machining Corp. of McHenry, Ill., (www.ms-action. com) a CNC job shop, is has attainted ISO 9001:2000 certification. The 40-year old job shop supplies a wide variety of industries, from Fortune 500 corporations to small companies...

Ceratizit acquires newcomer products.(LEADING INDICATORS)
August 1, 2007... * Ceratizit of Mamer, Luxembourg, (www. ceratizit.com) acquired Newcomer Products, Inc, a privately owned company headquartered in Latrobe, Pa., in early June. Newcomer Products specializes in the manufacturing and finishing of tungsten...

Kennametal signs supply agreement with Kyocera.(LEADING INDICATORS)
August 1, 2007... * Kennametal Inc., a metal-cutting tool and manufacturing equipment maker, has signed a product supply agreement with solar energy systems maker Kyocera Corp. The agreement covers several initiatives and is designed to complement the existing...

Precise automation signs rep.(LEADING INDICATORS)
August 1, 2007... * Precise Automation (www. precisionautomation. com), an automation products provider, has signed Rocky Mountain MotorReps (rockymountain motorreps.com) as its representative for Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

Black gold is filling machine shop coffers: high prices for oil and natural gas are fueling high demand for machining.(OIL & GAS INDUSTRY)
August 1, 2007... "Business in the oil industry is Busier now than it has ever been," said Joe Rovig, houston-based National Oil Varco group vice-president for repair products and services. "Parts of our business have doubled, tripled and quadrupled in sales...

L.S. Starrett customer profile: production Job Services Inc.(SHOWCASE)
August 1, 2007... Peter smith, president, his brother Patrick, senior vice president, and Jim Haggith as vice president and secretary run Production Job Services. The Brookfield, Wis., shop started as a steel factory to serve the casting industry by cutting...

Software makes CAD files portable.(TECHNOLOGY TRENDS)
August 1, 2007... Adobe Systems Inc. (www. adobe.com) has released a major upgrade to Adobe Acrobat 3D, version 8, intended to make 3D design collaboration and CAD data interoperability capabilities easy for virtually anyone inside manufacturing organizations...

Workholding rotary systems: two new rotary units deliver high-speed precision positioning, and their rugged designs promise long life.(TOOLING & WORKHOLDING)
August 1, 2007... The new DD200 Direct-Drive Rotary system from Hardinge Inc. (www. hardinge.com) is a gearless high-speed, high-torque model with precision positioning and repeatability. The company said these features make it well suited for parts that require...

China learns from the past.(GOVERNMENT MATTERS)
August 1, 2007... The U.S. Defense Department views China as a potential threat. In its most recent annual report on defense planning, the Defense Department notes that as China has grown economically it has spent more and more on military modernization. The...

EMO technical information available on-line.(INTERNET CONNECTIONS)
August 1, 2007... EMO Hannover 2007 has delivered access to all of the technical press releases--in German and English--that are being delivered for the trade show on the Internet. The press releases are available on submenus at the trade show's website...

American Machinist and GE Fanuc to present part-quality webcast.(INTERNET CONNECTIONS)
August 1, 2007... GE Fanuc will present an informational session on making your manufacturing processes more accurate and repeatable in an hour-long webcast at 2 p.m., Sept. 12. Details and registration for the webcast are available at www....

Math test for new employees.(INTERNET CONNECTIONS)
August 1, 2007... What do you ask new employees to see if they have the skills to work in a shop? A machinist posed that question after he hired two would-be machinists who were fresh out of vocational school. He found his two new-hires could not read a...

AMTDA offering lunch-time learning sessions.(INTERNET CONNECTIONS)
August 1, 2007... The American Machine Tool Distributors Association is offering six webcasts that deal with the economy, business practices, training and keeping employees and other subjects. The sessions are designed as lunchtime (beginning at noon,...

When I grow up, I want to be in manufacturing: OEMs work to ensure there will be plenty of skilled labor to go around.(TRAINING)
August 1, 2007... A GROUP OF MIDDLE-school guidance counselors visiting the institute for manufacturing productivity prepared for lunch and seated themselves at several round tables adorned with white linen tablecloths. During the meal, they were told that the...

Shop surfs for RFQs.(CASE BOOKS)
August 1, 2007... After enduring several years of working for five or six large manufacturing companies, Travis Sherwood struck out on his own and started a machine shop in Havana, Kan. He literally built the place with his own hands--laid forms, poured concrete...

Software helps save DoD millions.(CASE BOOKS)
August 1, 2007... Since it was founded in 2003, the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM) (www.ncdmm.org) in Latrobe, Pa., has undertaken nearly 50 projects for the Department of Defense (DoD) facilities and its suppliers. The...

Shop no longer stresses out over stress.(CASE BOOKS)
August 1, 2007... Stress relieving parts, especially large ones, was causing problems for Metalonica, a company based in Thessaloniki, Greece, that constructs, overhauls and maintains all types of heavy industrial machinery. The shop was forced to send out jobs...

Production speeds lead to profit.(CASE BOOKS)
August 1, 2007... A U.S. steel manufacturer serving the automotive, construction and appliance markets needed to improve profits and its return on assets and wanted to accomplish the task by incorporating production speeds for each product. Management realized...

Company prophesizes production improvements.(CASE BOOKS)
August 1, 2007... DuPont is now efficiently managing its plant processes in a unified, easy-to-configure plant model that gives the company a clear insight into its operations thanks to a suite of production-management products. For all DuPont's businesses...

Trade associations fighting for small-to mid-sized companies: trade associations argue for shops in Washington.(LAST WORD)
August 1, 2007... TMTA sees robust growth The Tooling, Manufacturing & Technologies Association (www.thetmta.com) has seen its role more than double--it represented companies with 22,000 employees and now represents companies with more than 47,000...

12 key performance benchmarks: the dozen most useful benchmarks for improving performance and profits.(SHOP OPERATIONS)
August 1, 2007... Improve or Die," a modification of the French Foreign Legion's unofficial motto--"March or Die"--is appropriate for American metalworking shops. Competition, both foreign and domestic, has never been tougher and the need to improve continually,...

L.S. Starrett customer profile: Production Job Services Inc.(SHOWCASE)
August 1, 2007... Peter Smith, president, his brother Patrick, senior vice president, and Jim Haggith as vice president and secretary run Production Job services. The Brookfield, Wis., shop started as a steel factory to serve the casting industry by cutting...