American Machinist articles from December 2004

American Machinist archives from December 2004

We can't afford complacency.(From The Editor)
December 1, 2004... It's hard to believe another year has gone by. And while many of us get a little nostalgic around the holidays, this is not the time to become complacent, especially if you're involved in manufacturing. Yes, it's true that our industry as we...

Truck around long, narrow loads.(Technology Trends)
December 1, 2004... Some forklifts have a hard time handling long loads of pipe and tube, but that's not the case with fork trucks from Combilift Ltd. The Irish company, with U.S. operations based in Red Bank, N.J., incorporates some features of conventional front...

Laser cutter does its own setups.(Technology Trends)
December 1, 2004... Artificial intelligence is key to an innovative laser-cutting system introduced by Mazak Laser Corp., Schaumburg, Ill. According to the company, its 4,000-W HyperGear system changes its own torch, lens, nozzle, and beam mode in seconds when...

High-speed "data pictures".(Technology Trends)
December 1, 2004... Manufacturers can gather hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of points of information about an object in just minutes with 3D-scanning technology from Perceptron Inc., Plymouth, Mich. Creating a high-speed "data picture" lets them quantify...

New process yields strong saw blades.(Technology Trends)
December 1, 2004... Shops may soon be using saw blades that are stronger and faster-cutting than what's currently available, according to The L.S. Starrett Co., Athol, Mass. The company has introduced Bi-Metal Unique, which joins two strips of high-speed steel...

Roll form curved shapes.(Technology Trends)
December 1, 2004... Anew method of roll forming steel sections promises substantial cost reductions in the fabrication of vehicle parts compared to conventional techniques. The Monroe process uses high-precision computer control and infinitely adjustable rollers...

Free-cutting milling insert.(Cutting Products)
December 1, 2004... LMT-Fette's WPR-D helical ballnose insert has a free-cutting geometry for long life and good surface finishes. Incremental entry of its helical cutting edge, which is always under load, is stable and produces low vibration for a soft, peeling...

Coated grooving inserts.(Cutting Products)
December 1, 2004... SumiNotch Grade EH510V grooving inserts exhibit stable tool life and have a V coating for wear and notch resistance. The inserts are for continuous cuts, as well as finishing light to medium-light interrupted cuts. Grade EH510V machines exotic...

Full-radius milling cutters.(Cutting Products)
December 1, 2004... R 219.19 full-radius copymill cutters from Seco-Carboloy for are for semifinishing and finishing operations in a range of materials. Available from 0.315 to 1.250-in. diameters, the copymills have a single precision-ground, replaceable ballnose...

Cutter kits.(Cutting Products)
December 1, 2004... Freedom Kits, each for an application-specific material group, include 10 ground, polished, and coated Mil-Tec inserts, a Freedom Cutter body, screws, wrenches, antiseize, and a technical data sheet. All inserts have Mil-Tec's geometric...

Bimetal bandsaw blades.(Cutting Products)
December 1, 2004... Bimetal Gladiator bandsaw blades have a wear and heat-resistant backing and triple-tempered M42 high-speed steel teeth with 8% cobalt (67 to 69 Rc) and up to a 12 [degrees] rake angle. The blades reportedly deliver easy penetration, good chip...

Hardinge buying Bridgeport MCs.(Business Trends)
December 1, 2004... Hardinge Inc. is acquiring the intellectual property rights and certain assets associated with Bridgeport worldwide operations from Bridgeport International LLC, Leicester, U.K. The total consideration is $7.25 million paid in cash funded by...

Service lets buyers within OEMs work together.(Business Trends)
December 1, 2004... MfgQuote, Atlanta, is launching a service for OEMs sourcing custom-manufactured components. A web-based application, hosted and managed by MfgQuote.com, MfgQuote CS, lets OEM buyers, engineers, and purchasing representatives work together...

Machine tool consumption at highest mark in years.(Business Trends)
December 1, 2004... Machine tool orders hit their highest level in four years according to The American Machine Tool Distributors' Association (AMTDA) and AMT--The Association For Manufacturing Technology. September machine tool consumption totaled $389.20...

Four inducted into Machine Tool Hall of Fame.(Talking Shop)
December 1, 2004... The American Precision Museum, Windsor, Vt., added four members to the Machine Tool Hall of Fame, which honors leaders in the development of the American machine tool industry. They include: * Thomas Blanchard, inventor of the copy lathe....

Winner collects knee mill prize.(Talking Shop)
December 1, 2004... Frank Dougherty III of the Carlisle Machine Works in Millville, N.J., claimed the Bridgeport by Hardinge Series I knee mill offered by Hardinge Inc., Elmira, N.Y., during a contest at the International Manufacturing Technology Show in...

Lincoln Electric welding training.(Talking Shop)
December 1, 2004... The Lincoln Electric Co., Cleveland, and the Michigan Technical Education Center (M-TEC) at Lansing Community College are offering welding-training programs at the center. Programs include MIG, TIG, stick, aircraft and motorsports welding, and...

Chemical manager hired.(Talking Shop)
December 1, 2004... Roller bearing and seal supplier SKF U.S.A. Inc., Norristown, Pa., selected Houghton FluidCare, Valley Forge, Pa., to manage chemicals at its Hanover, Pa., manufacturing plant. A division of Houghton International, Houghton FluidCare is...

North Carolina plant adding jobs.(Talking Shop)
December 1, 2004... Power-train manufacturer Getrag Corp. is expanding its facility in Maiden, N.C. The $81-million investment allows the unit to hire 302 more employees starting in 2005 in a four-year period. The new jobs will be mostly in manufacturing and...

The continuing visa mess.(Government Matters)
December 1, 2004... The State Department recently responded to a visa inquiry from Congress by saying the visa problem had been solved. We would all rejoice if that statement were true, but unfortunately it is not. In fact, major institutions as well as...

Spilt-second toolchanges slash nonproductive time.(Machine of the Month)
December 1, 2004... Anew machining module promises to nearly eliminate toolchange times for certain high-volume applications. LiCON's Linear Tool Changer (LTC) uses a cluster of four or six driven, tooled spindles, eliminating conventional toolchangers. The only...

CMM software.(Bits & Bytes)
December 1, 2004... Calypso version 4.0 CAD-based programming software for CMMs packs several new key functions, options, and features for measuring, evaluating, simulating, curve-data importing, and model comparing. The software also works with non-Zeiss CMMs....

Free integrators.(Bits & Bytes)
December 1, 2004... Peps SolidCut suite of CAD/CAM software comes with free Design Integrators that handle component and assembly data from SolidWorks, Solid Edge, and Autodesk solid-models design solutions. Shipped at no extra cost with new Peps licenses, Design...

Software handles more native files.(Bits & Bytes)
December 1, 2004... As part of Version 9, EdgeCAM Solid Machinist CAM system for CATIA V5 makes it possible to load native part and assembly files, while Solid Machinist for ACIS lets users directly load native .sat and .sab files. These new capabilities combine...

New features when they happen.(Bits & Bytes)
December 1, 2004... Rather than bundling new features of its Depocam software into yearly releases, NC Graphics is issuing them as soon as they are ready. This lets customers grow with the new features and doesn't disrupt production. Some of these features...

Illegal alien gets workers'-comp benefits.(Law & Liability)
December 1, 2004... Ghassan Rajeh, a citizen of Lebanon, became a permanent legal resident of the United States in 1981. In 1988, he was convicted in federal court of a conspiracy to distribute heroin, and served five years of an eight-year term. Due to his...

Pre-existing medical condition leads to workers'-comp benefits.(Law & Liability)
December 1, 2004... Michael Preston suffers from a hereditary neurological disorder called paramyoclonus multiplex, which causes involuntary shaking of the head and arms. The shaking tends to become worse when he is under stress. However, when the stress is...

Cornering the Creepfeed market: Expertise, agility, and the right mix of machines ensure one creepfeed-grinding operation stays on top.(Creepfeed Grinding)
December 1, 2004... Creepfeed (CF) grinding offers an attractive alternative to other machining processes such as milling and broaching. But it also entails more variables. For an operation such as Abrasive-Form Inc., Bloomington, Ill., understanding the nuances...

Building tomorrow's machinist: partnerships between a large U.S. machine-tool builder and learning institutions shape manufacturing education for the next generation.(Training)
December 1, 2004... Manufacturing education must be anchored in the real world, even as it encompasses the latest in technology and virtual reality. But a problem has been that students often don't get the hands-on experience they need before hitting the shop...

Sensors spawn spindle standard: measuring axis rotation benefits from today's technology.(Spindles)
December 1, 2004... Dr. George Tlusty, a pioneer in machine tool measurement and professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Florida once said "a person can't talk about accuracy if they don't have a way to measure it." The statement definitely holds...

Quick, custom hex sockets.(Practical Ideas)
December 1, 2004... My idea is for easily producing custom, hex-head socket screws. The quick procedure is coldworking, so it generates sockets harder than those produced by EDMing. First, I cut off a 1-in.-long section from the straight end of a hex key,...

Tapping into a storage problem.(Practical Ideas)
December 1, 2004... Storing loose taps together in a drawer or box is messy, unsightly, and inefficient. Adding to the problem, size markings etched on taps, especially small ones, are difficult to read when searching for a particular size in a cluster of many...

Rebuilding only where necessary.(Case-Books)
December 1, 2004... DaimlerChrysler was machining 150,000 pump housings/yr for an electronic, four-speed automatic, rear-wheel-drive transmission using a line that included nine automated and palletized HMCs and two vertical turning centers. Unfortunately, the...

Stock-car builder rides on EDM.(Case-Books)
December 1, 2004... Joe Gibbs Racing makes parts light, but strong, to reduce racecar weight and squeeze out more speed. While many of these parts could be cast, the Huntersville, N.C., Nascar Nextel Cup and Bush Series stock-car builder machines them whenever...

Software makes for a speeding bullet.(Case-Books)
December 1, 2004... The Buckeye Bullet, designed by Ohio State University students, hit 314 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, reportedly making it fastest electrical car on earth. To develop such a vehicle, OSU students SolidWorks 3D mechanical-design...

CNC puts machines in gear.(Case-Books)
December 1, 2004... Klingelnberg GmbH, a German-based machine tool builder, produces CNC equipment for hypoid and spiral-bevel-gear work. For its C Series of gear-generating machines, the company wanted to incorporate an easy-to-use programming interface and a...

Wide belt transports parts.(Spotlight: Part cleaning)
December 1, 2004... The PWRB9-36EU aqueous parts washer with 9-in.-wide, flat wire belt tackles large metal parts and batches of small parts. This washer features a compact U-bend design so operators can load/unload from one location. Multiple adjustable nozzles...

Assembly-line washer.(Spotlight: Part Cleaning)
December 1, 2004... For cleaning parts on an assembly line, the Hotsy 8600 pass-through part washer has a 16-in.-wide steel conveyor belt. The adjustable belt moves up to 8 ft/min. Hot-water spray from a 360[degrees] manifold blasts parts that pass within 10 in....

Energy-saving part washers.(Spotlight: Part Cleaning)
December 1, 2004... Jenfab front-loading, spray, oscillating-basket washers save energy because of a back-and-forth parts movement directly under spray jets. According to the manufacturer, the system reduces spray amount, Btus, kWs, and necessary spray jets....

Washer movement ensures clean parts.(Spotlight: Part Cleaning)
December 1, 2004... The Turbo pump agitation and oscillating platform action of LiftKleen part washers make sure that all surfaces of parts are in contact with the cleaning solution. The washers are suitable for parts with blind holes, intricate patterns, and...

Parts washer saves energy.(Spotlight: Part Cleaning)
December 1, 2004... The Lean-Veyor parts washer offers 50% or more energy savings than conventional spray washers thanks to its internal ventilation and encapsulated-spray and blow off zone. It sports an enclosed design that reportedly generates noise levels lower...

Grinder removes weld beads.(Spotlight: Part Cleaning)
December 1, 2004... Dynabrade's 4 1/2-in.-diameter depressed-center wheel grinder features a 12,000-rpm, 1-hp air motor for cleaning metal before welding and removing weld beads afterwards. This grinder has a safety-lock throttle and grip-traction side handle that...

Balanced grinder brushes.(Spotlight: Part Cleaning)
December 1, 2004... Mighty-Mite small-angle balanced grinder brushes eliminate vibration, reduce operator fatigue, and extend tool life. Wheel, cup, and bevel brushes for high-speed tools are available in heat-treated steel and Type 302 stainless steel. A...

New CMM feature.(Spotlight: Part Cleaning)
December 1, 2004... Faro's Laser Tracker X features XtremeADM, which lets the system perform measurements in one mode, eliminates interferometers for measuring distance, and overcomes line-of-sight issues. If something comes between the Tracker's beam and probe,...

Combined CNC, motion control, and PLC.(Spotlight: Part Cleaning)
December 1, 2004... The IndraMotion MTX control incorporates CNC, motion control, and PLC functions into one system for machine tools and forming machines. The NC and IEC 61131-3-compliant PLC share the same hardware and VxWorks real-time operating system. The PLC...

Contour machine measures molds.(Spotlight: Part Cleaning)
December 1, 2004... Tokyo Seimitsu Contourecord 1700DX contour-measuring instruments for machine parts such as molds feature linear-motor technology and AI functions. According to Carl Zeiss, the linear motors improve measuring accuracy and processing speed. I hey...

Refurbishing testing equipment.(Spotlight: Part Cleaning)
December 1, 2004... ARO Measurement Systems reconditions tensile/compression machines for testing metal parts or raw-material inspection. ARO cleans, adjusts, and makes new fixtures for machines that measure with dial indicators or retrofits machines for digital...

CAD/CAM software controls machines.(Spotlight: Part Cleaning)
December 1, 2004... The Direct Machining and Control (DMAC) system operates cutting machines and robots from CAD/CAM software. The PC-based open-architecture control incorporates digital and analog drive interfaces, high-speed NURBS interpolation, advanced motion...

Functional workwear.(Spotlight: Part Cleaning)
December 1, 2004... Riggs Workwear by Wrangler is a denim line engineered for long hours on the job. The jeans, jackets, and shirts meet comfort and durability demands of shop workers. They include Durashield, a fabric that reportedly increases durability without...

Multiple workholders fit VMC.(Spotlight: Part Cleaning)
December 1, 2004... Providing 43x22x22-in. travels (X/Y/Z), the A-3 VMC handles large workpieces as well as multiple workholders containing small parts. Its 12,000-rpm CT-40-taper spindle uses P4 angular-contact bearings and a floating drawbar that reduces bearing...

High-speed moldmaking.(Spotlight: Part Cleaning)
December 1, 2004... The VMC 3016 with 30,000-rpm spindle is a rigid platform for high-speed operations such as contouring molds. It uses HSK-40 (DIN standard) tooling and features a 20-pocket dual-arm ATC. Machine spindles feature ceramic bearings for high speeds...

Lasers feature conduction cooling.(Spotlight: Part Cleaning)
December 1, 2004... Spectron SLD6000 series solid-state lasers provide 5 to 10-W output using conduction-cooled diode bars for reliability and cost effectiveness. The systems mark, trim, scribe, and micromachine materials such as stainless steel, aluminum, and...

Laser cutter uses 5,200-W resonators.(Spotlight: Part Cleaning)
December 1, 2004... Byspeed 3015 laser cutters feature 5,200-W resonators with adaptive radius control (ARC). ARC provides automatic optimization of beam diameters for cutting sheetmetal and other materials. This includes steel up to 0.984-in. thick,...

Triple-mode laser.(Spotlight: Part Cleaning)
December 1, 2004... A compact production laser, the SG-U44, does high-speed, 2D processing of sheetmetal and plate, 3D cutting of preformed parts, and 3D rotary cutting of tube and pipe. With a multi-axis torch, the unit also laser cuts stamped, hydroformed, and...

Inspect and sort small parts.(Spotlight: Part Cleaning)
December 1, 2004... Resec Systems' Model J181-T automatic parts sorter inspects and sorts up to 3,600 parts/hr with an accuracy of [+ or -]0.0001 in. Parts feed via a vibratory bowl feeder onto a gravity track, which separates and places them under a high-speed...

Slide rule cool in 1904.(100 years ago in American Machinist)
December 1, 2004... In the December 1, 1904, issue, a reader thanked the editors for introducing him to the slide rule. "Having heard it spoken of (in print that is) by one whom I believed to be thoroughly practical as being a good labor-saving device, I got one,...

Too many engineers.(100 years ago in American Machinist)
December 1, 2004... Editors discussed the "alarm" in Berlin about the overproduction of trained engineers. The December 22 issue described how the competition for work was driving down wages. "This is advantageous to the country at large, as it enables individuals...

"Pennies for photos save dollars in delay".(50 years ago in American Machinist)
December 1, 2004... This was the headline for an article in the December 6, 1954, issue, which described a quick and easy way to record setups and tools. A Massachusetts shop shared the idea of using a Polaroid "Land" Camera-Model 95 to snap shots of the shop...

Inner-city flight and suburban sprawl.(50 years ago in American Machinist)
December 1, 2004... The December 20 issue described how manufacturers Timken and Cincinnati Milling moved their Cleveland sales offices to suburban areas. Citing rising rents, traffic, and parking problems as concerns, editors also wrote about another major...