American Machinist articles from January 2004

American Machinist archives from January 2004

Let's create a pro-manufacturing environment.(From The Editor)
January 1, 2004... Leading indicators point to 2004 as a comeback year for manufacturers. But just because the economic climate is on the upswing, it doesn't necessarily mean that U.S. manufacturers have overcome all their problems. Global competition is now...

The Chinese-currency syndrome.(We've Got Mail)
January 1, 2004... Your observations regarding our Asian trading "partners" are correct ("It's time to put a halt to currency manipulation," November, p. 10). Currency manipulation is destroying U.S. manufacturing, but it is only one nail in our coffin. Our...

Think before you speak.(We've Got Mail)
January 1, 2004... Your October editorial was correct ("Smart people sometimes say dumb things," p. 8). I sat in on a panel discussion on "globalization," or what I'll call "The jobs have already gone offshore, accept the reality, quit whining, and get with the...

Do the right thing.(We've Got Mail)
January 1, 2004... I read your September editorial ("When it comes to ethics, you either have them or you don't," p. 12) while straightening out a mess caused by individuals in my industry who lack core ethics. I learned integrity and ethics from my father,...

Shaping the future of manufacturing.(Technology Trends)
January 1, 2004... Although Mazak Corp., Florence, Ky., highlighted new products at its recent Touch the Future 2004 event, its focus was manufacturing for a global economy. The four-day summit, which drew approximately 1,700 participants, gave shops ideas for...

Toolholder boosts reamer life.(Technology Trends)
January 1, 2004... A new toolholder, which consists of only a head, holder, and differential screw, reportedly increases tool life, improves accuracy, and delivers higher speeds and feeds than conventional taper-flange-style toolholders. The Head Fitting System...

Ultrasound helps diagnose machining health.(Technology Trends)
January 1, 2004... Researchers at Lasson Technologies Inc., Culver City, Calif., have developed an ultrasonic method to monitor and diagnose machine tool vibrations in real time. They have already demonstrated success at low spindle speeds, and they are working...

No-fuss, no-mess oil-hole drilling.(Technology Trends)
January 1, 2004... U.S. automakers are turning to minimum-quantity-lubrication (MQL) technology to drill troublesome oil holes in forged-steel crankshafts. These holes typically measure 0.24 in. in diameter and nearly 4-in. deep--a 16:1 aspect ratio. Horkos...

Long-life cutter.(Technology Trends)
January 1, 2004... Greenleaf Corp., Saegertown, Pa., recently introduced a new aluminum-oxide-coated, whisker-reinforced-ceramic insert that reportedly lasts up to 6x longer than other ceramic grades. Called WG-600, the inserts are made for high-temp alloys, but...

Heating/cooling shrinkfit tooling.(Tooling & Workholding)
January 1, 2004... T. M. Smith's G5 shrinkfit tabletop induction-heating machine provides integrated refrigerant cooling and a three-station rotary toolholder table. The 400-V system produces temperatures of 500 to 600[degrees]F that expand toolholder bores...

Vise with hydraulic power booster.(Tooling & Workholding)
January 1, 2004... The Arnold twin high-pressure vise clamps one or two parts. Users manually clamp a part in either of the two stations, and a spring mechanism holds it while another part is loaded. Turning the vise handle applies hydraulic pressure to grip the...

Collet holders for knee mills.(Tooling & Workholding)
January 1, 2004... ER-style one-piece R8 toolholder collets for Bridgeport and other knee mills grip drills, taps, reamers, end mills, boring bars, and special round-shank end-working tools. Each holder accommodates a range of ER-style collets. Maximum round-tool...

U.S. cutting tool institute billings index.(Cutting Tool Digest)
January 1, 2004... U.S. CUTTING TOOL INSTITUTE BILLINGS INDEX Index for October 02-September 03 October $140,213,292 126.4% November $121,934,677 109.8% December $113,137,752 101.7% January $133,883,278 120.6% February ...

Adjustable boring bar.(Tooling & Workholding)
January 1, 2004... MD adjustable boring bars from Criterion use 80[degrees] diamond inserts, and dual insert pockets accept either 7[degrees] or 8[degrees] side-clearance inserts. These boring bars permit conversion of an endmill holder to an adjustable...

Through-hole part grippers.(Tooling & Workholding)
January 1, 2004... PPC-Series through-hole parallel grippers work well when a component ejector is needed or where air is used for part cleaning. The grippers are available in three sizes and mount and operate in any direction to facilitate part ejection,...

Jaws clamp short, wide parts.(Tooling & Workholding)
January 1, 2004... Series PFC clamps with a W jaw clamp short, wide parts close to tooling surfaces. The W jaw produces 7,200 lb of force 2.187 in. above tooling surfaces at 87 psi. Their modular design lets users remove and modify the jaws and bushing block. An...

Jaws for every chuck.(Tooling & Workholding)
January 1, 2004... Huron offers top jaws and accessories for any current chuck style or size. Products include soft jaws, hard jaws, full grips, jaw nuts, quick-change systems, toilet pads, swivel locks, and specials for domestic and imported chucks. Huron...

Tough milling grades.(Cutting Products)
January 1, 2004... Two new basic grades from Seco-Carboloy for milling steel, stainless, and cast iron components are available in inserts for face milling, square-shoulder milling, and for disc mills and round insert cutters. With high toughness and wear...

Short-hole drilling inserts.(Cutting Products)
January 1, 2004... A series of indexable inserts--Womx-D57, Woex-E57, and Womb-B57--excel in drilling to 4x diameter. They also work on boring and specialty tools. The inserts resist wear and handle stainless and cast steel, cast iron, and other...

Technology Train set to roll.(Business Trends)
January 1, 2004... Siemens Energy & Automation Inc., Alpharetta, Ga., is bringing a tradeshow on rails, the Exider technology train, for a 10-city, coast-to-coast North American tour. Since its European rollout in 2002, the 1,000-ft exhibit of Siemens products...

October tool consumption declines.(Business Trends)
January 1, 2004... October U.S. machine tool consumption dropped, reports AMT--The Association For Manufacturing Technology and the American Machine Tool Distributors' Association. The $157.58 million recorded by the USMTC program was 26.6% lower than September's...

Markets and founder's retirement initiate changes.(Business Trends)
January 1, 2004... Junker Maschinen, Nordrach, Germany, is reorganizing because of market demands and the retirement of its founder. A holding company, Erwin Junker Holding GmbH & Co. KG, has been established, headed by three CEOs--Manuel Neusch-Frediani, Petr...

Mandelli increases American presence.(Business Trends)
January 1, 2004... Italian machine tool manufacturer Mandelli Sistemi has increased its North American presence with the opening of a sales office in Chicago at 420 East Ohio St.

Ann Arbor, Mich.... OpenCNC developer Manufacturing Data Systems Inc. has relocated from downtown Ann Arbor to a nearby industrial park.(Business Trends)
January 1, 2004... Ann Arbor, Mich.... OpenCNC developer Manufacturing Data Systems Inc. has relocated from downtown Ann Arbor to a nearby industrial park. It has a high-speed machining lab, production area for building and testing new hardware, and floor-space...

Whippany, N.J.... First Index will supply sourcing tools for the worldwide supply chain of Parker Hannifin, Cleveland.(Business Trends)
January 1, 2004... Whippany, N.J.... First Index will supply sourcing tools for the worldwide supply chain of Parker Hannifin, Cleveland. Parker Hannifin manufactures motion and control equipment and provides services for the industrial, aerospace, and commercial...

Lansing, Mich.... Impco Machine Tools is cross licensing its Generating Bearing Quality (GBQ) microfinishing technology with grinding technology from Grindmaster, Aurangabad, India.(Business Trends)
January 1, 2004... Lansing, Mich.... Impco Machine Tools is cross licensing its Generating Bearing Quality (GBQ) microfinishing technology with grinding technology from Grindmaster, Aurangabad, India. Impco President David Houghton says this lets the company...

Lincolnshire, Ill.... Charmilles has added a tax calculator to its website, charmillesus.com, so shop owners can assess the financial benefits of the Tax Act of 2003.(Business Trends)
January 1, 2004... Lincolnshire, Ill.... Charmilles has added a tax calculator to its website, charmillesus.com, so shop owners can assess the financial benefits of the Tax Act of 2003. The application computes potential financial savings that may be realized to...

Charlotte.... Marking equipment manufacturer Technifor has opened a sales and service-support.(Business Trends)
January 1, 2004... Charlotte.... Marking equipment manufacturer Technifor has opened a sales and service-support office in the Detroit metro area.

High-school BattleBots sponsor.(Talking Shop)
January 1, 2004... Remmele Engineering, a New Brighton, Minn., precision machining and engineering company, is sponsoring the 2004 BattleBots IQ High School Robotics National Championship. The event will be held April 21 to 24 in Owatonna, Minn., and is being...

Hybrid SUV to be built in Missouri.(Talking Shop)
January 1, 2004... Ford Motor Co., Detroit, is building the 2005 Escape Hybrid SUV at its Kansas City Assembly Plant in Claycomo, Mo. The Escape Hybrid is a hybrid-electric vehicle that runs on gasoline, in electric motor, or both. The Missouri plant currently...

New Cimcool distributor.(Talking Shop)
January 1, 2004... E&R Industrial Sales, Sterling Heights, Mich., is now distributing Cimcool metalworking fluids in greater Detroit and surrounding areas. Formed in 1969, E&R has six distribution sites and employs 300. Cimcool is a division of Milacron Inc.,...

American operations upgraded.(Talking Shop)
January 1, 2004... Whirlpool Corp., Benton Harbor, Mich., is completing approximately $100 million in upgrades, strengthening its global operating platform in North America. This includes consolidation of top-loading clothes-washer production at its Clyde, Ohio,...

Foundry toolmaker invests in high-speed machining.(Talking Shop)
January 1, 2004... NPL-Ditemsa, a Mexican foundry toolmaker for the automotive industry, is adding more of Delcam's PowerMill CAM software. The facility is obtaining six more Huron high-speed machining centers with Siemens controls and PowerMill software....

Boeing divides airplane work.(Talking Shop)
January 1, 2004... Large sections of Boeing's 7E7 Dreamliner airplane will be built in the U.S., Japan, Italy, Australia, and Canada. Final assembly will be done in the U.S.

Shoring up the defense industrial base.(Government Matters)
January 1, 2004... It is likely that few in the manufacturing community realize that the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Duncan Hunter (R, Calif.), inserted a provision into the Fiscal Year 2004 Defense Authorization Act that provides an incentive...

Wireless reporting captures accurate information.(Bits & Bytes)
January 1, 2004... Made2Manage Enterprise Business System Version 5.5 incorporates M2M Shop Floor Data Collection (SFDC), which lets users replace paper-based reporting and manual data entry with wireless technology. M2M SFDC retrieves receiving, inventory,...

Simplfy design-management collaboration.(Bits & Bytes)
January 1, 2004... UGS PLM Solutions is adding new view and markup capabilities for Insight Connect, Solid Edge's design-management client. Insight Connect establishes a robust managed environment, making collaboration easily available to consumers of data...

Software slashes product-development costs.(User Review)
January 1, 2004... To obtain ISO certification and improve overall quality, Hydrocontrol, Bologna, Italy, needed to optimize its design and product-development processes. Manufacturing hydraulic components such as directional-control valves, hydraulic remote...

Terminated employee entitled to severance pay.(Law & Liability)
January 1, 2004... In 1988, Barbara Ann Vargo went to work for Lincoln Brass Works Inc. in Detroit as an at-will employee. In 1993, Lincoln moved its sales office from Detroit to Nashville. Vargo moved and was an office manager and administrative assistant. ...

'Sophisticated-user' defense protects silica-sand supplier.(Law & Liability)
January 1, 2004... Laverne Haase worked at the Neenah Foundry in Wisconsin from 1955 until his retirement in 1996. Haase wore a government-approved respirator during much of his work that exposed him to silica dust. However, Neenah did not issue him the...

Irrational fear no basis for worker's comp.(Law & Liability)
January 1, 2004... In 1984, Mary Guess began working as an assembly line worker for Sharp Manufacturing Company of America, located in Tennessee. On Nov. 6, 1998, one of Guess's co-workers lacerated his hand, which resulted in some of his blood getting on Guess's...

Tooling not included: ready for a multitasking mill/turn machine? Think tooling first.(Multitasking)
January 1, 2004... In a perfect world, remarks one tooling manufacturer, shops would take a tooling specialist along when shopping for a multitasking mill/turn machine. Instead, most shops figure all they need is the machine and fail to realize that partnering it...

Retrofitting roadmap: a machine-analysis program lets shops better plan and pay for future machine tool retrofits.(Retrofitting)
January 1, 2004... New tax credits and attractive financing packages are giving shops good reason to retrofit/rebuild their metalworking equipment, according to Giddings & Lewis Machine Tools, Fond du Lac, Wis. Over the past year, the company has coupled such...

Introducing American Machinist Manufacturing Co.: a case study in what shops need to know to accurately evaluate their metalworking-equipment needs. Part one of a series.(Introduction)
January 1, 2004... Starting this issue, AMERICAN MACHINIST is launching a series of articles to help manufacturing management better evaluate their metalworking-process needs. re intend this series to be thought-provoking as well as full of practical information...

The time is right: ready to purchase capital equipment? Here are some financing options.(Finance & Taxes)
January 1, 2004... Upgrading capital equipment is high on the to-do list of many shops. Innovative financing packages and tax incentives certainly make this a buyer's market. However, many shops may be unaware of available financing options. Here's what they need...

Idea is a yoking matter.(Practical Ideas)
January 1, 2004... When saw cutting lots of parts, shops speed the job by cutting bundles of raw material in one clamping. Bundling works well for square and rectangular bars but not for round stock, especially if the saw is not equipped for holding multiple...

Setup for slots.(Practical Ideas)
January 1, 2004... I cut four equally spaced 1/16-in.-wide slots in over two dozen 0.625-in. O.D. X 0.437-in.-I.D. electrical connectors using a special setup. This 6-in.-long part had an I.D. depth of 5 in., and slot depths ran to the part I.D. To support...

Grinders meet the challenge of flight-critical parts.(Casebooks)
January 1, 2004... The Control Systems Division of Parker Aerospace, Ogden, Utah, produces primary hydraulic flight controls for commercial aircraft. At the heart of this chip-making facility is just about every category of machine tool: HMCs, turning centers,...

Builder benefits from soft CNC.(Casebooks)
January 1, 2004... Rolf Wissner GmbH was considered one of the first companies to specialize in the manufacture of high-speed cutting (HSC) milling and laser machining centers years ago. At that time, however, available CNCs did not meet the critical HSC...

Elevator company closes the door on data-storage problem.(Casebooks)
January 1, 2004... Minnesota Elevator Inc. (MEI) needed to scale its storage requirements because the company's direct-attached-storage (DAS)-based system couldn't handle the thousands of digital files stored for custom elevators manufactured at the plant. To...

Waterjet expands shop's part-processing envelope.(Casebooks)
January 1, 2004... Carinox.Sa, Madrid, Spain, recognizes the versatility of ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) waterjet technology. The company, which supplies solutions for various industries, already had two waterjet machines but needed one to cut parts out of large,...

Eliminate traditional PLCs for small machines.(Spotlight: manufacturing controls)
January 1, 2004... The Rexroth IndraDrive M digital-drive system combines servo drive and frequency -converter technology in one platform. An optional drive-integrated PLC onboard, plus built-in safety technology, and motion function-block programming replace a...

Die/mold CNC.(Spotlight: manufacturing controls)
January 1, 2004... The 8070 CNC handles up to 16 axes and four spindles in forged die and aluminum injection-mold manufacturing. It interprets fourth-degree polynomial paths and converts a point-to-point-based contour into a spline for machining. Lookahead and...

CNC runs programs concurrently.(Spotlight: manufacturing controls)
January 1, 2004... The Series 30i-Model A CNC controls tip to 40 independent axes and executes tip to 10 independent NC part programs simutaneously. According to the manufacturer, the 30i's interpolation cycle is 8X as fast as a conventional interpolation cycle,...

CNC sports new functions.(Spotlight: manufacturing controls)
January 1, 2004... The Sinumerik 840 powerline CNC features new hardware components and CNC functionality for improved workpiece quality. By linking with eight others, the Sinumerik 840D controls up to 248 axes and spindles in multi-axis machines. Operator PCs...

Run any sized stepper motor.(Spotlight: manufacturing controls)
January 1, 2004... Rated up to 64 amp, the FTFc08 stepper-motor controller and driver powers any stepper motor, including a size 42. It works with custom machines, linear actuators, leadscrew assemblies, robotics, high-speed equipment, and more. About 24 motion...

Machining center additions.(Spotlight: manufacturing controls)
January 1, 2004... The VMC 2000 [xp.sub.2] is one of several large bridge-types and C-frames Bridgeport is adding to its VMC line. The 2000 [xp.sup.2] features an 80-in. X axis; 787-ipm Z feedrate; 24,000-rpm, 25-hp spindle; and 4 [msec.sup.2]...

Quick machine.(Spotlight: manufacturing controls)
January 1, 2004... The axes of Vision machining centers move up to 120 m/min, accelerate to 3 G, and provide 5.2-G vectorial axis acceleration. Chip-to-chip time is 1.2 sec. The machines are ideal for medical engineering, die-cast manufacturing, mold...

Lathe features tool-measurement probe.(Spotlight: manufacturing controls)
January 1, 2004... The TF2000 CNC lathe tackles turning, milling, and center work. It includes a SEICOS 21L NC and functions such as automatic tool-nose-radius compensation, tool-code coordinate setting, and Q-setter. Q-setter is a measurement probe that quickly...

Quick pallet changeovers.(Spotlight: manufacturing controls)
January 1, 2004... The RoboDrill PC2 pallet changer swaps out in 6.2 sec and reduces downtime by separating part loading/fixture changes onto one pallet while machining is done on a second one. The changer works with the RoboDrill-T14-B standard bed and T14-BL...

Grinder's design offers stability.(Spotlight: manufacturing controls)
January 1, 2004... The compact and symmetrical gantry design of the Magerle Modular System (MMS) for grinding, with ballscrews and wide-spaced linear roller bearings for all axes, provides high static, dynamic, and thermal stability. The machine's table handles...

Stiff platform for wheel dressing.(Spotlight: manufacturing controls)
January 1, 2004... As a replacement on Heald CF internal grinding machines, the heavy-duty lift-up dressing system (HDLU) sports a one-piece cast-iron body and large-diameter pivot shaft with extra-wide bearing spacing for maximum stiffness. The system dresses...

Compact measuring machine has large work area.(Spotlight: manufacturing controls)
January 1, 2004... The SmartScope Flash 500 measurement system provides large 20x18x8-in. X/Y/Z travel in a small footprint for budget-conscious shops. Its optical assembly moves in an X-axis as the workpiece goes in a Y-axis motion on a servo-driven stage. Like...

Laser measures errors.(Spotlight: manufacturing controls)
January 1, 2004... The MCV 500 laser-calibration system now measures 18 possible errors, including six angular, three displacement, six straightness, and three squareness. Setup is quick because only two components need aligning--the laser-head assembly and the...

Red-metal coolant.(Spotlight: manufacturing controls)
January 1, 2004... Hocut 795-CU coolant is formulated for machining red metals including copper, bronze, and brass. Its ingredients prevent chemical reactions with red metals and protects such machined metals from corrosion. Hocut 795-CU remains stable unlike...

ATD automatic door openers.(AM Lit Review)
January 1, 2004... ATD automatic door openers feature built-in safety features, use standard 110-V electricity, and wire directly into a machine control. A self-contained design makes installation quick and easy. Call 1-800-298-2066 for more information. ...

TD coating extends tool life.(AM Lit Review)
January 1, 2004... Thermal diffused coatings are super pure, ultradense vanadium carbide that provide exceptional wear resistance and increased performance on metalforming tooling, high-wear machine parts, perishable tooling, and other steel surfaces. (877)...

GibbsCAM interactive tour.(AM Lit Review)
January 1, 2004... This multimedia CD-ROM introduces you to the GibbsCAM product line and shows why GibbsCAM is your best choice for CAM software for 2-through-5-axis milling, turning, multitask machining, and wire EDM. Listen to GibbsCAM customers tell how...

Safety guards.(AM Lit Review)
January 1, 2004... This 30-page catalog, available in five languages, features a wide range of safety guards and accessories for various machine tools. Includes lathes; milling, drilling, sawing, grinding, and slotting machines; presses; and tool grinders. Call...

The repeater adjustable vise handle.(AM Lit Review)
January 1, 2004... This convenient handle aids in adjusting vises when clamping thin walled, light-to-medium nonferrous metal or plastic parts. It's available for Kurt, Chick, and other vises. For further information, contact (800) 423-5145 or visit...

The first ethanol debate.(100 years ago in American Machinist)
January 1, 2004... In the January 29, 1904, issue, editors were predicting a bright future for the horseless carriage--if automakers could find an alternative to gasoline. "The Standard Oil Company controls the supply of gasoline and under present conditions...

Getting the message out.(50 years ago in American Machinist)
January 1, 2004... A new tool-and-die film that stressed work dignity was described in the January 5, 1954, issue. According to AM editors, the National Tool & Die Manufacturers had produced a "sound-color moving picture" as a way to combat "public ignorance of...

So did he get bathroom breaks?(50 years ago in American Machinist)
January 1, 2004... Editors spotlighted communist propaganda in the January 19, 1954, issue. Editors shared a news item from a Soviet publication that proclaimed, "Americans indulge in an inhuman speedup that ruins the health of workers." According to the...

HMC flexibility takes on a grinding dimension.(Machine Of The Month)
January 1, 2004... Thanks to a patented grinding process, the A99E-5XR-CD high-speed HMC combines the capabilities of a horizontal machining center with that of a grinding center, making it possible to mill, bore, drill, tap, turn, and grind. The patented...