American Machinist articles from January 2007

American Machinist archives from January 2007

Ellison Technology acquires Jackson Machinery Company.(LEADING INDICATORS)
January 1, 2007... Ellison Technologies Inc. (www.ellisonnw.com), a provider of engineered systems and industrial equipment to American metalworking and metal-cutting manufacturers, acquired Jackson Machinery Company, a privately held distributor based outside of...

Human resources.(Chips-n-burrs)(Cartoon)
January 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CAM systems? I'm proficient in whatever you don't already have.

Jergens Inc. opens shanghai operation.(LEADING INDICATORS)
January 1, 2007... Jergens Inc. (www.jergens.com) has opened a new office in Shanghai, China, that will sell and distribute its products in China. Jergens Shanghai Commercial Co., Ltd. now represents the company's four operating divisions: Jergens Tooling...

GE Fanuc offering CNC parts on-line.(LEADING INDICATORS)
January 1, 2007... GE Fanuc Automation has started a new CNC Online Parts Store. The company says the store (www.gefanuc.com/cncstore) is a web-based tool that customers can use 24 hours a day to search for parts, check availability of product and pricing...

Metalforming educational foundation awards $40,000 in grants.(LEADING INDICATORS)
January 1, 2007... The Precision Metalforming Association Educational Foundation (www.pma.org) awarded a total of $40,000 in grants to three programs created to enhance the U.S. metalforming workforce. The foundation trustees awarded: $15,000 to the WIRE-Net...

Correction.(LEADING INDICATORS)(Correction notice)
January 1, 2007... Correction: The correct name for the high-performance reamers from Command Tooling Systems (www.command tool.com) is CircoTec. American Machinist provided an incorrect name for the reamers in its November issue.

System sizes up micromachining work.(TECHNOLOGY TRENDS)
January 1, 2007... Shops micromachining extremely small part features have always had to use larger more-expensive machine tools for such jobs, that is until now. Culminating from seven years of micromachining research at the University of Illinois, the 310-S...

Software offers new toolpaths.(TECHNOLOGY TRENDS)
January 1, 2007... CNC Software, Inc. (www.mastercam.com) says it has significantly expanded the range of toolpath style choices in its new Mastercam X2 release. X2 is said to deliver new high-speed toolpaths that produce extremely fine finishes and extend tool...

Simple multiaxis motion.(TECHNOLOGY TRENDS)
January 1, 2007... Bosch Rexroth Corporation (www.boschrexroth.com) has added the new IndraMotion for Handling to its CMS Cartesian Motion System. The company says the new combination CMS will make it easier to specify, install and control Cartesian robotics...

Sealants replace screws, rivets and welds.(TECHNOLOGY TRENDS)
January 1, 2007... Dow Corning (www.dowcorning.com) is now offering a line of 100 percent silicone adhesives and sealants that offer instant adhesion of 18 lb per square inch. The hot melt sealants provide instant and long-lasting adhesion to various substrates...

Spot stop.(PRACTICAL IDEAS)
January 1, 2007... I often struggle with conventional table or vise-mounted workpiece stops on machining centers, so I use a tool mounted in the machine's spindle as a removable stop that is accurate, versatile and easy to set up. When necessary, I write a part...

No, you won't shoot your eye out.(PRACTICAL IDEAS)
January 1, 2007... I needed to drill the tops of extremely large and heavy stamping dies. However, moving these dies into position on the bed of our huge drill press was a job that required brass hammers and a lot of elbow grease. I could have used a roller-ball...

Cutting difficult-to-machine materials.(TOOLING PRODUCTS)
January 1, 2007... Materials with unique metallurgical properties--such as titanium, tool steels, stainless steels, hardened steels and other superalloys--were developed to meet the demands of extreme applications. Along with making these materials harder,...

Fixtures to reduce large-part handling.(WORKHOLDING)
January 1, 2007... Royal Machine and Tool Corp. (www.royalworkholding.com) says its innovative workholding ideas reduce parts handling while concentrating machining operations and contributing to efficiency and productivity. Royal Machine and Tool built its...

Regulatory symbolism in the "China Catch-All" proposal.(GOVERNMENT MATTERS)
January 1, 2007... The comment period on the proposed "China Catch-All" regulation has just been completed. The preliminary results are in, and the consensus of dozens of analytical comments submitted by the business community is that it would be a very bad idea...

Former users of landfill not liable for hazmat exposure.(LAW & LIABILITY)
January 1, 2007... Johnson v. Orleans Parish School Board, 938 So.2d 219 (La.App. 2006). Residents of a community built on a former landfill filed a lawsuit against the City of New Orleans and the New Orleans Housing Authority, charging that they were...

Workers comp only recourse for 'borrowed servant'.(LAW & LIABILITY)
January 1, 2007... Wesby v. Act Pipe & Supply Inc., 199 S.W.2d 614 (Tex.App. 2006). On May 30, 2002, Glenn Wesby, an employee of Labor Express Temporary Services, a temp agency, was working at Act Pipe & Supply Inc. in Dallas, Tex. An Act Pipe employee...

How best shops reduce cycle times: benchmarking data highlights the key factors.(BENCHMARKING)
January 1, 2007... IN THE 2006 AMERICAN MACHINIST Benchmarking Survey we asked respondents to indicate their average machining cycle times (from the start of a cut to completion) for a typical product and how those times have changed from three years ago. The...

Cycle time first, tooling second: shops should not base tooling decisions on price alone.(TOOLING)
January 1, 2007... ADVANCE MACHINING & GEAR CUTS machining cycle times first. Then it looks at reducing its tooling costs. As far as the shop is concerned, cycle times play the key role in maintaining competitiveness, and by making cycle times as short as...

Adaptive controls save tools and time: technology advances supercharge an old process.(TOOLING)
January 1, 2007... Adaptive control systems have been in use since the early 1960s, but in the last few years, faster microprocessors and lower cost computer memory have dramatically increased the benefits that come from using these systems. Typically, those...

The good news about bad vibes: getting rid of vibration and chatter increases cut quality and productivity.(TOOLING)
January 1, 2007... Reducing vibrations in machining increases tool life, produces better machined surface finishes and prolongs the life of machine tools. In addition, smooth-cutting machines make for a quieter, more pleasing work environment. Chatter is the...

Need to share CAD files? DWF IT: file format solves CAD exchange problems.(CAD/CAM)
January 1, 2007... THE RECENT KUBOTEK USA (www.kubotek.com) CAD Interoperability Survey identified serious problems with sharing CAD files between and within companies (See American Machinist, December, 2006, pg. 16 or www.americanmachinist.com/304/Issue/Article/...

Feed drive positioning error: the effect of system friction on accuracy.(MACHINE TOOLS)
January 1, 2007... MACHINE FEED DRIVES that use ball screws that incorporate rotary encoders are prone to position measurement error as a result of thermally induced expansion because the ball screw drive serves a double function: On the one hand it must be as...

What every machinist needs ... gold plated tools.(NEW EQUIPMENT)
January 1, 2007... Bondhus Corporation (www.bondhus.com) has expanded its line of 14K-gold plated hex tools to include straight hex end tools in both short and long arm styles. The company says its GoldGuard finish provides corrosion protection and adds some...

System measures turned parts at high speeds without contact.(NEW EQUIPMENT)
January 1, 2007... The Mahr Federal Inc. (www.mahr.com) Helio-Scope universal optical measuring system performs static and dynamic precision measurement in seconds without operator intervention. The system is designed to be used in labs and on the shop floor, and...

New generation of portable surface finish gages.(NEW EQUIPMENT)
January 1, 2007... Mahr Federal Inc. (www.mahr.com) has introduced a new generation of its Pocket Surf portable surface finish gages. Weighing 14 oz, the new PS1 can measure more than 24 surface finish parameters with a high resolution inductive probe and offers...

Vertical machining center for 5-axis milling.(NEW EQUIPMENT)
January 1, 2007... MC Machinery Systems, Inc (www.roku-roku.com) has introduced the Roku-Roku RMX-5 high speed, high precision vertical machining center for milling on as many as 5 axes. The new machine features bridge construction and uses Meehanite GC for both...

Pneumatic drill facilitates waterjet cutting.(NEW EQUIPMENT)
January 1, 2007... WARDJet Inc. (www.wardjet.com) now offers a pneumatic drill that allows a hole to be drilled automatically through material at a specific offset from the waterjet cutting head. Once the hole is drilled, the waterjet can start the cut inside the...

Ultra-compact positioning stage.(NEW EQUIPMENT)
January 1, 2007... Steinmeyer, Inc. (www.steinmeyer.com) is offering a new ultra-compact precision positioning stage model MT63-DC. The stage is available in single or 3-axis configurations and has an overall height of 25.5 mm (1.0 in.) with a straightness/...

Machine complex workpieces in single setups.(NEW EQUIPMENT)
January 1, 2007... Mazak Corporation (www.mazakusa.com) says its new Integrex 200-IV ST performs turning, milling, drilling, boring, tapping and other operations on multiple axes in the same setup, and that it is designed to perform many operations from barfed...

Nylox deburring brushes.(NEW EQUIPMENT)
January 1, 2007... Weiler Corporation (www.weilercorp.com) has introduced a new generation of Nylox composite metal-hub wheel brushes for deburring applications. Weiler says the new brushes offer a 50 percent higher density than traditional metal-hub brushes. The...

Steel sealed ER coolant collets.(NEW EQUIPMENT)
January 1, 2007... Techniks Inc. (www.techniksusa.com) ER coolant collets do not have plugs or seals to fail, so the company says they can be run continuously without worries over coolant issues. The collets do not require coolant discs, are rated at 2,000 psi...

Imports continue to eat away at U.S. manufacturing.(LAST WORD)
January 1, 2007... The United States Business & Industry Council released a report in December on import penetration of U.S.-based manufacturing, and the results show that dozens of major domestic manufacturing industries continue to lose large portions of their...

Gear plant puts 1,400+ machine tools to work in china.(LAST WORD)
January 1, 2007... Ever Power Transmission announced in the last week of December that it opened its new factory in China to produce gears. Ever Power is a Chinese venture that specializes in making all kinds of gears, including NRV worm reducers, cast iron worm...

Jed's grinding & machine.(Chips-n-burrs)(Cartoon)
January 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Is it me? Or is that Rachel Ray cooking lady spreading herself a little thin?

Isn't it time to teach CNC to students?(FROM THE EDITOR)
January 1, 2007... An email from a reader implied the question of whether anyone who continues to use manual machine tools is making money. The author, Jim Ream, owner of QMS Inc. in Glasgow, Ky., has a six-man job shop equipped with Haas and Fryer CNC...

Quick-change bushings toe the line.(CASEBOOKS)
January 1, 2007... Rotary bushings guide and support line-boring bar tools and help to facilitate accurate cutting while controlling heat, wear and chatter during such operations as boring the aligned holes for camshafts and crankshafts on automotive engine...

System keeps toolmaker in the black.(CASEBOOKS)
January 1, 2007... Command Tooling Systems puts a black-oxide finish on more than one-third of the toolholders it produces, and it was outsourcing the process. That outsourcing typically added three days to the manufacturing process. However, the company now uses...

Better data improves profits.(CASEBOOKS)
January 1, 2007... The information-systems arm of Group Dekko needed a more accurate database for costing and scheduling, and to be a part of its strategy to gather information about production uptime and downtime at its manufacturing companies. Group Dekko...