American Machinist articles from January 2008

American Machinist archives from January 2008

Spreading cutting technology know-how: Peter Matysiak, president of Emuge Corp., provides a perspective on the role the cutting tool industry is playing in North American manufacturing technology.(TECHNOLOGY & EDUCATION)
January 1, 2008... Today, precision, productivity and production capability are the driving forces in North American manufacturing. As tolerances get tighter and cycle times become the difference between profit and loss, tool users need higher skills, and...

Disc and PVD milling inserts.(TOOLING & FIXTURING)
January 1, 2008... Seco Tools Inc. (www. secotools.com) has added SnHQ and LNK-05 inserts to its family of disc milling products for a variety of slotting, facing, circular interpolation, and circlip grooving applications in any material. Both the SNHQ and LNK-05...

Superabrasive wheels get bigger.(TOOLING & FIXTURING)
January 1, 2008... "In the past, many manufacturers were wary of upgrading to superabrasives for their external grinding applications due to the relatively high cost of these products as compared with their conventional counterparts," Bruce Northrup, general...

Self-contained Power Collet Chuck.(WORK HOLDING)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A new Self-Contained Pneumatic Power Collet Chuck from Crawford Collets (www.crawfor-collets.co.uk) enables a mill, lathe or grinder to be converted easily and inexpensively into a production machine. The...

Big rotating and dead centers.(TOOLING & FIXTURING)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Pratt Burnerd International (www. pratt-burnerd.co.uk) has launched a new range of high accuracy big centers, available for both manual and CNC machines, suitable for the oil and energy industries. The centers can...

Indexer cuts cycle time by 23 percent.(TOOLING & FIXTURING)
January 1, 2008... Mason Machinings Inc. is a supplier of parts to the automotive industry, and specializes in supplying truck and bus manufacturers. Some of the company's components are important components of a bus assembly, while they may not require a lot...

Rough milling holders.(TOOL HOLDING)
January 1, 2008... A new line of toolholders--Sino-R Universal Toolholders--has been introduced by Schunk Inc. (www. schunk.com) to its Total Tooling family. The rigid toolholders are for rough milling applications and provide for easy operation, good vibration...

Low-foaming, high-lubricity synthetic.(FLUIDS)
January 1, 2008... Rustlick Vytron-N, recently introduced by ITW Rocol North America (www.rocolnorthamerica. com) is a universal synthetic machining coolant for in a range of applications including grinding, sawing, tapping, drilling, turning and milling. Not...

Spindle measuring and alignment system.(ACCESSORIES)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Pinpoint Laser Systems (www.pinpoint.com) said its new measuring and alignment system for lathes, turning equipment, spindles and related machinery --Microgage Spindle alignment Tool--is easy to use, versatile, and...

Going wireless is more than just eliminating cables.(SOFTWARE)
January 1, 2008... In the quest for improved productivity and profitability, shop owners and managers are realizing that implementing lean manufacturing or other process improvement methods requires timely data, and that makes the need to capture timely and...

Applied Robotics introduces new closed-loop smart gripper.(SOFTWARE)
January 1, 2008... Applied Robotics Inc.(www.arobotics.com), a manufacturer of end-of-arm tooling and connectivity products for robots, has introduced a new, intelligent, closed-loop, direct-drive gripper. According to Applied Robotics, its Smart Gripper is...

Mold maker uses Cimatron software for translation to 3D design and support.(CASE STUDY)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Vaupell Midwest Molding & Tooling (www.vaupel.com), makes molded products and assemblies for the medical, defense, aerospace, electronics and transportation industries. The company was using 2D CaD, but its...

Tenlinks CAD network acquires CADtalent.com job posting website.(SOFTWARE)
January 1, 2008... TenLinks Inc.(www.tenlinks.com) acquired CADtalent. com, the top rated CAD job posting website. According to TenLinks, the CADtalent.com site lists more current CAD-related job openings than any job posting site. It features hosted jobs and...

SolidWorks labs more than doubles its emerging technology offerings.(SOFTWARE)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SolidWorks Labs (www. labs.solidworks.com), the technology sandbox for SolidWorks 3D CAD software users, has more than doubled the number of its free experimental software offerings since its February 2007 launch....

Delcam adds new options for press tool design.(SOFTWARE)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Delcam (www.delcam.com) has added a number of new options specific to deep-draw press tool design to its Delcam Toolmaker CaD software. These new features are aimed at shortening the design time by providing...

Delcam does machining to develop CAM software.(SOFTWARE)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Delcam, the software developer and distributor of such products as PowerMILL, Partmaker, FeatureCAM and ArtCAM, has a special hands-on approach to its software development process. Delcam operates a machine shop,...

Adept Technology offers new software for packaging, picking, placing and palletizing.(SOFTWARE)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Adept Technology Inc. (www.adept.com), a provider of intelligent vision-guided robotics and global robotics services, is now offering an all-in-one packaging software solution for manufacturers' picking, placing and palletizing needs. ...

GibbsCAM now supports STEP AP224 protocol.(SOFTWARE)
January 1, 2008... Gibbs and Associates (www.gibbscam.com), developer of GibbsCAM software for programming CNC machine tools, has completed a collaborative effort in conjunction with South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) which allows GibbsCAM to read STEP...

Template Wizard available for SolidWorks.(SOFTWARE)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] According to 3 Dawn Consulting LLC, its new Template Wizard for SolidWorks 3D CaD software can have new SolidWorks users up and running within minutes of initial installation using 3 Dawn's Pre-Designed Templates....

Stepping up to the full capacity of your machine tools.(OPERATIONS)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] GE Fanuc has developed a series of aftermarket services that the company said can deliver as much as 25 percent more machining capacity without buying new equipment. GE Fanuc's Engineered Solutions...

Doosan Infracore America establishes finance arm.(OPERATIONS)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Doosan Infracore America Corp. (www.infracoremt.com) has established Doosan Global Finance to serve as a global finance provider for its Machine Tools Division. Doosan Global Finance will offer tailored and unique finance programs to...

Compact stopper blocks and brackets.(OPERATIONS)
January 1, 2008... Misumi USA, Inc. (www.misumiusa.com) has introduced compact stopper blocks and stopper brackets for machine and assembly builds. These blocks and brackets are among the company's line of configurable and fixed blocks, brackets, plungers,...

21 develops conical ballnose engraving tools.(OPERATIONS)(2L Inc.)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... 2L Inc. (www.2LInc.com) has developed conical ballnose engraving tools that provide dual functionality. The company said the tools can be used for standard engraving projects and for 3D profiling and surface machining. [ILLUSTRATION...

Brown & Sharp launches new measuring system.(METROLOGY)
January 1, 2008... Hexagon Metrology Inc. (www. hexagonmetrology.us) has launched a new line of multi-sensor measurement systems that feature optical, camera, laser and tactile probing options in a wide variety of configurations. The Brown & Sharpe Optiv...

Nortech Corporation launches new vacuum.(OPERATIONS)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Nortech Corp. (www.nortechcorp. com) has introduced a new line of static conductive vacuums that are designed to eliminate nuisance static shocks that are associated with vacuuming operations. The company said...

Battery-free, infrared touch probe.(OPERATIONS)
January 1, 2008... Heidenhain Corp. has developed a battery-free touch probe for machining applications. Heidenhain said its TS 444 infrared touch probe can be powered by an alternative energy source in the form of compressed air supplied through the spindle...

Internet booklet on setting up a successful shop maintenance program.
January 1, 2008... SMGlobalInc. (www.smglobal.com) has published a booklet on the Internet that provides information on establishing a successful maintenance management program. * "Maintenance Management--Tips For Success" has tips and advice for setting up and...

FARO unveils advanced portable CMM.(OPERATIONS)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] FARO Technologies Inc. (www. faro.com) has developed an eight-foot, portable measurement arm that the company said can measure accurately to 0.0007 in. (+/-18 microns.) Faro said it developed the Quantum FaroArm to...

Multi-channel metrology display.(METROLOGY)(Solartron Metrology )(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Solartron Metrology (www. solartronmetrology.com) has introduced a six-color, multi-axis metrology display. The SI 7500 Series multi-axis metrology display is designed to connect directly to the company's Orbi Network and accepts as many...

Book spells out Precision Spindle measurement techniques.(OPERATIONS)
January 1, 2008... Spindle error motions are a primary source of quality degradation and product failures in machine tools and other processes that require a precision rotating axis. Using noncontact sensors to measure the spindle error motions enables...

Improving machine shop profit.(OPERATIONS)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Brian Norris, vice president for marketing for Sandvik Coromant, said machine shops can improve their profit by taking four steps: * Evaluate and benchmark existing processes. * assess the existing cost structure. * Develop a plan...

Yamazaki initiative supports social responsibility and export compliance.(OPERATIONS)(Mazak Corp.)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Mazak Corp. (U.S.A.) announced in early January that it had started to install relocation detectors on all of the new Mazak machine tools it manufactures to prevent the resale of Mazak machines to countries and businesses that are currently...

The challenges of machining parts for aerospace.(OPERATIONS)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Machining parts for the aerospace industry presents many challenges, including the following: CAM programming is necessary. Whatever programming method is used, the programming must be optimized to gain efficiencies and to save costs....

Tool life.(OPERATIONS)
January 1, 2008... Chris Mills, project manager for aerospace for Sandvik Coromant, said the average life for tooling in machining aerospace components is 3 min to 15 min in roughing operations, and 20 min to 30 min for finishing operations. However, Mills...

Pick the low-hanging fruit: opportunities for improved production abound by reducing spindle idle time.(TURNING)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] WHEN IT COMES TO IMPROVING MACHINING operations, most shops focus their time, effort and money on reducing part-cutting cycle times, or how long a spindle is actually in the cut. What these shops may not realize...

Two or four spindles?(TURNING)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Bill Camloh often compares the spindle idle-time reduction capabilities of twin-spindle lathes to those of a Kitako 4-spindle chucker. Below is one he did for a shop running 4,000 to 10,000-piece job lots. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

MT4-200.(TURNING)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Kitako's MT4-200 4-spindle CNC chucker features hardened, precision ground spindles that get support from double-row cylindrical roller bearings and angular-contact bearings. The cartridge-type spindles are lubricated with grease and sealed for...

Turn to eliminate 2nd-op machines: today's turning machines do more than just turn.(MACHINE TOOLS)(Cover story)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Lathes are no longer thought of as lathes but as turn-mill or multitasking machines that are capable of completing parts in single setups to eliminate secondary operations on other pieces of equipment. And thanks to...

Hold on to live tooling.(MACHINE TOOLS)
January 1, 2008... Eppinger GmbH is one shop that cashed in on the advanced capabilities of today's turning machines. The tooling company began hardturning on lathes and not only eliminated secondary grinding operations but also gained the ability to finish parts...

Laser zaps accuracy issues.(MACHINE TOOLS)
January 1, 2008... After purchasing an Optodyne laser calibration system to ensure linear accuracy of its machine tools, Omax Corp., a manufacturer of waterjet and abrasive-jet cutting systems, improved field service, validated vendor-supplied components, such as...

EDM provides exact drilling.(MACHINE TOOLS)
January 1, 2008... As the land-based gas turbine industry has evolved, repair and maintenance of key first-stage nozzle components have become highly complex processes built on precision engineering. One of the integral advances in technology is the addition of...

Employment decline.(MACHINE TOOLS)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Scott Paul, director of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, regarding the U.S. Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics' projected decline of 1.5 million jobs in U.S. manufacturing from 2006 to 2016 said: "The projected decline, while...

180 mph standing still.(MACHINE TOOLS)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] If all goes according to plan at Windshear Inc., North America will gain its first 180-mph rolling-road wind tunnel, which will also be the first commercially available full-scale, rolling-road wind tunnel of its...

Ceramic bearings race into motorsports.(MACHINE TOOLS)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Ceramic bearing technology never really made it into Performance Racing applications because of the harsh environments within that industry. That is until now with the introduction of Teflon-sealed, full ceramic radial and insert-style...

Reducing setup time.(MACHINE TOOLS)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... The following tips and techniques for reducing setup time come from several machine shops that attended American Machinist's 2007 Machine Shop Workshop. Use pallet changers. For lathes, incorporate stop pins. Always keep commonly...

Saws.(MACHINE TOOLS)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Three new saws provide semiautomatic, manual and abrasive-wheel operations. These include the KS600 and H350M from KMT Saw and the K20RS from Kalamazoo Industries. The KS600 semi-automatic band saw handles...

Advancements in barfeeding.(MACHINE TOOLS)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Patriot 338 and Patriot 551 from Edge Technologies represent advancements in the design and manufacture of economical 12-ft magazine barfeeders for the production-turning industry. The 338 feeds stock diameters...

Multifunction bed mill.(MACHINE TOOLS)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Southwestern Industries Inc.'s Trak DPM SX5 bed mill with the ProtoTrak SMX control, operates manually or as a 2 or 3-axis CNC. The machine's solid ram moves up and down for Z-axis operation and provides mass behind...

Deburring.(MACHINE TOOLS)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Aimed at in-machine CNC deburring of flat surfaces, Weiler Corp.'s Nylox disc brushes operate as collections of flexible files that remove burrs and radius sharp edges as the discs rotate and move across part surfaces. The brushes are compliant...

Meeting global demand.(MACHINE TOOLS)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... "Right now, we're looking to increase production," Ben Schawe, vice president of manufacturing at Mazak U.S.," said about Yamazaki Mazak Corp. reaching $2.165 billion in worldwide sales for the 2007 fiscal year. "We already have...

New AMTDA president.(MACHINE TOOLS)(American Machine Tool Distributors' Association)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Peter Borden takes the reins of the American Machine Tool Distributors' association as its new president. He is a former association chairman and has 35 years in the machine tool industry, most recently as president of Walker Machinery, a...

Do-it yourself CNC tool grinding. In-house CNC tool grinding makes sense, but not for all shops.(MACHINING)(United Grinding Technologies Inc.)
January 1, 2008... This article is based on a web seminar sponsored by United Grinding, titled "How & Why You Should Consider CNC Tool Grinding." There are several reasons that shops should consider CNC tool grinding, including that it provides the ability...

There is no such thing as a technical correction.(GOVERNMENT MATTERS)
January 1, 2008... There is no such thing as a technical correction when it comes to tax law. The Ways and Means Committee of the United States House of Representatives was about to act on a bill that would have had a significant effect on tax law. If...

Turning and lathe tips from the pages of practicalMachinist.com.(PRACTICAL IDEAS)
January 1, 2008... * Having trouble with chatter when turning or parting on a lathe? Turn the cutting tool upside down and reverse the machine's spindle rotation. This creates a pulling force against the machine's dovetail instead of a pushing one. * To cut...

Robots sense their surroundings.(AUTOMATION)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Traditionally, foundry-finishing processes can be extremely labor-intensive and have inconsistent end-product quality because casts are usually ground, deburred and polished by hand. Until now, robots used for...

System automates surface prep.(AUTOMATION)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Guyson Corp.'s rotary blast cabinet provides unmanned automatic operation through automation-compatible controls that allow it to readily interface for loading by a machine-tending robot or pick-and-place device. The...

Two affordable alternatives.(AUTOMATION)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Two recent innovations offer job shops affordable alternatives to manual machine tending and high-priced custom automation systems. The first is the DS 1200-MTL system from Distech Systems Inc., and the second is the JobShop Cell from Methods...

Robot outlook.(AUTOMATION)
January 1, 2008... After record numbers in 2005, sales of industrial robots dropped 11 percent in 2006 to 112,200 units. nevertheless, this was the second highest result ever recorded, according to the 2007 World robotics survey done by the International...

Robotic arms embrace palletizing.(AUTOMATION)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Multiple robotic arms can help achieve palletizing rates significantly higher than those reached by conventional palletizing systems. In addition, multiple robot arm systems save floor space and lower cost of...

Save your factory.(AUTOMATION)
January 1, 2008... North American manufacturers now can turn to the Save your Factory Initiative for cost-effective and profitable alternatives to moving manufacturing offshore. The collaborative industry initiative is a growing consortium of leading companies...

Mazak makes a stand on export control compliance.(FROM THE EDITOR)
January 1, 2008... Yamazaki Mazak Corp. has taken a hard stand in the innovative use of a technology for export control, and the company should be applauded for it. Mazak recently started to install devices in its machine tools that will hobble the machines...