American Machinist articles from March 2004

American Machinist archives from March 2004

Thoughts of early retirement fade for Boomers.(From the Editor)
March 1, 2004... When I was growing up, I often heard that a man should die "with his boots on." This saying had no reference to any John Wayne movie. Rather, it implied that you lived your trade--be it a machinist, accountant, or doctor--until your time on...

A new approach to high-speed machining.(Technology Trends)
March 1, 2004... Shops looking to improve high-speed machining reliability and performance have a new software tool at their disposal. According to Mikron Bostomatic Corp., Holliston, Mass., its Smart Machining program monitors and records spindle vibrations,...

Software takes the measure of turbine blades.(Technology Trends)
March 1, 2004... Shops use many different parameters and analyzing methods to evaluate turbine-blade quality. But the job could become easier and more accurate thanks to a new inspection program that uses data from coordinate-measuring-machine (CMM) software....

Expanded stage for international exhibition.(Technology Trends)
March 1, 2004... A new venue for the Spanish machine tool exhibition BIEMH should boost exhibitor and attendee numbers, according to show organizers. They say moving to the new Bilbao Exhibition Center provides a larger stage for metalworking technology and...

FEA software gives robotic rover an arm up.(Technology Trends)
March 1, 2004... Finite-element analysis (FEA) lets engineers at Alliance Spacesystems Inc. (ASI) of Pasadena, Calif., build a lightweight, yet strong, robotic arm for NASA's "Spirit" Mars rover. By testing the arm using CosmosWorks FEA software from SolidWorks...

Spindle manufacturers merge.(Company News)
March 1, 2004... Setco, North America's largest independent manufacturer and rebuilder of spindles and slides, has acquired Pope Corp., Havermill, Mass., which manufactures precision spindles and operates several U.S service centers. Included in the acquisition...

In-house tool inventory.(Cutting Tool Digest)
March 1, 2004... LMT-Fette offers an inventory-reduction system to select customers. The optional program features an in-house inventory of most-frequently ordered tooling at no additional cost. The Tool Bank is inventoried and replenished monthly, maintaining...

Drill company and parent appoint execs.(Cutting Tool Digest)
March 1, 2004... Alan Godfrey is the new president of Precision Twist Drill Co. During 30 years with Sandvik Coromant USA, he served in various sales and marketing positions including, most recently, vice president sales. Godfrey's predecessor--Tony...

Canadian-German alliance.(Business Trends)
March 1, 2004... Windsor, Ont.-based Tri-Way Manufacturing Technologies Corp. has formed an alliance with Samag, a German builder of multispindle machines. The partnership involves technical transfers as well as product development, sales, and support. The...

Celebrating 25 years.(Business Trends)
March 1, 2004... St. Louis-based Hydromat is celebrating 25 years in business. Beginning in a rented office and 2,750-[ft.sup.2] shop, Hydromat has grown to become an industry leader with 200 associates and a 200,000-[ft.sup.2] operation. Hydromat transfer...

Tool consumption for year ends with a loss.(Business Trends)
March 1, 2004... U.S. machine tool consumption for December 2003 ended higher than November 2003 figures and outpaced last December's numbers. However, the total for the year was down compared to 2002. The American Machine Tool Distributors' Association (AMTDA)...

The condition of American manufacturing cannot be ignored.(Government Matters)
March 1, 2004... The Bush Administration's recently released plan to strengthen manufacturing (Manufacturing in America), acknowledges that something is wrong with the state of manufacturing in America today. While the plan lays out ideas on how to deal with...

Building the automated toolroom.(Machine Of The Month)
March 1, 2004... Walter Grinders' Automated Toolroom Cockpit combines technologies for completely automating the production of round tools and profile inserts--from initial setup through tool grinding and tool control. Walter claims its automation concept...

Software recognizes aspects of 2.5D geometry.(Bits & Bytes)
March 1, 2004... GibbsCAM 2004 with the 2.5D Solids option is simple to use and learn. The 2.5D Solids option provides CNC-programming capability to production-machining users manufacturing 2.5D parts. An automatic-feature-recognition capability...

Extract precise measurements from film.(Bits & Bytes)
March 1, 2004... FotoG is now available in Catia. This close-range photogrammetry system creates 3D CAD models and extracts precise measurements from film or digital photography and video. The addition of the Catia interface to FotoG lets users develop 3D...

Technology truths.
March 1, 2004... An educational series brought to you by AMERICAN MACHINIST and Flow International Corp., Kent, Wash. Myth Waterjets are limited to specialty applications. Reality Waterjet-cutting systems are versatile, capable of cutting both...

Manufacturer not liable for altered product.(Law & Liability)
March 1, 2004... On February 19, 1997, Boris Rodriguez, an employee of Van Teale Inc., a Florida manufacturer of acrylic lighting fixtures, was sanding and polishing acrylic surfaces when the power sander he was operating released a part that went into his eye....

Witness to coworker's death sues for injury.(Law & Liability)
March 1, 2004... Marilyn Bray worked for Baron Blackmon at General Electric Corp.'s plant in Florence, S.C. On March 5, 1994, Blackmon was inside a trash compactor to repair it. When Bray approached the trash compactor to discard a bag of trash, Blackmon asked...

Shop makes parts worthy of champions.(Shop Shots)
March 1, 2004... Bill Miller Engineering (BME) in Carson City, Nev., manufactures high-performance pistons, connecting rods, and wristpins for Nascar Winston Cup series teams and NHRA drag-racing teams. The company is known for its high-quality components, and...

Machine shopping: how to become a better-informed machine tool consumer.(Milling/Turning/Multitasking)
March 1, 2004... Obviously, shops in the market for a milling, turning, or multitasking machine want the best system for their money. They also want machines that can handle their applications. But beyond these are several other important considerations--some...

Grinding out hardened parts: advanced grinding technologies tackle hardened steel components.(Grinding)
March 1, 2004... Before deciding whether or not to hard turn or grind workpieces over 45 Rc, shops should ensure they're comparing "apples to apples"--current technology to current technology. Instead, many evaluate the latest turning centers versus outdated...

Quick workstop.(Practical Ideas)
March 1, 2004... For a quick workstop when the part and setup allows, I use either a parallel clamp or C-clamp with a short piece of angle iron, if possible. These stops take less than 20 sec to set up and are sturdy enough for those machine operators who are a...

Workholding from the fridge.(Practical Ideas)
March 1, 2004... Lathe chucks can leave marks on workpieces. To keep this from happening, most shops lay small pieces of soft copper or aluminum on the jaws. Unfortunately, the task sometimes requires a third hand to hold the pieces in place, and even with...

Shop meets customer demands with waterjet cutting.(Case-Books)
March 1, 2004... Detail Technologies in Grandville, Mich., offers prototype, limited production, and manufacturing services for product development. To deliver its services quickly and cost effectively, the shop relies on a number of manufacturing technologies,...

Waterjet puts shop a cut above the rest.(Case-Books)
March 1, 2004... Orange, Calif.-based Precision Waterjet Inc., which serves industries including aerospace, engineering, and manufacturing, was satisfied with the performance of its two existing Flow A-Series waterjet machines. So it was no wonder Precision...

Upgrade boosts shop's testing-machine output.(Case-Books)
March 1, 2004... Wheatland Tube Co., a manufacturer of continuous and electric-weld tubular products such as standard pipe, mechanical tubing, fence framework, sprinkler pipe, and more, knows firsthand the value of a test-equipment upgrade. Increased...

Lifter pulls shop out of downtime.(Case-Books)
March 1, 2004... Nucor Steel wanted to reduce maintenance downtime associated with removing 120-in.-diameter bottom electrode plates from electric steel furnaces. Just hooking up an electrode, which involved hydraulically pushing the plate up and retrieving it...

Rigid spindle for HMC.(Spotlight: Westec)
March 1, 2004... The spindle of the M-H4050 HMC uses four rows of front spindle bearings, instead of two, for rigidity at all speeds. Thermal stability comes from control of heat sources--internally oil-cooled ballscrews, oil-cooled flange mounts to isolate...

Waterjet equipment.(Spotlight: Westec)
March 1, 2004... Streamline SL-IV Plus waterjet intensifiers feature a long-lasting Hyperlife plunger seal and ceramic plunger, both of which boost uptime. A hard-seal end cap improves maintainability. The SL-IV Plus provides 60,000-psi continuous-operating...

Program part contours with DRO.(Spotlight: Westec)
March 1, 2004... The Positip (PT) 880 DRO lets users program 2D-part contours and graphically follow cutting on a large color monitor. The PT 880 has a full-feature readout offering six-axes input for either linear or angular encoders. It accepts absolute scale...

Radio probe beats interferences.(Spotlight: Westec)
March 1, 2004... The RMP60 machine tool probe uses frequency-hopping, spread-spectrum radio transmissions (FHSS) for probing 5-axis, large-part, or deep-part machining. The system "hops" transmission between multiple, discrete 1-MHz channels to overcome...

Toolpath for tight corners.(Spotlight: Westec)
March 1, 2004... The Curly Corner toolpath in the upcoming FeatureCAM 2005 software uses a trochoid path through slots and in tight corners to maintain high speed with a more consistent cutter load. It controls the cut width in sharp corners and slots and...

Universal machining.(Spotlight: Westec)
March 1, 2004... The milling head of the DMC 60 T 5-axis machining center ensures its universal nature in two ways--a 37.5-hp, 12,000-rpm spindle and a B axis with interpolation and 30[degrees]-swivel range in each direction beyond the horizontal or vertical...

HMC features twin pallets.(Spotlight: Westec)
March 1, 2004... The HMC 400 horizontal machining center s twin 400-mm-diameter pallets lock onto a simultaneous, fourth-axis rotary table with a 13,000-lb holding force. A double enveloping gear on the table and mechanical disk brake with 12 pads ensure [+ or...

VMC drive connects to spindle.(Spotlight: Westec)
March 1, 2004... The VM-3 moldmaking VMC sports a 40 taper, 12,000-rpm spindle that uses a special in line, direct-drive system that connects the motor directly to the spindle for less vibration, heat, and noise. Coolant circulates through a jacket in the...

Multitasking machine tackles aluminum.(Spotlight: Westec)
March 1, 2004... The Nexus QTN 250MS multitasking machine features 35-hp, 4,000-rpm advanced integral spindle/motor technology on its main turning spindle for heavy-duty metal removal and high-speed cutting of aluminum and other nonferrous materials. The second...

Machine design dampens vibration.(New Equipment)
March 1, 2004... The NV4000 VMC's net driving force acts through the center of the axis. The machine features five ballscrews--two on the Y axis, two on the Z, and one on the X--that reduce vibration without sacrificing speed for accuracy. A more-stable...

EDMs sport new NC.(New Equipment)
March 1, 2004... The Roboform 350 die-sinking EDMs feature a new generation of numeric controls. Called Dynamic Process Control (DPControl), it suggests ideal electrode undersize, determines the number of electrodes needed, and organizes jobs according to...

Grinder performs I.D. and O.D. work.(New Equipment)
March 1, 2004... The S33 universal cylindrical grinder addresses both internal and external applications in a single machine platform. Its center height is 175 mm and between-centers grinding length is either 650 mm or 1,000 mm. The O.D. wheel size is...

CMM measures without the extras.(New Equipment)
March 1, 2004... The 7-axis contact/noncontact Laser ScanArm measurement device collects measurement data without third-party attachments, external electronics, or cables. It uses a hard probe to collect simple point variations and a laser scanner for larger...

Detect part errors before machining.(New Equipment)
March 1, 2004... Vericut CNC machine simulation-and-optimization software's latest version includes an Auto-Differencing function that compares cut stock with the design model to locate errors and differences. It also features tools for creating custom reports...

Software compatible with multitasking machines.(New Equipment)
March 1, 2004... Esprit SolidTurnMill software offers factory-certified posts and accurate G-code generation for Mori Seiki, Mazak, and Nakamura machines. SolidMillTurn also tackles specific programming needs of multifunction and Swiss-style lathes and...

Automating repetitive programming.(New Equipment)
March 1, 2004... The automatic toolpathing add-on for Mastercam Version 9.1 software computerizes repetitive programming tasks by linking cutting strategies to specific layers containing geometry. The feature automatically scans each layer and programs them...

Five-axis machining software additions.(New Equipment)
March 1, 2004... PowerMill 5 software sports secondary-axis limiting so the generated program does not move outside any limits in the machine tool's movement range. Contact-point analysis ensures the cutting surface touches only the component. The contact-point...

Manage and monitor machine tools.(New Equipment)
March 1, 2004... GE Fanuc's i CellOEE Windows-based supervisory software manages and monitors multiple CNC machine tools and supports operations such as parts machining, data collection, remote diagnostics, and state-change monitoring. In the event of a...

Machining choices.(New Equipment)
March 1, 2004... Surfcam 2003 software's machining functions include 3D offset finishing, to create more uniform toolpaths, and flat surface finishing that identifies flat surfaces to remove points. There is also a dedicated chamfer-milling operation and...

Tooling for small-part machining.(New Equipment)
March 1, 2004... CoroTurn XS tooling tackles small-part machining in automotive, medical, and watch applications. The inserts fit into boring bars with internal cutting-fluid supplies. Four sizes are available in various hole diameters and lengths. Booth 3816...

Tool grade turns difficult materials.(New Equipment)
March 1, 2004... The TP3000 turning insert grade handles steel and stainless steel applications. It allows for sharp cutting edges to decrease build-up, especially in difficult materials such as soft ductile or stainless steel. Negative and positive inserts and...

Turning and grooving tools.(New Equipment)
March 1, 2004... Valenite's Westec exhibits include the ValTurn turning system with seven carbide grades and 14 top-form geometries; ValTurn ProGrip advanced toolholding system; ValGroove parting-and grooving system with additional features and options; and...

Transform RD/ER collet chucks.(New Equipment)
March 1, 2004... Precision RDT Quick-Change tapping collets fit any RD/ER collet chuck, transforming them into quick-change/axial-compensating tapping toolholders. The toilets feature a friction-free, precision ball-bearing drive that practically eliminates tap...

Secure thin-walled parts.(New Equipment)
March 1, 2004... New Carr Lane Roemheld hydraulic clamps and cylinders feature built-in locking pistons for floating clamping of thin-walled workpieces with minimum deformation. The pistons provide light clamping but high-support force that prevents part...

Adjustable collets.(New Equipment)
March 1, 2004... Sure-Grip expanding-collet systems accommodate various bore sizes through a -0.001 to +0.015-in. under-over capacity. A double-angle design ensures true parallel gripping with maximum grip force, and a built-in safety stop prevents...

Royal Workholding customers are able to view and establish a selection of newly developed workholding concepts designed to improve the quality and production of a variety of part configurations.
March 1, 2004... Royal Workholding customers are able to view and establish a selection of newly developed workholding concepts designed to improve the quality and production of a variety of part configurations. Pictorial illustrations provide readily available...

Way Cover Repair Center.(AM LIT Review)
March 1, 2004... Gortite's Way Cover Repair Center handles all types of damaged metal way covers, repaired to OEM specs or better. The center features discounted service for planned maintenance, expert analysis and diagnosis, testing of all covers before...

Power workholding.(AM LIT Review)
March 1, 2004... This 174-page catalog features start-of-the-art power workholding, including clamps, work supports, vises, cylinders, concentric clamping, hydraulic lifting devices, valves, power units, fittings, and more. (636) 349-1133, fax: (636) 349-1191...

Boring bars.(AM LIT Review)
March 1, 2004... Criterion Machine Works' complete line of boring bars for deep-hole boring can be found in its heavy metal and carbide-shank boring-bar brochure. The brochure highlights the boring bars, inserts, and bushings needed to produce deep-hole bores....

Full-color catalog.(AM LIT Review)
March 1, 2004... The full-color, 24-page 2004 E-Z Burr Tool Co. catalog is loaded with photographs, diagrams, charts, and specifications. Ordering instructions are included for all tools, blades, and inserts. Call (800) 783-2877 or order on-line at...

GibbsCAM interactive tour.(AM LIT Review)
March 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...

Precision borescopes.(AM LIT Review)
March 1, 2004... Cost-conscious machinists win more business by inspecting part interiors with Hawkeye precision borescopes. Hawkeye's new-generation technology yields bright, clear, sharp images at half the price of comparable borescopes. Call (800) 536-0790...

Tech and Pro end-mill lines.(AM LIT Review)
March 1, 2004... The new Tech and Pro end-mill lines deliver improvements in cost-efficiency through a unique combination of ultrafinegrain carbide substrates, advanced coatings, and innovative design. Both include a range of popular styles, diameters, and...

Safety guards.(AM LIT Review)
March 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)
March 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...

SKF solutions.(AM LIT Review)
March 1, 2004... The one-stop shop for all machine tool and production machinery builder and user needs. Specs, prices, and CAD files available on-line. Worldwide spindle, slide, ballscrew, and bearing repair facility. Design and development optimization...