American Machinist articles from November 2008

American Machinist archives from November 2008

Automation: keeps OEM producing.(AUTOMATION)(Haas Automation Inc. production increases )
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMIITED] Today's shops struggle to get parts out the door faster and without having to increase labor. Machine tool OEMs operate under the same pressures. And, as they advise their machine shop customers to do, OEMs rely...

Vertical slide conveyors.(AUTOMATION)(Storch Magnetics )(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... a new series of vertical magnetic slide conveyors from Storch Magnetics (www.storchmagnetics. com) saves space by moving components vertically from 90 degrees and higher. The conveyors, with 304 stainless steel rebuildable tracks, come in...

Automated insert grinding.(AUTOMATION)(Rollomatic )(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... The clamping system and pick-and-place robot on the GrindSmart 620Xi 6-axis insert grinder from rollomatic (www. rollomaticusa.com) lets shops easily grind inserts. The grinder is designed for sharpening every type of insert including...

System racks up manufacturing benefits.(AUTOMATION)(Royal Products)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Shops that bar feed CNC lathes now can safely collect finished parts and gain hours of highly profitable, unmanned production through the Rota-Rack system from Royal Products (www.royalprod.com). The compact...

Profiles of great machine shops.(FROM THE EDITOR)
November 1, 2008... We present in this issue our 10 Best Machine Shops for 2008. This annual job is always a great one for us, the editors at American Machinist, because we get to see some of the best work being done in shops across the country. This is...

Another reason for an intelligent China policy.(GOVERMENT MATTERS)
November 1, 2008... The Bush Administration's failure to deal aggressively with China's unfair trade and currency policy has contributed to the credit crisis that the world is experiencing today. That is a controversial assertion. But let's discuss some...

Machining center heads for flexible production.(MACHINE TOOLS)(Heller Machine Tools)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Shops that work with large or difficult-to-handle parts benefit when being able to perform 5-sided machining in single setups in job volumes that range from prototype to production levels on one machine. ...

Eight spindles, one machine.(MACHINE TOOLS)(Icon Technologies )
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Icon Technologies (www.icon.hydromat.com), a division of Hydromat Inc., has taken a fresh approach to production machining for mediumvolume to high-volume job runs of parts that measure within the size of a 10-in....

Multiprocess, multitasking and high-performance machines.(MACHINE TOOLS)(Methods Machine Tools Inc.)
November 1, 2008... Methods Machine Tools Inc. (www.methodsmachine.com) has made new machines available from Matsuura, Nakamura-Tome and Kiwa. These include the Matsuura Cublex, the Nakamura-Tome WY-250 and the Kiwa KH-45 120. Matsuura's Cublex multi-process...

A different multispindle.(MACHINE TOOLS)(ZPS America LLC )(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The design of the Mori-Say TMZ 642 CNC multispindle machine is engineered to eliminate the need to cool the machine's spindle drum. This ensures mechanical stability without refrigerant or spindle compensation...

Shop expands its comfort zone.(MACHINE TOOLS)(contract between Bronco Manufacturing and Kitamura Machinery)(Editorial)
November 1, 2008... Bronco Manufacturing today easily tackles the highprecision high-volume work of industries such as aerospace, defense, and medical, but this wasn't always the case. For most of its existence, the Texas shop enjoyed a comfortable niche...

The benefits of hardmilling.(MACHINE TOOLS)(Editorial)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] PKT Prazisionskunststoff-technik Burtlmair Gesellschaft MbH near Linz, Austria, specializes in producing plastic molded products, one of which is the company's Switch-It system. The system lets eyeglass wearers...

How to choose--and use ergonomic hand tools: expert tips on what makes a hand tool ergonomic, and how to choose the right one for your body and the job.(OPERATIONS)
November 1, 2008... Drop into any hardware store or home improvement center, and you're likely to find aisles full of tools labeled "ergonomic." But what exactly does that mean? Ergonomics is the science of designing and producing tools, furniture, and other...

New deburring brushes.(OPERATIONS)(Weiler Corp.)(Editorial)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Weiler Corp. (www.weilercorp.com) has introduced a new line of high aggression, compliant deburring tools. The company's Burr-Rx brushes are made with black nylon filaments that are co-extruded with high...

Camshaft inspection guage for 200 parts-per-hour.(OPERATIONS)(Adcole Corp. has introduced Camshaft inspection guage )(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Adcole Corp. (www.adcole.com) has developed a high-speed, sub-micron accuracy gauge that measures camshafts for rise error and chatter mark detection and features top loading or through-feed bottom loading. The...

Software tips from the 10 best shops: here are the software packages in use at this year's 10 best shops, and how the shops work with them.(SOFTWARE)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] In talking to the people who run this year's 10 Best Shops, the same patterns emerged that we've seen in the 10 Best Shops in the past two years. All of the shop managers recognize the critical role that...

CAD/CAM and more for the mold and die industry.(SOFTWARE)(Cimatron CAD-CAM Systems)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Cimatron says the first thing a mold shop has to do is design the mold assembly, so two-thirds to three-fourths of the CimatronE product is specialized, very powerful design CAD software for people who design molds...

10 best machine shops: the American Machinist 2008.(Cover story)
November 1, 2008... Here are the 2008 American Machinist 10 Best Machine Shops. * In the following pages, you will be able to read what these shops are doing to survive, compete and thrive in today's economy. * These shops perform on a daily basis to keep ahead of...

High-velocity coolant control chips.(CUTTING PRODUCTS)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Heat is a major cause of tool failure. In many cases flood coolant cannot get to the cutting edge where temperatures can reach over 1,000 F. However, coolant delivered at high pressure and velocity can reach the...

Vacuum chuck top plate allows machining.(TOOLING & WORKHOLDING)(2L inc.)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Working in conjunction with the 2L Vac-Vise modular vacuum chucks, the new replaceable aluminum top plate from 2L inc. (www.2Linc.com) covers the surface of a vacuum chuck to allow drilling through and milling around the periphery of workpieces...

Bandsaw blades for high temperature cutting.(TOOLING & WORKHOLDING)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] New X-51 Bi-Metal Bandsaw Blades from Simonds International (www.simondsinternational.com) are designed to handle the high temperatures generated when cutting exotic alloys and tough materials. The company said...

Indexable, adjustable drill speeds cycle time.(CASE STUDY)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Ruff Manufacturing Inc., a heavy steel fabricator and flame cutting shop in Farmington, Minn., was supplying a customer with parts that had a hole that was flame cut in 2.250-in. thick A36 plate. When the fabricator's customer asked ruff to...