American Machinist articles from October 2004

American Machinist archives from October 2004

Political intervention can be devastating.(From The Editor)
October 1, 2004... In this election year, there are plenty of U.S. politicians criticizing the present administration and corporate America for the loss of manufacturing jobs. I think that's a bit hypocritical considering many of them have taken it upon...

Pull together for manufacturing.(We've Got Mail)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2004... I agree with the July editorial ("Let's stop playing the blame game," p. 10) concerning Americans' "what's in it for me" mentality. If we could just rekindle some of the patriotism and "can do" attitude that prevailed in this country during...

The U.S. manufacturing base.(We've Got Mail)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2004... In your recent editorials, including June's "Is U.S. manufacturing dying" (p. 6) and letters to the editor, I have noticed that no one touched on the lack of skilled craftsman in the industry. I believe that manufacturing jobs have become too...

Growing up in difficult times.(We've Got Mail)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2004... Regarding your May editorial ("The rewards of growing up in difficult times," p. 8) I think it is absurd to imply that today's youth won't be as inventive or as adaptable as the generation born before the mid-1970s. I think that one generation...

Shot heard round the world.(Technology Trends)
October 1, 2004... Said to be the world's first electron-beam machine (EBM), the PF32A from Sodick Co. Ltd., Schaumburg, Ill., applies mirror finishes in a short time to part surfaces, especially those on molds and dies. It does so using a uniform 2.362-in.-wide...

Intelligent grinding process learns to do it right.(Technology Trends)
October 1, 2004... Researchers at Purdue University, are working with industry to develop an intelligent system that improves precision-grinding processes. The system could save U.S. companies $1 billion annually in manufacturing costs. "Precision grinding...

Metal deposition repairs critical parts.(Technology Trends)
October 1, 2004... Extending the life of aging aircraft, combat vehicles, artillery, and small arms for the Department of Defense (DoD) requires sophisticated repair and overhaul techniques. A cost-effective solution to reduce repair cycles and provide...

Modular-tool-system catalog.(Company News)
October 1, 2004... A full-color catalog from BIG Kaiser Precision Tooling highlights the company's precision face-milling tools, 112.200 boring heads, and back-boring insert-holder program. The 108-pg catalog, number 307, is color coded to ease selection of...

Source for P/M information.(Company News)
October 1, 2004... Information Handling Services (IHS), a provider of technical codes, standards, and product specifications and the Metal Powder Industries Federation (MPIF) are partnering to distribute powder metallurgy (P/M) information internationally to...

U.S. Cutting Tool Institute billings index.(Cutting Tool Digest)
October 1, 2004... U.S. CUTTING TOOL INSTITUTE BILLINGS INDEX Index for June '03-May '04 June $123,443,633 113.6% July $111,215,159 102.1% August $116,382,313 106.8% September $125,456,973 115.4%...

Copy-mill catalog.(Cutting Tool Digest)
October 1, 2004... An eight-page, four-color catalog provides comprehensive technical information on ValMill V500 copy mills. The catalog presents drawings and specification tables for end-mill and face-mill-cutter bodies, inserts, and spare parts. Also described...

Chamfering solutions and new drill grade.(Cutting Products)
October 1, 2004... Kennametal has introduced new chamfering rings, a spotting drill with built-in chamfering capabilities, and grade KC7315 for its KSEM modular drills. The chamfering rings and spotting drills allow for drilling and chamfering in one operation....

Coated end mills.(Cutting Tool Digest)
October 1, 2004... Vega Tool Corp.'s line of Hitachi end mills has a nano-crystal CS coating that reportedly improves lubricity without compromising hardness for good surface finishes and long life. In carbon-steel applications, Hitachi CS-coated ball-nose...

Internal-thread mills.(Cutting Tool Digest)
October 1, 2004... Emuge's line of Threads-All indexable-insert thread mills is for producing internal threads on CNC machining centers. Threads-All mills have hardened CNC-ground tool-steel bodies with Weldon-style shanks that quickly and easily adapt to a...

Bourn & Koch acquires competitor.(Business Trends)
October 1, 2004... Bourn & Koch, Rockford, Ill., has purchased sections of former competitor DeVlieg Bullard II Inc. According to Bourn & Koch President Timothy P. Helle, the company's $12.8-million bid was approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware. ...

New owner for Almco.(Business Trends)
October 1, 2004... Almco Inc., Albert Lea, Minn., has been acquired by a local holding company, Innovance. It was also announced that Almco President and Sales Director Keith A. Fligge has retired and Richard A. Rocklin, president of KleenTec Inc., is now...

July machine tool consumption dips.(Business Trends)
October 1, 2004... Despite increases for the year and against July 2003, July machine tool consumption decreased from the previous month. The United States Machine Tool Consumption report, jointly compiled by The American Machine Tool Distributors' Association...

Dallas.(Business Trends)
October 1, 2004... Dallas.... Mori Seiki reports that its Iga Campus in Japan has expanded with the additions of a large machine and turnkey plant and a Human Resources Development Center. At 44,800 [ft.sup.2], the large machine facility will produce...

What's the best course on China's currency?(Government Matters)
October 1, 2004... China's currency continues to pose problems to the U.S. economy. Last month a group known as the "China Currency Coalition" filed a Section 301 petition with the U.S. government, charging that the Chinese were taking unfair trade advantage of...

Modular machines handle mass production.(Machine Of The Month)
October 1, 2004... Designed on a common platform for mass production of compact workpieces, Mori Seiki's NX series features horizontal and vertical machining centers and a turning center. The machines measure 26.8-in. wide and 90.4-in. deep and handle...

Windows XP-certified software.(Bits & Bytes)
October 1, 2004... SMGlobal's FastMaint computerized maintenance-management-solution (CMMS) software version 4.1 has successfully completed Microsoft's Verified for Windows XP-certification test, confirming that it meets Microsoft's usability and stability...

PC-based CNC.(Bits & Bytes)
October 1, 2004... The S-120M is a high-end, PC-based CNC that controls up to eight axes, including four CNC axes, PLC axes, and a spindle. The product features a 1,000-block/sec processing time and what's described as flexible and extensive macros and dynamic...

Software delivers the look of metal.(Bits & Bytes)
October 1, 2004... A long with other enhancements, MachineWorks V6.1 incorporates OpenGL rendering for a realistic metallic effect within its animations. With this simulation-and-verification software, users add reflections into their applications to customize...

A view to a CAD model.(Bits & Bytes)
October 1, 2004... With Delcam's free CAD viewer--users see but can't change--CAD models in all major formats, including Carla versions 4 and 5, Pro/Engineer 2001 and Wildfire, SDRC, Unigraphics, SolidWorks, and Solid Edge, as well as industry standards like...

CNC makes for efficient machining.(User Review)
October 1, 2004... Kimray Inc. in Oklahoma City manufactures control valves and related equipment for oil and gas-producing companies. It reports a 40% to 50% increase in machining efficiency due largely to CNC-based production machines. The company's...

Client not responsible for test injury.(Law & Liability)
October 1, 2004... Charles Labatut worked as a welder for Pax Cryogenics Systems Inc., a steel-fabrication yard specializing in fabricating process-piping skids for the industrial gas market. In the spring of 1998, Labatut was working on a skid for Air Products,...

Workers' comp is sole remedy for estate of statutory employee.(Law & Liability)
October 1, 2004... Milliken & Co. hired Sanders Brothers Inc., a mechanical contracting firm, to provide workers to assist Milliken employees on machinery maintenance and installation projects in its dye package plant in Abbeville, S.C. On Feb 10, 1998,...

What's ahead for CAD/CAM? Continued integration among CAD, CAM, and CNC software will make tomorrow's machine tools smarter, faster, and more accurate.(Manufacturing Software)(Cover Story)
October 1, 2004... Even though many software manufacturers tout their "interoperability," end users are still dealing with disconnects among their CAD, CAM, and CNC systems. But this is quickly changing. In the not-too-distant future, industry-wide collaboration...

Leadtime killers of RAM EDM: the prime suspects are setup and programming.(EDM)
October 1, 2004... It's typically the same M.O. in every shop with a ram EDM. Long leadtimes kill a machine's productivity, so the faster operators set up and program a job, the quicker they can push the start button. To help them do so, today's EDM OEMs offer...

An alternative driving system: rack-and-pinion drives gain momentum delivering zero-backlash motion.(Motion Control)
October 1, 2004... CNC machine tool performance depends on the precision of linear-axis drive systems. Traditionally, OEMs use ballscrews or linear-motor technology to achieve this, but because of increased machine speeds and long axis lengths, ballscrews are...

Cutting corners.(Practical Ideas)
October 1, 2004... A standard corner-rounding end mill or ball mill works well for cutting convex or concave radii on workpieces using a manual lathe. After choosing the appropriate cutter, I clamp it in an Aloris-type toolholder at minimum overhang and run the...

Cleaning gundrills.(Practical Ideas)
October 1, 2004... Worn or broken gundrills, especially those with diameters between 0.093 and 0.156 in., make perfect nozzles to clean holes. Simply tap the end of the holder and attach an air line--the tool's through hole delivers a concentrated air flow that...

Dual vises put the squeeze on setup problems.(CaseBooks)
October 1, 2004... Positioning and clamping hammer dies weighing as much as 1,500 lb and measuring up to 24x26x12 in. is no easy task. That's why Impact Forge Inc. of Columbus, Ind., incorporates a twin-vise setup that efficiently clamps the dies vertically for...

Production center eliminates setup time.(CaseBooks)
October 1, 2004... For an axle-flange drilling project, Kira America incorporated simple modifications to a standard CNC machine and supplied its manufacturing customer with zero setup times for 19 different forgings and 350 part numbers. Forgings differ in...

Lighting system brightens energy-cost outlook.(CaseBooks)
October 1, 2004... Orion Energy Systems wants American manufacturers to replace their legacy electric lighting, known as High Intensity Discharge (HID), with Orion's Illuminator Series lighting. According to the company, HID lighting devours energy and money,...

Software streamlines enclosure designing.(CaseBooks)
October 1, 2004... For one air handling system manufacturer, automated software that works in conjunction with AutoCAD reduces system-enclosure design time 60%, improves manufacturing quality, and lets the shop handle a 35% volume increase. Based on operator...

System keeps hose damage from taking off.(CaseBooks)
October 1, 2004... At a large German airplane refitter, most of the operations involved in converting passenger planes into cargo carriers is done with compressed-air-powered tools, for instance, wrenches and drills. These planes move around the facility, and the...

Multitasking machine meets shop's changing workloads.(CaseBooks)
October 1, 2004... Domino Machine Inc. in Edmonton, Alta., manufactures stuffing boxes and blow-out preventers for the oil and gas industries. Its customers once supplied cut barstock for machining parts, but now want the shop to manage the complete manufacturing...

HMC highlights chip removal.(Spotlight: Post-IMTS)
October 1, 2004... A heavy-duty, one-piece waycover protects the Bluestar 5 HMC's ways and linear scales from chip contamination, while two spiral conveyors double chip-removal capacity. The machine comes with a 40-position, disk-type tool magazine with #40 ANSI...

Grinder wipes away metal.(Spotlight: Post-IMTS)
October 1, 2004... The molecular-decomposition-process (MDP) grinder removes metal with a combination of electric current, special electrolytes, and abrasives. The electric current flows through the electrolyte between the positively charged workpiece and...

EDM rotary tables.(Spotlight: Post-IMTS)
October 1, 2004... Jauch & Schmider CNC rotary tables from Koma Precision add one, two, or three axes to EDM machines. They are fully submergible and come in standard and application-specific, multi-axis configurations. The tables connect with the machine's...

Software products integrate.(Spotlight: Post-IMTS)
October 1, 2004... Tornos and PartMaker Software/IMCS Inc. have combined software packages TB-DECO and PartMaker SwissCAM for programming Deco Swiss-type lathes. A Tornos standard file exported by PartMaker SwissCAM and imported by TB-Deco link the two. Deco...

Less noise and vibration with toolholder.(Spotlight: Post-IMTS)
October 1, 2004... VC toolholders deliver high accuracy (runout within 0.00012 in. at 4X diameter) and precise finishes, and their slim and smooth profiles lessen noise from high-speed rotation and air current created by hex nuts and slots. Grooves under the nuts...

Two spindle packages for VMCs.(Spotlight: Post-IMTS)
October 1, 2004... CFV VMCs handle 23.03-in.-deep components and provide 21.25-in. Y travel. Two performance packages are available. The first is the Xi with a 12,500-rpm spindle and 30-tool toolchanger for high-production machining. The second, the Si, comes...

Cross-slides spotlighted on lathe.(Spotlight: Post-IMTS)
October 1, 2004... The OL-1 Office lathe's high-speed cross-slide accepts various gang-style tools and features X and Z-axis travels measuring 8X8 in. Reportedly, the cross-slide makes for quick setups and tool-changes, good clearance, and short cycle times. The...

Accurate HMCs.(Spotlight: Post-IMTS)
October 1, 2004... FH-R Series HMCs come with a 50-taper, 6,000-rpm spindle. They are boxway machines with Hand-scraped guideways. Dual ballscrews and drives in each axis generate high-acceleration rates up to 1,890 ipm at 0.5 G. Toyoda Machinery USA...

VMCs feature special spindles.(Spotlight: Post-IMTS)
October 1, 2004... The XV Series VMCs have spindle motors that are directly attached to the spindle units. The manufacturer reports the design reduces noise, backlash, and vibration experienced by spindles driven by belts or gears. Besides the 10,000-rpm,...

Additional accessories for lathe.(Spotlight: Post-IMTS)
October 1, 2004... An optional subspindle and X-axis linear glass scales are available for the Elite 8151 lathe. It sports a 2 in. capacity, 20C collet-ready spindle. The lathe's base weight has increased more than 1,000 lb with the addition of Harcrete polymer...

Off-line EDM programming.(Spotlight: Post-IMTS)
October 1, 2004... Roboform 23 diesinking EDMs feature the Sinker Programming System (SPS), an off-line system that lets operators or mold designers program complex diesinking applications with a few mouse clicks. It also has command programs used by other...

Turning/grinding center.(Spotlight: Post-IMTS)
October 1, 2004... Studer Schaudt's Stratos Series combines dual processing--turning and internal/external grinding--and integrated material handling in a single machine and setup. There are three models. The first one, the Stratos S, has two workstations and...

Spacers aid ballscrews.(Spotlight: Post-IMTS)
October 1, 2004... Steinmeyer uses spacers made of durable plastic and resembling two Belleville springs back-to-back to separate recirculating balls inside the nuts of ballscrews. According to the company, ballscrews with the elastic spacers consistently obtain...

Additions to micro-drill line.(Spotlight: Post-IMTS)
October 1, 2004... Solid-carbide Sphinx micro-drill line now includes sizes from 0.039 to 0.078 in. in 0.00039 in. increments. Tolerance ranges are +0/-0.0016 in. The tools feature a reinforced shank and come in 0.984 in. lengths and diameters from 0.002 to 0.078...

Software for multi-axis toolpaths.(Spotlight: Post-IMTS)
October 1, 2004... The latest release of Mastercam includes new functions for multi-axis toolpaths such as shank and holder-collision detection, which checks to make sure tooling setups did not strike and damage parts. There is an advanced checking procedure for...

90[degrees] corner milling.(Spotlight: Post-IMTS)
October 1, 2004... Univex Premium square-shoulder mills have high positive geometries and unequal pitches for smooth performance and accurate 90[degrees] corner milling. They feature nickel-plated bodies and through-the-tool coolant. Indexable inserts are...

Large tools added.(Spotlight: Post-IMTS)
October 1, 2004... Tools with diameters up to 3.9 in. are now in the CoroMill 210 line for plunge and high-feed face milling. When feeding the tools tangentially, 10[degrees] entering angles permit extreme feedrates at small axial-cutting depths. In roughing...

Drill and chamfer in one operation.(Spotlight: Post-IMTS)
October 1, 2004... The manufacturer of sumiChamfer systems tooling claims the collar that fits around its carbide drills help them drill and chamfer in one operation. Tool inserts yield two indexes and come with or without chipbreakers. There are three...

Cutters prevent step generation.(Spotlight: Post-IMTS)
October 1, 2004... Xtra-tec F4041 shoulder-milling cutters include rhombic indexable inserts with four positive-cutting edges and precise 90[degrees] approach angles. The cutters feature inserts with extreme spirals, and according to the manufacturer, they reduce...

Indexer control handles brush/brushless motors.(Spotlight: Post-IMTS)
October 1, 2004... The digital servo control of the 5C indexer supports brush and brushless-motor indexers from Hardinge and other manufacturers. The control has an intelligent power module that operates coolly and quietly. It also has a multiple-line LCD display...

No-jaw-lift chucks.(Spotlight: Post-IMTS)
October 1, 2004... Kitagawa's DL Series dual-lock power chucks are reportedly the first radial-guideway power chucks with no jaw lifting and Z-axis repeatability near zero. The chucks actuate and clamp parts using traditional radial actuation. Then, in the second...

Laser markers.(Spotlight: Post-IMTS)
October 1, 2004... TLM 500 E Series diode-pumped, solid-state, laser-marking systems use CW/Q-switched Nd:YAG end-pumped lasers with remote, fiber-coupled light sources. Average diode life is more than 15,000 working hours. They also feature Merlin II LS software...

Working on the crane gang.(100 years ago in American Machinist)
October 1, 2004... A letter to the editors, entitled "A Workman's Spite," printed in the October 1904, issue, described the writer's recent experience with all old lifting crane that was the source of long-standing conflict: The machinist who erected the crane...

Oldest and still the best?(50 years ago in American Machinist)
October 1, 2004... "Water long has been considered the best coolant for most grinding operations," wrote editors in the October 11, 1954, issue, "but it has the disadvantage that unless treated with an anti-rust additive, it causes rapid corrosion of both...