American Machinist articles from October 2006

American Machinist archives from October 2006

Roughing with old finishing inserts.(PRACTICAL IDEAS)
October 1, 2006... A large variety of indexable inserts have chip-breaker grooves ground or pressed in for controlling chips. I have discovered, that it is possible to grind a groove on a used plain insert to remove the worn portion and re-use the insert for...

Punching a perfect shim.(PRACTICAL IDEAS)
October 1, 2006... I often need to shim various pieces of tooling to adjust their heights after they have been sharpened. When I make my shims, I prefer a precise fit with no slop around the dowel holes. This locates the shims perfectly. First, I cut a piece of...

New coating technology/turning grade.(CUTTING PRODUCTS)
October 1, 2006... Seco Tools Inc. (www.secotools.com) introduced at IMTS its new process for producing coatings on cutting tool inserts. Seco says its DurAtomic process uses crystallographic control to manipulate the coating at the atomic level. The process grew...

Fine-boring system.(CUTTING PRODUCTS)
October 1, 2006... Romi Machine Tools Ltd. (www.romiusa.com) has introduced the Romicron fine-boring system that permits adjustments of 1 [micro]m (0.00004 in.) on the tool radius without removing the tool from the machine. The system is for production...

Mounted-points kit for second-step finishing.(CUTTING PRODUCTS)
October 1, 2006... The Rex-Cut MX Plus Kit from Rex-Cut Products Inc., Fall River, Mass. (www.rexcut.com) is designed to provide seven cotton-fiber-mounted points for second-step finishing on stainless steel, aluminum and exotic metals. The mounted points are...

Thread and insert mills for no-leak pipe threads.(CUTTING PRODUCTS)
October 1, 2006... New thread mills and insert mills from Emuge Corp. (www.emuge.com) are designed to solve problems of leaking pipe joints in the petroleum and natural gas industries associated with traditional machine tapping or lay-down threading methods. The...

Pencil collets and power chucks.(TOOLING & WORKHOLDING)
October 1, 2006... Sandvik Coromant Co. (www.coromant.sandvik.com) says its CoroGrip pencil collets are particularly useful for mold and die shops because they can reach into deep cavities and pockets and machine-challenging areas without compromising part...

Ever wonder why our trade deficit with China is $202 billion?(GOVERNMENT MATTERS)
October 1, 2006... Apparently the U.S. government has decided to go ahead with its decision to impose new restrictions on trade with China. As I reported in July, the Commerce Department has issued proposed new regulations known as the "China Catch-All." The...

Injured operator limited to workers'-comp benefits.(LAW & LIABILITY)
October 1, 2006... Urena v. Theta Products Inc., 899 A.2d 449 (Sup.Ct.R.I. 2006), Supreme Court of Rhode Island, June 2, 2006. In October 1998, Pablo Urena worked for Worker's Mania Inc., a temporary employment agency, and was assigned to work at Theta...

Injured worker could sue previous tenant for faulty scaffolding.(LAW & LIABILITY)
October 1, 2006... Dutchmen Manufacturing Inc. v. Reynolds, 849 N.E.2d 516 (Sup.Ct.Ind. 2006), Supreme Court of Indiana, June 22, 2006. Dutchmen Manufacturing Inc., a manufacturer of recreational vehicle travel trailers and fifth wheels, leased a facility in...

Machining with finesse for tiny tools: microtools that easily break and parts with minute surface features require specialized machining strategies.(MACHINING)
October 1, 2006... NOT ONLY ARE PARTS GETTING SMALLER, they are packed with more components to provide added power and functionality. Manufacturing small, complex parts requires machining with microtools that are delicate and can be easily deflected and broken....

Probing the lim of metrology: sophisticated probing technologies keep up with the demands of measuring micromachined parts.(MICROMEASURING)
October 1, 2006... IN AN IDEAL WORLD, AN OPTICAL OR another non-contact inspection technique would be the best way to measure complex, micromachined parts, but this is often impractical. Optical systems have the advantages of speed, and they avoid part...

Working an inside job: successful I.D. grinding rides on wheels.(ABRASIVES)
October 1, 2006... SETTING UP FOR I.D. GRINDING jobs is different from setting up external and surface grinding operations. Because of the wheel-within-a-hole configuration of I.D. grinding, shops must pay special attention to the area of contact between the...

Laser keeps chips in check: new system dramatically cuts machining costs.(TURNING)
October 1, 2006... LASER-ASSISTED CHIP-CONTROL TECHNOLOGY can cut machining costs up to 60 percent according to Mark Walther, President of AmeriChip International, Inc. in Plymouth, Mich. (www.americhiplacc.com). The new technology completely eliminates the...

Effective education.(TRAINING)
October 1, 2006... "EVERY YEAR THE MACHINES I BUY REQUIRE people with more advanced skills, and every year the people who apply for work here seem to be less skilled," says the owner of a large midwestern machine shop. That condition isn't unique to that owner or...

Technology advances at IMTS.(FROM THE EDITOR)
October 1, 2006... As expected, IMTS presented a great assortment of new machines and technologies, and was a great place to gage the strategies that machine tool manufacturers are developing. Some manufacturers were demonstrating simpler, easy to use, less...

Correction.(FROM THE EDITOR)(Correction notice)
October 1, 2006... Correction: Through an embarrassing slip-up, we misplaced the Internet site for E.H. Wachs Co., one of our 10 Best Machine Shops, in the September issue of American Machinist. the company's web site is www.wachsco.com.

Farming work out comes to a grinding halt.(CASEBOOKS)
October 1, 2006... Benchmark Manufacturing, a division of Attica Hydraulic Exchange Corp., once farmed out its production grinding work. However, doing so grew impractical as the shop's manufacturing environment transformed to just-in-time deliveries. Benchmark...

Software updates shop's mold building.(CASEBOOKS)
October 1, 2006... When Bud Hanna purchased SCP Plastics (www.scpplastics.com), he surmised that the injection-molding shop had not updated its tooling technology since the 1960s, and so, he invested in new technology. His investment included two sets of CNC...

Edge prep boosts tool life.(CASEBOOKS)
October 1, 2006... As a manufacturer of automobile axle assemblies, the Getrag Axle Plant in Newton, N.C., produces about 1,800 assemblies daily for customers such as GM and Daimler-Chrysler. At the heart of the axle assemblies are ring and pinion gears that are...

Report says U.S. competitiveness declining.(LEADING INDICATORS)
October 1, 2006... The National Association of Manufacturers (www.nam.org) says structural costs for domestic manufacturers have increased to 31.7 percent from 22.4 percent since 2003 compared to nine major trading partners. The National Association of...

Chips-n-burrs.(LEADING INDICATORS)
October 1, 2006... "I know we're losing money on each one. I figured we'd make it up in volume." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

MAG-IAS revs up with former ThyssenKrupp.
October 1, 2006... MAG Industrial Automation Systems (www.mag-ias.com) announced Aug. 29 that it integrated the former ThyssenKrupp MetalCutting into its MAG Industrial Automation Systems, and that it now has many of the world's best-known international...

Delcam buys PartMaker.
October 1, 2006... Delcam (www.delcam.com) acquired U.S.-based International Manufacturing Computer Services Inc., the developer of the PartMaker suite of CAM software including applications for the programming of multi-axis lathes and CNC milling, 2-axis turning...

150-year anniversary.
October 1, 2006... The A.Y. McDonald Manufacturing Company (www.aymcdonald.com) is celebrating its 150th year in business this year. The company operates a machine shop, foundry and several distribution centers for its production and sales of plumbing fixtures,...

Direct-drive, super-precision rotary indexing available.(NEW EQUIPMENT)
October 1, 2006... Hardinge's Workholding Division (www.hardinge.com) has introduced two quick-change rotary indexing systems. The systems incorporate direct-drive, rare-earth permanent magnet torque motors with no mechanical gearing. The frameless motors wrap...

Blank bars integrated with big plus CAT shanks.(NEW EQUIPMENT)
October 1, 2006... BIG Kaiser Precision Tooling Inc. (www.bigkaiser.com) now offers blank bars integrated with BIG PLUS tapers for CAT40 and CAT50 spindle types. The CAT40 blanks are offered in 2.5 in. and 4 in. diameters with lengths of 8 in. and 6 in....

Extended range of sensors available.(NEW EQUIPMENT)
October 1, 2006... Balluff Inc. (www.balluff.com), is expanding its range of sensors in order to support a growing range of creative, sensor-based productivity and parts quality error-proofing solutions for the machine tool industry. The new Steelface family...

New stages from Steinmeyer.(NEW EQUIPMENT)
October 1, 2006... Steinmeyer, Inc. (www.feinmess. de) is offering two new postioning stages: the DT 200-SM "Plug and Play" Rotary Stage and the Open Compact KDT 180-DC XY Stage. The DT 200-SM has a built-in dc stepper motor and controller, overall height of...

Machinists' cutting contest.(LAST WORD)
October 1, 2006... One of the hottest competitions at IMTS was the Innovation of the Americas contest sponsored by Mori Seiki USA and supported by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. The competition was designed to recognize the finest innovations and...

Chips-n-burrs.(LAST WORD)(Cartoon)
October 1, 2006... "Quick, somebody get the duct tapel." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Donaldson Torit.(COMPANY RESOURCE PROFILE)
October 1, 2006... New Mist Collection Technology Our latest innovation is the new WSO (Water, Smoke & Oil) mist collector that filters water-soluble coolants, straight oil and oily smoke. Recently introduced at IMTS, the versatile WSO is the only mist...

FARO Technologies, Inc.(COMPANY RESOURCE PROFILE)
October 1, 2006... New FARO PowerGage FARO Technologies is the world's single source for a complete line of portable CAM2 solutions. The latest offering is the new FARO Laser Scanner LS, which digitizes massive spaces into 3-D, action-ready data within its...

Iscar Metals, Inc.(COMPANY RESOURCE PROFILE)
October 1, 2006... Full line of metalworking and Fast Metal Removal products Iscar Metals Inc. has found a proven method to increase machining productivity: To provide its customers with extensive knowledge about the tools being used. From pdf electronic and...

Kennametal Inc.(COMPANY RESOURCE PROFILE)(Company overview)
October 1, 2006... Engineering your competitive edge Around the world, Kennametal's metal cutting tools are first or second in market share in every market we serve. Kennametal is the undisputed global market leader in tools for the mining and highway...

Mazak Corporation.(COMPANY RESOURCE PROFILE)
October 1, 2006... Your Partner for Innovation Mazak Corp. leads the industry in designing, building, and supporting CNC machine tools and systems featuring the latest technological advances to help customers in aerospace, energy, defense, automotive,...

Robotic Workspace Technologies Inc.(COMPANY RESOURCE PROFILE)
October 1, 2006... Versatile robot controllers and software The Universal Robot Controller[R] (URC) is an open-architecture, versatile PC control system that operates robots. It includes a general purpose PC running Microsoft[R] Windows XP and RobotScript[R]...

Sandvik.(COMPANY RESOURCE PROFILE)
October 1, 2006... Innovative multi-tasking machining centers Since Sandvik Coromant's beginning, company operations have focused on high quality and value, investments in R&D, improving customers' profitability, and maintaining the highest level of business...

Tornos Technologies U.S., Corporation.(COMPANY RESOURCE PROFILE)
October 1, 2006... We now have the machines to do simpler parts On the DECO Sigma 20, we're talking 6 axes instead of 12. On the DECO Sigma 8, it's 7 axes. The new machines perform a modest number of operations with 12-22 tools. The new models are also priced...

Tru Tech Systems Inc.(COMPANY RESOURCE PROFILE)(Company overview)
October 1, 2006... Patented centerless grinding The heart of the TRU TECH machine is the patented centerless grinding unit, based on the Dedtru concept (Dedtru is a registered trademark of Unison Corp.). The TRU TECH Unit has many improvements and benefits...

United Grinding.(COMPANY RESOURCE PROFILE)
October 1, 2006... United For Superior Customer Service At United Grinding Technologies, we know that our customers are the ultimate judges of our performance as a company. The customers decide whether or not and how well we have fulfilled their needs. We are...

Walter U.S.A. Inc.(COMPANY RESOURCE PROFILE)
October 1, 2006... Indexable and solidcarbide tooling solutions for all machining applications WALTER is synonymous with expertise in metal cutting and innovative products that cover almost the entire production process. WALTER provides complete indexable...

Winware, Inc.(COMPANY RESOURCE PROFILE)
October 1, 2006... CribMaster leads the market Today, CribMaster continues to lead the marketplace as the most feature rich and robust system for managing tooling and other indirect material in the manufacturing workplace, from single job-shop environments...

Wire and water make for speed.(TECHNOLOGY TRENDS)
October 1, 2006... A new hybrid EDM combines the high-speed machining of waterjet cutting with the ultra-high precision of wire EDMing on one machine platform. The combination is a system that reportedly rough cuts at speeds 20 times faster than those of...

Table top robots available.(TECHNOLOGY TRENDS)
October 1, 2006... IAI America, Inc.'s (www.intelligentactuator. com) TT Table Top Robot line is available in gate or cantilever types, 200 mm by 200 mm (7.87 in. by 7.87 in.) or 400 mm by 400 mm (15.75 in. by 15.75 in.) X-axis/Y-axis operating ranges, and 2- and...

Mastercam X gets artistic.(TECHNOLOGY TRENDS)
October 1, 2006... CNC Software has released Mastercam X Art (www.mastercamart.com), CAD/CAM software for artistic relief design and cutting that includes features such as an improved Art Manager, wrapping capabilities and new toolpaths. CNC says the new software...

New line of retro feedback transducers.(TECHNOLOGY TRENDS)
October 1, 2006... Micronor's (www.micronor.com) new MR2000 Series feedback transducers looks to the past as much to the future. The transducers are designed to be plug-and-play replacements for now obsolete units formerly manufactured by Baumer, Crouzet, Eucron...

2-axis laser alignment tool can improve manufacturing efficiency.(TECHNOLOGY TRENDS)
October 1, 2006... Pinpoint Laser Systems has a new 2-dimensional Microgage for precision measuring, machine alignment, calibration and other demanding industrial applications. Pinpoint says their tool check and align roll and web lines, CNC cutting and milling...