American Machinist articles from September 2004

American Machinist archives from September 2004

Think U.S. manufacturing is dead? Think again.(From The Editor)
September 1, 2004... Over the years, I've attended more International Manufacturing Technology Shows (IMTS) than I care to admit. As an editor, the first IMTS I visited was in 1996. But as an engineer and manufacturer, I was attending these shows as far back as the...

The state of U.S. manufacturing.(We've Got Mail)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2004... In regard to the June editorial, "Is U.S. manufacturing dying?," p. 6, I don't believe China is doing everything better than we do. In fact, there are U.S. manufacturers that are beating Chinese prices and quality day after day. Our...

Software for sharing design data.(Technology Trends)
September 1, 2004... Autodesk Inc., San Rafael, Calif., announces the release of Autodesk Inventor Series 9 3D-mechanical-design software. The company claims designers can develop drawings more quickly and with fewer mistakes with the integrated 2D and 3D...

Detecting small-drill distress.(Technology Trends)
September 1, 2004... Conventional acoustical sensors for detecting and monitoring small-tool wear and breakage are limited by their sensitivity and ability to overcome background, no-load noise. For example, drills of 0.12-in. diameter on a 15-kW spindle or...

Students turn SUV into fuel-efficient, clean award winner.(Technology Trends)
September 1, 2004... The challenge of FutureTruck was to re-engineer a Ford Explorer to achieve at least 25% higher fuel efficiency and lower emissions without sacrificing performance, utility, safety, and affordability. Fifteen engineering teams from universities...

Everything for M2M in one package.(Technology Trends)
September 1, 2004... Nvio from Opto 22, Temecula, Calif., provides all required machine-to-machine (M2M) system components--sensor interfaces, wired or wireless communications, and a software portal application--in a single package. Prior to Nvio, companies...

HMC operators can forget about coupling to rotary tables.(Technology Trends)
September 1, 2004... The Autocoupler, from Technitron, Cincinnati, provides unmanned cable connection of rotary tables in pallet pools, which boosts productivity and efficiency while reducing downtime and costs. The Autocoupler is for 400-mm-pallet applications...

New division for fabricator.(Company News)
September 1, 2004... Elgin Fabrication Machinery is a new division of FMI, one of the Formtek Group of companies. Elgin imports press brakes and shears from Formtek's partner in China, and the FMI facility in South Elgin, Ill. installs electrics and controls. A...

Turning guides.(Company News)
September 1, 2004... Three turning guides from Kennametal provide application information along with a catalog of turning inserts and grades. The guides include an 80-pg book covering steel materials, a 100-pg guide on cast irons, and a 100-pg...

Small-hole thread mills.(Cutting Tools)
September 1, 2004... Single Profile Thread Mills (SPTM) thread small holes with coarse threads in tough materials--a common mold and valve-industry problem. The tools have a solid-carbide-micrograin substrate with a TiAlN coating. SPTM tools are multifluted...

U.S. cutting tool institute billings index.(Cutting Tool Digest)
September 1, 2004... U.S. CUTTING TOOL INSTITUTE BILLING INDEX Index for May '03-April '04 May $119,703,248 110.0% June $123,443,633 113.6% July $111,215,159 102.1% August $116,382,313 106.8%...

Drills for aluminum.(Cutting Tools)
September 1, 2004... Sandvik Coromant's CoroDrill Delta-C A1 drill is for ISON materials, particularly aluminum alloys with a Si content of 8% to 12%, or less, in aerospace and automotive applications. It comes in diameters from 0.118 to 0.787 in., with or without...

Drilling/milling tools.(Cutting Tools)
September 1, 2004... Walter's Xtra-tec drills--B4013, B4015, and B4017--come in lengths of 3X, 5X, and 7X diameter, respectively. Each has two indexable inserts with two cutting edges for high feedrates. A prism-shaped insert seat provides stable positioning, while...

Die/mold copy mills.(Cutting Tools)
September 1, 2004... ValMill V500 copy mills perform die/mold contouring, peripheral cutting, slotting, drilling, and cavity milling. The cutters come in eight end-mill sizes ranging in diameter from 0.500 to 1.5 in. and in lengths from 4.07 to 7.44 in. and in five...

Meritage breaks up.(Business Trends)
September 1, 2004... National machine tool distributor Meritage has reverted back into the three companies that formed it in 1999--The Robert E. Morris Co., handling the U.S. South and East, Sierra Concepts (Ellison Mfg. Technology) in the West and North, and...

Brown & Sharpe parent buying Romer CimCore.(Business Trends)
September 1, 2004... Hexagon AB is purchasing Romer CimCore Inc., Farmington Hills, Mich. Romer manufactures and markers portable measuring equipment to automotive, aerospace, and general industry. Hexagon is the parent company of metrology companies such as Brown...

Machesney Park, Ill. ... Hennig Inc. has formed a joint venture with Dalian Machine Tool Group (DMTG), Dalian, China.(Business Trends)
September 1, 2004... Machesney Park, Ill.... Hennig Inc. has formed a joint venture with Dalian Machine Tool Group (DMTG), Dalian, China. The Dalian Hennig Machine Protection Co. Ltd. produces steel waycovers and machine enclosures for DMTG and markets the...

Wheaton, Ill. ... Spraying Systems Co. has expanded iSpray, its on-line, interactive tool, which helps site visitors select and order spray nozzles and accessories.(Business Trends)
September 1, 2004... Wheaton, Ill.... Spraying Systems Co. has expanded iSpray, its on-line, interactive tool, which helps site visitors select and order spray nozzles and accessories. It features technical information about nozzles, including photos, drawings,...

2004 machine tool consumption ahead of 2003.(Business Trends)
September 1, 2004... The American Machine Tool Distributors' Association (AMTDA) and AMT--The Association For Manufacturing Technology--report 2004 machine tool consumption is ahead of 2003 figures. With a first-half total of $1,249.68 million, 2004 tool...

Tooling U. expands on-line choices.(Talking Shop)
September 1, 2004... Tooling University, Cleveland, the on-line industrial-training website, has added CNC and more welding classes. Developed in partnership with The Lincoln Electric Co., the welding classes now include training for several functions. These...

College program receives help.(Talking Shop)
September 1, 2004... Haas Automation Inc., Oxnard, Calif., has provided a Super Mini Mill VMC, SL-10 lathe, accessories, and support to the Automated Manufacturing program at the Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport, Pa. The equipment is located in an...

Former governor to lead NAM.(Talking Shop)
September 1, 2004... Former Michigan governor John M. Engler is slated to become the next president and CEO of The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), Washington, D.C. He will take over the organization from outgoing NAM President Jerry Jasinowski. ...

Grinding machine delivered to PCD-tool producer.(Talking Shop)
September 1, 2004... Abrasive Technology Ltd., Lewis Center, Ohio, as taken delivery of a customized Ewag ewamatic PCD EDM/grinding machine at its Lichfield, U.K., facility. The machine produces Abrasive Technology's Everlast PCD veined-diamond drills for...

EDM shop celebrates anniversary.(Talking Shop)
September 1, 2004... Xact Wire EDM, Waukesha, Wis., is celebrating its 20th anniversary. With facilities in Waukesha and Cary, Ill., Xact Wire provides wire-EDM and high-speed, small-hole machining services to markets such as tooling, defense, research, and...

Can we solve the visa mess?(Government Matters)
September 1, 2004... President Bush seems to have achieved his objective of dosing the borders to potential terrorists. Unfortunately, in the process, the bureaucracy charged with this task has also succeeded in shutting out a great number of legitimate visitors to...

Two machines, one automated system.(Machine Of The Month)
September 1, 2004... Two compact machines, designed in a mirror image of each other, hard-finish automotive transmission gears. Developed by the KAPP Group, one machine grinds, while the other handles the Coroning, which is KAPP's trademark honing process that uses...

Program puts shops on schedule.(Bits & Bytes)
September 1, 2004... JobPack centralizes scheduling and production management for multiple machines at a single location. The Windows-based program is said to increase machine and operator productivity up to 35% by determining the most efficient production schedule...

Software eases complex-part designing.(Bits & Bytes)
September 1, 2004... UGS has launched Version 16 of Solid Edge, a 3D CAD system for the product-lifecycle-management market. The new version is said to make designing complex products easy. System design features include adjustable parts, fastener systems, and...

Process-flow simulation and analysis.(Bits & Bytes)
September 1, 2004... Delmia's Quest Advanced extends the power of Quest's discrete-event-simulation capability by reportedly providing an intelligent, efficient, and automatic design-of-experiment process. Like Quest, it delivers a complete 3D digital factory...

CAM goes turbo.(Bits & Bytes)
September 1, 2004... IMSI has released Version 2.5 of its 2 1/2D milling and turning CAM product called TurboCADCAM. With updated integration into the latest release of TurboCAD Professional Version 10.1, TurboCADCAM now includes Spatial's interoperability data...

Software makes for complete product development.(User Review)
September 1, 2004... Fagmol, a mold-tool manufacturer for the toy industry of Sao Paulo, Brazil, relies on advanced CNC machinery, intensive staff training, and state-of-the-art software to offer complete product-development services from the conceptual design of a...

Suicide not employer's fault.(Law & Liability)
September 1, 2004... In 1988, Santo J. Alba was hired by Raytheon Co. as a sheetmetal foreman in its Bedford, Mass., plant. Over the years, his responsibilities increased, requiring him to work longer hours, in March 1994, Alba was hospitalized due to severe...

Union not responsible for harassment.(Law & Liability)
September 1, 2004... Local Union 5724 of the United Steelworkers of America represents the production and maintenance employees of Ormet Primary Aluminum Corp., an aluminum smelter in Monroe County, Ohio. In May 1999, the company and the union began having problems...

Fall at work leads to workers'-comp benefits.(Law & Liability)
September 1, 2004... John M. Hodges worked in the maintenance shop at the Equity Group, a North Carolina company, fixing machine guards. On April 16, 2001, Hodges decided to install a guard he had prepared on a machine to make sure it worked properly. He left the...

Technology truths: an educational series brought to you by American Machinist and Flow International Corp., Kent, Wash.
September 1, 2004... Myth Waterjets lack accuracy. Reality While accuracy was once a challenge, this is no longer the case thanks to advancements such as Dynamic Waterjet cutting from Flow International Corp. of Kent, Wash. Its advanced-motion, 3D...

Engine plant revs up production: Ford Motor's flexible-manufacturing strategy pays off for its newly reopened Cleveland Engine Plant No. 1.(Lean Manufacturing)(Cover Story)
September 1, 2004... In 2000, the future looked bleak for Ford Motor's Cleveland Engine Plant No. 1 (CEP1). The facility, which opened in 1951 as one of the automaker's most advanced manufacturing operations, was shut down, seemingly for good. But Ford's Cleveland...

Calendar of events.(Calendar)
September 1, 2004... September 8-15, 2004, IMTS 2004, International Manufacturing Technology Show, Chicago, AMT--The Association for Manufacturing Technology, (800) 828-SHOW (7469), imtsnet.org September 19-21, 2004, From Research to Practice: Extruding,...

2 for the road: special CBN wheels and high-speed grinders prove the perfect match for auto-parts production.(Grinding)
September 1, 2004... High-speed grinders running cubic-boron-nitride (CBN) wheels with a new ultrahigh-strength bonding system are the latest dynamic duo in auto-parts manufacturing. The combination increases production rates, reduces production costs, and improves...

A website for work: buyers and sellers of manufacturing services do business on-line.(Internet)
September 1, 2004... A shop may have the latest manufacturing equipment and software, but neither is much good without incoming work orders. While most shops advertise their manufacturing services in directories, such as the yellow pages, or rely on manufacturing...

Rolling to center.(Practical Ideas)
September 1, 2004... I center workpieces in a lathe using a device made from an old roller bearing pressed on the end of a shaft. I attach the shaft to the machine's turret tool post and lightly clamp the workpiece in a self-centering chuck. In operation, I...

Making hobs a new set of teeth.(Practical Ideas)
September 1, 2004... My idea converts a gear hob's trapezoidal teeth profiles (in inches) to other profiles with the same diametric pitch and distance between teeth. I work with three groups of hobs. The A-group consists of gear hobs with 14.5[degrees],...

Controller retrofit boosts mold-machine productivity.(Casebooks)
September 1, 2004... Grandville, Mich.-based JVH Engineering, a company that retrofits injection-molding machines, was met with the challenge of improving a major automotive supplier's 1986 700-ton injection-molding machine with a high scrap rate and little process...

ERP system cuts wire-production time.(Casebooks)
September 1, 2004... Using a 15-yr-old home-grown legacy system, Fort Wayne Metals, Fort Wayne, Ind., a maker of precision fine wire for medical products, was experiencing issues in its management of complex production cycles. Executing each production step of...

Thread form tightens truck manufacturing.(Casebooks)
September 1, 2004... Domestic and international diesel-powered-vehicle manufacturers such as Mack Trucks Inc. in Allentown, Pa., Peoria, Ill.-based Caterpillar, Shanghai Diesel Engine in China, and International Truck and Engine Corp. of Warrenville, Ill., are...

Wire-mesh belt cleans up big.(Casebooks)
September 1, 2004... Astec Underground, Loudon, Tenn., builds Case and Trencor-brand trencher machines. When the company purchased a former John Deere plant for a new manufacturing facility, it sought a machine that would descale 48-in.-wide sheetmetal and prepare...

Vacuum gets a grip on lifting.(Casebooks)
September 1, 2004... Aidco International, Adrian, Mich., manufactures conventional palletizing equipment and is a Kuka robot-system partner integrator that designs and makes mechanical and vacuum end-of-arm tools (EOAT) for gripping and moving every size and shape...

Transporter removes scrap problem.(Casebooks)
September 1, 2004... Grinding castings for agricultural and construction equipment at the Case IH Foundry plant (CIHFP) in Racine, Wis., creates gray-iron waste fragments that must be collected and removed from machining areas to eliminate scrap build-up that...

Valve maker relies on CNC.(Casebooks)
September 1, 2004... As a Tier Two vendor in off-highway equipment and producer of hydraulic-valve spools, Trotter Machine Inc. of Rockford, Ill., often runs hard chrome-plated steel through its facility, consistently holding tolerances of [+ or -]0.0006 to 0.0008...

Spindles tackle mold milling.(Spotlight: machine components)
September 1, 2004... Type SC 55104 3.94-in.-diameter spindles tackle accurate mold milling with high metal removal. They use HSK-32 tapers and work up to 40,000 rpm with permanent-grease bearings. The manufacturer reports the Type SC 55104s have the highest bearing...

Linear guides for confined spaces.(Spotlight: machine components)
September 1, 2004... AMSA Generation 3-A and 4-A linear guides work in restricted settings. Resolution of the magnetic, integrated encoder on Schneeberger guides is as fine as 0.06 [mu] with interpolation. The AMSA 3-A and 4-A offer 0.0625 to 4-[mu] resolution....

Rotary-screw compressors.(Spotlight: machine components)
September 1, 2004... The 20, 25, and 30-hp AS rotary-screw compressors feature the manufacturer's Sigma Profile air end and deliver 59 to 124 cfm along with pressures from 80 to 217 psig. The compressors' split cooling air-flow designs reportedly reduce noise and...

Roller bearings reduce friction.(Spotlight: machine components)
September 1, 2004... For high-speed machining centers and milling spindles, the KTNHA/HC5-SP are single-row, silicon-nitride, cylindrical-equipped roller bearings. According to the manufacturer, the bearings' centrifugal force is low because the cylindrical rollers...

Hydraulic-drive replacement.(Spotlight: machine components)
September 1, 2004... UltraThrust ground ballscrews are for large transfer-line modules or replacing hydraulic drives in injection-mold machines. Using 0.59-in.-diameter load-carrying balls, UltraThrust ballscrews reportedly provide more than twice the capacity of...

High-temperature caster wheels.(Spotlight: machine components)
September 1, 2004... Reportedly, ThermoTech caster wheels handle 475[degrees] F in continuous operation and up to 525[degrees] F in intermittent. Their rubber treads let them roll quietly and are unaffected by various chemicals. The wheels feature metal cores. ...

Neodymium magnets.(Spotlight: machine components)
September 1, 2004... For linear actuators, sensing applications, flow meters, and recording devices, neodymium magnets are nickel-plated to protect the brittle magnet material and prevent corrosion. Besides their high strength-to-weight properties, the magnets...

Machine mounts.(Spotlight: machine components)
September 1, 2004... M-Series machine mounts, for equipment that does not require floor fastening, tackle 100 to 12,000-1b loads of automatic lathes, grinders, and drilling/milling machines. They include mechanically fastened nitrile pads that reportedly dampen up...

Warpless dry grinding.(Spotlight: machine components)
September 1, 2004... The Kool-Grind System maintains cool workpiece temperatures while dry grinding. It consists of either an internally-cooled, 4x4-in., fine-pole No. 44 Kool-Grind Plate or a 6x12-in., electromagnetic, fine-pole No. 612 Kool-Grind Chuck paired...

VMC features direct-drive spindle.(Spotlight: machine components)
September 1, 2004... A 12,000-rpm inline direct-drive spindle, toolchanger, and 1.400-ipm rapids are standard for the VF-2SS VMC. The drive system of the 40-taper spindle is directly attached, and not only yields low-end torque but also the speed for high-speed...

Horizontal machining center.(Spotlight: machine components)
September 1, 2004... The NH6300 DCG horizontal machining center works with a 50-taper spindle that operates up to 10,000 rpm. Rapid-traverse rate is 1,969 ipm with acceleration of 0.53 G on the X, 0.71 G on the Y, and 0.46 G on the Z. Mori Seiki reports that...

Dressing tools for Neptune wheels.(Spotlight: machine components)
September 1, 2004... Norton X-10 series of dressing tools feature specially selected diamonds for dressing Neptune disc grinding wheels. X-10-20, 30, and 35 tools incorporate three layers of multiset diamonds interlocked between layers so the next diamond layer is...

Modular overhead lift.(Spotlight: machine components)
September 1, 2004... SnapTrac is a modular, overhead, lift kit that assembles into various configurations. Depending on requirements, SnapTrac users can add length or width using a universal bolt pattern. For example, a standard 12-ft kit assembles into a 10x20-ft...

Pulsed MIG power.(Spotlight: machine components)
September 1, 2004... Millermatic 350 MIG and 350P pulsed-MIG power sources offer 208/230 or 460/575-V single and three-phase input power, a duty-cycle rating of 60% at 300 amp/32 V, a 25 to 400-amp output, and line-voltage compensation. Both are covered by the...

Deep-marking unit.(Spotlight: machine components)
September 1, 2004... The SV312 deep-scribing unit is well-suited for marking various metallic parts such as VIN marking, shock towers, and engine blocks on assembly and automatic production lines. With a tool balancer, the SV312 also marks structural iron, tubes,...

Machine ways for rigidity.(Spotlight: machine components)
September 1, 2004... Based on the VM30 machining center, the VM30XP uses roller-type linear ways that reportedly provide 44% more rigidity than other commonly used ball-type ways. The machine features a 50-taper, 8,000-rpm spindle built around a two-speed, geared...

Universal center lathe.(Spotlight: machine components)
September 1, 2004... The Masturn 54 universal center lathe, with Heidenhain Manual Plus 4110 CNC and live tooling, works well for small and medium-lot production. It excels in turning superficial, face, and inside surfaces--both cylindrical and conical, as well as...

Chucking machine with large work area.(Spotlight: machine components)
September 1, 2004... With a compact exterior, the Index V160G chucking machine offers a large work area accessible from two sides. This of internal or external-grinding spindles, multispindle drill heads, high-frequency drill and mill spindles, or large milling...

Self-loading lathe.(Spotlight: machine components)
September 1, 2004... Featuring a fixed turret and traveling spindle, the HS-01 lathe self-loads directly to its spindle in 2.5 to 4 sec. The machine has a 6-in. chuck, an A2-5 nose, and a 10-hp spindle with a maximum speed of 6,000 rpm. A 12-station turret delivers...

Century-old confusion.(100 years ago in American Machinist)
September 1, 2004... Fortunately, today's tradeshows don't tend to attract audiences beyond the machinist world. In the September 22, 1904, issue, a reader recounted his recent visit to the St. Louis World's Fair. He seemed particularly amused by the visitors'...

Dirty laundry.(100 years ago in American Machinist)
September 1, 2004... The September 1, 1904, issue featured "The Machine Shop and the Home--By A Machinist's Wife." In this column, the author discussed the household trials and travails that accompanied marriage to a machinist. In particular, she lamented the sorry...

Rickety railroad.(50 years ago in American Machinist)
September 1, 2004... A railroad of decidedly dubious distinction was the subject of a September 13, 1954, column: "We've heard of the smallest railroad in the world, the longest railroad in the world, and so on, but we were a little surprised to hear about what is...