Modern Applications News articles from April 2005

Modern Applications News archives from April 2005

We know who you are: we know stuff about you your mother doesn't even know.(EDITOR'S CORNER)
April 1, 2005... Not that she'd really care about the stuff we know about you, unless your shop really is a family business and when Mom talks about chips, the word chocolate never enters the conversation. An essential part of running a successful trade...

DOD awards ESAB plasma cutter contract.(Industry News)
April 1, 2005... ESAB Welding and Cutting Products (Florence, SC) has been named the successful bidder for a major Request for Quotation issued by the United States Department of Defense for a five-year contract to supply the agency with hand-held plasma...

Faro receives $1.7 million in new orders from Airbus.(Industry News)
April 1, 2005... Faro Technologies, Inc. (Lake Mary, FL) announced the receipt of approximately $1.7 million in Faro Laser Tracker orders from Airbus S.A.S. The orders consisted of seven units for Airbus UK's A380 wing assembly plant and five units for...

Hardinge reports record quarterly sales and orders.(Industry News)
April 1, 2005... Hardinge Inc. (Elmira, NY) reported significantly improved operating performance for the fourth quarter and full year 2004 compared to the same periods of 2003. Income from operations was $5.5 million for the fourth quarter of 2004, an increase...

Hurco reports record sales and operating profit.(Industry News)
April 1, 2005... Hurco Companies, Inc. (Indianapolis, IN) recently reported net income of $3,030,000 or $.48 per share, for its first fiscal quarter, which ended January 31, 2005, compared to $669,000, or $.12 per share, for the 2004 corresponding period. ...

Pre-formed, flux-cored rings improve brazing: a switch to pre-formed flux-cored brazing materials improves brazing operations and simplifies downstream manufacturing operations for a Wisconsin radiator/heat exchanger manufacturer.(WELDING / BRAZING / SOLDERING)
April 1, 2005... Although manufacturing a variety of radiators and heat exchangers is one of the unique capabilities of ThermaSys Company's Thermal Transfer Products operations (Racine, WI), it also poses major manufacturing challenges. The varied product line...

+p one wire, one gas, one machine cut welding costs $2,000 per day: a Wisconsin Fabricator has found what might be the 'holy grail' of fabricating: one wire, one gas, and one welding machine for virtually all production welding requirements--and it saves about $2,000 per day.(WELDING / BRAZING / SOLDERING)(Cover Story)
April 1, 2005... Operating under the principles of kaizen to continuously improve and eliminate waste and the 5S Theory (Sort, Simplify, Sweep/Shine, Standardize, Sustain), OEM Fabricators (Woodville, WI) has streamlined welding operations by standardizing on...

Reader survey gives tips on--selecting cutting tools for smaller plants: cutting tools are purchased by most subscribers of MAN. And they have some product and purchasing preferences and patterns that might surprise you--even though you are one of these people.(CUTTING TOOLS)
April 1, 2005... MAN has just completed a survey of a sample of its subscribers regarding cutting tools. This is just the most recent in a continuing surveying practice that is intended to more clearly define the needs, wants, practices, and opinions of more...

Flexible tool enables robotic finishing: a radially-compliant deburring device makes robotic finishing a reality with its ability to mimic manual finishing techniques with a floating motor and spindle design.(FINISHING
April 1, 2005... "We develop totally automated, self-contained metals finishing cells for a wide variety of industries and we are constantly looking for new systems and components that will improve efficiency," advises Charlie Young, manager, Advanced...

Dirty coolant causes cascade of problems: portable coolant cleaners stop a cascade of production, quality, and delivery problems caused by tramp oil- and solids-contaminated coolant.(COOLANTS / LUBRICANTS
April 1, 2005... Conval, Inc. (Somers CT), manufactures high-pressure globe valves, used primarily in the power generating industries, exporting about 76% of its output. The valve bodies are machined from steel, aluminum, bronze, and Stellite forgings on 20 CNC...

Conquering coolant climate challenges: located in Oklahoma's oil patch might be the best place to manufacture petroleum equipment, but the climate can pose some challenges for maintaining machining coolants.(COOLANTS
April 1, 2005... Aceco Valve Inc. (Mounds, OK) makes a broad line of space saving valves for the oil and gas industry, machining the majority of its valves from carbon and alloy steel, with stainless steel and other alloys available. Although the location is...

+p mist coolant slashes coolant costs 97%: cutting coolant purchasing expense by 97% is just the start of cost savings experienced by a Florida-based fabricator that drills about 3,200 holes per day and punches an additional 20,000 holes per day.(COOLANTS / LUBRICANTS / FILTERS)
April 1, 2005... Serving a national market for pre-fabricated steel structures, a Central Florida shop concentrates on cutting and holemaking in a variety of structural shapes, usually made from 8572 steel or aluminum. Producing packages designed for field...

+p workholding vises increase machining productivity 50%: combining two double station hydraulic and a single manually actuated vise on a VMC recently delivered a 50% productivity increase in valve body machining operations.(WORKHOLDING / TOOLHOLDING)
April 1, 2005... Previously using manually operated single station Kurt vises, Tescom Corporation's (Elk River, MN) workholding upgrade allowed the company to transition economically into a much more productive and flexible workholding setup accommodating more...

+p plunge milling produces savings plus 'leftovers': next time you have a huge mold cavity to create, consider nibbling around the edges rather than hogging it out entirely. You can save some time and even salvage some material for another job.(CUTTING TOOLS)
April 1, 2005... Ask Randy Fields at Fremont Plastic Molds (Fremont, OH). He saved three hours apiece roughing big U-shapes into eight thick aluminum mold sections, and salvaged enough useable material from each section to make other mold parts as well. What...

Competitive cutting tools for small parts production: the demand is growing for small, increasingly complex components made from bar-stock material. Machine tools have taken big steps in this very competitive area, and the focus is now on the development of cutting tools to provide the performance needed for machine utilization and component output.(CUTTING TOOLS)
April 1, 2005... A rapidly growing sector in the manufacturing industry is that of small, precision-turned components. There is a growing demand for these parts for products made by the medical, connector, automotive, IT, and appliance industries. In...

+p EDM shop adds VMC--cuts lead times, costs: a mold maker that built an excellent reputation with its EDM capabilities added a VMC for high-speed hard milling and significantly reduced lead- times and secondary operations.(MACHINING
April 1, 2005... Notwithstanding its reputation for high-quality EDM work, Dynamic Tool & Design (Menomonee Falls, WI) implemented a high-performance, hard-milling vertical machining center (VMC) to cut down lead-times and be able to compete for die/mold...

Laser supplier's response re-starts shop after fire: a midwest prototype shop saw 10 years of growth go up in smoke when a plant expansion resulted in a business-destroying fire. The shop owners credit the rapid response of their laser supplier to bringing their business back on-line quickly.(LASERS)
April 1, 2005... Accu-Rite Industries, Inc. (Shelby Twp., MI) founded 12 years ago by Kirki Mickovski and John Loundon, is a midwest prototype firm specializing in heavy duty stamping and sheet metal fabrications, with a focus on seating systems including...

WESTEC 2005.(NEW PRODUCTS AND LITERATURE)
April 1, 2005... The WESTEC 2005 Exposition & Conference, North America's largest annual metalworking and manufacturing event, will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center from April 04--April 07. Attendees will find the newest technologies and...

Welding: Mature, essential, exciting: "Mature" is an odd term when it comes to industry these days.('BY GEORGE')
April 1, 2005... In economics it suggests a technology that has peaked and isn't expected to improve much in the future. "Mature" in effect, reflects a kind of technological snobbery. Welding to most Americans is very, very mature. How many Americans today...