Modern Applications News articles from August 2005

Modern Applications News archives from August 2005

Productivity, the economic essential: after an exhausting international study, one of the world's leading management consulting firms has determined what the essential element to the success of a nation's economy is. They could have saved a lot of time and money by walking into your shop and asking you.(EDITOR'S CORNER)
August 1, 2005... The key element to a nation's economic well-being is its productivity. This fact is explained in "The Power of Productivity: Wealth, Poverty and the Threat to Global Stability" by William Lewis, director emeritus of the McKinsey Global...

Lean manufacturing certification program being developed by SME.(Industry News)
August 1, 2005... Lean manufacturing industry experts will be meeting at the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) headquarters (Dearborn, MI) to develop the first-ever Lean Certification for manufacturing professionals. The new certification will provide...

New Jersey funds training, certification.(Industry News)
August 1, 2005... The New Jersey State Department of Labor and Workforce Development has made available state funded training programs to help improve quality service in industries such as manufacturing. The state recognizes using funds for ISO training...

Fighting vehicle upgrade tasks to BAE Systems.(Industry News)
August 1, 2005... BAE Systems has been awarded contracts valued at approximately $1.127 billion by the U.S. Army Tank- Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) for upgrading and remanufacturing of more than 500 Bradley fighting vehicles. Work on the...

2005 machine tool consumption up 18.6%.(Industry News)
August 1, 2005... The most recent industry figures show that April U.S. machine tool consumption totaled $257.39 million, according to AMT--The Association For Manufacturing Technology and AMTDA, the American Machine Tool Distributors' Association. This total,...

PMI at 53.8% New Orders, production expanding.(Industry News)
August 1, 2005... Economic activity in the manufacturing sector grew in June for the 25th consecutive month, while the overall economy grew for the 44th consecutive month, say the nation's supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business[R]...

New technology.(Letters To The Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2005... Editor: I appreciate your editorial in the June 2005 issue. It's about time someone tells people to quit complaining and begin investing in new technology if they want to stay in business. As a supplier of "new technology," I see people...

Level the playing field.(Letters To The Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2005... John, I just finished reading your column in the June 2005 issue of MAN--right on! The government can do something. It can help level the playing field in areas where the U.S. government has direct influence, i.e.: 1. Equipment...

New technology, again.(Letters To The Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2005... Dear John, I generally skim your magazine looking for the articles that are relevant to the industry of cutting tools. Regardless of what I do or do not find, I always read your articles. A large portion of the Die/Mold business my company...

RE: June, 2005 "the editor's corner".(Letters To The Editor)
August 1, 2005... Dear John, Amen. If you want to contribute your thoughts to this new section, please e-mail directly to: jmullally@nelsonpub.com. Please include your complete contact information, as all letters considered for publication are...

Queen Isabella.(Letters To The Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2005... Dear John, Since your "Not Since Queen Isabella" editorial last year to the subject one ["Mind Your Own Business"--June, 2005], I have found all your editorials immensely timely and to the point. That is why I routinely refer to them in my...

PCBN hard turning can reduce time 90%: improvements in machine tool rigidity and the further developments in polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN) cutting tools, have shown hard turning to be a productive and cost-effective alternative to grinding for finishing hardened (45 to 64 HRc) steel parts.(CUTTING TOOLS)
August 1, 2005... The issue of cost effectiveness has long been a barrier to many manufacturers that shy away from PCBN cutting tool material due to a relatively high initial tool cost. But, with potential productivity increases that are so significant, many are...

Changing marginal jobs into profit producers: one reality of the job shop business is that you're often stuck running some barely break-even jobs along with the profitable ones. One of the secrets to job shop success is turning marginal jobs into profitable jobs.(CUTTING TOOLS)
August 1, 2005... Craig Yates did exactly that on a bearing-sleeve machining job in his Medina, Ohio job shop that carries his name. How? By getting a little free outside thinking. The result was a 40% reduction in cycle time, which will add a projected $12,000...

Heavy-duty keyway broaches.(CUTTING TOOLS/HIGH PERFORMANCE)
August 1, 2005... Minute Man keyway sets from The duMont Company, LLC include keyway broaches, bushings, and shims designed for cutting 5/8" or 3/4" keyways in six bore sizes from 2-3/8"--3". The No. 40-1/2A Set can be used to cut keyways in pulleys, gears,...

New product catalog.(CUTTING TOOLS/HIGH PERFORMANCE)
August 1, 2005... Manchester Tool Company introduces a new 180-page catalog, featuring the OTM line of drills and mills. The catalog is divided into seven product sections, which feature a line of application-specific inserts and toolholders. The product lines...

Square shoulder end/face milling cutters.(CUTTING TOOLS/HIGH PERFORMANCE)
August 1, 2005... Valenite LLC has expanded its ValMill[TM] V590 Series of end mills and face mills with the introduction of a new size insert--the 16mm cutting length insert option. The new, robust size tooling makes both the cutter body and insert stronger for...

Carbide face grooving tools.(CUTTING TOOLS/HIGH PERFORMANCE)
August 1, 2005... A new line of coolant-through, solid carbide face grooving tools is now available from H.B. Rouse & Co. These new micro grain carbide tools feature cylindrical shanks with screw flats, and are available for cutting grooves in diameters as small...

High-speed milling inserts.(CUTTING TOOLS/HIGH PERFORMANCE)
August 1, 2005... Kennametal Inc. introduces the new Mill 1 Max line of milling inserts for maximum productivity in high-speed, high-feed machining of aerospace aluminum alloys. The new tooling is offered with a complete line of corner radius choices from 0.9mm...

Drill point end mills.(CUTTING TOOLS/HIGH PERFORMANCE)
August 1, 2005... Micro 100 Tool Corporation announces the availability of its series of 2- and 4-flute solid carbide drill point end mills. The new end mills are multipurpose tools for drilling, milling, spotting, chamfering, and countersinking, and offer...

Negative rake turning inserts.(CUTTING TOOLS/HIGH PERFORMANCE)
August 1, 2005... The American Performance Series of inserts from American National Carbide, features negative rake turning inserts for use on modern CNC machines. Three universal grades and four chip control geometries are available for turning steel to cast...

Inserts for hard turning.(CUTTING TOOLS/HIGH PERFORMANCE)
August 1, 2005... Sandvik Coromant Company introduces the CB7015 line of CBN (Cubic Boron Nitride) inserts for high quality surface finishing of case hardened steels. The inserts are designed to provide high performance and reliability in materials of high...

End mills for cutting complicated designs.(CUTTING TOOLS/HIGH PERFORMANCE)
August 1, 2005... Kyocera Industrial Ceramics announces its Ceratip Ultra Hurricane end mills and face mills designed to produce complicated designs for machined parts. The MEC Tool Series can with-stand heavier cuts and lowers cutting forces, while allowing...

Carbide-tipped capscrew counterbores.(CUTTING TOOLS/HIGH PERFORMANCE)
August 1, 2005... Lexington Cutter, Inc. announces a new series of carbide-tipped capscrew counterbores designed with helical flutes to provide positive effective rake. These new tools are available in inch and metric sizes, and feature heat-treated alloy steel...

High-Performance Cutting Tools.(Buyers Guide)
August 1, 2005... The MAN-Modern Applications News High-Performance Cutting Tools Buyers Guide is a complete listing of companies that have responded to our request for and have supplied information on their High-Performance Cutting Tool products for the...

+p change and challenges drive shop's growth: embracing change and taking challenging jobs have been the pillars supporting the growth of an Indiana job shop that understands that its job is productivity.(MACHINING CENTERS)
August 1, 2005... Since 1988, Mack Tool & Engineering (South Bend, IN) has been growing by successfully taking on the challenges of supplying complex medical and aerospace parts. Originally Mack Tool & Die, the company was started by Melvin Hartz, who went out...

Precision straightener slashes scrap rate, secondary rework: flatness was critical for stamping an automotive engine control module and continuous surface cleanliness was also vital to the end result. It took an unusual piece of straightening equipment to finally solve the problem.(FORMING/FABRICATING)
August 1, 2005... Perfection Spring and Stamping Corp. (Mt. Prospect, IL) is a full-service metal stamping facility focusing on three different manufacturing areas: slide forming manufacturing, coiled springs, and metal stamping. Making a variety of parts from...

Fluid, wash changes solve stamping bonding problems: a synthetic metalworking fluid caused production bonding challenges and dermatitis problems in a progressive stamping operation making electric motor housings.(FORMING/FABRICATING)
August 1, 2005... Started in a garage in Dayton, OH, F&G Tool Die Company has grown into a full-service shop, producing both tooling and stampings. "The way we're set up here," says Joe Koelker, production supervisor at F&G, "is that the front half of the...

Motion controller technology.(NEW PRODUCTS AND LITERATURE)
August 1, 2005... The 2006 release of FeatureCAM, from Engineering Geometry Systems, will include support for 3Dconnexion's line of motion controllers. The motion controller devices enables users to pan, zoom, rotate, and spin models with fluid and precise light...

Triangular workholding system.(NEW PRODUCTS AND LITERATURE)
August 1, 2005... Bock Workholding, Inc. introduces the Bock TriSystem, a triangular, six-station workholding system for a wide range of tool access angles on horizontal machining centers and on vertical machining centers equipped with an indexer. Four-sided...

Flexible manufacturing cell.(NEW PRODUCTS AND LITERATURE)
August 1, 2005... Finn-Power International, Inc. introduces the Laser Brilliance[TM] flexible manufacturing cell with integrated Slab C[O.sub.2] laser. The combination of a 250" long X traverse, four clamps, and high positioning and contour speed allowed by...

Toolholders suitable for MQL applications.(NEW PRODUCTS AND LITERATURE)
August 1, 2005... Schunk Inc. offers Tendo hydraulic toolholders that can be modified for Minimum Quantity Lubrication (MQL) applications upon request. MQL is a metering technique used to reduce the amount of coolant used to a minimum, and coolant consumption...

New style clamp.(NEW PRODUCTS AND LITERATURE)
August 1, 2005... A new style clamp is being added to the Mitee-Bite line of ID Xpansion clamps, the Side-Loc Xpansion clamp, designed to hold parts on the bore when you cannot access the tapered screw. Turning the socket head, which moves the tapered plunger to...

Large-capacity live centers.(NEW PRODUCTS AND LITERATURE)
August 1, 2005... Riten Industries has introduced a new line of large-capacity live centers and accessory products designed for heavy load services in mill roll, paper mill, and oil field equipment applications. The Super Duty series has standard models capable...

New system for Swiss-type lathes.(NEW PRODUCTS AND LITERATURE)
August 1, 2005... Iscar Metals Inc. introduces a compact, high precision tool system for Swiss-type lathes controlled by CNC and for Swiss-type automatics. The SwissCut tools are designed for ergonomic insert clamping and simple handling. The compact...

Machining centers feature tool storage tower.(NEW PRODUCTS AND LITERATURE)
August 1, 2005... The HSM 800 ProdMod high-speed machining centers from Mikron, include a tool storage tower which was developed to cut changeover time in half and offer flexibility and scalability for large-format, high speed machining. The ProdMod is designed...

Are you sneaking out? Twenty years ago "business is recovering" meant lots of manufacturing rehires. "Business is booming," meant lots of new jobs. Happy days were always here again. Not so today.
August 1, 2005... The technology/productivity band-wagon has brought phenomenal increases in quality, speed and profitability to the shop world, but a decreased need for more blue-collar people. Today we talk about "jobless recoveries" and continually reduced...