Modern Applications News articles from August 2006

Modern Applications News archives from August 2006

Change: sometimes, 'it's just business' sometimes, 'it's personal': many times in the past this column has been about change. I have talked about changes in the competition, the customers, the technologies, the rules and the tools. In every case and regarding every change, the ability to adapt is the single essential needed to use the change for growth.(EDITOR'S CORNER)(Column)
August 1, 2006... A few months ago, writing on the closing of the Winchester rifle plant in New Haven, I made the observation that sometimes change is "just business" and other times "it's personal." I understood that the loss of the plant that made an American...

Letters to the editor.(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2006... A Dirty Little Secret Dear Mr. John Mullally: Your editorial in the June 2006 issue of MAN entitled "A Dirty Little Secret" is a timely and well-written reminder to all law-abiding citizens of the United Sates to uphold the law. ...

New orders, production expanding, deliveries slowing.(Industry News)
August 1, 2006... Economic activity in the manufacturing sector grew in June for the 37th consecutive month, while the overall economy grew for the 56th consecutive month, say the nation's supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report on Business[R]....

Top performing industries.(Industry News)
August 1, 2006... The 14 industries reporting growth in June--listed in order--are: Petroleum, Tobacco, Instruments & Photographic Equipment, Furniture, Chemicals, Wood & Wood Products, Paper, Primary Metals, Industrial & Commercial Equipment & Computers,...

Bonal International, Inc. year-end sales increase 31%.(Industry News)
August 1, 2006... Bonal International, Inc. announced consolidated financial results for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2006 with its second consecutive year of record profit. Net sales increased 31% and totaled $1,982,072 from $1,511,431 in the previous year....

KMT expands waterjet product area.(Industry News)
August 1, 2006... KMT has acquired Aqua-Dyne, a U.S. based company, on April 7, 2006. The acquisition gives KMT access to a new growing market segment with significant potential, and will create synergies with KMT Waterjet Systems. Privately owned...

Patent awarded for finishing tool.(Industry News)
August 1, 2006... The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office recently awarded ATI Industrial Automation patent #6,974,286 for Flexdeburr[TM], a radially compliant finishing tool. The Flexdeburr has a pivoting motor and spindle arrangement that is designed to provide...

SolidWorks extends support for competitions.(Industry News)
August 1, 2006... SolidWorks Corporation announced it has expanded its support for the national Technology Student Association (TSA) competitions to include the middle school and high school winners from each state in six engineering-related categories. Winners...

Bridgeport hits tolerances for medical parts: with its conventional equipment, an Illinois job shop couldn't expand into short run, tight tolerance work for medical and aerospace customers. A Bridgeport not only allows the company to take on these jobs--hitting tolerances of 0.0005" and even 0.0003"--but also cuts cycle time by 30%, reduces downtime and provides quick turnaround.(MACHINING CENTERS)
August 1, 2006... "My programmer came up to me and told me he's holding true position of 0.001" and that he programmed the first part, and it came out perfect. He had to make to adjustments whatsoever, and he'd never been able to do that in all his years of...

Machining time drops from 8 hr. to 1-1/2 hr.: run entirely on donations, this not-for-profit aircraft company produces backcountry airplanes for humanitarian missions. Success lies in keeping production costs low with state-of-the-art equipment. A new CNC machine, for instance, cut machining time from 8 hr. to 1-1/2 hr.(MACHINING CENTERS)
August 1, 2006... The town of Sandpoint, ID is situated beyond the shores of Lake Pend Oreille and at the base of the Selkirk Mountains. This is the location of a unique aircraft company--Quest Aircraft that produces the Kodiak, a modern backcountry airplane...

China-bound job blocked by 94% cost reduction: already outsourcing locally, a job shop that machines switches for model trains faced the prospect of sending its parts to China, like many of its competitors. The owner, though, decided to bring the work in-house with a CNC machine that practically eliminates setup time and drops production costs from $64,000 to just $4,000.(CNC CONTROLS)
August 1, 2006... Ross Custom Switches (Norwich, CT) specializes in switches and turnouts for model train sets--the devices that are used to switch the trains from one track to another. With competition outsourcing to China, Steve Brenneisen, owner, wanted to...

Automatic bandsaw delivers faster turnarounds: by purchasing an automatic bandsaw, a company specializing in tooling work is able to end its dependence on suppliers. The programmable saw runs through the night--decreasing labor costs and time savings by more than 60%.(SAWING)
August 1, 2006... As part of The Bradbury Group's union of five manufacturing companies, Marion Die & Fixture (Marion, KS) designs the roll tooling to meet customer specifications in the metal building industry. To stay competitive, purchasing a saw became a...

Lean waterjet shop endures economic slowdown: a family-owned job shop that provides water jet cutting started doing business just months before the attacks on September 11, 2001. The owners remained afloat and now prosper by staying lean and staying competitive. Reliable equipment, like a 75-hp intensifier pump and a high rail gantry, increases the kinds of jobs they can take on and boosts productivity.(WATERJETS)
August 1, 2006... In 2001, Scott and Joyce Augustson decided to open their own machine shop so they could have more control over their future and make a better life for themselves. The couple bought out a waterjet-cutting business from a former employer, MIE,...

Balance basics for job shops: understanding the current balance standards helps shops get the most out of their equipment, and some tool holders and noses prove better at high-speeds than others.(TOOLHOLDING)
August 1, 2006... When machining, especially at a high rpm, operators need to understand the negative effects of unbalance. The machine's performance should be evaluated during a production runoff at the machine manufacturer's facility. The operation should also...

VMC pairs with rotary table to deliver close tolerances: with a VMC/rotary table combination, a job shop specializing in automobile parts was finally able to reach its desired tolerances and cycle times. The new system delivers rigidity, speed and accuracy of setup.(WORKHOLDING/TOOLHOLDING)
August 1, 2006... Rotary tables are not a new concept for Henman Engineering and Machine (Winchester, IN). At this OEM of automobile parts, rotary tables have been used regularly in conjunction with VMCs to improve productivity. However, it took their most...

Cost estimating system boosts efficiency and profits: a Texas-based precision machine shop responds to about 150 RFQs a week with many customers demanding a response in two to three days. A computer-aided cost estimating system has increased speed by 50% - 80% (versus manual), boosting the company's ability to respond and its chances of winning jobs.(SOFTWARE)
August 1, 2006... At Carroll Machine Works (Pasadena, TX), the ability to produce cost estimates quickly and accurately is a matter of survival. To win jobs from customers that include NASA, aerospace companies and a variety of petrochemical, oilfield and gas...

CNC software cuts mill-turn programming, ups production: an aerospace company that machines fluid delivery systems and ground support equipment invested in the latest mill-turn technology, only to find that its current CNC software did not have the necessary capabilities. A new software, though, has resulted in substantial reductions in programming and cycle time.(CAM)
August 1, 2006... The history of Eaton Aerospace Aurora (Aurora, CO) dates back to founder Robert M. Stanley, Navy test pilot and the first person ever to fly an American jet aircraft in 1942. Today, the company specializes in the design, integration and...

+p high performance cutter slashes cycle time by 83%: faced with a challenging tapping application, a CNC job shop turned to a thread milling solution that ended up not leaving chips in the hole or on the tool. The company also had success with a milling application by using a high performance cutter, which dropped cycle time by 83%.(CUTTING TOOLS)
August 1, 2006... Choice Precision Machine (Whitehall, PA) is a state-of-the-art, mid-sized, CNC job shop, which manufactures precision components for a range of customers, including builders of papermaking, folding and insertion machines. Always with an eye on...

Mold maker finds success with CAD/CAM: the owner of a three-person mold making company had a strategy for success by expanding into 3D milling. But first he had to learn the CAD/CAM software. Within months, the shop upgraded to the newest version and saw immediate gains--a shorter design process, faster turnaround times and more productivity.(CAD/CAM)
August 1, 2006... Genesis Mold Corp. (Libertyville, IL) needed a new direction to stay competitive when Mike Robison took it over in 2001. With over a decade in classic mold making and valuable experience as a shop foreman, Robison quickly put together a winning...

Rust removal system lowers labor costs, improves quality: a manufacturer working with cold rolled steel had to find a solution for rusty parts. Opting not to use harsh chemicals, the company instead relied on removing rust manually--an expensive and time consuming process. But a new, non-toxic, easy to dispose of solution has reduced costs and improved quality, while delivering a rust-free surface ready for welding.(CLEANING)
August 1, 2006... Fairlawn Tool & Die Co., Inc. (Hampstead, MD) is a production fabrication manufacturer that provides a variety of high quality formed, machined and welded metal parts for many industries. The company began in 1954 and has steadily grown into...

IMTS 2006.(Cover story)
August 1, 2006... Featuring 1,200 exhibiting companies, IMTS will be at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL from September 6 - 13. Over 15,000 new products will be displayed in 12 industry-specific pavilions. So if you're planning on attending, you'll definitely need...

Creative destruction: for big and small?('BY GEORGE')
August 1, 2006... Who isn't talking about GM these days? I mean what's good for GM is good for the country, right? America without GM is like America without apple pie or hot dogs on the 4th of July. Yet, it looks like GM has not only accepted a role in the auto...