Modern Applications News articles from August 2007

Modern Applications News archives from August 2007

Free advice, and worth every penny: drop us a line and let us know what you need.(EDITOR'S CORNER)
August 1, 2007... How many times have you clicked on the "Help" button in an application and not gotten the help you need? If my experience is like yours, it will have been plenty of times, I bet. Hit the "Help" button and a list of solutions comes up that may...

Workholding survey feedback.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2007... I was surprised--but then after some consideration, not so surprised--at the results of the workholding survey [June 2007, Vol. 41, No. 6, "MAN 2007 Workholding Survey Results," p. 28] Some questions should have been poised around the...

Buy foreign; wound America.(Letters to the Editor)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2007... Nice article, or should I say, nice try at soothing the guilty consciences of the U.S. businesses that are not buying American. Let's use this article [June 2007, Vol. 41, No. 6, The Last Word, "Forget Outsourcing, the Issue is Insourcing,"...

Trade publications: not only good, but good looking; Trade magazines not only let readers keep their finger on the pulse of their industry, but other industries as well. They also class-up waiting rooms.(FROM THE SHOP FLOOR)
August 1, 2007... I have been writing this column for several months now, and it continues to be a great experience. The few letters I've received have included positive words. Every month I receive a plea from my editor Pete to turn in my column. The only...

Walter achieves perfect safety score.(Industry News)
August 1, 2007... A perfect score of 93 won Walter USA, Waukesha, WI, the Sandvik Highly Protected Risk Award. The Walter facility was one of two installations to win the award worldwide in the FM Global audit, which examines risk control, emergency...

Machine tool delinquency rate at all-time low.(Industry News)
August 1, 2007... The May figures for the Agie Charmilles Machining Business Activity Index machine tool delinquency rate hit an all-time low for the second consecutive month. The rate is about a third of the home mortgage delinquency rate and compares favorably...

3M acquires Diamond Products.(Industry News)
August 1, 2007... 3M, St. Paul, MN, acquired Diamond Productions Inc., a manufacturer of superabrasive diamond and cubic boron nitride--cBN--wheels and tools for dimensioning and finishing hard-to-grind materials in metalworking, woodworking, and stone...

Texas College wins machining certification.(Industry News)
August 1, 2007... South Texas College, Hidalgo and Starr counties, TX, is the first college in Texas to earn the National Institute of Metalworking Skills Accreditation for its Precision Manufacturing Technology Program. The accreditation means that STC has met...

First quarter 2007 workholding sales up from 2006.(Industry News)(Financial report)
August 1, 2007... First quarter 2007 shipments of work-holding equipment for the U.S.--$61 million--were up 6.5 percent from first quarter 2006, according to the Workholding Product Group of the Association for Manufacturing Technology--AMT. Work-holding...

New wing contract for A-10 aircraft.(Industry News)
August 1, 2007... The Boeing Co., Chicago, has been awarded a U.S. Air Force contract worth up to $2 billion for engineering services and the manufacturing of 242 wing sets for the Air Force's A-10 fleet, between 2007 and 2018. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Low growth for European laser cutting market.(Industry News)
August 1, 2007... The European laser-cutting equipment market is experiencing low but steady growth. Of the demand taking place, much of it is arising from end-users' focus on incorporating more automation into production facilities and providing high-quality...

Flow taps "Charley" Brown for CEO.(Industry News)
August 1, 2007... The board of directors of Flow International, Corp. Kent, WA, a manufacturer of waterjet technology, named Charles "Charley" Brown as the company's new chief executive officer, effective upon the retirement of Stephen Light. During Brown's...

Foreign automotive sales grow while domestic production stagnates.(Industry News)
August 1, 2007... Foreign automakers posted record sales for the 12-month period starting June 2006, while U.S. auto manufacturers showed modest gains or losses. Mazda North American Operations reported its best June since 2004 with U.S. sales accounting...

Muskets and machining: how the evolution of interchangeable parts created the American System of Manufacture and the development of CNC.(CONTROLLING INTEREST)
August 1, 2007... New students in machine shop classes are given exercises to measure a variety of parts with micrometers. Later, the students' first actual machining exercise is usually to turn a workpiece to a specified diameter within a tolerance. Tolerance...

The need for speed: don't confuse speed with acceleration. Determining the right parameters of each can affect productivity.(MACHINING Rxs FROM DR. J)
August 1, 2007... There has been a dramatic change in the metal-cutting market for both producers and users of machine tools in the past 10 to 15 years. As Thomas Friedman notes in his best-selling novel, The World Is Flat, the rapid developments in software,...

When good looking products are needed, laser cutters deliver: in the retail display environment, "eye candy" produces sales. Making the displays look good is the job of the manufacturer.(LASER CUTTING)
August 1, 2007... The competitive retail environment relies on visual marketing. JP Metal America, Montreal, uses laser technology for cutting sheet and metal tubes for display fixtures. Some of the company's customers include Harley Davidson, Tommy Hilfiger,...

2007 Readers' Choice Awards.
August 1, 2007... By readers' responses to companies and products appearing in MAN, you voted for your favorites. Here are the winners and runners up in 10 metalworking categories. The purpose of Modern Applications News is to provide solutions to...

The coolest machining around: cryogenic machining, using liquid nitrogen at -320[degrees]F is a cutting-edge technology in more ways than one.(MACHINING)
August 1, 2007... Cryogenic machining started as a laboratory curiosity and has found application on the shop floor. It offers a number of advantages and has moved from the exotic to merely the out-of-the-ordinary. Using -320[degrees]F liquid nitrogen as a...

Profiting like cats and dogs: using a new CAM system let a manufacturer turn one-off cats-and-dogs work into a profit center.(CAD/CAM)(Company overview)
August 1, 2007... While the old adage "A poor workman blames his tools," the obverse is that without the right tools, a good workman can't excel. A shop that once turned away one-off work because it lost confidence in its CAM package, found a solution that let...

No room for error: when each part costs more than $14,000, cutting thread holes has to be right the first time. This shop increased speed without sacrificing accuracy.(SPOTLIGHT: CUTTING TOOLS)
August 1, 2007... Gentz Industries, Warren, MI, makes turbine engine components for the commercial and military marketplace. It specializes in low-volume, high-precision parts from expensive and hard-to-machine materials, such as Inconel, titanium, and...

Long drill for auto parts.(NEW PRODUCTS)
August 1, 2007... The solid carbide Long-Length drill bits for small-diameter, deep holes in automotive camshafts, cylinder heads and blocks, crankshafts, and connecting rods. Metal-removal rate is up to 100 percent greater than competiting gun and high-speed...

Mirror-image turning centers.(NEW PRODUCTS)
August 1, 2007... The You Ji YV-600A vertical turning center produces medium-sized parts for aerospace, oil field, and other industries. There are mirror-image right-and left-hand versions so shops can place machines side by side in a work cell, providing two...

Quick-change vise jaws.(NEW PRODUCTS)
August 1, 2007... The Hydra-10ST vise jaws fit directly onto a Kurt-type vise and, with optional pads, hold wider parts. The pads bolt directly to the pistons in the hydraulic unit. The vise jaws use the FastBack mounting system, so they can be changed in 30...

Lean laser calibration.(NEW PRODUCTS)
August 1, 2007... The lean-design XL-80 laser calibration system provides a four-times faster slew rate, a 10 times higher dynamic data capture rate, and system accuracy in a smaller, lighter, and more portable package. The system increases linear measurement...

Indent marking tool operates up to 120 IPM.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
August 1, 2007... DMwriter, from Dapra Marking Systems, is an indent marking tool for CNC milling machines. Easily-integrated, DMwriter marks up to 120 IPM. Standard engraving software produces high-quality, permanent marks in parts up to 62 [R.sub.C] with no...

Easy machine tool upgrades reduce costs.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
August 1, 2007... Lyndex-Nikken's line of CustomTools is designed to easily and effectively upgrade machine tool capabilities. AngleHeads reduce work setups by accessing previously unavailable planes. HiSpinners reduce cycle times and costs by increasing tooling...

Cool electronic cabinets.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
August 1, 2007... UL Listed Cabinet Coolers are the low cost way to cool and purge heat sensitive electronics. The compact Cabinet Coolers produce cold air at 20[degrees]F from compressed air. NEMA 4, 4X (stainless steel), and 12 models are available with...

Automatic tube Cutoff Lathes and feeders.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
August 1, 2007... Our new color 10 page catalog describes the advanced engineering and performance of Modern Machine Tool's newest Servo-Slide and Conventional Cutoff Lathes; capable of quickly and accurately cutting-to-length and machining cylindrical tube,...

Heat treating furnaces and ovens.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
August 1, 2007... Bring heat treating in-house and save time, improve quality, and eliminate lot charges. High-quality furnaces and ovens for the tool and die industry. Standard and customized sizes to meet specific needs. Lucifer Furnaces; PA; 800.378.0095,...

Loading Platform increases efficiency, revenue.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
August 1, 2007... WARDJet's External Loading Platform--ELP--reduces loading time with no climbing onto the cutting table. The ELP can be offloaded and preloaded while the waterjet cuts parts. The ELP consists of WARDJet Job Shop Grates integrated in a steel...

Turnkey equipment *design* large machining.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
August 1, 2007... Ascension Industries offers design fabrication of turnkey process systems. Products and services include: vessels, instrumentation, sanitary, polishing, CNC boring, milling and drilling, CNC laser cutting, and brake press and sheet metal...

Scientific Cutting Tools--Value line thread mills.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
August 1, 2007... Scientific Cutting Tools offers the high-efficiency Value line helical fluted solid-carbide thread milling tools. The fine ground cutting edge, sub micro grain substrate, and TiALN coating guarantee excellent surface finish. Available in UN,...

Continuously remove exhausted waterjet abrasives.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
August 1, 2007... The Ebbco Abrasive Removal System continuously removes exhausted abrasive collecting in waterjet catch tanks, eliminating cleanout and maximizing production. The system is for any abrasive waterjet machine. Models can accommodate up to 450...

GibbsCAM[R] interactive tour.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
August 1, 2007... This multimedia CD-ROM introduces the GibbsCAM[R] product line and shows why GibbsCAM[R] is your best choice for CAM software. Actual customers tell how GibbsCAM[R] addressed their manufacturing problems and improved their company's...

Free 34-page marking equipment catalog.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
August 1, 2007... Numberall Stamp & Tool., Inc., has a free 34-page catalog outlining all types of metal marking equipment. Included with every catalog is a FREE Length Of Impression Ruler, a versatile aid in determining character size and number of characters....

VersaFinish[TM] axially-compliant finishing tool.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
August 1, 2007... ATI Industrial Automation released VersaFinish, an axially-compliant finishing tool for a multitude of robotic and automated material finishing operations. VersaFinish is a robust, low-speed, high-torque air tool with an axially-floating...

Diamond wheel grinder improves welding.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
August 1, 2007... The U.S.-made Piranha II Tungsten Grinder from Diamond Ground Products longitudinally grinds tungsten with diamond wheels and improves welding functions. The grinder has an enclosure to protect operators from hazards. The portable unit-- ...

Employee assets: there's a lot of lip service given to the phrase "our employees are our greatest asset," yet few companies use that resource. It's time to see how employees can contribute more than just their hourly work.(THE LAST WORD)
August 1, 2007... When asked, "What type of business do you want to operate," most members of upper management would likely answer, "a profitable one." Certainly, profitability is a goal in any company, but how management shapes its decision-making process...