Modern Applications News articles from December 2005

Modern Applications News archives from December 2005

Shocked: "I am shocked, shocked to discover that" the playing field isn't level for small shops and manufacturers!(EDITOR'S CORNER)
December 1, 2005... With my apologies to the late Claude Raines and fans of Casablanca, to be presented with proof positive by an entity of the U.S. government that smaller businesses, especially in manufacturing, are playing on a field that isn't level--well, I...

AMTDA names Healy president.(Industry News)
December 1, 2005... John J. Healy, CAE has been named the new president of the American Machine Tool Distributors' Association (AMTDA). The announcement was made by James C. Addy, CMTSE, chairman of the board for the AMTDA and president of Addy Machinery...

ISM Report On Business[R] New Orders, Production expanding.(Industry News)
December 1, 2005... Economic activity in the manufacturing sector grew in October for the 29th consecutive month, while the overall economy grew for the 48th consecutive month, say the nation's supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business....

Machine tool user activity remains steady.(Industry News)
December 1, 2005... Business activity and financial strength of U.S. machine tool users stayed essentially steady in September, according to the Charmilles Machining Business Activity Index. "September, 2005 business activity was up solidly from June, 2005,"...

Maxcor buys ThyssenKrupp MetalCutting Companies.(Industry News)
December 1, 2005... Maxcor, Inc., in partnership with Silver Point Finance, LLC announced that it completed the purchase of ThyssenKrupp's MetalCutting Group. The MetalCutting Group is comprised of Cross Huller with sites in Germany, England, the USA, Brazil,...

Machine tool consumption up 26% in latest report.(Industry News)
December 1, 2005... U.S. machine tool consumption totaled $286.86 million in August, according to the latest report from the AMT--The Association For Manufacturing Technology, and AMTDA, the American Machine Tool Distributors' Association. This total, as...

Workholding shipments up 8.5% from year earlier.(Industry News)
December 1, 2005... At $55.5 million for the second quarter 2005, shipments of workholding equipment for the U.S. were up 8.5% from the previous year according to the Workholding Product Group (WPG) of AMT--The Association For Manufacturing Technology.

Letters to the editor.(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2005... If you want to contribute your thoughts to this section, please e-mail directly to: jmullally@nelsonpub.com. Please include your complete contact information, as all letters considered for publication are verified. All submissions are subject...

Vegetable-based lubes offer slick solutions: using reader response as an indicator, there is a growing interest in vegetable-based lubricants in the metalworking industries. Essential to making a judgment as to whether these coolants/lubricants are appropriate for your application is understanding the relationship between the lubricant and the process.(COOLANTS/LUBRICANTS/FILTERS)
December 1, 2005... There are several factors working to open doors for vegetable-based fluids in metalworking. New local, state, and federal regulations are coming to bear on metalworking fluids and lubricants, their composition, handling, disposal, and use....

High-pressure, high-volume coolant considerations: as the impacts of metalworking fluids on productivity and profits become ever clearer, new application techniques are evolving. One of these is the high-pressure, high-volume technique, which delivers fluids at pressures from several hundred to several thousand psi with volumes up to 50 GPM delivered to the workpiece.(COOLANTS/LUBRICANTS/FILTERS)
December 1, 2005... Many of the basic functions that metalworking fluids (MWFs) perform, such as cooling, lubricating and chip removal, can be improved with the use of high-pressure and high-volume MWFs. The metalworking process can be cooled more effectively when...

Portable coolant prep unit prevents spills, contamination: intended to eliminate possible coolant contamination of its medical product, a shop's initial coolant mixing and dispensing guidelines triggered "the law of unintended consequences," leading it to a new coolant preparation and delivery system.(COOLANTS/LUBRICANTS/FILTERS)
December 1, 2005... Mixing coolant and dispensing it to CNC machines had become a cumbersome, labor-intensive, and spill-prone operation for a plant whose product, processes, and productivity would not tolerate any of them. Competing in the global market,...

Coolant saving decanter for compact belt skimmer.(SPOTLIGHT)
December 1, 2005... Abanaki Corporation introduces a new coolant decanter for its Mighty Mini[R] SST compact belt skimmer. The new decanter feature improves efficiency of parts washers and machine tool coolant sumps by separating coolant from skimmed tramp oils so...

Multi-purpose metalworking fluid.(SPOTLIGHT)
December 1, 2005... Cimperial[R] 1070 is the new multi-purpose metalworking fluid from Milacron, Inc. designed for many applications including, turning, drilling, tapping, reaming, gear cutting, broaching, centerless grinding, and ID grinding. This new fluid has...

Filter Audit uncovers opportunities.(SPOTLIGHT)
December 1, 2005... Airguard offers its Filtration Audit for institutional, commercial, and industrial companies for identifying potential HVAC system problems and inefficiencies as well as opportunities for reducing energy costs. This system checks air intakes...

New Air Nozzle for precision blow-off.(SPOTLIGHT)
December 1, 2005... The new Micro Air Nozzle[TM] from Exair Corporation provides precision blow-off with a directed high volume, high velocity airflow. Projecting less than 1" past the mounting surface, the air nozzle can be installed where space is limited, and...

Coolant's the key to saw blade life: one of the most common complaints from band saw operators is the infamous "breaking blades" problem, and most times the "usual suspects" are examined. And, just like in the movies, the real culprit isn't among the "usual suspects." It's the coolant.(COOLANTS/LUBRICANTS/FILTERS)
December 1, 2005... Exhaustive tests performed at HE&M Saw (Pryor, OK), routinely demonstrate that coolant quality has a direct effect on blade life. Simply by using high quality, properly mixed coolant, saw owners can extend blade life substantially. ...

Matrix 2D CNC marker matches vision system.(ID MARKING)
December 1, 2005... when a leading automotive fuel rail supplier was looking for a level of programmable marking that could combine the placing of logos, part numbers, and machine-readable Matrix 2D codes in one operation, a special turn-key, direct part CNC...

High quality quickly secures shop's niche: speed isn't everything, but it certainly helps a Pennsylvania shop define its niche in the machining marketplace. High precision tolerances have helped grow the niche and keep the shop busy.(DRILLING/TAPPING/BORING)
December 1, 2005... Gerry Faber is busy. His competitors are not. His job shop, Faber Machine, Inc. (Honey Brook, PA), is using faster production to attract business, despite the lean economy. Since installing a Fanuc RoboDrill CNC milling/drilling/tapping center...

Upgraded CAM system cuts-out EDM, time: just having a CAM program isn't enough to survive in today's specialty shop market, employing the latest program versions and current upgrades save the most important thing in metalworking: time.(CAD/CAM)
December 1, 2005... Like most business owners, Erich Elendt, co-owner of Elba Tool Company, Inc. (Bloomingdale, IL), is always looking for ways to cut costs without sacrificing quality. So it was a welcome breakthrough when recent improvements in Delcam's...

5-axis laser software eliminates trim dies: working with simulation and offline programming tools the U.S. unit of a leading German information technology (IT) business has developed a fast and low-cost alternative to the extremely high cost of complex dies for small-quantity sheet metal stamping.(CAD/CAM)(Company Profile)
December 1, 2005... The specific cost challenge is the trim die, the costliest and most complicated piece of stamping tooling. In a stamping press, the trim die does most of the metal cutting and forming, trimming away excess metal and piercing the steel for...

Slower, more accurate machine saves time with precision: although it produces fewer parts per shift, a new turning center more than earns its keep by continuously producing precision results, without the constant attention of a setup person.(TURNING CENTERS)
December 1, 2005... "We really don't produce anything," says Don Nicholson, owner, Advanced Secondaries, Inc. (Cleveland, OH). "We just change it." By making specials from standard screw machine or cold-headed parts for the past 30 years, this company has...

3D laser opens new niche--fixing manufacturing mishaps: nobody's perfect. Even with sharp engineers and programmers using the latest CAD/CAM systems, manufacturing mistakes are made. Using the latest laser technology, a South Carolina fabricator has made a profitable market fixing these manufacturing missteps.(LASERS)
December 1, 2005... Since its beginning 14 years ago in Williston, SC, Precision Metal Fabricators Inc. (PMF) has always been on the lookout for new ways to keep ahead of the technology curve to meet increasingly demanding fabricating needs. "If we stay ahead by...

Solid carbide end mill attacks machine time: an article in MAN about the application of a solid carbide end mill gives a shop the edge to cut 10-hours of machining time from a challenging stainless steel part.(CUTTING TOOLS)
December 1, 2005... Machining challenges are what Shane Mullins, a machinist at Great Lakes Industrial Knife Co. (Akron, OH), lives for, in fact the tougher the better. But one part he cut would prove his patience and the capabilities of his tooling. Great...

Robots set pace at auto supplier: to keep pace and profitable in the automotive supply chain, a machined parts supplier relies on the reliability of robotic material handling and positioning.(ROBOTS)
December 1, 2005... Aztec Manufacturing Corporation (Romulus, MI) is a full-service supplier of precision-machined castings and forgings to the automotive industry. In keeping with its lean manufacturing initiatives that help the company stay cost-competitive,...

Double-sided helical inserts for milling.(NEW PRODUCTS AND LITERATURE)
December 1, 2005... Iscar Metals, Inc. introduces the newest addition to its HELIMILL line. The HELIDO490 combines the helical cutting edge and positive rake angle design of the HELIMILL with the strong construction of the MILL2000. The rectangular H490 ANKX...

55[degrees] triangle insert.(NEW PRODUCTS AND LITERATURE)
December 1, 2005... The SumiTurn T-REX triangle insert from Sumitomo Electric feature six contoured cutting edges for rigid clamping within the turning system, and to provide accurate insert indexing. The T-REX inserts are available in three grades: AC700G for...

BurrFree Drill available in standard sizes.(NEW PRODUCTS AND LITERATURE)
December 1, 2005... The E-Z Burr Tool Company are now offering its BurrFree Drills in a variety of standard fractional and metric sizes for hole diameters 0.374" (9.5mm) and larger. Designed for use in the automotive and other metalworking industries where a burr...

Abrasive blaster automates surface preparation.(NEW PRODUCTS AND LITERATURE)
December 1, 2005... Guyson Corporation offers an expanded rotary blast cabinet for automatic processing of large components that require consistent surface preparation. The Model RSSA-8 is available in specially adapted versions for abrasive blasting, shot...

Fixture clamps.(NEW PRODUCTS AND LITERATURE)
December 1, 2005... Mitee-Bite Products Inc. offers a novel clamping system made of an eccentric socket head cap screw and a hexagonal brass, clamping element. The systems offers a different approach to clamping that combines the security of a screw clamp and the...

Manufacturing's future? Nagoya, Japan & Germany: industry is on parade again. It's marching overseas. It's headed to China and India and we're all going to be movie stars, lawyers, accountants, short order cooks, and government workers. Manufacturing is passe, caput, history. Who needs it any way?
December 1, 2005... Well, let me tell anyone who spouts such service economy nonsense (and their ranks are growing), manufacturing is what a modern, success-bound economy does. Manufacturing means the creation of wealth. The rest of us serve it. That's the real...