Modern Applications News articles from December 2007

Modern Applications News archives from December 2007

Correction.(Correction notice)
December 1, 2007... In the November 2007 issue, No. 40, Vol. 11, the information line before the article, "Building in Critical Cutting," p. 34, should have read: An automotive supplier which had to meet both tight budget constraints and tolerances, turned away...

Plan ahead: we all like to think we'll live forever, but no one has yet. It's never too early to think about succession planning.(EDITOR'S CORNER)
December 1, 2007... Call it a limited liability corporation, a partnership, a sole proprietorship, or something else, I'd be willing to bet that a lot of job shops are run by their founder. Usually he, or sometimes she, is the guiding force behind the business,...

Don't let standards impede innovation.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2007... I am writing in response to Dave Sterling's article More Standards; Less Awkward Moments [Oct. 2007, Vol. 41, No. 10, p. 12]. I do see a key difference between the innovations made in turning tools and those made in milling tools. In both cases...

$20,000 computer control able to handle total N/C fabrication system.(40 Years Ago This Month)
December 1, 2007... Computer assisted, piece-part programming and punching machine tool control, as well as complete numerical control program verification, piece-part verification, and auxiliary functions are being handled simultaneously at Strippit's plant in...

Change to tungsten carbide Grade PWX increases tool life 20 to 40 times.(40 Years Ago This Month)
December 1, 2007... Special aircraft fasteners of Inconel X-750, a high temperature, high nickel base alloy with a machinability rating of 15, required scrupulous attention to certain critical dimensions. Only 6 to 12 parts could be produced before the special...

Small manufacturing businesses lack confidence in the coming economy.(Industry News)
December 1, 2007... Confidence in the business prospects for the next 12 months dropped among owners and managers of small manufacturing companies according to a survey conducted by the Small Business Research Board, Northfield, IL. In a third-quarter poll,...

Economist sees good news in bad numbers.(Industry News)
December 1, 2007... A report from the Federal Reserve that manufacturing production showed no change in September after edging down 0.4 percent in August does not accurately reflect what is going on in manufacturing, according to David Huether, chief economist of...

German manufacturer has a good year and expects growth to continue.(Industry News)
December 1, 2007... The TRUMPF Group, Ditzingen, Germany, finished its 2006/07 fiscal year on June 30 with an increase in sales of 18 percent to $2.8 billion compared to $2.38 billion for the previous year. Nicola Leibinger-Kammuller, company president,...

3D software developer joins education team.(Industry News)
December 1, 2007... SolidWorks Corp., Concord, MA, teamed with other leading design software providers to launch The CAD Academy, a secondary and post-secondary pre-engineering and pre-architectural program. It bundles design, engineering, and architecture...

Gibbs and MAG form partnership.(Industry News)
December 1, 2007... Gibbs and Associates, Moorpark, CA, announced a worldwide strategic partnership with the MAG Infimatic Controls Division. A key component in the relationship is Infimatic offering Gibbs Shop Floor Programming--SFP--with the MAG Infimatic open...

Personal CNC consultants available.(Industry News)
December 1, 2007... Tormach LLC, Waunakee, WI, a personal CNC technology company, introduced its Manufacturing Consultants Program, a team of Personal CNC--PCNC--professionals for contract consultation on CNC machining projects. The program matches the skills...

Detroit metal scrap pricing -- November 2007.(Industry News)
December 1, 2007... Detroit Metal Scrap Pricing -- November 2007 Scrap Material Price/lb unless noted 17-4 PH Solids $0.37 17-4 PH Turn $0.34 18-8 Stainless Turn $1.11 18-8 Stainless $1.20 301...

August manufacturing technology consumption up 26.6 percent.(Industry News)
December 1, 2007... August U.S. manufacturing technology consumption totaled $347.25 million, according to the Association for Manufacturing Technology and the American Machine Tool Distributors' Association. This total, as reported by companies participating in...

AMT elects new officers.(Industry News)
December 1, 2007... The Association for Manufacturing Technology elected its 2007-2008 officers and directors at its annual meeting in Santa Ana Pueblo, NM. The association, which represents more than 400 American manufacturers of machine tools, manufacturing...

Hardware is easy, software is hard: plunking down a load of cash for a new machine is only part of the process; at least it's possible to see it cut metal and produce parts. Purchasing the right software, and getting a cardboard box with discs in it for a significant portion of the cost of the machine, is the scary part.(FROM THE SHOP FLOOR)
December 1, 2007... In my last column [Nov. 2007, Vol. 41, No. 11, From the Shop Floor, "The Hybrid Machine Future Fast Approaches," p. 10], I wrote about the challenges of the hybrid machine tools. One of the biggest difficulties is how to program the things....

Changing channels: channel CNC offers increased capabilities.(CONTROLLING INTEREST)
December 1, 2007... If you want to see a Channel CNC in action, view a video posted by SeaManEGV [www.youtube.com/results?search_query=sinumerik&search=Search]. Wow! How many axes can that CNC do? Many, but really, these kinds of machines are characterized...

Nightmare on outer drive west: even with 3D visualization, designs can sometimes require nightmarish manufacturing contortions. A shop with the right software and hardware beat the competition in creating a tool to overcome a design bad dream.(CAD/CAM)
December 1, 2007... It's a race between engine designers and the price of fuel. Not only do engines have to run cleaner, supply more power, and provide more miles per gallon, they have to fit within the streamline confines of vehicle design. At times, the...

A sign of the times: purchasing a CNC router allowed a sign maker to step into the 21st Century.(CNC)
December 1, 2007... After countless nights cutting out letters by hand to create signs that kept him from designing others, Joseph Putjenter, owner of Artistic Sign and Design, Omaha, NE, added a CNC router to alleviate some of his workload. For him, the payoff...

Quality never takes a tumble at a finishing shop: known for its quality tumble finishes, a company found that it had to design its own finishing line to maintain its reputation.(COATINGS)
December 1, 2007... Quality isn't a passed-buck for Rapid Tumbles Finish, Eaton Rapids, MI. As its name implies, the company specializes in putting the right finish on customer parts. Quality starts before parts enter the facility. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Excess capacity? No such thing: a Guyana toolmaker runs a successful Canadian company on the philosophy to be prepared to take advantage of that "golden" phone call from a customer.(MACHINING CENTERS)
December 1, 2007... The Boy Scouts live by the motto "Be Prepared." For Peter J. Harry, managing director of Eldorado Tool & Manufacturing Co., Waterloo, Ont., Canada, it's a way of growing his business. Part of his business model is to make sure he has enough...

Ford is driven lately: sharing a last name with an auto giant isn't intimidating for a Louisiana native.(CAD/CAM)
December 1, 2007... Ford might be a big name in Michigan, but in Westlake, LA, Don Ford has found he is making a name for himself because of his machining expertise. Westlake, with a population of 4,668, won't rival Detroit, but that hasn't prevented Ford, owner...

Greasing the skids for oil exploration production: an oil-industry supplier was wasting time and not meeting its speed or material-removal roughing demands until it found the right insert.(CUTTING TOOLS)
December 1, 2007... As the cost of oil rises, there's been a boom in almost all aspects of energy exploration. Accompanying that rise has been an increase in machining the equipment used in that industry. Not only has demand for machining petroleum-related...

Tapping the power of lasers and brakes: a shop found speed and precision in the combined power of laser-cutter and press brake.(LASERS)
December 1, 2007... It started out as a three-man welding shop in a Kansas town of 3,700, and has grown into a leading manufacturer of agricultural equipment, transportation products, material handling equipment, and government equipment, with 500 full-time and 85...

Grinding machine expands manufacturing horizons: given the mandate to operate as a revenue-generating job shop, a company tooling division found a grinder to help it meet the challenge.(SPOTLIGHT: ABRASIVES/GRINDING MACHINES)(Company overview)
December 1, 2007... The core business for the Global Application Tooling Division is producing application tooling for its parent, Tyco Electronics. But, under the company's Global Machining Services initiative, the division, known as GATD, is encouraged to act as...

The wheels on the pipe go 'round and 'round.(New Products)
December 1, 2007... A line of Type 1 cotton-fiber wheels for removing thread-root corrosion and grinding out cracks to help assure pipe connection integrity. The wheels for pipe thread grinding are made from multiple layers of non-woven cotton fabric and either...

Portable vacuum generator.(New Products)
December 1, 2007... A battery-powered vacuum station suitable for handling non-porous loads in hold-down devices and lifting applications where AC power is not available. The VFP-57-DC Battery Powered Vacuum Station includes a heavy-duty rechargeable 12V, 12 amp...

Entry-level PLM.(New Products)
December 1, 2007... PLM Express is a comprehensive set of digital manufacturing solutions for project lifecycle management technology. Its role-based applications let smaller companies better connect with larger organizations and become more efficient and...

Agile two-armed robot.(New Products)
December 1, 2007... The DIA10 dual-arm robot provides high-speed motion with enhanced, human-like flexibility of movement. The robot is suited for packaging, assembly, part transfer, machine tending, and other handling tasks once only done by people. It features...

Low-volume work waterjet.(New Products)
December 1, 2007... The Hydro-Jet Eco is a compact machine, created for low-volume work in smaller businesses that want to bring outsourced work in-house to control deadlines and quality. The water-jet technology uses both pure-water and abrasive cutting, making...

5-Axis CAM option expands capabilities.(New Products)
December 1, 2007... The 5-Axis CAM option supports 5-axis simultaneous milling, which lets it machine turbine blades, impellers, engine porting, aircraft wing spars, and medical parts. The option introduces multi-surface 5-axis roughing and finishing;...

Material handling system offers short cycle time.(New Products)
December 1, 2007... ByTrans is a material handling system where loading and unloading takes 60 seconds, so that the system is faster than the shortest cutting plan. The short cycle time, which is independent of the thickness of the metal sheet, ensures overall...

Nested parts machined in a single operation.(New Products)
December 1, 2007... The automated 6000 Series Bridge and Rail Plasma System features a 16 hp drill and tapping system that accompanies the Hypertherm HPR260 High Definition Plasma unit and auto gas console. This combined technology allows fabricators to drill,...

CAM package offers machining strategies.(New Products)
December 1, 2007... Version 9.6 of hyperMILL CAM offers CNC machining. The integrated hyperMILL millTURN milling and turning module extends the range of machining strategies for complete machining on mill-turn machines in addition to the existing 2D, 3D, HSC, and...

Ceramic cutter promises increased speeds.(New Products)
December 1, 2007... KY4300 ceramic, a member of the Kyon cutting ceramics, is suited for aerospace parts-machining applications involving Inconel, Stellite, Waspalloy, Hastelloy, and other high-temperature alloys. When machining Inconel 718, for example, it can...

Near-zero runout face driver.(New Products)
December 1, 2007... The Neidlein FBS MK5 Model Face Driver features a fixed center for near-zero runout for hard-turning or grinding operations. It turns a work-piece from end-to-end in one operation and eliminates drive dogs. It lets the entire O.D. of a...

Stationary magazine tool rack.(New Products)
December 1, 2007... The Matrix Tool Magazine is a stationary tool storage rack that lets Toyoda HMCs be tooled for part numbers, keeps backup tools on hand, and eliminates trips to the tool room. The Matrix magazine can accommodate up to 500 tools; the compact...

Add-on touch probe for CNC machines.(New Products)
December 1, 2007... The UTI 192 Universal Touch Probe Interface can be used on many CNC controls for milling, drilling and boring machines, and machining centers, making the probes compatible with CNC controls with a fast switching input. It supports two 3D touch...

Putting the hex on a set of keys.(New Products)
December 1, 2007... A line of hex keys include different types of keys in a variety of sets, including standard six-point hex, round-head, Torx, and spline-head styles. All are made for a tight fit, and are available in fractional and metric sizes, and in standard...

TRAK TRL 1630SX lathe.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
December 1, 2007... The TRAK TRL 1630SX lathe, features Proto TRAK SLX CNC and is the smallest toolroom lathe in the line. It offers optional TRAKing. It has hardened and ground bedways and Turcite-coated sliding surfaces. It comes with electronic handwheels, a...

Automatic tube Cutoff Lathes and feeders.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
December 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,...

Trumpf introduces single cutting head technology.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
December 1, 2007... The TruLaser 5030 offers improved processes and reduced downtime. It features a single cutting head for all sheet thicknesses. The beam changes automatically depending on material--no need to switch the head. It is especially helpful for...

Standard toolholding line.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
December 1, 2007... Lyndex-Nikken offers the most comprehensive line of standard toolholding products in the marketplace. This complete range of quality toolholding solutions is designed to meet the strictest requirements, and include the industry's most trusted...

Turnkey equipment *design* large machining.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
December 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...

ATB Uni-Lok Quick Change brushes.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
December 1, 2007... The Uni-Lok Quick Change brush is engineered for maximum aggression. The disc brush has a 1/4" shank. These brushes are designed for use on hand tools, CNC machining centers, fully automatic machinery, and robotic cells. They come in sizes from...

3000 Series CNC Plasma.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
December 1, 2007... The MultiCam 3000 Series Plasma is the perfect choice for those looking for value in a machine tool quality CNC Plasma Cutting System. The rigid, all-steel plate frame design supports a variety of standard or high-definition plasma units and is...

Free 34-page marking equipment catalog.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
December 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....

Scientific cutting tools--value line thread mills.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
December 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,...

Dimensional measuring instruments brochure.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
December 1, 2007... This brochure details digital indicators; linear gage sensors with ranges of 1"--4" and accuracies up to 0.00002". These gages measure dimensions, thickness, curvature, eccentricity, displacement, height, depth, flatness, variation, run-out,...

GibbsCAM[R] interactive tour.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
December 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...

Versafinish[TM] axially-compliant finishing tool.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
December 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...

The coming consolidation of the CAM industry: computer-aided manufacturing vendors will probably be consolidating. As the number of vendors shrinks, shops and OEMs will see CAM's value rise.(THE LAST WORD)
December 1, 2007... Worldwide, there are about 30 companies developing and marketing computer-aided manufacturing software, a number of businesses nearly unique in a mature industry--and increasingly unsustainable. Consolidation is coming. CAM is software for...