Modern Applications News articles from February 2006

Modern Applications News archives from February 2006

The railroad business: yes, I know you aren't in the railroad business. But some of you think you are in the aviation/aerospace, petroleum or medical equipment business. Keep thinking this way and you might end up like the companies that thought they were in the railroad business.(EDITOR'S CORNER)
February 1, 2006... With no puns intended, railroads were the engines that drove this country's development. Gathering up legal immigrants from Eastern ports of entry and transporting them to the country's heartland, scattering them across places like Nebraska,...

Technology vs. educators?(Letters To The Editor)(Letter to the Editor)
February 1, 2006... Hello John, I was wishing to be a D student in freshman algebra. I got an F and had to take it over. And, yes, I did get an A in Geometry. My guidance counselors were in universal agreement with you. Trouble is, I loved to build...

Haas builds 10,000 machines in 2005.(Industry News)
February 1, 2006... Haas Automation, Inc., built, sold and shipped more than 10,000 Haas CNC machines at its manufacturing facility in Oxnard, California. That's an increase of more than 22% over 2004, and more than 200% over 2003. "We are constantly...

Workholding shipments up 5.1% over 2005.(Industry News)
February 1, 2006... At $53.3 million for the third quarter 2005, shipments of workholding equipment for the U.S. were up 5.1% from the similar quarter last year according to the Workholding Product Group (WPG) of AMT--The Association For Manufacturing Technology....

Trumpf to expand manufacturing operations.(Industry News)
February 1, 2006... Trumpf Inc., a subsidiary of the German-based Trumpf Group, announced plans to expand its North American business. The plans are designed to increase manufacturing operations in North America and strengthen the company's laser business in the...

Industrial laser shipments up 10% for quarter.(Industry News)
February 1, 2006... At $171.524 million, third quarter 2005 shipments of industrial laser equipment and systems for North America and U.S. exports are up 10% from shipments of the same quarter in 2004, according to the Laser Systems Product Group (LSPG) of...

New orders, production, employment growing.(Industry News)
February 1, 2006... Economic activity in the manufacturing sector grew in December for the 31st consecutive month, while the overall economy grew for the 50th consecutive month, say the nation's supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On...

Tangential milling saves shop $5,000 annually: one shop found that lying down on the job actually works. Changing the insert orientation--from standing up to lying down--increased edge life, reduced cycle time and saved $5,000 in the first year.(CUTTING TOOLS)(Cover Story)
February 1, 2006... Few things destroy cutting tools like scale on steel castings. The abrasive oxides and embedded sand particles remain a problem as old as casting itself. But Jerry Engrav of Winegar Inc. (Waseca, MN) found a solution by coming in at a different...

Toolmaker's niche is abrasive, but special: an Ohio toolmaker discovers profits in the "process-intensive" business of "specials," where JIT frequently means order to delivery in one day.(GRINDING)
February 1, 2006... Mike Sweeney, Vice President, Operations, CITCO Diamond and cBN Products (Chardon, OH), a UNOVA company, explains that his company's strategy is to provide extremely rapid-cycle engineering and top quality custom products and service. Not...

Pre-plating belt grinding improves quality, costs: to produce the high-quality polished finish on motorcycle accessories it plates, an Ohio shop relies on centerless belt grinding to provide a smooth, burr-free finish on its fabricated parts prior to plating.(FINISHING)
February 1, 2006... Milark Industries, Inc. (Mansfield, OH) saves time and reduces finishing operations on plated motorcycle accessories by polishing the steel rod from which they are formed with a centerless abrasive belt grinder before forming and plating. ...

Programming key to 7-axis Swiss productivity: multi-axis Swiss-style machines can mean huge savings for job shops producing complex parts. However, an Indiana shop shows that to get the most from these machine tools, efficient programming is essential.(SWISS-TURNING TECHNOLOGY)
February 1, 2006... Boyer Machine and Tool Company (Columbus, IN) has achieved dramatic productivity improvements by reducing the number of setups needed to machine typical complex parts from three to one using 7-axis Swiss lathes. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Tool holders.(SPOTLIGHT: WORKHOLDING/TOOLHOLDING)
February 1, 2006... CoolFlex tool holders feature a coolant path that can be switched from coolant-thru-spindle to DIN style coolant by removing two set-screws. The holders are available for CAT40 and CAT50 spindles, in ER collet chuck and endmill holder styles....

New compact EDM indexer.(SPOTLIGHT: WORKHOLDING/TOOLHOLDING)
February 1, 2006... Koma Precision announces the new, compact Jauch + Schmider EIS -100 indexer with logipos CNC controller that fits every wire and die sinking machine. The compact, ultra-precise EIS comes with a 100mm diameter faceplate pre-drilled to...

Tool holder system.(SPOTLIGHT: WORKHOLDING/TOOLHOLDING)
February 1, 2006... The Big Plus tool holder system is designed for Mori Seiki NT Series multitasking machines. The system offers simultaneous dual contact between the machine spindle face, tool holder flange face, machine spindle taper and tool holder taper...

Clamps for moldmakers.(SPOTLIGHT: WORKHOLDING/TOOLHOLDING)
February 1, 2006... Clamp series 350, 353 and 359 offer a solution when working with CNC-machined molds. These clamps can be mounted directly to the parting line of the mold, eliminating the need to fabricate a mounting structure. Made of carbon steel and...

Coolant collets.(SPOTLIGHT: WORKHOLDING/TOOLHOLDING)
February 1, 2006... This new line of 100TG coolant collets is designed to deliver coolant to the tool up to a maximum pressure of 1,000 psi. The one-piece steel design with short slots is intended to prevent coolant from reaching the face of the collet,...

Hydralic vises.(SPOTLIGHT: WORKHOLDING/TOOLHOLDING)
February 1, 2006... Hydraulic twin vises are designed to shorten loading time and reduce operator fatigue in high production, short cycle environments. Activation can be manual or through the machine's program. Available in both 4" and 6", these compact vises...

Mechanical face drivers turn out quality production: mechanical face drivers might be the best way to turn some parts. They allow turning applications to achieve increased flexibility to lower cycle times, turn both the smallest and largest of parts and even allow interrupted and heavy cuts.(WORKHOLDING)
February 1, 2006... The major benefit of a face driver lies in its ability to allow a part to be turned completely, from one end to the other, in one operation. Some parts that are routinely cut using face drivers include automotive transmission parts,...

Lathe retrofit fits new controls budget: machine tool retrofitting has proven a profitable niche for a North Carolina shop and its customers.(TURNING MACHINES)
February 1, 2006... Charlotte-based Total Control Services, founded by Simon and Vicky Shaw in 2002, provides its machine shop and automation customers with a reliable retrofit, repair and maintenance service for all NC-, CNC- and PLC-controlled machines. On a...

Small gage delivers big quality improvement: shutting down the assembly line for each out-of-spec part cut into a manufacturer's productivity. But, a compact, easy-to-use small gage now provides a fast way to check incoming parts without line stoppage.(QC INSPECTION)
February 1, 2006... The flow meter's ability to measure fluid volumes with an accuracy of [+ or -]0.1% depends on the precision of the parts inside the meter body. Thus, the flow meter business is conservative, and change is introduced carefully. OEMs listen to...

Short run shop profits teaming EDM, waterjet: for an EDM shop that made its market with extremely rapid turn around, the addition of a waterjet for less precise jobs enhances its reputation for speed.(WATERJET)
February 1, 2006... Phil Forney got into the wire EDM game early, founding, Wire EDM Specialties (Portland, OR) in 1993 with a single machine. Forney's former employer used wire EDM for in-house manufacturing. Forney recognized a potential market for wire EDM...

Aluminum chromium nitride inserts.(NEW PRODUCTS AND LITERATURE)
February 1, 2006... Alcrona (AlCrN) inserts for finish boring tools are designed to increase productivity in high speed and dry cutting applications. These inserts are intended for finishing gray and ductile iron parts, as well as applications in mild and high...

Laser video cam.(NEW PRODUCTS AND LITERATURE)
February 1, 2006... TargetCAM is a fully integrated wireless video camera for use with Faro Technologies' Laser Tracker X and Xi. The camera receives its power from the Tracker, eliminating the need for external wires and a separate power supply. The 1.76 lb...

Coolant cleaning module.(NEW PRODUCTS AND LITERATURE)
February 1, 2006... The Alfie 500, a coolant cleaning module, is a mobile, plug-and-play system designed to remove contaminants from smaller metalworking systems. Based on high-speed centrifugal separation, it is dimensioned to handle volumes up to 1,500 ga. (5...

Mobile cart.(NEW PRODUCTS AND LITERATURE)
February 1, 2006... Easypick[R] GoKarts[TM] are designed to streamline picking operations, enhance productivity and increase order accuracy. The cost-effective carts combine pick-to-light components with LAN capability and RF scanning in a user-friendly design....

Vertical grinding machine.(NEW PRODUCTS AND LITERATURE)
February 1, 2006... The IGV-3NT compact CNC vertical grinding machine is intended to offer a flexible selection of grinding capabilities. The wheel head is designed to quickly switch among internal, external and face grinding with just one chucking. The internal...

Metric spherical plain bearings now available.(NEW PRODUCTS AND LITERATURE)
February 1, 2006... J. W. Winco, Inc., a supplier of standard industrial machine components, announces the availability of metric size Series "K" spherical plain bearings with and without outer ring. The spherical bearing with outer ring is used in lower...

Extensions offer increased versatility.(NEW PRODUCTS AND LITERATURE)
February 1, 2006... Rego-Fix introduces its new line of "powRgrip" extensions, specifically designed for high-speed machining applications. These extensions are available in 120mm, 160mm and 200mm, offering both flexibility and versatility. The extensions are...

Davenport offers online machine configurator.(NEW PRODUCTS AND LITERATURE)
February 1, 2006... The Davenport web site now includes an innovative new tool; the Davenport Machine Configurator. This online configurator allows users to build a Davenport, customized to their specific needs, in six easy steps and provides an instant budgetary...

Surface roughness testing with side-move capability.(NEW PRODUCTS AND LITERATURE)
February 1, 2006... Responding to industry's need for surface roughness testing of long workpieces, Mitutoyo America Corporation announces the availability of Surftest[R] SV-3000 CNC surface roughness measuring machines with 800mm side traverse capability. The new...

Free 34-page marking equipment catalog.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
February 1, 2006... 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....

New literature.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
February 1, 2006... Southwestern Industries announces a new catalog for its full line of CNCs and machines for small-lot turning and milling. This informative 50-page book provides full product specifications. It also discusses the application of CNC technology to...

CNC tube cutoff lathes produce finished parts in one quick cycle.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
February 1, 2006... These versatile CNC tube and rod cutoff and machining lathes automatically load, cutoff, O.D. plunge-form and turn, O.D. chamfer and deburr, I.D. chamfer or light I.D. form-cut one end, and then unload finished parts... all in one cycle. They...

Ovens and furnaces.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
February 1, 2006... More than 400 standard ovens and furnaces with temperatures to 2,200[degrees]F are described in this catalog. Custom-designed heat-processing systems, too. Grieve offers laboratory, bench, cabinet, truck, walk-in, and conveyor ovens; clean-room...

New C series press brake for easy cost-efficient bending.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
February 1, 2006... TRUMPF's new C Series press brake was designed for easy, cost-efficient bending and features an increased bending area, more rigid construction, Bendguard to ensure safe bending, programmable backgauge, 4-cylinder ram drive and unique crowning...

Full-line pressroom feed equipment brochure.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
February 1, 2006... Coe Press Equipment, a leading producer of pressroom feed equipment including servo roll feeds, power straighteners, coil reels and cradles, and complete coil processing systems, announces the availability of its general full-line brochure. Coe...

Darex V-390.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
February 1, 2006... The Darex V-390 sharpens drill bits 1/8" to 3/4" (3-19mm) with ease. It creates custom point angles from 118[degrees] to 140[degrees]. The Darex V-390 incorporates much of the same technology as Darex's more advanced machines, but at an...

Can we still remain optimistic? Ours is a most optimistic country and for good reasons.('BY GEORGE')
February 1, 2006... After all, for the past two centuries we've been increasingly wealthy, powerful and pre-eminent in just about every field of human life. We've been the leading military power and the leading industrial power for generations. We've been the most...