Modern Applications News articles from January 2003

Modern Applications News archives from January 2003

Round up the usual suspects. (Editor's Corner).
January 1, 2003... About 60 years ago, the country was treated to the debut of what is probably the greatest American movie--Casablanca. A movie that has withstood the onslaught of time, colorization, and digital special effects, Casablanca delivers something...

Machine tool consumption rises in September. (Industry News).
January 1, 2003... September U.S. machine tool consumption totaled $177.32 million, according to AMT - The Association For Manufacturing Technology, and AMTDA, the American Machine Tool Distributors' Association. This total, as reported by companies participating...

Human transporter delivers in-shop productivity gains. (Industry News).
January 1, 2003... GTI Spindle Technology, Inc. announced a 12% productivity gain from its preliminary implementation of the new Segway[TM] Human Transporter (HT). The Segway HT is the new two-wheeled ride-on device that is currently being evaluated by the...

Search for productivity uncovers significant potential savings. (Spotlight: Cutting Tools).
January 1, 2003... Sometimes, you need an outsider to take a fresh look at things, and when you do you can be very surprised at what you find -- huge potential savings. That's what Glow Valve Company found when it wanted to increase turning and milling...

Rotary brazed diamond tools. (Cutting Tools: Spotlight Products).
January 1, 2003... Cogsdill Tool Products has introduced rotary brazed diamond tools, for sizing and finishing parts to exacting specifications. These tools have multiple fixed edges of polycrystalline diamond, brazed onto a carbide or steel body. Custom designed...

Inserted carbide back draft milling cutter. (Cutting Tools: Spotlight Products).
January 1, 2003... The Radicator[TM], an inserted carbide back draft milling cutter from Datum Point Tool, is designed with the cutting edges closer to the center allowing a much freer cut. The size of the insert promotes improved heat dissipation. Applications...

New coating increases drill productivity. (Cutting Tools: Spotlight Products).
January 1, 2003... Four new ADX drill ranges use a Balzers Futura Nano Top TiAIN coating process which provides improvements in coating adhesion and wear resistance resulting in longer tool life. The flute geometry of the ADX drills, with the faster than standard...

End mills for die and mold applications. (Cutting Tools: Spotlight Products).
January 1, 2003... Niagara Cutter introduces a new line of end mills designed and manufactured for die mold manufacturing. The Elite series solid carbide tools are available in two and six flute end mill and ball-end mill configurations. These end mills feature...

Turn both Disc sides at once. (Cutting Tools: Spotlight Products).
January 1, 2003... A new tool from Mimatic[R], Disc Master, leaves no unwanted turning marks and applies up to twelve tons of force as it faces disc parts. The hydraulic actuation used in this system moves the tool off the part without drag marks, as well as...

NTC screw-fit heads. (Cutting Tools: Spotlight Products).
January 1, 2003... Ideal as toolholders and for use with screw-fit heads, Walter Waukesha's NCT program permits the fast and economical exchange of tools with widely varying cutting edges, geometries, and adaptors. Rigid connection and minimal concentricity...

New PLX side plungers. (Cutting Tools: Spotlight Products).
January 1, 2003... Iscar Metals, Inc. has developed an advanced line of side plungers for deep cavities. The new system is effective for machining deep slots with straight or sloped walls on parts that require tools with a long overhang. This new tool is...

Expanded drill family. (Cutting Tools: Spotlight Products).
January 1, 2003... Carboloy Inc, a part of Seco Tools AB in Sweeden, has expanded its recently introduced CrownLoc[TM] drill system to include an M-geometry crown optimized for hard-to-drill materials and a unique chamfer module that allows chamfering and...

New refractory ends unplanned repairs at Saturn aluminum casting operation. (Heat Treating).
January 1, 2003... Unplanned refractory repairs in a normal casting operation are troublesome. However at a facility operating an 80,000 lb. aluminum melting furnace used to produce engine blocks and heads for 224,000 autos annually under a Kanban system,...

Autoloading tool grinders fit re-sharpener's niche needs: autoloading CNC cutter grinders deliver the flexibility tool sharpener needs meet the precision and turnaround requirements. (Abrasives/Grinding Machines).
January 1, 2003... "Our company has been a family business since 1944, but the greatest change has occurred in the last five years in the way we sharpen end mills -- our bread and butter jobs," said Mark C. Davidson, president, Precision Cutter Grinding. ...

Punch grinding: thriving in chaos. (Abrasives/Grinding Machines).
January 1, 2003... Many shops wince at soaring customer demands for faster-than just-in-time (JIT) support. Many wistfully recall (or think they do) days of more leisurely and "reasonable" lead times. However, according to one shop, focusing on "what was" is...

CMM arm opens doors to new markets. (QC/Measurement/Inspection).
January 1, 2003... Rapid and accurate tolerance checking were essential for a fabricator to successfully open the door to the Tier 1 market. A CMM arm provided just the "muscle" they needed. Rose Metal Industries (Cleveland, OH) got into the metal...

QC/Measurement/Inspectioin Buyers Guide.
January 1, 2003... QC/Measurement/Inspection Buyers Guide MAN-Modern Applications News presents its annual QC/Measurement/Inspection buyers Guide, an alphabetical guide to manufacturers and distributors of QC/Measurement/Inspection equipment and supplies...

Meeting milspecs with gages opens new meter markets. (QC/Measurement/Inspection).
January 1, 2003... The ability to finish-grind and measure to hundred thousandths of an inch has helped the evolution of a gas meter distributor to a milspec manufacturer of gas flow control equipment. Investing in quality production and inspection equipment,...

Tips to maximize bandsaw productivity: bandsawing is the starting point for many metal fabricating operations, so it can help determine the throughput and profitability of the entire shop. (Sawing).
January 1, 2003... However, maximizing the productivity and efficiency of your bandsaw takes a coordinated approach to sawblades, sawing machines, and your cutoff process. How do you get the most from your existing bandsaw? Ground-tooth blades, bandsawing...

Circular saw trades milling for sawing: like a baseball general manager, TURN-ACT's bob Fowler has made a trade. Unlike many sports executives though, this exchange has definitely benefited his team. (Sawing).
January 1, 2003... Using a new circular saw, Fowler has been able to trade mill time for saw time. "Trading mill time for saw time is a wonderful thing," Fowler maintains. "It has absolutely saved us time and it has absolutely made us money." The saw Fowler...

Portable K Series optical CMMs. (New Products and Literature).
January 1, 2003... New Brown & Sharpe K Series optical coordinate measuring machines use advanced optical triangulation technology to gather accurate dimensional data quickly and efficiently in any production environment. These compact, portable measuring...

Centralized lubrication system. (New Products and Literature).
January 1, 2003... A centralized lubricating system with adjustable oil and grease feeders is available from Farval Systems, Inc. The ExactoServe[R] is a new system that utilizes positive displacement volumetric output injectors to deliver precise amounts of oil...

Gas-heated box furnace. (New Products and Literature).
January 1, 2003... No. 908 is a natural gas-heated, heavy-duty box furnace from Grieve, currently used at a commercial heat treater for various applications. This furnace features 7" thick walls, comprising 5" of 2300[degrees]F firebrick and 2" of 1700[degrees]...

Machine tool upgrades: The Three "R's"; 'what will my machine tool upgrade cost'? (Ron Loeffler on the Three "R's").
January 1, 2003... In this installment in our series of the "Three R's" we'll examine the approximate costs of machine tool upgrades. What's In The Price? There are a number of factors affecting the offerings you'll receive from potential contractors. One of...