Modern Applications News articles from July 2004

Modern Applications News archives from July 2004

Shoemaker, stick to your last: for an industry with the hallmarks of confidence, entrepreneurial spirit, and self-determination, why are we looking to the government to solve our problems?(Editor's Corner)
July 1, 2004... The most recent employment numbers from the U.S. Department of Labor are very encouraging and, for the most part, the attitude of attendees and exhibitors at EASTEC was very up beat. This is very good news for our industry, which for the past...

March machine tool consumption rises 60.5%.(Industry News)
July 1, 2004... March U.S. machine tool consumption totaled $272.34 million, according to AMTDA, the American Machine Tool Distributors' Association and AMT--The Association For Manufacturing Technology. This total, as reported by companies participating...

ISM Report On Business[R] PMI at 62.8% new orders, production, employment grow, inventories decline.(Industry News)
July 1, 2004... Economic activity in the manufacturing sector grew in May for the 12th consecutive month, while the overall economy grew for the 31st consecutive month, say the nation's supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business[R]...

PMI.(Industry News)
July 1, 2004... The PMI indicates that the manufacturing economy grew in May for the 12th consecutive month. The PMI for May registered 62.8%, an increase of 0.4% point compared to the April reading of 62.4%. A reading above 50% indicates that the...

New Orders.(Industry News)
July 1, 2004... ISM's New Orders Index grew in May with a reading of 62.8%. The index is 2.2% lower than the 65% registered in April, and it is the 13th consecutive month the index has exceeded 50%. A New Orders Index above 51%, over time, is generally...

Production.(Industry News)
July 1, 2004... ISM's Production Index is 64.8% in May, 2.2 lower than the 67% reported in April, reflecting the 13th consecutive month of growth. An index above 49.9%, over time, is generally consistent with an increase in the Federal Reserve Board's...

Employment.(Industry News)
July 1, 2004... ISM's Employment Index grew for the seventh consecutive month, following a 37-month trend of contraction. The index registered 61.9% in May compared to 57.8% in April, an increase of 4.1%. The last time the Employment Index registered higher...

Supplier Deliveries.(Industry News)
July 1, 2004... ISM's Supplier Deliveries Index indicates that delivery performance is slower when comparing May to April. May's reading of 69.4% is an increase of 2.3 compared to April's reading of 67.1%. A reading above 50% indicates slower deliveries. The...

Inventories.(Industry News)
July 1, 2004... Manufacturers' inventories declined slightly in May as the index registered 49.3%, an increase of 4.5 when compared to April's 44.8%. The Inventories Index has registered under 50% for 52 consecutive months. An Inventories Index greater than...

Customers' Inventories.(Industry News)
July 1, 2004... The May Customers' Inventories Index is at 37%, a decrease of 3.5% compared to the April reading of 40.5%. Respondents indicate that their customers do not have sufficient inventories on hand at this time. This is the 36th consecutive month...

Prices.(Industry News)
July 1, 2004... ISM's Prices Index indicates manufacturers continued to pay higher prices in May. This is the 27th consecutive month the index has registered higher prices. May's index is at 86%, 2% lower than April's reading of 88%. In May, 74% of supply...

Backlog of Orders.(Industry News)
July 1, 2004... ISM's Backlog of Orders Index registered 63%, indicating manufacturers' backlogs in May were higher when compared to April. Of the 87% of respondents who report their backlog of orders, 42% reported greater backlogs, 16% reported smaller...

New Export Orders.(Industry News)
July 1, 2004... ISM's New Export Orders Index for May registered 60.6%, a decrease of 0.4% point when compared to April's index of 61%. This is the 18th consecutive month of growth in export orders. The 12 industries reporting growth in new export orders in...

Imports.(Industry News)
July 1, 2004... Imports of materials by manufacturers grew during May as the Imports Index registered 59.8%. The index gained 1.3% when compared to April's index of 58.5%, indicating a faster rate of growth. The 10 industries reporting growth in import...

MAN subscriber survey names DVD winner.(Industry News)
July 1, 2004... Timothy Shaffer, a manufacturing engineer with Snap-Tite, Inc. (Union City, PA), is the winner among participants in the most recent MAN Subscriber Profile Survey. Participants in this survey of MAN subscribers were all potential winners...

Double-sided flat-honing holds [+ or -]2[mu], speeds production: a new fixed abrasive flat-honing technology has expanded the materials and tolerance capabilities of shop specializing in precision lapping.(Abrasives/Grinding Machines)
July 1, 2004... ProLap--Production Lapping Company, Inc (Monrovia, CA) opened its doors in 1961 with a focus on contract lapping and machining for a variety of customers including aerospace, medical, semiconductor, undersea exploration, space exploration,...

Flap disc line for smooth grinding/long life.(Spotlight Products)
July 1, 2004... Anderson Products has published an easy reference guide to highlight its Cyclone[TM] abrasive flap disc product line that provides high cut rates and long life. Available in Type 27/Type 29 zircomium, Xtreme Type 27/Type 29 zirconium, and...

Vitrified super abrasive grinding wheels.(Spotlight Products)
July 1, 2004... Allied Machine & Engineering Corp, offers vitrified super abrasive grinding wheels for use in manufacturing processes. Designed to work on tough metals and non-ferrous materials, these grinding wheels are engineered to offer product...

Abrasive cords/tapes debur curved surfaces.(Spotlight Products)
July 1, 2004... A full line of heavy-duty, flexible abrasive cords and tapes for deburring, grinding, and finishing contours, holes and slots, on machined and cast parts is available from E. C. Mitchell Co., Inc. Designed to match a variety of manufacturing...

New MPD grinder for conductive metals.(Spotlight Products)
July 1, 2004... The new Molecular Decomposition Process (MPD) grinder from Chavalier Machinery, Inc., features ECG technology for full control of the electrical, chemical, and abrasive aspects of the process. A full color monitor using fuzzy logic and neural...

Coated abrasive belts.(Spotlight Products)
July 1, 2004... Weiler Corporation offers an assortment of coated abrasive belts in sizes from 1/4" X 18"--6" X 132", with grit sizes available from 36 to 320 in either aluminum oxide or zirconium grain. These coated abrasive belts are used for applications...

Arc welding electrode grinder with vacuum feature.(Spotlight Products)
July 1, 2004... The Model DGP-3-V2 grinding system from Diamond Ground Products, Inc., provides precision ground arc welding electrodes cut to length with high quality, consistent tip geometry for automatic arc welding. The vacuum system provides dust...

Abrasive products catalog.(Spotlight Products)
July 1, 2004... A new catalog featuring specialty abrasive products that cut, grind, blend, and finish stainless, aluminum, tool- and mild steels, and exotic alloys is being offered by Rex-Cut Products, Inc. The catalog features five new product lines that...

Job shop cuts labor 50% with automated laser system: "doing a lot more" with the same number of employees leads an Ohio job shop to a fully automated laser cutting system.(Lasers)
July 1, 2004... In 1999, Mike and Bruce Toal gave up successful careers in the air compressor business and purchased Everyday Technologies, Inc. (Sidney, OH)--a sheet metal fabricator serving Midwest equipment manufacturers since 1928. Within three years of...

Shop-air key to efficient aluminum laser cutting: for a variety of reasons, including reflectivity, laser cutting of aluminum got a slow start, but it is catching up fast.(Lasers)
July 1, 2004... Production Manufacturing Inc. (Hamilton. OH) processes an average 3/4 million pounds of thin sheet aluminum a year at high speed on a linear-motor-drive Cincinnati CL-707 laser cutting center. Moreover, speed is only part of the story--PMI also...

Push-pull system speeds MIG welds: aluminum lap welds at a rate 5 meters/min. are now a production reality with a new "push-pull" wire feed system.(Welding/Brazing/Soldering)
July 1, 2004... Setting design goals of controlling wire feed speed, pulse waveform, and robot movement--within a single tightly integrated system, Panasonic Factory Automation (Elgin, IL) has developed the MIG Force push-pull wire feed system capable of...

Magnetic pin tumbler deburrs tight tolerances: it's true that little things mean a lot, especially when it comes to tolerances in machined components for medical equipment. For an Indiana shop, the little things were unacceptable burrs in a 1 mm slot.(Coatings/Finishing/Deburring)
July 1, 2004... For Greenwood Machine (Franklin, IN) even the smallest burrs were not acceptable for this critical tolerance (0.0001") air motor. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The company had an opportunity to diversity into the medical industry,...

Nylon disc brushes for in-machine deburring.(Coatings/Finishing/Deburring Products)
July 1, 2004... The Weiler Corporation expands its Burr-Rx line of abrasive nylon disc brushes to include 3" and 5" diameters. A brochure is available with complete information on these brushes including, specific applications, brush operating parameters, and...

Abrasive nylon products for deburring.(Coatings/Finishing/Deburring Products)
July 1, 2004... The Anderlon[R] brush line, from Anderson Products, offers abrasive nylon products for applications that require control when deburring and finishing both metallic and non-metallic surfaces. This line of burnishing tools for off-hand...

Machining time slashed by 73%: for a machine tool manufacturer, a new carbide insert reduced a component machining time from 46 minutes to only 12 minutes.(Cutting Tools)
July 1, 2004... Since its founding in 1926, the Grob Group has developed into a global manufacturer of machining centres, special-purpose machine tools, assembly lines, automation equipment, flexible systems, and innovative customized systems. The parent...

Teacher's Top 10 tooling tips: after leading hundreds of sessions over the past 19 years, a training manager for a major cutting tool company shares his "Top 10" tooling productivity tips.(Cutting Tools)
July 1, 2004... What strikes Dave Eisele, customer training manager, Ingersoll Cutting Tools (Rockford, IL) most is how much teachers can learn from students. Their most frequent questions serve as very timely reminders for getting more productivity and value...

Waterjet evolves into precision alternative: abrasive waterjet cutting has historically been seen as a novel tool for rough cutting of materials such as steel, aluminum, titanium, Inconel[R], and glass--sort of a glorified bandsaw for 2D shapes. But today's waterjet technology has advanced into new territory.(Plasma/Waterjet)
July 1, 2004... With the latest in technology offered by waterjet manufactures and coupled with one firm's technical innovations, waterjet is now entering the ultra-high tolerance 3D machining world and cutting advanced ceramics and composites in ways that...

Gang tooled lathes open new markets: what was a small job shop only a few years ago, serving local customers out of a garage, now is a buttoned-up contract supplier taking orders from around the country, even overseas. All it took was a gang.(Workholding/Toolholding)
July 1, 2004... A major supplier of components to the aerospace industry invited Allied Precision Inc. (Newark, DE) to be considered for the supply of wear parts for aircraft jet engines. The volumes would be high. "It would put us over the top," says John...

CAD/CAM updates pump part prints: to improve quality, a pattern shop updates its decades old pump and impeller blueprints to 3D CAD/CAM models and files.(CAD/CAM/Shop Software)
July 1, 2004... Imagine working on pumps and other mechanical equipment that dates back to the 1930s or 1940s-equipment that's described only by blueprints, and where no 3D CAD model exists. That's what Alpha Pattern, Inc. (New Berlin, WI) does on a regular...

Attachment reduces speed in sheet metal holemaking.(New Products and Literature)
July 1, 2004... The Holecutter[TM] Speed Reducer from Hougen Manufacturing, Inc. is designed for operation with most models of hand held electric drills used for tough-to-cut materials such as stainless steel and other alloys. The speed reducer attaches...

New component added to hardware accessories line.(New Products and Literature)
July 1, 2004... The Creform Corporation has added a new component to its Creform[R] System of hardware accessories for material handling structures. The J-170 Tapered Clip is sized to fit on structures using [phi]28mm pipe and can be added to existing units by...

New hydraulic corner notcher.(New Products and Literature)
July 1, 2004... A new hydraulic angle notcher is in the fabricating line of Heck Industries Inc. The model 206/V features variable angle cuts from 30[degrees]-140[degrees]. 1/4" capacity, automatic blade adjustment, LED readout, hydraulic hold downs, internal...

Flexible gaging for large workpieces.(New Products and Literature)
July 1, 2004... The DEA Prima direct computer control coordinate measuring machine from Brown & Sharp is designed to provide cost-effective flexible gaging for large workpieces. The CMM is available in five models ranging in sizes from 2000 mm (78.7") X 1200...

Centrifuge removes oil/sludge from washers.(New Products and Literature)
July 1, 2004... Turbo-Separator introduces the T10-3AQ centrifuge system that removes solids such as iron phosphates, dirt, and oil from parts washer baths. This new size unit expands the product line for smaller washers, and features a heavy-duty removable...

Blowoff guide for reducing air consumption/noise.(New Products and Literature)
July 1, 2004... The new second edition "Air Nozzles and Jets Blowoff Guide" from Exair Corporation, is a 16-pg. technical booklet that offers extensive information on how to use compressed air efficiently. The guide lists solutions for reducing compressed air...

New presetters.(New Products and Literature)
July 1, 2004... A new line of Speroni STP 34 ExShrink presetters is now available from Big Kaiser Precision Tooling Inc. This bench-top system is designed for presetting drills, end mills, taps, or any tooling that uses a shrink-fit process to achieve peak...

Newly detailed website launched.(New Products and Literature)
July 1, 2004... Fairlane Products announces a complete website for users of its workholding and positioning products. The site, www.fairlaneproducts.com contains approximately 5,000 products for workholding, positioning, rollers and bumpers, CAD downloading,...

Assembly arms for all needs.(New Products and Literature)
July 1, 2004... FlexArm offers torque reaction arms in 17 different models with maximum torque capabilities from 7ft.-lb.-800ft.-lb. These Flexarms can be mounted on the table top or from above for a variety of assembly line applications. A two-piece V-block...

Multi-tooth ball nose end mills for punishing cuts.(New Products and Literature)
July 1, 2004... Valenite Inc. introduces a new line of ValMill[TM] multi-tooth ball nose end mills for die and mold machining, and general machining applications. The ValMill V440 Series have a two-flute design with one insert per flute plus an additional...

Ergonomic blast cabinet.(New Products and Literature)
July 1, 2004... Guyson Corporation expands its line-up of height-adjustable blast cabinets with the new Model 8-AH, available with suction-blast or direct pressure media delivery. The design allows multiple operators to use the blast cabinet in greater...

Flexible/high-performance hydraulic punch presses.(New Products and Literature)
July 1, 2004... Finn-Power International, Inc. introduces the C5 33-ton hydraulic turret punch press. The 20-station C5 has a maximum sheet capacity of 50" X 100" (1270mm X 2500mm), and is available with either Siemens or Fanuc controls. Standard features...