Modern Applications News articles from July 2007

Modern Applications News archives from July 2007

Root cause analysis: where have all of the U.S. manufacturing jobs gone? Check the makers of all of the stuff in the big box stores. We're shooting ourselves in the foot.(EDITOR'S CORNER)
July 1, 2007... Back in my days as an information technology technical writer, I witnessed a lot of system failures. Working in a super-regional bank--no, it didn't have a big red S on it's chest, but thank you for asking--downtime of major systems cost...

1/2 inch of steel protects diving crew from 900 psi pressure at 2000 feet.(40 Years Ago This Month)
July 1, 2007... A 2-man deep-diving vehicle built by the Electric Boat Div. of General Dynamics Corp. for its underwater research program, and the undersea vessel which aided in the recovery of a hydrogen bomb from the Mediterranean last year both used HY-100...

Cooling without frost to minus 180[degrees]C in open air aids Bell labs' research.(40 Years Ago This Month)
July 1, 2007... Cryogenic cooling in air without frosting of the sample aids research at Bell Telephone Laboratories which is using a "Cryo-Collimator" to cool semiconductor materials for light and electrical field effect studies, neutron activation, and...

Temperature resistant copper alloy helps slash transistor cost by 50%.(40 Years Ago This Month)
July 1, 2007... Development of a 25 watt NPN transistor, housed in a plastic encapsulant eliminating the conventional metal semiconductor case, has resulted in a cost of less than 40 cents for each transistor in large quantities. The former price in quantities...

TurboTrains' wheel guidance system to use ball-bearing screw actuators.(40 Years Ago This Month)
July 1, 2007... Gasoline-turbine-powered 120 mph trains, scheduled to being operations later this year between New York and Boston, need a special wheel guidance system. Beaver precision ball-bearing screw actuators are a key part of the system which...

Rubber nose cone closure protects equipment, allows quick access.(40 Years Ago This Month)
July 1, 2007... An ethylene propylene nose cone closure, with no metal or moving parts, protects missile instrumentation from outside dirt and moisture during the pre-launch period. It meets military specifications: tolerances allowed range from 0.07" to...

An old 'friend' retires after 29 years: knowing when to let go is a tough decision, often it's the tell-tale signs of age that make it obvious ... with both people and machines.(FROM THE SHOP FLOOR)
July 1, 2007... I keep telling myself, "it is just a machine." But, I still feel nostalgic when I see the spot where it once sat. No longer is the hulking green frame sitting there, its monstrous turret visible through the partial enclosure. I miss the hum of...

American Torch Tip buys Precision Products.(Industry News)
July 1, 2007... The American Torch Tip Co., Bradenton, FL, purchased the Precision Products Company, Canaan, NH. Precision Products specializes in manufacturing plasma torches and consumables used primarily in the metal fabricating industry. The...

Romi names new president.(Industry News)
July 1, 2007... Amaury Torres de Miranda was named president of Romi Machine Tools, Ltd. He will manage the company's North American distribution and service facility in Erlanger, KY. Miranda began his career with Romi in 1962 at its headquarters in Brazil. He...

Manufacturing technology consumption up 34.9 percent.(Industry News)
July 1, 2007... March U.S. manufacturing technology consumption totaled $371.10 million, according to the American Machine Tool Distributors' Association--AMTDA--and the Association for Manufacturing Technology--AMT. The total, as reported by companies...

MAG appoints new president.(Industry News)
July 1, 2007... Robert Wassmer was appointed as president of MAG Industrial Automation Systems--MAG IAS--Sterling Heights, MI. Wassmer, who is a MAG IAS veteran, came to the company from Bombardier Transportation, where he was director of the research and...

Mori Seiki creates learning institution.(Industry News)
July 1, 2007... Mori Seiki established Mori Seiki University, a new educational resource division in the company. The division's dedicated 9,000 [ft.sup.2] facility in the Chicago area was unveiled in May in a ceremony where Masahiko Mori, president of Mori...

JETCAM partners with Swiss flatbed cutting company.(Industry News)
July 1, 2007... JETCAM International, Monaco, announced an agreement with Zund System-technik AG, Switzerland, where JETCAM Expert CAD/CAM nesting software will be offered with the Zund range of flatbed cutting machines. The agreement ensures closer...

Manufacturing Association creates charitable award.(Industry News)
July 1, 2007... The National Association of Manufacturers established a charitable award for small- to medium-sized manufacturers, which best embody the spirit of the award's namesake, the late Sandy Trowbridge. According to NAM, Trowbridge used his...

Another firm tackles commercial space development.(Industry News)
July 1, 2007... A private space tourism company has changed designs of its suborbital space tourism vehicle to a winged glide-to-landing concept. As a result of a study by SpaceDev, Benson Space Co., Poway, CA, has chosen to pursue an approach that is an...

Mastercam certified for Autodesk Inventor.(Industry News)
July 1, 2007... Mastercam X2 CAD/CAM software was certified for Autodesk Inventor 2008 by the Autodesk Inventor Certified Applications Program. Mastercam software is a product of CNC Software, Tolland, CT. To be certified, the product must meet Autodesk...

"You ought to be in pictures ...".(Industry News)
July 1, 2007... Abanaki Corp., Cleveland, a maker of oil skimming products, is offering a $1,000 prize for the best home-made video or print ad promoting the company's products. Tom Hobson, company president, said the firm got the idea from Chevrolet's...

Prima North America names VanderWert new president.(Industry News)
July 1, 2007... Terry L. VanderWert was named the new president of Prima North America, Inc., Champlin, MN. VanderWert succeeds Paolo Cigna, who continues as a member of board of directors of the North American division. The changes are part of the succession...

Radiac Abrasives acquires Bates Abrasives.(Industry News)
July 1, 2007... Radiac Abrasives, Salem, IL, acquired Bates Abrasives, Inc., Burlington, WA, a manufacturer of resin-bonded, cut-off, and grinding wheels. Paul Anderson, CEO and previous owner of the company, which was founded in 1975, will continue to run the...

Shop finds the 'holy grail' of welding: a metal fabrication shop looked for a secret weapon to give it an advantage over the competition and found it with subharmonic technology.(JOB SHOP SHOWCASE)
July 1, 2007... Peninsula Metal Fabrication, San Jose, CA, wanted to beat its competition. A request for proposal pushed it into an unfamiliar technology and gave it an edge. The company makes advanced precision assemblies. It is known for expertise with...

Cast iron waste no longer wastes time: cleaning cast-iron fines from its machines was putting a dent into this shop's process, the solution minimized the downtime needed to clean the machines.(COOLANT/FILTER)
July 1, 2007... At Paul Precision Machine, Inc., Tulsa, OK, a machine shop specializing in oil and gas equipment, machining cast iron created recurrent and costly problems. In machining cast iron, a large volume of fines--small particles in the 25[micro]...

One good turn increases throughput: a new lathe, controller, and software provide a shop with part-to-part time reduction.(LATHES)
July 1, 2007... Sometimes a shop doesn't know it needs improvement until it brings in a new machine. CEJN, Gurnee, IL, the U.S. branch of a multi-national company of the same name, based in Skovde, Sweden, discovered unanticipated improvements when it...

The right cutting tool helps a shop across the 'finish line': keeping parts within surface finish specifications was a contest a shop was losing until it found the right tool.(CUTTING TOOLS)
July 1, 2007... When a Baltimore job shop decided to retool an aluminum milling job to meet a surface finish specification of 8 RMS, it found unexpected cost-savings as well. "And, we're not done yet," Jeff Grueninger, milling foreman of Excel Machine and...

When you care enough to hone the very best: providing the U.S. military with .50 caliber machine gun barrels means more than simple gun drilling, Sabre Defence Industries hones its products to better than military specifications.(HONING)
July 1, 2007... Sabre Defence Industries U.S. shop was about to launch its entry into quality consumer firearms when the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan arose, and increased military orders for .50 caliber machine gun barrels. With former production methods,...

A place for everything and everything in its place: for the right items, drawers offer advantages over shelves.(STORAGE)
July 1, 2007... Storing small or irregularly-shaped items, such as cutting tools or toolholders, can be a challenge. While shelves may seem an obvious answer, they are not an optimal solution for a shop or contract manufacturer. If the item isn't about the...

Alternatives to 'that old black magic': visualization and design software removed the "black magic" factor from mold design for the customers of an Illinois company.(CAD/CAM)
July 1, 2007... Injection and insert molding had a high "black magic" factor for some of DMC Mold & Tool Corp., Cary, IL, customers. Determining how material entered the mold through runners seemed more art than science. Reducing the size and number of runners...

The match game: customers vs. growth; Determining when it's best to grow a business is a balancing act. This Michigan firm expanded with three new machines and found a $21,000 profit.(VMC)
July 1, 2007... "Measured growth" have been watchwords for Control Turning Inc., Jackson, MI, during its 30-year life. After weathering the economic storms that swept through the state as a result of changes faced by the automotive industry, the shop found...

EASTEC roundup: slow for some, but with bright spots; SME's annual trade show east of the Mississippi drew crowds, but opinions varied about their number.(EASTEC ROUNDUP)
July 1, 2007... The 2007 EASTEC Exposition at the Eastern States Exposition grounds in West Springfield, MA, took place May 22 through May 24. Although some exhibitors considered the number of attendees to be fewer than the 2006 show, according to the Society...

Finding the sweet spot in the grinding business: a couple of Swiss-grinding experts established their own business and profit from keeping their nose to the grindstone.(SPOTLIGHT: GRINDING)
July 1, 2007... When Beat Maurer and Raphael Obrecht started their grinding operation, they were aware of the pitfalls of starting a business. They had seen shops, such as theirs in the Dayton, OH, area, close their doors--especially in the tool, die, and mold...

Dual-purpose machine can grind and machine.(SPOTLIGHT: GRINDING)
July 1, 2007... The MicroTol is a CNC grinding machine that can do machining as well. It has applications in bearings, aerospace, and automotive industries. Its first use was for grinding spheres and aspheres in BK7 optical glass. A cross-axis approach is used...

Quick-change part-to-part changeover.(SPOTLIGHT: GRINDING)
July 1, 2007... The Gustine R220 double-disc grinder processes parts from 18mm to 40mm wide with flat and parallel surfaces. The machine's design features, in combination with the exclusive rotary plunge grinding process, provide parallelism, flatness, size...

Cordless grinder with motor protection.(SPOTLIGHT: GRINDING)
July 1, 2007... The IQV Series GS25 and GR25 die grinders are designed for automotive and maintenance professionals. The cordless grinders leverage the IQV battery line's compatibility and flexibility. The grinder has proprietary, microprocessor-controlled...

Porous disc wheels.(SPOTLIGHT: GRINDING)
July 1, 2007... Black Magic disc wheels feature bond material that incorporates induced porosity with internal lubricants, promoting productivity in spring grinding. Reversing direction of grinding wheel every three to four hours minimizes dressing downtime....

Grinding wheels for aggressive cleaning.(SPOTLIGHT: GRINDING)
July 1, 2007... EZ Strip Wheels are a line of non-woven abrasive wheels for aggressive cleaning applications. The wheels are engineered for quick cleaning welds and removal of abrasive clogging materials, such as paints, sealants, and scaling. The line...

Centerless Grinder has Fanuc controller.(SPOTLIGHT: GRINDING)
July 1, 2007... The Model CNC 1 Entry Level CNC Centerless Grinder features the Fanuc Power mate ID Control with color touch screen interface for simple operator input, the CNC is now capable of storing program parameters for many different part numbers, and...

Indexable inserts designed for steel.(NEW PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2007... The WPP indexable insert range expands to include eight positive cutting edge geometries. The indexable inserts are part of the Tiger-tec for Steel family, and are standard ANSI/ISO positive shapes. The cutting edges ensure a quiet cut with...

Conveyors come in three capacities.(NEW PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2007... The DCM series of conveyors offers customizable options and guaranteed reliability. Available in light, medium, and heavy- duty versions, each component is equipped with pivotal motor mounts for continuous operation and fast belt changes. The...

Thread Grinder for tiny applications.(NEW PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2007... With a work envelope of just 100mm x 100mm, the GS: TEM "Mini" 3-Axis Thread Grinder is aimed at higher volume, precision threaded parts manufacturers in the cutting tool, automotive, aerospace, and medical equipment industries. The machine is...

Measure strip flatness without touching.(NEW PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2007... The Flat Trak Strip Evaluation System monitors and evaluates strip flatness and leveler operation across the moving strip without mechanical contact. The measurements are automatically compared to determine the degree of flatness. The degree of...

Good-bye Mr. chips.(NEW PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2007... The Chip and Parts Conveyors provide a method for moving and elevating ferrous materials, such as chips, turnings, small parts, and stampings. With the exception of an externally mounted drive motor, the unit is self-contained and the conveyor...

Bigger, coarser hobbing machine.(NEW PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2007... The heavy-duty Model 300 provides for big part diameters, coarser diametral pitch, and bigger hob capacity than other hobbing machines from the manufacturer. The machine has nine axes of CNC control with the gantry loading system, allowing for...

Trimmable flap disks.(NEW PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2007... The Trimmable Tiger abrasive flap disc features a performance-engineered, trimmable backing. The design lets the operator trim the back of the disc up to 3/8" from the original diameter, exposing more flap abrasive and extending the life of the...

Tungsten grinder for hand or bench use.(NEW PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2007... The Triad (TTG Plus) tungsten grinder provides welding operators with the accuracy and versatility needed to prepare tungsten for both orbital and hand-held TIG applications. Featuring precision-drilled entries, the grinder accommodates six...

CNC Software option supports simultaneous 5-axis milling.(NEW PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2007... A software option for programming CNC machine tools supports 5-axis simultaneous milling. The 5-axis module introduces the following capabilities--multi-surface 5-axis roughing and finishing; multi-surface 5-axis flowline machining; surface...

Speedy VMC without tool tip vibrations.(NEW PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2007... The NV6000 DCG is a mid-size vertical machining center developed to address growing demand from the LCD and automotive segments of the die and mold industry. The VMC delivers high-speed machining with no tool tip vibration. Through the...

Workholder has a magnetic "personality".(NEW PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2007... EEPM magnetic workholding chucks are a workholding solution that can reduce setup time. They are used for normal and heavy duty drilling, milling, and boring operations on thin to thick workpieces. Sliding pole extensions support uneven...

Heat treating furnaces and ovens.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
July 1, 2007... Bring heat treating in-house and save time, improve quality, and eliminate lot charges. High-quality furnaces and ovens for the tool and die industry. Standard and customized sizes to meet specific needs. Lucifer Furnaces; PA; 800.378.0095,...

Clamps and tooling components.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
July 1, 2007... This 680-page catalog includes toggle clamps, modular fixturing, chuck jaws, drill bushings, pins, knobs, power workholding, handles, supports, feet, locators, vises, and threaded inserts. Carr Lane Mfg. Co.; MO; 314-647-6200; Fax 314-647-5736;...

Rod end and bearing catalog.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
July 1, 2007... Hirschmann's Heavy-Duty Rod Ends and Spherical Bearings catalog is available. All products built to EN 9100 quality assurances. The catalog displays standard and custom products, applications, installations, and inquiry design forms. Included...

Global manufacturing marketplace.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
July 1, 2007... MFG.com provides suppliers with direct access to Buyers worldwide that have an immediate need for custom manufacturing services. The site allows Suppliers to specify what types of jobs they are interested in and from there MFG.com helps match...

Darex drill sharpeners.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
July 1, 2007... Darex has been making industrial drill sharpeners for use in shops of all sizes for 30 years. For shops that demand precision and productivity, the Darex V-390 can sharpen bits from 1/8" to 3/4" easily. Darex; OR; 800-547-0222; www.darex.com...

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

Deburring without dimensional changes.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
July 1, 2007... Osborn's ATB Uni-Lok disc brushes are reliable, high-performance, abrasive tools that produce consistent quality and cost-effective results. They deburr radius corners and edges without changing critical dimensional tolerances. Options include...

New line of flux-cored welding wire.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
July 1, 2007... ESAB Welding & Cutting Products introduces the Dual Shield X-Series flux-cored wire. With a wider range of operating parameters than traditional wires and high deposition rates, fast travel speeds, easy use, flat bead profile, limited spatter,...

ATI Stellram offers tooling DVD.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
July 1, 2007... The "Mission Possible" DVD from ATI Stellram shows tooling solutions for difficult materials. High-performance tooling technology challenges are solved for customers with aerospace, automotive, energy, and medical applications. The DVD...

It's time to move beyond the fallacy of 'good' and 'bad' jobs: there may be fewer working in the manufacturing field, but their productivity is higher than ever. We must make sure that the follow-on generation is trained in the skills to maintain that power to produce.(THE LAST WORD)
July 1, 2007... I keep hearing there are no jobs in manufacturing. The Chicago Federal Reserve stated that in 1942, there were 25 million people involved in manufacturing. Today there are about 15 million--a 10 million loss--but those workers now provide about...