Modern Applications News articles from June 2003

Modern Applications News archives from June 2003

And, the winner is. (Editor's Corner).
June 1, 2003... Annually we present the winners of the MAN Readers Choice Awards. We are proud to present the winners for 2002 in this issue. Granted, these awards are not the Oscars. The difference is clear; there are no political statements. Also,...

Machine tool consumption falls behind 2002. (Industry News).
June 1, 2003... February U.S. machine tool consumption totaled $133.78 million, according to AMTDA, the American Machine Tool Distributors' Association and AMT - The Association For Manufacturing Technology. This total, as reported by companies participating...

Portable CMM cuts months from tooling development. (QC / Measurement
June 1, 2003... A custom machine builder is able to use "concurrent engineering" by employing portable CMM to predict how parts will behave in welding processes. The evolution of how welded steel parts are made just took a major leap forward, thanks to...

Russian aircraft builder melds portable CMM with CAD/CAM. (QC/Measurement/Inspection).
June 1, 2003... Integrating a portable CMM with a CAD/CAM capability, a Russian aircraft manufacturer is able to inspect fixtures, achieve in-process inspection, and reduce inspection time. Like many other manufacturers, Russia's Irkutsk Aviation...

New Swing Prism Adjustable Borescope. (Spotlight Products).
June 1, 2003... Lenox Instrument Company has introduced its new Swing Prism Adjustable Borescope, featuring a unique rotating lens that offers a 50[degrees] field of view that scans through both a 120[degrees] included arc and a full 360[degrees] orbital scan....

Wide Field Magnifier 4x. (Spotlight Products).
June 1, 2003... Model Ons-0395 Wide Field Magnifier has a magnification power of 4x, and is now available from GEI International. This quality magnifier features an achromatic 1" diameter lens corrected for chromatic errors to provide bright, clear, distortion...

Electronic video magnifier. (Spotlight Products).
June 1, 2003... SpeckFINDER[TM] electronic video magnifier allows your eyes and hands to work together. Glass lenses are replaced by a high resolution, 6.4" TFT (Thin Film Technology) screen to maintain direct line-of-sight viewing, critical for comfortable...

Non-contact analog position sensor. (Spotlight Products).
June 1, 2003... Balluff introduces a new type of analog, absolute linear position sensor that uses proprietary, cost-effective, magnetoinductive technology to provide highly accurate, non-contact continuous positioning information. The compact BIL is 95 mm...

Ultrasonic sensor features 8 M sensing distance. (Spotlight Products).
June 1, 2003... The new QT50U Series ultrasonic sensor from Banner Engineering Corp., features an extended sensing range of 8 m (26'), and is available in analog and discrete models and utilizes advanced microprocessor technology for accurate sensing at long...

Coolant key to maximizing aluminum machining. (Coolants/Lubricants/Filters).
June 1, 2003... A supplier to auto racing teams discovers "fluid dynamics" when a switch to new machine tool coolant takes a hefty lead in time savings and quality. As a former race car driver, Jon Horgas is well aware that raw horsepower alone does not...

Specialty shop solves solids build-up in sumps. (Coolants/Lubricants/Filters).
June 1, 2003... For a Vermont shop, the build-up of chips and sludge in its machine sumps produced significant maintenance costs and reduced part quality. Bradford Machine Co. (Brattelboro, VT), a precision specialty shop making medical components and...

Thin aluminum welding solution also delivers rapid payback. two companies find a single solution to the challenges of TIG filet welds on thin aluminum. (Welding / Brazing / Soldering).
June 1, 2003... Dennis Schlieckau and Bill Means never met, but they fought the same battle. Schlieckau designs and welds small, thin aluminum components for an airplane equipped with a parachute, while Means fabricates architectural railings from...

Readers' choice awards.
June 1, 2003... MAN-Modern Applications News has reviewed the reader inquiries for this past year, and the following companies' services and products have received the most attention from our readers. One company, Miller Electric receives special...

Laser cutting reclaims out-sourced work. (Laser).
June 1, 2003... For a leading producer of equipment and accessories for "on-the-edge" sports, a laser cutting system delivers multi-faceted gains, including higher throughput and quicker R&D, while reclaiming out-sourced work. Black Diamond, Ltd. (Salt...

New LPE flexible manufacturing cell. (New Products and Literature).
June 1, 2003... Finn-Power International has introduced the LPE, a high-precision FMC that combines a six-axis, servo-motor driven E5 turret punch press, the latest generation of [CO.sub.2] laser, and a automatic loading, stacking, and unloading robot. The LPE...

New Thinbit[R] Design-A-Groove[TM]. (New Products and Literature).
June 1, 2003... Thinbit[R], manufactured by Kaiser Tool Company, announces Design-A-Grove[TM] tooling hat is modified according to the customer's specific application requirements. Application engineers provide design assistance, price quotations and follow-up...

New functions maximize shops' capabilities, efficiency. (New Products and Literature).
June 1, 2003... New features to the Mastercam[R] router and Mastercam[R] Mill are designed to simplify complex processes, improve speed, and expand shops' capabilities. Among the improvements are increased tool control, faster verification, enhanced solid...

AWS-150 advanced welding system. (New Products and Literature).
June 1, 2003... Computer controlled power supply and control system offers 1 to 150 amperes welding current. This system includes software programmable pulsing controls, up and down slope controls, sequence and timing functions and gas controls. Options such...

New ball nose end mill. (New Products and Literature).
June 1, 2003... A new finishing ball nose end mill, for die and mold and general machining applications, is being introduced by Valenite Inc. ValMILL[TM] 400 combines the use of advanced insert coating technology with an innovative rigid cutter design that...

New multi file system. (New Products and Literature).
June 1, 2003... Strauss & Co. has added a Multi File System to its line of industrial diamond tools. This system was designed to be used by hand, and can be configured for use by a reciprocating filing system. The file kit has a wide range of applications for...

Gripping rails for magnetic chucks. (New Products and Literature).
June 1, 2003... Mitee-Bite introduces gripping rails, with Pitbull clamps, for grinding and milling non-ferrous materials on magnetic chucks. These low profile rails are excellent for grinding stainless steel, brass, aluminum and plastics, and can also be used...

Flow-through deburring system. (New Products and Literature).
June 1, 2003... Abtex Corporation introduces a big machine for short parts. The Bradex[R] semi-automatic double head flow-through system simultaneously deburrs both ends of short extrusions, measuring from 1"- 3" in length. The four 12" or 14" disc brushes,...

Remote CNC data access. (Ron Loeffler on the Three "R's").
June 1, 2003... Spurred on by advances in CNC technology, discussions continue about the benefits of open-architecture CNCs. The various definitions of the topic itself contain enough source material for several articles. This month we'll look at one of...