Modern Applications News articles from November 2007

Modern Applications News archives from November 2007

Gaze into your crystal ball: life moves fast and technology seems to move even faster. As readers, what's your guess as to what the future holds?(EDITOR'S CORNER)
November 1, 2007... I'm always amazed at the rate of technological change. Not so much future-shocked--believe me, I can take it, and in fact, look forward to it--as pleasantly astounded. But, what amazes me about the rate of change, young people now take for...

See Shakespeare's Henry VI, Part 2, act IV, scene II, dick's comment.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2007... The comment in your editorial about the lawyers is priceless [Sep. 2007, Vol. 41, No 9, Editor's Corner, "I'm Guilty as Charged," p. 6]. Who else has contributed so much to the high cost of living and done nothing productive? How much of a...

Say amen!(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2007... Dave, amen to your article in MAN [Sep. 2007, Vol. 41, No. 9, From the Shop Floor, "Stocking the Digital Toolbox," p. 16]. I run a small machine shop and I take pictures and short video of CNC setups. It's a great thing to do. I download the...

Rubberized hair replaces polystyrene for improved protective packaging.(40 Years Ago This Month)
November 1, 2007... Standard Instrument Corp., New York, uses molded caps made of blocks of rubberized hair to protect its recorder-totalizer during shipment. IBM uses the same material in two-piece cavity-molded packages for shipping typewriters. Parts are...

Titanium alloy meets severe weight/strength requirements of landing gear.(40 Years Ago This Month)
November 1, 2007... Titanium 6-6-2 (Al 6.0, V 6.0, Sn 2.0) is being used for the main landing gear cylinder forging of the U.S. Army's radically new combat aircraft, the AH-56A Cheyenne. Under development at the Lockheed-California Co., the AH-56A can take off and...

.625" thick x 20' long steel plate cut in 10 seconds by giant shear.(40 Years Ago This Month)
November 1, 2007... One of the largest precision shears in the nation is cutting steel plate .625" (5/8") thick x 20' long in 10 seconds at the Los Angeles headquarters plant of Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. This job requires 4 minutes by flame cutting. Cutting...

The hybrid machine future fast approaches: demonstrations of hybrid machines at the EMO technology show convince Dave that the future is now.(FROM THE SHOP FLOOR)
November 1, 2007... There are two kinds of machine tools: mills that rotate a tool against a work-piece, and lathes that spin a work-piece against a tool. These two standards stayed the same over the years, each evolving into today's machine tools. Eventually...

Hot Shot entry form now online.
November 1, 2007... So you think you're shop is hot stuff? Now you can prove it. MAN is looking for shops that do it faster, better, or more high-tech than its competitors. If you think your shop fits the bill, go to MAN's website,...

MAG IAS enters the control system business.(Industry News)
November 1, 2007... MAG Industrial Automation Systems, Sterling Heights, MI, formed Infimatic, a new controls system business unit. According to MAG IAS, the system is a modular, scaleable control system with ruggedized hardware architecture running...

Saint-Gobain Corp. appoints new president and CEO.(Industry News)
November 1, 2007... Jacques Aschenbroich was named president and CEO of Saint-Gobain Corp. The firm, based in Valley Forge, PA, is an $8.5 billion manufacturer of packaging, construction products, and high-performance materials. Saint-Gobain Corp. is the holding...

Second quarter 2007 industrial laser orders up 14.7 percent.(Industry News)
November 1, 2007... Second quarter 2007 orders of industrial laser equipment and systems are reported at $141.5 million according to the Association for Manufacturing Technology. This represents an increase of 14.7 percent from first quarter 2007. Orders within...

FARO earns 15-laser tracker order from Boeing.(Industry News)
November 1, 2007... FARO Technologies Inc., Lake Mary, FL, a manufacturer of portable computer-aided measurement arms and laser tracker sales, received an order for 15 FARO Laser Tracker Xi units from the Boeing Company for commercial airplane tooling in the Puget...

2007 manufacturing technology consumption up 5.3 percent.(Industry News)
November 1, 2007... July U.S. manufacturing technology consumption totaled $271.37 million, according to the Association for Manufacturing Technology and the American Machine Tool Distributors' Association. The total, as reported by companies participating in...

Small business leads adoption of eCommerce.(Industry News)
November 1, 2007... Small manufacturing companies are among the leaders in embracing the Internet, according to a Small Business Research Board--SBRB--study. The study, co-sponsored by Business Today Magazine, showed 67 percent of the small manufacturing firms...

ANCA appoints new CEO.(Industry News)
November 1, 2007... Australia-based CNC grinder manufacturer ANCA appointed Jeroen Schmits as CEO. He will be responsible for global business operations and will relocate from the United States to ANCA's head office in Melbourne, Australia. Schmits has a long...

In the cut: for machining, "cutting corners" means paying more attention to power, torque, and speed than in straight cuts.(MACHINING Rxs FROM DR. J)
November 1, 2007... Cutting processes have undergone a great deal of change over the last decade. The development of new coatings and new cutting tool materials lets users operate at increasingly higher cutting speeds and rpm. Machine tool makers have matched the...

Scale nearly unbalances profits: at times, getting through nearly an inch of scale on forgings was killing production until a shop put the right cutting tools on the job.(CUTTING TOOLS)
November 1, 2007... Scale was literally murder for cutting tools at Premium Frac Pumps, Fort Worth, TX. The company machines 12,000 lb, 60"x30"x30" blocks of forged steel into 5,800 lb fluid cylinders with many complex holes for attaching other components, and...

Metal-cored wire offers speed and savings: an expert from a welding consumables company shares his knowledge about the advantages offered by metal-cored welding wire.(WELDING)
November 1, 2007... Metal-cored wire is a versatile and flexible welding wire for manufacturing requirements. It can be used to weld a variety of material thicknesses with equal success and offers potential increased deposition rates and travel speeds to produce...

Internal job shops get a leg--or maybe a hip--up: using milling machines with the right operating system allows a medical manufacturer to avoid bottlenecks and expenses.(MEDICAL MANUFACTURING)
November 1, 2007... If I knew I was going to live this long I'd have taken better care of myself, is a mantra of the Baby Boom generation. As that generation reaches its 60th anniversary, its members are facing the need for replacement joints that have either been...

Excellence leads to customers: giving customers more than they need has given a gear maker a leading edge over its competitors.(HONING)(Cover story)
November 1, 2007... "Excellence Without Exception" is the philosophy of Forest City Gear, Roscoe, IL. It has served it well in acquiring and retaining business. The company's strategic directive is to always give the customer a higher level of quality than...

Getting a grip on workholding: as the workload increased, a shop needed better options in workholding. With the right manufacturer team, it found success.(WORKHOLDING)
November 1, 2007... Carolina Precision Components, Valdese, NC, a manufacturer of valves and various flow control mechanisms, saw a dramatic rise in its workloads and needed a workholding system to keep up with the demand. "We needed a way to increase capacity...

Building in critical cutting: an automotive supplier which had to meet both tight budget constraints and tolerances, turned to pivot-head sawing to succeed.(SAWING)
November 1, 2007... The automotive industry is a demanding customer, seeking higher quality at lower costs. Suppliers to the industry must find better ways of producing parts that not only maintain the quality demanded, but also do so at a profit. ...

'Breaking news' was not a good thing for a broach maker: as coolants broke down, problems with its grinding operation rose.(SPOTLIGHT: COOLANTS/LUBRICANTS/FILTERS)
November 1, 2007... General Broach Co., Morenci, MI, had coolant-splitting problems with the water-soluble coolants they used: because of the plant's hard water, the emulsion would fall apart. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As a leader in the manufacture of...

Three new CNC turning machines.(New Products)
November 1, 2007... The E320 Multi-tasking Turning Machine handles turning, boring, milling, and tapping in a single setup. It is configured with one or two spindles, C-axis, live tools, and Y-axis. The M17 Combination Lathe features conversational menus that lead...

Faster, flexible Collet System.(New Products)
November 1, 2007... The HQC Quick-Change Collet Systems provide faster changeover than standard collets and more flexibility than master collets and pads. The systems can accommodate bar stock variation; the collet head has a working range of [+ or 1]1/64" and...

Nickel-plated octagon cutter.(New Products)
November 1, 2007... The F4080, part of the Xtra-tec line of products, offers octagonal inserts, and is available in coarse and close pitch as well as grades for cast iron, steel, aluminum, high-alloyed stain-less steels, and difficult to cut materials. The cutter...

Airstream resists corrosion and high temperature.(New Products)
November 1, 2007... The stainless steel Super Air Wipe produces a 360[degrees] airstream that can blow off, dry, clean, or cool the material passing through the center. Suitable for food, chemical, pharmaceutical, corrosive, or high temperature locations, the...

Modular clamp available in two varieties.(New Products)
November 1, 2007... The Pitbull Fixture Clamp is available in slotted clamp and compact clamp versions. Known for low profile and positive down force, each version comes in two sizes with holding forces of 6,000 lb and 12,000 lb. The slotted Modular Pitbull Clamp...

Disc brushes for in-machine deburring.(New Products)
November 1, 2007... Nylox Disc brushes are designed for in-machine deburring of flat parts on CNC machining centers. The filaments in the brushes behave as a collection of flexible files that remove burrs and radius sharp edges as the rotating disc is fed across...

Inserts for turning stainless steel.(New Products)
November 1, 2007... Developed with the Duratomic process, Turning Grades TM2000 and TM4000 offer thermal and mechanical resistance when working with M20 to M40 stainless steel applications. The TM2000 is designed for high metal removal rates in high temperature...

Second Maintenance Release for Mastercam X2.(New Products)
November 1, 2007... The X2 Maintenance Release is available to all maintenance and new customers. The release offers improved toolpaths for high-speed machining, and multi-axis enhancements. The peel milling toolpath delivers high-speed cutting to 2D projects. The...

Modular Fixtures with multi-threaded holes.(New Products)
November 1, 2007... R & R Modular Fixtures are designed with multi-threaded holes to locate and elevate parts off the surface for full inspection of the part whether using touch probe or vision systems. The fixtures are cast aluminum and range in size from 6"x6"...

Newly designed horizontal machining center.(New Products)
November 1, 2007... The FH1250SX horizontal machining center features a high-torque spindle designed to speed through steel without compromising rigidity or accuracy. Intended to provide the cutting power of a boxway machine, this HMC features 1,655 ipm traverse...

Endmill for hardened steel.(New Products)
November 1, 2007... According to the manufacturer, the Z-Carb-MD produces a chatter-free surface finish when run at high metal-removal rates. Created to machine hardened steels, it has a helix design, a heavy-duty core, and negative rake. These features lessen...

Special assemblies for Strippit presses.(New Products)
November 1, 2007... Two Xcel 3-1/2" station punch assemblies for Strippit punch presses feature fully-guided strippers and premium high-speed steel slitting punch inserts. The special systems not only guide punch tips relative to strippers, but also guide the...

Milling tools available up to 6".(New Products)
November 1, 2007... Designed for 90[degrees] cutting, the SSPM Series features square SXEH inserts with reinforced corners for high feedrates. The inserts have positive cutting geometry for smooth cutting action. Their fine pitch enables aggressive metal removal...

Monitor arc welding gas.(New Products)
November 1, 2007... FlowStream OFM Series mass flowmeters measure shielding gas used in arc welding. The clean, dry, nonaggressive gases the units measure include air, argon, carbon dioxide, helium, hydrogen, methane, nitrogen, and oxygen. [ILLUSTRATION...

Modular EDM for standard machine cost.(New Products)
November 1, 2007... The FlexPro Series die-sink EDMs sport modular components for customizing to match desired work. Because of component flexibility, this line has the same lead time as standard units, which according to the supplier, cuts delivery time as much...

Magnets catch damaging debris.(New Products)
November 1, 2007... Plastalloy chip collector magnets catch metal filings, chips and other ferrous materials that could damage components. They are suitable for most metalworking applications, including cutting fluid recirculation systems. The magnets work in...

Waterjet tackles large sheet-metal.(New Products)
November 1, 2007... The Fabricator JetCutting center is an abrasive waterjet for large format cutting in metal or stone fabrication shops. It accommodates standard metal sheets up to 6' 8"x14" and stone slabs. The Fabricator uses software based on Windows XP and...

Electronic device cleans part threads.(New Products)
November 1, 2007... This manufacturer's thread chasing units clean out internal and external threads in production parts. They do not cut new threads. The units clear weld spatter, chips, burrs, and paint. Forward torque adjusts up to 10 ft-lb and reverse torque...

Bridge mill for aerospace machining.(New Products)
November 1, 2007... The Hi-Net DMC-1600HN is a 45,000 lb bridge mill for high-speed, net shape machining complex 3D parts, such as those in mold/die and aerospace. Its travels are 63"x51"x32" and rapids 590 ipm/590 ipm/472 ipm. The DMC-1500HN has a 56-hp,...

Pneumatically-assisted arm handles heavy tools.(New Products)
November 1, 2007... This manufacturer's heavy-duty torque arm has a pneumatic cylinder for moving heavier tools. It accommodates inline pneumatic and electric drivers that weigh up to 15 lb and torque to 110 lbf-in. This arm maintains tool location for easy and...

Blue fluid for milling and drilling.(New Products)
November 1, 2007... Picocut Code Blue is a chlorine-free and blue-colored cutting oil for material-removal and forming applications, such as milling, drilling, reaming, threading, broaching, grinding, stamping, and drawing. It can replace older cutting oils and...

Why buy an OMAX[R]?(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
November 1, 2007... Only OMAX offers the fastest cutting speeds and dynamic positioning accuracy to within +/-0.001". The user-friendly system machines virtually any material to a smooth finish with little or no setup necessary. With free software upgrades for the...

Blowoff Guide helps cut noise and air use.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
November 1, 2007... The Air Nozzles and Jets Blowoff Guide is a free 16-page technical booklet that offers solutions to reducing compressed air cost and noise. It shows OSHA requirements for allowable noise exposure for compressed air. Comparison information is...

Trumpf introduces single cutting head technology.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
November 1, 2007... The TruLaser 5030 offers improved processes and reduced downtime. It features a single cutting head for all sheet thicknesses. The beam changes automatically depending on material--no need to switch the head. It is especially helpful for...

Darex drill sharpeners.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
November 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...

Clamps and tooling components.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
November 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;...

TRAK DPM SX5 bed mill.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
November 1, 2007... The TRAK DPM SX5 bed mill with the ProtoTRAK SMX can be operated manually, or as a 2- or 3-axis CNC. The solid ram moves up and down for Z-axis operation. TRAK bed mills comes with a mechanical vari-speed head and can be upgraded with an...

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

Affordable cutting tables.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
November 1, 2007... WaterjetPRO[TM] cutting tables are affordable, fast, accurate and start at $60,000. Jogging pendant, programmable Z, and accurate ball screw drives are included. You can run your favorite CAD/CAM software. Because they are Powered by Flow[TM],...

Dimensional measuring instruments brochure.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
November 1, 2007... This brochure details digital indicators; linear gage sensors with ranges of 1"-4" and accuracies up to 0.00002". These gages measure dimensions, thickness, curvature, eccentricity, displacement, height, depth, flatness, variation, run-out,...

Indent marking tool operates up to 120 IPM.(Brochures & Catalogs Covering Metalworking Equipment)
November 1, 2007... DMwriter, from Dapra Marking Systems, is an indent marking tool for CNC milling machines. Easily-integrated, DMwriter marks up to 120 IPM. Standard engraving software produces high-quality, permanent marks in parts up to 62 [R.sub.C] with no...

'Free' trade is only working one way: as long as the current administration refuses to stand up to China's economically, the U.S. will remain at a disadvantage.(THE LAST WORD)
November 1, 2007... No policy could better serve the common progress of humanity than genuine free trade, but support for open trade is evaporating among American voters and foreign governments the United States hopes to engage. Free trade is a compelling...