Modern Applications News articles from October 2008

Modern Applications News archives from October 2008

Accelerated convergence: regardless of the politics involved, this year's presidential campaign forecasts changes in the way business is done.(EDITOR'S CORNER)
October 1, 2008... Don't expect any political endorsements for president here. I find that if I endorse any particular candidate, it limits my ability to gripe about him in the future. Or, at least do it without blushing in embarrassment. But, one thing has...

Let's get back to when we had purpose.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2008... Concerning your editorial ["Heads in the Sand," Editor's Corner, MAN, Vol. 42, No. 8, August 2008, pg 6], I couldn't agree more. Growing up following the space program was not only exciting, but created a sense of accomplishment and hope...

A Chinese moon?(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2008... Your editorial ["Heads in the Sand," ibid] was right on. Our country was 1ight years ahead of everyone else in space technology back in 1969. Unfortunately, our space program today is but a shadow of what it once was; and China will be the next...

Not the work for frail mammals.(Letters)
October 1, 2008... I see no reason to squander scarce resources on your nostalgic attachment to manned space flight. Unmanned probes that can withstand the environment without having to protect frail mammals are far more effective and cost-efficient. As for...

Power to the people.(Letters)
October 1, 2008... I whole-heartedly agree with your editorial ["Heads in the Sand," ibid]. I want to add that until global corporate business interests are removed from the running of our government, and the power of government is returned to the American...

We must look beyond the next quarter's profits.(Letters)(Financial report)
October 1, 2008... Excellent article ["Heads in the Sand," ibid]! I'm one of those "old time" engineers that bought the HP-35 calculator for $395--after a three-month waiting period--when they first came out. A lot of things have gone downhill since then. I...

Engage kids of both genders.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2008... I'm a woman in an engineering department, and happily read your June MAN editorial ["Lets Make Machining a Girlie Profession," Editor's Corner, MAN, Vol. 22, No. 6, pg 6] and the follow-up letters in the August issue. BTW, I enjoy browsing...

The bull of the woods.(Cartoon)
October 1, 2008... YOU SAY IT'S CUTTIN' AN EGG-SHAPED HOLE, BUT I DON'T SEE HOW IT CAN YESSIR-TRY IT! IT'S BORIN' TH' HOLES SLIGHTLY EGG-SHAPED WELL, IT SHOULDN'T! THEY'LL GET A MACHINE OUT SOME DAY, THAT YOU CAN BAWL OUT AND MAKE FEEL BAD, BUT...

Is single-source vendoring the right choice? Maybe or maybe not. There are a lot of variables to consider when trying to balance efficiency with depth and breadth of knowledge.(FROM THE SHOP FLOOR)
October 1, 2008... One of my responsibilities here at Ansco is purchasing tools and shop supplies. I buy inserts, cutter bodies, turning tools, drills, taps, and everything in between. I have a short list of suppliers that I trust, and this list covers any brand...

Gettin' groovy; Getting higher chip volume with trochoidal and plunge milling.(CONTROLLING INTEREST)
October 1, 2008... Rigid tapping has been in use since the 1970s and, since the mid-1990s, most commonly-used machine tools have had this capability. Peck tapping has been used for the elimination of the long, stringy chips from plastics machining and this...

Small manufacturer economy confidence moderate.(Industry News)
October 1, 2008... Confidence among large manufacturers eroded for a fourth consecutive quarter in the second quarter of 2008, according to a survey conducted by the National Association of Manufacturers. This marks the lowest confidence level in the history of...

June manufacturing technology consumption level with May.(Industry News)
October 1, 2008... June U.S. manufacturing technology consumption totaled $360.43 million, according to the Association For Manufacturing Technology--AMT--and the American Machine Tool Distributors' Association--AMT-DA. This total, as reported by companies...

U.S. export boom to continue, expert predicts.(Industry News)
October 1, 2008... Chris Kuehl, Ph.D., an economic analyst for the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, Intl., Rockford, IL, predicts the current boom in U.S. exports will continue even when the weak dollar recovers. He offers four reasons for the prediction....

Hardinge declares dividend.(Industry News)
October 1, 2008... The Hardinge Group, Inc., Elmira, NY, board of directors declared a cash dividend of five cents per share on the company's common stock. This dividend was payable September 10, to stockholders of record as of August 29. In 2007, approximately...

Helicopter maker successful in new tech tests.(Industry News)
October 1, 2008... Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., Stratford, CT, successfully completed the first flight of its X2 Technology Demonstrator, maneuvering the prototype aircraft through hover, forward flight, and a hover turn, in a test flight that lasted approximately 30...

Labor lack bugs business most.(Industry News)
October 1, 2008... In what seems to be counter to conventional wisdom, a survey conducted by the sponsors of the FABTECH International & AWS Welding show, documents that more leading manufacturing executives today say the lack of skilled labor and management...

Custom software led to customer success; One-size-fits-all often means one-size-fits-none. Rather than purchasing off-the-shelf customer-relations management software and adapting its business practices to the application, a grinding shop helped develop a software-solution that fit its needs.(SHOP MANAGEMENT)
October 1, 2008... Off-the-shelf solutions may work for many, but a software program tailored to a shop's specific needs will bring results faster and with less unnecessary work. Arrow Grinding, Inc., Tonawanda, NY, looked towards customizing when it needed shop...

A 'Little' law goes a long way toward improvement: using Little's Law that shows a relationship between works-in-progress, throughput, and cycle time, a shop produced dramatic improvements.(SHOP MANAGEMENT)(Company overview)
October 1, 2008... Fitting into the right niche can mean the difference between success and failure. Imagine a room full of baseballs. The interstitial space between the balls is pretty small--not a lot of room between the spheres of influence to find a market....

Product management in three easy steps; A precision machining manufacturer finds out how simple it is to incorporate its product management software.(SHOP MANAGEMENT)
October 1, 2008... Treske Precision Machining, Inc., Sherwood, OR, provides precision machined parts, welded frames, and integrated assemblies to its customers. The company uses the latest equipment and systems to meet the demands of the changing manufacturing...

No Material too tough: machining a difficult material, a shop thought it had the right cutting insert, until a manufacturer offered one that increased tool life by 400 percent.(CUTTING TOOLS)
October 1, 2008... Austenitic stainless steel is a grade of material that material that creates fear in the hearts of manufacturers. Users have often reported machining difficulties with this material. Problems such as poor surface finish and high tool wear are...

Robots to the rescue: many fab shops in the U.S. are getting pounded by foreign competition, but LB Steel, LLC/Coburn Steel, Products is successfully fighting back--thanks in part to robotic welding.(ROBOTICS)
October 1, 2008... LB Steel, LLC/Coburn Steel Products is an industry leader in certified chemistry plate, prime A-36, A572 GR 50 fabrication, machining, and counterweight solutions. Much of the facility of the Harvey, IL, company is dedicated to fabrication....

Adding savings by subtracting chips: using friction drilling cut out chips and saved a shop time, money, and effort as well as improved safety.(DRILLING)
October 1, 2008... Companies frequently re-examine their business methods in order to look for cost-cutting opportunities. At the same time, they seek out best practices for increasing employee safety on the production floor. Unfortunately, those two objectives...

Now that's product distribution: products from a laser-marking company have ended up rolling across the Martian landscape. The journey began with the company finding a system that would meet the demands of itself and its customers.(LASER MARKING)
October 1, 2008... Some companies will go to any lengths for quality, Jet City Laser, Inc., Auburn, WA, went to MARS. It used its laser marking system to mark the face and edges of the Martian Sundial launched on board the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity. But,...

Helicopter manufacturing takes off with a waterjet: by using abrasive waterjet cutting head technology, an aircraft manufacturer was able to double its output.(SPOTLIGHT WATERJET)
October 1, 2008... Finding the right market can be just part of developing a successful company. Discovering a way to service that market with the right product at the right price can mean success. Frank Robinson's idea of small, simple, low-cost helicopters...

Software enhancement offers many added functions.(New Products)
October 1, 2008... The Advanced 3D with HSM enhancement for GibbsCAM SolidSurfacer introduces a range of 3-axis milling functionality with support for high-speed machining--HSM. It includes toolpath strategies optimized for high-speed and hard material machining;...

Respirator provides safety, comfort.(New Products)
October 1, 2008... The PeakFit is a NIOSH-approved N95 air-purifying respirator engineered for comfort as well as safety. Its contoured design and size help make breathing easier, reducing worker fatigue and promoting compliance. The molded nose bridge fits most...

Boring head displays adjustments.(New Products)
October 1, 2008... A boring head with an optoelectronic adjustment measuring system and digital display with 0.0001" accuracy in the diameter range 0.118" to 4.882". It has maintenance-free automatic balance compensation and flexible Screw Fit connections for all...

EDM machine for continuous-duty production.(New Products)
October 1, 2008... The iMed wire EDM machine is configured for continuous-duty production of parts such as aerospace components, medical instruments, and implants. It offers cutting speeds, accuracy, surface finishes, and advanced features comparable to those of...

Power in the field and on the shop floor.(New Products)
October 1, 2008... The powermax45, a single-gas plasma cutting and gouging system, is designed for both hand-held and mechanized applications. With a 1/2" cut capacity, and 1" severance, the 37 lb system is for applications in industries including HVAC duct...

Silicone enhancement.(New Products)
October 1, 2008... Silikroil high solvency penetrating oils are engineered to loosen frozen metal parts and provide silicone-enhanced lubrication to keep the parts moving. The oils penetrate to one-millionth inch spaces to break the bond of rust and to provide...

MACUs available for several manufacturers.(New Products)
October 1, 2008... A range of Coromant Capto machine adapted clamping units-MACU--for lathe machines can be used for both turning and milling applications.The products provide flexibility to change from one system to another, and will channel high-pressure...

Oil filtration system provides clean oil on demand.(New Products)
October 1, 2008... The Model FC-300 Grinding Oil Filtration System filters grinding oils to one micron with edge filtration technology. It was designed to integrate with most grinding, lapping, and honing machines and provides continuous filtration, automatic...

Chipbreaker increases productivity by 30 to 55 percent.(New Products)
October 1, 2008... The MR6 chipbreaker is optimized for peak performance in the medium-rough turning of steels. Its main advantage is the open design coupled with Duratomic coated grades, allowing for the use of higher cutting speeds when compared to...

Motion controllers have desirable features.(New Products)
October 1, 2008... Intuitive multi-axis servo control packages complete with bolt-on packages with motors, cabling, distributed I/O, custom user interfaces, detailed data tracking, internet connectivity, and e-mail notifications are available. These motion...

Dual chamber furnace for hardening and tempering.(New Products)
October 1, 2008... The Series 8000 furnace, a compact dual chamber furnace, is available. The upper chamber operates between 1,850[degrees]F and 2,300[degrees]F for hardening, and is standard with a hearth plate to support loads up to 50 lb/f[t.sup.2] of hearth...

Quick and easy Gooseneck change.(New Products)
October 1, 2008... A Quick Load Gooseneck System for curved handle MIG Guns lets welding operators change gooseneck combinations, providing the exact angle for specific welding applications. A quick-release feature requires only the opening and closing of a latch...

Cleaner leaves zero residues.(New Products)
October 1, 2008... Eco-friendly Oil Eater concentrated cleaner-degreaser is a water-based, biodegradable cleaning solution. Non-corrosive, non-toxic, and non-flammable, this low VOC cleaner cuts through oil, grease, carbon, sludge, and dirt, encapsulating them...

Multi-sensor vision system is versatile, precise.(New Products)
October 1, 2008... The Galileo AV350 Video Measurement System is an intermediate travel multi-sensor metrology instrument offering a square 14"x14" X/Y work area and extra Z-clearance at 8". The Z-clearance, combined with rigidity, provides space for multi-sensor...

Training System offers hands-on experience.(New Products)
October 1, 2008... The seven hour, 46 minute "M" Series Programming Training System is used to learn programing of the Citizen Cincom M1, M2, and M3 version Swiss machines, which include the M12, M20, and M32 machines. The training system was created to simulate...

It's time to enter a virtuous cycle: with inflation rising, it may seem easy to take advantage of customer pricing, but a productivity spiral, not a pricing spiral, will pay off in the long-run.(THE LAST WORD)
October 1, 2008... In the fabricating business, as in general industry, cost inflation and slowing demand dominate the news. The Producer Price Index in the past 12 months, ending in July, indicated the highest annual level of producer price inflation in 27...