Modern Applications News articles from September 2005

Modern Applications News archives from September 2005

No sissies allowed: witnessing all of the whining, worrying, hand-wringing, and rampant risk-aversion that preceded the recent launch of the space shuttle triggered a range of mixed feelings in me--among these were disgust, pride, befuddlement, and rage.(EDITOR'S CORNER)
September 1, 2005... One of the strongest feelings lead me to the conclusion that those who sought so desperately to fail-safe the launch could not play the game you play everyday: business. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Although some may not think of me as a...

Flow International receives Value Enhancement Award.(Industry News)
September 1, 2005... Flow International Corporation (NASDAQ: FLOW), announces that is has been awarded Frost & Sullivan's 2005 Customer Value Enhancement Award for its role as market leader in the Special Machine Tools Space. "Over the years, Flow has...

ESAB receives Gold Medal Award.(Industry News)
September 1, 2005... ESAB Welding & Cutting Products (Florence, SC) has received recognition as one of the government's leading suppliers. The Defense System Supply Center Richmond (DSCR) honored ESAB with the Gold Medal Best Value Award at a ceremony held during...

ISM reports New Orders, Production expanding.(Industry News)
September 1, 2005... Economic activity in the manufacturing sector grew in July for the 26th consecutive month, while the overall economy grew for the 45th consecutive month, say the nation's supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business[R]....

Trumpf reports record sales growth of 14%".(Industry News)
September 1, 2005... According to preliminary figures, the Trumpf Group ended the 2004/2005 fiscal year with sales growth of about 14%, with consolidated sales increasing to almost (Euro) 1.4 billion. This is the highest sales volume to date in the history of the...

Kennametal reports record year results.(Industry News)
September 1, 2005... Kennametal Inc. (NYSE: KMT) has reported fiscal 2005 fourth quarter earnings per share (EPS) at a record level of $0.98 compared with prior year EPS of $0.81 and original guidance of $0.90 to $0.95. There were no special items in either...

You're wrong!(Letters To The Editor)
September 1, 2005... Dear John, Your tax reform is all wrong!!! Lower income people pay more of their income on sales tax than upper income people. We should eliminate all taxes except a graduated income tax based on ability to pay. Bill Gates would not mind...

'By George'.(Letters To The Editor)
September 1, 2005... George Weimer: After reading your article in MAN magazine I was compelled to send you this e-mail. After experiencing allot of your key points first hand, and getting tired of watching work leave the US. My partner and I decided to use...

George is wrong.(Letters To The Editor)
September 1, 2005... Sir, I read with much interest the article written by George Weimer, Contributing Editor, on America's Real Competitive Advantage. I applaud the "Creative" Spin he put on the state of manufacturing in America, and I'm appreciative of his...

Pep talk.(Letters To The Editor)
September 1, 2005... George, Thanks for the pep-talk. But first let's agree that leadership within great companies has for the most part created America's edge, because a great idea can not become reality without a visionary to link the idea to the market...

Replaceable carbide tip drills cut costs, free-up production: for a company, which suddenly doubled its business, a production bottleneck caused by re-work had to be eliminated.(CUTTING TOOLS)
September 1, 2005... That's the spot that Tulsa-based Harsco's Air-X-Changer group (AXC) found itself in. The company is a leading supplier of heat exchangers for natural gas production, which is expanding on a fast track. Reworking the out-of-round holes in its...

Milling chuck change vastly increases tool life: in an effort to reduce tooling costs, a leading heavy capital equipment manufacturer two years ago opted to replace its tool holders with tight-gripping tool holders for better rigidity resulting in less vibration, and less wear and tear on the cutting tool.(CUTTING TOOLS)
September 1, 2005... "Tool life is our first concern," states Kevin Foley, manufacturing engineer. "Last year we spent $380,000 on tooling. Cutting tools are a major portion of the cost to make a part, so we want to reduce those costs as much as possible." Shifting...

New Groove/Turn System saves shop $300 per part: for grooving white iron in an area known for its fast turn-around shops, a British Columbia operation is dominating the competition by using a new groove and turn system for huge fastener roughing.(CUTTING TOOLS)
September 1, 2005... In an area typically known for its sawmill, pulp, and paper industry, Kaltech Manufacturing (Delta, British Columbia) specializes in whiteiron machining requiring versatility, specialization, and quick turnaround. Using the A4 Groove and...

Jump into CNC turning makes good shop better: an investment in technology meant a leap into CNC machining for an established Missouri screw machine shop. Making the leap made a good shop a lot better.(CNC CONTROLS)
September 1, 2005... At Orscheln, LLC (Moberly, MO) they had subscribed to a time-tested and reliable old maxim, namely, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Founded in 1938, this 47,000 sq.-ft. screw machining facility, with 54 employees and a wide range of...

+p increase production 18% with an ROI of two weeks: with a history of 'I can do a better job than that,' a Florida fabricator increased its production 18% with new technology that also paid for itself in only two weeks.(WELDING / BRAZING / SOLDERING)(Cover Story)
September 1, 2005... To get a leg-up on the competition, you must raise the bar... or the step. The craftsmanship of aluminum dock ladders from A1A Dock Products (Hollywood, FL) gives this company a giant step-up on the competition. A1A, a five-person,...

Good vibrations deliver superior weld repairs: for an Inspection Service, locating cracks in welds can be fairly simple, but performing quality repairs to pieces of equipment either too large or complex for normal heat treatment or weld stress relief, tuning in good vibrations is essential for good repairs.(WELDING / BRAZING / SOLDERING)
September 1, 2005... Nondestructive Inspection Service, Inc. (NIS) (Hurricane, WV) assists in repairing its customers' manufacturing equipment the quickest way possible. Frequently inspecting, locating, and repairing cracks in equipment and in welds are major...

Welding cell boosts production 22%: a robotic welding cell gave an automotive weldment supplier a 22% reduction in cycle time and cleaned-up its welding process.(WELDING / BRAZING / SOLDERING)
September 1, 2005... LuK USA LLC (Wooster, OH), a drive train component supplier for the global automotive industry, needed a new welding cell that met lower cycle time requirements and provided a cleaner environment. The company had an existing assembly cell...

Contract shop profits on short-run turning: a precision turning shop in the Chicago suburbs faced a challenge familiar to many contract shop owners, normal high-volume customers were insisting on rapid-response, short-run and prototype work also, or the high volume work would be given to another shop.(TURNING CENTERS)
September 1, 2005... Bryon Bettinardi, owner of Bryco Machine (Tinley Park, IL) built a reputation as a supplier of precision turned parts for industries including electronics, hydraulics, communications, medical, and defense. More and more of his customers were...

Wisconsin Expo features full slate of business enhancement seminars: MAN--Modern Applications News is a proud co-sponsor of one of the premier metalworking expositions in the country, the Wisconsin manufacturing and machine tool expo.(WISCONSIN MANUFACTURING & MACHINE TOOLS SHOW)(Calendar)
September 1, 2005... In addition to the exposition and trade show activities, the Expo features a variety of technical and business sessions designed to improve productivity and profitability of U.S. businesses. The schedule for these is as follows: Tuesday,...

Rotary table indexer.(WISCONSIN MANUFACTURING & MACHINE TOOLS SHOW)
September 1, 2005... Heartech Precision Inc. offers the new JNC140-EDM CNC rotary table indexer with a special sealing system for use is submersible applications with EDM dielectric fluids. The sealing system is combined with an auto air purging system that removes...

Machinable fixture clamp.(WISCONSIN MANUFACTURING & MACHINE TOOLS SHOW)
September 1, 2005... Mitee-Bite Products Inc. introduces a machinable version of its Pitbull fixture clamp. The clamp has positive down force, a very low gripping profile, and is designed for machining pieces complete in one setup. This new clamp is constructed...

2-D marking system.(WISCONSIN MANUFACTURING & MACHINE TOOLS SHOW)
September 1, 2005... Columbia Marking Tools, Inc. offers its UID/Matrix2D[TM] marking system. The dot-scribe 2-D marking system components include a CNC marking head, controller, software, and vision verification system. Standard features include a PS2...

EDM Machine with fine hole option.(WISCONSIN MANUFACTURING & MACHINE TOOLS SHOW)
September 1, 2005... The Edge2 Ram EDM Machine from Makino can burn holes as small a 0.0012" using tungsten rods 0.0008" in diameter. The fine hole machine can be converted from a fine hole function to standard Ram EDM functions in less than 5 minutes without...

New turning insert design.(WISCONSIN MANUFACTURING & MACHINE TOOLS SHOW)
September 1, 2005... Valenite, LLC introduces a new insert design to its ValTurn[TM] line of turning tools, the PM2-designated ISO positive screwdown chip breaker. The inserts are available in three separate grade classifications and with either a 7[degrees] or...

Drill index for fractional/letter/wire gage sizes.(WISCONSIN MANUFACTURING & MACHINE TOOLS SHOW)
September 1, 2005... Huot Manufacturing offers a new drill index that combines fractional, letter, and wire gage sizes into a gold colored case. The Combination Index includes a permanent, built-in identification system for fast and easy selection of drills. Each...

In-line dot peen marking system.(WISCONSIN MANUFACTURING & MACHINE TOOLS SHOW)
September 1, 2005... Columbia Marking Tools, in a joint venture with Richter Machine, has introduced a new making system called the ILM, or In-Line Marker. The machine design features an accurate and durable air-operated dot peen marking head equipped with seven or...

New tooling line.(WISCONSIN MANUFACTURING & MACHINE TOOLS SHOW)
September 1, 2005... The Wave Series of tooling from Sumitomo Electric Carbide include WEM, WRM, and WMM indexable end mills that yield high production rates and long life. Also, the 90[degrees] shoulder cutting WFM face mills accurately machine piece parts and are...

New locating pins/Dowels.(CNC CONTOLS/MACHINE ACCESSORIES)
September 1, 2005... Jergens, Inc. introduces new products to enhance locating of workholding fixtures. The Bullet Nose Dowels are designed for alignment of two fixture pieces with the pin and head concentric within 0.0005" TIR, and the dowels receiver bushings...

New CNC system.(CNC CONTOLS/MACHINE ACCESSORIES)
September 1, 2005... Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc. has released its new Sinumerik 840D NCU 573.5 CNC system for increased performance/productivity. The NCU system software can run on previous versions and offers more CNC user memory. This new system offers...

Update vise kit.(CNC CONTOLS/MACHINE ACCESSORIES)
September 1, 2005... Hirshmann Engineering, U.S.A., Inc. offers its updated vise kit with molded carry/storage case. The Sampson Vise, Model C40.33/3D is part of the System 4000 fixturing for wire EDM and provides two adjustable vertical levels of collision-free...

Precision core pins.(CNC CONTOLS/MACHINE ACCESSORIES)
September 1, 2005... Ezell Precision Tool Co. introduces a full range of custom core pins with precision-ground and EDM'd forms for use in molding a wide range of medical, electronics, and consumer products. These custom core pins can be manufactured with tip...

Field bulletin manual for controlling oil spills.(NEW PRODUCTS AND LITERATURE)
September 1, 2005... Oil Skimmers, Inc. offers a free manual of field brochures that outline oil spill problems and their solutions in various applications. The manual outlines proven, successful solutions to typical applications associated with oil/water problems....

Rotary blast cleaner has gun oscillation.(NEW PRODUCTS AND LITERATURE)
September 1, 2005... Guyson Corporation has developed a mechanical oscillator for its rotary indexing Model RXS-800 to provide reciprocating vertical motion of up to eight blast guns, fully adjustable, and synchronized with spindle rotation. Designed for...

Electric universal oven.(NEW PRODUCTS AND LITERATURE)
September 1, 2005... The No. 953, from The Grieve Corporation, is an electrically heated, 500[degrees]F universal oven used for various paint baking operations. Workspace dimensions measure 36"W X 36"D X 48"H. 9kW installed in Nichrome wire heating elements provide...

Portable magnetic drill.(NEW PRODUCTS AND LITERATURE)
September 1, 2005... The HMD925, model drill from Hougen Manufacturing, Inc., features power feed and heavy-duty hole making capability. The new drill uses Rotabroach[R] tools to produce holes from 7/16" - 1-1/4" diameter through materials up to 2" thick using the...

New deep hole drilling system.(NEW PRODUCTS AND LITERATURE)
September 1, 2005... TechniDrill Systems, Inc. introduces a gun drilling system that can produce holes up to 500x diameter in length. The 100 Series system can drill an accurate 3/16" diameter hole to a length of 96" in Inconel[R], and uses a bolt circle indexer to...

CAD/CAM video training.(NEW PRODUCTS AND LITERATURE)
September 1, 2005... A comprehensive multimedia CD training package for BobCAD-CAM is now available as a six-CD boxed set. The "Training Professor" CD video series is complete with a video index, including a list of recommended training videos for the CAD/CAM...

Pneumatic collet block.(NEW PRODUCTS AND LITERATURE)
September 1, 2005... The 5C collet blocks from Hardinge Inc. accept collets, step chucks, expanding collets, and manual chucks. The new "air-open, spring to close" collet block bolts to the machine table or sub-plate with the capability to hold parts internally or...

Aluminum tooling system.(NEW PRODUCTS AND LITERATURE)
September 1, 2005... Big Kaiser Precision Tooling Inc. introduces a series of ultra lightweight automatic balanced precision boring heads for diameters 3.937" - 8.000". The EWB-AL aluminum tooling system requires only two different heads to cover the entire...

Production vise catalog.(NEW PRODUCTS AND LITERATURE)
September 1, 2005... Jergens, Inc. has published a new brochure describing its selection of production vises designed to provide quick change solutions for vertical machining centers (VMC's) and horizontal machining centers (HMC's). Five styles of VMC vises are...

What's good for Wal-Mart? Solidarity forever. Well, not quite it seems.('BY GEORGE')
September 1, 2005... At their recent convention in Chicago, the AFL-CIO watched as four of the largest unions in the 50-year old coalition announced they were leaving and forming something called the Change to Win Coalition. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The four...