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Model Pattern Co. acquired Creative Technology Corp.'s Creative Evolution Computer Numerical Control (CNC) milling machine to avoid problems associated with the old CNC model, which was suffering from data starvation. Creative Evolution took only a few days to install, as opposed to the two months normally expected for a repair job. The new CNC also improved productivity due to its 1,000 blocks-per-second speed, network capabilities and open systems architecture., Founded in 1973, Model Pattern Co. of Grand Rapids, Michigan, manufactures everything from checking fixtures and models to dies and molds. Its 60 employees utilize 32,000 square feet of plant [...]

Primeway Tool and Engineering pioneered the use of electrical discharge machines (EDM) for making molds 35 years ago. Since then, the 25-head mold shop in Madison Heights, MI, has learned the value of precision electrode manufacturing, integrated tooling, flushing and worker training. The company, which supplies molds to several industries, also constructs its own EDMs or modifies standard machines. It offers wire, ram and small-hole EDM jobs., This job shop's experience with EDM goes back 35 years. And this long experience is one of the main reasons why the shop has managed to stay ahead. Primeway Tool [...]

Caco Pacific Corp credits its success in making multiple-cavity molds to its use of electrical discharge machines (EDM). Its 24 EDMs provide the mold maker the advantages of greater thermal stability, rapid and uniform cooling, longer product life and the capability to produce any design requested by a customer. The company produces plastic razor cartridges, medical syringes, Petri dishes and video cassette shells for US and 30 foreign customers., Electrical discharge machining (EDM) is an essential part of this mold shop's strategy for designing and building better molds. When asked about the source of its success, Caco Pacific Corp., [...]

Sekely Industries Inc translates its commitment to produce low-cost high-quality work into 'no-handwork machining' of die surfaces at its 200-head shop in Salem, OH. The company banks on numerical control programming, direct numerical control and tooling strategies to support its state-of-the-art milling machines which includes a new five-axis Rambaudi bridge mill. The company, which was founded in 1944, received a Platinum Pentastar Award from Chrysler in 1993., This die shop has virtually eliminated benchwork on many of the automotive stamping dies it produces, thanks to its high-speed machining capability. They call it 'no-handwork machining' at Sekely Industries. [...]

Welding operations require flexibility and control. A few of the equipment available to improve welding productivity with added flexibility are the PosiWeld system, which is trying to fill the gap between dedicated welding machines and robots; the inverter power sources; the automatic curtains which provide worker safety; and an in-line recirculating transfer system for fixturing and moving parts for automotive bumpers incorporated with programmable logic controllers., Current developments are aimed at increasing versatility, control, and productivity in all kinds of welding operations. Regardless of the process, flexibility and control are keys to productivity. This is especially [...]

Several inexpensive automation machines such as Flex-Arm, precision grinders, tool-post grinders, mini-computers and metraradials are presented. These gadgets can be installed in manufacturing plants to enhance metalworking process without large capital investments. The accessories can increase operator productivity, perform multi-task operations, reduce set-up time and scrap and can be easily installed on the shop floor., The push to boost productivity and quality has manufacturers scrambling to upgrade their equipment and metalworking processes. The problem is that dollars for capital equipment may be scarce. Here are [...]

Vapor degreasing compounds have been included in the list of chemicals that are bound to be banned for their role in the depletion of the ozone layer. Since the cleaning properties of these compounds could not be duplicated by existing solvents, compromises must be made. Sealed equipments, aqueous systems, semi-aqueous systems and immersion processes are the four basic alternatives available. In choosing among these four, the degree of cleanliness, quantity of the application, material handling and waste treatment must be considered., In less than two years, a mandated ban on ozone depleting chemicals is going to take effect. One of those banned substances is probably now sitting in the tank of [...]

The use of computer-numerical-controlled lasers in metalworking applications like cutting, welding, drilling and marking has improved production at Southwest Fabricators of San Diego, CA. Southwest, together with San Diego Sheet Metal Works and Pacific Marine Metal Corp, make metal parts for the food, biomedical and aerospace industries. According to its president, Daren Weckerly, its laser cutting systems have virtually abolished the need for shearing, deburring and punch-tool setup., even the kitchen sink Many people still associate lasers with futuristic deep-space travel, starships, and high-tech weaponry. Others think of lasers as a highly esoteric technology of last resort, to [...]

Today, many metalworking plants require coolant suppliers to supplement chemical sales with service programs for fluid management, minimizing production downtime and prolonging fluid life. Rockwell International has such a plant [...]

As the price of metals continues to rise, more and more product designers are looking for ways to replace machined metal parts with plastic parts, and machine shops are getting [...]

Regulating furnace atmosphere using a mass flow controller (MFC) offers consistent, high-quality carburized parts by precise control of the carburizing atmosphere and also provides an increase in productivity via accelerated [...]

When Mike Meredith, owner of Workshop Wire Cut and Machine (Aurora, Ohio) saw the Chevalier (Santa Fe Springs, California) 1418 vertical machining center (VMC), the proverbial light bulb flashed for [...]

The coolant that for years had been used in the machine shop of Viking Tool & Engineering (Whitehall, Michigan) provided the parts quality needed. A little foul odor and corrosion [...]

The authors present a novel method of surface modification with the use of electrical discharge machining. Topics include use on dies and molds, molecular electronics, and electrical conductivity.

CFC Wireforms, Batavia, IL, didn't get involved with welding until one of its customers sprecified it for an SUV tire cover assembly bracket. CFC, after some tests, took the plunge [...]

POSITIONERS Tilt-turntable positioners provide motion in two axes--the fixtured work-piece sits on a rotating turntable that rocks or tilts. Two basic styles exist: a flat-135-degree positioner that tilts the turntable [...]

Long before a customer fires up a new laser for the first time it turns to the distributor's sales force for an optimal gas solution. Ongoing service and support seal [...]

A steel fabricator facing a tough job called for help to minimize the chance of error. The firm's finished project reflects good planning, solid weld procedures, and near perfect dimensions. [...]

BOCA RATON, Fla. -- SMACNA President Phil Meyers, Bright Sheet Metal, Indianapolis, Ind., told contractors here 'We are stronger, more united than ever before.' He urged members in his opening [...]

Sometime in August of this year, Ellwood City Forge (ECF) will be filling its hoppers with steel chips in volumes upwards of twice what they are today. By then, its [...]

Two manufacturers, Citation Custom Products and Poulan WeedEater, have reduced downtime, waste treatment costs and occupational hazards by adapting new coolant technology from Houghton International Inc, Valley Forge, PA. Machinability [...]

FPD Corp., McMurray, Pa., needed to boost throughput on long-cycle, medium-run workpieces. To do this, the company bought three four-spindle Sakazaki CNC machines supplied by Hansco Technologies of Montvale, N.J. [...]

Much of the success of Space Metal Engineering Inc. is attributed to the company's efforts in procuring additional equipment to improve capacity and diversify its markets. The recent addition to the firm's advanced equipment is the Strippit Fabri-Center 1250 H/20 hydraulic turret punch press, whose high speed and high precision features improved the company's productivity by 30%. The company has also realized savings from production costs, which it has passed on to customers through reduced prices., Job shop fabricates computer parts faster with greater accuracy. As a fabricator of computer components, Space Metal Engineering Inc, Danvers, MA, must meet demanding production schedules and produce a variety [...]

Setco Sales has successfully used Cincinnati Milacron's Arrow 750 vertical CNC machining equipment to improve the quality of its machining operations. Setup and handling times were reduced despite the large number of parts processed. Moreover, Arrow 750 machines parts that were previously processed using several equipment. Shop floor programming and manufacturing integration capabilities were customized in the equipment., Production between two plants works as one with VMCs delivering uniform quality and customer satisfaction. Mike Ferguson went to Chicago for IMTS '94 looking for equipment to fulfill a new [...]

Western Atlas Inc.'s Landis Div. has acquired a single big-ticket computer numerical control (CNC) turning center to increase its production capacity and meet the increased demand from the automotive industry. The four-axis CNC turning center is equipped with auxiliary spindles for rotating tool operations as well as a 12-station unit that combines both rotating and stationary tools. It enables the firm to reduce tooling inventory and save on tooling stations., One big-ticket CNC turning center meets all machining and investment criteria for Landis. When Landis, Division of Western Atlas Inc, Waynesboro, PA, decided to expand its turning capacity due to [...]

Ace Manufacturing Company Inc. developed the Burr-be-Gone right-angle deburrer in 1987 to facilitate and the deburring of internal breakthroughs of machined components' cross holes. Recently, Ace Manufacturing made design improvements in the system so it can be applied to a broader range of parts and raise the quality of its work. The modification mainly involved replacing the deburrer's standard single flute countersinks with Chatterless six-flute contersinks., Ace Manufacturing Company of Cincinnati, Ohio has been a machining job shop for over 20 years, and in that time it has done work for a variety of industries, on [...]

Red Bud Industries' multicut blanking line is helping Southwest Steel Supply Co. address the quality demands of appliance manufacturers. The system, which currently makes steel blanks for microwave ovens, can handle prepainted steel, galvanized steel, aluminized steel, cold-rolled steel, stainless steel and aluminum. It features a servo-controlled, automatic grip feed system which, together with other components, minimize pallet changeover downtime., Precision line handles prepainted galvanized steel. The appliance industry is increasingly turning to specialty steel service centers to provide close-tolerance steel blanks. To help serve this rapidly growing market, Southwest [...]

Grinding machine makers not only offer the most advanced computer numerical control technology available, they also assist metalworking companies in ensuring that the machines run customer parts accurately. Drake Mfg Services Inc., for example, offers its sophisticated Grinding Systems: Internal (GS:I) technology to a variety of clients in the automobile industry and works alongside its clients to ensure that GS:I improves tooling capabilities. Other companies, such as Edgetek Machine Corp. and Capco Machinery Systems, provide similar services to clients in the aerospace and steel industries., Grinding engineering is not a lost art. It just seems that way when you have a problem out on a machine, and there isn't anyone in the plant who really [...]

The purchase of an PC-based HS-1000 Ingersoll-Rand waterjet cutting machine enhanced production efficiency at NorthEastern Lamps and Bronze. It also led the family-owned firm to take on industrial cutting jobs. The Amsterdam, NY-based company, which is owned by Andre and Gerard LaPorte, began as a home improvement business in the 1950s. Since then, it has stopped making lamp reproductions and diversified into the aerospace job shop business., Lighting the way from Tiffany lamp reproductions to aerospace parts, North Eastern Lamps & Bronze has skillfully combined art and technology to expand their business into a thriving job shop. [...]

The use of Commonwealth Oil Co Inc's Comminac AW Multi-Purpose Oil resulted in considerable savings for Vanamatic Co Inc. The screw machine products company used Comminac AW as cutting oil and machine lubricating oil in its Delphos, OH plant. After one year, it noted lower oil loss, higher production rates resulting from lesser downtime, extended tool life and reduced disposal costs. The environmentally friendly oil may also be used as a hydraulic fluid., Vanamatic Company, a screw machine products company in Delphos, Ohio, reports significant cost savings based on a full year's use of a new, environmentally friendly, multi-purpose oil for both cutting [...]

Closed-loop cooling systems equipped with a water chiller provides savings that can take care of capital expenditure payback. The closed-loop system can cut water usage to almost zero and maintain environmental responsibilities. Manufacturers can maintain closer production tolerances and lower tooling, welding tip and grinding wheel replacement costs and control downtime. The system's mechanical refrigeration-based direct chiller supplies constant temperature water directly to the equipment or to a heat exchanger and requires no additional piping, controls, pumps or reservoirs., A properly designed closed-loop cooling system using a water chiller can cut water usage to virtually zero and, at the same time, provide important benefits to tooling and workpieces. Because [...]

First UK installations of new pressing and bending equipment enable a UK sub-contract sheet metal fabricator to become more energy efficient Yellowpatter, one of the UK's leading bespoke subcontract sheet [...]

Advanced laser systems make light work of tube cutting and profiling for a service-driven company When Ross Taylor took charge of laser cutting and automatic sawing specialist Duright Engineering on [...]

Turned parts subcontractor Qualiturn Products has added two more Star machines to its battery of multi-axis mill-turn centres. Its Hertford facility now boasts 15 Star sliders, all under eight years [...]

A new Trumpf TLC 1005 5kW laser cell has boosted Subcon Laser's ability to supply three-dimensional welded structures. This is the company's second investment in 5kW processing, and is already [...]

Shop floor automation has released the full potential of investment in five-axis high-performance milling for Cosworth, which in 2004 installed an Erowa Robot PX to enable lights-out manufacture of high- [...]

Flexible pallet handling and storage for 5-axis machining is designed to bring automation to the mould shop and complex component manufacturing environment Five axis VMC specialist Hermle has introduced an [...]

Waterjet Technology Ltd is gaining a reputation for its 'can-do' attitude to business. To support this the company has two high specification, twin head, Bystronic Byjet waterjet machines to profile [...]

Metalex Products in Horsham specialises in supplying cut billets to OEMs and subcontractors in the South East of England. Headquartered in Ferndown, Dorset, the company expanded in early 2004 by [...]