Machining

GF Machining Solutions LLC, Lincolnshire, Ill., welcomed more than 150 guests, including city and state officials, at the Oct. 9 grand opening of its Irvine, Calif., facility. The event featured a ribbon cutting ceremony, guided tours, product displays, machine demonstrations and presentations. The new facility, which also houses GF Piping Systems, provides support and training for customers in the West and aids collaboration between GF Machining Solutions and local manufacturers on technology development and process improvement.

Toolmaker Mazak Corp., Florence, Ky., will host a free MTConnect lunch-and-learn event for manufacturers on Thurs., Nov. 6, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at its Northeast Technology Center in Windsor Locks, Conn. The presentation will cover how MTConnect, an open-source, royalty-free manufacturing protocol, can improve the utilization of their equipment and boost productivity, according to the company.

Machine tool builder Okuma America Corp., Charlotte, N.C., will host its 2014 Technology Showcase event December 9-10, 2014. The theme of this year's event is "Make the Leap" and will include demonstrations of simple technology upgrades that enable users to enhance the productivity of their CNC machines and operators and improve overall profitability, according to the company.

To celebrate the opening of its new facility in Irvine, Calif., GF Machining Solutions will hold an open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony Oct. 9-10. During the event, visitors can tour the facility and consult with application and product specialists from the company.

Machine tool builder Romi Machine Tools Ltd., Erlanger, Ky., announced Mike Burchill, president of Marshall Manufacturing, Minneapolis, as the winner of the "It's Time I Had a Romi in my Shop" sweepstakes, conducted at IMTS 2014 in Chicago. Burchill will receive a Romi C 420 CNC lathe, valued at $63,000.

Methods Machine Tools Inc., a supplier of machine tools, automation and accessories, will hold an open house at its Tempe, Ariz. Technology Center on Nov. 5th and 6th from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.  Manufacturing professionals are welcome and encouraged to attend. For more information, click here.

Toolmaker Walter USA LLC, Waukesha, Wis., has expanded its Walter Xpress line to include specials with the addition of indexable insert tools for drilling, boring and counterboring. Using customer-specific parameters for drilling and boring applications, including diameter, number of steps (up to three), step lengths, chamfer angles, relevant cutting tool material options, insert shapes, machine features and cooling, the Walter configuration system designs the required tool and generates comprehensive documentation, including a 3D model.

Polygon Solutions is one of a group of Florida manufacturers that has volunteered to host events during National Manufacturing Day Oct. 3. About 1,300 events are scheduled throughout the U.S. This is the third year of the event, and the third year the Fort Myers-based company is participating. The rotary broach manufacturer was also named a winner of the event's first-ever Manufacturing Day Video Contest.

Indiana Technology and Manufacturing Cos. donated a Zeiss DuraMax coordinate measuring machine to the Precision Tool Manufacturing Training Program for students who attend Plymouth High School. The donation was announced at the 2014 International Technology Manufacturing show in Chicago. The new machine shows ITAMCO's continuing support for the program that Mark Neidig, purchasing manager at ITAMCO, proposed to the Plymouth School Corporation superintendent in 2013.

Air Products, Allentown, Pa., an industrial gas and chemical supplier, has licensed its proprietary cryogenic machining technology to Advanced Research Systems Inc. (ARS), a manufacturer of industrial and research cryogenic equipment in nearby Macungie, Pa. The technology license agreement gives ARS extensive rights to Air Products' patented Icefly Cryogenic Machining Technology, which has been applied to the machining of metals and polymers. Also included in the agreement is the transfer of Icefly cryogen delivery equipment design information and cryogenic machining know-how developed by Air Products.