Machining

On Jan. 1, 2014, GF AgieCharmilles, Geneva, Switzerland, will become GF Machining Solutions, underscoring the fact that parent company Georg Fischer AG (GF) is a unified company with three divisions. Along with the name change, a new design style on the GF Machining Solutions Web site and sales literature will be gradually implemented, according to the company. GF AgieCharmille's U.S. operation is based in Lincolnshire, Ill. 

Threading and grooving toolmaker Tool-Flo Manufacturing, Houston, has added polycrystalline diamond (PCD) and polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN) tools to its product line. The ultrahard materials allow for longer tool life when cutting abrasive materials such as graphite, hard rubber, plastics, carbon, fiberglass components, ceramics, wood, copper, bronze, brass and aluminum alloys, and permit higher removal rates and faster cycle times. 

Okuma America Corp.'s Technology Showcase event, held December 10-12, 2013 in Charlotte, N.C., was the company's largest to date, both in attendance and the number of CNC machines shown, according to the company. Held annually, the event is designed to give attendees the opportunity to see and gain hands-on experience with Okuma's latest technology and discuss their individual needs with a variety of industry experts. 

The opening of the new facility included a traditional Japanese Kagami-Biraki ceremony, where a barrel of sake is broken open with wooden mallets. Several customers, dealership representatives, city officials, Shigiya employees and other invited guests were present for the event. 

Liberty Hall Capital Partners, a New York, N.Y.-based private equity firm focused exclusively on the global aerospace and defense industry, announced the acquisition of Tulsa, Okla.'s Precise Machining & Manufacturing, a Tier II supplier of machined parts, kits and assemblies and processing services to the aerospace industry.

Machine tool manufacturer DMG MORI Manufacturing hosted its inaugural Manufacturing Days event, holding an open house at its Davis, Calif.,factory. The 4-day open house provided more than 1,300 attendees with a look into the 200,000-sq.-ft. manufacturing facility, as well as educational seminars and live cutting demos. 

United Grinding North America, Inc. welcomes manufacturers to its Fredericksburg, Va., facility on Nov. 20 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to experience the latest technology and trends in PCD tool manufacturing, featuring live demonstrations from its WALTER and EWAG brands.  

Okuma America Corp holds the 2013 Technology Showcase event on Dec. 10-12, 2013, in Charlotte N.C. The event gives attendees the opportunity to witness the latest technology via hands-on demonstrations, and allows them to learn how this new technology can be applied to their specific manufacturing challenges.

E. Zoller GmbH & Co. KG, Pleidelsheim, Germany, has partnered with Machining Cloud GmbH, Stans, Switzerland, on the new Machining Cloud Intelligent Manufacturing application, a platform that offers applications, resources, services and information from a centralized database. Machining Cloud can advise parts manufacturers regarding best practices specific to each manufacturing process, according to the company.

OMAX Corp. has integrated a company-wide custom-designed automated management system. This system, developed in house by OMAX, helps eliminate bottlenecks, provides active real-time measurable data and makes it possible to quickly adjust to fluctuating production schedules.