Trade Shows

Inventing enthusiasm for manufacturing

When Zach Kaplan visited the White House last June for a National Week of Making event, he had no idea it would mean giving away 50 of his company’s 3D carvers (tabletop milling machines). The CEO of Inventables Inc. (www.inventables.com), Chicago, Kaplan and 99 other conference attendees were challenged to provide ideas on how they could help President Barack Obama with his “Nation of Makers” initiative. Kaplan’s suggestion? Put an Inventables 3D carver in one school in each of the nation’s 50 states. What’s more, Kaplan wants to have a 3D carver in every school in the U.S. by the end of this decade. 

MicroEDM milling

As the Northeast U.S. representative for SARIX microEDM equipment, Leer Technologies Inc., Claverack, N.Y., spent the better part of EASTEC 2008 showing off the newest features of the SARIX-200 3D MicroEDM Milling machine.

Cutting Tool Engineering spent a few minutes with Graham Ruck, sales/applications manager for Leer, at EASTEC this past spring to get a brief overview and demonstration of the microEDM milling machine.

A typical machine configuration includes:

Focus: Kennametal

Cutting Tool Engineering Editor Alan Richter sat down with Carlos Cardoso, the chairman, president and CEO of Kennametal Inc., at the recent IMTS 2008 show in Chicago.

The 7-minute report addresses Kennametal's goals for diversification and expansion globally, and how that has impacted the company's worldwide sales. Cardoso also notes tht Kennametal will continue co-development tools with others because that's what's best for customers.

And find out whether Cardoso sees any major acquistions or mergers in the near future for the industry.