Medical & Healthcare

Doug Wetzel, managing director at contract manufacturer Protomatic, Dexter, Mich., is finding business to be slower than he wishes. Like many other U.S. job shops, the 45-year-old company is experiencing a slowdown caused by tumbling oil prices and worldwide political and economic uncertainty. The difference is Wetzel isn't too worried. His advice to fellow manufacturers is to not let market uncertainty paralyze them from seeing a slowdown's silver lining— namely, time to prepare for the inevitable upturn.

IBAG North America offers the HF 120.4 high-speed spindle for Haas and other leading machining centers, delivering up to 42,000 rpm, 16kW and equipped for HSK40 and BT30 Tooling. The HF 120 is ideal for production manufacturing in aerospace, medical, mold and die machining and can be used in hardened steels, aluminum, brass, copper, graphite and various plastics.

Ceramics Expo takes place April 26-28, 2016, in Cleveland and is dedicated to providing a marketplace for all raw materials, equipment, machinery and technology used within the ceramic manufacturing supply chain. Ceramics Expo is attended by technical leaders, production directors, engineers, project leaders, buyers and senior executives interested in exploring the latest ceramic manufacturing innovations.

END USER: Homeyer Precision Manufacturing, (636) 433-2244, www.homeyertool.com. SOLUTION PROVIDER: BIG Kaiser Precision Tooling Inc., (888) 866-5776, www.bigkaiser.com. CHALLENGE: Minimize endmill runout to extend tool life when producing aluminum-based forceps. SOLUTION: A collet chuck that provides minimal runout.

Though Rosie the Riveter and a multitude of her sisters proved that women were perfectly capable of working in manufacturing when the men were called to serve during World War II, many of these patriotic women graciously stepped aside to allow the returning soldiers to resume their jobs. Since then, the number of women in manufacturing jobs has yet to recover. According to a 2015 report by consultancy Deloitte LLP, in conjunction with The Manufacturing Institute and the APICS Supply Chain Council, women hold only 27 percent of U.S. manufacturing jobs, even though they make up 47 percent of the total labor force. "Women are underrepresented in every manufacturing sector in the U.S.," the report stated.

KKS Ultraschall AG develops, produces and markets solutions in the fields of industrial cleaning, ultrasonic technology and surface refinement.

PhotoMachining Inc. recently installed its new MicroMachine – USP III ultrashort pulse laser micromachining workstation at a world renowned medical care and research institution for the development of novel medical, implantable, surgical and diagnostic devices.

The MIL-Spec 5015 series from Mencom Corp. was originally designed for severe aeronautical and tactical service applications. Due to the rugged and versatile design, these connectors are widely used in a range of commercial and industrial applications, such as factory automation, robotics, instrumentation, medical equipment and power applications.

The demand of the tool grinding industry for high-performance grinding fluids with excellent air release and non-foaming properties led to the development of PolyGrind NT-US from oelheld. Benefits are elevated grinding performance, superior surface finish, improved wheel life with less redressing, enhanced filtration capabilities with higher flow levels and excellent temperature stability, according to the company.

Emuge Corp., West Boylston, Mass., recently named Dan Doiron its new milling products manager, which puts Doiron in charge of endmills, toolholders, technical and CAD/CAM program support for milling products, according to a recent company news release.