Industry News

Among the 85 respondents to Cutting Tool Engineering magazine's Salary Survey Addendum, the annual average salary for manual machinists stands at $39,340, which represents an average hourly wage of $18.91. Combining the survey addendum results with CTE's 2014 Salary & Benefits Survey, which is based on data collected last fall from 215 respondents, the annual average salary for manual machinists is $39,202, which is about $18.85 an hour.

Toolmaker NAP GLADU has expanded its diamond cutting tool servicing capabilities with the installation of additional equipment at its Statesville, N.C., service center, serving North Carolina and surrounding states. "This expansion improves our ability to provide our customers fast, high-quality sharpening and repair service on their diamond cutting tools," said Glenn McClain, service center manager, east. "Adding equipment and investing in jobs at our Statesville center reinforces our commitment to fast turnaround times and the local community."

A new corporate website has launched following the merger of Dormer and Pramet, along with updates to its social media accounts and several new interactive apps. The website, www.dormerpramet.com, brings both previous company sites together into one location to feature all relevant information on Dormer's rotary program and Pramet's indexable tooling ranges. The new site is available to view in 15 languages.

BIG Kaiser Precision Tooling Inc., Hoffman Estates, Ill., celebrates 25 years of North American operations in 2015. Incorporated in the spring of 1990 under the name Kaiser Precision Tooling (KPT), the subsidiary of Heinz Kaiser AG, Oberbüren, Switzerland, provided the North American market access to Kaiser's boring tools and modular boring systems.

FLP Tooling's Applitec brand has launched its 2015-2017 product catalog with three new product lines added: Top-Watch, Trio-Line and Micro-Line. Top-Watch is a line of inserts and holders for micro machining ultrasmall parts, developed in collaboration with Swiss watchmakers. The Trio-Line boasts 3-sided inserts, including a set of grooving inserts for circlips, adhering to DIN 6799 and DIN 471 standards.

Seco Tools LLC, Troy, Mich., collected 15 percent more used carbide in 2014 than the previous year for its North American Carbide Recycling Program. The company received 350 returns during the year and processed a total of 144,877 pounds (65,715 kg) of used carbide tools. Since the recycling program began in 2011, Seco Tools has received over a half million pounds (226,796 kg) of used carbide.