Industry News

Machine tool builder SMTCL-Americas, City Of Industry, Calif., has partnered with West Coast Customs by supplying a CNC machine tool to the Burbank, Calif., custom auto body shop. The VMC2100B vertical machining center will allow West Coast Customs to create customized wheels and body parts in-house.

Tungaloy Corp. completed an additional production building at its headquarters in Iwaki, Japan. The new facility is added on to the existing manufacturing complex, which opened in 2011, and will help meet growing demand for cemented carbide inserts, milling tools, and indexable drills, according to the company.

Machine tool builder Mazak Corp., Florence, Ky., will host a "Discover More With Mazak" event for manufacturers at its Northeast Technology Center in Windsor Locks, Conn., May 12 and 13 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. A special student day will be held on May 14 for local educational institutions.

Azure MicroDynamics Inc., Lake Forest, Calif., is a manufacturing, machining and assembly facility specializing in small and micro components with tolerances as tight as 0.0002" for medical devices and other products. Incorporating micromachining processes that include multi-axis milling and turning, Azure is capable of producing low-volume prototype quantities as well as high-volume production, according to the company.

SMTCL- Americas, City of Industry, Calif., kicked off the beginning of spring with a sales training course and open house. Instructed by Chief Operations Officer Jerry McCarty, 18 individuals became certified on SMTCL machines. This creates a larger distributor network in California and other regions to better service potential customers, according to the company.

Methods Machine Tools Inc., a Sudbury, Mass.-based supplier of machine tools, automation and accessories, sponsored a senior year "capstone" project for several fifth-year electromechanical engineering students from Boston's Wentworth Institute of Technology. The project involved researching and designing a new type of infeed system for potential use in future Methods automated cell projects.

Tooling manufacturer BENZ Inc., Charlotte, N.C., will hold a national sales meeting and dealer training for its metalworking and composites products April 7-8 in Las Vegas. The meeting will be led by John Roasa, national sales manager of the BENZ Metal Division.

Weiler Corp., Cresco, Pa., a provider of surface conditioning products, donated $10,000 to the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity, along with $4,500 in Weiler products to help with the group's 2-week Build-A-Thon program in eastern New Orleans. "We were honored to have participated," said President and CEO Chris Weiler.

Haas Automation Inc.'s recent HaasTec open house attracted nearly 3,300 attendees to the company's headquarters and manufacturing facility in Oxnard, Calif., according to the company. The 4-day event drew visitors from 48 countries, including China, India, Korea, Latin America, the Middle East and many European countries, as well as more than 330 students from regional high schools, colleges and universities.

Machine tool builder Okuma America Inc., Charlotte, N.C., has joined forces with 5ME LLC, Warren, Mich., to demonstrate the advantages of cryogenic machining, including faster processing, longer tool life, increased part quality and lower environmental impact, according to the companies.