Industry News

Toolmaker Dormer Pramet's new line of indexable tooling, including internal and external turning, milling cutters and indexable drills with carbide inserts, becomes available to North American customers April 1 following the publication of a new catalog featuring the Pramet- tool line, consisting of turning, milling and drilling inserts and holders.

Minnesota Business Magazine announced the companies has selected for this year's 100 Best Companies to Work for Award. Midwest Industrial Tool Grinding, Inc., Hutchinson, Minn., a first-time applicant and recipient, has been recognized as "the best that McLeod County has to offer" for work environment, employee benefits and culture, according to the company. 

The National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS), the manufacturing industry's standards and certification body, and the Gene Haas Foundation (GHF), which provides scholarships for students entering technical training programs, will partner for the second year to help schools prepare more students for success in precision manufacturing careers.  

Harvey Tool announced the release of its 30th Anniversary Spring 2015 Catalog. The Rowley, Mass.-based toolmaker will introduce over 1,100 new tools, including eight new products in its variable helix, plastic cutting, undercutting, chamfering and thread milling lines. In addition, new sizes and coating options have been added to over 40 different products, according to the company. 

CNC machining and manufacturing services provider Paramount Precision Products, Oak Park, Mich., has acquired the CNC machining company Numerical Productions Inc., Indianapolis. Paramount, a minority-owned supplier intends to expand its machining services to manufacturing companies throughout the Midwest.  

Toolmaker OSG USA, INC., Glendale Heights, Ill, has introduced the OSG PHOENIX® Vol.4 catalog in print and digital versions. The catalog is over 150 pages and features new products and expansions to existing lines of indexable milling and drilling products. Notable additions to the milling lineup includes 45° face milling cutters, screw fit endmills and replaceable head endmills. Indexable drills and replaceable head drills have been added to the drilling offering.  

The partners responsible for producing Manufacturing Day at the national level have refreshed its website, MFGDAY.com. The upgraded site offers more resources for sponsors, companies, supporters and volunteers which, according to the group, make it easier to participate in this year's annual celebration of manufacturing, scheduled for Friday, Oct. 2. 

Hand scraping mating surfaces on CNC machine tools helps maintain high levels of machining accuracy and reduces wear and tear, resulting in a long, stable and productive life for the machine, as detailed in a new white paper from machine tool builder Okuma America Inc., Charlotte, N.C. 

Titan Tool Supply, Buffalo, N.Y., offers a range of deburring and microfinishing tools, including grinding and bottoming pins, grinding wheels, polishing products, miniature diamond files, Swiss needle files, diamond needle files, scrapers and blades and Uni-Vise blade and file handles. 

Absolute Machine Tools, Lorain, Ohio, now offers a full line of EDM consumable products and services through its AccuteX EDM business unit, based in Mason, Ohio. AccuteX EDM now offers not only consumables for its line of EDMs, but also for most other OEMs, such as Mitsubishi, Sodick, FANUC and others. 

Industrial distributor Fastenal, Winona, Minn., has partnered with The Cooperative Purchasing Network (TCPN) to provide maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) supplies to government entities nationwide. TCPN's lead government agency, Region 4 Education Service Center, uses a competitive solicitation process consistent with applicable procurement laws and regulations.  

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.  

OSG USA Inc.'s training tour, Train the Nation, is back for 2015 and 2016. The Glendale Heights, Ill.-based toolmaker will host an eight-discipline course covering the machining of 3D parts. Experts from OSG will introduce techniques that highlight programming, machining applications and cutting tools.

3D Systems, Rock Hill, S.C., has completed its acquisition of all shares of Israeli CAD/CAM software firm Cimatron Ltd. for approximately $97 million, inclusive of Cimatron's net cash. 

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.

OSG Tap & Die Inc., a Glendale Heights, Ill.-based manufacturer of taps, drills, endmills, dies and indexable cutting tools, has changed its name to OSG USA Inc. The corporate name change was made to better reflect the products and services OSG markets domestically, according to the company. 

A total of 1,679 events were held across North America, in all 50 states, three Canadian provinces and Puerto Rico.  For the first time this year, more than a dozen virtual events were held.  Discovery Education and Alcoa hosted the largest virtual event — with more than 100,000 students participating.

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.