General Machining & Manufacturing Processes

GRAFTON, WI., Sept. 26, 2018 – Gilman Precision, manufacturer of customized linear and rotary motion systems, is pleased to announce the addition of Patrick Phillips to their sales force as a Business Development Specialist.

Tolland, CT – CNC Software, Inc., the developers of Mastercam, announced that Mike Bebout has been hired in the new role of Western U.S. Territory Manager to further develop the company's distribution channel and identify areas for growth and improvement.

Lévis, Québec, September 25, 2018—Creaform, a specialist in portable 3D measurement solutions and engineering services, announced today the opening of a new office in Barcelona, Spain.

Schaumburg, IL. September 24, 2018. Jun Choi, Bowman Chief Technology Officer, has announced two key appointments to the company's corporate staff.

At the facility where I spent the bulk of my machining career, we had two components to the operation: the surface refinery where I worked and the underground portion where the ore was mined before being sent up to the refinery. The mine was 1,570 feet deep, so it wasn't just a simple jaunt when folks were in a bind. In addition, there were restrictions on who entered the mine, and the hazard training required for both the underground (MSHA) portion and the methane presence in the mine atmosphere. This mine generated about 2½ million cubic feet of methane on a daily basis.

From assembly and pick-and-place to material handling and packaging, the use of robots is on the rise in factory automation. Extremely customizable in even the most complex applications, automation systems are beneficial for a variety of reasons. Taking the plunge into automation, however, can be confusing and daunting. With so many factors to consider, you may be wondering where to start. This guide is a broad overview, but can serve well as a starting point for those new to automation.

Optimizing Dormer Pramet's brands to make your selection process easier is a top priority as the toolmaker continues its cutting tool expansion. The company is focusing the strong Precision Twist Drill brand on what it has become globally recognized for the outstanding range of drills. The solid-carbide endmills within the Precision Twist Drill brand will be transitioned to the Dormer brand.

The Dormer Force M assortment of drills provide a high level of productivity specifically for drilling stainless steel (or ISO-M) materials while operating consistently across a diverse variety of machines and conditions. This makes them suitable for high production, general engineering and subcontract environments.

Portable coalescers from Eriez Hydroflow are suitable for metalworking plants with multiple machines. These simple, effective, low-cost tramp oil separators can be quickly and easily moved from machine to machine.

The XR3 6-axis drive rack with field replaceable, front-mounted, 3U plug-in amplifiers support both linear and PWM topologies. The XR3 can control any combination of brushless, DC brush or stepper motors at up to 320 VDC operating voltage and 30 A peak current capability. Both the current loop and servo-loop are digitally closed to ensure the highest level of positioning accuracy and rate stability. This processing capability allows the XR3 to provide loop closure rates up to 20 kHz and to handle both digital and analog I/O processing, data collection, process control and encoder multiplication tasks in real time.

Motion controller output speeds are reaching an industry-leading 50 µs/5 axes with the introduction of the new CK3M programmable multiple-axis controller from Omron. The company combined enhanced motion control capability originally developed by Delta Tau Systems (now part of Omron) with its own advanced design technologies inside a compact and streamlined housing.

Being a data-driven manufacturer is all the rage. Sight Machine engages daily with global manufacturers looking to better use production data to predict machine failure, optimize processes or increase output. Yet many of these manufacturing analytics projects stumble out of the gate. Here's why.