General Machining & Manufacturing Processes

Vincennes University and the Porter County, Ind., career center are partnering for an early college program. Students seeking careers in precision machining will benefit from a completed addition to the career center and an equipment grant from Vincennes University that provided more than $300,000 in new CNC equipment, manual/conventional equipment, tooling, cabinets, benches and tables.

JW Winco Inc. offers GN 310 steel and stainless steel gear level handles in inch and metric sizes. Both versions of the gear lever handles are RoHS compliant.

Mencom offers a wide range of media converters from entry-level media converters to smart media converters that support redundant-power and automatic speed negotiation, so the transitions from copper-based networks to fiber-based networks can be smooth and trouble-free. Mencom media converters and smart media converters provide reliable solutions to all conversions between single-mode or multimode fiber optics to Ethernet/serial and they are suitable for operating temperature range from -10 to +70° C and the serial-to-fiber media converters have an optional temperature range between -40 and +70° C.

As the factories for U.S. manufacturers are increasingly becoming digitized and connected, the surface for cyberattacks is broadening. To allow experimentation on cybersecurity technology for the factory floor, the Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute, Chicago, officially launched its "Cyber Hub for Manufacturing" earlier this month. DMDII reported that the U.S. Department of Defense contributed $750,000 in seed funding for the hub.

Today's manufacturing and industrial processing facilities face intense competitive pressures, challenging economic conditions and stringent government regulations. To thrive, companies must engage in operational "best practices" designed to continuously improve process and product quality and reduce costs. An often overlooked method of process improvement is to remove oil from your facility's wastewater or process stream as soon as possible, preferably using a highly cost effective "tube type" oil skimmer. Properly applying a tube type skimmer can pay for itself within a few months by improving operational efficiencies, promoting employee and environmental wellness and generating new revenue.

A safe energy supply with highly dynamic cable travel is particularly important for machines with confined spaces. Therefore, igus has developed the small-sized E2.10 energy chain from the E2.1 series. The e-chain has an inner height of only one centimeter and an outer height of one and a half centimeters, making it suitable for the smallest of spaces.

Complying with sensitive information requests may be necessary in some circumstances, but it's possible to provide too much information, which might expose proprietary processes and technology and put a company at a competitive disadvantage.

Beckhoff Automation announced the release of new CP6x00 control panels and panel PCs with 10.1-inch widescreen displays. The expanded line of entry-level panels from Beckhoff, first launched with 7-inch displays, has been expanded by three new cabinet-mounted devices, each with a 10.1-inch widescreen display.

The new WCK10 ceramic cutting grade from Walter is optimized for roughing gray cast iron at high cutting speeds, with either continuous or interrupted cutting. The inserts deliver improved productivity, process reliability and longer tool life due to their new Si3N4 wear-resistant ceramic cutting material.

Finnish nanodiamond manufacturer Carbodeon and Dutch 3D printing specialist Tiamet 3D have announced nanodiamond-enhanced filaments for 3D printing. The Carbodeon/Tiamet 3D filaments are based on a jointly patented technology, which significantly improves the mechanical and thermal properties of 3D printed items.

I recently spoke with Afzaal Mir, founder and owner of toolmaker FSC Cutting Tools Technology LLC, Greenville, S.C., about his business and life.

There's a Sands Casino where the Bethlehem Steel Corp. once stood. The casino was completed in 2009, just 8 years after the 100-year-old steel company filed bankruptcy. Ironically, the biggest obstacle facing the casino's developer was a shortage of structural steel. Even more ironically, the developer ended up buying it from Nucor Corp., the onetime "minimill" competitor that Bethlehem executives scoffed at decades earlier for the startup's embrace of electric arc furnace technology.