General Machining & Manufacturing Processes

The latest version of WorkPLAN ERP, from Vero Software, has been developed for the specific requirements of production management, in terms of mobility and rapidity from the design phase of a project, right through to delivery of the end product.

Since its founding in 2008, 421 graduates of the nonprofit school Workshops for Warriors, San Diego, have earned 2,500 nationally recognized certifications from the National Institute for Metalworking Skills Inc., the American Welding Society and more. Even more noteworthy is the fact that the educational institution exists to train military veterans for metalworking careers. Manufacturers have lined up to support that mission, with more than 70 corporations each donating $10,000 or more in cash, equipment or materials in 2016 and the first 7 months of 2017 alone. Workshops for Warriors must raise $2.5 million annually just to maintain current operations.

No. 1002 is an electrically heated, 500º F (~260º C) cabinet oven from Grieve, currently used for various test procedures in the customer's laboratory. Work space dimensions measure 20"W x 20"D x 20"H. 8KW are installed in Incoloy sheathed tubular elements to heat the unit, while a 400-cfm, 1/3-hp recirculating blower provides horizontal airflow across the load.

Here's something that every shop should consider doing from time to time: a careful evaluation of the many business services and internal processes required to operate a successful company.

Harrison Manufacturing, a custom plastics injection molding manufacturer specializing in molded plastics and light assembly, recently deployed Rethink Robotics' Sawyer robot at its Jackson, Miss. facility and saw immediate tangible benefits. Deployed within hours, Harrison Manufacturing is reducing labor costs and increasing throughput by using Sawyer in ergonomically challenging tasks.

The KL-200 double-cut shears from Kett Tool cut cold-rolled steel, stainless steel, plastic and Formica without warping or bending the finished piece. The result is less wasted material, and a savings of time and money for manufacturers and contractors.

The Sinumerik Operate user interface has been further developed to enable even more easily manageable and intuitive operation of machine tools. This gives machine tool builders the opportunity to develop their own individual design in keeping with their corporate identity, lending machine tools a contemporary, distinctive look.

Siemens offers a new version of its Safety Integrated (SI) function for Sinumerik 840D sI in the form of its Safety Integrated plus — software for integrated control solutions. Previously, completely separate programs had to be written for the NC Kernel (NCK) and PLC. Now, this will only be necessary for the PLC.

October U.S. cutting tool consumption totaled $198 million, according to the United States Cutting Tool Institute, Cleveland, and The Association for Manufacturing Technology, McLean, Va. This total, as reported by companies participating in the collaborative Cutting Tool Market Report, was up 13.2 percent from September's $174.92 million and up 17.2 percent when compared with the $169 million reported for October 2016. With a year-to-date total of $1.835 billion, 2017 is up 8 percent when compared with 2016.

Nowadays, more and more products are being manufactured from stainless steel and higher and higher requirements are being placed on the surface finish of these products. In the process, a problem has appeared that does not seem to be spectacular at first glance, but ultimately causes high costs: extraneous rust.

Beckhoff announced the new EL922x EtherCAT Terminal series, which directly integrates electronic overcurrent protection to safeguard 24 V DC system components in the EtherCAT I/O system. In comparison with currently available protection devices, costs and space requirements in control cabinets can be reduced without having to use conventional, inflexible stand-alone systems.

EXAIR's 1/2 NPT internal mix 360 degree hollow circular pattern atomizing spray nozzle atomizes fluid and sprays away from the nozzle in all directions, up to 13 feet in diameter. These nozzles are ideal where a liquid application is needed in a broad area, such as dust suppression, humidification and cooling.