General Shop Equipment & Supplies

Livonia-based Michigan Metrology will host a short course on surface metrology and tribology on May 9-10. Dr. Don Cohen, an expert on surface roughness and its effects, will lead the course. Topics to be covered include instruments for measuring texture, surface texture parameters, wear, friction, sealing, data analysis and more. The workshop is designed for scientists, engineers and technicians.

Ohio is soon to benefit from new job-creating investments by a number of major manufacturers. The Dayton Business Journal reports that companies including General Motors, Navistar International and Whirlpool have announced projects that will add to the 885,539 manufacturing jobs the Buckeye State currently boasts.

IntelLiDrives Inc. offers the yaw-tilt rotary system. The integrated 2-axis rotary assembly provides high-speed micromachining capabilities for complex 3D part geometries and for general testing, purpose pointing, scanning and tracking applications for small optics, antennae and other sensors.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Machine Tool Co. Ltd. has developed the "µV5" (micro V5) micro milling machine, the latest in its µV (micro V) series. The µV5 has a bigger working surface table and wider process stroke than the current µV1, allowing for high-efficiency machining with micrometer-level (1/1,000 mm) precision for large products or those that require fine milling using small diameter tools, such as molds for car optical components.

Running a small to medium-sized machine shop business presents many challenges. Alliance Broach & Tool, East China, Mich., has been in the business of building its operations and client base for more than 35 years; the company knows about some of these challenges. In spite of a tough economic climate, however, Alliance continues to significantly grow. After nearly 40 years, that is an impressive accomplishment.

The new Mitsui Seiki PJ812 Precision Profile Center is a 3-axis CNC vertical jig mill engineered to perform high-precision contour machining and ultraprecise boring of components with critical tolerances. It is suitable for processing parts for the mold and die, optical, aerospace and medical industries.

The POKOLM GUIDE app is a "smart access" to the mobile world of POKOLM Frästechnik GmbH & Co. KG. With just a single app, POKOLM offers a broad array of sophisticated functions for users of milling technology, with each of them being a useful tool in your daily work. Once it is installed, you have all important functions at your fingertips, even without connection to the Internet.

President Trump has signed an executive order that formally ends U.S. participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the 12-nation trade agreement negotiated by former President Obama but never ratified by the U.S. Congress.

Chicago-based Digital Manufacturing and Design Institute has opened enrollment for the first three of a planned 10 online "101"-style courses on manufacturing and design technology. Developed in partnership with the University at Buffalo and coordinated by The Center for Industrial Effectiveness for the Coursera online learning platform, Digital Manufacturing and Design Technology launches on Jan. 30.

In an age of smartphones, laptops and tablets, ordering tools online easily and conveniently is not witchcraft. High-performance apps have made the process simple enough for anyone to use. However, you have to go into greater detail to separate the wheat from the chaff, for example, identifying the right tool for a particular cutting application by using the cutting data calculator. Easy to understand, error-free, secure and fast are the key requirements. With INOCUT, tool manufacturer Inovatools has provided a high-performance application for this purpose.

The compact 5-axis profilers from SNK America are designed to stand up to the rigorous demands of medium-sized to large aircraft components machining. Choose the model that meets your specific requirements: HPS B series for high-speed aluminum machining or the HPS A series for titanium and other hard metal machining.