General Shop Equipment & Supplies

Numerous factors determine whether a manufacturer is profitable or not. Lately, one of those factors for a U.S. manufacturer is whether it is is focused on the domestic market or pursuing a global approach.

The results from a recent SME survey of parents about their views relating to careers in manufacturing showed there is not enough accurate information about the opportunities a manufacturing career offers.

In last month's column, I discussed the value of communication between engineers and shop personnel. Here are some additional tips in that vein for engineers:

When a good customer requests a meeting at his place, I go. That happened recently, when our shop's account manager accompanied me on a 20-minute trek to a customer's new corporate headquarters for a meeting to review our contract and extend it a few years. The customer happens to be a large corporation, and our shop has a contract to exclusively manufacture certain products.

Components used in the manufacture of combustion hardware for a Mitsubishi gas turbine begin life as sheet or plate stock. Because our components come from large sheets, we start every manufacturing process by cutting the desired shape or profile.

The technology to form, press and grind indexable carbide inserts has evolved to such a high degree that the methods to effectively clamp inserts in a cutter body have struggled to keep up, but strides are being made. Some insert shapes have advanced to the point where they have a true, 100-percent, 3D geometry with almost no flat surfaces. This requires a tool-body pocket that is dynamically shaped to accommodate the optimal geometry. For example, an insert with a wavelike feature across its back requires it be seated in a pocket with a matching shape to ensure accurate fixation with high stability.

Michael Finklea believes that there isn't much reported on sawing in the manufacturing trade press because "it's kind of the redheaded stepchild in the industry—an unappreciated part of the manufacturing process. In most shops, the least-skilled person is running the saw."

The use of carbide- or cermet-tipped thin-kerf metal circular saws allows for high feed rates, low machining forces and thin saw kerfs—all of which reduces energy consumption and saves resources, according to Vollmer of America, which specializes in grinding and erosion machines, and develops sharpening machines such as the CM 200/300 and the CMF 200/300.

The Vollmer eroding machine QXD 250 makes it possible for tool manufacturers to process more than 30 percent more PCD cutters in the same amount of time as has been the case up to now. This milestone in production is made possible by the generator technology Vpulse EDM, which sets the eroding beat at the heart of the QXD 250.

The LUMEX Avance-25 laser sintering and milling machine integrates a fiber laser for state-of-the-art metal sintering and a machining center for performing high accuracy, high-speed milling, according to machine builder Matsuura Machinery Corp., Fukui City, Japan.

Engis Corp. has greatly increased its capacity with the addition of multistroke honing machines for small-to-medium batch sizes. Through a recent exclusive partnership with a long-established U.K.-based manufacturer, Engis now offers low-to-mid-volume equipment to complement its high-volume machines.

The Albeo AHH1-Series from Current, powered by GE, is a Class I, Division 2, Groups A,B,C, and D rated fixture for hazardous locations with high ambient temperatures and wet applications. Utilizing a sealed, IP66-rated form factor, the Albeo AHH1-Series offers customers a rugged design with exceptional performance and high reliability.