General Shop Equipment & Supplies

Gear Motions, a leading precision gear manufacturer, has named Paul Andruszko vice president of its Buffalo, N.Y., operations, which includes its Oliver/Pro-Gear and Niagara Gear divisions. Andruszko has more than three decades of experience in the gear industry, and most recently served as general manager of the company's Niagara Gear division.

Solar Manufacturing, Souderton, Penn., recently announced that Marty Benegalia, president of Southern Thermal Systems, will assume the role of a sales representative focusing on areas in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas and Louisiana. Benegalia joins Solar Manufacturing with a technical background of 20 years in metallurgy and heat treating, as well as experience in the petrochemical and oilfield equipment industries.

The Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation published a report in January about megatrends that are reshaping manufacturing. Titled "Manufacturing Megatrends: The Impact of Megatrends on U.S. Manufacturers," the report was authored by MAPI Director of Councils and Business Research Jenn Callaway, and is based on surveys conducted with manufacturing executives.

When Zach Kaplan visited the White House last June for a National Week of Making event, he had no idea it would mean giving away 50 of his company's 3D carvers (tabletop milling machines). The CEO of Inventables Inc. (www.inventables.com), Chicago, Kaplan and 99 other conference attendees were challenged to provide ideas on how they could help President Barack Obama with his "Nation of Makers" initiative. Kaplan's suggestion? Put an Inventables 3D carver in one school in each of the nation's 50 states. What's more, Kaplan wants to have a 3D carver in every school in the U.S. by the end of this decade.

The Mikron MILL P 800 U ST is the first machine tool from GF Machining Solutions LLC to combine milling and 4-axis simultaneous turning in a single clamping. The machine has a 20,000-rpm HSK T63 spindle. Water-cooled torque motors on the A and C axes ensure accuracy and stability, while speed is enhanced through the axes' 0.3-second clamp time in any position.

Imagine a machining process that removes material five times faster than milling and 10 times faster than sinker EDMing, machines Inconel and hardened steel with ease, holds tolerances to ±0.0006" and utilizes the same tool to process thousands of parts with virtually no tool wear. Machine builder EMAG LLC USA, Farmington Hills, Mich., calls this process pulsed electrochemical machining (PECM). A subset of electrochemical machining, PECM is far more accurate than the decades-old ECM and has matured into a viable alternative to more-traditional machining processes over the past few years, according to the company.

Okuma America, Charlotte, N.C., recently introduced the MU-4000V, a 5-axis vertical machining center said to be ideal for 5-axis multi-sided machining within the aerospace and die/mold industries. The MU-4000V reportedly offers high-speed, process intensive machining combined with turning and 5-axis multitasking machining.

Röhm Products Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., a subsidiary of Röhm GmbH, recently opened a new office in Monterrey, Mexico, in an effort to expand the company's sales, service and support capabilities to meet increasing demand for high-quality clamping and gripping technology throughout Mexico and Central America, the company reported in a Feb. 22 news release.

According to Royal Products, ID gripping is often overlooked as a workholding option, yet in many situations it is the best choice. For example, it allows for access to the entire length of the workpiece so all external surfaces can be turned in a single operation, ensuring perfect concentricity.

The Kurt SideWinder vise provides vertical workholding without interfering with an existing host vise or the spindle. SideWinder vise expands the capabilities of 6 or 8 inch vises by adding vertical clamping above and behind the host vise and provides easy spindle access for secondary or final machining operations.

Precision, power and versatility enable the Palmgren Combination Bench Lathe and Mill to handle a wide range of turning operations normally associated with larger machines, according to a recent company news release.