November-December 2017
Digital Issue
In this issue, we explore the latest trends in sawing systems and their impact in the metal distribution and metalworking sectors, and we examine the latest machinery and automation, saw blades, accessories and other technology used to increase productivity and reduce costs in sawing operations. Also inside:
- Welding: To Improve the Bottom Line, Disrupt the Norm
- How Angle Heads Bridge the Gap Between Design and Production
- Getting the Most from Your Clean Air Budget: Five Tips for Small Shops
- Using Laser Trackers to Align a Particle Accelerator
When looking for ways to save time and money on your shop floor, don’t forget to take a closer look at your cutting, grinding and finishing applications. Digging deeper into proper usage and operator technique can uncover efficiencies that significantly impact your productivity and profitability.
For shops that still do business in the same old slow ways, death and taxes are certain. But one other thing is absolutely certain for those who want to stay competitive and profitable.
It’s the classic risk/return trade-off: Changing to new welding processes or procedures can be difficult, but the shop that is willing to accept some level of risk can increase their profitability and gain a competitive edge through reduced costs, better quality, improved productivity and shortened project timelines.
Take a closer look at some of the latest machinery and automation, saw blades, accessories and other technology used to increase productivity and reduce costs in sawing operations.
Take a closer look at some of the latest machinery and automation, accessories and other technology used to increase productivity and reduce costs in part marking operations.
The No. 994 special cabinet oven from Grieve reaches 500 deg F for heating the end of long parts at a manufacturing facility.
For shops that still do business in the same old slow ways, death and taxes are certain. But one other thing is absolutely certain for those who want to stay competitive and profitable.
Even a 50 percent reduction in actual cutting time only reduces the overall sawing efficiency by 20 percent at best, so efficiencies must be sought out in other areas of the operation. Here are some of the latest advances that are helping competitors in metal distribution and the metalworking industry find ways to cut their costs and increase their profitability.
The Model DL7-R24 from Lucifer Furnaces was customized for annealing steel and stress steel relief of die cast tool used in automotive safety equipment.
Unless they are fully automated, production on CNC press brakes cannot occur without an operator’s hands being constantly in near proximity to a potential danger zone. For this reason, increasing efforts are being directed toward fail-safe measures on these machines. Here are some of the latest improvements that have been developed by press brake manufacturers to reduce the likelihood of accidental injuries.
Take a closer look at how some of the latest multitasking machining centers can increase your productivity and reduce your costs by machining complex parts complete with minimum set ups.
The first open industrial network that offers gigabit Ethernet performance can now solve the first critical challenge facing the new generation of connected factories: bandwidth.
This medical parts supplier specializes in alternative design solutions and value-added engineering that reduces manufacturing costs, risk and time to market. When they took on the steep challenge of manufacturing a non-conventional, unusually complex part, they needed a machine tool supplier with the same expertise, one that could identify the ideal system for the job and provide technical support to get production running smoothly in no time.
Here are some of the latest advances in welding systems, filler metals and accessories, PPE and more that can help shops increase their welding productivity, improve process quality and safety, and reduce their overall operating costs.
This high speed, full penetration GTAW technology offers enormous productivity, cost and quality advantages over existing processes in stainless steels and other corrosion resistant materials. It requires no edge beveling, uses as little as 10 percent of the gas normally required, and produces highly repeatable, X-ray quality welds with superb cap and root aesthetics.
The Powered Air Purifying Respirator is now paired with new T94-R Series Welding Helmets from Miller Electric and is engineered for comfort to keep the system on for higher productivity, safety and compliance.
It’s the classic risk/return trade-off: Changing to new welding processes or procedures can be difficult, but the shop that is willing to accept some level of risk can increase their profitability and gain a competitive edge through reduced costs, better quality, improved productivity and shortened project timelines.
This simple drop-probe device is designed to prevent a press-type resistance welder from cycling if it encounters fingers in the point-of-operation area, therefore preventing contact between the operator and dangerous moving parts.
Ideal for collecting coolant mists from CNC machining, cold forming, sawing, lathes, stamping and more, the SmogHog SHM Machine Mount (MM) media mist collector from Parker Hannifin is designed for direct mounted systems and rated at 500 CFM and 800 CFM to handle various machine sizes and applications.
Get past the initial equipment and installation costs and start thinking about total cost of ownership over time, including direct operating costs such as energy use, filters and maintenance, and indirect costs such as equipment downtime. Here are five ways a small shop can maximize their clean air budget and get more out of their equipment in the long run.
Uvex SVP 200, 300 and 400 Series safety eyewear from Honeywell delivers ample 9-base or 10-base coverage, streamlined styling, and lightweight comfort for part-time workers.
The Powered Air Purifying Respirator is now paired with new T94-R Series Welding Helmets from Miller Electric and is engineered for comfort to keep the system on for higher productivity, safety and compliance.
Unless they are fully automated, production on CNC press brakes cannot occur without an operator’s hands being constantly in near proximity to a potential danger zone. For this reason, increasing efforts are being directed toward fail-safe measures on these machines. Here are some of the latest improvements that have been developed by press brake manufacturers to reduce the likelihood of accidental injuries.
This simple drop-probe device is designed to prevent a press-type resistance welder from cycling if it encounters fingers in the point-of-operation area, therefore preventing contact between the operator and dangerous moving parts.
When looking for ways to save time and money on your shop floor, don’t forget to take a closer look at your cutting, grinding and finishing applications. Digging deeper into proper usage and operator technique can uncover efficiencies that significantly impact your productivity and profitability.
Take a closer look at some of the latest workholding and balancing technology being used to increase productivity and reduce costs in machining and metal fabrication operations.
Want to take the headache out of machine setups for high mix runs that are frequently made from tough materials, demand extreme precision and high quality surface finishes? Modular palletized workholding revolutionizes the alignment process by reducing set up times up to 90 percent, providing safe clamping forces, tighter tolerances, and higher transfer repeatability.
They are known to be critical components in the precision machining process, but the unique details that differentiate a standard toolholder from one that is designed for more precise, higher speed work can be subtle. Let’s take a closer look at how the elements of fit, balance, application of coolant, and other design aspects create more accurate parts and better surface finish while extending the life of the tooling and the machine tool itself.
Precision-made tooling is part of the formula that helps this Nashville shop produce unmarked, repeatable and high quality stainless parts that meet both cosmetic appearance and food safety standards.
A maker of specialty parts used in custom pressure regulators found their groove with this modular tool holding system that reduced cycle times by 65 percent and cost per part by 79 percent, all with better finish, flatness and tool life.
Keeping pace with modern manufacturing demands often means bridging the gap between design and production. While challenging at times, it doesn’t necessarily require capital investment. Creative and resourceful applications of tooling and accessories, such as angle heads, can get complex parts out the door without design edits snowballing to the point of loss
Take a closer look some of the latest technology used in machine condition monitoring and anti-restart protection for operator safety.
Laser trackers are typically used to inspect parts and calibrate and align machine tools, but check out how this high energy particle physics laboratory uses them in the precision alignment of a particle accelerator that is more than ten miles long.
