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Weekly Update 07/19/2007

July 20, 2007
July 19, 2007 NEWSLETTER SPONSOR JobBOSS WOW Project #102 - Exact JobBOSS Empowers General Metal Works Issue: Sales are declining and competitors ...
July 19, 2007
NEWSLETTER SPONSOR JobBOSS
WOW Project #102 - Exact JobBOSS Empowers General Metal Works Issue: Sales are declining and competitors are cutting into our business. Vision: Implement lean and invest in cutting-edge machines and technology to reposition the company. Results: Sales volume doubled, finished goods inventory was reduced 800%, lead times and set up times were cut in half, achieved ISO certification.
Cutting Technologies
Each of the five major cutting technologies has benefits and drawbacks. Which cutting technology is best depends on what the job is. And your options are… Make Sure The Process Suits The Job If a part needs to be cut from a sheet of metal and formed into a shape at the same time, a punch press could be used, but for simply cutting parts from large sheets of metal there are five commonly used processes available: oxyfuel, plasma, high-density plasma, laser and waterjet. The job will tell you which to use, and the included table is meant to give general comparisons of the five cutting processes.
Instant Waterjet Cutting
M-Series retrofit kits transform practically any CNC machine, including milling and turning machines, lasers, routers, robotic arms and oxy-fuel or plasma cutters, into waterjet-cutting systems. The removable kits provide shops with a low-cost alternative to fullsize, dedicated systems and turn host machines into multitasking units.
Shop Meets Customer Demands With Waterjet Cutting
Detail Technologies in Grandville, Mich., offers prototype, limited production, and manufacturing services for product development. To deliver its services quickly and cost effectively, the shop relies on a number of manufacturing technologies, one of which is ultra high-pressure waterjet cutting.
Laser Cutter Does Its Own Setups
Artificial intelligence is key to an innovative lasercutting-system introduced by Mazak Laser Corp., Schaumburg, Ill. According to the company, its 4,000-W HyperGear system changes its own torch, lens, nozzle, and beam mode in seconds when switching workpiece materials or thicknesses - no manual adjustments are necessary. The system also automatically adjusts the beam and focal point.
Plasma Cutting In Iraq
As head of his battalion's maintenance team in Iraq, Staff Sergeant Mason is constantly challenged to find better ways to get things done, such as armoring vehicles. Obviously, he can't run out to the nearest welding distributor or supply store, so he needs reliable and effective equipment, especially when it comes to plasma cutters.
Metal Cutting At Light Speed
Metal-working shops no longer consider industrial cutting lasers as exotic and sophisticated machines but as commonplace tools. Most medium-and high-volume production shops count laser cutting among their basic capabilities.
Thermal and Mechanical Cutting
Portable manual oxyfuel equipment comprises oxygen and fuel gases stored under pressure in steel cylinders fitted with regulators and flexible hoses which lead to a torch assembly. Mechanized oxyfuel cutting, as well as plasma-arc cutting, can employ multiple cutting torches for accurate, high-quality, large-volume cutting. Portable travel carriages cut straight, contoured, or beveled edges. The cutting torch on a mechanized setup mounts to a motor-driven carriage that adjusts for torch height and travel speed.
Featured Advertiser
Makino

Makino— a leading manufacturer of horizontal and vertical machining centers and EDM machines — has announced a new series of online Webinars. Designed for shops of all types and sizes, the seminars are free to anyone who registers. The planned seminars are intended for shops in the automotive, aerospace, medical product and die and mold industries. In addition to metal cutting and die/mold, the seminars will cover new technologies, such as micromachining. Mark Rentschler, marketing manager, says, "Online seminars allow anyone with an Internet connection to attend without losing a day of work." The seminars concentrate on shop efficiency, lean manufacturing, asset utilization, machine tool integration and automation, machine tool technologies, and metal cutting processes. Makino's application engineers, product managers and guest speakers will give presentations. Click here for more info on upcoming seminars and registration information.

American Machinist Sponsors Machine Shop Workshop 2007

Register before Sept, 7, 2007 and save 10% off the regular price. When: November 7 - 9, 2007 Where: Cleveland Marriott Downtown at Key Center Join hundreds of machine shop owners and top managers in exploring strategies and tactics that can help improve your business. AM's Machine Shop Workshop delivers content that is 100% relevant, in nearly 30 sessions. AM's Machine Shop Workshop empowers you to evaluate your shop performance and learn a systematic approach to identify and prioritize opportunities to improve operations. Don't miss this opportunity to improve your business. Register TODAY. Click here for more information.
Upcoming Webcast Series
The CNC Best Kept Secrets Series of educational webcasts from GE Fanuc and American Machinist is designed to educate manufacturers on the often overlooked ways to prevent downtime, enhance the speed of machine tools, and improve part quality. Click here for more information.
Practical Machinist Metalworking Forum
Titanic Follow Up. Artifact discussion. Trivia: What do you know about these dividers? Does anyone collect... Old builders' plate signs.
AMERICAN MACHINIST DIGITAL EDITION
Now you can get the latest edition of American Machinist delivered directly to your PC.
Click here to learn more about the digital edition.
Welding Webcast Series
Hot topics you need to hear about.
  • Best Practices in Electrode Selection: Maximum Profit Starts With the Process - September 25, 2007 @ 2:00 PM ET
Click here to attend these free Webcasts.
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