Weekly Update 05/03/2007

May 3, 2007

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Leading Indicators for machine tools

Taiwan Is Pushing The Envelope On Machine Tool Building American Machinist Editor Bruce Vernyi attended the annual Taiwan International Machine Tool Show in Taipei in mid-Marcy, and was a judge in the competition between machines that were made in Taiwan, the Third Taiwan Machine Tools Industry Award for Excellence in Research and Innovation. There were 11 judges on the panel for the competition, most of whom were professors of engineering or high-level academics from Taiwan's leading engineering schools, universities and engineering centers. Mr. Yoshio Horikiri, a representative of a publishing company from Japan, and I were the only judges on the panel who were from outside Taiwan. The progress of cutting tool technologies has stalled From the development of high-speed steel cutting tools in the early part of the last century, through the use of computer software to optimize cutting programs, cutting tool technologies advanced, but the cutting abilities for machining titanium has slowed. Here are the details. Gibbs And CGTech Enhancing Simulation Capabilities While cutting tool technologies apparently have stalled, computer simulations continue to improve and Gibbs and Associates (www.GibbsCAM.com), the developer of GibbsCAM software for programming CNC machines, and CGTech (www.CGTech.com), the developer of VERICUT software for simulating CNC machine tools, announced a collaborative agreement that will allow integration between GibbsCAM and Vericut programs to push simulations to new levels. Making Machine Tools Smarter Imagine having a machine that will analyze a part program, and then tell you what needs to be done to produce it. A coalition of organizations is providing funds to develop that machine and to research what has to be done to make it.

Featured Advertiser

JobBOSS

Exact JobBOSS is an effective and affordable software system for job shops / custom manufacturers. It provides them with the flexibility they need to respond to the day-in and day-out changes to schedule dates, quantities and part specifications. And the visibility and control they need to compete and win! Learn more about JobBOSS with one click. Or call 1-800-777-4334 to talk with one of our job shop experts.

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.

• Best Kept Secrets to Reduce Cycle Time -- June 13, 2007 2:00 PM ET
• Best Kept Secrets to Improving Part Quality -- September 12, 2007 2:00 PM ET

Click here for more information.

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.

Practical Machinist Metalworking Forum

How do you guys get your tool on axis? TIG prices vs Performance. Fastenal Prices.

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

• Automation: Man vs Machine - May 16, 2007 @ 2:00 PM ET
• ERP for Gases: On the Edge of Enough - July 18, 2007 @ 2:00 PM ET
• 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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