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A portal to inventory control S hops can now run unmanned storerooms or toolcribs with complete accountability of removed or returned inventory without cumbersome data entry or hand counts. The CribMaster Accu-Port system from WinWare of Marietta, Ga., features an automated, heavy-duty, portal that tracks indirect materials using radio-frequency-identification (RFID) technology. A touchscreen

interface identifies a shop person entering the storeroom or toolcrib by a badge on his or her person and highlights an enter button on the display screen. After pressing the button, a gated and locked door opens, allowing the person to enter and find desired items marked with RFID labels. The person then walks back to the entrance, presses an exit button on the touchscreen, and leaves through the portal. RFID badges not only identify the person who carried the items through the Accu-Port but also completes an issue transaction for the inventory. When someone enters the storeroom or toolcrib through the Accu-Port to return items or replenish inventory, the system identifies the items and adjusts inventory accordingly. To further reduce costs, the CribMaster Accu-Port system automates replenishment, creates and distributes purchase orders, reduces pilferage and misuse, reduces inventory-management labor, and using a Gordon Graham inventory-replenishment formula, suggests optimumorder points based on usage. The system also indicates process flaws and improves production performance by issuing items to cost centers and monitoring usage. CribMaster also tracks lot numbers and expiration dates; issues work orders and distributes tools to complete a work-order task; transfers items between storerooms, cribs and pointofuse devices; and links multiple enterprise sites to reduce surplusinventory levels. The Accu-Port system automatically tracks storeroom and toolcrib usage and adjusts inventory levels. Cooking up a clean metalworking fluid A biodegradable vegetable oil may soon replace conventional metalworking fluids in some applications at Ohios Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Air Force reservists in the 445th Maintenance Squadrons machine shop are currently testing soy-based oil as a coolant in a drilling operation. The oil is dispensed with an Accu-

Staff Sgt. Nathan Moffitt shows a drilling application thats lubricated with a biodegradable vegetable oil. Lube application system from ITW Rocol North America, Glenview, Ill. This unit is more efficient and cleaner than a typical oil-only floodcooling pump, reports Staff Sgt. Nathan Moffitt, a member of the Wright-Patterson AFB machine shop. Its nozzles, which dispense a light oil/air mist, are flexible, so machinists can point them at areas needing oil. Moffitt estimates that the Accu-Lube unit uses half the oil the old machines use and saves significant money. The test unit arrived at the shop several months ago with about one cup of the vegetable oil, which has yet to be refilled. This is the only test being done in the Air Force, remarks Brig. Gen. Martin M. Mazick, director of operations at Headquarters Air Force Reserve Command, Robins AFB, Ga. Not only does the machine allow for greater efficiency and product repair, it keeps our environment clean. The test program is part of a metalworking-fluid study being conducted by the Propulsion Environment Working Group in the Propulsion Special Products Office at Wright-Patterson. Other participants include the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, and Cincinnati-based TechSolve. Stable drills tackle tough jobs I ncreasing speeds and feeds to boost productivity while avoiding common problems of deflection and poor tool life, even in applications with long lengths, long overhangs, poor fixturing, and deephole drilling, is no longer a problem. New perfoMAX indexable insert drills from Seco-Carboloy Inc., Warren, Mich., deliver strength and stability for improved hole entering and high

Seco-Carboloys new perfoMAX drills have a nonstick coating and new cutting grade for improved performance. feedrates, even at 4 3 diameter. The drills feature high-lubricity coatings, new cutting grades, and large cross section with more material at the periphery to resist bending under cutting forces. Nickel and Teflon coatings deliver long drillbody life and give perfoMAX drills a distinctive appearance and feel. Seco-Carboloys new universal cutting grade T2000D inserts incorporate a hard, fine-grained, cobalt-enriched substrate with a moderate-temperature chemicalvapor-deposition (MTCVD) coating for edge toughness along with heat and wear resistance for high-speed cutting. All perfoMAX drills use square inserts, which provide strong 90 corners and four cutting edges per insert. The indexable drilling system covers a range from 0.594 to 2.375-in. diameters and drilling depths from 2 to 5 3 diameter. High strength in insert pockets further enhances stability, especially in small-diameter drills. Two coolant holes and large chip flutes with improved flute angles and relieved front ends promote efficient coolant flow and chip removal to reduce heat buildup for long tool life, consistent surface finishes, and accurate holes. Mill and turn in the office T heres good news for industries that want the advantages of CNC machining, but cant fit a normal-sized machine into their facilities. The OM-1 Office Mill and OL-1 Office Lathe, both from Haas Automation Inc., Oxnard, Calif., are ultra-compact, portable, and convenient while providing full CNC capabilities. The machines fit through most standard 36-in. doorways and include wheels so shops can easily move them from one location to another. They also fit into most freight elevators a major plus for companies located on upper floors. Both machines run on singlephase power and are well suited for medical, dental, and research facilities; schools and training facilities; hobby shops; and jewelry manufacturers anywhere small precision parts are made. The Haas Office Mill has an 8 3 8 3 8-in. (X, Y, Z) work envelope, 10 3 20-in. table, and a gang-style spindle head that accommodates multiple high-speed air spindles. Brushless servos on all axes yield short cycle times with cutting feeds to 500 ipm and rapids to 787 ipm. Haas control makes operation and setup quick and easy. Haass Office Lathe features a 5-hp (peak) 6,000-rpm spindle and 5Cthreaded spindle nose that accepts a number of optional chucks. The machines high-speed cross slide provides travels of 8 3 8 in. (X, Z) and accommodates a variety of gangstyle tools. It delivers fast tool changes, short cycle times, quick

The Haas OM-1 Office Mill (top) and OL-1 Office Lathe fit through standard doorways and have wheels for portability. Integrating analytical tools setups, and good clearance. A provision for air-driven live tools is available, which includes M-code-activated air supply, all associated plumbing, and toolholders for standard pneumatic tools. T he Trident microanalysis system from Edax Inc., Mahwah, N.J., combines three powerful analytical techniques into a single-PC environment. The company claims that the Trident system reduces or eliminates the need to compromise performance of one analytical tool to optimize the performance of another. Scientists and engineers developing new materials need to investigate, on a microscale, the relationship between the physical properties, morphology, chemistry, and crystal structure of these materials. A number of analytical techniques can be used with an electron microscope to characterize materials, including EDS for chemical composition, EBSD for crystalline structure, and WDS for wavelength-dispersal spectrometry. Tridents hardware and software provide all three tools with data sharing to improve the speed and accuracy of data processing. Edaxs ChI-Scan chemicalindexing software incorporates elemental composition into the crystal-structure-indexing process. The Edax Pegasus system, which combines EDS and EBSD, allows for this advanced analysis. Another Edax system LambdaSpecWDS interfaces a scanning microscope with a WDS spectrometer, even those not originally designed to support such a spectrometer.