Canadian Metalworking October 2011

October 2011 • www.canadianmetalworking.com

Medical

METAL New technologies, new markets for Canadian shops

Canadian manufacturers eye emerging markets FABTECH, AWS

SHOW PREVIEWS

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432 ELGIN STREET, UNIT 3, BRANTFORD, ONTARIO, CANADA N3S-7P7 TOLL FREE: 888-886-4256, PHONE: 519-758-5779, FAX: 519-758-5791

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VERTICAL MACHINING CENTERS (bt-30 spindle tAper)

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Inside this issue...

Volume 106 | Number 6 | October 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

INDUSTRY REPORT

MEDICAL

COVER STORY

CASE STUDY

TAKING THE PULSE...........................20

MIND TO MOLD ............................. 46

Aging Canadians and highly skilled shops means Canada’s medical parts sector is poised for growth.

COVER STORY

JAWS TO JETS ..................................24 Integral Machining handles exotic jobs from medical to aerospace.

QUALITY

Mold making and production under one roof.

20

CUTTING TOOLS DRILLS

DRILL BABY, DRILL ..............................51 Holemaking in heat-resistant alloys is tough, but workable.

FABRICATION

MANAGEMENT

THE QUALITY INDEX .........................28

FABTECH PREVIEW

When is a new product ready to ship?

This technique optimizes the decision-making process.

THE SECOND CITY WELCOMES FABTECH ......................57

BUSINESS REPORT

WELDING

EXPORTING

AWS PREVIEW

CANADIAN MANUFACTURERS EYE EMERGING MARKETS................ 30

New technologies, new opportunities.

Machines and methods in Chicago.

30

WINDY CITY WELDERS .................... 64

Business beyond the US market.

STAMPING

MACHINE TOOLS

51

CASE STUDY

IN FOR THE LONG HAUL ..................67

WORKHOLDING

FIXTURING SUCCESS ....................... 34

Canadian Bicycle part manufacturer Straitline Components increases productivity and profit with clever workholding.

BC-based Metalcraft Technology takes the long view on punch press tooling.

COIL HANDLING

SO YOU WANT TO AUTOMATE YOUR COIL HANDLING LINE?.....................73

Points to ponder before you sign that big cheque.

OVERSPRAY AUTOMATIC FINISHING PRODUCTS REPORT

34 CASE STUDY

PACESETTING PACEMAKER PRODUCTION .................................38 Advanced Swiss-style turning/machining for delicate medical parts.

57

CONTROLS, AUTOMATION MOVE FORWARD IN AUTOMATIC FINISHING ..................................... 77

DEPARTMENTS View from the Floor ................................. 6 News .................................................... 8 Floor Space ......................................... 18 Metal...Works ...................................... 80

64

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PUBLISHER Steve Devonport 416-442-5125 | SDevonport@canadianmetalworking.com ACCOUNT MANAGER Rob Swan 416-510-5225, cell 416-725-0145 | RSwan@canadianmetalworking.com EDITOR Jim Anderton 416-510-5148 | janderton@canadianmetalworking.com EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Lisa Wichmann 416-442-5600 x 5101 | LWichmann@canadianmanufacturing.com ART DIRECTOR Jill Nelson 416-442-5600 x 3204 | JNelson@canadianmetalworking.com CIRCULATION MANAGER Selina Rahaman 416-442-5600 x 3528 | SRahaman@bizinfogroup.ca MARKET PRODUCTION MANAGER Barb Vowles 416-510-5103 | vowlesb@bizinfogroup.ca PRINT PRODUCTION MANAGER Phyllis Wright 416-442-6786 | Pwright@bizinfogroup.ca BIG MAGAZINES LP ........................................................

PRESIDENT OF BUSINESS INFORMATION GROUP | Bruce Creighton VICE-PRESIDENT OF CANADIAN PUBLISHING | Alex Papanou EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER, MANUFACTURING | Tim Dimopoulos HOW TO REACH US.........................................................

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View From the Floor Fat, Lazy but Fixable Travel this country enough and you’ll come to the conclusion that as Canadians we’re a kind, caring people with an enviable standard of living. This is true….but for the manufacturing sector, we’re also one of the most underperforming nations on the planet.

In terms of industry and technology, Canada just drips with irony. The classic example is of course the Avro Arrow, a legendary case of Canadian small-think that simultaneously dropped us out of the high-performance aerospace industry and gave NASA lots of talent to put a man on the moon. We design a worldclass nuclear reactor technology, then deliver the product consistently late and over budget, opening the door to serious competitors from the US and Europe who can deliver high performance reactors with cost/ performance guarantees. We build pipelines to carry crude oil across the border to be refined into value-added products instead of building an Alberta-based large-scale refining/petrochemical industry. We don’t even have a national pipeline system that runs across the country. We have a dysfunctional national transportation system that makes it more expensive to fly from Toronto to Charlottetown, PEI than to Miami, Florida. Canada has no high-speed rail. In the economically vital Highway 401 spanning the “Golden Horseshoe” in Southern Ontario, freight and people can sit for hours in what has become an all-day traffic jam. Despite a national telecommunications regulator, Canadians pay some of the highest cell phone/Internet data rates in the industrialized world, and get lousy service to boot. We negotiate an FTA with the US but maintain crazy interprovincial trade and taxation regulations. We congratulate ourselves on banks that avoided the CDO insanity that trashed the US financial industry, yet say nothing when manufacturing operations can’t get operating credit because lenders would rather fund foreign companies to buy out our indigenous firms. Governments at all levels hand truckloads of cash inducements to major players to get and keep manufacturing jobs in Canada, then continue to saddle young and growing companies with a crushing weight of taxes and regulations. We have shortages of skilled labour, then cut education and training funding. It is, in a word, nuts.

The good news, however, is that it’s fixable. What it will take is a national industrial strategy along the lines of Japan and Korea, anchored with an affordable education system that actually trains young people for industry. Scrap our apprenticeship programs and look at the German model. Tax non-value added speculative sectors of the economy at higher rates than manufacturing. Use the income tax system to make sure that scientists and engineers have relative incomes appropriate to their importance in society. Drastically simplify corporate accounting and tax rules so small shop owners can retake control of their finances from big dollar accountants and still have time to innovate.

I could go on, but you get the point. The only things that have real economic value are things you can hold in your hand….that’s manufacturing. We’re sleepwalking into second-rate status, the sink rate hidden by our vast natural resource base. This isn’t an issue of political Left versus Right, or rich and poor, it’s about whether we want to be a manufacturing country twenty years from now. E-mail or call your MLA and MP. Make some noise. Watch the business press and vote sensibly, regardless of party affiliation. We can’t afford a string of Avro Arrows.

Do you agree? Let me know, and feel free to drop me a line at the e-mail address below, or buttonhole me at a show or event. I’d love to hear from you! janderton@canadianmetalworking.com 6 | OCTOBER 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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HORN - THE LEADERS IN GROOVING TECHNOLOGY

FOCUS ON THE ESSENTIAL SYSTEM DR Urma licence

Sensitivity instead of gross motor skills – this is the motto of the new HORN “System DR” reaming tools. Very narrow cutters, simple handling, and high repeatability when replacing inserts. A large selection of base material, coatings, and cutting geometries make the DR from HORN the perfect tool system for high precision bore machining.

HORN – INTELLIGENT TOOL DESIGN AT WORK.

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News Dennis DesRosiers to headline Future of Metal Cutting Conference

canada’s leading automotive analyst Dennis Desrosiers will deliver the keynote address to the canadian Metalworking Future of Metal cutting conference, to be held November 8th, 2011 at the toronto congress centre.

Desrosiers is the founder of Desrosiers Automotive consultants Inc. (DAc) the only consulting and market research company in canada that specializes in the automotive sector. Desrosiers will speak on the state of the auto sector in canada and future prospects for parts makers. “We’re delighted to kick off with Dennis Desrosiers”, said Canadian Metalworking Publisher Steve Devonport, adding “the auto parts manufacturing sector is vital to the canadian metalworking industry and his insight into the auto parts sector will be highly valuable to all attendees, not just tier ones”. the conference features a loaded slate of high-value seminars in three streams: the Future of Metal cutting, Metal cutting/Fabricating Management and Fabricating/cutting with a special emphasis on waterjet, plasma and laser technologies.

Mix and match the presentations to meet your learning needs and be sure to visit the exhibit space to discuss problems and solutions with leading equipment and service providers. register today at www.canadianmetalworking.com.

Canada to get its own FABTECH show with FABTECH CANADA 2012

the Society of Manufacturing engineers (SMe), Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, Intl. (FMA) and the American Welding Society (AWS) have launched the first FAbtecH canada, to be held in 2012 at the toronto congress centre on March 20-22. the event will showcase the latest technologies, tools and trends – with a special focus on fabricating technology – geared towards the needs of canada’s estimated 1.5 million manufacturing employees in industries ranging from automotive and energy to transportation and construction.

“FAbtecH has an unsurpassed reputation across North America and we’re thrilled to bring a uniquely canadian version to the marketplace here,” said Janine Saperson, Show Manager with SMe, which is hosting the premiere event with FMA and AWS. “FAbtecH canada 2012 will be a one-stop venue for solutions for welding, lasers, fabricating, bending, forming and more, tailored to the unique needs of our country’s growing manufacturing sector, as well as any business that either produces or relies on equipment and machinery in its day-to-day operations,” she said.

Launched in response to growing demand for metal fabrication and to better represent an important industry that many canadian businesses rely on every day, FAbtecH canada will unveil new products and innovations to the canadian market through an extensive exhibitor pavilion. It will also provide opportunities for learning and networking with technology experts via a three-day conference and town Hall panel session.

In the U.S., FAbtecH will continue to be held annually in three rotating cities including chicago, Las Vegas and Atlanta. the FAbtecH brand was also successfully introduced to the Mexican market in 2009 as FAbtecH Mexico.

“FMA is excited to partner with SMe and AWS to extend the FAbtecH brand into canada and we hope this venture will match our success in Mexico,” said Jerry Shankel, FMA President. “this initiative supports FMA’s other business interests in canada and is a good opportunity for us to better serve the country’s fabricating and welding industries.”

According to ray Shook, AWS executive Director, “AWS is pleased to be a part of FAbtecH canada. this is a natural step based on the strong U.S. brand that has been built and it supports our international development strategies.”

FAbtecH canada 2012 March 20 – 22, 2012 toronto congress centre, toronto, ontario www.fabtechcanada.com

Canada falls in global competitiveness ranking

A Global competitiveness report released by the World economic Forum has dropped canada two spots to 12th overall. More precisely, other countries ranked in the report moved ahead while canada held steady. Since 2009, canada has turned in nearly identical overall competitiveness scores, says the conference board of canada. As the canadian Partner Institute for the World economic Forum, the conference board carried out the executive opinion survey to obtain corporate leaders’ perceptions of the business climate. the overall rankings are calculated from both publicly available data and the executive opinion Survey – which, this year, included over 14,000 business leaders (including 82 in canada) in 142 economies.

According to the survey respondents, canada’s areas of strength include its health and primary education systems, labour markets, financial markets, institutional effectiveness, and the state of its infrastructure – all of which have contributed to the development of a sustainable and vibrant economy. However, respondents said the burden of government regulations and wastefulness of government spending were among the most problematic factors for doing business.

In the report, canada got mixed results for its macroeconomic environment, culminating in an overall ranking of 49th in this area of competitiveness. canada earns top scores in both inflation and country credit rating, but these strengths were offset by a ranking of 80th in terms of gross national savings as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP), and 129th out of 142 countries in terms of overall government debt levels as a percentage of GDP. For the third consecutive year, Switzerland topped the overall rankings, while Singapore overtook Sweden to claim second position and Finland jumped three positions to number four, dropping the United States to fifth.

Since losing first place to Switzerland in 2009, the United States has continued to slip in the rankings, due to weak economic fundamentals and increasing concerns about the efficiency and effectiveness of U.S. institutions and leaders.

8 | october 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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News Germany (6th), the Netherlands (7th), and Denmark (8th) bolstered the strong showing of Northern and Western european countries. Despite slipping three spots, Japan ranked ninth. the United Kingdom jumped up two places to 10th position and Hong Kong maintained 11th place, dropping canada to 12th.

Several emerging economies and developing nations— particularly Asian economies—are closing the gap between the traditional “rich” and “poor” countries. the results show that while competitiveness in advanced economies has stagnated over the past seven years, in many emerging markets it has improved.

“After a number of difficult years, a recovery from the economic crisis is tentatively emerging, although it has been very unequally distributed,” said Klaus Schwab, Founder and executive chairman of the World economic Forum, in a release announcing the results. “Much of the developing world is still seeing relatively strong growth — despite some risk of overheating, while most advanced economies continue to experience sluggish recovery, persistent unemployment and financial vulnerability, with no clear horizon for improvement.”

CMTS registration up as Canadian manufacturing sales strengthen

coinciding with reports of the country’s increase in manufacturing sales is a heightened interest in cMtS 2011, which takes place october 17 to 20 at the Direct energy centre in toronto. the number of show exhibitors is up by 33 per cent and attendee pre-registration is significantly stronger, compared to two years ago, says Nick Samain, event Manager with the Society of Manufacturing engineers, organizers of cMtS 2011.

cMtS offers multiple opportunities to get your hands on the latest technology. Photo courtesy of SME.

According to a recent Statistics canada report, manufacturing sales are up in seven provinces, with the largest gains in ontario coming from the transportation equipment, miscellaneous manufacturing, and petroleum and coal product industries.

In total, higher sales were reported in 15 of 21 industries, a sign that canadian manufacturers are continuing to rebound, says Samain, noting that many are also learning to reinvent themselves, like the auto parts factories in Windsor, ontario, that recently made headline news for successfully transitioning to green-energy manufacturing.

“Mirroring the growth of the industry, the significant increase in both cMtS exhibitor and visitor interest

reinforces the important role manufacturing continues to play in canada,” Samain explains, adding that a new international component of the show being introduced for the first time – featuring suppliers from more than 40 countries – demonstrates that countries worldwide recognize canada’s pivotal role in manufacturing as well.

“Manufacturing is the number one driver for the canadian economy, with the success of manufacturers directly related to the standard of living of our country as a whole,” Samain emphasizes, noting that one manufacturing job typically leads to the creation of six additional jobs. to accommodate growing interest in cMtS, show organizers have announced an expanded venue, featuring the unveiling of 150 new products, live equipment demonstrations, exclusive industry keynotes from business leaders and television personalities Kevin o’Leary and John Mcelroy, interactive panel discussions and excellent industry-wide networking opportunities.

Noteworthy at this year’s event is the India Show Pavilion: For the first time in canada, nearly 200 Indian companies will come together to showcase developments in defence, heavy industry, science and technology, and renewable energy, and to explore business and export opportunities. As part of the showcase, cMtS visitors will get a preview of tata Motors’ tata Nano car which will be unveiled at the show. More information is available at www.cmts.ca.

Wind power for Niagara

the ontario-based Niagara region Wind corporation has selected eNercoN to supply and maintain 230 MW of wind turbines for its Niagara region Wind Power Project. A key component of this agreement is eNercoN’s commitment to build a manufacturing facility in the Niagara region. the two companies have signed a contract wherein eNercoN will supply and maintain 77 3.0 MW wind turbines (model e-101, 3.0MW) for the project. this contract will allow NrWc to fulfill its domestic content requirements, as required by the ontario Power Authority. the Niagara region Wind corporation received a Feed-in-tariff contract in February 2011 for its 230 MW proposed project in Pelham, West Lincoln and Wainfleet in Niagara region, as well as part of Haldimand county. to meet the demands of this order and service other ontario demands, eNercoN will open a converter and control panel factory in the Niagara region, servicing both the wind and solar industries.

Due to the high demand of eNercoN wind turbines, a concrete tower manufacturing site will also be established in the region. “the Niagara area offers a strategic location for the logistics and supply chain of various components for our projects in ontario and across canada,” said eNercoN canada’s executive Vice President Michael Weidemann. “the factory would be the first of its kind in the North American market and for eNercoN outside of its home market of Germany,” he continued. Site location for both factories will be decided by spring, with turbine production to start in summer 2013. www.nrwc.ca

10 | october 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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2011Ha

it’s about time.

tapping time. tool Change time. aCCeleration time. CyCle time.

Make a lot more parts in a lot less time with a high-performance Haas Drill/Tap Center.

The DT-1 swaps tools in 0.8 seconds, and its 12,000-rpm spindle allows rigid tapping to 5000 rpm, with up to 4-times retract speed.

And, 2400 ipm rapids and 1 G accelerations combine to reduce cycle times even further.

Typical Haas Ingenuity.

ECO CNC Specifications subject to change without notice. Not responsible for typographical errors. Machines shown with optional equipment.

Simple. Innovation.

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Find your local Canadian Haas Factory Outlet 800.331.6746 • find them online @ www.HaasCNC.com

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News COMPANY NEWS United Technologies buys Goodrich in huge deal

United technologies corp. has acquired aerospace firm Goodrich corp. for $18.4 billion, adding to the firm’s aerospace division that includes jet engine maker Pratt & Whittney. Goodrich is a global supplier of systems and services to the aerospace and defense industry, whose products include aircraft landing gear, aircraft wheels and brakes. It employs about 27,000 people worldwide and forecasts more than $8-billion in revenue this year.

“Goodrich delivers on all of our acquisition criteria.

It is strategic to our core, has great technology and people and strengthens our position in growth markets,” said Louis chênevert, United technologies ceo.

United has also reaffirmed its expectations for 2011 revenues of $58 billion. the Hartford, conn.-based company’s holdings include Pratt &Whittney, Sikorsky helicopters, carrier heating and air conditioning, Hamilton Sundstrand aerospace systems, otis elevators and Utc Power fuel cells. It employs about 210,000 people and has been ranked the 16th largest manufacturer in the U.S. by Industry Week.

Walter makes music from the sound of metalworking

cutting tool manufacturer Walter AG of tübingen, Germany, and its U.S. affiliate Walter USA, LLc, are turning noise can also be a form of music with a one of a kind project called “Walter Metal Music.” to start the project, professional musician Jorg Honecker was invited in to the Walter AG plant in tübingen to explore the plant floor and seek out interesting sounds. Honecker then revisited the shop and recorded those sounds. “I was particularly interested,” he said, “in machines that ‘had their own groove,’ like the shrill whine of a drill ramping up to higher speeds or the growl of a heavy-duty milling cutter biting into a workpiece.

Honecker manipulated those sounds and placed them into a format that allows others to collage them together to form new sonic combinations—new forms of metal music. the results were unveiled in mid-September in the form of a web site, www.walter-metal-music.com, where a video documentary provides a look behind the scenes. In addition, Walter sponsored live concerts at the show that were based on these shop floor sounds. (See www.facebook.com/waltertools for more details.)

Wescast Sichuan Bohong buyout uncertain

Wescast Industries Inc. has announced that, in connection with the previously-announced Memorandum of Understanding (“MoU”) dated September 5, 2011 between Wescast and Sichuan bohong Industry co., Ltd. regarding bohong’s proposed acquisition of 100% of the issued and outstanding capital of Wescast, Wescast has not received from bohong the initial c$2.0 million deposit as required under the MoU. Under the MoU, bohong was required to pay to Wescast the c$2.0 million deposit no later than September 19, 2011.

Wescast has notified bohong that bohong’s failure to pay this deposit in accordance with the MoU constitutes a breach of the MoU and gives Wescast the right to terminate the MoU in accordance with its terms. Wescast has not terminated the MoU (or waived this breach) but has reserved all of its rights and remedies, including the right to terminate the MoU, in these circumstances. According to a Wescat statement, “there can be no assurances, at this time, that bohong will pay this deposit, that the parties will enter into a definitive and binding arrangement agreement providing for the Acquisition and/or that the Acquisition will occur. the entering into of any such definitive and binding agreement would be subject to, among other things, the approval of Wescast’s board of Directors.”

Wescast designs, casts, machines and assembles exhaust system components, primarily exhaust manifolds, turbo charger housings and integrated turbomanifolds for automotive original equipment manufacturers (“oeMs”) and tier 1 customers for the car and light truck markets in North America, europe, Asia, Africa, South America and Australia. Wescast employs approximately 2,000 people in 7 production facilities and 5 sales and design centres in canada, Hungary, the United States, Germany, Japan and china.

“It’s a matter of perspective, said a Walter spokesperson in commenting on the company’s reason for a project as unusual as Walter Metal Music; Walter wished to broaden people’s perspective when it comes to metalworking and show that there are fascinating aspects to this ancient yet constantly evolving trade that we generally don’t consider.”

Users can compose some music of their own by visiting the web site, then share it with the social media community via Facebook, twitter and as an Internet link. www.walter-tools.com

Sodick Launches New Unique Warranty Program

Sodick, Inc., a manufacturer of eDM technology has launched a new unique warranty program. the new Aftercare Machine Warranty Program allows a customer to warranty a machine until it is 10 years old. Aftercare is available as a 1 or 2 year warranty. benefits beyond the standard warranty include preferred pricing and free shipping on consumable orders over $500 along with reduced pricing for operator training. Aftercare is available to all Sodick linear motor eDM users. “our objective was to bring something unique and exciting to our customer base, a warranty program that could provide real benefits to our customers. the Aftercare program allows us to achieve those goals,” says ramiro Perucho, National Service Manager and the Aftercare program administrator.

Sodick Inc., established in 1976, has sold over 50,000 eDMs

12 | october 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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05Fago

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1977

1978

1979

1985

1989

1996

Invention of the panel bender – P4

Invention of the combo punch-shear machine with multipress punching head – S4

First integrated FMS fabrication system – S4+P4

First lights-out sheet metal fabrication factory is installed in North America

First automatic 3D design to finished product software

First integrated stores-MRP software

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FIBER L ASER CUT TING

Invented by Salvagnini.

Perfected by Salvagnini.

Three years ago, competitors told customers that fiber laser cutters were limited, dangerous and unproven.

Now… everyone wants in. Too bad.

Those competitors are way, way behind the curve.

L3 and L5 laser cutters.

In 2010, Salvagnini introduced the 2nd generation of fiber laser cutters while competitors were rushing to bring out a first. With over 100 fiber laser cutters already in the field, Salvagnini has the technology, the experience and the track record of success. No mirrors, no beam alignments, no laser gasses, no maintenance, no limits.

And of course, like all products from Salvagnini, the L3 and L5 fiber laser cutters can be equipped with the industry’s most innovative automation technology.

Salvagnini fiber laser cutters. Cutting edge technology. Lowest operating costs. Production-proven automation.

Salvagnini laser cutters. The first.

And the best.

www.salvagnini.com

1997

1998

2000

2002

2008

2010

2011

First “no teach” robots for parts handling with panel benders

First panel bender with zero set-up

Creation of the Automated Job Shop

First automated, robotic bending cell with off-line programming

First fiber laser cutter, the L1Xe

First punch-laser to use fiber optic technology – SL4

First lasers designed exclusively for fiber optic technology – the L3 & L5

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#5773 M

News worldwide and has had over 25,000 linear motor EDM deliveries. Sodick machines are used for the production of dies and molds and other various applications that cannot be produced by standard machining methods. Sodick has three ISO certified manufacturing facilities with over 3,100 employees HydroflowAdBw-CanMetal_Layout 1 9/2/11 worldwide.

11:10 AM Page 1

Samuel Hamilton facility installs new flat sheet leveling system

Samuel, Son & Co., Limited has announced they are installing a new “state of the art” Herr Voss leveling system in front of their freshly commissioned continuous C-T-L line at their Nash Road facility in Hamilton. This new flattening system bridges the gap between Temper Rolling and Tension Leveling. The new line will produce sheet product with very high levels of flatness required for downstream processes such as plasma and laser cutting. The new CTL line also features stenciling capability. Samuel expects to have the first product off the line in Q4 2011. Samuel, Son & Co., Limited, founded in 1855, is the 5th largest Service Centre in North America.

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Calendar OCTOBER 17-20 CMTS 2011 Direct Energy Centre Toronto, ON www.cmts.ca OCTOBER 17-27 Discover Mazak – Tomorrow’s Technology Today Florence, KY www.mazakt3.com November 1-3 Gear Expo 2011 Duke Energy Convention Center Cincinnati, OH www.gearexpo.com November 8 Canadian Metalworking Future of Metal Cutting Conference Toronto Congress Centre Toronto, ON http://files.canadianmanufacturing.com/ futureofmetalcutting2011/index.html

Visit HydroFlow.Eriez.com or

Call 888.300.ERIEZ

NOVEMBER 14-17 FABTECH 2011 McCormick Place Chicago, IL www.fabtechexpo.com

16 | october 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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News Floor Space Do you recycle scrap metal at your shop? If yes, what do you do with it?

“Yes. All of our shelling (scrap) gets shipped back to the scrap yards for recycling.”

-Larry Stuyt, president, Ontario Laser Cutting, Tillsonburg, Ont.

“Once every quarter, we do a major clean up of our facility and production area as part of a regular maintenance program we have developed. Because the metals we work with are orderdriven parts from our clients, there is no “scrap metal” (as in parts) in our facility.

Damaged, inadequate parts are always delivered back to our clients. The only metals that we do recycle on a quarterly

basis are from strapping and packaging materials used in handling. For those items, we deal with a local scrap metal firm which comes in and retrieves the scrap on a per call basis.”

-Joseph Manzoli, president, Colourfast Custom Coatings Ltd., Concord, Ont.

“Yes we do. We arrange for a metal recycler to come pick up and recycle all our metal scrap.”

-Jason Bannerman, president, Xakt Komponents, Brampton, Ont.

“We send all of our scrap metal out to a metal recycler. They supply all the bins

18 | october 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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News and some scrap buckets and we load it into bins by classification (shavings, bushellings, oversize plate).”

-George Barnes, president, Foldens Machine Works, Tillsonburg, Ont.

“Yes. We sell it for scrap and they handle the recycling part of the process.”

-Renny Husada, vice-president, Yess Products, Surrey, BC

“We recycle all our scrap, which is picked up by our local scrap yard.”

“Yes, we recycle some.”

-Rob Muru, president, A-Line Tool, Toronto, Ont.

“All of our scrap metal is sold to a scrap dealer. We have an excellent agreement with him and are happy with the agreement. He recycles all metals (ferrous and non-ferrous). We try to have the material separated for him in different bins.”

-Marco Gagnon, co-owner, Gagnon Ornamental Works, Grand Falls, NB

-Peter Alden, co-owner, Wessex Precision Machining, Ayr, Ont.

“Yes, we recycle all our metal, especially since we use a lot of high nickel, high chromium content stainless steel (A286).

We sell it to scrap dealers.”

-Ted Squires, president, TFI Aerospace, Orangeville, Ont.

“We recycle our shavings and bar ends for steel, aluminum and bronze and take them to the local metal salvage depot and get reimbursed for the cost of the material per pound.”

-Remi Groulx, owner, Groulx Machining, Astorville, Ont.

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INDUstry rePort

cover story

Taking the

PULSE

With an aging population and high-skilled machine shops, canada’s medical parts sector is poised for growth

by Nate Hendley ...................................................................

In the face of recession, financial meltdown in the United States and Europe and extreme economic uncertainty, the medical devices field continues to grow. With a burgeoning cohort of seniors, a public healthcare system with a strong research component and a tradition of high-end machining, industry pundits believe Canada is in an excellent position to expand its medical parts business.

“The interesting thing about our sector is that we’re ‘counter-trend’.

The more difficult the financial market gets, it seems the more people get sick,” says Gary Hodgins, chairman of the Trillium Medical Technology Association (TMTA) and president/CEO of Mississauga, Ontario-based pharmaceutical manufacturing company, Pharmax.

Formed to represent Ontario companies, Markham, Ontarioheadquartered Trillium is planning to merge with the larger MEDEC organization. Based in Toronto, MEDEC is a national body that promotes the interests of the medical technology industry, which includes medical devices.

Companies within the medical device sector produce “a wide range of health or medical instruments used in the treatment, mitigation, diagnosis or prevention of a disease or abnormal physical condition,” states Health Canada, the federal body that regulates medical devices. These instruments include surgical equipment, orthopaedic appliances, diagnostic kits, etc.

According to Industry Canada, there are currently 998 firms in the Canadian medical devices manufacturing and development sector. Most of these firms are small (57 percent have fewer than 25 employees while 37 percent have 25-49 employees) and based in Ontario (42 percent) or Quebec (32 percent).

Employment in the sector has been on the rise, from 22,000 in 2000 to 26,000 in the most recent count.

In 2008, the Canadian medical devices market was worth $6.4 billion. Exports have increased from $1.6 billion in 2000 to $2.6 billion in 2009. The United States remains the main market for Canadian medical devices, with 71 percent of exports going south of the border, states Industry Canada.

The focus on the U.S. is a sore point for some: “To be successful in this industry one must look beyond Canada and the U.S. ... the major growth markets are now outside North America and Europe, in areas like Brazil and India and China, where demand for improved healthcare is growing the most rapidly,” says Dr. Tofy Mussivand, a professor of surgery and engineering at the University of Ottawa and Carleton University and director and CEO of the Medical Devices Innovation Institute.

Based in Ottawa, the Institute was founded—as its name implies—to encourage new ideas and innovations in the medical devices field.

As it stands, the main medical devices exported from Canada include: sanitary articles (paper), composite diagnostic or laboratory reagents, opacifying prep/x-ray/diagnostic reagents, medical/surgical/dental/veterinary furniture, instruments and appliances used in 20 | october 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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cover story

medical or veterinary sciences, parts and accessories for X-ray applications, electro-diagnostic apparatus, mechano-therapy application/massage applications, electro-cardiographs and needles, catheters and cannulae.

A major bone of contention among some industry leaders is the perceived lack of R&D funding in Canada.

This parsimonious stance is contrasted with the considerably more generous American example.

“Over the past 20 years, R&D expenditures in the medical device industry comprised 0.014 percent of GDP in Canada, compared to 0.167 percent of GDP in the U.S. The U.S. investment relative to national output is 12.08 times greater than Canada’s,” reads a recent TMTA paper.

“While the recession in 2009 prompted the Obama administration to announce $5 billion in new research grants for the U.S. National Institutes of Health (which already spends more than $30 billion a year on medical research) a similar response has not been forthcoming in Canada,” adds the TMTA. A Medical Devices Summit, scheduled for Ottawa this October, was arranged in part to address funding issues. Said event is a follow-up to a similar conference held in Ottawa last year that attracted over 150 officials from roughly 80 organizations in the medical devices

INDUstry rePort

products or processes.

“I would be advocating [for Ottawa] to keep the SR&ED program and not dilute it, rather than putting more money in research and development,” states Hodgins.

“Commercialization”—that is, the lengthy process of taking a medical device from the drawing board to the market—is another major issue for manufacturers, he adds. The process is replete with regulatory hurdles.

“You can have a blockbuster, breakthrough [product] and to get it into the marketplace, it’s a two or three year process,” says Hodgins. “The average cost for a medical device, to have it approved is probably somewhere between $200,000 – $300,000, to do proper testing and trials.”

As pundits debate big picture issues, individual suppliers are looking to boost the amount of work they do for the medical devices sector.

D-M Precision Products in Dunnville, ON, for example, makes a wide variety of parts for medical companies, including components for ultrasound machines and “phantoms”. A “phantom” is simply an object built to be scanned or imaged by medical imaging devices, including x-ray machines, CT, MRI, PET scanners and ultrasound.

The 10,000 square foot shop boasts a 13-person staff and was founded in 1952 as a family-business. The percentage of medical-related business handled by the shop increased from 25 – 30 percent last year, to 35 – 40 percent this year, says shop manager Chad Plath.

Making medical parts requires special machining techniques, notes Plath.

“A lot of our medical stuff is micro-sized. Everything’s a lot

“A greying demographic will

boost demand for medical parts”

field. Among other concerns, attendees at the 2011 Summit want Ottawa to launch a national strategy on medical devices. Such a strategy would naturally entail more government research funding.

Such opinions aren’t shared by all; despite being TMTA chair, Hodgins suggests the Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) program is more important for small and mediumsized manufacturers than direct funding. A federal government initiative, the SR&ED program offers tax incentives for companies doing research that leads to new, improved or technologically advanced

smaller than your average machining,” he explains.

The company utilizes CNC machines, lathes, milling centres and wire and sink EDMs to carry out medical-related work.

“Materials that we use in the medical field are acrylic, nylon, speciality plastics such as Ultem and PEEK, stainless steel, titanium, brass, aluminum,” he adds.

Asked if he thinks a greying demographic will boost demand for medical parts, Plath says, “Absolutely. That’s the nature of the beast.”

“The aging population is what is maintaining growth in the medical devices sector in places like North America and Europe against the pressures of cost-reductions brought on by the recession and stagnant [economic] growth. The high www.canadianmetalworking.com | october 2011 | 21

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cover story

growth areas will be the so-called BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) where the market is and will continue to grow much faster,” agrees Dr. Mussivand.

Robert Bell, president and founder of Applied Precision in Mississauga, ON, has been selling products and services to the medical devices sector for years.

“We do two things. There’s a hardware/software side of our business where we provide companies with optical metrology technology for product development and quality inspection ... we also run a professional services bureau ... we help smaller companies on a project basis,” says Bell.

At present, about 10 – 15 percent of Applied Precision’s business is medical-related. Bell would like to grow that amount to 20 – 25 percent.

When presented with the suggestion that Asian companies currently lack the skill to do delicate, high-end machining for medical parts, Bell is emphatic: “I would tend to agree with that ... the more difficult, higher-value added machining—that’s an area where we can excel and where overseas

INDUSTRY REPORT

manufacturers haven’t developed that skill set yet,” he says.

North American and European medical device firms “are more tech savvy and have a longer range of experience in these applications. We also have direct access to the end-user. Asian products tend to copy what already exists and are not really innovative,” adds Hodgins.

A potentially bigger problem than offshore competition is protectionist trade barriers, he continues. Various government stimulus initiatives in the U.S., for example, explicitly instruct firms to “buy American” when purchasing products or services from suppliers.

In spite of such trade threats, industry officials remain confident about the future of their sector.

“We tend to be stable. When the ‘dotcoms’ go crazy and everyone’s making tons of money, we’re just chugging along. We don’t go up a whole lot and we don’t go down a whole lot. [Medical devices are] kind of a safe haven if you will, for investment,” notes Hodgins. CM Nate Hendley is a regular contributor and freelance writer based in Toronto. www.canadianmetalworking.com | october 2011 | 23

3:21 PM

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INDUSTRY REPORT

Cover story

Integral Machining Ltd. President Peter Reypa.

Jaws to

Jets

Oakville, Ontario-based Integral Machining makes specialty components for markets as diverse as dental implants to aerospace

By Jim Anderton, Editor ..............................................................

Advanced machine vision systems are part of a suite of inspection technologies in a climate controlled room.

Incoming materials are sorted and racked for easy access.

Nestled in Oakville, Ontario just outside Toronto, Integral Machining Ltd. occupies a row of unassuming industrial units just south of the nation’s first expressway, the Queen Elizabeth Way. Open the door to Integral however and you’ll see plenty of modern equipment machining everything from dental implants to micromachined micro fluidic devices. President Peter Reypa is proud of the operation: “We’re a machining subcontractor but we also do a lot of design work. We design dental implant systems; we’ve also designed an abrasive water drilling system for the dental market, a technology that’s been adapted for other markets. We also do a lot of design optimization working with customers doing new projects. We take parts from prices at $20,000 to a $100 part with design changes, mainly by looking at issues like tolerance stacking. We provide a lot of value added service.”

Like many entrepreneurs in the Canadian industry, Reypa started on the shop floor. “I went to McMaster in the early ‘80s and during the summers I worked as a tool & die apprentice in Germany. I found that I liked that a lot more than what I was doing at school, so I continued on in Europe. I also did robotics and CNC training, so I evolved into this line of work. Back in Canada I started working at Mold-Masters. I started with really small stuff. Later I went to Menasco where I worked on large landing gears, then on to a couple of subcontractors. Then I stated Integral with a partner. In the early ‘90’s we started at the beginning of a recession. We were making $300 a week.”

Integral focuses on precise, difficult jobs typical in the aerospace and medical markets, although the firm can work anywhere with high-end tight tolerance machining, especially mini to micro features. How small?

According to Reypa, “the smallest parts we’re doing right now use a twothou end mill. We’re drilling down to one thou. Micro can go even smaller.”

What‘s the difference between these two markets? The answer might surprise. “I think the biggest difference I see in machining aerospace parts as opposed to medical is surface finish” declares Reypa.

“Aerospace is focused a lot on the dimensional aspect of the parts we do, but medical is dimensional plus surface finish. It’s critical, even on threads for the medial market. Aerospace threads are also critical, but it’s in terms of a burr-free finish.”

Aerospace alloys are well known in the industry, but few shops outside of the medical specialists are aware of the unusual challenges of working with metals certified for surgical implantation. According to Reypa, “there are new things coming all the time. Before there was Grade 5 titanium, which was altered to Grade 5 ELI (a low oxygen alloy), which is a little easier to manufacture. We notice it from a machining standpoint. PEEK (polyetherether ketone) is another one. PEEK is big in both aero and medical. We started making dental implants with Grade 2 titanium and as

24 | October 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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INDUSTRY REPORT

cover story

they found over time, Grade 5 is better. It’s not as soft.

It’s not easier to machine, but it has different properties.

In terms of bone screws, going from 316 stainless, we’ve made bone screws from nitinol (nickel-titanium alloy). It’s tough stuff to machine, very abrasive and hard on tools.

We had a bone screw about 3 inches long with threads whirled in one pass. A half an inch in, the inserts on the thread whirled tool were wearing out. It was an interesting job. Once we mastered it, they came out with a room-temperature malleable nitinol. In some ways it was worse; as soon as the tool touched the piece, it would bend away from the cut. We had to temperature control to keep the part temperature over 60C.” Integral employs 14 and is divided into four basic units: Conventional CNC turning (Hardinge 3-axis with live tooling), tight tolerance Swiss turning (Traub, Tsugami, Tornos), conventional CNC machining (4-axis) and micro machining with a Kern micromachining centre.

The 5-axis Kern machine is micron-level repeatable and is capable of spinning tools so small they can’t be seen with the naked eye…a vision system checks the chuck to make sure the tool is intact before a cut. 4-axis and micromachining centres run Cimatron software, with PartMaker for lathe programming. Inspection is a special focus for Integral, which performs value added and fee-for-service inspection using a TESA Multisensor system for parts that need measuring to 5-10 microns, and the Zeiss O-Inspect system for sub 5-micron measurement.

For turned parts Integral has an Oasis automated profile projector for measuring outside dimensions.

Reypa notes that with this much software on the design, control and inspection functions, staying current isn’t cheap. “It’s not so much purchasing the software, it’s keeping up to date. We’re running at least 10-12 packages, spending $30-40,000 on software maintenance every year.

We have to, especially with packages like SolidWorks. Our customers always have the latest version, so we do as well. Also, the Zeiss and CAM software need translators, which need updates as well. Quality management systems are the same. Until they become very mature we have to keep them up to date.”

Integral is an ISO 9001-2008 operation, but like many Canadian shop owners, Reypa was originally skeptical about ISO certification. “I didn’t like ISO when it first came out, but we tinkered with our systems internally until we were running to it anyway. When auditors came in, they saw that we were running to ISO level systems without the certification, and they were OK with it. Most want ‘dock to stock’ traceability. Shop floor inspection was mainly to be sure operators could measure and operate the inspection software. At final inspection we’re checking maybe two critical dimensions, adding those to the report and they have a virtual ‘dock to stock’ system. Of course if it’s a critical dimension, for example on aerospace parts, we will do a 100 percent inspection, measured and recorded.”

In dealing with industries as diverse as medial and aerospace, Reypa notes that each has their own approach to the work. “In medical, they are still not massive organizations, so in some ways they’re easy to work with because they’re not as large.

You can talk to an engineer in a smaller medical company and speak one-on-one to implement a design change with a reasonable time. With aerospace, you may have something that might

Every square foot is utilized at Integral, but work flow is unimpeded…there’s no clutter.

Micromachining has it’s own separate unit, with near “clean room” conditions and climate control.

improve the manufacturability of a component, but it might be a one to two-year process. That’s the biggest difference I see.”

For Peter Reypa, the biggest challenge moving ahead is familiar to most Canadian shops: “Access to capital has always been an issue. Deciding on which direction to take going forward, what jobs to take on, which jobs are worth investing time and money, what’s going to be there in the future and what’s going offshore.

Trying to find the projects is the biggest challenge. I think we’re a microcosm of the entire industry. Whether you’re doing micromachining or aerospace you have to find those projects that aren’t easy to take offshore and look for projects that aren’t easily commoditized. You have to add value, add services and help with design work. Help them evolve their product as well. You’re working in tandem with your customer a lot more.”

It’s challenging, but when asked if it’s still an enjoyable business, Reypa doesn’t hesitate: “Yes, it is. I just wish I could be in the shop a bit more.” CM

26 | October 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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ManageMent

Quality

THE

Quality

INDEX

When is a new product ready to ship? This technique optimizes the decision-making process introduction

Deciding when a new product is ready to ship to customers is critical to business success. Ship too soon, and product failures could destroy customer satisfaction and your company reputation. Wait until product quality is perfect and you could miss the market window and allow your competition the chance they have been waiting for. The question is, how do you know when the product is ready? figure 1: ProbleM resolution, state assignMents

H

BY PETE BABIC

State

Title

Description

3

Unknown

Root cause is unknown or no one is working on the problem.

2

Understood

Root cause is understood. The problem can be turned on and off at will.

1

Designed

Solution is selected and the new design is complete.

0

Verified

Design completely solved the problem and no new problems were created.

Quality Measures figure 2

Problem

ing Sheet Resolution, Track id number:

Product: n state 3 - unknoW

oblem symptoms:

Description of pr

Date:

Name: tood state 2 - unders

ot cause:

Description of ro

Date:

Name: d state 1 - designe

oposed solution:

Description of pr

Date:

Name: state 0 - Verified

s:

rification test result

Description of ve Name:

Date:

We usually have very good measures to track schedule and cost.

Every engineer involved with product development can tell stories of how they worked extra hours to complete tasks as scheduled.

Accounting can track every penny spent on product development.

Because of the visibility of schedule and budget performance measures, they usually drive product development. The measure that gets overlooked is quality.

During product development many tests are run to determine if prototypes are performing as expected. It’s a rare test that doesn’t expose problems. Big, obvious problems are addressed immediately, however, they are usually difficult to solve and take a long time.

Because the big problems demand so much attention, numerous smaller problems “fall through the cracks” and are not addressed.

When the big problems are finally solved the natural tendency is to take a deep breath, declare victory, and ship the product. Because of the engineering effort, customers never see the big problems.

They see the multitude of little problems that went unaddressed, and those little problems can result in significant customer dissatisfaction and warranty costs.

To help prevent product shipment decisions from being based solely on schedule and budget or how hard engineers have been working, a quality measure is required. One such measure is the Quality Index. The Quality Index captures information on all problems, both big and small, and monitors how well they are being solved. It tracks problems as they go past milestones or states in the resolution process. The Quality Index uses four states. They are defined in Figure 1 (above). Notice that the states are numbered in inverse order. The reason for that will become clear later. www.canadianmetalworking.com | OCTOBER 2011 | 27

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Quality

Management

In the early phases of product testing, problems will be exposed much faster than they can be resolved. In many cases, there are no resources available to address the problems. Everyone is working on higher priority issues.

Regardless of the workload, all problems should remain in State 3 until its root cause is identified.

Figure 3

Understand Root Cause

Track All Problems

State 3 is the initial state. During product testing, anytime something out of the ordinary is observed it should be documented using a Problem Resolution Tracking Sheet. An example of a Problem Resolution Tracking Sheet is shown in Figure 2 (page 27). Initially, one tracking sheet should be used for all problems with similar symptoms. You may later find that the symptoms result from multiple causes and/or one cause generates multiple symptoms. Until root cause is understood, however, it is best to create individual tracking sheets. This discipline helps prevent problems from “falling through the cracks.” It is important to document as much information as possible to describe the problem.

Include frequency of problem occurrence, percent of products exhibiting the problem, operating or environmental conditions, and any other information that would be helpful to determine root cause.

Figure 4: Failure Tracking Report Project: Roadrunner Date: 3/5/11

Demonstrating root cause understanding on all problems is critical. The natural tendency is to use engineering judgment to identify “most probable” cause, and then proceed to design a fix. Too often, however, the “best guess” was not the true cause of the problem, and it will continue to show up in subsequent tests. Root cause understanding is required to assure each problem is only fixed once.

One of the best ways to demonstrate root cause understanding is to be able to turn the problem on and off at will.

For example, a squeaking noise on a motor shaft is present with metal bushings, but not present with Teflon coated bushings. When the empirical understanding is also supported by scientific principles, then root cause understanding is achieved. It’s important not to slight this step. My experience has shown that it can take from one to three weeks to truly uncover root cause.

Understanding root cause helps quantify what is required to fix the problem. How much will the fix cost? How long will it take? How serious is this problem in the eyes of the customer?

Quantitatively answering these questions helps to determine if the problem should be solved. Be careful not to answer the questions qualitatively. Making decisions based on intuitive judgment often comes back to haunt designers. When actual costs, times, and customer acceptance are quantified, a better assessment of risk can be made. After root cause is understood and the consequences of shipping without fixing the problem are quantified, the problem may move to State 2 or it could be removed from the tracking process.

Note: Items in bold have changed since last report.

ID Number

Failure Description

State

Comments

22

Intermittent output voltage (5v)

3

No resources available

25

Servo lost position

3

Investigating torque margin

28

Excessive warm-up time

3

No resources available

32

Error code 15

3

No resources available

35

Loose motor set screw

3

Investigating material changes

38

Fails condensation test

3

Conducting leakage tests

23

Error code 21

2

SW code problem

30

Window is scratched

2

Packing material caused scratches

34

Broken door spring

2

Bending tool damaged spring

36

Humming noise

2

Transformer mount is too loose

27

Broken access door

1

Radius added to strengthen joint

29

Burned CR3

1

Higher wattage device selected

33

Overheats using 220v

1

Selected new Xformer parameters

37

Locks up at 45° C

1

Add heat sink to U35

31

Difficult to load media

0

New loading door fixed problem

Quality Index

30

Implement Solution And Verify

Most problems need to be fixed and move to State 2, but some problems have very low risk of customer disapproval and/or the cost and time to fix them would seriously jeopardize the ability to meet market windows. In these rare cases, the problems should be removed from the tracking process and no longer worked on, however, the Tracking Sheet isn’t thrown away.

After customer shipments begin, the Tracking Sheet is compared to actual customer failures to determine if the right decision was made.

The learning from this review helps improve judgment for future decisions.

As mentioned earlier, the vast majority of observed problems must be fixed. Design alternatives are evaluated and one solution is chosen to implement. When the redesign is complete, the problem moves into State 1. After the new design is evaluated by building and testing new hardware, and the tests demonstrate that the problem has been completely solved and no new issues were created, the problem transitions to State 0.

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Management

Quality

Compute The Quality Index

Pete Babich, MSEE, is the President of Total Quality Engineering, Inc., The Quality Index is simply the arithmetic sum of the states a company that specializes in applying quality engineering principles of all failure modes being tracked, at a point in time. The to improve business competitiveness. Formed in 1991, TQE provides inverted state numbering system allows for the Index to begin software, training, and consultation in strategic planning (with emphasis at a value of zero. The Index will then rise as problems are on Hoshin Kanri), product/process quality and reliability improvement, being found faster than they are being resolved. When the and customer satisfaction measurement and improvement. Previously problem resolution process catches up, the Index falls to a employed by Hewlett-Packard for seventeen years, he held positions of final value of zero. Different types of products have different R&D engineer, Reliability Engineering Manager, and Quality Manager characteristic patterns for their Quality Index. A typical for the San Diego Division. He is an ASQ Certified Quality Engineer, pattern for the Quality Index is shown in figure 3.

Figure ASQ Certified Quality Manager, and a past Malcolm Baldrige National 10_11_CM_MTM_Hip_2_10_ME_MTM_Bit.qxd 9/1/11 3:09 PM Page 1 4 shows an example Failure Tracking Report and how the Quality Award examiner. http://www.tqe.com Quality Index is computed.

Obviously an Index of zero means that all known problems have been solved, and there is very little risk of experiencing customer dissatisfaction. Waiting for the Index to fall to zero, however, could mean shipment delays of months. Shipping with an Index greater than thirty allows for quick delivery, but the low quality level will Artificial hip joint probably mean your initial shipments will part courtesy of have to be recalled.

Mazak Corporation, Florence, KY A reasonable criterion for customer shipments is to have no failure modes in State 3 and the Quality Index at ten or below. Shipping units with an unexplained failure mode is like playing Russian Roulette. If failure modes are not understood, the risk cannot be quantified.

Shipping customer units with the Quality Index above zero means that there are still unresolved problems in your product, but you are willing to accept some calculated risk of customer dissatisfaction. An index of ten could mean that you have Solid Modeling • 2-5 Axis Milling • High Speed Machining • Turning • Mill/Turn ten problems with solutions designed Multi-Task Machining • Swiss • Tombstone Machining • Wire-EDM but not verified. It could also mean that you five problems where root cause is understood, but design alternatives have “GibbsCAM software provides you with the powerful capability an wide range of not been evaluated. In either case or any support you need to create real-world programs for your parts and YOUR combination of the two cases, design effort machines, while its industry-leading ease-of-use ensures that your employees become more productive quickly. Together, as members of the Cimatron Group, will need to be continued after customer GibbsCAM and CimatronE are YOUR competitive edge—providing complete shipments. Obviously, good judgment solutions for ALL OF YOUR CAM needs!” needs to prevail, and with experience each company can fine tune its Quality Index criteria for customer shipment.

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Summary

The Quality Index was developed to track hardware failures during product development, but it can be extended to many other areas. It can also effectively track resolution of software bugs, customer complaints, production failures, supplier problems or any other situation where actual performance is less than desired performance. Using the Quality Index helps establish systematic problem resolution, and it helps assure proper attention to detail. The Quality Index is an excellent tool to provide quality the visibility it deserves. CM

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www.canadianmetalworking.com | october 2011 | 29

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Business Report

exporting

Canadian Manufacturers E et k ar m r eed u o y ucc w s o Kn to

son

By Tim Wil

The United States and the European Union are experiencing anaemic growth and towering debt. Japan, in the doldrums now for over a decade, is fighting back from a devastating earthquake and tsunami.

Meanwhile, emerging markets, particularly the “BRIC” countries – Brazil, Russia, India, and China – are in growth mode, and Canadian manufacturers have taken notice.

“We have seen a lot more interest by our members to connect with emerging markets,” says Jean-Michel Laurin, vice president, Global Business Policy for Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME), Canada’s largest trade and industry organization. “Even in the best scenario we won’t see growth rates in mature economies anywhere near those in emerging markets.”

A recent high-profile trip in August by Prime Minister Stephen Harper to Brazil put trade under the spotlight. The two countries did almost C$6 billion in trade in 2010, but manufactured goods were dwarfed by trade in agricultural products and commodities.

“In a country like Brazil, if you want to sell there – for a lot of companies it makes sense to set up local operations and grow from there,” says Laurin.

The reasons are simple enough: Canada and Brazil don’t have a free trade agreement, and Brazil’s tariffs and regulations can make exporting difficult. However, there is significant opportunity. Brazil is a C$2 trillion economy, and will be hosting the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 summer Olympics. It is anticipated that in the next five years the country will invest almost C$1 trillion in infrastructure.

Know your market

Fabricated metal products, machinery, and transportation equipment all represent trade opportunities for Canadian manufacturers. However, emerging markets are developing more sophisticated capabilities with regard to the manufacture of durable goods.

“Both Brazil and China have competitive

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Business Report

rs Eye emerging Markets industries in these sectors, and both have cheaper labour than Canada,” says Martin Schwerdtfeger, senior economist at TD Bank. “They are competitors to Canada for global markets in these products. Think for example of Brazil’s Embraer, or Chinese power tools manufacturers.”

Schwerdtfeger argues that in order to gain domestic market share in those two countries, Canadian firms will have to differentiate themselves through quality. In the case of Brazil, a strong Brazilian currency might open some opportunities for Canadian imports. And, as with Brazil, in the example of China the distance and cultural challenges argue for a local presence.

“ Canadian firms will have to differentiate themselves through quality” “Sometimes the Chinese are willing to pay a premium for something that is made in Canada, but exporting to China might not make as much sense as investing there and finding a partner,” says Laurin from CME. “It depends on the customer and the market. In many cases we have seen Canadian companies setting up operations abroad to serve regional markets.”

Laurin emphasizes that Canadian manufacturers wanting to export to emerging markets should have innovative technologies that already have a good share of the Canadian domestic market.

“You need to be able to withstand the test of global competition,” he says. “Know the language, understand the nuance of doing business in those countries – you need to do your homework.”

Fortunately, there are many resources for Canadian exporters, from trade commissioners to organizations like the CME and Export Development Canada (EDC), Canada’s export credit agency that offers commercial solutions for exporters.

“Canada’s trade commissioners offer a pretty good service,” says Laurin. “You might ask: ‘What is a bureaucrat in Sao Paolo going to do for me?’ Well, the answer is: ‘Quite a lot’. The commissioners are typically aware of common mistakes, of things people overlook, and have local expertise that can be passed on.”

The trend is your friend

“Ten years ago there was not much focus on exporting to emerging markets,” says Peter Hall, vice-president and chief economist at the EDC. “There was some action, but it was through supply chains in the United States – we would export from there to the rest of the world.”

But things have changed dramatically, with the most notable shift being the appreciation of the Canadian currency relative to the U.S. dollar.

“That duress provokes action,” says Hall. “Crisis is the mother of transformation.”

Exporters now have to be aware of currency trends within individual emerging economies. Notably, the Canadian dollar has both appreciated and depreciated in real terms with respect to both the Chinese renminbi and the Brazilian real since 2006.

During the same period it has seen more sustained strength versus the Indian rupee.

Hall notes that though the bulk of Canada’s export growth to emerging markets has been in the commodity space, and Canada’s re-investment in technology to enhance productivity is still sluggish, there is an important trend toward high-value manufacturing exports.

“Although high-value manufacturing is small compared to total exports, it is out-growing the rate of expansion seen in commodities,” says Hall. “That is quite remarkable. If you strip away the effect of price movements – which is small for high

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Business RepoRt

expoRting

value-added manufacturing in machinery, aerospace, and power equipment – then the volume of these goods vastly out-ships commodities.”

That said, higher value-added manufacturing is still a much smaller portion of Canada’s total trade. Hall echoes other observers in emphasizing the importance of knowing how growth trends fit with an individual country’s needs.

“Canadian manufacturers do have a lot of opportunities with Russia, for example, in oil and gas and related industries,” says Hall. “Exporting agricultural machinery to Russia also represents opportunity.”

And there are unique opportunities in India, too, despite recent concerns over how corruption could negatively affect political stability and economic growth.

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“The Indian government plans to expand infrastructure,” says Emanuella Enenajor, a Torontobased economist with CIBC World Markets. “They intend to expand ports, railway services, and bridges. There are several Canadian companies with expertise in these areas.”

India, like China, has structural supply shortages in the energy sector.

As a result, it will invest in energy infrastructure for decades to come. This, from a macroeconomic perspective, should prove supportive for long-term trade opportunities for oil and gas field machinery.

“All of the BRIC countries have active gas and petroleum industries, as well as mining,” says Schwerdtfeger from TD Bank. “There should be important opportunities for Canadian exporters of machinery and equipment related to these industries.”

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If you are a smaller company, getting access to these markets might be easiest by acting as a supplier to big Canadian players such as the engineering and construction behemoth SNCLavalin, or companies that are well positioned to serve niche markets.

You also might have hidden advantages amongst your own staff, in that Canada’s increasingly multi-cultural society offers an impressive resource base.

the CuLtuRaL adVantage

Unfortunately, Canada’s diverse culture has yet to be fully exploited.

“Multi-culturalism is a huge potential Canadian advantage, but perhaps it has not been leveraged as much as possible,” says Hall from the EDC. “The initial tendency is for people to get engaged in the domestic Canadian economy, but we are now seeing increased connectivity between people and their country of origin.”

The problem may be that home-grown manufacturers don’t see the hidden

potential of Canada’s increasingly diverse workplace.

Usually, capital formation takes a few generations – many immigrants simply don’t have the financial acumen to embark on such a venture on their own. But they can be a crucial resource.

“We definitely get a benefit, but it may be harder to translate for the metalworking industry,” says Enenajor.

“The advantage can perhaps be realized in terms of managerial level positions, and international networking.”

Given global trends, it is crucial that Canadian manufacturers leverage every advantage when exporting to BRIC countries, which represent over a quarter of the world’s land area and more than 40% of the world’s population. They have no choice: there is little doubt that, in the coming years, emerging markets will be the place to be for Canadian manufacturers. Cm Tim Wilson is a freelance writer based in Peterborough, ON and a regular contributor.

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machine tools

WorKholding

Fixturing Success

the Ultra Stem won Dirt Magazines top 100 products in 2010.

High-end bicycle part manufacturer Straitline components increases productivity and profit in a simple way

by Nestor Gula ................................................................

Success can be germinated in various places and in many kinds of circumstances. Bicycle component manufacturer, Straitline Components, started off where many successful businesses start — in a garage.

They did not start off as a maker of high-end bicycle components according to DJ Paulson. “My Dad, brother and me started this as a small job shop with a manual milling machine.”

Paulson, who is the president, manager, machinist and programmer, said that the shop originally survived the way most job shops survive by taking on contract work from various clients.

The shop, located in Sidney, British Columbia on the picturesque Vancouver Island, had a crisis when their major client, “disappeared,” according to Paulson. “They just shut their doors. So we started to diversify. We needed to do something to stabilize the business.”

The family experimented and marketed several products but only when they combined their livelihood with their

The one big problem they had was the way they were holding their parts in the milling machines was slowing down production and making the milling process complicated.

“The way we were holding down our parts before was that we would use standard vises and things like that,” said Paulson.

“This caused problems because there is very little material that we have to hang on to, because the parts are small. We do not want to waste a lot of material and we want to machine as much of the material as possible. The old way we were doing this is holding them with vises and basically the amount of “meat” that we are holding onto right now is less than 0.10 of an inch. About .090-inch is the amount of material that

Available in eight colours these levers will fit most bicycles.

the pedals are available in eight colours and also as a Jeff Lenosky’s Signature 2010 pedal with 24 karat gold plated pins.

other passion — mountain biking. They were looking to start manufacturing mountain bike components that were better than the ones they could buy for their bicycles. To become a serious manufacturer they invested in new CNC machines and started the long road to establish themselves as a premier supplier of high-end bicycle components that not only work well but also have aesthetic appeal.

Straitline Components made their major upgrade to their company by purchasing a pallet system from Mori Seiki NH4000 DCG HMC with nine different pallets fed to the machine by an automated shuttle. This purchase helped them achieve the precision and the production levels that they were looking for.

the Ultra Stem is 100% cNc machined from solid 6061 t6 aluminum.

we have to hang on to.” He said it was getting to a point that the vises were not doing a proper job and problems with the milling ensued. “The vises that we were using had surfaces that are so hard and straight that they did not allow for any inconsistency in the materials,” he said. “You would clamp the vise tight but parts would end up getting pulled out of the vise system on the cutting board and stuff like that.”

After a deal of investigation the Paulsons settled on using the Pit Bull line of work holding products from Mitee Bite.’ We needed the clamp to be as low profile as possible and still be able to apply positive down force while holding on to less than .090-inch of stock,” said Paulson. “With the Mitee Bite we are

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able to grab onto that thickness .09-inch, with a positive down force because they grip into the material and push down at the same time. So it is not just pushing horizontally like a vise but a kind of like a cam locking with an in and down force. We are able to positively hold the parts even under heavy machining loads, where they used to just come out of the vise but now they are held securely down without any slippage.” In the four years they have been using the new fixtures they have had no more problems like they had with the vise. “The Pit Bull clamps eliminate this all together and clamp parts securely with very little amount of torque on the clamping screw. Due to the rigidity of the clamping setup, our machining parameters are now extremely aggressive and this in turn has decreased our cycle times, improved tool life and surface finish, and most importantly increased profit.”

Straitline Components is a unique shop as they manufacture everything in-house. “We mill everything out of mostly 6061-T6 and 7075-T6 aluminum alloy. We do all CNC machining. We also do some injection molding for one of our products. The chain guide has some green pieces on it and it is actually polyurethane that we make through injection molding. We make 100 per cent of our products in our shop,” Paulson says proudly. They are fiercely self-sufficient. They have an automatic horizontal band saw, from Hyd-Mech, to cut aluminum blanks and even installed a punch press for making plastic washers that will be used in pedal assemblies. They are also a lean shop with but 8 full time staff, and that includes administration and shipping according to Paulson. The only thing that is outsourced is the anodization of the aluminum. The

machine tools

robot attached to it that loads the parts. It just runs day and night with the robot loading pieces into it.” Straitline’s brake levers are first milled, then anodized and then “grip dimples” are machined into the anodized surface living the levers an interesting two colour effect. Paulson says that they are able to achieve a great efficiency because of automation and proper manufacturing techniques. “We manufacture approximately 15,000 pairs of pedals per year and perhaps another 15,000 stems per year as well,” he said.

Another benefit of using the Mitee Bite fixtures was that it freed up space in the milling machine allowing Straitline to greatly expand its manufacturing capacity at a fairly low cost.

Paulson said, “We needed to densely fixture a large quantity of work pieces on our tombstones in our horizontal machining center in order to keep the machine running for as long as possible without interruption.” The machines at Straitline Components are routinely run about 18 hours per day. “With the Pit Bull clamps we are able to keep the part to part distance to an absolute minimum and thereby increase loading densities.” By using the Pit Bull fixtures Straitline was able to increase production by streamlining its milling procedure and making it more efficient. “Before when we were doing the milling with the vise, the vise were pretty limited because they are fairly large and you can only fit only a certain amount of pieces,” said Paulson. “Usually there would be a double lock vise on each face and that would give you two parts per face for the vise. We would have four faces — so we would have eight parts in the machine at once. With the Mitee Bite Pit Bull fixtures, we can hold now about seven parts per face because we can hold the parts closer together.” The gain in productiv-

the pedals are milled and have nickel plated hardened alloy axles.

most popular component that they manufacture is the ULTRA Series Stems (50mm). This product won Dirt magazine’s Top 100 products in 2010. They said that “We chose the Straitline stem for a few simple reasons; it is clean, simple, light and aesthetically pleasing, with a range of colour options.” Paulson said, “Of the parts we manufacture, the main one is the faceplate on the Ultra Series Stem. It is about an inch tall by about two and a half inches square. Any of the stems, where the four bolts hold on the handlebars, these are the main pieces that we machine.

We also machine the whole stem body as well.” Pedals are another popular product. “We have an Okuma MCT4020. One that runs strictly pedals, that’s all it does. It has got a loading

ity efficiency was exponential. “Now we are running 24 per face with up to eight faces at a time. So instead of having eight pieces in the machine running conventionally we are able to put 192 in the machine with the Mitee Bite fixtures.”

Although they have met with success in the bicycle field, Straitline Components have not forgotten their roots and still work as a job shop, milling custom pieces for individual clients. cm Nestor Gula is a Toronto-based freelance technical writer and editor specializing in metalworking and welding. Nestor was the former editor of Metalcraft Magazine. Nestor can be reached at nestorgula@bell.net. www.canadianmetalworking.com | october 2011 | 35

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WorKholding

Product rePort emuge to display full range of workholding solutions at gear expo

At Gear expo (November 1-3, cincinnati, oH), emuge corp. will showcase their comprehensive line of clamping solutions. the precision workholding lineup on display will include: emuge’s expanding-bush design System SG, used in many machining operations such as hobbing, shaping, and shaving for gear production, as well as

milling and inspection. the System SG’s large surface area contact with the workpiece provides a clamping solution which is very rigid, accurate and repeatable. Also on display will be the high precision System SP, used not only to clamp workpieces but also to clamp tools. by applying an axial force, the clamping sleeves move in the direction of the force and expand radially. this eliminates the clearance between clamping sleeve and body, and between clamping sleeve and workpiece. System SP achieves concentricity of < 0.002 mm (corresponding to < 0.0001 inch).For workpieces that have a short clamping base or for diameters with a very large tolerance, System SZ is the best choice. by applying an axial force, a slitted collet is radially expanded by a cone. Simultaneously an axial movement occurs, clamping the workpiece. When the eccentricity between pitch circle and seating bore is very small, diaphragm clamping System SM is ideal.

It allows clamping of the gear wheel at the pitch circle for machining the seating bore. the gear wheel is clamped in both axial and radial directions. emuge corp. www.emuge.com

expanding collet systems have thru-hardened, interchangeable collet heads

Hardinge patented Sure-Grip expanding collet Systems are a one-piece body design that use exact-size, thru-hardened collet heads that will interchange with all assembly sizes from machine to machine. the collet heads have an under-over capacity of -.001” to +.015” (-.025mm to .38mm) from its specified size to accommodate a range of part diameters. Hardinge thru-hardened collets are keyed for accurate part positioning for repeatable performance. the Hardinge

double-angle design offers true parallel gripping. Parallel gripping means that the collet expands equally the entire length of the collet rather than just at one end of the collet, providing maximum bearing contact against the part. this results in greater stability and better part accuracy. Parts are instantly centered and located without adjustment.

Higher rpm and greater feed rates provide the ability to produce more parts-per-hour. the Hardinge Sure-Grip collet System also features a built-in safety stop to prevent the collet from over-expanding. During chucking operations, parts can be located against the face of the arbor or against a machineable workstop. Machines or devices with ANSI type-A spindles and machines with colletready spindles or collet adapters can use the Hardinge system. 5c, 16c and 3J collet-style expanding collet systems mount directly into the collet angle of the spindle or in fixtures (collet blocks) with instant centering. there are no spindle adapters required.

A2-5, A2-6 and A2-8 expanding collet systems will mount directly on the spindle.

Hardinge also manufactures center arbors that use Sure-Grip expanding collets for grinding machines, lathes and other applications. hardinge inc. www.shophardinge.com

new, enhanced workholding features for latest machining centers

Kurt introduces HD and HDL Vises and towers, replacing the Kurt DL430 DoubleLock and ct430 clustertowers. the HD and HDL series vises and towers are new, patented designs providing more options for faster setups, larger workholding capacity, and greater flexibility and precision to handle the broadest range of part configurations. Kurt HD and HDL vises and clustertowers have new quick-change jaw feature and fewer components for faster job changeovers. With a half-turn of a hex key, the stationary jaw on these vises and towers lifts off the vise or tower body. the jaw resets and self-aligns quickly without special tools. Spring preload design insures fast and easy loading of parts.

Providing 0.0002 inch repeatable clamping accuracy (from part to part), the HD towers feature a self-adjusting holding block for clamping the same or dissimilar sized parts.

to further enhance fast operation, an adjustable pre-load feature reduces handle turns for opening and closing clamping stations on the manual models. both vises and clustertowers are available in manual and hydraulic models. the towers are available with four, eight or twelve stations and with a complete selection of jaw options. the HD and HDL series of vises and towers have many options to handle most needs or Kurt will design a custom engineered setup.

Kurt manufacturing company www.kurtworkholding.com

new 5-axis quick change workholding system

Jergens, Inc. introduces a new workholding system that dramatically reduces costly set up times on 3+2 multi-axis and 5-axis machines. the Fixture Pro 5-Axis Quick change System permits multi-sided access to pallet-mounted workpieces and provides locating accuracy to help manufacturers increase productivity and maximize the capability of their 5-axis machines. Jergens offers modular system components in a variety of sizes and styles from inventory, with short turnaround on custom sizes for special applications. to allow unrestricted access to various part faces, this modular quick change system features a variety of off-the-shelf riser sizes and styles to raise your part off the table. the system also uses a variety of clamping elements specially designed so that jaws and other vise components provide rigid clamping forces without obstructing access to the part. All components of the Fixture Pro system have been designed with center location and timing pins that allow for incredibly accurate and repeatable part orientation, which eliminates the need to re-indicate. Jergens’ modular Fixture Pro 5-Axis Quick change System can be mounted to any machine or rotary table, is ideal for integration with the ball Lock Quick change System, and includes a variety of subplates, center locating pins, timing pins, QLS bolts, risers, top plates, mini pallets, and clamps.

Jergens inc. www.jergensinc.com

36 | october 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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17/03/2011 10/3/11 09:06:53 1:55 PM

machine tools

Case study

Pacesetting Pacemaker

Production

Specalty medical manufacturer Oscor, Inc. makes leads and catheters with advanced turning equipment

The pace of change in medical device design and manufacturing is very rapid and is fueling demand for machine tool capability that not only reduces cost per piece today, but can open doors to producing new types of parts in the future.

Oscor Inc., Palm Harbor, FL, already a successful medical device manufacturer, knows this very well and has taken strong steps to stay ahead of the curve.

The company designs, develops, manufactures and markets a variety of highly specialized permanent and temporary pacing lead systems. The company’s pacing leads are used in connection with pacemakers, both implantable and temporary pacemakers systems that are used to treat cardiac bradyarrhythmias (an adult heart rate below 60 beats per minute) and other coronary disorders.

Oscor’s proprietary lead technologies have also led it to develop new lead systems for a variety of cardiac and non-cardiac (nerve) applications. These include catheters and introducers for introducing a drug or other substance into the body.

Oscor is US based, but sells internationally in more than 65 countries outside the United States and is a supplier to medical OEM’s.

Oscor handles the entire process, from component design to mold building, component manufacturing, and sterile packaging and labeling, in-house. On its higher volume parts, the company produces in the range of 100,000 parts per month. Typical tolerances are .0002” and most parts are less than .25” diameter, many are almost too small to see.

To produce the leads, Oscor operates a state-of-the-art machine shop, and recently opened its new tool shop and engineering facility, which adds 50,000 sq ft of precision

Inside OSCOR’s Traub TNL18. On its higher volume parts, the company produces approximately 100,000 parts per month. Typical tolerances are .0002” and most parts are less than .25” diameter.

Many are almost too small to see.

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machine tools

case study

tool and mold shop, Swiss machining, and other manufacturing capacity in Palm Harbor. One of the newest machines in the shop is a TRAUB TNL18 sliding/fixed headstock production turning machine.

Thomas Osypka, president and CEO, justified the purchase of the TRAUB partly as a new business tool, allowing the company to design lead parts that have never been created before. For example, a new design lead contact concept would provide a range of advantages over a conventional contact. But the design could not be produced on the existing machines at Oscor nor by other outside sources.

Mr. Osypka pointed out that the company has been doing Swiss machining for more than 10 years, and that the parts it makes are becoming more complex and smaller than ever. “We found that our current machines were not going to be able to handle these new type parts in a single operation. We looked around for a machine that could do our parts in a short cycle time in one operation. The TRAUB TNL18 was the only machine that could meet our requirements,” he said.

In its first setup at Oscor, the TRAUB defeated an R&D setup for a high-nickel, chrome and molybdenum part by 3:1 in a less than 500-piece run. “And we see the possibility for even better results as the capabilities of the machine are fully utilized by a well-trained operator,” said Udo Wollmann, Oscor director of operations.

And as the company loads part programs for current production into the TRAUB, it is also finding that the convertible machine is able to reduce cycle times on those parts by up to 40% part for part compared to its current equipment.

traub tLN18 at oScor. Note the inspection microscope in the foreground. cardiac pacing leads are surgically implanted; too small for adequate inspection with the naked eye.

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case study

“So for us, the number one reason was machine capability. This magnitude of cycle time improvement proves that the TRAUB machine will be for us a very worthwhile investment,” said Mr. Osypka.

To date, Oscor is finding that the TRAUB allows the company to optimize every facet of production, minimize tool wear, and reduce cycle time. This is due in part to the training and also that the machine tool builder helped Oscor identify ways to make its parts more efficiently, reports Mr. Wollmann. As Oscor works with the machine, it is also able to improve its yield of usable parts.

The TNL18 gave Oscor the ability not only to run its current parts faster than previously, but also allowed the company to pursue the production of parts they had been unable to produce on current machines, due to a greater number of axes and more tooling options.

“We need the extreme flexibility in order to be a leader in our industry and to quote parts we may not have had a chance to earlier. This also opens opportunities for us to discuss new possibilities with potential customers,” said Mr. Wollmann.

machine tools

Compared to other Swiss turning machines that the company runs, the TNL18 has the capability to be used as a milling center, because of the range of tooling and axes it features. According to Mr. Wollmann, “milling data is the same on the TRAUB as on the company’s milling centers plus you have the option of orienting the part to the tool in many different ways, facilitating chip clearance, and reducing cycle time.”

The TRAUB also allowed the company to run a part from bar stock rather than milling blanks, saving a great deal of processing time on those parts. Oscor can also decide not to use the bar feeder when producing shorter runs and extreme tolerances-to .02 microns.

“With the TRAUB, you need to be a little bit broader minded than you might be with a typical Swiss machine because of the wider range of capabilities the TRAUB brings to the parts,” he continued. “This machine does operations I never thought of putting together--that’s what I like about it. I have a pretty good imagination, and I don’t see the end of what we can do.”

“By the same token it has to become

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machine tools

Case Study

part of your process planning to fully utilize the capabilities and improvements the machine offers. You cannot process the same old way if you want better results.”

Paired with the TNL18 is the TRAUB Winflex programming and simulation software which allows the programmer/operator to simulate tool paths and optimize the programs prior to running parts. With its 2D- or 3D-simulation that can run backwards and forwards parallel to the program creation, WinFlexIPS is an easy-to-learn program creation option. WinFlex permits the parallel programming and depiction of up to 4 subsystems with simultaneous simulation of the machining, as well as numerous functions for creating, checking and optimizing the machine process, including a wide range of functions and cycles and clear

main spindle, either for turning with a guide bush or without.

A swiveling sub-spindle is fitted to an X/Y/Z cross-slide, which at the same time carries the bottom tool turret. This slide, with large axis travel distances, provides plenty of space for three-axis reverse side machining, even for geometrically complex work pieces.

The tool capacity of the TNL18 can be increased to as many as 54 tool places through dual- and multi-holders of live and fixed tools, enabling extending productive time. The high-precision turret indexing permits a chip-to-chip time of only 0.3 s. The solid back working attachment accommodates seven tool holders of which three can be driven.

“Typical tolerances are .0002” and

many parts are almost too small to see”

presentation of all parts systems. Through user-oriented operating controls part data is input through WinCAD. Said the machine operator, “WinFlex is very easy to use.

Its tools allow me to do in minutes what would take me hours with paper and a calculator--and I have years of experience.

We prefer offline programming so as not to interfere with our production. 3D simulation also allows us to avoid interference in the machining process.”

“We have done a few parts already where I have been able to cut the cycle time in half compared to what we run on the other machines. I can do overlaps and crosses that typical machines cannot.”

Oscor has been loading part programs into the TRAUB, trying them out first in WinFlex. The operator is finding setup of parts and machining cycle times to be faster, which will become an even greater advantage as parts see greater production volumes. “We are investing into what our future is going to become,” said Kevin Wade, tool shop supervisor.

“The only limitation to what you can accomplish on the TRAUB is in your mind,” the operator said, “because there is so much there: three tools in the cut at a time, sub-spindle work simultaneous with 4-spindle work (both spindles at the same time) means there is a lot going on in the machine at all times.”

The machine is capable of multiple machining functions, including milling. And the rigidity of the machine’s construction is well-suited to machining micro-parts in the tough material Oscor uses, including titanium and special steel alloys. The TNL tool positioning is nearly unlimited, allowing Oscor programmers to put the tool points where required very rapidly.

TNL18 Convertability

Oscor also likes the convertability of the TNL from sliding to fixed headstock which saves production time and dramatically increases the versatility of the machine for the company and the many different parts it produces.

The TNL18 can be changed over in minutes to produce precision parts with or without a guide bush for long or short parts from bar up to 20mm diameter. The extremely long Z-travel distance of the headstock ensures the proper positioning of the

OSCOR’s Helios device is a latex-free radiopaque bipolar temporary heart pacing lead with balloon. It can be used to recording intracardiac signals and for temporary pacing.

A new in concept in tool carriers uses a NC rotary axis without mechanical interlock to permit complete freedom of tool positioning. The tool can be positioned where needed for any machining operation, offering unparalleled processing flexibility.

One-to-one tool setting saves time

The TRAUB also came with a tool setting station. “Using the fixture, I can emulate what is in the machine, adjusting the tool with only two screws rather than in the machine,” the operator said, “to set the offset. The relationship to the machine is one to one.” The different sides of the setting fixture equal each different tool holding situation on the machine.

All tool holders are seated deeply in the turret, which results in less leverage effect and, therefore high stiffness. A quick-change system enables high-precision, smooth exchange of tools without removing the tool holder. And the TRAUB compact shaft system greatly increases tool life and contributes to improved surface quality.

The working area of the TNL18 is easily accessed by the user through a high and wide sliding door. This provides a lot of room for operators to easily reach the tools and spindles. A large inspection window allows the operator to keep a close eye on the machining process.

According to Mr. Osypka, “We will continue to invest in our employees, systems, and technology to support our mission of providing physicians the tools necessary to improve patient outcomes, while reducing recovery times and treatment costs.

We believe the TRAUB machine is a very important tool in accomplishing our mission today and into the future with components that have not yet been invented.” CM For more information: INDEX Corporation, 14700 North Pointe Boulevard, Noblesville, IN 46060. Phone: 317 770 6300 e-mail: sales@index-usa.com www.index-usa.com

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Cutting Medical tools

Case Study

Mind to Mold Turn-key medical manufacturer Sil-Pro builds molds in-house for performance and quality

Industries are constantly changing and evolving, becoming saturated as time goes on, making it important to find a niche market. Such is the case for Sil-Pro, who found their niche as a “one-stop shop” medical silicone parts manufacturer. The company often works with medical design engineers from the part design stage to create the necessary molding, production, and inspection process until the part is fully produced and tested. The majority of parts are implant components for use in pacemakers, defibrillators, and drug pumps.

“We’re somewhat unique because we help with part design, machine the molds, shoot the test molds, inspect, and test the parts, then actually shoot the molds to produce the final parts, all under one roof,” says Kevin Carver, president of Sil-Pro. “A medical design engineer walks in our door with an idea and walks out a few weeks later with working, fully tested parts. In medical manufacturing, the key is control and accuracy. Having everything in-house allows us to do that perfectly.”

FOUNDING

Sil-Pro uses a Makino V33 Graphite to support EDM processes including other Makino machines. Dry machining of steel is also possible with the V33.

Lee Carver, Sil-Pro founder and father of Kevin Carver, started his career in rubber and plastics manufacturing more than 44 years ago. In 1998, Carver decided to apply his years of experience to the area of silicone medical components in Delano, Minnesota. It wasn’t until a year later that an employee was hired, but still no customers were to be found.

“It’s funny, looking back now, but I remember pulling friends and family in to pose as workers, making it appear as if the shop looked busy to potential customers,” says Kevin. “We never meant to deceive anyone into believing that we could handle a larger capacity than what we actually could, but looking in at our shop at the time, no one would

know just how much production power we could truly handle. Once production started, it was all growth from that point on, and just a few years later we were up to 90 employees.”

BUYING A MOLD SHOP

“The parts we produce are complex, made from a material most moldmakers will never deal with, and often have to be delivered within nearly impossible deadlines,” says Kevin. “To optimize production, it was best to control all aspects.”

Silicone molds like this one feature straightforward gating. The firm can turn around tools like this with very short lead times

To best handle the process, Sil-Pro purchased one of the mold shops they had been working with and brought their people and equipment in-house.

“I’ve been in a lot of mold shops, but never one that has a clean-room attached to it,” says Chris Tellers, SilPro’s mold shop manager. “This speaks to just how different Sil-Pro is. Our product is very unusual for most mold builders. We’re dealing with medicalgrade silicone, a very different material than plastic in both mold design and accuracy requirements.”

Medical-grade silicone has a high potential for flashing during the molding process, sometimes forcing moldmakers to create shut-offs

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Case Study

accurate down to one ten-thousandth of an inch. In addition, the material does not flow like plastic, creating venting and surface finish concerns.

“When the surface finish isn’t just right on a car’s bumper, it’s very different than when it’s not right on a part that prevents fluids from rushing out of your heart during surgery,” comments Tellers. “There’s no room for error in this type of molding, so the machines we use have to be up to the task and produce flawlessly.”

Because Sil-Pro’s entire production process is under one roof, they have full control over quality and lead-times without making compromises. And because everything is interrelated, different internal departments aren’t fighting each other for profit, making the final product paramount. This production style has also enabled Sil-Pro to quote turnaround times for parts at four weeks or less, even producing prototype parts in as little as two weeks.

“For most industries, two weeks is lightning fast,” says Kevin. “But in medical moldmaking, faster is always better. We’re aiming for turnaround in as little as three days when necessary, though we can never sacrifice quality.

We began by building automated part production systems at our facility to speed production. When we saw how valuable that investment was, we realized that spending money on technology quickly pays off, so we began to invest in other areas.”

Sil Pro medical tubing is extremely fine gauge with both accurate and repeatable dimensions inside and out.

Medical

the needed surface finishes of 4 to 8 Ra. The Makino machines have become Sil-Pro’s workhorses, providing the speed and finish required for this type of mold manufacturing.

The company utilizes high-speed machining and hardmilling whenever possible, but for mold features that cannot be milled, an EDGE2 Sinker EDM allows Sil-Pro to produce sharp corners

MACHINES ADDED

When acquiring the mold shop, Sil-Pro obtained several commodity machine tools and a Makino S56 vertical machining center. The S56 provided significantly better accuracies, more consistency, and faster cycle times than the commodity machines. It was the first indicator as to what was possible in machine tool accuracy and speed, and led to purchases of additional Makinos, including a V33, V22 Graphite, and an EDGE2 Ram EDM. “We discovered that you get what you pay for when it comes to machine tools,” says Tellers Soon after installation, the new machines were running unattended, quickly and consistently producing accurate molds. Sil-Pro also benefited from decreased cycle times of 25 to 40 percent due to the elimination of flashing problems, while still obtaining www.canadianmetalworking.com | october 2011 | 47

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Medical

Case Study

and deep ribs.

THE MOLD-MAKING PROCESS

“Most of the molds we create are for medical surgical seals, and the nature of a seal itself requires accuracy,” says Kevin. “If it leaks in any way, it’s no longer a seal. These molds have to be consistently perfect.”

The process requires tooling sizes as small as 0.1 mm and geometries within 0.0005 inches inside cavities.

“Another challenge we face is that

All molds produced at Sil-Pro require high finish qualities, with finished parts that often require no hand-polishing. By machining molds in only one operation, Sil-Pro can achieve the strict and demanding time frames their customers request.

After a mold is designed, machined and CMM verified, it’s moved to the injection molding facility.

SILICONE MEDICAL IMPLANTS

Silicone has become widely used in the medical industry for implants, such as

the tubing and seals Sil-Pro produces.

Silicone’s usage in medical implants is due to its composition as a sturdy yet flexible material. It is resilient and is unaffected by harsh temperatures and many chemicals of the body. The flexibility of silicone makes its use in joint implants an easy fit and reduces the odds for implant fractures.

In its hardened state, silicone can be molded using transfer molding, a process that can result in less material consistency, control, and increased

“Our real responsibility to the customer is the part, not the mold, but the mold is an essential component of the process” many of the parts we produce are tubular in nature, creating a unique degree of difficulty,” adds Tellers.

“These parts demand extremely tight radiuses, which require accuracies within five ten-thousandths, sometimes even smaller. Shut-offs for these parts can be as strict as two ten-thousandths.”

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Medical manufacturing is about cleanliness, both for product safety and regulatory compliance.

lead-time from longer vulcanization times. For these reasons, injection molding is popular for the production of silicone parts.

“Due to this material’s composition as high-purity platinum-cured silicone, the liquid injection process proved to retain high stability even in extremely high temperatures,” says Kevin. “This

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Cutting MeDiCAl tools

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process is an ideal choice for part production. And since silicone molding doesn’t require mold release or surface preparation before injection, it saves us some labor.”

Although silicone molding has many benefits, shops that work with silicone often struggle with the material’s high flash rate during injecting. This requires shut-offs to be accurate within 0.0002 inches to build in shrinkage needed to prevent part imperfections.

“Many machine tools don’t give you the confidence to produce silicone molds accurately enough to prevent hours of hand-finishing. With the Makinos, we are able to cut right to the numbers and achieve the tight shut-offs needed for silicone injection molding,” says Tellers. “The machines have proved to be fully reliable and consistent, even when running unattended.”

out oF tHe MolD sHoP

Sil-Pro selected a Makino S56 vertical machining centre to provide the speed/ surface finish combination needed for fast turnaround medical moldmaking.

“These parts cannot be contaminated,” says Kevin. “When the mold comes out of the mold shop and is cleaned, it won’t be touched with bare hands until we’re done shooting the final parts.”

Workers in the injection molding room wear head-to-toe clean-room gear, and the room is sealed off from the rest of the facility, in accordance with regulations. The molds are shot either in a one-stage setup for prototyping or in a fully automated production cell for full-run parts “If it’s for a prototype, the customer typically needs a handful of parts, so we don’t go to the expense or time of creating an automated cell,” explains Kevin. “Once the prototype is checked and any final changes are made to the mold, we often build an automated setup to allow continuous, high-speed production of the parts and to verify quality and consistency, as is required for this type of work.”

Sil-Pro has outsourced the building of a few automation cells, but has begun building cells in-house to control the process from start to finish.

“These machines will automatically shoot the silicone, pull the parts, perform any needed secondary operations such as slitting, then inspect the parts,” adds Tellers. They machine many of the components for the automation cells, utilizing their machinists’ programming and manufacturing abilities.

Once the parts are produced, they move to an inspection clean-room connected to the injection molding room. Every part is examined by a trained inspector using a microscope and any required measurement device before being packaged and shipped out to the customer.

“Our real responsibility to the customer is the part, not the mold, but the mold is an essential component of the process,” explains Kevin.

“We must ensure that the parts meet all the required guidelines and are perfect every time. Makino equipment allows our mold shop to do that.”

“With a growing number of mold shops jumping into medical manufacturing, we feel we offer a unique solution,” says Kevin.

“There’s no doubt we will continue to invest in advanced technologies to keep our competitive edge, though expanding into more industries is also an option as we become a stronger force in manufacturing. No matter what, we will continue to be a one-stop shop for silicone medical injection molds.” CM Sil-Pro, Delano, Minnesota www.sil-pro.com

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50 | october 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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by

drills

Drill

Baby, Drill!

Getting it right with heat resistant super alloys

By Tim Wilson

Cutting tools

Drilling deep holes into heat resistant super alloy (HRS) materials can result in many of the same challenges posed by standard materials. However, with HRS alloys it can be easier to get things wrong, and the consequences can be greater, too.

“With the nickel and iron-based alloys the window of success is much smaller than in carbon steel,” says Kevin Burton, product manager for milling and deep hole drilling at Sandvik Cormorant in Mississauga, Ontario.

“Even if the hardness changes by one or two points Rockwell C it will have a major effect on tool performance.”

A chip off the old drill

Burton adds that with HRS alloys chip control is not always the best; yet in any deep hole machining applications chip control is essential.

“This is more critical in HRS alloys because it is much more difficult to break the chips,” he says. “These aren’t perfect chips, they tend to be longer.”

As a result, drilling a deep hole in an HRS alloy can result in more cumbersome chips that are harder to evacuate.

“Too much pressure is as bad as too little,” says Robert Humphreys, field application engineer for Walter Canada.

“If you go too high then the chips pack and you end up with vibration.”

Humphreys suggests that for these applications decent flow and pressure is in the 200 to 500 psi range. The important thing is to be cautious, to move out from your existing knowledge and to stick with vendor and industry recommendations.

“There is a sweet spot with chip control,” says Humphreys. “At Walter we have a range of charts and recommendations for materials – these can give you a starting point, and then you finesse it after that.”

How the change in the geometry at the cutting edge affects the flow of the chip on the tool is of interest to Dr. Stephen Veldhuis, director of McMaster University’s Manufacturing Research Institute (MMRI), in Hamilton, Ontario.

The MMRI has been in existence since 2000; the Institute, which works closely with industry partners, devotes itself to examining how materials and processes can work better.

“We are trying a multi-layer approach to maintain a degree of wear resistance, and also to enhance www.canadianmetalworking.com | october 2011 | 51

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Cutting tools

DRills

lubricity,” says Veldhuis. “We want the chip to slide on a tool better, because there is a lot of adhesion on heat resistant alloys – if the material doesn’t clear out of the flute then the drill snaps and is stuck inside the work piece.”

Experts like Veldhuis advise it is important to remember that, even with an approach that is fine-tuned to an HRS alloy, the drilling experience will be different. It is crucial to know the difference between something unique to drilling deep into an HRS alloy, and something that is outright dangerous and can result in catastrophic failure.

“Don’t get excited if the first chip is out a little on the long side,” says Humphreys. “Wait until you are at one or two times diameter and depth, then see.

The chances are it will work itself out – the first chip will come out a little long, but once you get it right it is tight.”

That first chip may be waving around and not controlled in the flute.

However, once the drill is fully engaged, sufficient control and direction should result in the chip forming properly and breaking itself on the wall in the back of the hole. The number one warning sign? As with many machining applications, it is crucial to be sensitive to undue vibration.

“Eliminating vibration can’t be stressed enough,” says Ian Candolini, and application engineer with Hurco Canada. “Vibration damping is the name of the game here.”

Candolini is referring not only to drilling, but also to milling in multi-axis machining centres, a Hurco specialty.

Nonetheless, his advice is well-taken and is of special relevance when dealing with HRS alloys.

“You should verify that the drive system is operating accurately and smoothly,” he says, “ and that backlash is as close to non-existent as possible.”

lube, feeds, speeds and chip control are all critical in HrS alloy holemaking.

stAY Cool

Because HRS alloys create a lot of resistance, cooling issues are at the fore when drilling deep holes, as is making sure that you have the right coatings.

“When normal materials are plasticizing from heat and pressure generated at the tool tip, these HRS alloys are still holding strong,” says Candolini. “The tool and coating must be designed with this in mind in order for the cutting edge to avoid instant degradation.”

Candolini says that coolant is an area where an insufficient or erratic supply can cause more problems than it will solve.

“Without coolant directed to the point of engagement, its contact will be sporadic and the work piece and tool will go through continual rapid heating

wouldn’t use soluble oil – there’s not enough lubricity, which causes built up edge on the cutting edges and the support pads.”

HRS alloys aren’t used everywhere.

They tend to show up where industry demand is strong, notably in aerospace, where drilling deep holes can be a requirement, and where work-pieces are of extremely high value. Failure is not an option.

“Aerospace can machine a part that’s worth $100,000 by the time it’s done,” says Veldhuis. “Yet investments in tooling are often playing catch-up with metallurgical advances and the development of new alloys.”

Materials that retain a high strength to weight ratio at elevated temperatures represent the ‘holy grail’ for the research community. But when drilling

“This isn’t the automotive industry...cycle times aren’t the highest priority” In terms of feeds and speeds, aerospace alloys leave little room for error.

and cooling cycles.”

The resulting thermal shocks can have a devastating result, resulting in fractures and premature failure. Coolant choice is also critical.

“I wouldn’t recommend deep hole drilling in HRS alloys with anything other than oil,” says Burton from Sandvik. “I

deeply into work pieces using these materials the industry is at a disadvantage in that requirements and unit costs are very high. In these instances, patience is a must – this is not the automotive industry where cycle times are the highest priority.

“If you are drilling 60 inches deep,

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DRills

High lubricity oils are best for deep hole work.

you might have to drill 20 inches, back out, change peripheral inserts, and then drill again,” says Burton.

Though this may be somewhat slower than a single process, the insert indexing can still be accomplished relatively quickly – in a couple of minutes at most. The problem is that HRS alloys have a much smaller range for success.

“Inconel 718, Nickel Beryllium Alloy 360, these have a speed range of 60 to 100 feet, with 0.002 to 0.007 thousandths per rev as a feed range,” says Burton. “That’s not a lot of room for error.”

Burton refers to an actual test report in which very small changes from 75 surface feet, 0.007” per revolution, and drilling to 8 ¾ inches depth, when

adjusted to 70 surface feet and 0.0065” per revolution could suddenly drill to a depth of 27 inches.

“This is over three times the tool life just by making that small change,” says Burton. “You really have to change the parameters to suit the material, and that can shift from batch to batch.”

Smooth running and zero backlash are essential to keep the tool alive.

Sandvik has a range of deep hole drilling tools that utilize multilayer titanium-aluminum-nitride coating – including the CoroDrill 800 and the T-MAX – some of which can drill to 24 inches, effectively drilling an entire part instead of to 1/3 depth.

That said, though vendor technology

Cutting tools

recommendations can assist greatly with set-up choices, this is still an area that requires significant expertise – and attention.

“The one thing about deep hole drilling, it’s a very skilled application area,” says Burton. “You have to be knowledgeable to run it successfully, and because of the oil it can be unpleasant.”

Humphreys from Walter Canada adds that, given the cost of HRS alloys, it is crucial to listen to technical specialists, and to keep an eye on subcontractors who may be bidding above their pay grade.

“Occasionally a subcontractor bids on something they don’t understand,” says Humphreys. “They need to find technical reps who know what they are doing, with good integrity, who can advise honestly and fairly.”

Sounds like good advice. Otherwise, a shop might find itself in a very deep hole indeed. CM Tim Wilson is a freelance writer based in Peterborough, ON and a regular contributor.

IMAGES COURTESY SANDVIK

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Cutting tools

DRills

PRoDuCt RePoRt internal Coolant Drills for Drilling Depths up to 7xD

SGS tool company’s Ice-carb drills eliminate the need for pecking in most applications and feature unique geometry that enhance coolant flow and chip removal. the series features a 140 degree self-centering point angle, corner protection for increased tool life

and ti-NAMIte-A (AltiN) coating for higher thermal stability and greater wear resistance in deep hole drilling. excellent results in Stainless Steel, Alloyed Steel, cast Iron, Low carbon Steel, tool Steel, Inconel and titanium sgs tool Company www.sgstool.com

new foamy lubricant increases tool life of taps, drills, & annular cutters

Hougen Manufacturing, Inc., announces their new rotaFoam cutting Fluid. In most metalworking applications, nothing is more important than proper tool lubrication. rotaFoam cutting Fluid is an extreme heavyduty foamy aerosol lubricant that provides superior protection to the cutting tool even in hard, high torque machining applications. rotaFoam cutting Fluid has “super sticky” properties to adhere to the tool and reduce friction throughout the cut.

Formulated with XHD blue colored foam which allows the operator to consistently gauge where the lubricant is sprayed and visually assures thorough coverage.

Designed for use on all metals including: carbon steel, stainless steel, inconel, hastalloy, titanium, aluminum and other alloys and exotics. rotaFoam™ is a versatile cutting fluid that provides maximum lubrication and increased tool life in many different applications and tools. example of applications include: annular cutters,

taps, drills, saws, reamers and end mills. rotaFoam is available in single net weight 17 oz. (482g) aerosol cans or in a case of twelve cans.

Hougen Manufacturing, inc. www.hougen.com

expanded solid carbide drill line

Walter titex X-treme solid carbide high-performance drills from Walter are now available as non-coolant thru drills.

Like the popular internally-cooled series, these non coolant thru X-treme drills are available from 1/8” to ¾” (3 to 25 mm) diameter and can be used with all common materials. Like the internally cooled line, these new Walter titex X-treme drills feature a four-margins design which improves the stability of the drills relative to the workpiece. the four margins also ensure an improved hole surface finish.

All drills in the Walter titex X-treme solid carbide series feature an advanced

aluminum chromium nitride-based XPL coating. In addition to the universal use of the tools for all ISo material groups, the tools also deliver enhanced tool life. other features of this range of products include a 140 degree point angle and a cylindrical shank or whistle-notch shank according to DIN 6535. the h6 shank tolerance is suitable for shrink fit chucks.

Walter usA, llC www.walter-tools.com

new design for indexable boring bar system

Scientific cutting tools, introduces a revolutionary new design for indexable boring bar technology with the Sct Advantage

boring bar System. the innovative design of the tool puts extra material where needed for strength and chip control coupled with a finely ground insert finish and low profile screw design that will maximize your small diameter boring operations. the tools feature a micro-grain carbide shank for maximum rigidity plus a unique top cut that strengthens the pocket

by 40% and directs chips away from the cut zone. Head is heat treated to resist pocket damage and shanks are chamfered for easy installation. Available in coated ALtiN or uncoated. right and left hand styles are available from stock. scientific Cutting tools www.sct-usa.com

new high performance thread mills

Niagara cutter introduces their new line of High Performance carbide thread Mills for higher quality threads, increased productivity, and consistent performance.

Available in a wide range of thread sizes and diameters, these specially designed thread Mills are available with several options, including: AlcrN coating, extended reach and coolant-through. Also available are the cVD Diamond coated thread Mills eliminating the challenges associated with producing threads in composite materials.

For over 50 years, Niagara cutter has supplied industries with a broad range of High Performance end Mills in sizes from Micro Decimal (0.005 in.) to 3 inch diameter. niagara Cutter www.niagaracutter.com

Quick change boring bars for multiple applications Master tool offers single or complete packages of HSK Quick change boring bars to meet any application. Features

include ISo standard inserts and coated or PcD-tipped inserts for long tool life. HSK quick change shanks rough and chamfer on same stroke and are repeatable within 0.000050 (.001 mm). sumitomo electric Carbide Mfg. Master tool Division www.mtctools.com

54 | october 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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Commitment.

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we believe a commitment to excellence forms the backbone of manufacturing achievement. That is why we are dedicated to providing manufacturers with the highest quality products, customer service and support in the industry.

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Isn’t it time you took another look at Cincinnati?

www.e-ci.com ■ (513) 367-7100

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Fabtech preview

Fabricating

The Second City

WELCOMES FABTECH

the manufacturing sector converges on chicago in November

by Nestor Gula .................................................................................

In ancient times everybody knew that all roads led to Rome. In 2011, if you are a manufacturer, the road will lead to Chicago for FABTECH. This congregation of job creators is North America’s largest metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing event. The show is huge, covering more than 410,000 square feet of floor space at Chicago’s McCormick Place. Over 1,300 exhibiting companies will entertain and inform the anticipated 30,000 or more visitors. Opening on Monday, November 14 and running until Thursday November 17, FABTECH will wipe away the November blues and any fear of economic hardship by showing the attendees all the tools they need to improve productivity, increase profits and find new methods to survive in a competitive business environment.

The most impressive thing about FABTECH will be the sprawling trade show.

The exhibiting companies will be showcasing products, tools and technologies that modern manufacturers need to minimize costs, increase flexibility and strengthen their business. Searching these companies on the Internet might be give managers some insight but only at FABTECH will you be able to talk with the engineers that designed the these technologies. Only at this show can you do hands on comparisons of thousands of machines and see them in action. With the amount of attendees and exhibitors, you will be able to meet with experts and peers from all manufacturing sectors to exchange ideas, find solutions and network with experts.

FABTECH is located in McCormick Place that is located on the shore of Lake Michigan just south of Downtown Chicago. The show floor is organized in

Seminars that co ver ever ything fro manufacturing techniques to bu m new siness manageme nt.

About 30,000 attendees will visit the more than 1,300 exhibitors in the 410,000 square foot facility of chicago’s Mccormick Place.

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Fabtech preview

Fabricating

e prominently at

tions will featur

nstra Hands on demo

FAbtecH.

Pavilions that are geared toward specific industries and technologies. Encompassing both North and South Halls at McCormick Place, The South Hall houses pavilions dedicated to Forming & Fabricating, Laser, Metalforming, Tool/Die, Tube & Pipe and Finishing while The North Hall houses pavilions dedicated to Welding and Thermal Spray.

There will be literally hundreds of innovative products and

What Our Customers Are Saying...

WAT E R J E T S YS T E M S

solutions from leading suppliers for you to browse in the many halls of McCormick Place. While it would be worthwhile for most people in the manufacturing industry to attend, anyone at your company involved in evaluating and purchasing new equipment, products, or services needs to attend FABTECH. Whether you’re a job shop owner, company executive, metal fabricator, production supervisor, plant manager, engineer, welder, or purchaser, it is important to attend a show like FABTECH to understand the new trends impacting the industry and get cutting-edge ideas for the future. A list of exhibiting companies can be found on FABTECH’s WebSite, www.fabtechexpo.com.

While the trade show itself is impressive, the amount of knowledge that will positively affect your business that can be gained at FABTECH is even more impressive.

The expert-led educational sessions and special events are focused on a variety of topics. The Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, Int’l (FMA), Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), Precision Metalforming Association (PMA), and Chemical Coaters Association International (CCAI), co-sponsor the educational sessions on cutting, finishing, forming & fabricating, management, stamping, and tube & pipe. All sessions are two hours in length, offering practical knowledge you can use right away. Sessions with Tech Tours combine classroom instruction followed by expert-led guided tours on the show floor to see technology operating in designated booths.

The opening session at FABTECH will feature Congressman Don Manzullo (R-IL) speaking on America’s Challenge: Strengthen U.S. Manufacturing and Create Jobs. He will provide insight on legislative and regulatory initiatives being taken to ensure a level playing field for American manufacturers in global markets. Other interesting addresses will be the State of the Industry: Executive Outlook where key industry leading executives from TRUMPF, Lincoln Electric, Schuler, and DuPont Powder Coatings America discuss their views about the current state of the industry and the trends they see are shaping the future. The keynote presentation on Tuesday will focus on Growing Your Business Through Innovation presented by Robert Tucker who is an internationally recognized authority on innovation and the author of numerous books.

The General Session on Wednesday will look at Reshoring: Helping Manufacturers Understand the Total Cost of Offshoring.

Presented by Harry Moser, the founder of The Reshoring Initiative, he will help you and your customers recognize the true costs of offshoring. Attendees to this session will receive a free copy of the Initiative’s proprietary Total Cost of Ownership Estimator software, which will help you identify and calculate total cost, including 25 hidden costs of sourcing offshore.

The Business Session, titled Drive Top Line Performance with Exponential Economy will be a fascinating and entertaining presentation by Matt Kirchner who will provide an enlightened observation and then present ten ways businesses are using the “Exponential Economy” to drive top line performance. More information on the schedule of sessions and speakers can be found at FABTECH’s website. For attendees looking for a place to stay in Chicago, FABTECH has booked blocks of rooms. For more information, log on to www.fabtechexpo.com. cM Nestor Gula is a Toronto-based freelance technical writer and editor specializing in metalworking and welding. Nestor was the former editor of Metalcraft Magazine. Nestor can be reached at nestorgula@bell.net

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p p c

F p w d h a p o

To u

FA

CM S B T TS – EE US AT EC B H – ooth N ... o Boo th N . 192 o.

11 6 5

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per fect punching capabilities From entry-level, price-sensitive punch presses to high end models with fast, high-performance 360 degree all-tool rotation, 3" (75mm) high forming, and 24/7 lights out automation systems – LVD Strippit’s punch press range strikes the balance of price and performance at all levels.

To find the right machine for you call us at 800-828-1527. Perfect.

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Fabricating

Fabtech preview

PRODUCT REPORT

New products for right angle grinding

Norton, the world’s largest abrasives manufacturer, will be exhibiting new abrasives products at FABTECH Booth # 6500 from November 14-17, 2011 at McCormick Place in Chicago. Norton will feature the latest in right angle grinding solutions for welding and metal

fabrication applications.

Featured are Flap Discs including SG Blaze R980P, NorZon BlueFire and Merit Metal discs. New this year is the Quick Trim backing on SG Blaze and TwinStar flap discs, providing a new flexible, easily-trimmed plastic back plate, allowing full use of the flaps to reduce material and labor costs. SG Blaze offers the lowest total cost solution on stainless and alloys. BlueFire discs feature new zirconia alumina plus abrasives for an increased cut rate, offering an exceptional blend of performance and price with up to 30% longer life over conventional zirconia products on carbon steel and weld. Merit Metal abrasives utilize an engineered blend of two high-performance zirconia products to provide the best starting specification, when price is a primary consideration.

Norton’s NEW Non-Woven Right Angle Discs, including SG Blaze Rapid Strip and Vortex Rapid Blend will also be featured. SG Blaze discs, which have Norton SG ceramic alumina grain for faster cutting and longer life, are a better choice for stripping rough rust and scale from metal parts while still being flexible enough to avoid gouging the base material. New Vortex discs feature an innovative, high-performance engineered grain and improved resin bond system, providing aggressive, fast stock removal and a fine finish in deburring and blending operations.

Norton Abrasives Booth 6500

Mitsubishi to introduce new 2D, 3D, and hybrid lasers plus new press brake technology

Mitsubishi will unveil the new eX, Mitsubishi’s most productive and efficient 2D laser machine ever at FABTECH 2011. The eX delivers low running costs, eco-friendly features for power and gas consumption, and stable operation for up to 1.4 times greater productivity.

The eco mode cuts running costs by up to 90 percent during standby. Carbon dioxide emissions are reduced by around 30% compared to competitor machines. The machine’s new compact design provides a small footprint without reducing table size. Also at FABTECH will be Mitsubishi’s new 2D hybrid laser, the HVII. The new series builds on the success of the HV series, offering easier setup, expanded processing area, enhanced productivity and improved operability and maintenance. Also on display will be the VZ Series, Mitsubishi’s

Three lines of special application tooling

Mate Precision Tooling again will exhibit the latest tooling system technology in Booth 1330 at FABTECH 2011.

EasyMark, EasySnap and SnapLock are just three of Mate’s broad line of special application tooling to be demonstrated. These tools mark parts for easier identification in downstream operations (EasyMark); create “shake and brake” joints for separating parts (EasySnap);

and make interlocking tabs to lock parts together (SnapLock). Euromac customers can get up to triple grind life with Mate’s new XMT24A two-piece punches for Euromac XMTE6 Multi-Tools. Mate’s new ValuGrind precisely regrinds punches and dies to maintain optimum condition for the highest quality parts production.

ValuGrind comes completely fixtured new 3D laser series, offering the ultimate in accuracy and flexibility for users across a wide range of complex applications.

The NX machine, designed for speed, will also be showcased at the show. The machine’s new structural configuration allows increased G-force, giving it unmatched speed while keeping the highest possible accuracy. The new height sensor is twice as fast as previous machines.

Two new hybrid press brakes will also be on display. The BB4013 is a compact machine with a ball-screw-driven ram and high-speed back gauge – offering 40 metric tons of force with one-micron repeatability. The hybrid BH1353 offers a larger stroke, more speed and hydraulic power.

Mitsubishi Booth 2100

and is available for Thick Turret, Trumpf, Murata Wiedemann and Strippit Style Thin Turret style tooling.

Mate Precision Tooling Booth 1330

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Fabtech preview

water jet cutting machine cuts virtually any material without haZ

Waterjet manufacturer Jet edge, Inc. introduces the Mid rail Gantry Model Mr513 water jet cutting machine. It will be on display at cMtS and FAbtecH. capable of processing material up to 5’x13’, the Mid rail Gantry Model Mr513 water jet cutting machine is sized especially for fabricators, machine shops and stone and tile shops. It cuts complex

parts from virtually any material without creating a heat-affected zone (HAZ). the Mid rail Gantry comes standard with one abrasive jet cutting head. A second cutting head can be added to increase productivity. optional mirroring makes it possible to cut large parts twice as fast.

Jet edge Mid rail Gantry waterjet systems are available in a wide range of work envelopes, from 5’x5’ to 24’x13’. the Mid rail Gantry is powered by a Jet edge waterjet intensifier pump. Jet edge has the widest range of waterjet pumps on the market, from 25-280hp, including 36KSI (2500 bar), 60KSI (4100 bar) and 90KSI (6200 bar) models. electric and diesel pumps are available.

Jet edge, inc. booth 2739

new laser technology advancements at Fabtech

Mazak optonics will showcase a wide range of applications and demonstrate several new machines at FAbtecH in booth 1148. At FAbtecH Mazak will showcase the firm’s inaugural fiber laser. built on the company’s oPtIPLeX platform, this laser achieves extremely high speeds via an IPG fiber resonator, which yields faster cuts through thin gauge material and significantly reduces operating costs. the company’s new oPtIPLeX 2D laser cutting system with flexible 2-pallet changer provides high throughput,

Ao/5 automated setup technologies and rugged construction. by combining integrated intelligent automation and superior cutting speeds, this job shop

laser accurately processes material thicknesses from the thinnest of steel to 1” mild steel. During booth demonstrations, show attendees will experience the machine’s new user-friendly PreView II touch screen control and new 4,000-watt type 10 resonator that lowers operating costs.

Mazak will also introduce its new modular material automation system that is expandable from one up to four laser-cutting machines. For the purpose of catering to specific operational needs, this modular system offers a variety of loading tables, stocking towers up to 40 shelves, unload stations and workpiece storage towers. the new line controller helps increase system flexibility and improves throughput.

Mazak Optonics corporation booth 1148

Fabricating

large format. the truMatic 7000 has an extremely fast laser flap cycle time of just one second, and the excellent beam quality of the truFlow co2 laser yields high-precision cutting results. Additional axes enable higher cutting speeds in combination with lower energy consumption and an increased cut quality. In addition, the machine’s scratch-free processing is achieved by lowering the active die during sheet positioning. Single cutting head strategy and fast nozzle changer facilitate unattended operation over multiple shifts and an active die for extending forming capability allows for larger, higher forms and an active upward forming stroke. trUMpF booth 1100

cost-effective punching, forming, marking and tapping

LVD Strippit offers the Pullmax Series of punch presses including the LVD Pullmax 520, 530, 720 and 730 models. Pullmax Series machines provide cost-effective punching, forming, marking, bending and tapping. LVD Strippit will exhibit the Pullmax 720 at FAbtecH, booth 1159. An efficient hydraulic

Scratch-free punching and laser processing combined

At FAbtecH 2011, trUMPF will display the truMatic 7000, combining scratchfree punching and laser processing. the truMatic 7000 machine comes in two formats, medium and large, and can process sheet metal up to 5/16 of an inch. the machine features 4kW of laser power for the highest cutting dynamics, along with productive punching with a maximum stroke rate of 1200/min in the medium format, and 1000/min in

press drive combined with rapid table accelerations and high hit rates increase productivity and lower the cost of per part production for prototypes, short or long run operations. Pullmax Series punch presses handle workpieces up to 60” x 120” (1500 x 3000 mm) without reposition in material thicknesses to 0.315” (8 mm). Pullmax Series punch presses provide exceptional forming capacity through advanced control software.

Flanges up to 3” (75 mm) can be formed to any programmed angle. Flanges oriented on the sheet at angles other than 0 or 90 degrees can be formed using the optibend feature with 360 degree www.canadianmetalworking.com | october 2011 | 61

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Fabtech preview

prODUct repOrt head rotation. Knockouts, louvers and countersinks are accurately produced and internal as well as external bends can be achieved. All tool rotation allows every tool to rotate a full 360 degrees for total flexibility. Automated handling options provide unmanned machine operations 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Pullmax 520, 530, 720 and 730 models can be equipped with load/unload, parts picking and parts sorting. A standard 19.7” x 20.7” (500 x 525 mm) parts chute quickly offloads small parts. the compact Automation system loads full-sized blanks onto the punch press and unloads, sorts and accurately stacks finished parts and skeletons, including formed parts up to 60” x 120” (1500 x 3000 mm). the LvD group booth 1159

custom hydraulic press solutions at Fabtech

100 ton 4-post metalforming press for an appliance manufacturer with full tooling integration and a 1,000 ton gib-guided press for coining heavy truck brake components. Greenerd machines include an extensive line of Hydraulic Presses in all sizes and configurations.

A complete line of Arbor Presses is also available. Greenerd Presses are available as standard machines or can be designed for custom applications by expert engineers with extensive application experience. greenerd press & Machine company, inc booth 2909

premium and value waterjet machines

oMAX is a leader in precision engineered computer controlled, multi-axis abrasive waterjet systems for use in industries including fabrication, machining, tool and die; FAbtecH

Greenerd Press & Machine company, Inc. will showcase the company’s extensive hydraulic press capabilities,

and application experts from Greenerd will be available to discuss specific user applications and press requirements at booth #2909. With product capabilities to 40,000 tons and bed sizes exceeding 240” (6,100mm), Greenerd presses are available in a variety of styles ranging from gap frame and straight-side to die-spotting and forging presses. At their manufacturing facility in Nashua, New Hampshire, Greenerd recently designed and built a turnkey system including tooling and an indexer for bearing insertion and forming for an industrial hardware application, a

to be welded together at an angle, Scotchman pipe notching machines ensure that the correct cope is made quickly and accurately and are ideal for double corner joints.

attendees will see tables from both our premium oMAX JetMachining center line and our value-inspired MAXIeM Jetcutting line; these tables range in size from 2’ x 2’ (0.76 m x 0.76 m) to 46’ x 13’ (14 m x 4 m). We’ll also demonstrate our new, highly efficient enduroMAX 1,000-hour direct drive pump, A-Jet multi-axis accessory for cutting beveled edges and angles up to 60 degrees, and terrain Follower for automatic adjustments in material surface height changes.

Omax corp. booth 2154

the Scotchman Pipe Notchers by ALMI are quick, easy, inexpensive cost savers that are accurate on all material thicknesses and all types of material. they are easy to operate and are ideal for tubes and sections. the grinding rollers are easy to change, and the grinding belt is quickly tightened and easily adjusted. once the sections of pipe have been ground they can be deburred using the handy deburring table on top of the machine. Scotchman Pipe Notchers are backed with Scotchman’s 3 Year Warranty.

Scotchman Metal Fabricating Solutions booth 2548

eliminates setup time, five different parts in five minutes

New from Prima Power, the FASt beND (Fbe) – a flexible, servo-electric bending machine that will revolutionize the world of press brakes. the Fbe can

aLMi pipe notchers added to product line

Scotchman Metal Fabricating Solutions introduces the Scotchman Pipe Notcher

by ALMI. these pipe notchers are top quality, economical and great for high production. Scotchman pipe notchers are efficient, manually operated, electrically driven machines and abrasive pipe grinders for the notching of gas pipes, steam pipes, stainless steel pipes, and many other types of pipes. Wherever pipes need

bend 5 different parts with different thicknesses and alloys in just 5 minutes.

It fills the needs of today’s fabricators regarding the press brake operation. prima power north america inc. booth 1839

62 | october 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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Visit us at FABTECH Booth No. 6140

Canada Customer Service: Phone: 905-827-4515

•

FAX: 1-800-588-1714

•

Email: canadacs@thermadyne.com

•

www.thermal-dynamics.com

THERMADYNE, A GLOBAL WELDING AND CUTTING LEADER, is proud to support the skilled professions of welding, metalworking, and fabrication.

Victor®, Thermal Dynamics®, Thermal Arc®, Tweco®, Arcair®, Stoody® and TurboTorch® are among the Thermadyne family of industry leading brands.

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welding

aws preview

the American Welding Society co-locates with FAbtecH in chicago

by Nestor Gula ....................................................................................................................................................

Coinciding with FABTECH, The American Welding Society (AWS) will present a comprehensive schedule of welding education.

AWS has been part of FABTECH, North America’s largest metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing event, for many years. This year it will take place in Chicago, Illinois, November 14-17, 2011. 30,000 visitors are expected to attend with over 1,200 exhibitors covering more than 410,000 square feet of floor space of the McCormick Place.

The scheduling, marketing and promotion for AWS/FABTECH is done as a package but AWS has seminars, lectures, conferences and educational events that have nothing to do with our partner associations. All information on AWS events can be found at www.fabtechexpo.com.

“There are two new things happening at FABTECH this year that AWS is especially proud of,” said Cindy Weihl, Public Relations Manager for the American Welding Society.

“The first, we have developed a smartphone app specifically for AWS events at the show.

The app, called ‘AWS Events at FABTECH,’ provides easy-to-use interactive capabilities that allow attendees to make the most Ph of their time at the show by having oto cre the most up-to-date AWS Education dit: FAbt Program information in the palm of ecH their hand. The app is available for iPhone, Blackberry and Android phones but there is also a web-based app version for all other smartphone devices.” The AWS FABTECH mobile app features include: Interactive speaker list, E-brochures available for download, floor plan maps, complete listing of events, interactive show schedule, real-time show alerts via text messaging, social media interaction with built-in Twitter feed “At the show, AWS will also be debuting a brand new AWS ‘Careers in Welding’ trailer, that is sponsored by Lincoln Electric,” said Weihl. “The new educational mobile trailer exhibit is a virtual welding lab with VRTEX 360 machines available to test welding skills. The hands-on exhibit features several educational components as well as a social media center. After the show the trailer will be traveling the country to help recruit young people to join the welding industry.”

The AWS Opening Session and Annual Business Meeting will open the show on Monday morning and will be followed with the Comfort A. Adams Lecture. This lecture will be presented by Øystein Grong who has worked as a Research Scientist at the Norwegian Defense Research Establishment, Kjeller, Norway and as a visiting Research Professor at Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado and National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, Colorado (USA). Professor Grong has a broad interest and research experience in materials in general and micro structural modeling in particular. A significant part of this work is related to welding and thermomechanical processing of metals and alloys. He is the author of Metallurgical Modeling of Welding, holds four patents and has received five prestige awards for his scientific contributions. That evening the AWS Reception will be held and will give attendees the opportunity to meet the AWS Officers, network with members and prospects.

People looking for welding equipment will find what they are looking for at the FABTECH show. The main component of AWS’ presence at the show is educational. Led by the industry’s top professionals, programs focus on best practices and new commercial developments in welding and thermal spray. Events include conferences, seminars, RWMA Resistance Welding School, professional program, society events, and more.

Monday’s seminars fit under the heading, “Welding Technology to the Rescue.”

Sessions include, Quality Assurance in Field Heat Treatment, Reciprocating Wire Feed Systems for Plate Products, 20 kW Hybrid Laser Arc Welder and A New Hybrid Laser Arc Welding Center Opens Up among others.

Tuesday’s sessions deal with weld cracking. Sessions include, Understanding Weld Cracking in Steels, Hot Cracking in Austenitic Stainless Steels, How to Prevent Cracking When Welding Aluminum Alloys, Preventing Cracking in Nickel-Base Alloys, and Pressure Vessel Crack Prevention in Weld Repairs and Alterations.

On Wednesday AWS looks at what’s new in power sources.

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welding

PRODUCT REPORT Cutting, heating and welding products

Smith Equipment will display its cutting, heating and welding products, along with various alternate fuel outfits and gas regulators at FABTECH 2011. Smith Equipment will share booth 5950 with Bernard, Hobart Brothers, Tregaskiss and Weldcraft. Of special interest to the fabricating and manufacturing industry are showcased products, including: Alternate fuel outfits: Designed for use with

propane, propylene and natural gases, Smith Equipment alternate fuel outfits are available in medium- and heavy-duty models, as well as an economy version. Each outfit includes a torch and torch handle, regulators, hoses, a toolbox and additional accessories designed to assist in reliable cutting, heating

and brazing performance; Mizon flowmeter regulator and flowgauge regulators: Smith Equipment designed these regulators to accompany a special shielding gas mixture developed by Linde. The gas eliminates ozone emissions in MIG welding applications, offering greater protection for the welding operator and the environment and specialty gas regulators: Smith Equipment’s specialty gas regulators include its Silverline regulators, which are available in up to 10,000 possible configurations. Each of these specialty gas regulators provides gas purity levels up to 99.999 percent and is available in general-purpose, high purity, analytical and high purity stainless steel corrosion resistant models. Smith Equipment also offers a 3-stage nitrogen transformer blanketing regulator.

Smith Equipment Booth Number 5950

Polish, debur, grind

Hans WEBER Sales & Service will be displaying information on their line of polishing, deburring and slag grinding machines at FABTECH 2011. WEBER’s modular

machine construction operates abrasive belts, Scotchbrite, planetary disc stations or polishing platens to attain the surface finish you need. Visitors to the Hans WEBER booth # 1225, will have an opportunity to learn about their full line including the TT series of finishing and grinding machines with the patented DR planetary disc which handles laser oxide film removal or precision edge rounding. WEBER machines allow the user to round edges, deburr, remove laser oxide film and finish in a single pass.

Hans Weber Sales & Service Booth 1225

New MIG guns, consumables

Tregaskiss will showcase its semi-automatic and robotic MIG guns, along with its consumables and welding peripherals at FABTECH 2011. Tregaskiss will share booth 5950 with Bernard, Hobart Brothers,

These sessions will examine the latest welding machines that are equipped with greatly improved capabilities, including multi-process operation.

Other sessions and seminars held during the show will look at Thermal Spray Technology, Welding of Stainless Steel-Effect of Sulfur on Weld Pool Phenomena, Solid State Welding of High Performance Steels, Double Electrode GMAW with One Welding Power Supply and Preventing Dissimilar Metal Weld Failures.

There are so many educational seminars being offered by AWS that it is physically impossible to attend all of them. Anybody involved in welding would be well advised to attend this show as not only will the latest technology of welding be on display and examined, but the knowledge that one can take home to the betterment of your company is immeasurable. A full list and schedule of these sessions and seminars is available at www.fabtechexpo.com. CM Nestor Gula is a Toronto-based freelance technical writer and editor specializing in metalworking and welding. Nestor was the former editor of Metalcraft Magazine. Nestor can be reached at nestorgula@bell.net www.canadianmetalworking.com | october 2011 | 65

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aws preview

prOdUCT repOrT Smith equipment and Weldcraft.

New products of interest to the fabricating and manufacturing industries include: AutoLength Liner System: this new spring-loaded module, housed inside the power pin, ensures that the liner remains seated properly while offering up to one inch forgiveness if the liner has been cut too short or too long. the AutoLength Liner System was created to minimize

wire feeding and quality issues, as well as downtime, commonly associated with the liner being trimmed to the incorrect length and toUGH GUN™ thruArm™ G2 Series robotic MIG Guns: these new robotic MIG guns are compatible with all robotic systems, including those by FANUc, Abb, Motoman and KUKA. the new series has the same reliable features as previous thruArm robotic MIG Guns, including the

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exclusive tregaskiss LSr (Low-Stress robotic) Unicable technology that minimizes stress caused by robotic wrist rotation. Plus, the guns now have a new solid mount and custom arm. tregaskiss experts will also be available at the booth to answer questions about these and other tregaskiss products.

Tregaskiss Booth 5950

new welding products and safety gear

Miller electric Mfg. co. will introduce brand new welding equipment and safety products, as well as showcase recent technology advances at FAbtecH 2011. Miller (booth 6154), Miller Welding Automation (booth 5954) and ItW Welding North America companies such as bernard, Hobart brothers, MAXAL, tregaskiss, and Weldcraft (booth 5950) will showcase comprehensive welding systems and market-specific solutions designed for manufacturing, fabrication, shipbuilding, construction and commercial welding

applications. Key points-of-interest in the Miller booth include: Live welding demonstrations highlighting new welding technologies and processes and aluminum welding demonstrations featuring Miller’s AlumaFeed™ Synergic Aluminum Welding System and premium MAXAL aluminum wire. New technologies featured in the booth will include: Miller’s Axcess® e with Insight™, an advanced MIG welding system that includes fully integrated data monitoring capabilities within the power source, the new XMt® 450 MPa multiprocess welding power source with the reliability and arc performance of the XMt 350 MPa but with more amperage, Miller Welding Automation’s PerformArc™ pre-engineered welding cells (booth 5954), Miller’s premium Powered Air Purifying respirator (PAPr) with titanium 9400i industrial welding helmet for extreme welding protection in heavy applications as well as point-of-use controls, and Miller’s PipeWorx multiprocess pipe welding system for advanced process flexibility and fast changeover times.

Miller electric Mfg Co. Booths 5950, 5954, 6154

66 | october 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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case study

stamping

Metalcraft technology uses advanced tooling for high-speed production at any volume level Coquitlam, British Columbia: Investing millions of dollars in the latest automated equipment and hundreds of hours in advanced training, Metalcraft Technology proves that the best technology, wisely used, results in quality, productivity and success. In the competitive fabricating industry, smart use of the best equipment most often wins the race.

One of Metalcraft Technology key investments is punch press tooling but the investment goes beyond the tooling itself. Metalcraft Technology trains its operators in its use and utilizes the tooling supplier’s knowledge to maximize these tooling resources to the maximum. When it started in 1997, the company standardized on one tooling style, Mate Ultra Tec, and has stayed committed to it for 18 years.

Unusual to commit to one tooling style? Not in Metalcraft Technology case. Learning everything it can do and then sticking to the formula has paid off with greatly reduced tool setup times, increased productivity, longer tool life and top quality products, according to Ferroz Abdulla, customer support/lean manager.

thao Huynh (l), Metalcraft technology, engineer/overall facilitator and Peter Storey (r), Mate Precision tooling, sales engineer. they’re displaying a 46” x 20” 16 gauge satin coat steel rack drive component punched using 14 different Mate Ultra tec tools in two auto indexing stations of an Amada press. Despite heavy use, the company reports over 75 percent of its originally purchased Ultra tec tooling continues to punch quality parts after 15 years of use.

metalcraFt technology “proFessional team” approach builds customer loyalty

“Metalcraft Technology began in 1997 with a team of 10 professionals,” reports Mr. Abdulla, son of founder and President Azim Abdulla. “We consider ourselves a professional team in all respects because of the overall quality of our people, technology and the way we operate. We’ve recently invested over $2.5 million in automated fabricating equipment including adding more Mate Ultra Tec tooling which we’ve used from the start.”

“By having the latest and finest technology, training and cross-training for maximum technology utilization, we’ve become a valued supplier to leading Canadian and US manufacturers’” Mr. Abdulla stated. “We’re successful because of our professionalism with the result that we have grown to a team of 30 professionals. We’ve achieved that despite the difficult economy and depressed manufacturing environment.

Our customers needs continually change and we’ve learned to quickly adapt to those changing needs,” reports Mr. Abdulla.

Founder and president Azim Abdulla (l) and son Ferroz Abdulla (r) customer support and lean manager, provide a culture of professionalism and high quality in Metalcraft technology’ products with help from long time supplier Peter Storey, (c) sales engineer of Mate Precision tooling. Displayed are three products precision punched using Mate Ultra tec tooling: a computer server chassis (l), a medical products cabinet (c) and an electronic display chassis (r). the products are fabricated from 14-gauge stainless steel, cold rolled steel and aluminum. www.canadianmetalworking.com | october 2011 | 67

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Fabricating stamping

Case Study

Quantity requirements often are a challenge, according to Mr. Abdulla. “We get orders now for just one fabricated part and other orders for as many as 20,000 parts. Customer inventories are minimal so if we’re asked to meet just-in-time requirements even it means setting up for a part run of just one, 100 pieces or 20,000 pieces. Materials also vary a lot, from different grades of steel, aluminum, satin coat, copper and stainless in very thin to thick plate. With such a variety in small to large quantities, planning jobs for maximum machine utilization – including efficient programming, tool setup, automation and tool maintenance – is an ongoing challenge, according to Mr. Abdulla. Punch press tooling plays a major role.

Punched quality is ensured at Metalcraft Technology with this newly installed FabriVISION system. It is an automated measurement and digitizing system that compares the first fabricated articles to the original CAD drawings for emailing to customers for acceptance.

Tooling Choice for high speed

Tooling selection has been important to Metalcraft Technology ongoing success, according to Mr. Abdulla. “We’ve had a long relationship with Peter Storey of Mate who started us with Ultra Tec. He’s helped us maximize the benefits of the tooling system through many projects. From the start, we wanted to be able to operate our Amada presses at top speed – 350 hits a minute depending on material and thickness – with the assurance that the tooling would perform well delivering top quality.”

Insuring this top performance requirement is Ultra Tec’s tooling design. It features a self-contained spring canister assembly that maintains uniform stripping pressure and a hardened guide to maximize turret bore life at all press speeds, even the highest. The punch is manufactured from M-2 high speed

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Case Study

makes assembly and length adjustment easy and fast, using a minimum of set-up tools.

The dies for the Ultra Tec system are made of A-2 5% chrome air hardened tool steel that provide optimum balance between the opposing conditions of hardness and toughness.

Mate’s unique Slug Free die geometry guarantees effective slug discharge after every punch cycle. By clearing the slug after every cycle, the possibility of slug pulling is eliminated, improving piece part quality.

®

Auto Indexing Multi-Tools Loaded With special tools

Metalcraft Technology maximizes turret press punching features with two auto indexing Multi Tools loaded with special form tools to punch louvers, knockouts, card guides, embossed and many other special features.

With widely varying part runs, the transition from one type of material and thickness to another can get complicated and time-consuming. The auto indexing stations with Multi Tools help

stamping

shorten the tool setup process for job changeovers. While the bulk of the tools in the turret are standard tools and do not change, the Multi Tools are loaded with special application tools to punch the formed features.

“Changing these Ultra Tec tools is really fast,” reports Mr. Abdulla. “The tools pop apart with just a touch of a button and go back together just as fast.

They are easy to adjust and assemble visually. The punch, guide and other components are easily disassembled by hand and lock up correctly and quickly... our operators set tool length in just 5 seconds. No shimming needed. The tooling’s push-button design allows for fast and easy setting of overall length and die penetration in precise increments (0.006 inch for a ½-inch A station tools and 0.008 inch for larger station tools) without the need for measuring tools.”

Metalcraft Technology reports that 75 percent of its originally purchased Ultra Tec tooling 18 years ago is still in everyday use.

Ultra Tec’s fully guided design also adds to the tool’s robust design and long

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• Cut-to-length Lines steel with a minute back taper and near polished punch flanks to reduce friction and extend tool life. The strippers, which slide into the guide, include a recess, which creates an extra 3.00 mm of grind life. This feature alone, by conservative estimates, can add many thousands of additional hits to the tool’s useful life. This was very important in Metalcraft Technology’ initial decision to go with Ultra Tec.

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Set-Up, Length Adjustment And Die Features Enhance Productivity

The Ultra Tec tooling incorporates a hardened guide assembly with internal and external lubrication grooves together with a quick length adjustment device and quick change stripper mechanism. Punches made from high speed steel. Strippers have a 2.00 mm recess and locate into a spring loaded lock ring on the guide. This design

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Case Study

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life. This is especially important for forming operations like cluster punching where material thickness is exceeded to punch diameter ratios and where hit balance can cause problems. Ultra Tec’s guided design prevents side-loading and twisting forces that can occur with standard tools on thick material and those that are difficult to punch like stainless, ”reports Mr. Abdulla. “While the initial cost of Ultra Tec is more, the cost per hit is far less. The tool reliability, predictability and longevity makes it a very good value.”

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Hung Lam, turret press operator is shown loading one of the two auto indexing stations with Ultra Tec special application tooling. Metalcraft Technology part requirements include louvers, counter-sinks, knockouts and more. Setting up the Ultra Tec tooling for these forming operations takes only two to three minutes where standard tooling requires more than twice the time and is tedious.

First Article Measurement And Automated Punched Part Handling

While Ultra Tec tooling streamlines the actual punching process, Metalcraft Technology investment in complementary technology enhances productivity and quality even more.

FabriVISION is a recently added automated measurement and digitizing system that compares the first fabricated articles to the original CAD drawings for emailing to customers for acceptance. Using this system in connection with the punching process facilitates a faster approval of prototypes and first articles so that punching and other fabricating processes can proceed with minimal wait time.

Another wise equipment investment for Metalworking Technology is automation. Following punching, parts are moved from the turret press via robot to an adjacent press brake for bending then on to pem-setting, metal finishing and assembly.

Learning the use of this new technology is ongoing at Metalcraft Technology.

All employees participate in a full day of training every month of the year. The training varies by need with a focus on lean initiatives. Efficient punch press tool utilization and laser operations are two areas that get regular attention with Peter Storey’s input.

With both Mr. Abdulla and Huynh Greenbelt Certified and more certifications targeted, the company’s growth is proof that lean works. Summing it up, Mr. Abdulla says that “Metalcraft Technology’ commitment to lean shows off both in the professionalism of our people and our equipment improvements and utilization. It’s an ongoing process of using the best and doing the best, whether it’s with tooling, training or something else.” CM

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www.canadianmetalworking.com | october 2011 | 71

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coil handling

Stamping

So, You Want to Automate Your Coil Processing Line...?

Setup change frequency and production volumes are important considerations

By Nate Hendley Looking to automate your coil processing line?

Here are some points to ponder:

When Should You Automate?

“I would say it’s based on volume. The more the volume increases, the easier to justify the investment. It’s not a rule of thumb that fits every manufacturer, however. A million parts per month to one company might be mere hours of production to others. Anything that is consumer driven, such as beverage cans, has extremely high volumes thus requiring the utmost in automation to remain competitive,” says Robert Allred, Beaufort, SC-based general manager, marketing and sales, for the automation division of the Minster Machine Company (itself headquartered in Minster, Ohio).

Fine, but what if a firm has a relatively low volume of production and wants to expand; should the owner automate his coil processing line in the hope of drumming up more business? Or should companies only automate when production volumes are high?

According to Jeff Norman, vice-president of Mecon Industries Limited in Scarborough, Ontario, these are the wrong questions to ask.

The real question should be, “’How often are setups changed?’ not, ‘High or Low volume’. More business may mean more setup changes to keep a system fully booked. Adding automatic features that reduce setup time will payback in greater uptime, will lead to lower costs per part and in turn allow the work to be sold at a lower price with similar profit,” he states.

Norman offers the following example: “Consider a company that has eight hours per shift, runs the same process all the time.

Coil run time is 50 minutes while coil reload time is 10 minutes.

Assuming no other waiting time then the system will process eight coils per shift.

“Now consider a situation where the company has mixed production and must change the setup every third coil. In a manual system, the operator would thread the new coil, tune the straightener or other process settings during the beginning of

the run. Let’s say the tuning takes 10 minutes before the production is up-to-speed. So, three coils [times] 60 minutes equals 180 minutes plus 10 minutes for setup, for 190 minutes in total. Time to run three coils is 190 divided by three or 63.3 minutes, which is a little more that 5.5 percent longer than the first system. If settings are preloaded and the machine changes automatically when the new job is loaded, then the tuning time should be reduced or eliminated,” he continues.

Retrofit/refurbish/upgrade

When times are tight, it’s sometimes a better idea to make do with what you have than to purchase new. “Refurbishment” (a fancy term for retrofitting or upgrading) is the key concept here.

“I would say in a recession people look to retrofit, upgrade their equipment a little more” rather than purchase new equipment, says John Cauffiel, president of Galaxie Corporation in Detroit.

Galaxie specializes in buying and selling used coil processing and tube equipment. Top selling systems include slitting and cut-to-length lines. The company doesn’t do retrofits but offers referrals to contractors and rebuilders who do.

“Refurbishment is a valid choice in some instances. In others, new is better as it allows the user to get what they really need,” adds Norman.

New, Noteworthy, or Both

Red Bud Industries of Red Bud, Illinois, is a major manufacturer of coil processing equipment with some innovative products for companies looking to automate their line.

Take the recently released Auto Slitter for example, a fully automated CNC programmable slitting head designed for use on multi-blanking or slitting lines.

“Historically, if you’re into slitting lines or multi-blanking, the most tedious, time consuming part of the process is setting up the slitting head ... it’s not uncommon on a traditional slitting head to take a minimum of half-hour, sometimes 45 minutes to an hour, to set that particular piece of equipment up,” says Dean www.canadianmetalworking.com | october 2011 | 73

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Stamping

Coil Handling Red Bud Industries claims their Auto Slitter can reduce set-up time to two minutes flat.

WHENEVER YOU NEED IT . . .

RECUTS FAST

Linders, vice-president of marketing and sales, at Red Bud. “So, what we’ve done is [invent] our first automated slitter that sets up in two minutes flat. The operator inputs the width of the strip and the thickness of the part into the computer and it takes over and completely sets up all the slitting knives to [do] the job,” continues Linders.

The Auto Slitter can support up to 10 cuts at one time. It has a maximum width capacity of 72” (1829 mm), maximum thickness capacity of .250” (6.3 mm) and a minimum slit width of 5” (127 mm).

“If required, complete jobs can be downloaded directly from the customer’s in-house computer system directly to the line for the Slitting Head,” adds Red Bud literature.

Red Bud has also introduced the fully automated Coil Prestage and Load System for heavy gauge coil processing lines. This automatic coil loading system is a fairly unique creation.

“It’s not a typical thing you see on the marketplace,” boasts Linders.

The Coil Prestage and Load System consists of an Inline Coil Prestaging System, integrated Coil Car and Dual Stub Arbor Uncoiler. The operator hits a button and “the Coil Prestage and Load System’s integrated Coil Car retrieves the coil to be processed. The system will then measure the outside and inside diameters of the coil. After measuring, the Coil Car will position and raise the coil as required automatically for loading onto the line’s uncoiler. The Dual Mandrel Uncoiler will then spear the coil and center it automatically on the line,” explains Red Bud literature.

Norwalk Innovation of Springfield, Missouri, meanwhile, is renowned for a piece of equipment called “the Un-Coiler” which allows for speedy coil changes, thus reducing handling time and allowing more efficient use of labour. Like the coil Prestage and Load System, the Un-Coiler isn’t new, but it is inventive.

The Un-Coiler “works in automatic mode off of a loop control system,” explains Norwalk sales manager Steve Cox.

Trends to Consider

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“Equipment related to energy seems to be doing pretty good ... like hot rolled steel processing equipment,” notes Cauffiel.

Another trend to bear in mind is the move towards heavier coils.

Bigger coils can improve productivity: “Larger coils result in less change-over,” says Cox. However, if you’re buying used equipment, massive coils can limit what you can acquire.

“Mills would like to sell you bigger coils ... 30 – 40 ton easily ... some of the older equipment doesn’t have that coil weight capacity,” warns Cauffiel.

What’s the best way to get the most out of your coil processing line?

74 | october 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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Stamping

Coil Handling

“Provide proper training, be sure to use the equipment within design limits, inspect and maintain equipment regularly,” advises Norman.

“First, completely understand its capabilities and operation. Don’t do like me and not read the manual until it breaks!” adds Allred.

The Philosophy of Automation

“In terms of automation ... what we’re doing on our equipment is continual improvement of the process. Identifying the machine in terms of how they function, what can you do to automate the process to make it easier to run, quicker to set up and changeover, fewer people needed to run the machine to keep costs down,” says Linders.

upgrades depend on the starting point. Most systems have a simple manual mode and automatic mode with a start button.

Setting the machine for the next job will require the operator to manually set speeds, heights, or other parameters,” states Norman.

He ticks off a list of possible system upgrades for shop owners to consider: “One: provide accurate position indicators for mechanically set devices, so the operator can repeat the setup.

Two: motorize manual mechanical settings so that they may be done from a control console.

Three: install a controller that will store electronic parameters by job number.

Four: Connect the electronic parameter list to the devices to change, so that the new setup can be done by a single button pressing.

Five: convert the motorized mechanical setup to servo motor setup and command the servomotor from the electronic parameter list.”

For his part, Allred says, “If the control is not equipped with a modem look into that. We have saved a lot of money for warranty repair and customer service charges by being able to “plug into” the control and diagnose the problem through a phone line or better Ethernet. This gets the customer up and running quicker and eliminates costly travel expenses. It can also be utilized to install software updates as required.”

Look South for Bargains

The automatic coil loading system ‘is not a typical thing you see on the marketplace,’ says Dean Linders, of Red Bud Industries.

A Warning: Don’t get carried away

“You still need people to man these big lines ... you still need a human being there to monitor the automation ... maybe you can eliminate a person here or there but the human element is still essential,” says Cauffiel.

“Where you see big production loss is not so much the machinery itself doing the processes, it’s the handling of the material, either the entry side or the exit side ... the material handling is more essential than doubling the speed of the machine. I see more time lost handling the coil,” he states.

Norman advises company owners to “focus less on ‘automation’ and more on which machine features are needed to achieve best production efficiency, to be operator friendly and maintainable.”

Next Steps

Once a shop owner has their automated coil processing line in place, what kind of upgrades should they be looking at?

“It depends on the goal … often greater benefit is found by improving the mechanical features of the system. Feature

While the Canadian dollar has been slipping a bit recently, it’s still far stronger than it was a decade ago, when it plummeted to 60 cents against the U.S. greenback.

Given the dollar’s notorious volatility it might be a good idea for Canadian firms to scoop up coil processing equipment in the U.S. before the loonie fades again.

“The strength of the Canadian dollar makes us more competitive in Canada. However, the trend of manufacturing moving to Asia reduces the volume [we sell to Canada],” says Cox.

A Final Thought

Given the above point, is automation a good way for North American firms doing coil processing to compete with lowcost, off-shore companies?

“Absolutely. You beat them by being more efficient and producing a better quality product and you do that through automation,” says Linders. CM Nate Hendley is a regular contributor and freelance writer based in Toronto.

www.mecon.com www.redbudindustries.com www.galaxiecorp.com www.norwalkinnovation.com

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Controls, Automation Move Forward in Automatic Finishing

bY NAte HeNDLeY GloBal PreseNts loGic coNtrol PaNels

Asked if Global Finishing Solutions’ Logic control panels represent the pinnacle in paint booth automation, Karen Winter, says “absolutely.”

Finishers can use the Logic panels “to manage their paint booth,” explains Winter, who is based in Barrie, Ontario and works as Canadian sales manager for GFS. The self-described “global leader in paint booth technology,” Global is headquartered in Osseo, Wisconsin.

Popular with the refinish market, particularly body-shops, the Logic control panels boast Smart Panel Technology that allows users to select from a series of ‘flash and cure’ profiles already programmed into the panel for any kind of coating.

“Once programmed, at the touch of a button, the control panel knows what temperature that specific coating requires at what time during the cycle and for exactly how long,” reads GFS literature.

The Logic 4 version of the control panel lets painters switch from a waterborne user interface to a solvent base interface. The Logic 4 panel boasts a 10-inch colour user interface while the Logic 3 panel has a six inch monochrome interface and fewer functions.

The system also contains an interesting

self-diagnostic function, whereby at the touch of a button, the panel will display all PLC inputs and outputs with displayed values so technicians can “easily monitor parameters of speed, temperature, pressure and other pertinent information regarding the operation of the booth,” states GFS literature.

75 percent savings in fuel. When a finisher stops spraying, the Logic controls automatically switch the system to “Economy Mode” which cuts overall airflow in the booth by up to half while keeping the same temperature in the paint environment.

The Logic Panels can be used in tandem with AdvanceCure, a GFS accessory added to paint booths to accelerate curing and drying. According to Global, the AdvanceCure system turns a paint booth into the equivalent of “a convection oven.”

For more information visit: http://globalfinishing.com/auto/ auto_control_panel.html

faNuc’s MiNi-PaiNt roBot coNtiNues to iMPress

Fanuc Robotics of Rochester Hills, Michigan showed off their compact and highly versatile Paint Mate 200iA at the Should a failure occur, the Logic control panel shuts the paint booth down, Automate 2011 trade show in Chicago earlier this year. while a screen displays a rundown of all Originally launched in late 2008, the the errors that are occurring. Another electric-servo driven, mini-robot 200iA automatic function involves the close is still a star attraction for finishers who monitoring of the booth’s filters. When like robotics but lack the workspace for a filter needs to be changed, the Logic a large system. The Paint Mate 200iA is panel displays a warning message.

The Logic panels also have an intriguing designed to paint small parts or serve as “Economy Mode” which GFS promises can an alternative to applications that require lead to 60 percent savings in electricity and several fixed paint guns.

Logic 4

F I N I S H · F U N C T I O N · F L E X I B L E Industrial Solutions

Quick Color Change at an Afforadable Price WAGNER PrimaSystem combine a complete powder coating system that is easy to order and easy to install. PrimaSystem comes in various complete packages that includes booth, powder feed center, controls and guns.

Wagner Systems, Inc. Phone: 630-503-2400 Fax: 630-503-2377 www.wagnersystemsinc.com

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Automatic Finishing Products Report

At the Automate show, an inverted (and extremely flexible) Paint Mate 200iA was put through its paces, simulating the painting of small parts on a moving chain-on-edge conveyor.

The table-top size Paint Mate 200iA can be wall, floor, or invert mounted, which is handy for finishers with cramped workspaces. The robot painter has an extended arm, six axes, a wrist payload of five kilograms, and a reach of 704 mm. It weighs only 35 kilos and stands less than 900 cm tall.

Binks Adds New Refinements to a Popular Spray Gun

Paint Mate 200iA

The system comes with optional one or four pneumatic, three-way solenoid valves which are situated in the purge cavity to enhance gun triggering capability. The Paint Mate 200iA also boasts “absolute serial encoders” which “eliminate the need for calibration at power up,” according to Fanuc literature.

Based on the previous LR Mate series, the Paint Mate 200iA is also ideal for what Fanuc calls “hazardous duty applications.”

For more information, visit http://www.robots.com/fanuc.

Page 1 php?robot=paint+mate+200ia

Nordson Presents New Encore Modular Control System for Automatic Guns

IN STOCK American Standards and specials.

Japanese Standards inch or metric.

FOR FAST DELIVERY: Contact your local tooling dealer or order direct.

TEL 937-686-6405 FAX 937-686-4125 www.retentionknobsupply.com Retention Knob Supply Company P.O. Box 61 Bellefontaine, OH 43311

automatic gun controllers and an optional axis controller for easy operation of both reciprocators and in/out positioners,” states Nordson literature.

The Encore Automatic Powder Spray Gun, meanwhile, offers high transfer efficiency, automatic feedback current control, an air-purge cleanable design, aerodynamic shape and compact size with a width of 4.9 cm (1.93 inches), height of 6.60 cm (2.60 inches) and length varying between 165.9 cm (65.31 inches) to 195.9 cm (77.12 inches).

For more information, visit: http://www.nordson.com/

Fanuc wasn’t the only high tech/finishing equipment manufacturer showing off their wares at trade shows this year.

Nordson Corporation, a leader in powder and liquid coating application technology, demonstrated their new Encore Modular Control System for Automatic Guns at the North American Industrial Coatings show held early October 2011 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Nordson is based in Amherst, Ohio.

The Modular Control System is designed to be used with automatic spray guns from the company’s Encore series. The System is all-digital, energy-efficient and “provides precision pneumatic and electrostatic operating parameters for repeatable and reliable performance of automatic powder coating operations ... the modular cabinet style design accommodates up to eight

The popular Model 21 automatic spray gun from Binks of Glendale, Illinois, now features new, high-performance set-ups.

The heavy-duty, pneumatically operated gun has a one-piece, forged brass body and is designed for working in harsh environments. It sprays all conventional coatings, is remotely controlled with a three-way valve and is recommended for use in rotary, reciprocating and spindle machines. Spray patterns can be adjusted with controls at the side of the gun head.

The Model 21 version of the gun has brass/electroless nickel-plated fluid passages, can exert a maximum pressure of 100 PSI/6.8 bar and weighs 41 ounces (1213 grams). The Model 21V, meanwhile, is also made of drop-forged brass and weighs 41 ounces and is capable of a maximum pressure of 100 PSI/6.8 bar and can be used in a harsh working environment. This version, however, boasts a tungsten fluid nozzle and needle, which is designed for use with abrasive fluids. All Model 21 spray guns boast nickel-plated brass air caps.

Binks also offer an automatic gun called the Rhino HVLP, which can be used in extreme conditions as well. The Rhino boasts patented stainless steel angled fluid inlet, large air atomizing air passages, a removable gun mounting bracket, a maximum atomizing air pressure capacity of 120 PSI/8.3 bar and weight of 2.6 pounds (1.2 kilos). Coloured black, the Rhino is made from drop-forged aluminum and is designed for use with conventional or HVLP technologies.

For more information visit: www.binks.com CM Nate Hendley is a regular contributor and freelance writer based in Toronto.

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Metal...Works

Is preparing my business for sale like rehearing for a theatre performance?

By Mark Borkowski .........................................................................................................................................................

When entering the center stage spotlight, both a business owner and a star performer must know their roles, the script, the story, as well as the other major players and the rolls they will play. The goal of both is to achieve a certain response for their portrayal of the story from their own specific audience. Putting metaphoric pros aside, directing and orchestrating the behind-the-scenes activity for the successful sale of a company, is a professional mergers & acquisitions advisory firm.

THE BUSINESS OWNER’S ROLE IN A SALE

Your role as the business owner is to be the source of information necessary to accurately assess the firm. Addressing the following issues will help maximize the value of the business, provide transparency to prospective buyers, and minimize the amount of time consumed in the sale process. This information will be the foundation of the script that will tell the story to your audience...the marketplace of buyers.

• Why is the business on the market? This is not only important from the buyer’s prospective, but an owner must have a sincere motivation to facilitate a smooth process.

• Are accounting procedures in place and easy to follow?

• Are profit and loss and balance sheets well prepared and clean?

• Are the facilities and equipment in good working condition?

When someone walks into a business establishment, they’re looking at everything. An orderly and organized facility gives a good feel for how the business is run.

• Is intellectual property (if applicable) well documented and up to date?

• Is there an appropriate lease in place and is it transferable?

• Are customer contracts secure and transferable?

• Are their employee contracts, are they well documented?

• Are operating procedures documented and in use?

• Are there outstanding legal or financial aspects that may hinder the sale?

• How is the business positioned in relation to the competition?

• What distinguishes the business from others in the same field?

• What services or products are offered that is unique?

• What niche is served?

• Are there areas for future growth?

• What makes the company’s customer service superior?

THE STORY

Once information gathering is complete and data is analyzed, a price range will be determined and a company profile will be formulated. This is the story about your business. It will be the marketing tool that articulates and presents the message about your company to the audience of buyers.

THE SCRIPT

The script is made up of the individual pieces that tell the story.

The following are individual items that will be pieced together by the prospective buyer in order to substantiate the story and

justify the asking price.

Financial statements. An accurate financial statement not only adds to a buyer’s comfort level, it more likely will result in a higher sales price. A potential buyer is typically looking for a predictable cash flow from the business. Three, four or five years of professionally prepared financial statements and tax returns will show them that.

Trends in accounts receivable and payables. When selling a business, you want to show that you have good customers who pay on time. Owners need to be on the ball and contacting slowpaying clients. This shows better credit management, follow-up and attention to detail. Seasonality of cash flow and concentration of the customer base are also underlying themes of the story.

Make sure patents, trademarks and other property rights are properly registered. Review contracts for third-party consents needed in order to facilitate a transfer. An example would be a construction-subcontracting firm that has a contract with a homebuilder to provide doors and windows for an additional number of houses. That contract needs to be reviewed to see if it can be transferred or if it requires the consent of the homebuilder.

Well-organized and updated collateral materials such as employee handbooks, policy manuals, mission statements, or an online Internet presence add value in the eyes of the purchaser.

Other collateral such as brochures, press releases, advertisements, and marketing campaigns such as mail out or email programs add credence to the story.

A list of furniture, fixtures and equipment along with applicable service records shows the buyer that the company is well maintained. Remove excluded items prior to the sale, or list items excluded from the deal separately.

Being prepared for the questions the buyers will ask will facilitate a smooth process for all involved.

THE PLAYERS

The team that a business owner puts together to assist in the structuring of the business sale will play key roles in the transaction. Depending on the size and complexity of the business, the usual team may consist of the firm’s accountant, attorney, and business broker. In order to insure a smooth process, it is recommended that all team members be experienced in business transfer transactions.

THE SUCCESSFUL PERFORMANCE

Proper rehearsal and having the necessary props in place for presenting a business to the targeted audience is key to attaining the desired outcome...the successful sale of the business in a timely manner...a rewarding finish to a performance well done... the whole reason for the show.

Mark Borkowski is president of Toronto based Mercantile Mergers & Acquisitions Corporation.

Phone: 416-68-8466 ext. 232 Email: mark@mercantilema.com

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