Canadian Metalworking

May 2011 • www.canadianmetalworking.com

ROCKY

Recovery Will global turmoil impact automotive rebound?

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FABRICATING

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MACHINE TOOLS

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CUTTING TOOLS

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WELDING

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Inside this issue...

Volume 106 | Number 3 | May 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

14

INDUSTRY REPORT

CUTTING TOOLS

AUTOMOTIVE

HARD METALS

ROCKY RECOVERY .......................... 14

THE TOUGH STUFF ......................... 55

Will global turmoil impact automotive rebound?

BUSINESS REPORT

A product report on new cutting innovations for titanium.

QUALITY

FINANCE

BEYOND THE BANKS ...................... 18

MULTISENSOR METROLOGY

FABRICATING

Optical Gaging Products’ chief applications engineer Nate Rose sheds light on an emerging technology.

Strategies for financing plant expansion.

WATERJET

CLEAR CUT ..................................... 20

Alberta fabricator’s investment in 90,000 psi high pressure waterjet system—a first in Western Canada—leads to “huge savings.”

SAWS/CASE STUDY

STRAIGHT & NARROW .................... 28 Metal pole manufacturer boosts cutting productivity with new fast cutting band saw.

ASK THE EXPERT .............................. 64

AUTOMATION

UNDERSTANDING ROBOTIC GUNS ............................. 67

How to choose the right robotic gun for GMAW applications.

OVERSPRAY

MACHINE TOOLS

BOOTH DESIGN

TURNING

New materials and innovative designs improve powder spray booth performance.

PERFECT BOOTH ............................. 70

MAXIMUM TURNS ...........................33

Experts weigh in on the best ways to handle today’s advanced turning machines to maximize process performance.

DIE & MOULD

KEEPING YOUR EDGE ..................... 42 Canny tech investments keep mouldmaker on top of its game.

CUTTING TOOLS HOLEMAKING

SLAM DUNK .................................. 48 Assessing the best holemaking techniques.

67

PRETREATMENT

GREEN FROM START TO FINISH ........ 73 Emerging green technologies for better quality durable finishes.

76

DEPARTMENTS Upfront ..................................................6 News ....................................................8 Floor Space .........................................12 Calendar ...............................................8 Metal…Works ......................................76

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Upfront Lessons from China In the September 2010 issue on this page, I suggested troubles in China’s manufacturing industry could spell opportunity for North American manufacturers. (“Are China’s Growing Pains Our Gain?”) While this may indeed be the case, there are also some lessons we can learn from China.

Many manufacturers in Canada continually point to China and other low-cost labour countries as the reason for the decline in manufacturing.

Some argue that ongoing investment in automation among North American manufacturers combined with the rising cost of oil (higher transportation costs for imports) will boost the manufacturing sector in this continent and reduce the threat from offshore manufacturers such as those from China.

This may be true, but China’s competitive force isn’t going away any time soon. Even as its low-cost labour advantage erodes with the rising cost of raw materials and labour unrest (demands for higher wages), China’s strength in manufacturing has more to do with the attitude of Chinese business people and the environment within which they operate than it does with low-cost labour.

A March 10th Economist online article, “Entrepreneurship in China” paints an insightful picture of an emerging private sector that is thriving outside of the government’s state-directed capitalism. “According to China Macro Finance, a research firm in New York, the number of registered private businesses grew by more than 30 per cent a year between 2000 and 2009.” And while there is no official data on how private companies contribute to China’s growing economy, businesses “that are not majority owned by the state account for two thirds of industrial output…such firms account for about 75 to 80 per cent of profit in Chinese industry…”

What’s even more interesting is that these thriving businesses—many of which are succeeding by supplying the domestic market and not exporting inexpensive product—aren’t relying on capital from big state-owned banks. “Loans to small and medium-sized enterprises comprise four per cent or less of the total made by three of the country’s four largest banks.”

Instead, an unofficial system has emerged outside of the banking system providing small businesses with alternate capital options, such as cash investments from private individuals.

The Economist article describes a highly determined, hard-working and resourceful group of entrepreneurs. Add to this environment China’s growing ability to manufacture high quality products that equal the top brands in the West and you begin to see the success of China’s businesses is not just about low-cost labour and exports.

Some may argue China still has an unfair advantage in manufacturing because the costs of running a business in that country are still significantly lower than costs in Canada. That is true, but it doesn’t mean we can’t learn from the resourcefulness of Chinese entreprenuers.

So, as North American manufacturers continue to look for innovative ways to succeed, they might look to China for some valuable lessons.

MARY SCIANNA, EDITOR

If you want to comment on editorial in the magazine, I’d like to hear from you, so please contact me. mary.scianna@rci.rogers.com

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News Laser Face-off: CO2 or Fiber?

More than 120 fabricators from across the country gathered at TRUMPF Canada’s Mississauga, ON, facility on March 30 to learn the answer to the burning 2D laser cutting question: Which is better, CO2 or solid state fiber?

To get the answer, TRUMPF Canada decided to do a direct comparison using two of the same model laser cutting machines (TruLaser 1030), one equipped with a traditional CO2 laser resonator and the other equipped with a solid state fiber laser resonator.

TRUMPF’s CO2 1030 laser cutting machine.

People a 30-year-old custom metal fabricator, attended the event. The company has several metal fabricating machines, including two TRUMPF laser cutting machines Anania purchased five years ago, the TruLaser 5030 and TruLaser 3530.

“I’m interested in fiber laser technology. I want to understand it better, see where this technology is going and how it may reduce my costs.

I know this technology is in the market and that suppliers have been selling it, but it hasn’t taken off in the Ontario market and I’m not sure why.

This technology is still at the beginning stages in laser cutting and I don’t want to be a guinea pig. New technology changes rapidly and I don’t want to invest in it when it’s still being tested in the market. I want to invest in proven technology.”

He adds that in today’s tough market, job shops have to gain a competitive edge. He says his shop survived the “nightmare” of the last few years by refocusing on new markets such as the energy sector and investing in new technology.

“The energy market is big in Ontario and we’re already manufacturing brackets for roof-mounting solar panels for a California company. Manufacturers from all over the world are setting up business here, which is good for job shops in Ontario.”

The side-by-side demo of two laser technologies is a first in North America, says Jim Rogoswki, managing director of TRUMPF Canada, who came up with the idea during the tail end of an Iron Man competition he was in last year.

“I was tired and my brain was a little foggy, but while running, I noticed a sign that said “Face-Off” and it got me thinking that this would be a good idea to use to compare laser technologies.”

The hockey themed event had the Toronto Maple Leafs (CO2 lasers) “competing” against the Montreal Canadienes (fiber lasers).

A scoreboard kept track of how quickly the same nested parts were cut on each respective machine.

It also compared total cost of operating the machines by looking at specifics such as electrical costs and energy consumption.

The TRUMPF 1030 fiber laser cutting machine.

“The thinking behind this event was to provide some understanding Neil Ladd, operations manager for about fiber laser cutting technology. The Northside Industries, West Kelowna, BC, market is confused and many people flew out for the event for two reasons: don’t know what a fiber laser can do to satisfy his curiosity about fiber laser compared to a traditional CO2 gas technology and to view the CO2 laser laser,” says Rogowski. cutting machine his company will likely That’s why Marzy Anania, owner purchase from TRUMPF. A long-time of Dana Precision Metal Fabricating, 8 | MAY 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

NEW HEAD FOR DMG/MORI SEIKI US Mark Mohr has been appointed president for DMG/Mori Seiki USA, Chicago, IL. Most recently, he was vice president, service and Mark Mohr parts for the company and prior to the April 2010 collaboration between Gildemeister (DMG) and Mori Seiki, he served as vice president engineering for Mori Seiki USA and president of Mori Seiki Mid-American sales group.

With 15 years of prior experience in the machine tool industry, he joined Mori Seiki in 2002 as a sales manager in the US. Mohr succeeds Thomas Dillon, who is now vice chairman for the company.

In Canada, the two companies continue to operate as separate entities. DMG Canada is based in Mississauga, ON. Ellison Technologies is the exclusive Canadian distributor for Mori Seiki and recently celebrated the grand opening of its Canadian facility in Mississauga, ON.

Calendar JUNE 6-7 SME Annual Conference in Seattle, WA. www.sme.org JUNE 8-9 Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association (APMA) 2011 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Windsor, ON. www.apma.ca JUNE 14-16 Canadian Association of Moldmakers (CAMM) and Export Development Canada technology show. www.camm.ca JUNE 14-16 WMTS in Edmonton, AB. www.wmts.ca

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News TRUMPF customer, Northside services the Class A truck market making heavy duty bumpers and fuel tanks, and the forestry industry, fabricating a variety of products such as logging excavators.

“I don’t think fiber is a fit for us as we cut thicker materials but I’m interested in seeing how it compares to the CO2 machine. At FABTECH there was a big buzz about fiber. At the time we were investigating a plasma table and all of the suppliers were saying they would be getting fiber lasers.”

During the event, TRUMPF compared six different nested parts in different material thicknesses. Three parts were cut using nitrogen as the assist gas and three thicker parts (e.g. .500 in./12.7 mm) were cut using oxygen as the assist gas.

The result? Fiber laser cut faster, consumed less energy and had a less expensive total part cost on thin materials. The only area where cost was higher with fiber was with the assist gas, as the technology uses more assist gas to blow the molten or melted material through the nozzle. But in the thicker materials cut with oxygen assist gas, the CO2 laser was faster and had a slightly lower total part cost.

“The fundamental difference between what’s on the market as fiber laser and what’s on the market as a CO2 gas laser is the micron wavelength,” says Rogowski.

“Gas lasers emit a 10-micron wavelength and fibers emit a 1-micron wavelength. There are differences that happen after that, such as in cutting speeds. The trick with laser cutting is always taking the energy and focusing it into the smallest point so we can melt the material fast. The laser beam itself doesn’t cut the material but just heats it up and the gas blows that molten material through and that’s the actual cut. If you can focus that energy into a smaller point [as you can do with fiber lasers] you can heat up the material faster but there are byproducts. With the smaller kerf widths you need more gas to blow it through, more volume and more pressure. So a [fiber] laser may be more efficient electrically, but it will use more gas.”

In the end, there was no true “winner,” and as Rolf Biekert, president and CEO of TRUMPF North America, noted in his opening remarks about the future of laser cutting technology, “every system will have its place and you must decide what makes the best investment for your shop….both systems will be needed and TRUMPF offers both and will continue to offer both because there are different applications for each machine.”

Prima, Finn-Power become Prima Power

Prime Industrie has changed its corporate brand name to Prima Power, a move not unexpected in the industry after the Italian equipment fabricator acquired FinnPower in 2008.

Since that time the group has been reorganized to create an integrated functional entity, including the merger of global sales and service networks.

According to Gianfranco Carbonato, chairman and CEO, the new brand Prima Power unifies the names and colours of Prima Industrie and Finn-Power. “During these three years, we have talked to our customers and explained that we are becoming a single entity,” explains Carbonato. “And now the process is complete. The new graphics are a reminder of the past, but the style is new and points to the future. The colours remind us of our history—the orange of Prima Industrie and the blue of Finn-Power.”

New line for EMEC Machine Tools

EMEC Machine Tools, Mississauga, ON, has added a new line of machine tools for the Canadian market.

It has been appointed exclusive distributor for Hardinge turning and milling products in Eastern Canada.

Hardinge, based in Elmira, NY, currently has a distributor and service support group in Eastern Canada, but it will be replaced by EMEC. 10 | MAY 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

People LEADERSHIP CHANGE AT OKUMA AMERICA Okuma America Corp., Charlotte, NC, has a new person at the helm of the company after announcing a leadership change.

Jim King, formerly senior vice president of sales for Okuma, replaces current president Larry Schwartz, who is now chief strategy officer for the company.

During a press conference at which the leadership change was announced, Schwartz described the change as “another step in my life.”

While he has been with Okuma Larry Schwartz for only 16 years, Schwartz has worked in the machine tool industry for 44 years, as a user, distributor and builder.

Stressing he will continue to be a big part of Jim King the company, Schwartz commended King noting that he has done “an awesome job and has developed great relationships with our distributors.”

King, who has 30 years of experience working in industrial markets, automation and control software, says industry is “bouncing back tremendously and I’m looking forward to having Larry in a mentoring role. He has tremendous passion for manufacturing—he has manufacturing tribal knowledge—and our focus will continue to be to provide solutions for our customers.”

Despite the challenging past year, Okuma has exceeded its forecast growth and both Schwartz and King noted during the press conference that the company’s coming fiscal year (20112012), which runs from April to April, will be the best year yet. “It will be better than we’ve ever had. It may flatten out in the new year of 2012, but we will still sustain a decent level of growth,” said Schwartz.

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News Floor Space Do you primarily recruit new workers by word-of-mouth or advertisements? If you advertise, where do you put your ads?

“We primarily use the HRDC [Human Resources Development Canada] Job Bank website, because newspaper advertising is so expensive. The results have been pretty decent. We can do prolonged searches for just the right people at no cost. We will possibly try Kijiji next time, again because it’s no cost.”

-Soren Holm, president, Soren Holm Inc., Mississauga, ON

“We use the Job Bank, newspaper and word-of-mouth.”

-Peter Alden, co-owner, Wessex Precision Machining Ltd., Ayr, ON

“We advertise careers via Job Bank.”

-Jason Bannerman, president, Xakt Komponents, Brampton, ON

“We recruit workers by both methods mentioned. Our ads are posted on our website via our employment blog or from the local newspaper. Although not as efficient as newspaper advertising, we have attained some of our best employees by word-of-mouth.”

-Adriano Oppio, vice president, Classic Tool & Die, Oldcastle, ON

“Most of the new employees are word-of-mouth. When we have more specific needs or want to bring in more specialized expertise, then we use web-based job postings. Being in rural Canada, it’s harder to find the specialized expertise, which is the reason we tend to use outside advertising.”

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

“On occasion we will get a personal referral. We advertise predominantly on the Internet, but also through the local newspapers. As we use

12 | MAY 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

temporary personnel, we get most of our people through an agency.”

-Debbie Blowe, Systems Manager, Vibra Finish, Mississauga, ON

“New recruits are hard to find. There are some drawbacks in both of these ways. If I use word-of-mouth, then it doesn’t travel very far and I end up with someone that my employees know and then we have this buddy buddy chit chat going when I hire them. Also, I find that local talent isn’t that great (no offence to my town) but recruiting from other locations can bring on new ideas and a change in personalities. If I advertise then I get hundreds of applicants and that makes for a lot of work and a lot of interviews. We usually start with temps (from a local temp service) and if one of them shows that they have what it takes, we wait out their term and then hire them full time. This gives us the opportunity to let the bad ones go if they don’t work out and there are no hard feelings.”

-Larry Stuyt, president, Ontario Laser Cutting, Tillsonburg, ON

“I like the Toronto Sun. Have done [other sources] but I get the best response from the Sun.”

-Rob Muru, president, A-Line Tool, Toronto, ON

“TMW recruits using a number of strategies including word-ofmouth, online advertising, student placements as well as direct

recruiting. Most often we find our own staff are our best recruiters because they tell potential machinists their personal experience working in our shop and that kind of advertising just can’t be purchased. It speaks volumes about the organizational culture. We are very proud of

the work we do at TMW and the customers we serve. Our success is a result of the high calibre of work our machinists produce. We have very talented people.”

-Ron Marks, president, Techtronics Machine Works, Musquodoboit Harbour, NS

“We have not hired much over the last couple of years. But in the past we used the newspapers for skilled trades. For technician/technologist types, we’ve used the college online system called Campus Work Link.”

-David Foscarini, president, Mecon Industries Ltd., Scarborough, ON

http://www.jobbank.gc.ca/ intro-eng.aspx (Job Bank) www.CampusWorkLink.com (Campus Work Link)

News Rick Simons, president and CEO of Hardinge, says EMEC “brings a team of well trained sales, service and applications people to assist in future sales and provide service support on existing Hardinge equipment in the field…we believe our products complement their existing strong machine lines.”

EMEC also sells Okuma machines in Eastern Canada.

New bursary award for metalworking apprentices

The Canadian Tooling and Machining Association (CTMA) has launched a new apprentice bursary award to better support skilled trades training in Canada.

The new award replaces the organization’s long-running apprenticeship competition.

The award is open to all apprentices employed by CTMA member companies. Selected recipients will receive $1,000 and a selection of tools and other trade-related items. The monetary value and number of items recipients receive will be dependent on the level of sponsorship CTMA receives for the new award.

Les Payne, CTMA’s executive director, says business conditions were part of the reason for the introduction of a new bursary award.

“The downturn in the economy, the reduction in the number of apprentices and the pressure on companies to survive affected the number of test pieces submitted for the competition.

[In the past] it took apprentices 20 to 30 hours to build parts and not many companies have the luxury to give their apprentices the time to build their parts.”

He adds that CTMA also wanted a “fresh face” for the competition by providing the opportunity for more members to get involved.

“We wanted to make a change but we didn’t want to lose the main objective of our long term support for apprenticeship training.”

For more details, visit CTMA’s web site at www.ctma.com.

Mazak produces more than 100 models of machine tools at its Florence plant. During the economic downturn, the company invested US$13 million to expand the facility’s capabilities through additional floor space and technology upgrades.

Similar investment will continue into 2011, with the installation of another Versatech V-140N five axis double column machining centre for large part production.

Mazak will also be adding a Mazak Optonics cell with three laser fabrication centres in 2011 to improve productivity of sheet metal parts.

Mazak’s Integrex i-150 multi-tasking machine.

Mazak ramps up production

Citing increased demand for its machine tools, Mazak Corp., Florence, KY, is increasing production at its Florence manufacturing facility.

The company projects monthly output at its Florence plant will reach 130 machine tools per month by the close of the second quarter of 2011. It also expects this to grow throughout the remainder of 2011.

In dollar value, the production ramp up represents the largest output ever produced at the plant. The increased production is due to a growing demand among customers for more complex multi-tasking machines.

“Over the past two years, Mazak continued to invest heavily in the ongoing productivity of our US production facility, despite the poor economic conditions of 2009,” says Brian Papke, president of Mazak. “We have further refined and improved our Production on Demand system to become extremely responsive to real time customer needs. Additionally, a high level of vertical integration allows us tremendous control in reacting to market conditions. With the present value of the dollar, we will be exporting more machines in future months from our Florence plant, in addition to building for domestic manufacturers.” www.canadianmetalworking.com | MAY 2011 | 13

INDUSTRY REPORT

AUTOMOTIVE

ROCKY

Recovery

Will global turmoil impact automotive rebound?

By Nate Hendley .............................................................................................................................................................

Last year, it seemed the Canadian auto industry had successfully navigated out of the doldrums caused by the economic recession, bankruptcies and government bailouts. Output rose spectacularly at all the firms that assemble vehicles on Canadian soil, with production passing the two million vehicle mark.

The future looked radiant and then in March 2011, a massive earthquake in Japan led to a devastating tsunami, chaos at the country’s nuclear plants and a manufacturing shutdown. Part shortages became acute, leading to talk of shift reductions or temporary closures at auto plants in Canada.

Combine the multiple disasters in Japan with turmoil in the Middle East (which has contributed to eye-popping oil prices) and a consistently strong Canadian dollar, the question becomes, have the good times come to an end? Is 2011 going to be the year in which the optimistic expectations of 2010 are shattered?

In a word, no, say auto experts.

“The combination [of various calamities in Japan] is that we’re going to lose about 2.1 million units of global production in 2011... but of those 2.1 million units of net lost production, about 1.2 million will be in Japan itself and our North American numbers are only about 300,000 units... and of that, only 38–40,000 units are actually here in Canada. So, that’s not all that overly significant,” says Steve Rodgers, president of the Toronto-based Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association (APMA).

“People are taking a moment to review their global supply chains in light of this tragedy ... but I don’t think you’ll see the traditional domestics—Chrysler, Ford and General Motors— [experience] the extent of disruption that Japanese companies in North America will,” adds Mark Nantais, president of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association (CVMA), Toronto, which represents the “Big Three” auto manufacturers.

Asked if production at Canadian automotive plants will continue to increase in 2011 after the current round of troubles 14 | MAY 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

pass, and Rodgers is quick with an answer.

“Definitely,” he says.

Which is good news considering the vast scale of Canada’s automotive industry. A total of 550,000 Canadian jobs are directly or indirectly connected to vehicle manufacturing. At present, Canada boasts 11 light duty and three heavy duty assembly plants and roughly 540 OEM parts manufacturers.

According to CVMA figures, a total of 2,067,179 vehicles were produced in Canada last year, an astonishing 41.2 per cent jump from 2009, when 1,463,832 vehicles were made.

Some 71 per cent of production in 2010 (more than 1.3 million vehicles) came from Chrysler, Ford and GM plants, a nearly 50 per cent leap from 2009. Japanese firms Honda and Toyota, meanwhile, manufactured roughly 560,000 vehicles in Canada in 2009 and 740,000 in 2010.

The upsweep in production means the era of massive job cuts and permanent plant closures has come to an end, for now.

Aside from the previously announced shuttering of Ford Motor Co. of Canada’s St. Thomas, ON, Assembly Plant scheduled for later this year, neither Rodgers nor Nantais are aware of any new, permanent closures.

The Japanese situation has led some plants to cut shifts but “that doesn’t mean you cut back on your workforce ... you cut back on overtime,” says Nantais.

GM of Canada remains top dog in Canadian auto manufacturing circles, turning out 527,799 vehicles in 2010 versus 348,672 in 2009, according to the CVMA. Established in 1918 and headquartered in Oshawa, ON, GM of Canada employs more than 9,000 people at the Oshawa Car Assembly Plant (home of the Chevrolet Impala and Camaro and the all-new 2011 Buick Regal), Oshawa Metal Centre (which makes 22 million parts a year for GM and other corporate clients), a powertrain facility in St. Catharines, ON, and the CAMI automotive plant in Ingersoll, ON, (which

AUTOMOTIVE

INDUSTRY REPORT

makes the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain).

Chrysler Canada was the second top auto manufacturer in 2010, producing 484,840 vehicles (up from 314,419 in 2009).

Founded in 1925 and headquartered in Windsor, ON, Chrysler employs roughly 9,000 people and runs three manufacturing facilities: the Windsor Assembly Plant, the Brampton Assembly Plant and Etobicoke Casting Plant. Production of the new 2011 Dodge Charger and Dodge Challenger began at the Brampton plant in December, 2010. The new Chrysler 300 entered production in January of this year at the same facility. In April 2011, Chrysler cut back on overtime at plants in Ontario and Mexico, in the aftermath of the Japanese situation.

Rounding out the top three manufacturers, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada (TMMC) produced 459,049 vehicles in 2010, up from 319,548 the previous year. These figures come from the Toronto-based Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association of Canada (JAMA) and differ slightly from CVMA tallies.

Established in 1988, TMMC has 6,500 workers in assembly plants in Woodstock and Cambridge, ON, which turn out the Corolla Sedan, Matrix, Lexus RX 350 and RAV4. In March of this year, Toyota’s parent company stopped all production in Japan.

Production resumed in mid-April 2011, but at half capacity.

Toyota’s Canadian operations will likely see similar temporary shutdowns, but massive staff layoffs are not anticipated.

The Ford Motor Co. of Canada manufactured 316,053 vehicles in 2010, versus 237,952 in 2009. Established in 1904 and based in Oakville, ON, Ford is the oldest Big Three firm in Canada. The company currently runs two assembly plants and one engine plant and employs around 6,000 people. The scheduled closure of the St. Thomas plant will affect nearly 1,500 employees. In the wake of calamities in Japan, Ford has announced it will temporarily idle some North American plants.

Another Japanese newcomer—Honda Canada Manufacturing—made 278,272 vehicles in 2010, up from 259,796 the year before. Honda Canada Manufacturing was launched in 1986 and currently runs two assembly facilities and an engine plant in Alliston, ON. The Canadian branch of the company produces the Honda Civic Coupe, Sedan and Acura CSX, MDX and ZDX. Honda recently announced it was cutting back on production at North American plants due to a shortage of parts.

Looming over all auto assemblers and their suppliers is the strong Canadian dollar, currently above par with the US greenback, and steep oil prices.

“The simple fact is a strong Canadian dollar makes it cheaper for us to invest abroad ... [suppliers] should be thinking about becoming greater players in the global automotive economy,” states Rodgers, who suggests Canadian auto companies look for opportunities in growing manufacturing locales such as China, India and Thailand.

Some suppliers have already taken advantage of Canada’s mighty loonie: “The strong Canadian dollar has not harmed us [in fact] we’ve been getting a lot more work out of the US this last 12 months and are swamped,” says Peter Alden, co-owner of Wessex Precision Machining Ltd. in Ayr, ON. Wessex’s share of automotive work has risen from about “five per cent auto related” last year at this time to “about 10 to 15 per cent auto-related” today, says Alden. “At the moment, we are making forming mandrels for mufflers,” he adds.

So far, the turmoil in Japan has not impacted Alden’s business, an observation seconded by David Foscarini, president of Mecon Industries Ltd. in Scarborough, ON. Roughly 50 per cent of the company’s output is auto related, “similar to last

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INDUSTRY REPORT

AUTOMOTIVE

year at this time,” says Foscarini.

Mecon constructs, tests and assembles fixtures, tooling, conveyors and automation equipment for the automotive sector, as well as marine and aerospace customers.

Rodgers urges Canadian suppliers to keep their eye on two other intriguing trends, one very low-tech and the other at the cutting edge of high-tech.

The former involves “bio-fiber”—that is, plant material used as a substitute for oil resin in making plastic. The bio-fiber movement is already popular in Europe, where automakers utilize hemp, flax and kenaf, among other materials to make composite car panels. Advocates say it’s a logical next step for an industry that has already embraced ethanol, a fuel made from sugar cane or corn.

The use of bio-fiber “supports the agricultural community ... and reduces our reliance on oil-based resins,” notes Rodgers.

Given that oil prices are again soaring, in part because of violence and political turmoil in the Middle East, bio-fiber offers obvious, bottom-line benefits for car makers. As of April 11, a barrel of crude oil was going for $112, and no one is sure if the price will continue to rise or fall to more bearable levels.

“We’re looking for different ways to produce different parts and components to reduce [the weight of] vehicles ... biomaterials are definitely part of that,” chimes in Nantais.

Pushing the demand for lighter weight automobiles are US regulations, which fine American automakers who fail to produce sufficiently fuel efficient vehicles, adds Nantais.

Interestingly, the bio-fiber trend revives an old dream of auto

pioneer Henry Ford, who experimented with making car doors and fenders from plant stock in the 1930s and 1940s.

On the opposite end of the technology spectrum, Rodgers says “connected vehicles” are becoming increasingly popular.

A connected vehicle amounts to something of a computer on wheels. Rodgers points to Ford’s “SYNC” system, an in-car connectivity feature that allows drivers to make phone calls, control music and receive directions and news reports solely by voice-command.

“The connected vehicle is a huge change in how vehicles are perceived by the public ... it represents a significant challenge but again, great opportunities for Canadian supplier companies,” says Rodgers.

He urges auto part makers to “simply be aware of the technologies, be aware how it impacts components they may be making.”

As for the near future, Canadian auto manufacturers and suppliers should also bear in mind that good prospects can come from terrible events.

“It’s going to be an interesting time. We know that there’s certainly an opportunity for more outsourcing from Japan,” notes Rodgers. CM Nate Hendley is a regular contributor and freelance writer based in Toronto.

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business report

FINANCE

Beyond the

Banks

Strategies for financing plant expansion

By Tim Wilson ....................................................................

The global recession was hard on Canadian manufacturers, but many organizations have come through with strong balance sheets and a solid market presence. These companies are adjusting to a stronger dollar by investing in equipment and focusing on higher value, niche markets. Given that interest rates are low, it should now be easy to finance plant expansion.

“We are seeing that manufacturers have found a way to be more efficient and to compete on a worldwide basis,” says Russell David, leader of Deloitte’s corporate finance practice in Canada.

“Whoever was going to go out of business already has. Now it is a matter of operating more efficiently, with companies that are well capitalized and profitable investing in increased capacity.”

But even with good numbers it isn’t always easy to get a bank’s attention. Often, bankers have a hard time understanding a specific manufacturing business. If this is the case, there are other routes to financing that offer real opportunity.

VC funding isn’t only for the high tech sector

“Technology and life sciences tend to attract more venture capital because it is tied to the capital efficiency of the business model,” says Tim Lee, chief investment officer, venture capital, at GrowthWorks Capital in Toronto.

“Technology, software, pharmaceuticals—the potential value of these industries is higher than in others. That said, we do see manufacturers that represent a high return profile.”

For GrowthWorks Capital, financing plant expansion in manufacturing is often tied to major trends. If a company can argue it is entering a market with good gross margins, but that could be capital intensive, a venture capital firm might consider helping to finance expansion.

“We are excited about clean technology and alternative fuels,” says Lee. “In general, high quality suppliers to niche markets also interest us. But if it is a run-of-the-mill part supplier, with nothing identifiable that is competitive in nature, then we make a poor source of capital.”

One manufacturer that has benefited from venture capital investment from GrowthWorks Capital is CFN Precision in Barrie, ON. CFN Precision manufactures medium-sized precision metal, plastic and composite parts and assemblies.

“CFN makes parts primarily for aerospace,” says Lee. “What attracted us to them is their high quality parts with good margins, which should translate into increased capital efficiency.”

One thing to realize with VC involvement in financing expansion is that this is a ‘high touch’ approach. Often, members of the VC firm will sit on the board of directors of the company, and will be directly involved in strengthening the management team.

“There are a lot of manufacturing companies that are 18 | May 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

coming to us,” says Lee. “The dollar is high, and competition is stiff. But if they are looking to use us just to tide them over, it isn’t a good fit.”

Don’t forget the government

The federal and provincial governments are also sources of capital for plant expansion. But there are challenges here too, because a manufacturer has to do the necessary homework to find the right fit for approval.

“These programs have certain criteria,” says Russell David from Deloitte. “Usually they are very objective—you fill out an application, there is a review, and you either meet the criteria or you don’t.”

Sounds simple enough. But the challenge can be to wade through the government websites to assess what the criteria are. A lot of businesses don’t have the time, or the expertise, to examine all of the government programs.

“From my perspective the two best programs are the Canada Small Business Financing Program (CSBFP) and the Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SRED)

FINANCE

business report

there are no abuses associated with it and the low borrowing costs can translate into tens of thousands of dollars in savings.”

Overall, Prokop feels government loan programs are easier to understand and more effective than grants. That was certainly the case with Barry Smith, president and part owner of Airport Technologies Inc. (ATI), a Portage la Prairie, MB, company that manufactures specialized snow removal equipment for airports and highways.

“We work through a credit union, and have had dealings with both the federal and provincial governments in the past,” says Smith.

In general, Smith has found the credit union to be easier to deal with than a traditional bank. On the government side, ATI has had success with Manitoba’s Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI) and Community Futures White Horse Plains, an initiative of the Government of Canada administered in Western Canada by Western Economic Diversification Canada.

“We found that REDI was a well designed, responsive program,” says Smith. “White Horse Plains was also a program that we had success with and good dealings.”

However, Smith found that engaging with the wide array of government programs could be daunting.

“There are reams of programs on government websites, but it can be hard to find the right fit,” says Smith. “Many of the government programs were geared towards engaging consultants on a shared expense basis, but we weren’t looking for cash to hire consultants. We needed cash to operate and build product. As a result, we found that many of the programs didn’t make sense to us.”

When it does make sense, though, as in ATI’s dealing with REDI and White Horse Plains, the money can be a big help.

At the end of the day, the best people to assess the right government program are the manufacturers themselves.

another route to the banks

Tax Incentive Program,” says Stan Prokop, founder and CEO of 7 Park Avenue Financial.

Both these programs are federal. The CSBFP has raised its cap from $250,000 to $350,000 for equipment and leasehold improvements, and to $500,000 to assist in the purchase of real estate. The SRED, which has been criticized of late because of perceived abuse by consultants, nonetheless has real value if approached properly.

“The CSBFP is, bar none, the best financing available in Canada, but it isn’t well known,” says Prokop. “And SRED is also a great program, although it does come down to the quality of the claim and who has prepared it—there are some consultants in the field that you don’t want to align yourself with.”

Prokop points out that the CSBFP loan program has interest pegged at three per cent over prime, a fantastic rate given that a typical private lender might charge rates in the teens.

As a result, manufacturers are also saving over the duration of the loan as their borrowing costs are so low.

“The CSBFP is a great program that, unfortunately, is misunderstood,” says Prokop. “It’s just been poorly marketed;

Sometimes the problem isn’t the banks—it’s getting access to the right people.

“It is important to realize that the banker is not the bank,” says Prokop. “There are very experienced bankers out there who wake up every day looking for good commercial business opportunities.”

In the past, commercial lending was approved at the branch level. Now the big decisions are being made by people that a manufacturing customer may never meet. This is where someone like Prokop can help: he can conduct a pre-assessment that results in a manufacturer’s expansion plans being assessed by the right person. “I initially meet with the customer to try and understand what they think they need,” says Prokop. “Sometimes they don’t know all the alternatives, or have an idea that won’t work. Based on the financial situation and challenges, I can position a company properly, then take a proposal to a bank or independent financial company.”

In other words, getting the right financing requires more than just knocking on the door. A manufacturer needs to know how to position its value, and then has to be able to find the right people. This is where legwork has real value, because whether it is a big consulting firm, a smaller advisory, or a government office, it is the manufacturer who can best assess the most productive route to financing plant expansion. CM Tim Wilson is a regulator contributor and freelance writer based in Peterborough, ON. www.canadianmetalworking.com | May 2011 | 19

FABRICATING

WATERJET CUTTING

Clear Cut Alberta fabricator’s investment in 90,000 psi high pressure waterjet system— a first in Western Canada—leads to “huge savings”

By Mary Scianna

When the plant management team at Alco Industrial Equipment in Edmonton, AB, sat down to discuss changes in its fabricating operation, it wanted to cut costs, improve product quality and deliver faster turn around for its customers.

It realized those goals and more when it purchased a MultiCam 6000 dual head waterjet cutting system equipped with a KMT 90,000 psi Pro pump last fall.

When the waterjet system was installed in January 2011, Alco became the first company in Western Canada to use a high speed waterjet cutting system.

“One of the key things we evaluated was what we were farming out to other job shops,” says Rod Friesen, division manager for Alco. “We had substantial product going out to different waterjet companies. When we reviewed [the costs] we found we could acquire our own waterjet system for huge savings for our company.”

Alco Industrial Equipment is part of 67-year-old privately owned Alco Inc. Group of Companies. The organization operates six service, repair and manufacturing facilities in Edmonton and Red Deer, AB, and services the oil and gas, Rod Friesen, Alco’s division manager, says the new waterjet machine offers fast cutting mining and power plant industries. Combined, the facilities speeds and reduced garnet consumption: “On half inch material we’re running 1.6 in. of travel speed per minute and our garnet consumption is about 4.5 lb. per minute.” are a “one stop shop” for customers, offering engineering, CNC machining, welding, fabricating (waterjet and plasma cutting, rolling and forming), and manufacturing of driveline Industrial Equipment first used its plasma cutting machine for products and crane servicing. part of the process, then outsourced the remaining fabricating The fabrication shop services external and internal (from job to local waterjet companies. Bringing the waterjet process Alco’s other divisions) customers. Prior to the in-house in-house not only cut the costs of outsourcing, it improved cut waterjet cutting system, Alco was out-sourcing products quality and turn around of finished products. developed by another company division that services the “Now that we have our own waterjet system, we’re oil field industry-- the “Smart Roughneck” systems. Designed cutting product in a timely fashion,” says Friesen. “We can in-house, these are hydraulic or fully automated PLC-driven get an order on our desk on Monday and we’re delivering systems that eliminate the dangers involved with workers on parts on Tuesday. With the other companies [outsourced drilling platforms. waterjet cutting services], we were dealing with one and To produce these smart roughneck systems, Alco two week delays.”

20 | MAY 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

WATERJET CUTTING

FABRICATING

“On one job, cutting two-inch

Approximately 95 per cent of the material cut on the waterjet system is mild steel ranging in thickness from one quarter inch up to four and a half inches thick.

Michael Schlamp, shop foreman is impressed with the waterjet system’s user-friendliness and cutting performance.

“We’re doing a lot of internal work with the waterjet table with mining and process piping. We are B31.3 ASME certified [for process piping design/engineering/welding] and ISO 9001-2008 certified. The KMT/MultiCam people came in to install the system [installation was completed in two weeks] and did quite a bit of training. It’s a pretty easy system to work with; the nesting program for dual heads is easy to use. You just have to watch out for torch heights.

The KMT pump is also easy to use. High pressure seals are quick to replace; it takes about 45 minutes to replace them, but it’s been a while since we’ve done that.”

On one particular job, cutting two-inch thick mild steel, Alco achieved tolerances within .006 in. “And there was no machining afterwards,” says Schlamp. “We’re getting work done quicker and we can get the quality that we want.

We’re doing a lot of work for our 50th Street location. They were falling behind because our competitors [outsourced waterjet cutting shops] couldn’t meet the demands.”

Cutting speed and reduced garnet abrasive consumption are two other pluses, adds Friesen.

“On half inch material we’re running 1.6 in. of travel speed per minute and our garnet consumption is about 4.5 lb. per minute. We changed our garnet from 80 mesh to 50 mesh, so we’re now travelling faster with higher volume of garnet and higher volume of water, about 25 per cent faster with the 50 mesh.”

When Alco first began looking at the possibility of bringing waterjet cutting in-house, there were several specific criteria the new waterjet cutting system had to meet. It had to have the ability to cut multiples and thicknesses up to five in. mild steel. Alco wanted a system that required minimal maintenance and an environmentally friendly closed loop water and garnet cleaning system.

“Prior to the final selection of a waterjet cutting system, Alco reviewed three different waterjet manufacturers,” 4548 CStrip 178x38 3/3/08 17:39:43the recalls Friesen.

“At the time,(L) weAW.pdf were only considering

thick mild steel, Alco achieved tolerances within .006 in.”

60,000 psi units. We requested information from each supplier and MultiCam/KMT were the first to provide the information package on the 90,000 psi unit.”

MultiCam was also the first to visit Alco to discuss options, view the area where the waterjet would be installed “and review our parts to determine what unit would best suit our needs.”

And while price and delivery also played a role in Alco’s decision to go with the MultiCam/KMT waterjet system, Friesen says the supplier’s commitment to service was key to the decision to invest close to $500,000.

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www.canadianmetalworking.com | MAY 2011 | 21

FABRICATING

WATERJET CUTTING

The MultiCam waterjet cutting system with KMT’s 90,000 psi pump is helping Alco cut better quality materials at faster rates.

ABB’s easy to use VirtualArc and RobotStudio software lets you program perfect welds in the design phase, before ever touching a piece of metal. These powerful tools let you optimize production cell layout, minimize cycle time and guarantee weld quality by simulating robots, power sources, wire feeders, wire, shield gases and torches.

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4/25/11 9:45:52 AM

“We expect our ROI to be less than five years.”

That’s because now that the system is up and running and has proven to be a high performance cutting unit, Alco is starting to use the new equipment for outside customers.

“Our customers are asking us to provide quotes. The opportunity to provide our customers with yet another offering at a competitive price will certainly increase our sales,” predicts Friesen. It also means the company can now become a one-stop shop for engineering, machining, metal fabricating and welding.

Byron Machado, KMT’s area manager involved in the installation, says Alco chose to upgrade from the initial 60,000 psi waterjet system it was considering to the 90,000 psi because of the many competitive advantages it could provide the company with.

“Increased productivity (Alco was able to take a two shift operation down to one) and reduced cost per part. You are still selling the same widget for $10 but you’re cutting more widgets in the same hour for less money for each.”

He adds that you use up to 40 to 50 per cent less abrasive per cut and there is no heat transfer to materials. With other technologies like plasma, oxyfuel and laser, heat is transferred to the part causing a change in the structural integrity of metals. And 90,000 psi reduces overall taper in a part when compared to 60,000 psi, explains Machado.

Asked if Alco is considering adding more waterjet equipment to its operation, Friesen says it’s a little early to say for sure, but “given the opportunity, I’m sure our owner would consider a unit for our oil and gas division.” CM

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PRODUCT REPORT Flow

Flow International Corp. has released Dynamic Waterjet XD, fast and accurate bevelling for 3D and 2D waterjet cutting technology. Now the benefits of Dynamic Waterjet are available for complex multidimensional cutting.

dimension parts has also been shortened.

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for higher accuracy. Its sturdy heavy-wall tubular steel construction eliminates vibration and increases longevity. The machine uses an industrial PC controller and can be configured so that all three axes are fully programmable (Z optional). It also features

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By incorporating SmartStream technology, the Dynamic Waterjet mathematical models’ cut speed is two to four times faster than conventional abrasive waterjets while producing parts with far higher precision.

The time to program and complete multi-

Capable of producing complex parts out of virtually any material, the Jet Edge Mid Rail Gantry waterjet cutting machine features an exposed tank that accommodates overhead loading. It comes standard with one abrasive jet cutting head and a second cutting head can be added to increase productivity. Optional mirroring capabilities make it possible to cut part cycle time in half.

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The new Suprema DX612 waterjet cutting machine from Mitsubishi is now constructed with an independent frame/tank design which separates the machine frame, ways and drive system from the work tank so machining accuracy is not affected by large or heavy workpieces. The four-sided stainless steel construction of the work tank with a full 10 mm thick steel bottom provides years of low maintenance service, claims the company.

The gantry style movement system travels the extra rigid box constructed X axis bridge on a set of LM guides driven by dual Mitsubishi Brushless AC servo motors and high-pitch 40 mm double anchored ball screws for unmatched positioning accuracy.

A 20 in. “I” beam construction provides frame stability with a machined top surface that mounts the LM guides for the X axis bridge. High speed rapid positioning of up to 787 ipm, made possible through the low backlash planetary gearbox, reduces positioning time between cutting profiles.

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WATERJET CUTTING

provides a high degree of positioning accuracy. Machine accuracy with compensation is within ±0.002 in. per 36 in. length.

An auto-lubrication system provides automatic way and ball screw greasing/ self cleaning that takes the hand work out of machine lubrication. Table slat registration rails can be adjusted to provide a flat mounting surface for the galvanized table slats, providing a flat working surface.

Dual layer protection ensures proper focus tube height and collision detection.

A programmable touch probe checks workpiece height in several different modes, from manual to continuous,

maintaining the proper focus tube to workpiece distance. The collision detection ring stops all machine movement in X, Y, and Z, should a collision occur preventing any damage.

Four axis intelligent taper control (ITC) provides full 360º taper control by adding a one or two degree mechanical tilt to the cutting head, compensating for the jet getting wider as it exits the focus tube. This provides improved part wall straightness of ±0.001” per 1⁄2” of workpiece thickness.

The software automatically generates the ITC program by just one click.

The machine is equipped with a KMT high pessure intensifier pump, the S-50, a 50 hp pump providing 60,000 psi of water traveling up to MACH 2 with 1.09 gpm of water consumption through a maximum orifice size of 0.013 in.

An abrasive removal system uses a 300 gpm water circulating system in the work tank that suspends the exhausted abrasive and pumping it through a cyclone system that separates the water

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and returns it to the tank. The used abrasive is collected in a filter bag lined hopper for easy disposal. www.mitsubishi-world.com

MultiCam

The MultiCam 3000 series waterjet cutting systems features a user friendly interface and a KMT Intensifier pump. The machines are affordable, easy-to-use, production cutting solutions for manufacturers that

want the ability to cut a wide variety of materials. The use of high pressure waterjet machining also offers unique

www.canadianmetalworking.com | May 2011 | 25

FABRICATING

WATERJET CUTTING

PRODUCT REPORT advantages over other cutting technologies allowing the user to cut highly accurate parts with excellent finish and no heat affected edge.

All 3000 series waterjet machining systems are manufactured using high tolerance, large scale CNC metalworking machines and are verified with certified laser calibration equipment. www.multicam.com

WE’VE BEEN PASSIONATE ABOUT WATERJET FOR YEARS.

OMAX

OMAX Corp.’s new EnduroMax direct drive waterjet pump provides double the operating life of previous pumps, says the company, and allows faster part processing, lower operating costs and easier maintenance.

The new pump maximizes machine uptime with its 1,000-hour operating range between required pump rebuilds when run at 55,000 psi (3,800 bar). However, the new pump can also run continuously at 60,000 psi (4,100 bar). OMAX achieved increased pump operating life by significantly upgrading the design of the seals in the EnduroMax. Seals are the elements of a pump that wear out the quickest, forcing shops to rebuild pumps more frequently.

By improving the design of the seals, the pump’s operating life increases and maintenance time is reduced.

At Flow, in 1979, Dr. Mohamed Hashish invented the abrasive waterjet...

...though his passion started well before then.

Today he continues to develop breakthrough waterjet solutions with an equally passionate team of experts at Flow.

Our passion for waterjets, years of experience, and dedication to our customers drives us.

Waterjet is our life.

Driven by passion. Inspired by you.

26 | MAY 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

FlowWaterjet.com info@flowcorp.com 800.446.3569

OMAX built the EnduroMax pump to run much more efficiently as compared with intensifier pump designs. The pump operates at 85 per cent efficiency, as opposed to the 60 to 70 per cent range of intensifier pumps. The pump also delivers more horsepower to the nozzle, while using less electricity than intensifier pumps.

The combination of 60,000 psi operation and 85 per cent efficiency allows OMAX machines using the new pump to process parts faster. All models deliver 60,000 psi and are offered in various horsepower ratings. The available models are the 3060 (30 hp), 4060 (40 hp), and 5060 (50 hp). www.omax.com

Fabricating

SAWS

Straight

&

Narrow

Metal pole manufacturer boosts cutting productivity with new fast cutting band saw

By Nate Hendley..................................................................................

If you’re in need of tall metal poles for lighting or other support structures, Spina’s Steel Workers Co. Ltd. in Brampton, ON, is your best bet.

The family-owned business specializes in metal lighting poles for commercial, industrial, residential and traffic applications, as well as billboards, overhead sign support structures and toll gantries for highways.

To keep up with demand, the company made a major investment last year in a new band saw, the H 6.1 AF-NC miter automatic band saw from Italian manufacturer IMET, distributed exclusively in Canada by Neiman Machinery Sales, Newmarket, ON.

Tony Spina was unfamiliar with the IMET band saw that Neiman Machinery suggested, but the company is happy with the results: improved cutting productivity.

The company already had two manual saws—one from Hyd-Mech of Woodstock, ON, and another from DoALL, based in Illinois. Spina’s shop is also equipped with a 24 ft brake press, a 24 ft shear, a 140 ton iron worker, an 85 ton iron worker, a 20 ton boom truck, two automatic sub-arc welding machines and more than 12 semi-automatic welding machines.

Existing saws at Spina’s Steel just weren’t up to snuff, however.

“We needed a bigger saw. We had a Hyd-Mech but it wasn’t big enough,” recalls operations manager Tony Spina, son of president John Spina who founded in the company in 1976.

In 2009, the company decided to purchase a new band saw. Spina contacted Rick Gross, a sales representative with Neiman Machinery. The Spinas had done business in the past with Gross. Gross listened to the family as they explained their needs then suggested an automatic band saw from IMET. “Spina’s Steel is constantly looking for ways to improve efficiency and

SAWS

productivity in their plant in order to keep their competitive edge in the light pole industry,” says Gross. “In previous discussions with Tony Spina, he told me that every year they focus on an area to modernize. In 2010, he felt it was time to automate their sawing process. They had been using an old DoALL bandsaw which had long served its purpose. It was time to get an automatic band saw which would have the capacity to do 20 in. diameter and miter cuts. The model H 6.1 AF-NC Miter IMET automatic bandsaw was the perfect solution.”

Ironically, Tony Spina admits he was completely unfamiliar with the saw manufacturer suggested by Gross.

“Until Rick sold me on them, I had never heard of them,” he says, of IMET. The family trusted Gross’ judgement, however, and a deal was struck. The company ordered a the IMET automatic bandsaw, an investment of close to $40,000.

The band saw was shipped from Italy then installed at Spina’s Steel in mid-September, 2010.

“After electrical hook-up, the installation and training were done in one day. [The IMET bandsaw] was soon up and running,” says Gross.

Since installation, the new six by ten foot automatic band saw has “worked like a charm,” reports Tony Spina.

“The best features of this band saw and what sets it apart from its competitors is that it has a double column structure on two linear guides with re-circulating ball screws, which assures much better cutting precision as opposed to a pivoting system which can develop a large amount of vibration and noise during

Fabricating

A key feature of the IMET band saw is its double column structure on two linear guides for better cutting precision as opposed to pivoting models.

the cutting cycle,” says Gross. The IMET saw uses a 5° canted arch, which is considered to be the best cutting solution for cutting beams and flat profiles. This feature allows an operator to choose a lowering speed which can be maintained during the complete cutting cycle. “The canted arch allows for the constant cutting of the same quantity of material throughout the cutting process, thus increasing blade life, providing rapid cutting and a much more consistent cut. The pivoting style band saws finish the cut straight, without inclination,” continues Gross.

He adds the new band saw uses a “fast approach cutting

www.canadianmetalworking.com | May 2011 | 29

FABRICATING

SAWS

PRODUCT REPORT Behringer

HBP-800AXL Automatic and HBP-800XL Semi-Automatic series band saws from Behringer Saws Inc. can cut large diameter tubing quickly and efficiently.

This allows companies to save on upfront capital expenditures and avoid buying more expensive band saws for everyday cutting while expanding their capability to cut large tubes when needed.

The new band saws deliver all the performance and capabilities of “standard” HBP-800 Series band saws cutting solid bars and structurals up to 31.5 in. In addition, these new band saws allow for the cutting of tubes up to 39 in. in diameter.

Companies can now purchase a lower cost band saw to handle day-to-day production cutting needs at the standard size range while utilizing this additional feature to accept new projects requiring the cutting of large diameter tubing.

All HBP-800 band saws are built with strong cast iron frame construction and a twin column parallel down feed design for proper saw blade tensioning to deliver quick, efficient and forceful low vibration cutting for smooth cuts. These band saws also come with a heavy duty roller conveyor for quick and efficient handling of heavy materials pre and post-cut.

HBP-800 band saws feature a frequency controlled 14.7 horsepower main drive motor with a variable speed range of between 55-393 sfm, which is easily selected at the operator’s control panel. Hydraulic and hardened clamping jaws on the bandsaw ensures steady and precise cuts at all speeds.

This band saw is available in automatic and semi-automatic versions and requires minimal operator intervention as it is controlled by a programmable logic controller (PLC). It features an easy-to-use operator’s terminal with diagnostic display, data entry and program storage. The speed is easily set, controlled and monitored before and during the cutting process. www.behringersaws.com

Cosen Saws

Cosen’s new C-300NC+ is equipped with the new Mitsubishi Touch Screen Control. A high production programmable band saw, the C-300NC+ incorporates a powerful 5HP drive motor.

It has a 12 in. round cutting capacity. The new touch screen control allows operators to easily program the cut length and quantity desired, up to 99 stored cutting jobs. The saw also features Automatic Kerf Compensation for parts longer than a single index. The hydraulic full stroke vises and double retracting vises allow full capacity movement for both machine and index vises with just a touch of the screen. This is an ideal saw for production work. www.cosen.com

Neiman Machinery

The IMET model H 6.1 AF-NC Miter sawing machine is a hydraulically driven automatic band saw. It is designed to cut sections of steelwork, tubes and solids and able to cut variable angles up to 60° to the left.

Designed for industry with a robust steel saw frame with tubular section, it features a worktable supported by a central pivot with preloaded bearings. The saw frame moves on a welded large diameter column, through two recirculating ballscrews and linear guides.

The automatic feeder will feed up to 550 mm long with electric movement through recirculating ballscrews and linear guides.

Standard features include hydraulic vices and a CNC control allows you to set and memorize more than 90 cutting programs, with different cutting lengths and quantities.

IMET has a full range of sawing machines, including band saws, double column band saws, circular cold saws for aluminium and steel, available in manual, semi-automatic, automatic and CNC versions. IMET is distributed in Canada by Neiman Machinery Sales Inc. www.neimanmachinery.com 30 | MAY 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com Jet Edge Aug.indd 1

7/26/10 6:42:36 AM

SAWS

Scotchman

Scotchman Industries has introduced its largest band saw to the market. The SHA 2131 band saw’s capacity is a large 533 mm x 787 mm (21 in. x 31 in.) at 90° and 533 mm x 355 mm (21 in. x 14 in.) at 60°. It is a simple-to-use automatic band saw that combines mitering capability with an automatic bar feed system.

The bar feed uses an automatic shuttle-vise feed system that handles up to 60 in. in a single stroke.

The machine comes with a touchscreen work station with standard PLC, allowing the operator to program the job, including piece length and piece count. The PLC takes into consideration the multiple indexes and blade kerf, making it extremely easy to set lengths.

The full stroke vising and optional bundling attachments can bundle up to the full capacity. www.scotchman.com

FABRICATING

system” that automatically detects the start cut point. The new saw is also equipped with a micro-switch on the mobile blade, able to automatically detect end cut points.

“This rapid approach to the workpiece and automatic detection of the starting and ending points saves setting time, especially on individual cuts.

Another distinct feature is the moveable console which is separate from the saw itself, allowing for ease of use,” explains Gross.

The fully automatic machine offers CNC control and can do miter cutting from zero to 60°. Options include loading/unloading tables, a minimal lubrication spray system, laser ray (a device that traces a red laser line in order to reproduce cutting lines), pressure reducer for the fixed vice, a hydraulic device for bundle cutting and an angle digital display.

The IMET has already made Spina’s more efficient and productive: “The IMET saw is faster [than our manual saws] ... it saves time on repetitive cuts.

The quality of cutting has improved. We use the saw for all kinds of material.

The best part about the saw is its versatility,” says Spina.

The company operates eight hours a day, with slightly longer shifts in the busier summer months.

Asked if they’ve had any problems with the automatic bandsaw yet, and Spina says no. The company has had no service issues with the bandsaw at all.

“Tony and his operators have told me numerous times how happy and impressed they are by the performance of the saw. It has been a very good investment for them,” echoes Gross. CM Nate Hendley is a regular contributor and freelance writer based in Toronto.

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4/25/11 11:34:48 | MAY www.canadianmetalworking.com 2011 |AM 31

TURNING

MACHINE TOOLS

Maximum

TURNS Experts weigh in on the best ways to handle today’s advanced turning machines to maximize process performance

By Mary Scianna

In 2000, Yamazaki Mazak Corp. introduced its “mother machine,” reliable,” says Allington. “The computer allows the machine to a futuristic machine tool it envisioned would be available in 2019 run somewhat unattended, which allows the operator to multion the company’s 100th anniversary. task, a key requirement of our customers.”

With a spindle speed of 100,000 rpm and spindle acceleration Dan Silberhorn, runoff engineer at MAG, says turning of eight gs, this machine of the future would have the ability to technologies have come a long way and lists today’s “state-ofachieve cutting speeds approaching Mach 2. A magnetic rotary the-art” changes. table with turning speeds of 8000 rpm would have the ability to “Four axis turning [main spindle with two turrets—upper and index at 1/10,0008. It would be capable of simultaneous five axis lower—with the ability to cut at the same time, reducing cutting control, turning, milling, ID and OD grinding, laser hardening and operations], live tooling, right angle live tooling, tool probing, in-process measurement in a single setup. part probing, grinding capabilities and gear cutting.”

“Our machines today are getting to look and function more Not surprisingly, these advanced turning machines and more like that every year,” says Rick Ware, vice president come with a higher price tag, so ensuring of sales and marketing for Mazak Corp., Florence, KY. (Mazak’s you’re optimizing machine performance Canadian headquarters are in Cambridge, ON). is critical.

In fact, the company’s turning centres have advanced so much that Ware says Mazak’s “mother machine” of the future: 100,000 rpm, spindle they’re now defined as “machining centres with turning capabilities.” acceleration of eight gs, and cutting speeds approaching Mach 2.

Bob Allington, applications engineering for turning at Hardinge Inc., Elmira, NY, concurs with Ware. Hardinge’s top selling What’s the best way to do that? To some extent, this is machines are the single turret, dual spindle turning centres— dependent on the design and make of the machine because Allington estimates 30 to 40 per cent of Hardinge’s customers every builder has distinct features and functions built into their purchase this style of machine tool. machines to help customers maximize machine performance.

When you get into multi-spindle turning machines (or There are, however, some common tricks and tips customers turning centres/machining centres, depending on a company’s can employ that suppliers shared with Canadian Metalworking. definition and the number of functions on them), you introduce CONTROLLING THE PROCESS more complexity into the machining process. And when you’re One of the best ways to optimize turning performance on your machining complex parts, software and controls become an machines is automation, says Mazak’s Rick Ware. integral component of the machine tool.

“Simple automation is a big area where you can make a “Many of today’s machines have built-in computers which difference [and improve performance] on two and three axis allow the machines to go faster, be more flexible, safer and more

“

”

www.canadianmetalworking.com | MAY 2011 | 33

MACHINE TOOLS

TURNING

machines. Take bar feeders as an example.

You can incorporate automatic bar feeders that continually feed parts into the machine and you can cut ten pieces off of one bar and run it unattended. The next step in this type of simple automation that could help improve the performance of the turning process is pick and place robotic loaders. We have gantry loaders which pick up parts from a carousel of raw material and load them into the machine and then offload after machining. This gives you a lot of capability to increase parts per hour because you’ve introduced a level of automation into the turning process.”

Another area of automation that can improve machine tool performance is on-machine measurement of parts, says David Bozich, machine tool products business manager for Renishaw, Hoffman Estates, IL. In Canada, Renishaw (Canada) Ltd. is based in Mississauga, ON. “Tough economic times force manufacturers to look for ways to improve efficiency while reducing costs.

Automating process control, through on-machine probing, can be critical to reducing manning levels, machine downtime, scrap and rework, and even inspection costs.”

He says on-machine probing brings “predictable productivity” to turning operations.

“Much of the non-conformance in many processes arises from human intervention. Automation can make possible intelligent process control to minimize staffing levels, human error, cost burdens and the drags on machine utilization/equipment efficiency from manual intervention.”

MAG’s Dan Silberhorn says part probing can “drive up throughput and quality” because the process can “check for tool wear and measure the workpiece,” providing critical data that allows operators to monitor potential issues before they become a problem leading to tool breakage and machine tool shutdowns.

“A machine tool “crash” can be devastating to a production environment,” says Hardinge’s Bob Allington. “Many operators and programmers take it personally when a machine they run crashes. The good news is that 99 per cent of machine crashes can be avoided. The key here is to be alert and just pay attention to what is going on in your environment.”

To reduce such crashes, Allington suggests operators double check all tool offsets, make changes to the program and confirm the changes, use “set-up mode” and “distance to go,” which are control safety features, and set rapid traverse to low when in set-up. He also advises that operators use graphics to confirm accurate program codes before running the machine, “and always inspect and ensure the integrity of the part workholding fixture.”

TOOLING

While not specifically part of the turning machine, tooling plays an important role in turning process optimization.

MAG’s Dan Silberhorn “tricks of successful turning” includes tooling advice: “keep your cutting tools sharp and as short as possible. Make sure the cutting tool is in line with the centre of the chuck. Also check cutting tool clearances, calculate the proper feed and speed for each tool and material being machined.”

Hardinge’s Bob Allington also points to cutting tools as being an important part of the machine tool optimization equation.

“While running any machine, eventually tools will wear and the parts being produced will be out of tolerance. The operator needs to monitor parts and adjust the tool based on blue print requirements. In some cases, if the tool wear gets excessive, the tool may physically break and the operation of the machine stops. The good news is that with a little care, the cutting tool issue is very manageable.”

A COMMON SENSE APPROACH

The most important step you can take to optimize performance? Maintenance. It seems like an obvious statement to make, but experts say they can’t stress it enough because time and time again they see shops that neglect to do the checks and balances a preventive maintenance schedule entails and ultimately end up dealing with more tool wear, faster tool breakage and machine downtime.

Bob Allington says machine tool failure—due to lack of maintenance—is one of the top problems he sees while machines are in operation.

“Today’s machines are 34 | MAY 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

THE REnaissancE Man i aM extremely versatile – I can be your vertical, horizontal or 5-axis solution. With me you only need one machine. i sPEciaLizE in parts up to 27.6" in diameter and 17.7" long, with a maximum weight of 661 lbs. i usE a 12,000-rpm compact spindle incorporating the latest technology to offer powerful performance. (18,000-rpm optional) i can be even more powerful and versatile when paired with the Mazak PALLETECH system to enhance unmanned machining operations for nearly any part. i incoRPoRaTE the Mazak MX Hybrid Roller Guide System to deliver levels of rigidity, durability and reliability that result in long-term accuracy. i accoMMoDaTE up to 120 tools, more than any other machine in my class, allowing me to run multiple jobs from a single operator set-up. i aM smart, with Intelligent Machine functions that boost my accuracy, reliability and productivity. These include INTELLIGENT THERMAL SHIELD and ADVANCED VIBRATION CONTROL, among others. i aM highly ergonomic, thanks to my new design. i EaRn my keep with a great return on investment. soME people call me a tough guy, but I’m sensitive to your needs.

i aM THE Mazak VaRiaXis 500-5X iii anD i’M REaDy To Do THE TougH sTuff foR you.

www.Mazakusa.coM Tel: 859-342-1700 Florence, Kentucky Mazak corporation canada Mazak canada Technology centre 50 Commerce Court Cambridge, Ontario Canada N3C 4P7 1-800-668-5449

west canada Machine Toolworks, inc.

4803 74th Avenue Edmonton, AB T6B 2H5 (800) 426-2052

East canada a.w. Miller Technical sales 5590 McAdam Rd. Mississauga, Ontario L4Z 1P1 (905) 890-8686

a.w. Miller Equipment Technique 2685 Boul. Pitfield St. Laurent, Quebec H4S 1T2 (514) 333-9174

MACHINE TOOLS

TURNING

very reliable, but eventually hardware can wear and failure is inevitable. One key to minimize failure is to have some sort of preventive maintenance program. This could be as simple as the operator doing a walk around—looking for leakage of any sort or just listening for an unusual noise. The maintenance may be left to the person who cleans filters, adds oils and lubricants or applies grease to moving parts. Many machine tools actually alert or remind the operator/maintenance person to service the machine.

Either way, simple preventive maintenance goes a long way.”

Machine tool builders have attempted to address the issue by developing software and control packages that make it easier to monitor turning processes.

Mazak’s Rick Ware says his company has developed numerous controls for its family of “machining centres with turning capabilities.”

“You can do a lot of monitoring with controls and customers are doing more maintenance monitoring on controls. There are up to 70 different tasks we can program into the machine control with the capability to monitor the machine via maintenance.”

A significant advancement in this area according to Ware is MT Connect. Mazak is on the board of the MT Connect Institute. MT Connect is a machine-tomachine communication software program that provides a common communication platform for different machines from different builders.

“We are providing the MT Connect capability in all of our machines. It’s an inexpensive option to have this connection capability between

36 | MAY 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

different machine tools in the shop and monitor processes. Once you have this in place it’s to the point where the machine can now tell you when it needs to be fixed. It’s sort’ve like the mother machine of the future that Mazak developed; that’s what’s happening with machine tools today.”

Asked what he thinks the top problems are with turning machines and how operators can address the issues, Richard Parenteau, director of applications development and Nakamura-Tome product manager at Methods Machine Tools Inc., Sudbury, MA, says “way lube contamination—using way lube that is not the proper grade or not clean, which means it’s usually not stored properly, like a drum left open—coolants with high levels of chlorine which will destroy most of the rubber products in the machine, and high pressure coolant with the use of a mist collector. The mist will soak through the machine guarding and cause corrosion.”

His advice to avoid these problems? “By simply using good maintenance practices. Store the way lube properly, check the coolant MSDA sheet for chlorine and use a mist collector for high pressure applications.”

Every machine shop wants to reduce costs. Optimizing your turning machines is the best way to achieve that. CM www.hardingeus.com www.methodsmachine.com

www.mag-ias.com www.renishaw.com

www.mazakcanada.com

TURNING

MACHINE TOOLS

PRODUCT REPORT DMG

DMG’s CTX beta 1240 TC combines milling and turning technologies with an integrated disk magazine of 24 to 36 tools for fast tool exchange.

The machine features an integration of a controlled slide with a B axis milling spindle for five axis simultaneous machining.

X, Y and Z axis travels are 450 mm (17.7 in.), 100 mm (3.9 in.) and 1300 mm (51.2 in.) respectively. The 5000 rpm machine has a maximum turning length of 1250 mm (51 in.) and is equipped to handle part diameters of 450 mm (17.7 in.) with a bar capacity of 66 mm (2.6 in.). www.dmgcanada.com

Doosan Infracore

The Puma MX 2600ST combines a turning centre with a true machining centre, enabling the machining of complex geometries on a single machine in a single setup. This mill-turn is capable of producing parts up to 759.46 mm diameter (29.9 in.) by 1498 mm long (59 in.).

Powering the turning component is a 35 Hp, 4,000 rpm, high torque spindle motor. The motor is mounted on the headstock casting with the armature on the spindle O.D. This beltless design eliminates backlash, feedback error and vibration, resulting in longer tool life, less maintenance, high precision, and superior finishes.

Driving the milling component is a 12,000 rpm, 30 Hp motor. Together, these two motors provide the muscle for heavy cuts in tough-to-machine materials.

The lower tool turret can accommodate live or static tools at any of its 12 stations, and be oriented toward either the main or sub-spindle. A 6.7 hp motor turns the live tools at speeds up to 4,000 rpm. The

turret is non-lifting to protect the coupling from chips and other contaminants, and indexes station-to-station in 0.2 seconds.

Milling tools are housed in a 40-tool ATC; an 80-station ATC is optional. Tool-to-tool change is 1.8 seconds.

The MX2600 combines a B axis (tilting) with Y axis to expand the number of geometries that can be machined without using customized rotary tool holders. It can cut, drill or tap above or below centerline, machine angular features, and provide a solid platform for heavy duty machining. A rigid, three piece curvic coupling locks at 5° increments, while the RGC provides extra rigidity in 0.001° increments. us.doosaninfracore.com/kr

CHANGE! Quick-change in < 1 minute with < 0.0002” (0.005 mm) repeat accuracy Stainless steel construction for long life 90 % less set-up costs for more efficient production Completely sealed, maintenance-free system SCHUNK Intec Corp., 190 Britannia Road E, Units 23-24, Mississauga, ON L4Z 1W6 Phone +1-905-712-2200, Fax +1-905-712-2210, info@ca.schunk.com

www.schunk.com

- The modular Quick Change Pallet System

EXCEPTIONAL PRECISION FROM THE COMPETENCE LEADER FOR CLAMPING TECHNOLOGY AND GRIPPING SYSTEMS. www.canadianmetalworking.com | MAY 2011 | 37

MACHINE TOOLS

TURNING

PRODUCT REPORT Feeler

The Feeler HT-series high performance milling lathes, available in Canada from Methods Machine Tools, are offered in three configurations including an HT-30MC power milling turret machine, an HT-30Y model with a power milling turret and Y axis, and an HT-30SY machine featuring a power milling turret, Y axis and a subspindle.

Each HT-series lathe features a 3,500 rpm, 30 hp spindle with chuck diameter of 254 mm (10 in.) and bar capacity of 78 mm (3 in.). The HT-30SY also offers a 6,000 rpm, 15 hp sub-spindle with a 170 mm (6 in. chuck diameter and a bar capacity of 44 mm (1.7 in.). X axis travel is 178 mm + 82 mm (7 in. + 3.2 in.) and Z axis travel is 795 mm (31.3 in.) in each of the HT-series machines.

The HT-Series features a 30° slant bed with hand scraped slideway surfaces.

Maximum turning diameter is 356 mm (14 in.) and maximum turning length is 705 mm (27.75 in.). A 12-position power turret with milling capability and Fanuc 18i-TB control are standard.

axis travel of 175 mm + 25 mm (6.9 in. + 1 in.) and Z axis travel of 700 mm (27.6 in.). It includes a 12-station turret and offers a maximum turning diameter of 350 mm (13.8 in.) and a maximum turning length of 660 mm (26 in.).

The turning centres offer slant bed/ boxway construction and include a Fanuc 0i-TD control and 12-station turret.

This series includes six models–FT200A, FT250A, FT-350L, FT-350AL, FT-500 and FT-500XL. Spindles range from 5,000 rpm, 20 hp to 1,500 rpm, 50 hp motors and chuck diameter sizes from 8 in. (210 mm) up to 18 in. (450 mm). Bar capacity ranges from 65 mm (2.6 in.) to 162 mm (6.4 in.).

Maximum turning diameter is offered from 320 mm (12.6 in.) to 800 mm (31.5 in.) and maximum turning length from 500 mm (19.7 in.) to 3,006 mm (118.3 in.). X axis travel from 160 mm + 10 mm (6.3 in. + .4 in.) through 400 mm + 25 mm (15.7 in. + 1 in.) and Z axis travels from 540 mm (21.3 in,) to 3,100 mm (122 in.). www.methodsmachine.com

Hardinge

Hardinge’s new T‐42 Super-Precision and high performance turning centres are a replacement for the previous Conquest 42, Conquest T‐42, Quest 42 and RS Precision and Super-Precision machines.

The new T–series turning centers are what the company calls “the new benchmark in high precision, high performance turning.

The FTC-series turning centres, including the FTC-150 and FTC-200L models, have linear guideways on the X and Z axis.

The new machines feature 30° slant bed construction and a Fanuc 0i-TD control is standard.

The FTC-150 machine offers a 6,000 rpm, 15 hp spindle with a hydraulic chuck diameter of 170 mm (6 in.) and a bar capacity of 52 mm (2 in.). X axis travel is 150 mm + 20 mm (5.9 in. + .8 in.) and Z axis travel is 350 mm (13.8 in.). This turning centre includes a 10-station turret and offers a maximum turning diameter of 300 mm (11.8 in.) and a maximum turning length of 320 mm (12.6 in.).

The FTC-200L lathe features a 4,500 rpm, 25 hp spindle with a 8 in. (210 mm) hydraulic chuck diameter and 2.6 in. (65 mm) bar capacity. This machine offers a X 40 | MAY 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

MAG IAS

MAG’s full range of vertical turning centres in table sizes from 1000-8000 mm increase their versatility and cost effectiveness with the availability of Sandvik’s Coromant Capto C8 toolholding system.

“This industry-standard tooling system gives our customers the ability to more fully utilize their existing inventory of Coromant Capto tools, while increasing machine versatility with quick-changeover capability,” says Helene Nimmer, MAG global product leader. “The widely used Coromant Capto system gives owners of MAG VTCs the advantages of Sandvik’s decades of experience and R&D in turning and milling tools.”

The VTCs can automatically exchange Coromant Capto tools from either a standard disk tool changer or an expanded tool magazine. “The modularity of the Coromant Capto system also enables our customers to use a single system of standard tools and adapters for tools with different lengths and design characteristics that can be used in multiple applications and machines,” Nimmer adds.

“As the range of multi-processing capabilities on our VTC’s increases, the modular system of tools offers strong costcontrol potential by allowing a broader range of work to be done without custom tools.” www.mag-ias.com

Mazak The machines are available with features that include but are not limited to: live tooling with C axis, sub spindle, Y axis, main spindle parts catcher, and the company’s sub spindle parts catcher designed for removing delicate high precision parts with critical surface finish requirements without damage to the part. www.hardinge.com

The Integrex j-Series contains multiple models and falls in the middle of the spectrum of Mazak’s multi-tasking innovations.

The j-400 performs four axis simultaneous machining with five axis tool tip positioning, providing significant advantages in productivity, accuracy and flexibility, says the company. Unlike multi-tasking machines with a drum turret type, Mazak’s j-400 accommodates 20 tools in a tool magazine

TURNING

(36 and 72-tool optional) and increases versatility in part production. The machine’s main turning spindle offers a maximum speed of 3,300 rpm.

The new machine also includes a 30 hp, 12,000 rpm milling spindle that can be indexed in 5º (or optional 1º) increments from –30º to 210º (B axis control), making it possible to perform outer diameter machining, as well as turning, facing, grooving and threading with the same flash tool. It also makes it possible to perform incline machining and all other conventional machining processes. The milling spindle can be radially indexed and clamped, enabling the same tool to be used for turning in forward and reverse directions.

The machine offers a maximum machining diameter and length of 500 mm (19.7 in.) with minimum tool interference for large workpieces. Its long axis strokes allow face milling, end milling and drilling to be performed above and below the centerline without C axis indexing. In addition, the true Y axis design allows for a larger machine envelope and tool reach, reduced interference and excellent chip evacuation when compared to conventional machines.

The NTX machines offer extensive features, including advanced thermal displacement compensation; a 40 per cent smaller footprint than previous models, and DMG/Mori Seiki original DDM, ORC and BMT technologies.

X, Y and Z axis travels are 380 mm (15 in.), 105 mm (4.1 in.) and 460 mm (18.1

in.) respectively. The 6000 rpm machine features a maximum turning length of 424 mm (16.6 in.) and a bar capacity of 52 mm (2 in.). Rapid traverse rates are 1,574.8 mm/m (40,000 ipm) for X axis, 1.574.8 mm/m (40,000 ipm) for Y axis and 1.968.5 mm/m (50,000 ipm) for Z axis. www.moriseiki.com

Okuma

Okuma’s MacTurn 550 is a multi-function machine built to improve throughput and virtually eliminate fixturing for consistent quality and accuracy of your parts. Features include fast automatic tool exchange, variably

configurable tool storage, a lower live turret, a multi function H1 upper turret and available nine axis machining/turning functions. The linear roller guide system combines the best of traditional linear ball guides and newer box systems, all supporting industry-competitive fast axis feeds. Standard on all MacTurn multitask machines is the THINC-OSP control, a true open architecture control with expansive peripheral possibilities, plug and play capability, and Ethernet connectivity that allows use of third party software. www.okuma.com

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Mazak’s Matrix Nexus CNC control allows for both conversational and EIA/ ISO programming, and ensures easy programming for C axis, Y axis and angle machining. www.mazakusa.com

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Mori Seiki’s NTX 1000S high precision, high efficiency integrated mill-turn centre is designed for machining small precision parts for medical equipment and measuring instruments, which require complex machining.

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1-800-263-3939 www.canadianmetalworking.com | May 2011 | 41

MACHINE TOOLS

DIE & MOULD

Keeping your

EDGE Canny tech investments keep mouldmaker on top of its game

By Jim Barnes ...............................................................

It has been a long, hard decade for Canada’s mouldmakers.

Offshore competition, fluctuating currency values and a recession combined to turn the industry on its head. We asked Tony Grossi, president of Garrtech Inc. in Stoney Creek, ON, how his company weathered the storm.

“Mouldmakers have been kicked in the teeth,” he says.

Many Canadian and US competitors exited the business, while others dramatically downscaled their operations. Garrtech’s strategy has been ongoing investment in technology to help protect margins.

The firm was founded in 1991 and has 2,787 sq m of shop space. About 80 per cent of Garrtech’s business is blow moulds for the packaging industry, including moulds for PET. The rest comes from HDPE moulds for the industrial and automotive sectors. Most of its customers are in the US. It currently has 47 staff, but Grossi says that 52 would be a better number in terms of current workloads if he could find the right people.

Low-cost offshore competitors, especially from China and India, were once a predominant concern for the Canadian industry. That situation has improved slightly, says Grossi. Many North American customers experienced unexpected quality problems and delays in delivery from these suppliers. When total costs were considered, the savings were not there—especially on the high end technical tooling, moulds and blow moulds. In addition, as domestic demand and quality requirements increase overseas, the competition’s costs are rising.

The recovery is now underway, a fact reflected in higher levels of activity among Garrtech’s customers and in bigger and better projects, says Grossi.

There’s a downside, though—the strong Canadian dollar.

While it means that the firm can buy production equipment at a good price, it impacts selling prices. Compared to four years ago, Grossi says that Garrtech is delivering tools and components for 30 per cent less in real terms.

Compounding matters, material costs have been climbing as selling prices drop. The company mainly works with aerospacegrade aluminum and crucible and stainless steels. Grossi says 42 | MAY 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

Large tool holders can help improve machine utilization rates.

materials account for 25 per cent of the cost of most jobs and reached 50 per cent on one recent job.

Tight lead times are another factor. The lead times for unit tools are normally around five weeks, while production tools can have a five to six week lead time from date of approval. “We have really had to compress deliveries,” says Grossi.

The combination of staff shortages, thin margins and tight lead times is today’s reality in this sector.

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DIE & MOULD

Diversification is one way Garrtech is protecting itself economically. Tony Grossi holds an iPad holder, a product developed by its Monitors in Motion division.

variable the firm can use to maintain its margins.

Machine uptime is a cornerstone of meeting tight deadlines, cost efficient production and high quality.

The firm has implemented a monitoring system from Lemoine Multinational Technologies Inc. of Walled Lake, MI. The PULSE (Performance Utilization of Systems & Equipment) system monitors the machines, providing

management with real-time operating data including idle times, feed rates, component name, operation type, operation length and others.

When they started working with the system, the uptime data they obtained was “not very impressive,” says Grossi. “We were typical of a lot of machine and mould shops.” They were often getting 30 or 40 per cent machine utilization and quickly made it a goal to get to 60 or 70 per cent.

The question was, why were machines that had an operator during a regularly scheduled shift not up and running? “It points to a number of things: people, material availability, setups, and more importantly in our situation right now, programs,” says Grossi.

One element the PULSE system quickly identified was the need to dispose of three older machining centres. Downtime related to repairs was impacting the production flow significantly. As Grossi notes, getting rid of them was not a complex decision.

A more difficult problem is staffing. “There’s one sure sign that the economy is turning around. We’re having trouble getting good people—programmers and designers, especially,” says Grossi.

They have two apprentices at present, one in mouldmaking and the other on the machining side. “As we get more confident that the market is moving in the right direction and we can afford to carry more rookies, we’ll do it,” says Grossi.

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DIE & MOULD

Good programmers and designers are a particular need. The company maintains a distinctive suite of specialized software applications. For example, they rely on Unigraphics, PowerMill and several other packages that students don’t get much exposure to in their classes.

A good programmer has to be familiar with the business’s manufacturing methods, with its workflow, machining preferences and setups. Students fresh out of school face two challenges: they have to learn both the company’s methods and the new software.

Garrtech decided to train some of its machinists as programmers. That will eliminate one of the obstacles. “The machinists know what we’re doing and how the machines work,” says Grossi. “Now, we just have to get them going on the software.”

The company’s experienced programmers will handle the training. Grossi estimates that it will take two or three months before the trainees are paying dividends in programming and providing good, reliable programs.

It’s a job with some time pressure. When Garrtech gets files from customers, they often need to clean them up. “Things might be missing, so we resurface that model and send it back to the customer for approval,” he says.

The moulding surfaces are then defined and go to programming. “It involves moving from one piece of software to another, tracking revisions and making sure the latest files are saved,” says Grossi. “We do a decent job of this, but we need to take it to the next level, integrating one CAD/CAM system.”

The machining operation is also slated for an upgrade.

machine tools

Time bandits

Optimizing machining time is crucial for mouldmakers, notes Vince d’Alessio. He is executive vice president at Elliott Matsuura Canada Inc., Oakville, ON, one of Garrtech’s technology suppliers.

Reducing setup time is key. Effective use of pallets is part of the answer. He notes that since many of Garrtech’s moulds are made from fairly standard block sizes, different clamping systems could be set up on different pallets to simplify changeovers.

Tool setups also cost time. If your tool magazine is large enough to handle all the combinations of tools you need to make parts, you can keep them in the machine instead of in a tool crib. That virtually eliminates the time it takes to set up new tools.

Doing both these things could reduce your setup time from hours to minutes.

Another time-saver is in-machine probing. This could reduce work offset setup time and offers the possibility of inspecting critical features in the machine, reducing scrap rates and offline inspection.

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www.canadianmetalworking.com | May 2011 | 45

machine tools

DIE & MOULD

Garrtech has 19 machining centres, including some sophisticated five axis units. The most recent is a Matsuura MAM 72-63V PC2, acquired about four years ago. Five axis work is probably 30 or 40 per cent of the business, says Grossi. These machines typically run at spindle speeds of 18,000 to 20,000 rpm. Toolholders are normally determined in consultation with the supplier of a new machine tool in light of Garrtech’s specific requirements.

The firm has a fully equipped tool crib and a variety of cutting tool systems and cutting fluids have been used.

The change in five axis machining technology has been dramatic, says Grossi. One key concern will be the machine’s pallet capabilities. The newest five axis machines have two pallets, and reducing setups is a key objective to increasing machine uptime. “The next generation machines coming in here will be fully equipped with multi-pallets,” says Grossi, maybe five or ten per machine. Matsuura is definitely on the short list of potential suppliers, he says. The machines are “very robust, and Elliott Matsuura services us well.”

“You want to maximize unattended machining as much as you can,” he says. “We’re trying to get to that next level—lightsout, unattended operations.” The firm is currently capable of a certain amount of overnight, unattended operation on its machining centres.

Five axis machining accounts for about 40 per cent of throughput. Tony Grossi with Matsuura MAM 72-63V PC2.

He quickly adds that Garrtech is “a couple of years” away from anything approaching a lights-out environment, and that much larger companies have had a difficult time with this strategy.

“I don’t know of too many companies that are running 24/7, unless they’re very specialized,” he says. But increasing the percentage of unattended operation is feasible. “In theory, you can run virtually unattended for two shifts,” he adds, running the machines 14 to 20 hours a day. It’s a matter of economics for such sophisticated technology. “When you look at the cost for this machinery, it needs to run night and day.”

Another initiative is a proprietary laser-cladding process Garrtech is developing in partnership with National Research Council Canada.

Wear surfaces made from beryllium copper are used on aluminum moulds to trim the bottoms of bottles, since aluminum 46 | May 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

Beryllium copper wear parts may be superseded by laser-cladded steel.

lacks the compressive strength to be used productively for this purpose. The laser cladding will allow a hardened steel wear surface to be applied to the moulds without separation between the two metals. That will result in a one-piece mould, eliminating cooling problems and permitting better cycles for the customers.

“From a manufacturing point of view, it’s really too early to see whether this is going to translate into cost savings of our moulds,” says Grossi. “In theory, we’re eliminating additional components, but it is more expensive to laser-clad. Right now, laser cladding is still in its infancy and we will be more efficient in a year’s time.”

The project began about three years ago and the first, on-site test was done a few weeks ago.

Garrtech is innovating in other areas. The economic pressures in the mouldmaking industry have led many firms to diversify. Garrtech has leveraged its expertise in machining aluminum to making flexible support arms for monitors, like TVs. “Typically, mouldmakers in years gone by were happy just making moulds,” says Grossi. “Now, some of us are saying that we need to bring more to the table or we need a second product line, outside of mouldmaking.” Diversification protects the firm economically.

“We can no longer let our main product line—our core business—put us in jeopardy moving forward.”

The Monitors in Motion division of the company has North American rights to manufacture and sell a product line designed by a partner firm in the United Kingdom. It also developed an iPad holder that permits these devices to be mounted in hospitals, factories, vehicles and so on.

In fact, business on both sides of the company is growing to the point that scheduling machining time has become something of a challenge.

The lesson seems to be clear. Many mouldmakers that didn’t keep their technological edge aren’t around anymore. Innovation is the lifeblood of any business, and you can’t stand still. A unique opportunity to invest currently exists because of the strong Canadian dollar. “This is the year to make the investments,” says Grossi. “Both our markets are growing and we’re getting ready.” CM Jim Barnes is a Toronto-based writer and a former editor of Canadian Metalworking.

Makino

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CUTTING TOOLS

HOLEMAKING

Slam

DUNK

By Tim Wilson ..........................................................

Assessing the best holemaking techniques

When discussing holemaking, the range of requirements and options can be daunting. In most advanced metalworking applications, precision is a top priority, particularly if threading is involved.

There are many factors deriving from application requirements that specifically affect how best to proceed.

Three stand out: the materials, the size of the hole, and the quality required. This article examines the benefits of such techniques, including alternatives for composite materials.

DUAL CARBIDE FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE

For high performance drilling, a good choice is ATI Stellram’s dual carbide approach. The company says this marquee solid carbide technology can cut holemaking costs dramatically.

“This is a patented technology,” says Steve Ortiz, director of marketing at ATI Stellram in Nashville, TN. “It has two carbide substrates—combining an outer and an inner substrate manufactured in one extrusion process—with the design optimized to address the characteristics of drilling.”

Specifically, one grade of carbide is tailored to the higher speed of the tool’s outer diameter for wear resistance, with a second being tough enough to handle the lower speeds at the tool centre to resist point breakage. In the past there was a trade off, performance for durability, because the carbide grade chosen for the tool had to compensate.

“By combining this technology with ATI Stellram’s unique precision grinding, geometrical design, edge prep and the new generation of TiAlN Nano coating,” says Ortiz, “we can significantly improve productivity and tool life.”

The company’s trials have also found that the dual carbide, trademarked as HardCore Technology, can reduce tooling cost by delivering up to four times the life and two times faster production speeds than other high performance drills in the market.

And though the main product areas are either indexable inserts or solid carbide, there is also the option of using high feed milling cutters for larger holes.

48 | MAY 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

HOLEMAKING

“For a bigger hole a customer could use our 7792 high feed cutter for helical interpolation,” says Ortiz. “The hole range would depend on the size of the insert; it could be one to 12 in.”

Some customers may not want to change tools, and would rather just go with a bigger drill. Depth can also be an issue with a cutter.

But given the advantage of high feeds and helical interpolation, a tool like the 7792 high feed cutter is definitely worth considering for bigger holes.

A thrilling proposition

Thrilling combines thread milling with shorthole drilling, and it does this in one process using a single spindle and a single cutting tool. Any CNC with helical interpolation can thread at high speeds in a blind hole.

“A thriller can drill, chamfer, and thread in a single operation,” says Mark Hatch, manager of threadmilling at Emuge Corp. in Sudbury, MA. “These are primarily used in the automotive sector where there is high part volume, and where they are very concerned about cycle time per hole. If you consider millions of screw heads over the course of a production year, to save a few seconds off a hole is quite significant.”

“ Vein technology is more

costly, but also delivers increased tool life and can reduce overall cost.”

Thrillers eliminate tool changes, but are most often seen in high production scenarios in cast aluminum and iron, and not so much in lower volume industries such as aerospace, medical, or oil and gas.

“We have a deep level of technology available for different industries. It really depends on the parts and the materials,” says Hatch.

“When you get to aerospace, for example, it is all about having predictable processes, as opposed to automotive which is very much about speed.”

Hatch says that Emuge’s fastest growing group is thread milling, with many customers switching away from traditional tapping to take advantage of 3D helical interpolation.

“As older machinery gets replaced with newer machines, and as North American manufacturers are diversifying in response to the recent downturn, more complex jobs have better profit margins, so you are seeing shops looking at threadmilling because the simpler stuff is going overseas.”

A special case: carbon reinforced plastics

PRODUCT REPORT

High tolerance holemaking in composites benefits from a material-specific approach.

In response, Sandvik Coromant has recently come out with its new CoroDrill 452 drills for high tolerance holemaking in composite materials. This a range of drills is used for rivet and bolt holes in carbon reinforced plastics and metallic stack materials.

“About 50 per cent of composite drilling is done by hand,” says Randy McEachern, a product manager at Sandvik Cormorant in Mississauga, ON. “In aerospace, for example, components are hand drilled at the assembly stage and require high accuracy, tolerance, and excellent surface finish.”

Carbide-based drills are suitable for unstable operations, but with hand-tools thrust may be uneven, with variations in clearance. As well, carbide is strong but wears quickly in abrasive materials, and PCD (polycrystalline diamond) is wear resistant, but brittle. The CoroDrill 452 is specifically for CFRPs (carbon fibre reinforced polymer) and stacked materials.

It uses vein technology to integrate the PCD-edge in the carbide drill body.

“With vein technology, PCD powder is packed into a slot at the tip,” says Hatch.

“That way, the diamond is veined right into the carbide—not like a solid piece of PCD that is brazed on.”

Vein technology, which is not just for composites, is more costly, but also delivers significantly increased tool life and can reduce overall cost. With regard to carbon fibre, each material has its own demands, which increases the risk for delamination or splintering, with the CoroDrill 452 designed to ensure that stringent hole tolerances are met with decent finish and quality.

“We also have a couple of CNC drills, the 854 and 856, that are specifically designed for composite drilling,” says McEachern.

“And we just launched our CoroDrill 881, which offers more security in tougher, smaller diameter ranges and non-rotating applications.”

At the end of the day, selection is made according to the character of the CFRP, with different cutting geometries and selection of PCD grades. The right drills will make holes in CFRPs that vary from fibre-rich to resinrich, as well as being a general alternative for stacked materials. CM Tim Wilson is a regulator contributor and freelance writer based in Peterborough, ON. www.atistellram.com www.emuge.com www.sandvik.coromant.com/ca

Cutting tools

Emuge

MultiTap is the first high performance tap designed to cut a wide range of materials including carbon steel, steel alloys, stainless steel, aluminum, cast iron, copper, brass, and bronze, according to its developer, Emuge.

The new tap is designed to produce threads within both 2B and 3B classes of fit, eliminating the guesswork of calculating H-limits.

“MultiTap is the ideal tap for a job shop or a manufacturer who works with short and medium run threading applications across a wide spectrum of materials. It will significantly improve thread quality and boost output while reducing production costs, because one high performance MultiTap will handle most common materials and applications.

MultiTap eliminates the need to stock numerous types of taps in the tool crib,” says Peter Matysiak, president of Emuge Corp.

The tap is constructed of a proprietary grade of high speed steel (HSS-E), Nitrided with a Ne2 surface treatment. It is available in both spiral point and spiral flute configurations for through-or blind-hole applications. Tap sizes cover a full range for UNC or UNF threads, from #4-40 to ¾ in.-16 in. sizes, to metric sizes from M4 x 0.7 to M16 x 2.0.

The company says it is

www.canadianmetalworking.com | May 2011 | 49

CUTTING TOOLS

HOLEMAKING

PRODUCT REPORT also offering guaranteed performance. If the tool does not successfully outperform the user’s current taps in most common materials, the tool purchase will be fully refunded. www.emuge.com

Ingersoll

Ingersoll Cutting Tool has introduced “Gold Twist” the next generation of replaceable tip drills. This new design is a standard product line with tip diameters ranging from .3937 in. to .7834 in. (10 mm to 19.9 mm) in 0.004 in. (.1 mm) increments and drill bodies available in 3 xD, 5 xD and 8 xD length to diameter ratios.

The precision bodies have an improved pocket design and an innovative clamping system that provide stable performance after multiple tip indexes. These drill bodies also feature twisted coolant holes, polished flutes, and a PVD-coating that allows smooth chip evacuation and prolonged body life.

Each body accepts a range of tips that covers .040 in. (1 mm).

The drill tips are offered in grade IN2505, which features a multi layered PVD coating that provides excellent performance, improved wear resistance and increased tool life in a large variety of applications.

The initial cutting edge geometry is designed for steel applications. Additional cutting edge geometries for stainless steel, cast iron and non-ferrous materials will be available at a later date.

Ingersoll’s Gold Twist drilling line is excellent in higher speed applications, providing guaranteed performance and excellent results in a unique, rigid and fast-indexing clamping system, claims the company. www.ingersollcuttingtools.com

Iscar

Iscar’s SumoCham drills are the next generation of the company’s ChamDrill and CamDrillJet, featuring improved head and pocket designs, no setup time, fast metal removal and economical indexing. The line incorporates a clamping mechanism for 50 | MAY 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

improved productivity output rates while enabling more insert indexes. The shank is designed with twisted nozzles and features a constructed body that is durable and stable.

The indexable heads are available in four different geometries and each is designed for drilling steel, exotic materials, cast iron or aluminum. Diameter ranges are 7 to 25.9 mm with a drill ratio of 1.5, 3.5, 8 and 12 x.

The pocket design takes advantage of the cutting forces, mechanically exerted upon the tool. These forces are then converted into gripping forces that are used for tightening the insert towards the back of the pocket. In that sense, the more cutting forces applied, the better gripping forces obtained.

The clamping forces around the connection area generate less strain, preventing any potential plastic deformation and enabling at least triple the amount of head indexes.

The most important attributes are a 50 per cent increase in productivity, low clamping torque, and reduced internal stress in the pockets, which increases tool life.

The drill head is also designed with a cylindrical connection, eliminating any possibility of insert pull-out, while utilizing an enlarged clamping area and stopper at the back.

In one application for a manufacturer of heat exchanger products, the drilling operation required 1700 holes per part, made out of SAE carbon steel. Iscar recommended a 25 mm SumoChamDrill, which provided a 30 per cent increase in cutting speed and a 25 per cent increase in feed rate compared to previous tooling on the machine. The table feed was also increased by 33 per cent and the indexing time took only 10 per cent of the time it had in the past. The drilling time per part was consequently reduced by 40 per cent while productivity increased by 63 per cent. This combination led to a total cost reduction of 21.4 per cent. www.iscar.ca

Komet

The replaceable head system of the two-edged Komet Kub K2 combines flexibility with maximum performance. According to the company, it has demonstrated through other production introductions that modularity brings you cost efficiency and flexibility in a wide range of tooling systems ranging from continuous drilling and boring to reaming. However, with applications requiring smaller hole diameters, the more challenging it becomes to make it possible to use replaceable cutting edges in the form of indexable inserts or changeable heads.

The K2 is based on basic holders with a parallel shank, where double-edged carbide changeable heads have been adapted. This is done using a patented self-fixing and self-centering attachment point. The process of changing the cutting head becomes extremely easy, even in the machine. The replaceable head system makes it possible to use a wide selection of high-end geometries. The optimized surface finish quality of the cutting channels ensures excellent chip removal while the basic bodies achieve an extremely high performance level and tool life thanks to a special surface finish quality.

Two basic body variants are available: 3 xD and in 5 xD as well as changeable heads in two coating variants “8425“ and “2725“ for machining steel, cast iron, aluminum and stainless materials. The available diameter ranges of 12 to 15.9 mm are covered in increments of 0.01 mm.

Additional diameters from 8 up to 18 mm will be available soon. www.komet.com

Sandvik Coromant

Sandvik Coromants new CoroDrill 452 is designed for high tolerance holemaking in composite materials. The new range of drills are used to create rivet and bolt holes in carbon reinforced plastics and metallic stack materials.

Listen to the silence Silent Tools are a family of products for turning, milling, boring and drilling. They are used all over the world, producing components used in cars, airplanes and the oil and gas industry just to mention a few.

Silent Tools are damped to work on overhangs beyond the limitation of solid steel and solid carbide shanks. They are easy to operate and are very ďŹ&#x201A;exible making it possible to maintain good productivity.

Call your local Sandvik Coromant Productivity Engineer at 1-800-268-0703 today or visit us at www.sandvik.coromant.com/ca to locate your local authorized distributor.

CUTTING TOOLS

HOLEMAKING

PRODUCT REPORT Each carbon fiber material has its own demands, which increases the risk for delamination or splintering.

These new CoroDrill geometries reduce this risk, ensuring stringent hole tolerances are met with exceptional finish and quality. The range includes reamer geometries and a countersink tool with

microstop for chamfering. www.coromant.sandvik.com

Seco

Seco Tools’ new Feedmax SD230A solid carbide 30 x diameter drills are designed for applications in the automotive, oil and gas, mould and die, medical and

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Introducing

Widia

The industry’s first general purpose, high performance tap.

Now the leader in tapping technology has designed a tap to cut multiple materials from common steels to stainless, aluminum, cast, copper, and more, producing threads within both 2B and 3B classes of fit. If you could have only one tap in your tool crib,

MultiTAP is the ONE. Also available in spiral point.

general engineering industries.

Compared to HSS or ordinary solid carbide drills, the Feedmax SD230A offers improvements in hole quality, productivity and length and consistency of tool life.

The new drills are offered in diameters ranging from 4 mm to 10 mm as standard, with 3 mm available as semi-standard. A four-facet point geometry provides excellent centering capability, with primary and secondary relief angles and a point angle of 136°. The tool also features a low friction, TiAIN + TiN coating for long, predictable tool life. Four land margins provide stability and maximize hole quality.

For the best setup stabilization, Feedmax SD230A drills should be used in conjunction with hydraulic chucks or Shrinkfit toolholders.

The drills are designed to complement Seco Tool’s existing range of 16 x diameter drills. Additionally, other ranges, such as 20 x and 25 x, are available as custom designs. www.secotools.com/sd230a

Visit us online: Learn about our GUARANTEE. See MultiTAP in action.

800-323-3013 s www.emuge.com

52 | MAY 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

In deep hole drilling applications up to 30 times in diameter, new solid carbide Widia-Rubig drills remove between three and four times the metal compared to gun drills, in addition to delivering excellent hole quality and cycle times.

“Three or fourfold increases in metal removal rates mean significant improvements in a customer’s bottom line, whether it be in increased throughput, additional capacity for drilling equipment, or better-utilized personnel,” says Chris Merlin, senior global product manager, holemaking.

Length ratios for the new deep hole

HOLEMAKING

drills are available in diameters of 15 x, 20 x, 25 x, and 30 x.

Available diameters range from 3.0 to 13.0 mm.

Along with increased performance, the solid carbide deep hole drills increase process versatility by not requiring special drivers or guide bushings. And where gun drilling machines are dedicated to gun drilling only, the Widia-Rubig deep hole drills can be used in machining centres, eliminating the need for specialty capital equipment.

With 132° cone-point geometry, the drills have low thrust and excellent centering ability for increased hole quality. A four-margin design improves stability in the cut and an advanced PVD coating and highly polished surfaces increase wear resistance and reduce friction on margins and cutting edges. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Higher tool life and feed rates are considerable advantages with these tools, and adding that customers will be drilling more holes per drill and getting longer life and more regrinds per drill seals the deal,â&#x20AC;? adds Merlin. www.widia.com

and easier for operators to replace inserts while the drill is mounted in the machine.

The drill is available in a range of sizes from 12.0 mm to 31.99 mm. Diameters offered include 3 x, 5 x and 7 x.

The holder also helps ensure a smooth drilling process. Made of a wear-resistant steel alloy, it allows

CUTTING TOOLS

maximum coolant floor and unrestricted chip removal during the drilling cycle. The flute on the drill also improves chip removal (and chip interference) because of its design.

A proprietary surface treatment on the drill improves wear, extending tool life. www.yg1usa.com

YG-1

The i-Dream drill from YG-1 uses advanced drill point technology, which helps to eliminate centering and reaming and achieve consistent accurate hole size. Since the drill generates small chips,

chip evacuation is excellent, claims the company. The drill features a new coating that, combined with the tough, long-lasting traits of carbide, allows for high penetration rates and long tool life.

A secure and accurate insert locking system enables repeatability and concentricity, while also making it faster www.canadianmetalworking.com | MAY 2011 | 53 YG-1.indd 1

1/25/11 2:05:43 PM

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CUTTING TOOLS Products

Cutting the

Tough Stuff

✄

A product report on new cutting innovations for titanium

Titanium has long been used in the aerospace industry, but increasingly, other sectors are taking notice of this tough-to-cut, but durable material. That’s because the material offers higher tensile strength, is stronger than steel but approximately 42 per cent lighter, and is highly resistant to corrosion, particularly against oxygen.

Use of titanium is growing in many sectors such as medical (e.g. human implants such as joint replacements, dental implants, surgical instruments), automotive (brake and exhaust systems), optical, sports equipment (e.g. bicycles and golf clubs), architecture and jewellery.

According to Iscar Tools in a recent article, “Titanium Machining Solutions for the Medical Industry,” titanium 6AL-4V “is the most popular material for medical implants due to its light weight, high strength and biocompatibility. Titanium implants are compatible with magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography imaging procedures, and do not cause any interference with those procedures, should they be required after the implant is made.”

The toughness characteristic of titanium requires higher cutting forces than other typical metals used in manufacturing.

“Think of it as stainless steel but with a tougher, stringier chip, plus a strong tendency for break-out at tool entry and exit points,” notes Iscar. “Carbide tools don’t need to be coated because they don’t react chemically with titanium as they do with steel, but they do need to be very sharp. Also, to protect against overheating at higher machining rates, PVD coated grades are recommended.”

Stephen Jean, milling products manager for Emuge Corp., West Boylston, MA, says more manufacturers are beginning to use titanium and other challenging materials.

“The demand for parts and components machined from these materials is on the rise, but the same special properties, like high heat, chemical and abrasion resistance, that make these materials desirable for use in extreme-service applications, also make them difficult to machine. “Typically, these materials burn up cutting tools.”

David Goulborune, development manager for drilling products at Dormer Precision, Crystal Lake, IL, says high temperature resistant alloys such as titanium are difficult to machine for two reasons.

“Firstly, they generate high cutting forces during machining, leading to high pressure and heat, which in turn tends to result in work hardening. Secondly, because they are able to withstand high temperatures, the heat generated during drilling is retained within the workpiece and transferred to the tool, resulting in premature drill failure.”

Here’s a look at what several cutting tool suppliers offer for titanium cutting. www.canadianmetalworking.com | May 2011 | 55

CUTTING TOOLS PRODUCTS TITANIUM

1

EMUGE

Emuge Corp.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s TiNox-Cut is a new series of end mills that provide what the company claims is exceptional tool life when machining challenging materials such as nickel alloys like Inconel and Stellite, all grades of titanium, and tough stainless steels like Super Duplex, materials used extensively in the aerospace, power generation, medical, chemical and food industries.

The new end mills feature a high heat resistant, lubricious coating and an optimized cutting edge design. This provides long tool life by minimizing friction and evacuating chips efficiently, which is especially important in tough, long-chipping materials. In addition, the tools are made from an extra-tough carbide grade to maximize wear resistance.

For maximum effective cutting lengths, these end mills feature reduced neck diameters. Offering superior machining repeatability and safety, the new end mills combine a tight, h5 shank tolerance with a specially roughened surface finish to maximize toolholder clamping potential.

These cutting tools are well suited for both roughing and finishing operations and consist of three designs: two four-flute variations for both roughing and finishing, and a five-flute extra long finishing tool.

TiNox-Cut roughing/finishing end mills are available with flat ends or with a selection of corner radii. For even more efficient chip evacuation, the four-flute end mills are available with internal coolant/lubricant capability. The roughing/finishing versions are available with a serrated profile for effective chip breaking during roughing operations.

The five-flute finishing end mills are also available with various corner radii, and feature length-to-cutting diameter ratios of three times D and four times D. The fiveflute design offers added stability and minimal deflection in long reach applications.

The end mills range in diameter from 6 mm â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 20 mm, depending on the design. www.emuge.com

1

2

THE CUTTING EDGE We use Premium Micro grain solid carbide for longer tool life and increased feeds and speeds.

Tools are stocked uncoated and ALTiN coated.

Designs for threading, grooving, PCD, and CBN-tipped inserts

Solid carbide grooving, boring and threading tools.

Set includes boring bar, 5 inserts, 5 screws, and a torx plus key

Threadmills

Available in coated AlTiN or uncoated sub micrograin carbide

Port tools

Hardened steel head features proprietary mechanical attachment... no annealing from brazing heat Pocket keeps chips away from machined surface Fits into SCI standard QHC coolant tool holders Inserts lapped and ground to fine finish for maximum chip flow Available in right-hand and left-hand versions Bars stocked with or without locating flat...

Low profile screw keeps chips flowing

SCIENTIFIC CUTTING TOOLS, INC. 110 W. Easy Street / Simi Valley, CA 93065 / 800-383-2244 / 805-584-9629 [fax] info@sct-usa.com / www.sct-usa.com 56 | MAY 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

TITANIUM

2

INGERSOLL

Ingersoll has two recent product family introductions for cutting titanium: Finish-BallRush indexable fine milling ball nose end mills, and Hi-PosTrio indexable end mills and face mills.

The new Finish-BallRush tooling line features an ultra stable clamping system with excellent repeatability. A unique coolant delivery system enables coolant (or air blast) to be delivered to the cutting edge for what the company describes as “exceptional performance and productivity” on a wide range of materials from general purpose and die and mould applications to high temperature alloy aerospace applications.

A complete range of cutter diameters in both inch and metric sizes are in stock along with standard, extended length and modular style shanks that complement the available grades and geometries.

The new Hi-PosTrio cutting tool line is available in three different insert sizes. Cutter diameters range from .625 in. up to 6 in. (15 to 152 mm).

Each high positive three-edged insert incorporates a true helical geometry and each insert I.C. size provides a full range of corner radii from .015 in. up to .125 in. R (3.81 to 3.17 mm). These cutters are well suited to machining steel alloys and high temperature aerospace material with their high shear geometry, premium grades and aggressive ramping capabilities. www.ingersollcuttingtools.com

3

CUTTING TOOLS PRODUCTS

2

3

ISCAR

Machining titanium alloys requires cutting forces comparably higher than those required for machining steels. And titanium alloys present metallurgical characteristics that make machining more difficult than steels of equivalent hardness.

Carbide tools don’t need to be coated because they don’t react chemically with titanium as they do with steel, but they do need to be very sharp. Also, to protect against overheating at higher machining rates, a PVD coated grades such as IC908 -IC907- IC1008 are recommended.

Iscar has developed a broad line of miniature inserts specifically designed for titanium work.

The main characteristics these cutting tools have in common are very sharp edges, and honed or ground surfaces to produce a fine finish and deny a foothold www.canadianmetalworking.com | MAY 2011 | 57

CUTTING TOOLS PRODUCTS TITANIUM

4

3 for built-up edge. Virtually all are available in carbide grade 908, for decades the preferred grade for titanium work in the aerospace industry.

The company’s family of miniature titanium tooling now includes an endmill with extremely sharp edges, a bowl shape and honed surfaces; solid carbide drills as small as 0.8 mm with P geometry, and reamers with S geometry, four types of turning inserts with aggressive WF or MD chipbreakers and titanium versions of Jetcut parting tools. In the pipeline is a titanium version of the Tang-Grip heavy duty tangential parting tool.

The company has also designed specific lines of tools, inserts and chipbreakers for machining Ti6Al4V to achieve the precise tolerances required by the industry.

Milling operations: Solid carbide endmills with sharp cutting edges for bowl-shaped parts as well as deburring. These endmills can provide a 0.01 maximum honing for semi-finishing and finish operations. Iscar has also developed tools for

COOL BREEZE UTILITY SERIES Solid Micro-Grain Carbide End Mills Coated Variable Helix End Mills for Materials up to 55HRC • Coating for improved lubrication and high hardness • Special cutting edge design provides high rigidity • Flute design promotes efficient chip evacuation • Cool Breeze tight tolerances Diameter

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C.N.C. VARIABLE HELIX: 4 Flutes 10% Co, 0.6µm grain size

www.pctcarbide.com Phone: 888-398-9449 2011 PCT CARBIDE

machining both titanium and stainless steel, using a submicron base with a PVD coating. This allows the machines to run at high speeds and feeds.

Drilling: New solid carbide drills for diameters as small as 0.8 mm with sharp cutting edges and a P geometry. These tools are produced with Iscar’s submicron grade 908.

Reaming: New solid carbide reamers, from 1 mm diameter, are produced with sharp cutting edges and utilize an S geometry. They are available in the company’s advanced submicron grade 908.

Turning: Includes ground inserts, such as the VCET, DCET and the CCET, all with Iscar’s WF chipbreaker. For certain applications Iscar can offer the fine VCGT inserts with its MD chipbreaker for high surface quality.

Parting: The Jet-Cut system with 3 and 4 mm inserts is available in the submicron grade 908, providing high quality surfaces and extended tool life. The company says it’s in the development stage of a new HP system for its Tang-Grip tools. www.iscar.ca

MAG IAS

New Cyclo Cut Max-Flute high performance end mills from MAG innovate titanium roughing with a 16-flute design capable of high removal rates at low torque. The high density end mills run at 2037 rpm and 231 ipm to achieve removal rates of up to 8 in.3/min with only 25 ft lb of torque and 9 hp.

When cutting titanium, 60 to 70 per cent of the heat generated is normally transferred to the tool, dramatically reducing tool life. Max-Flute tools use shallow, radial widths of cut, which transfers less heat to the cutting tool and allows higher surface speeds for roughing titanium, Inconel and other high temperature alloys that have traditionally required high torque at low rpm to achieve desired removal rates.

Used in conjunction with TrueMill software, Max-Flute end mills maintain a constant angle of engagement, making the radial cuts more consistent throughout the cutter path, increasing material removal rates and decreasing cycle times, while extending tool life. “The current approach to high speed machining involves taking very light cuts,” says Dan Cooper, product manager for MAG Regional Services. “The Max-Flute/ TrueMill approach enables the machine to make heavier cuts at high speeds, and by using the maximum flute density available, maximum feed rates are achievable.”

Max-Flute tools are designed with a differential pitch on the tool flutes to break up harmonics and reduce chatter.

“Titanium is very prone to chatter, which affects part quality, and can cause unpredictable tool failure,” adds Cooper. “By using extremely high feed rates and light radial cuts, we can remove a lot of material with very little risk of scrapping parts.” mag-ias.com

58 | MAY 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com 01 TNT Tools.indd 1

4

1/6/11 10:10:39 AM

FaSt. FaSter. FaSteSt. Duratomic GraDe tP0500 For Steel turninG ®

Seco’s grade chain philosophy of “advance the capability then engineer for the possibilities”, has led to a complete solution for steel turning productivity. TP0500, the latest addition to the mighty Duratomic family of grades, ensures the ultimate performance and broad application for high-speed, high-heat machining.

Unique properties of the extremely wearresistant coating also allows the insert to run cooler, transferring the heat into the chip and away from the part and the carbide substrate.

With fewer machine offsets, longer times between indexes, and the ability to machine harder parts while holding tighter tolerances, TP0500 will speed up your throughput.

www.secotools.com/us

AUTOMOTIVE • POWER GENERATION • GENERAL ENGINEERING

CUTTING TOOLS PRODUCTS TITANIUM

5

OSG CANADA

Aerospace manufacturing is a market that is constantly evolving due to increased performance demands and rising fuel costs. Exotic materials such as titanium alloys are being engineered into new designs to increase strength while reducing weight at the same time, thus lowering fuel consumption.

Tapping is often one of the last machining processes performed on these complex parts so tap failure can be an extremely costly event on a nearly completed part.

Titanium alloys have historically been difficult to cut due to poor heat conductivity, strong alloying properties and work hardening tendencies.

With this in mind OSG Corp.’s tap engineers have developed a series of taps specifically for titanium alloy applications.

OSG Exotap VC10 Ti taps feature a proprietary Powdered Metal (HSS) substrate, TiCN coating, slow flute helix and strong cutting edge geometry for exceptional wear and heat resistance, tap strength and effective swarf evacuation, claims the company. Eccentric radial relief reduces tap contact while threading, greatly reducing heat and eliminating “work hardening” of the work piece, a common problem with titanium alloys.

OSG VC10 Ti taps are available in Spiral Point (thru-hole applications) as well as Spiral Flute (blind hole applications) in both inch sizes (2-56 to 1 in. UNC, UNF) and metric (M3-M12). www.osgcanada.com

6

5

PRECISION DORMER

The Elect S drill range represent the first products launched by Dormer for the machining of materials known collectively as Heat Resistant Super Alloys (HRSA).

Including high temperature resistant alloys such as titanium, Inconel and Waspalloy, these materials can be difficult to machine, says David Goulbourne, Dormer’s development manager for drilling products. High cutting forces during machining leads to high pressure and heat and work hardening. This heat can result in premature drill failure.

In addition to internal coolant holes, several features of the Elect S drills combine to lower the occurrence of work hardening. These include a body back taper that promotes a free, continuous cutting action as well as high quality, accurate holes.

A self centering 140° point angle, cylindrical margin and positive cutting edge geometry also work to minimize frictional cutting forces, leading to consistent tool performance and minimal work hardening.

Another key attribute of the Elect S drills is a Smooth-Flow coating that acts as a thermal barrier, protecting the substrate from the extreme heat generated at the cutting edge. This also has a low coefficient of friction, resulting in smooth and efficient chip evacuation and, in turn, extended tool life.

Available in two lengths to support drilling to 3 x diameter (R507) and 5 x diameter (R503), the drills will be of particular interest to anyone involved in the production of high value components or requiring a high degree of precision, such as aerospace subcontracting, oil and gas and nuclear industries. www.precisiondormer.com

7

6

SANDVIK COROMANT

Sandvik Coromant has introduced two new grades for titanium milling as part of its CoroMill 690 cutter family. Together these grades amount to a new level of reliable long lasting performance, claims the company. Grades S30T and S40T are available for a variety of CoroMill cutters for face, shoulder, long-edge and high feed milling, plunging, profiling and slot milling.

S30T has been developed for productive titanium milling. It combines the properties of micro-grain carbide and a wear resistant PVD coating. This enables very sharp cutting edges that resist fatigue and micro-chipping and result in cutting edges that are preserved for longer times in cut at higher cutting speeds.

S40T is developed for difficult conditions. It combines high toughness cemented carbide with a thin CVD coating. The result is a grade that withstands vibrations and 60 | MAY 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

7

www.canadianmetalworking.com | MAY 2011 | 60

CUTTING TOOLS PRODUCTS TITANIUM

other difficult cutting conditions for longer times in cut. The wear is predictable, making the cutting edge gradually duller without breaking. www.coromant.sandvik.com

8

SECO

Seco Tools has announced a new line of Super Turbo chamfer mills designed to provide high metal removal rates while reducing production costs. The new cutters use the same inserts and hardware as standard Super Turbo square shoulder mills, allowing manufacturers to increase the versatility of their operations without additional spare parts.

The new chamfer mills feature a high positive cutting rake angle and positive helix angle to reduce power consumption, resulting in freer cutting and reduced harmonics. The design increases tool life as compared to standard APxx style cutters, helping to reduce cost per part.

They use the same strong insert pocket design found in the rest of the Super Turbo family of products. The strong insert screws and thick, robust inserts offer increased reliability for fewer tooling changes.

Super Turbo chamfer mills are available in setting angles of 30°, 45°, 60° and 75°, with a depth of cut capability of 0.197 in. – 1.653 in. (5 mm - 42 mm), for production of the most common open or close to shoulder chamfers.

The new tools are available in Seco-Capto and Combimaster back-end options, with standard shell mill mounting styles in either inch or metric arbor holes. All versions include internal coolant channels.

As part of the Super Turbo mill family, the chamfer mills utilize the full range of Super Turbo insert grades, including Duratomic coatings, and geometries. This ensures that the tools apply across a wide range of materials and applications.

Seco Tools’ Turbo Mill offering is a comprehensive and versatile square shoulder milling product line that provides solutions for slotting, ramping, contouring, plunging, pocket milling and both circular and helical interpolation.

The family of cutting tools includes a choice of 13 carbide grades, three PCDtipped grades and five geometries suited for a variety of materials, including steel, stainless steel, cast iron, hardened materials, high-temperature alloys and nonferrous materials. Super Turbo’s unique inserts feature an optimized edge, advanced helix angle, large wiper flat and strong, highly positive rake angle to allow high productivity. www.secotools.com

9

8

WALTER USA

Walter Valenite has introduced three new geometries in the Sky·tec family to make turning titanium alloys (e.g. Ti6Al4V and others) much more cost effective and more reliable. Customer results have yielded tool life improvements of more than 150 per cent, claims the company.

The Sky·tec program has an optimized combination of substrate, coating and geometry working together to minimize crater wear and provide excellent chip control. The geometries include NFT for high cutting speeds, available in periphery ground or as-sintered versions. NMT is for medium machining with low cutting forces due to the curved cutting edge. This geometry handles unstable components and internal machining, and is available with as-sintered periphery.

NRT for roughing offers a rigid geometry for high metal removal rates and is offered as-sintered periphery.

The inserts are available in the C, D, S and V styles with negative edge geometry.

Two cutting tool grades include an uncoated grade WS10, and the PVD aluminum oxide coating (“PVD-Tiger”) WSM20. For the majority of applications, the uncoated WS10 is the first choice for machining titanium alloys.

For CNMG (80° corner angle) inserts in the NFT geometry, Walter offers a special feature: the 80° corner has the NFT finishing geometry, and the 100° corner has the NRT roughing geometry. Essentially, the user has the added benefit of two inserts in one, further reducing tooling costs. www.walter-tools.com/us 62 | MAY 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

9

Introducing a unique new

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The unique new Renishaw Equator™ is a versatile alternative to custom gauging, offering inspection of an unprecedented variety of manufactured parts. Developed

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and proven on the shop-floor with industry-leading gauging users in multiple industries and applications, Equator 300 is the first of a range of gauging systems from Renishaw.

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Speed and form measurement with the industry standard SP25 scanning probe Automation and feedback – interface with robots and machine tool controls Plug and play – rapid installation, single phase, no air supply

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QUALITY

MULTISENSOR MEASUREMENT

ASK THE EXPERT

Multisensor Technolgoy OPG’s chief applications engineer looks at an emerging technology

By Nate J. Rose .......................................................................................................

How do you define multisensor measurement technology?

A multisensor system is one that integrates a combination of sensors, including touch trigger, scanning, laser and vision/ video into one measurement platform, with all sensors being simultaneously calibrated and accessible through a single metrology software.

What factors should a manufacturer consider for implementing multisensor technology in a quality measurement process?

The first consideration is the size of the part to be measured and the measurement volume needed to accommodate it. The system must have a large enough measurement volume to accommodate the parts, and the accuracy to match the dimensions and tolerances that are called-out. Next, we look at the nature of the parts and features to select the best sensors to be used.

For example, parts with a high proportion of “inside” dimensions, such as bore depth or diameter, will benefit from a combination of touch-trigger probe and laser, while parts which are very small or easily deformed when probed are more easily measured using video or an ultra-low force micro-probe. Overall, we focus on selecting the combination of sensors that provides accurate data most quickly. Finally, we look at what measurement challenges are likely to come up in the future, and configure a system so it is “ready” to accept additional sensors as future upgrades. With a little forethought, we can prepare a system so that its service life can be extended through multiple generations of a customer’s product.

Why choose multisensor measurement over stand-alone devices or other accurate measurement processes?

A multisensor system provides much more flexibility in measuring complex parts. Having a choice of sensors eliminates the need to set-up and measure parts on several systems to check all the critical dimensions. There is less handling of parts, fewer fixtures are needed, and all data is taken relative to a single system calibration. The ability to measure and construct dimensions using data from multiple sensors can enable measurements that wouldn’t be possible otherwise. For example, a vision sensor can take edge data, while a touch-trigger probe can acquire points from perpendicular surfaces. A multisensor system can combine these data into a single measurement.

Multisensor systems routinely achieve higher accuracy than single-sensor systems because you can always choose the 64 | MAY 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

best type of sensor for a particular feature—without having to compromise throughput or ease of use.

Does multisensor technology lend itself well to use in automated manufacturing cells?

Multisensor systems are often used in work cells to provide fast feedback for process adjustments. Because the output of the cell depends on getting accurate measurements quickly, the best measurement system is one with flexibility and speed. Having a combination of sensors in one system speeds up measurement— Optical Gaging’s Flash 302 multisensor machine. especially for complex geometries.

Another key to efficiently processing parts through a work-cell is to use well designed tooling fixtures.

When the parts can be loaded quickly and accurately—either by hand or by an automated handler—the throughput and reproducibility of the metrology system is vastly improved. The more quickly measurement data can be collected, the faster that data can be put to use in process control adjustments and decision making. Bottom line: multisensor measurement systems enable more measurements to be performed more quickly.

Is measurement data easily transferred to other data files in SPC systems?

Most multisensor system users monitor processes using SPC data. Using a well-integrated multi-sensor metrology software, measurement data is easily stored and exchanged with common SPC programs. Software modules, such as Smart Report Powered by QC-CALC, enable users to format measurement data into their preferred view, and to easily exchange that data with common SPC packages such as Minitab.

What does a manufacturer need to know about using multisensor measurement that may differ from how they handle existing measurement tools?

First, they should know that not all multisensor tools are created equal. In some systems, the addition of multiple sensors can impose limitations on working clearance or measurement volume. The ideal system has deployable sensors so that they can retract out of the way when not in use. Not all multisensor systems offer full access to all sensors through a common metrology software and datum reference set-up. It’s best to get a comprehensive demonstration on all sensors before purchase.

Secondly, manufacturers should choose the appropriate sensors for the types of parts and dimensions they’ll typically

MULTISENSOR MEASUREMENT

Quality

be measuring, and be sure the users that will operate the system are trained in when and how to deploy a particular sensor. Some sensors, such as video and touch-trigger probes, are robust, while some others, such as micro-probes, can be fragile if not used with proper care. It’s easy to be impressed with high accuracy specs, but usually the best sensor to do a particular job is the simplest one.

to shorten the cycle of data gathering, analysis and reporting.

Finally, we see ever increasing needs to analyze complex relationships between features and mating parts.

Many parts today are designed to GD&T standards. Multisensor systems with advanced software compare measurements to CAD and apply advanced functions such as simultaneous requireWhat key technological advancements in ments, to more completely characterize multisensor technology do you foresee in the a part than would be possible by next five to ten years? checking individual dimensions against Vast numbers of parts and assemblies are their tolerances. getting smaller. Not just electronics—all kinds In spite of all these advancements, of components are shrinking. Micro-machined the machinist is still faced with the pracand micro-formed parts, EDM and modern tical questions of “how much material machine tools are showing up in many industry should I remove?” and “where from?” sectors. As we encounter smaller and smaller We are continually developing our suite The SmartScope Quest 650 unit has an optional dimensions and tolerances, the range and of metrology and analysis software to dual rotary indexer for five axis measurement. capabilities of sensors needed to measure them make it easier to get those answers. becomes more varied and complex. The challenge of keeping The great benefit of multisensor systems is that they make this range of sensors in simultaneous calibration is more diffithe process of collecting the data, fitting it to a CAD model with cult. More robust and fully-integrated calibration routines have full GD&T, and providing practical answers, faster and easier. CM become standard parts of the metrology software. Cycle time Nate Rose is the chief applications engineer at Optical Gaging pressures also increase—not only in terms of measurement Products, a Quality Vision International Co. based in Rochester, NY. throughput, but in terms of providing the complete data set www.opgnet.com with analysis for decision making. We are continually working

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It only takes one time to cause a major cylinder accident. Are you truly

SERIOUS ABOUT SAFETY? A simple distraction, an unexpected movement, a tangled hose can knock over and turn your gas cylinder into a rocket, a huge flamethrower, or even an explosive bomb.

The new Edge™ Series regulator from Victor has been engineered to act like a shock absorber in the event of a cylinder accident. The 3-stage “Crumple Zone” is built right into the adjusting knob and helps protect against serious cylinder accidents in the event of a fall.

To learn more about the regulator designed to be the SAFEST on the market, go to www.victoredge.com/safety.

Get serious about safety. Get the new Edge Series Regulator from Victor. Other regulators just aren’t worth the risk.

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© 2011 Thermadyne Industries, Inc. All rights reserved.

AUTOMATON

welding

Understanding Robotic Guns

How to choose the right robotic gun for GMAW applications

By Robert Ryan .................................................................................................................

From high volume, low variety Staying Cool with Air-Cooled Technology manufacturing facilities to low volume, Typically, air-cooled robotic GMAW high variety fabrication shops, robotic guns (rated at 500 amps) operate GMAW arc welding has become comfortably in the range of 200 to 300 increasingly popular due to the amps at approximately 60 per cent duty potential weld quality and productivity cycle with mixed gases (i.e. welding improvements it can provide. Not only continuously for 6 of 10 available do these benefits make it an attractive minutes). Further, these guns are ideal investment for growth and profitability, for welding thinner materials—typically but they can also provide companies upwards of 4 mm thick —and work with a competitive edge. best for shorter welds on high volume Selecting the right equipment for a applications, including (but not limited robotic GMAW arc welding operation, to) those in the automotive or recreation however, is not a task to be taken lightly. equipment industry.

From determining the correct style of Air-cooled robotic GMAW guns, like robot to suit an application’s particular their semi-automatic counterparts, rely requirements to deciding which welding on the ambient air to cool them during peripherals to purchase, companies the welding process. These guns feature must always choose wisely. Selecting the a unicable through which the welding appropriate robotic GMAW gun that suits wire, gas and power are all delivered. the requirements of the application is Air-cooled unicables use the appropriate also essential for optimizing the return amount of copper to create a conductor on investment. For example, using a that is capable of managing welding robotic GMAW gun that has a higher current without any amperage capacity than required can additional cooling. unnecessarily increase the total cost When compared to of ownership. Conversely, selecting water-cooled unican inadequate GMAW gun can lead to ables of similar rating, performance issues, costly downtime air-cooled unicables and premature failures. generally have up to four Instead, companies should select a times the circular-mils (i.e. robotic GMAW gun that is suitable for cross section) of copper. the amperage, duty cycle and cooling There are several advantages capacity needed for the applicato using air-cooled robotic tion. Doing so helps ensure good GMAW guns, the weld quality, and reduces equipmost significant ment and maintenance costs. of which is their The right robotic GMAW durability. An gun also helps companies air-cooled gooseneck improve productivity.

The following information helps to outline Hybrid robotic GMAW guns, seen here, offer the key considerations durability of an air-cooled model gun with the greater towards making the cooling capacity of a water-cooled one, making them an ideal fit for welding multiple thicknesses of materials. right selection.

(or neck) has a much stronger and durable construction when compared to the gooseneck on a water-cooled robotic GMAW gun, making it more resistant to bending in the event of a collision or through general wear. Replacement parts for air-cooled robotic GMAW guns also cost less and are easier to maintain. These guns tend to have a more streamlined design and smaller working envelope, allowing greater access into smaller joint configurations than a water-cooled robotic GMAW gun. Also, air-cooled robotic GMAW guns maintain their accuracy very well, which makes them an excellent option for applications requiring consistent, repeatable welds.

One limitation to air-cooled robotic GMAW guns is the lower duty cycle when compared to water-cooled guns; they are not capable of welding continuously for as long as a water-cooled robotic GMAW gun.

Just Add Water

Water-cooled robotic GMAW guns offer excellent advantages for applications that require welding at higher amperages for prolonged periods of time. These guns provide high amperage capacity— generally 300 to 600-plus amps—and are capable of managing a duty cycle within the 60 to 100 per cent range. They are designed for welding on thicker materials (typically 1/4 in./6.35 mm and greater), making them a good choice for applications in heavy equipment www.canadianmetalworking.com | May 2011 | 67

WELDING

AUTOMATON

manufacturing or other similar industries. As a rule, the larger the overall size of the weldment, the greater the chances the application will require a water-cooled GMAW gun.

To prevent overheating, water-cooled robotic GMAW guns rely on a supply of water or coolant from an external source. These sources include circulators or chillers, which tend to add to the overall cost and maintenance requirements of the system. The coolant travels through a water hose in the gunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cable bundle (also containing the power cable, wire, and gas and water return hoses) and

TURE OF

Selecting the right robotic GMAW gun, including an air-cooled model (as show here), can help ensure good weld quality, and CONFERENCE reduce equipment and maintenance costâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;factors that lead to a good return on investment and greater productivity.

ating Cutting

circulates up through the gooseneck to the consumables. For very high amperage applications, there are also water-cooled nozzles that are capable of circulating the coolant around the nozzle, but these are more expensive than standard ones.

As mentioned previously, water-cooled power cables (found in the cable bundle) have approximately one quarter of the copper found in an air-cooled unicable; thus, water-cooled unicables quickly fail if the water supply is interrupted. This factor is a disadvantage of water-cooled robotic GMAW guns, as the parts can be expensive and time consuming to replace should they become damaged.

Routine maintenance of the cables within the cable bundle can also be difficult, as they are all in close proximity to one another. And because these guns have internal water chambers in the gooseneck, that part is inherently weaker than the gooseneck on an air-cooled robotic GMAW gun and much more likely to bend in the event of a collision. Still, for high amperage applications that require high capacity cooling to protect the gun during long periods of welding, dealing with these disadvantages still make having a water-cooled robotic GMAW gun worthwhile.

AN OPTION IN BETWEEN

For companies that weld multiple thicknesses of base materials and require both high and low amperage capabilities from a gun, a hybrid air-cooled/water-cooled robotic GMAW gun is a good option. These guns have a durable gooseneck like an air-cooled model, but offer the higher cooling capacity of a water-cooled

Mark your calendar for Conference streams

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Water-cooled robotic GMAW guns offer high amperage capacity for applications requiring prolonged periods of welding.

GMAW gun. They feature exterior water lines that run along the outside of the gooseneck to the nozzle, as opposed to through the gooseneck like water-cooled GMAW guns have. Hybrid air-cooled/ water-cooled robotic GMAW guns typically offer 300 to 550 amperage welding capacity at 60 percent duty cycle (using mixed gases).

Hybrid air-cooled/water-cooled robotic GMAW guns also have features that provide easier maintenance compared to a true water-cooled product. For example, the water lines run independently of the power cable and are more accessible than with a standard water-cooled GMAW gun, so these guns do not need to be taken off of the robot for maintenance. Plus, if there are issues with water circulation, these guns can rely on the underlying air-cooled unicable to provide enough current-carrying capacity to avoid a catastrophic failure such as destroying a power cable or other components. Overall, the features of the hybrid air-cooled/water-cooled GMAW gun help provide a lower total cost of ownership for the gun.

One limitation is the limit to duty cycle. For applications that require continuous duty cycles, these GMAW guns would not be the best choice and a water-cooled product may have to be deployed.

PROTECTING THE ASSETS

Regardless of which robotic GMAW gun is right for a given application, good preventive maintenance is critical to ensuring product longevity and reducing unscheduled downtime. In particular, most robotic GMAW gun manufacturers recommend using a nozzle cleaning station to prevent spatter buildup that can lead to quality issues or downtime (and costs) related to consumable changeover. Checking for loose connections along the length of the robotic GMAW gun—from the power pin to the nozzle—is also key to preventing quality issues or damage that could

cause the gun to fail prematurely.

Remember, choosing the appropriate robotic GMAW gun to suit the requirements of the application is essential for optimizing the return on investment.

Using the right robotic GMAW gun also provides for a more reliable system and can help manage the total cost of ownership, particularly by minimizing performance issues, costly repairs, unscheduled downtime and premature

WELDING

failures. In the end, it takes less time and money to protect a robotic GMAW gun with preventive maintenance procedures than it does to take the gun offline for repair or to replace it. CM Robert Ryan, P.Eng., MBA, is product manager, Automation Group, Tregaskiss, Windsor, ON. www.tregaskiss.com

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Perfect BOOTH New materials, innovative designs boost powder booth performance

By Pierre Bachand

In the April 2010 issue of Overspray, we looked at the basics of designing an efficient powder spray booth. Overspray decided to revisit spray booth design to discover how designs are changing to meet the finishing market’s needs.

What would be the main features of the perfect booth?

Some obvious answers come to mind: • The booth would maximize the transfer efficiency of the powder guns.

• The booth would require no cleaning between colours with 100 per cent powder recovery.

• A contamination-free booth.

Achieving all of these features though is not possible and the best we can hope for is improving the technology to come close to these objectives.

70 | MAY 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

To meet objectives that are sometimes in opposition with each other, we sill study the evolution of materials used in the construction of modern powder booths, specifically the products offered by three of the industry’s major players— ITW Gema, Nordson and Wagner.

Powder booths are available in various shapes including square, rectangular and round. Two different concepts are used for operator touch-ups in an automated booth: • “vestibule coating • the classical approach of having the openings on the sides of the wall.

The ¨vestibule coating¨ is usually in the square and the round type of booth. The mode of painting in what is normally the vestibule requires linear velocities higher than

SPRAY BOOTHS

“The three spray booth suppliers

Overspray contacted advocate the concept of self-supporting panels of sandwich-type construction.” those we are familiar with i.e. between 135 and 160 linear fpm, to ensure containment of the powder. Another reason for these higher speeds is in the “less powder in¨ concept.

With less paint in suspension in the cabin there is less paint on the walls, ceiling and floor, therefore less cleaning and possible contamination during colour changes. It is also the main reason why the cabin with side openings also works with greater air velocity.

charged powder is attracted to anything that is grounded, so gounded conductive surfaces are prime targets. By contract, plastics are dielectric in nature. Some cabins are made of single thickness material plastic with reduced attraction of powder. This feature is sometimes used to improve paint application, for example in a brake pad painting system. Brake pads are placed on a conveyor that has a plastic surface with a conducting bar allowing contact of the target with ground. Powder is sprayed vertically onto the surface. The charged particles are repelled by the plastic surface, which is also charged.

In the case of powder booths with single thickness plastic walls, when the resistivity of the dielectric material is not sufficient to stop the search for ground completely, there is attraction and accumulation of paint on the

Making a Booth

If you look at the different building materials used from the beginning of electrostatic powder to the present day, you will find steel painted panels, galvanized steel followed by stainless steel, PVC, Polypropelene, the polycarbonate family Lexan and now the sandwich-type construction of new generation plastic. In the past there were glass paint spray booths and the electric curtain booths, but because of price, weight, safety issues and installation elements, these have virtually disapeared.

The three manufacturers Overspray contacted currently advocate the concept of self-supporting panels of plastic sandwich-type construction. While Wagner and Gema promote a panel made of two layers of plastic with a central air core, Nordson opts for a panel with a foam core. The Nordson panels are made and shipped in one piece, (Nordson Apogee). Gema’s Luminaire concept and Wagner’s CPVC 2 provide panels that are welded and polished in place during booth erection.

Why this walls-type concept? The electrostatically

ITW Gema’s Magic Cylinder is the original round-booth design, offering quick colour changes and simple cleaning for automatic applications.

Nordson’s ColorMax powder spray booth features a modular design for varying work heights.

surfaces where the booth’s grounded steel or stainless steel reinforcements and structure are in direct contact or very close to the wall.

This characteristic is used in car industry for liquid electrostatic painting of plastic bumpers by inserting a grounded metal copy or mask of the part under the bumper. The mask attracts the paint particles through the plastic enough to justify the added cost of expensive electrostatic bells. This is known as using the ¨shadow effect.¨ The use of plastic sandwich panels reduces the paint’s attraction to the walls dramatically. The accumulation of free ions from the electrostatic applicators on the surface of the plastic makes the highly charged particles repel almost all of the paint since they have the same charge.

Powder paints have a Volume Resistivity in the range of 10 ¹ ³ Ω while CPVC ¹ ³ is .034 x 10 ¹ ³ Ω (ohm-cm).

Painting this sandwich is like trying to recoat a 3 5/8 in. coat of paint over a 3/8 in. piece of plastic with no ground.

These walls do not attract the charged powder and isolate it from external grounds. They all increase the transfer efficiency of applicators by not being targets. www.canadianmetalworking.com | May 2011 | 71

SPRAY BOOTHS

QUICK CLEANING

Cleaning these cabins is done using compressed air at high air volume.

Because of restrictions on the pressure blow guns issued by OSHA, efficiency and power increases via the air volume.

Another area to consider when it comes to spray booth design and cleaning is to look at the materials used and air flow once the booth has been

thoroughly blown off; whatever paint particles remain on the walls, floor and ceiling will stay in place.

There is not enough energy to remove the paint particles during the paint process.

At one customer’s facility during a colour change from red to light grey, I noticed some red on the booth walls. The paint could not be removed unless I touched it. After the cleaning cycle and the application of the grey paint, we checked but couldn’t find any red powder on the parts.

Why not use de-ionizing guns to improve the cleaning? Many believe this would be an improvement on the process and could reduce cleaning time and quality. Consider though that clean dry air usually does the job efficiently. There is the added cost of the de-ionizing guns and a limitation with higher air volumes.

Wagner’s PrimaCube automatic booth features a sandwich construction design.

When it comes to maintenance of the panels in a booth, suppliers offer different solutions. Some say that clean dry air is sufficient for cleaning between colour changes. One manufacturer recommends that the walls be cleaned once per week with deionised water and another suggests the booth be cleaned thoroughly once a year with an application of a recommended wax product for buffing.

A few weeks ago I visited a client that purchase a used booth and noticed from the terrible condition of the walls that the personnel used ¨squeegees¨ in the clean up process. That’s like using a Ferrari on Quebec’s roads: it’s a waste!

These newer generation of booths come with a higher price tag, but they offer better performance and more efficiencies. CM Pierre Bachand is president of Quebecbased Chromatech Inc., and a regular contributor to Overspray. www.itwgema.us www.nordson.com www.wagnersystemsinc.com 72 | MAY 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

FINISHING/PRETREATMENT

Green from start to finish As governments in North America and Europe continue to push for greener chemistries, finishers are looking at how to convert their operations into more environmentally friendly ones.

By Fred Mueller .................................................

The best place to start is with the pretreatment system, a critical process in achieving higher quality and more greener finishes.

THE GREENER CLEANER

Alkaline cleaners, as we all know, are usually the first step in the pretreatment process. They are designed to remove the grease and oils that prevent other processing solutions from making good contact with the surface of the part you are finishing. Without a clean surface and good contact, the phosphating solution can’t do its job and you’ll end up with poor quality parts. The “right” cleaner for your shop is determined by the “clean” state in which the parts you are processing arrive. So, the “greener” cleaner is more about how you maintain it as opposed to metal treatment where the product selection (phosphate vs. non-phosphate) makes the greener choice.

Are you operating your present alkaline cleaner as green as possible? Start with controlling the concentration of the cleaner.

Smaller more frequent additions control the results of the alkaline cleaner much better than large additions. Remember, you don’t want to exceed the upper concentration limit of the supplier’s data sheet recommendations.

If you do, two things can occur. First, you drag-out much more cleaner chemistry (losing money) with each part processed and second, you’re in danger of oiling/splitting out the surfactants. If the pH gets too high, the surfactants become less soluble and become water insoluble. You can’t remove oils or greases from the parts when the surfactants have split out of the aqueous solution. In fact, the surfactants can cling to the surface of your parts compounding the cleaning problems.

www.canadianmetalworking.com | MAY 2011 | 73

FINISHING/PRETREATMENT

Using RO or DI water for the make-up and additions improves the quality of the results of the alkaline cleaner over the life of the cleaner. Proprietary cleaner chemistries have chemicals in them that hold complex calcium and magnesium and prevent the formation of small particles. These precipitates can stick to the parts causing various degrees of pitting, sand-like roughness or dull deposits. This happens most often when your water is very hard or with the hottest alkaline cleaners because they need the most water replenishment.

Are there greener cleaners? Alkaline cleaner chemistries can best be described using the “blender test.” Put alkaline cleaner containing oil into a blender and hit the on button for 30 seconds and stop. As the cleaner solution comes to a stop time how long it takes for the oil to separate from the solution. At five seconds, this would be a very fast fully splitting/displacing type of alkaline cleaner. Did it take five minutes? If so, it’s a cleaner that will not split-out in our cleaner tank while the tank is being agitated but will allow the oil to separate out in a still side tank. If it is a fully emulsified cleaner, the oil will never come out on its own. With normal usage, these emulsifying cleaners will never have “free oil” in them.

Splitting or displacing cleaners don’t need help to bring the oil to the surface of a still cooling tank were the oil can be mechanically removed.

But we can split-out the oil from a fully emulsifying cleaner by using heavier non-water miscible surfactants. When

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introduced into a side tank of soak cleaner with vigorous agitation and sufficient heat, the reaction begins.

This works by forming a more stable micelle with the oil, thereby “stripping” the oil away from the water miscible surfactants that are in the alkaline cleaner formulation. Stopping the mixing allows the chemical splitter we added to float to the surface of the treatment tank with the oil attached, where the oily split can be skimmed.

The greener cleaner is simply the one that works best for your unique dirt and soil/oil loading.

FILTRATION

Adding filtration technology that has a relatively short payback is even greener. Filtering the solution complements oil separation by reducing the particles in the alkaline cleaner solution.

Here are of the filter options available to today’s finisher. There is the spiral wound polypropylene centre filter or the extruded polypropylene filter, both commonly used in the finishing industry. You can remove particles from 100 to 5 microns based on requirements. Simple but effective, this system retains particles on the media pattern. It also absorbs some oil from the alkaline cleaner solution. This type of system is often used before other filtering systems (oil

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Exhibits

As part of the conference leading machinery, equipment and services suppliers will be available during breaks and at lunch to discuss problem solving.

FINISHING/PRETREATMENT

absorbing filters) to protect them from clogging.

Oil absorbing materials in large canisters are used with fully emulsifying cleaners to remove oils and greases while the alkaline cleaner is in use.

The cleaner is pumped through a filter to capture particles, that would clog the media in the canister, and then pumped through the canister to remove the oils from the alkaline cleaner solution.

METAL PRETREATMENTS

Iron phosphate and zinc phosphate are the traditional metal pretreatment products but they are not very environmentally friendly. Enter the extremely low phosphate and the phosphate-free metal pretreatments.

These conversion coatings are quickly becoming the new industry standard.

When the green finishing movement emerged, most of the attention was focused on removal of hexavalent chromium from all phases of metal finishing including seals. Now attention has turned toward replacing the zinc and iron phosphating process with non-phosphate technologies. It’s clear that no single chemistry has emerged a clear winner. Most of the chemistry falls into one of two camps, zirconium-based and silane-based chemistries.

ZIRCONIUM BASED

These are new pretreatments using the “transition metals,” mostly zirconium based chemistry. This nanotechnology based pretreatment uses zirconium and other chemicals to produce a very thin amorphous coating about 15 – 80 nm thick. The surface of this conversion coating has a much finer structure than zinc or iron phosphates. This yields greater surface area which increases the paint bond strength and reduces the surface defects.

SILANE BASED

The other emerging pretreatment technology is based on silane chemistries.

These start with a silicon atom and are combined with an organic molecule to form an organofunctional silane.

One end of the molecule has a group that forms a stable bond with metals and at the other end is a group that forms a stable bond with the organic

components in the paint.

Ian McLeod, vice president of Vanchem Performance Chemical, says “these proprietary water soluble silanes have been commercially available since the 1970’s, but in the 1990’s, they were recognized as an environmentally friendly substitute for highly toxic chromate sealers over iron and zinc phosphate coatings, and more recently as replacements for iron and zinc phosphate coatings.”

He adds that “one of the newest and promising forms of pretreatment alternatives for both cold rolled steel and aluminum is an organofunctional silane and nanoparticle hybrid system.”

McLeod gave a presentation on the topic at the 2009 Canadian Chemistry Conference and Exhibition in Hamilton, ON. In that presentation, A New Metal Finishing Pretreatment: Waterborne SilaneBased Conversion Coating, he describes non-phosphate and non-chromate technologies and details performance testing of the technologies. You can read his paper at http://www.vanchem.com/92ndcanadian-chemistry-conference-andexhibition-canadian-society-of-chemistry.

Both of these new pretreatment processes generate benefits over zinc and iron phosphating: Fewer tanks mean shorter lines. They offer better performance with lower coating weights.

Lower coating weights operate at lower temperatures (a few degrees above room temperature) and lead to faster processing speeds. They do a great job on all common substrates, such as steel, zinc, and aluminum. With lower concentrations and little to no sludge, these lower weight coatings reduce their environmental impact. And corrosion performance meets or exceeds pretreatment specifications for painted metal substrates.

These non-phosphate chemistries are being used around the world. But a note of warning: just as there can be a wide range of differences in corrosion protection between a simple three stage iron phosphate process and an eleven stage zinc phosphate process, it’s the same with the commercial non-phosphate products. Ensure your cleaning, pretreatment and paint materials and processes are compatible and meet your finishing specifications. CM Fred Mueller is a finishing expert and corporate quality and safety manager with General Magnaplate Corp., Linden, NJ.

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Metal...Works Metals Heat Up Metals M&A picks up off the floor and is positioned for a break-out year

By Jim Forbes .................................................................................................................................................................

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity in the metals sector has made quite the comeback. Backed by rebounding commodity prices and growing global thirst for resources, metals deal activity is on track to return to the level seen at the end of the 2006-2008 boom.

The 2010 numbers are nothing short of impressive and give some indication of what’s to come in 2011. Total metals sector M&A rose a staggering 79 per cent to US $27 billion from 2009, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers’ (PwC) latest Forging Ahead Metals Deals report. Total transaction value also increased substantially, with a US $14.3 billion total by the end of 2010 compared to US $4.4 billion in 2009.

WHAT’S IN STORE FOR 2011?

We saw some interesting trends in 2010 that could shape this year’s deal activity. For instance, there was a threefold increase in international cross-border deals, which rose 46 per cent year-over-year. This interest in international deals is being driven by moves to secure raw materials supply like iron ore. In fact, two of the top three metals deals completed in 2010 were for iron ore resources and to gain a greater presence in fast growth markets.

Reviewing the past year’s deal activity leads us to believe we’re in store for a heightened pace of deal-making in 2011. Already, the five largest deals announced in 2010 or early 2011—pending anticipated completion later this year—total around US $17 billion, up 60 per cent on the US $10.6 billion value of the five largest deals completed in 2010. Moreover, two Canadian announced deals have already made headlines in the few short months of 2011 with Cliff Natural Resources’ $4.9 billion

76 | MAY 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

takeover of Consolidated Thompson Iron Mines and ArcelorMittal’s $590 million takeover bid of Baffinland Iron Mines.

WHO ARE THE BIG PLAYERS?

Counter to common perceptions, it is companies in developed markets rather than Chinese companies that are dominating deal-making. Japanese, North American, Western European and Australian buyers (along with Brazil’s Vale), all accounted for more international metals deal value than their Chinese counterparts.

Instead, Chinese companies are focusing on consolidating their fragmented domestic metals sector.

In 2011, we believe all eyes will be on Africa as the country continues to make its foray as a global player in the metals deal market. Vale’s US $2.5 billion purchase of a 51 per cent interest in Guinea-based BSG Resources last year is a case in point.

Africa is now a key area for deal-making as demand surges for raw materials supply. In fact, Africa now accounts for 13 per cent of worldwide target deal value in the metals sector and is expected to play a significant role this year.

So long as confidence remains in the sector, we’re likely to see a take-off in deal activity and value in 2011.

The past year was a key turning point for metals M&A activity. The value of international metals deals broke away from the lows seen during the economic downturn and is now on track to returning to the level achieved during boom times.

To read the full Forging Ahead Metals Deals report, visit: http://www.pwc.com/gx/en/ metals/mergers-acquisitions/2010-mergersacquisitions-analysis-annual-review.jhtml CM Jim Forbes is Global Metals Leader, PwC, Toronto.

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