Canadian Metalworking November 2011

November 2011| www.canadianmetalworking.com

Fast

FORWARD The future of metalcutting

PM 40069240

Cover final2.indd 1

11/10/11 1:31 PM

Very BIG and beautifully engineered

Hurco’s DCX Series.

High Capacity, Dual Column Machining Centers.

Because SIZE is important...

Travels Spindle Tools

DCX22 - 40T 86.6″ x 66.9″ x 29.5″ 8k, 10k or 15k 40 CAT (BT) 40

DCX22 - 50T 86.6″ x 66.9″ x 29.5″ 6k 40 CAT (BT) 50

DCX32 - 50T 126″ x 82.7″ x 36.2″ 6k or 10k 40 CAT (BT) 50

*Scan to watch video demo mo

CANADA www.hurco.ca

VMX Series High Performance Mills

VM Series U Series (5-Axis) SR Series (5-Axis) General Purpose Trunnion Table Swivel Head, Rotary Table Mills Mills Mills

DCX Series Dual Column Mills

800.992.7314

Z Series Zone Mills

HTX Series Horizontal Mills

TMX Series High Performance Lathes

TM / TMM Series General Purpose Lathes

Machines shown with options. Information may change without notice.

Canadian Metalworking_2011.indd 1 Nov 2-5.indd 2

11/1/2011 9:47:23 11/10/11 1:29AM PM

17.TCA

s.

n

s.

.

s

47:23 AM

Nov 2-5.indd 3 17.TCA_TUS THS_7.875x10.75inch.indd 1

11/10/11 1:29 PM 11/10/28 15:57

TruBend Press Brakes Flexible, Precise, Productive Bottlenecks and scrap are a thing of the past with TruBend press brakes. It’s never been easier to set-up and bend using TRUMPF’s latest bending technologies. Regardless of part type; simple or complex, big or small, short or tall – TRUMPF has a press brake to match them all. www.us.trumpf.com

Nov 2-5.indd 4

11/10/11 1:29 PM

Contents...

Vol. 106 | No. 7 | November 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

CASE STUDY POWDER METALLURGY

SINTERED SOLID ................................ 20 Little Lakes Machine & Tool tackles tough jobs

MACHINE TOOLS

20

MILLING

HIGH SPEED MACHINING GETS A BOOST ..................................26 Incredible feeds and speeds define the future

FABRICATION FUTURE MANUFACTURING

TURNING

A TURN FOR THE BETTER .....................28 Regulation and new demand will shape future turning

CUTTING TOOLS FUTURE TRENDS

28

MANUFACTURING FUTURE FORWARD . 44 Evolution, not revolution

WELDING FUTURE REVISED

WHERE TO DOTH WELDING GO ........ 50 Labour shortages, meet technology

COLD COMFORT .............................. 34 Cryogenic machining may be the future for hard materials

CUTTING TOOLS CASE STUDY

A 4000-WATT BIG DOG .................... 57 Major laser power for Harbor Steel & Supply

ANALYSIS

44

AUTO INDUSTRY

THE ENGINE OF THE ECONOMY ....... 60 Dennis Desrosiers tracks the future of the Canadian auto sector

QUALITY

DEPARTMENTS

FUTURE TRENDS

View from the Floor .................................. 6 News ..................................................... 8 Floor Space .......................................... 15

By The Numbers .................................... 64

THE FUTURE OF QUALITY .................... 40 ASQ’s triennial study points to the future

50

www.canadianmetalworking.com | NOVEMBER 2011 | 5

Nov 2-5.indd 5

11/11/11 10:08 AM

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

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

Published by BIG Magazines LP, a division of Glacier BIG Holdings Company Ltd. 80 Valleybrook Drive, North York, ON M3B 2S9 Phone: 416-442-5600. Fax: 416-510-5140 CM, established: 1905 is published 7 times per year by BIG Magazines LP, a division of Glacier BIG Holdings Company Ltd. SUBSCRIPTION RATES Canada $55.00 per year, Outside Canada $90.00 US per year, Single Copy Canada $8.00.

RETURN UNDELIVERABLE TO Circulation Department 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON M3B 2S9 All rights reserved. Printed in Canada. The contents of the publication may not be reproduction or transmitted in any form, either in part or in full, including photocopying and recording, without the written consent of the copyright owner. Nor may any part of this publication be stored in a retrieval system of any nature without prior written consent.

Content copyright ©2011 by BIG Magazines LP, a division of Glacier BIG Holdings Company Ltd., may not be reprinted without permission.

CM receives unsolicited materials (including letters to the editor, press releases, promotional items and images) from time to time. CM, its affiliates and assignees may use, reproduce, publish, re-publish, distribute, store and archive such unsolicited submissions in whole or in part in any form or medium whatsoever, without compensation of any sort.

CM accepts no responsibility or liability for claims made for any product or service reported or advertised in this issue.

DISCLAIMER This publication is for informational purposes only. The content and “expert” advice presented are not intended as a substitute for informed professional engineering advice. You should not act on information contained in this publication without seeking specific advice from qualified engineering professionals.

PRIVACY NOTICE From time to time we make our subscription list available to select companies and organizations whose product or service may interest you. If you do not wish your contact information to be made available, please contact us via one of the following methods: Phone: 1-800-668-2374 Fax: 416-442-2191 Email: jhunter@businessinformationgroup.ca Mail to: Privacy Office, 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON M3B 2S9 Canadian publications Mail Sales Product Agreement 40069240 ISSN: 0008-4379

View From the Floor Fearless Predictions This month’s issue is a unique look into the future of metal cutting and fabricating and it’s one I’ve been looking forward to for months. The industry moves quickly and in the rush to get things done now, we rarely consider what the craft is going to be like ten, twenty or thirty years from now. I recently read a 1908 copy of this magazine; inside was articles about the need for automation (mechanical then) and the efficiency that could be had by using electric motors instead of steam engines and line shafting. “Just run a wire!” said the Westinghouse ad. The technology was primitive, but the message was the same: add technology and get more efficient or get eaten by the competition. There’s no way that anyone in 1908 could have predicted CNC machining, 3-D computer modeling or automated production cells….and any prediction we make today will be just as quaint a century from now. In my lifetime, machining technology has gone from a Teledyne digital readout on a Bridgeport knee mill to lights out plant production and computer simulation. What will it be going forward? I predict three key technologies will change the face of the metalworking industry: 3-D Printing We can rapidly prototype parts now, but I’m guessing that future iterations will lay down a metallic power and binder which will be sintered to make complex parts. The process will be scalable and cheap, especially if the RP equipment is used to replicate more 3D printers and robotics to run them.

Self-Assembly We’re in the infancy of this theology now, but look for chemical or biological systems that “grow” parts an atom at a time, like a nano-scale CVD process. The pharmaceutical, chemical and nanoscale engineering communities are tinkering with this technology now. A key player is George Whitesides at Harvard…if he or anyone in his group win a Nobel, we’ll know self-assembly is entrenched for good. If it works on the macroscale, it will work like rapid prototyping, but without a physical 3D printing machine.

Artificial Intelligence While this has been predicted for a hundred years, something close may be within reach. Combine this with robotics and we may have a labour force that’s essentially free and highly capable, which suggests a strange sort of reversion to the blacksmith’s shop of two hundred years ago: let the robots do it by hand. Of course this kind of technology could displace almost all manufacturing and service jobs, so there will be social changes too and who knows, maybe the robots will eventually strike for better working conditions…in which case they’ll just have to automate to reduce the amount of hand work and we’ll be back where we started from, just like 1908. But I’ll take that general purpose hard-working robot just as soon as it’s ready. I’d like it to fab up some seamless eavestroughing before the old stuff falls off the house.

JIM ANDERTON, EDITOR

We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities.

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

Nov 6-7.indd 6

11/10/11 1:33 PM

HORN - THE LEADERS IN GROOVING TECHNOLOGY

FOCUS ON THE ESSENTIAL SYSTEM DR Urma licence

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

HORN – INTELLIGENT TOOL DESIGN AT WORK.

HORN GROOVING • PARTING OFF • GROOVE MILLING • BROACHING • PROFILE MILLING • REAMING HORN USA, Inc. • 320 Premier Ct. • Suite 205 • Franklin, TN 37067 Phone: (888) 818-4676 • Fax: (615) 771-4101 • Email: sales@hornusa.com

Nov 6-7.indd 7

•

internet: www.hornusa.com

11/10/11 1:33 PM

News Learning at Makino

makino held a two-day technical seminar at the firm’s Auburn Hills, michigan technology centre october 12 and 13th, featuring multiple makino machines with supporting tabletop displays from associated tooling and metrology suppliers. The well-attended event featured machine and tooling demonstrations including micromachining, eDm and measuring instruments. business seminars covered shop practices as well as management, financing and the economics of the business.

makino marketing manager mark rentschler (left} introduces Steve LeFever, Chairman of business resource Service Inc. LeFever presented on the banker’s perspective on business planning and equipment financing.

Feedback John Whitney of Casey’s Welding Service in brantford, ontario writes about editor Jim Anderton’s “view From the Floor” in the october issue of Canadian metalworking: Hi Jim Can’t say I have ever read an article that better described what I see and feel every day. my business is in the trades and I spend a lot of time in other facilities working with their maintenance personnel. The abundant waste of materials and time due to the “entitled” mentality of most workers today is embarrassing. I assume the places that allow excess waste are financially prepared to accept it, or just pass it along to the customer as part of their justified cost. my shop specializes in custom fabrication so I have workers who are very conscientious of the quality and value of the finished products. Waste just is not acceptable, be it time or material, there is too much competition to become complacent. We are constantly looking for areas to improve efficiency in order to reduce cost and ultimately reduce the end

price of goods sold. Your comments about Canada, pumping our natural resources south for processing, and the nuclear sectors failed efforts are painfully obvious examples of the “ entitled “ attitude.

Company owners these days don’t seem interested in providing long term commitment.

It’s usually about cooking the books to make it look valuable for American companies to purchase, exploit, and move south of the border. Happens too often to overlook!

People need to clue in or we are in for a rude awakening!

Great article!

John Whitney Casey’s Welding Service Lynn and Jim barton or Forge Ahead ornamental Iron in Guelph, ontario, suggest that editor Jim Anderton run for Stephen Harper’s job: Jim, both my husband and I thought your editorial was right on the money … or lack of for the Canadian manufacturing community. You presented an articulate overview and more important, ways to fix

Job growth, quality slowing: CIBC

The pace of job growth in Canada is slowing and the jobs being created are of lower quality, according to CIbC’s latest Canadian employment Quality Index (eQI).

The Canadian economy generated only 17,000 new jobs a month in the third quarter of 2011, down from 29,000 new jobs a month in the second quarter and 33,000 in the first quarter.

The eQI fell by 0.5 per cent in the third quarter and is down by 1.5 per cent over the past seven months.

“The decline in our quality index over the past seven months is not so obvious when one glances at the headline statistics,” says benjamin Tal, deputy chief economist and author of CIbC’s employment Quality Index.

“During this period, paid employment rose faster than self-employment and full-time job creation outpaced growth in part-time jobs. The reason for the index’s decline, despite these positive indicators, is the fact that all the fulltime jobs it. Have you ever thought of running for Prime minister, we need someone who actually understands the working people of this country not another lawyer who makes and breaks policies on a daily basis.

Well done!

Lynn & Jim Barton Forge Ahead Ornamental Iron Guelph, ON Jim Anderton replies: Thanks John, Lynn and Jim for your feedback…Prime minister? It would be fun, but I’m not a lawyer…but I’m pretty solid on DC reverse with an e6011 rod!

Company News rick bertone has been appointed technical sales representative for bohlerUddeholm Limited. He has been with the company for 14 years advising customers on tool steel selection in the eastern GTA and ontario region. He also serves on the board of NADCA chapter 10 in the role of vice chairman.

8 | November 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

Nov 8-19.indd 8

11/10/11 1:37 PM

AC810P For high speed, high efficiency finishing of steel and stainless steels

... and still leading the industry in steel and stainless steel turning applications:

P A C 820

For general purpose turning of steels and stainless steels

P A C 830

For roughing and interrupted cutting of steels and stainless steels

Ultra hard and ultra smooth are what make Sumitomo’s Super FF coating more resistant to heat and wear resulting in higher productivity and increased tool life.

For a FREE test sample of the best steel cutting grades in the industry call or email today: PH: 800-950-5202 Ext. 4 engineering@sumicarbide.com

1001 Business Center Drive • Mount Prospect, Illinois 60056

Telephone (800) 950-5202 • Fax (847) 635-9335

www.sumicarbide.com

Nov 8-19.indd 9

11/10/11 1:37 PM

News created during this period were in low-paying sectors.”

The decline in the eQI followed a rebound in job quality beginning in early 2010. The current index sits roughly where it was when the economy was on the brink of recession. but job quality is not uniform across the country. ontario, b.C. and Atlantic Canada weighed down growth with declines in overall employment quality.

Alberta, Quebec, manitoba and Saskatchewan saw improvement in the last seven months.

Full-Time vs. Part-Time Jobs: Full-time employment rose by 1.2 per cent in the last seven months.

Self-Employment vs. Paid Employment: Paid employment rose by 1.2 per cent vs. only a 0.1 per cent increase in the number of self-employed.

Compensation: The number of full-time jobs in highpaying industries fell by 0.1 per cent while the number of jobs in low-paying industries rose by 2.3 per cent. The most notable weakness was in high job quality sectors such as the federal government, heavy and civil engineering construction, telecommunications and computer and related manufacturing.

Strong job growth in sectors such as machinery manufacturing and professional scientific and technical services helped to limit the damage.

Despite gloomy global economic indicators, one sector looks bright and it’s not one that has had much to be positive about in the recent past: machine tools.

According to brian Papke, president of mazak Corporation, the machining segment is rebounding strongly. Speaking at the recent Discover mazak Tomorrow’s Technology Today conference, Papke was strongly positive.

“We anticipated 1500 people (at the event) and 2500 have registered. I look at the news and it’s brian Papke. all negative, but the truth is, the facts are somewhat different for manufacturing than for the economy as a whole”, declares Papke, adding “it’s almost as if the government media and educational institutions created this aura that all manufacturing has gone offshore and they lost touch with grassroots manufacturing in favor of other special interests.

They can’t see the small jobs shops that are busy.” mazak is busy, and is hiring. Says Papke, “At mazak, machine tool orders are up substantially. In our case, mazak

Corporation’s 2010 orders were up 99 percent and so far in 2012 are up 81 percent. our incoming orders are now higher than in 2008. The prospects are bright.

Are companies still moving to China? Yes! it makes sense as they are large markets. but for a while it was a fashion to move to China and some of this didn’t make economic sense.

Higher freight costs, quality issues, more complex product designs and Just In Time requirements are influencing a return of considerable manufacturing to the U.S….maybe ‘reshoring’ is the new fashion.”

The numbers at mazak appear to support Papke’s optimism.

“Industrial equipment utilization is 76 percent. our parts and service business is 100$m a year. Try to find a used mazak machine….it’s hard. A lot of small companies are doing very well. The opportunities to create more jobs in North America are here,” he said.

“We’re running at capacity and were expanding. We’ll make 130 machines this month. Last year we added 275 people and have 75 positions open right now. We have eight technology centers in North America. our customers are doing well….that’s one reason why we have 2,500 attendees at Tomorrows Technology Today. We can grow more…but we need to do more to train skilled workers.”

Canadian Learning and Development Spending Down Sharply In The Past Three Years

Spending on learning and development in Canada fell 13 per cent since 2008, and is down 40 per cent since its peak in the early 1990s, according to The Conference board of Canada’s Learning and Development Outlook 2011: Are Organizations Ready for Learning 2.0?

“Although the economic downturn may have contributed to lower learning and development budgets in 2010, the decline in spending is indicative of an ongoing pattern,” said Carrie Lavis, Senior research Associate. “Canadian organizations place less importance on workforce skill development than other nations. This may contribute to Canada’s poor record on innovation and competitiveness.”

During the recession, L&D spending in the U.S. declined more than in Canada, which did little more than narrow the gap between Canadian organizations and their American counterparts. From 2006 to 2010, Canadian organizations

InDIa Show fuLL-CourT PreSS aT CMTS ToronTo At the Canadian manufacturing Technology Show 2011, The India Show co-located at the Direct energy Centre with CmTS. 150 India pavilion exhibitors showcased technologies from agricultural implements to space launch vehicles as a catalyst for increased technical trade between Canada and India. Several Indian government agencies were also on hand, including Hindustan Aeronautics, the Indian Space research organization and the Indian Department of Science and Technology, aiming for bilateral ties with Canadian corporations and government agencies.

Prominent in the pavilion was a production Tata Nano, the world’s lowest priced mass production car. At $US2900, the Nano may be the ultimate in low cost automotive mass production. The vehicle is a full five passenger four door sedan, powered by a 624cc fuel-injected twin (35 HP) in a rear-engine rear drive configuration. Tata motors states fuel consumption is a combined 66 miles per gallon. The display model showed excellent fit and finish; export versions for limited Asian and African markets are reported to ship in the first quarter of 2012.

10 | November 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

Nov 8-19.indd 10

11/10/11 1:37 PM

201

it’s about time.

a CyCle time reduCtion maChine Turning and milling complex parts on a single machine will minimize part handling, increase throughput, and improve accuracy.

Introducing the all-new Haas DS-30Y dual-spindle turning center with integrated Y axis, live tools, C axis, and a host of upgrades – all for a great price.

Typical Haas Ingenuity.

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

Simple. Innovation.

Nov 8-19.indd 11 2011HaasAds_CMW_Master.indd 3

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

11/10/11 1:37 PM 7/6/11 10:57 AM

News spent an average of 64 cents for every dollar spent by American organizations. In 2010, Canadian organizations spent on average just under $690 per employee on L&D. expenditures are just one indicator of the priority placed on L&D in organizations. Given the changing learning needs of employees, organizations should look to prioritize learning even during tough economic times.

“A strong learning culture is one way for organizations to ensure that they have employees with the necessary skills to remain competitive in a global knowledge-based economy,” said Lavis.

This is the 11th edition of the Learning and Development Outlook, which summarizes the results of a biennial survey.

Conducted between November 2010 and February 2011, the survey garnered responses from 183 Canadian organizations.

rIM, BCe, IBM top r&D spending, overall dollars down for fifth consecutive year

research in motion (rIm), bCe, and Ibm have been named Canada’s leaders in r&D spending this year by research Infosource. Total income from r&D endeavours for Canada’s Top 100 r&D corporations was $9.4 billion in 2010, down from $10.4 billion in 2009. According to Canada‘s Top 100 Corporate R&D Spenders List 2011, this continues a negative trend in r&D spending for the 5th consecutive year. but revenues increased among revenues increased by 4.7 per cent by the 92 companies in the report.

Despite recent turmoil surrounding the Waterloo-based tech-giant, rIm remains Canada’s top corporate r&D spender, spending more than $1.4 billion on research, an increase of 26.3 per cent over 2009. bCe was second after spending $821 million on r&D. more big names rounded out the top 10, including engineering firm Atomic energy ($476 million), automotive giant magna ($463.5 million) and bombardier ($198.7 million). The top 100 list is available at: www.researchinfosource.com/media/2011Top100List.pdf

Minister of State announces funding to Support Young entrepreneurs

The Honourable maxime bernier, minister of State (Small business and Tourism), has announced that the Government of Canada is investing $20 million in funding over two years to enable the Canadian Youth business Foundation (CYbF) to continue its support to young entrepreneurs.

“The Government of Canada is committed to supporting young entrepreneurs as they are vital to Canada’s economic growth,” said minister of State bernier. “This investment will help kick-start an estimated 1,000 new businesses in Canada over the next two years.”

The $20-million investment was provided through Budget 2011, The Next Phase of Canada’s Economic Action Plan—A Low-Tax Plan for Jobs and Growth. Small businesses are a key driver of Canada’s economy, accounting for about 98 percent of all business establishments in the country and about twothirds of the private sector workforce.

“The Canadian Youth business Foundation is grateful to the Government of Canada for its ongoing commitment to young entrepreneurs,” said vivian Prokop, Chief executive officer of CYbF. “This contribution will help CYbF to continue to support the ideas, the innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit of Canada’s youth and enable us to unleash the entrepreneurial potential of young people to generate ideas, expand innovation and create jobs and wealth in communities from coast to coast to coast.”

CYbF provides financial support and mentorship to young Canadians who want to start their own business. The combination of access to capital and the support of a mentor are key to the success of the entrepreneur. As a national charity established in 1996, CYbF has invested in approximately 4,500 young Canadians who have established successful businesses and created some 17,850 new jobs.

For more information on the CYbF, visit the CYbF website: www.cybf.ca.

SCeneS froM CMTS 2011

Looking westward at CmS 2011 in the Direct energy Centre.

Canadian metalworking sponsored a popular meeting lounge at CmTS 2011.

Dragon’s Den star Kevin o’Leary with Sme’s Nick Samain, organizer of the CmTS.

12 | November 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

Nov 8-19.indd 12

11/10/11 1:37 PM

MEET THE INTEGREX FAMILY WE ARE a growing family with 36 members since 1983. We have a unique ability to Multi-Task, and our talents include complex simultaneous 5-axis machining and Ultra-Tasking applications.

WE ARE diverse in our specialties, ideal for parts ranging from those requiring machining above and below centerline and y-axis capabilities to complex geometries, in sizes from small and light to large and heavy.

WE LOVE to try new things, including grinding, gear cutting and boring.

WE ARE overachievers, allowing you to increase throughput with fewer machines.

WE ARE a family with a long tradition of productivity. We accommodate a large tooling capacity and offer a second spindle, allowing us to run multiple jobs from a single operator setup.

WE INCORPORATE the Mazak MX Hybrid Roller Guide System to deliver unmatched levels of rigidity, durability and reliability that result in long-term accuracy.

WE ARE a smart bunch, with Intelligent Machine functions that boost our accuracy, reliability and productivity. These include INTELLIGENT THERMAL SHIELD and ADVANCED VIBRATION CONTROL, among others.

INTEGREX j-200

INTEGREX i-300

INTEGREX i-630V

INTEGREX e-500H

INTEGREX e-1060V

WE ARE THE INTEGREX MULTI-TASKING MACHINES, AND YOU’VE NEVER MET A MORE POWERFUL FAMILY.

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

Nov 8-19.indd 13

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

11/10/11 1:37 PM

News o’Leary on Manufacturing

Kevin o’Leary took the stage at CmTS (Canadian manufacturing Technology Show) 2011 in Toronto and gave more than 200 delegates some practical advice for business growth. The Dragon’s Den celeb laid out 10 manufacturing challenges and priorities: 1. Dependency on the US market. “I worry about that a lot, and so do your investors,” o’Leary said. “The goal for the manufacturing sector is to go from 82 percent reliance on US markets to 60 percent in a decade.”

2. Currency. “It’s your friend and your foe,” he said. “I see the Canadian dollar remaining at parity for the foreseeable future.” His advice? Take advantage of the strong Loonie to upgrade machinery and equipment.

3. Geography. “If you could just cut Canada off the top of North America and float it down and attach it to Australia, we could kick their butts with what we have—which is technology—and sell it to the Asian markets,” said the feisty Dragon. “For decades we’ve enjoyed the geography of the largest market in the world (the US) but that’s no longer an advantage…The challenge is how do we engage and sell our goods and services to brazil, India, China, malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand.”

4. Protectionism/Buy American. According to o’Leary, the US has forgotten the volume of trade it does with Canada. He mused about getting tough, and using Canadian oil as leverage. “If anything happens to our access to US markets, our pipleline might ‘break down’,” he said. Not that we’d have to get that aggressive, but “the last thing I want to hear is that we’re providing energy at a fair price… and not getting access to our markets that we used to have.”

5. Rising input costs. The best approach? buy technology to enhance productivity. “Any firm that does not invest now while rates are low and the Canadian dollar is high is making a big mistake. even though there’s uncertainty in the markets, it’s the time to be doing this.”

6. Environmental regulations. Paying millions of dollars to curb and offset carbon emissions while global competitors do nothing puts Canadian manufacturers at a competitive disadvantage. “The only way to fight that is lobbying government which as a group…you don’t do enough of.”

7. Government regulations. “I can’t say enough about having a good relationship with government. If you’re not watching, they’ll hurt you.” o’Leary recommended setting aside revenue to support industry association lobbying and government relations.

8. Subsidies. “Whether it’s a good policy or not, if the government is giving away money, grab it because governments change every seven years and policies change.”

9. Unions and labour. o’Leary said companies such as General electric are shifting production out of country, to be closer to growing consumer markets. In Ge’s case, the attraction of business growth in brazil was a powerful motivator, but the move isn’t without challenges, including public outcry.

10. Automation. “People think that automation is killing jobs in Canada when in fact it’s enhancing the value of jobs you can provide.

I don’t think we’re getting the message out.” o’Leary was hot on brazil, where Canada’s brand is “on fire.” His overall message was invest in technology, look beyond the US, and use manufacturing’s two million jobs to wrangle better government and trade policy.

Take Back Manufacturing: SMe takes a stand at CMTS 2011

Hell no, manufacturing won’t go, at least if the Society of manufacturing engineers (Sme) has anything to say about it.

The association’s Toronto chapter has launched an aggressive campaign called Take back manufacturing, and spread the word at CmTS (Canadian manufacturing Technology Show) 2011 in Toronto.

The campaign, dubbed Tbm, has 25 technical associations and three trade associations on board, along with representatives from education, government, media and business. The goal is to bring offshore manufacturing back to North America, before it’s too late. “right now we’ve still got the means, the opportunity and the motive to make this happen,” said marie Laird, chair of the Toronto chapter of Sme, in a presentation at CmTS. “but we’ve begun a perilous slide.”

According to Statistics Canada, 322,000 manufacturing jobs disappeared from the Canadian economy between 2004 and 2008—and that was before the recession. even hockey sticks Canada has allowed too many manufacturing jobs to shift to China and other developing countries, said Laird’s co-presenter, Nigel Southway, Sme operations lead. even iconic products, like hockey sticks, are made in China.

“Now we’ve got kids thinking that we can’t make hockey sticks,” Southway said.

14 | November 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

Nov 8-19.indd 14

11/10/11 1:37 PM

News With the frenzied rush to China over the past years, he suspects companies have lost sight of the hidden costs.

It might make economic sense to offshore products with a labour cost input of 70% and higher, but below that threshold, fuel costs and the longer supply chain eat away at profit margins. “offshore can be more expensive than doing it right here,” he said, adding he’d like to see more “balanced sourcing,” or a better mix of offshore and domestic sourcing based on true costs.

According to Laird and Southway, we’re paying a high price—both economic and through our declining quality of life—to support a supply chain that verges on ridiculous.

Canada ships raw resources to China, where they’re manufactured into products and shipped to the US. From start to finish, the raw materials and finished products travel thousands of kilometers and six weeks each way—costing millions in shipping and environmental impact. Canada should add value to its natural resources by making the products here and shipping to the US directly, they assert.

“Why don’t we just export something other than our resources?” Laird said.

They also pointed out the need to be prepared if and when the jobs return. The last thing manufacturers need is to win back orders, only to discover they lack the skilled workforce to complete them.

Tbm has a skills development component, aimed at promoting new entrants to the field through four career stages: trade, technician, technologist and engineer.

Laird and Southway urged manufacturers to and sign on to Tbm at: http://sme-tbm.org/tbm-roadmap-1/ Files from Lisa Wichman.

iPad winners at the Canadian Metalworking future of Metal Cutting Conference Two lucky attendees won Apple iPad tablet computers at Canadian metalworking’s Future of metal Cutting Conference held November 8th. Ludwig Cheng (above with Canadian metalworking Publisher Steve Devonport) from Scarborough, ontario won the “early bird” draw. Ludwig works for magna subsidiary Precision Technologies. The end of day “passport to win” drawing was won

by Guillermo ospina of markham, ontario.

Guiellrm works for Stanley Security Solutions C. J. rush division.

Floor Space with all the anti-capitalist protests going on around the world, are you concerned about the stability of Canada’s economy?

“Canada in general seems to have weathered the economic storm better than most other competing countries. However, as strong as Canada has been and continues to be, it inevitably relies on exports to keep its wheels turning in the right direction. I know firsthand that the manufacturing sector is changing on a regular basis, facing new challenges and new problems almost every day. I have been and remain concerned about the stability of our Canadian economy, not so much because we are not sound, but because we have fewer clients who are themselves not nearly as financially sound as they used to be. We also have more competition from abroad, forcing us to work harder for less.”

-Joseph Manzoli, president, Colourfast Custom Coatings, Concord, Ontario

“We are operating within a global economy, whether we like it or not, so any bump in the economy will be felt. We are lucky that in this downturn [Canada] has weathered it better than other countries because of our structure, but we are also feeling the pain of trying to grow in this economy.”

-Margo Gagnon, co-owner, Gagnon Ornamental Works, Grand Falls, New Brunswick

“The protests are a bit worrying in the fact that they could slow down the world economy. If world leaders are reluctant to take measures to cut spending and start raising taxes because of the protests, it will affect Canada ... I’m staying optimistic, however.”

-Peter Alden, co-owner, Wessex Precision Machining, Ayr, Ontario

With all the anti-capitalist protests going on around the world, are you concerned about the stability of Canada’s economy?”

“No.”

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

“Yes, I am very concerned. our economy does not depend solely on local [business and industry]—we are now part of a world economy. What happened in europe and especially the U.S.A. has a direct effect on our local businesses.”

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

www.canadianmetalworking.com | November 2011 | 15

Nov 8-19.indd 15

11/10/11 1:37 PM

News

uncertain Times

“If You Are Not Pessimistic, You Are on Drugs”: Short term pessimism amid long term confidence about the future BY naTe henDLeY Canadian Metalworking magazine’s coverage of future trends in the industry is built on both the supply and demand side of the business. Sellers of machine tools are recovering nicely, thank you, with many at pre-2008 sales levels, but what about the segment that’s cutting metal? Here are candid opinions about futue prospects from both sides of the issue.

Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future of the metal cutting sector in Canada? Why? This question produced some of our most polarized answers, with half of our respondents striking a positive note and others offering dire predictions.

First, the upbeat camp: “I’m optimistic. North American companies that require machined product will always have the need for locally sourced products,” says Jason bannerman, president of Xakt Komponents in brampton, ontario.

bannerman says virtually all of his company’s business is metal-cutting related.

“I’m very optimistic about the future of metal cutting in Canada. With the size of our country, we have to have machine shops to survive. Anything that is created and manufactured starts in a machine shop, be it parts for a truck or the knitting machine to make a pair of socks,” echoes Peter Alden, co-owner of Wessex Precision machining in Ayr, ontario, who estimates that 85 percent of his work involves removing metal. mark meadwell, owner of Accurate Waterjet Cutting Services in vaughan, ontario, takes a middle-of-the-road perspective.

“I’m on the fence, hoping for better,” says meadwell, who says that 80 percent of his business is metal-cutting related. rob muru, president of A-Line Tool in Toronto is considerably more negative.

Look for these articles in the upcoming February issue of Canadian Metalworking...

COVER STORY

Aerospace

MACHINE TOOLS

Machining Centres | Grinding

CUTTING TOOLS

Milling | Tool Repair

QUALITY CANADA

CMMs

FABRICATING

Buyers Guide-Cutting Machines Press Brakes and Tooling

MANUFACTURING PRODUCTION

CAD/CAM Software Report

METAL FINISHING

Automatic Spray Finishing | Conveyors

WELDING

Power Supplies

EDITORIAL INFORMATION Jim Anderton, Editor | 416-510-5148 | JAnderton@canadianmetalworking.com ADVERTISING INFORMATION Steve Devonport, Publisher | 416-543-1641 | SDevonport@canadianmetalworking.com

www.canadianmetalworking.com

16 | November 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

Nov 8-19.indd 16

11/10/11 1:37 PM

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 flexible making it possible to maintain good productivity.

For more information on these and other new solutions contact your local Sandvik Coromant Representative at 1-800-268-0703 or visit us at www.sandvik.coromant.com/ca to locate your local authorized distributor.

Nov 8-19.indd 17

11/10/11 1:37 PM

News “If you are not pessimistic, you are on drugs,” states muru, whose business is “99 percent metal cutting.”

He isn’t the only one with such downbeat views.

“Normally, I am very optimistic, but looking at the customers that I service, there does not seem to be a lot of positive news.

Customers are only committing day-to-day as they do not have long-term commitments from their own customers. The U.S.A. is making it very hard for companies in Canada to compete. A lot of our customers have moved to the U.S.A. It’s hard to be an optimist these days,” adds Larry Stuyt, president of ontario Laser Cutting in Tillsonburg, ontario.

Like bannerman, Stuyt says 100 percent of his business is metalcutting related.

Despite tough times, marco Gagnon, co-owner of Gagnon ornamental Works, in Grand Falls, New brunswick, says it’s important to maintain a positive outlook.

“We have to be optimistic about all areas of our business going forward. even if markets and conditions are not ideal, the day we stop trying to progress we essentially regress and take a back seat to the companies and individuals that want to grow,” states Gagnon, who estimates that 5 to10 percent of his business is metal cutting related.

What’s the biggest challenge facing Canada’s metal cutting sector?

once again, shop officials offered a wide variety of responses, while agreeing on a few basics. bannerman says “lack of skilled trades and lack of government support in the Canadian school system to promote skilled trades” are the biggest challenges, Alden agrees with bannerman’s assessment. “our biggest challenge is finding skilled labour,” states Alden.

Gagnon cites “keeping up with technology” as a challenge while meadwell muses about a tight economy: “the amount of opportunities are just sparse right now,” he says. muru gives the most searing response.

“Where do you start?????” writes muru, who cites “highwages, disappearing customers, no profit margins, another recession” as challenges.

“High-wages, disappearing customers, no profit margins, another recession” The most detailed reply comes courtesy of Stuyt: “The biggest challenge that we face is getting the orders shipped on time. It’s not for a lack of trying or for a lack of carrying, it’s because the customers want deliveries faster than we can process. A typical customer wants quick quotes, cheap prices, two day delivery, one hundred percent perfect parts, ISo requirements, first and last off inspections, test reports, free shipping, proper packaging. our current economy does not allow for that. Cheap prices mean less staff and inventory,” complains Stuyt.

Is there any new metal equipment that has caught your eye?

What about improvements on existing equipment? bannerman gives the same response to both questions—“not at this time,” he states.

Alden, meanwhile, says his company “is in the process of getting rid of some of our older equipment and buying more updated machines.”

“We have been watching the progress of fiber optic lasers.

They are slowly evolving but not as fast as we had hoped. our current equipment needs to be updated but there is not enough commitment by customers to justify the millions that need to be spent,” says Stuyt.

“Technology is always evolving and we must continually improve our work methods, our operations and our equipment, but always remember that sometimes the most technologically advanced equipment might not be the most economical for our operations. everything has its place,” says Gagnon. muru takes the pragmatic approach: “Lots of things are of interest, however, I am also pretty well advised to get out of debt so there is a conflict on which direction to go. You can new equipment yourself into bankruptcy these days,” he says.

In your opinion, what metal cutting trends will continue to grow in popularity (i.e. dry machining, high-speed cutting, high-strength steel, etc)? “micro-machining/miniature machining,” says bannerman.

“The cutting trends would be all the ones you mentioned in your question,” replies Alden.

“Trends? Good question. You mentioned a few. For us, personally, it’s back to basics. Drill and tap a nice hole, make a

18 | November 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

Nov 8-19.indd 18

11/10/11 1:37 PM

News good surface finish, nice and smooth countersinks. That’s the trend for us,” says muru.

“The machining industry seems to have made a bit of a comeback in the last year or so. Lasers will continue to keep their market share but like any industry it all depends on what happens with technology. every company is looking to be unique and they are all waiting for a machine that will put them ahead of their competition,” says Stuyt.

What can the Canadian government do to help grow the metal cutting sector (i.e. subsidies, free-trade agreements, more support for apprenticeship programs, etc)?

This proved to be another question where there was a great deal of unanimity.

“The government can help with more apprentice programs, free trade agreements and lower taxes. [The government should] encourage kids in high school that [going into skilled trades] is a good career choice,” says Alden.

“Apprenticeship programs. It’s funny you mention that. I find the bulk of people involved in the industry, they are older. I don’t think the kids coming out of school are salivating to do machining or that kind of work. They’re more into electronic things, like IT,” says meadwell.

“Subsidies for apprenticeships,” echoes bannerman.

“Government needs to keep helping all industries grow, either

through free trade agreements, training or financing. by working with companies, government will help all of us prosper,” adds Gagnon.

Stuyt offers a different take: “There is so much room for improvement by our government, I don’t even know where to begin. Let’s start with the day-to-day items like hydro, property tax, WSIb, ministry of labour paperwork. Then let’s go to the bigger items like low interest loans so we can buy equipment or make energy changes. When I started this business, help from the government was nowhere in sight but once I started making [good revenue] the government constantly asks for money,” he says.

“Government needs to keep helping all

industries grow, either through free trade agreements, training or financing”

The last word and most creative response goes to muru: “Government, can they help? Tough question. I think it’s for bigger minds than mine. Here’s one idea: create a board of inquiry on how to help the metal cutting business and put me on it for $100,000 a year. That would help,” he says.

www.canadianmetalworking.com | November 2011 | 19

Nov 8-19.indd 19

11/10/11 1:37 PM

case study

Powder metallurgy

Sintered Solid Little Lakes machine & Tool tackles tooling for a high-growth future technology: powder metallurgy Powder metallurgy has been the net-shape technology of the future for decades… but its time has perhaps finally arrived.

Crucial to kick-starting the widespread adoption of this exotic technology is quick turnaround, high accuracy tooling, built to withstand the unique demands of powdered metals. Stratford, Ontario-based Little Lakes Machine & Tool is one of very few shops with the experience and technical expertise to tackle the tough jobs that are standard issue with powder technology. With approximately 80 percent of the firm’s work falling between the 55HRc and 65 HRc range, Little Lakes’ easiest jobs would be considered a nightmare for many shops.

Little Lakes entered the custom powdered metal tooling segment as far back as the emergence of the technology as a mainstream process in the 1960’s, after a powdered metal production facility opened nearby. As their primary supplier, Little Lakes soon found itself growing alongside the manufacturer, expanding capabilities with changing trends and increasing challenges. In 1995 Little Lakes was sold to three long-standing employees, Gene Beehler, Jim Roth and Dan Roth.

“As far back as I can remember, the biggest key to our success has been our ability to evolve with the times by staying abreast of the latest technologies as they’re made available,” says Jim Roth. “I can remember a time not that long ago when operators would spend several days producing elaborate tools on manual machines with nothing more than their hands, a calculator and plenty of ingenuity.” Today’s applications however, are far more complex and expectations are much higher.

“The custom powdered metal compaction tools we produce are put under a lot more stress than a typical mold and as such require very high hardness and abrasion

Little Lakes’ eDNC43S was initially purchased for an aerospace customer that required indexing capabilities and fine finishes in aluminum applications.

“Little Lakes’ easiest jobs would be considered a nightmare for many shops”

20 | November 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

Nov 20-25.indd 20

11/10/11 1:42 PM

Powder metallurgy

case study

metal compaction to be a fast and cost-effective solution based on its ability to form finished parts straight out of the press, often times with no secondary operations required,” says Jim Roth. “From the tooling perspective, this makes our role in the process that much more important. We have to insure that the accuracy and finish is perfect with absolutely no further machining required. Typical punch-todie clearances are 0.0005 inches. If this isn’t held, the powder can slip between the cracks of the tooling and cause significant damage that greatly reduces the tool’s life span. As such, our applications require high-performance machining capabilities to ensure that the accuracy and finishes are there each and every time.”

HigH sPeed Hardmilling

This makino v22 vertical machining centre uses advanced anti-vibation technologies to spin tools at 40,000 rPm with repeatability.

resistant tool steels. Additionally, interchangeability in tooling has driven the demand for better accuracy and finishes that eliminate the need for manual fitting.”

Powdered metal comPaction Powdered metal compaction is a very close tolerance business…the powder must be completely contained within the cavity and pressed with consistency for a solid green compact.

Powdered metal compaction is a unique process in which a fine grained metal powder is placed into a cavity and compressed under high pressure to form a net-shape part. At this point it is a mechanically bonded “green” compact. The next step is heat in a sintering furnace set at a temperature just below the metal’s melting point.

The heating accelerates diffusion processes that eliminate the porosity of the green compact and create a net-shape homogenous metal structure.

Powered metallurgy’s most famous applications were automotive timing gears and automatic transmission parts, but the process is frequently used for other power transmission products, structural shapes, brackets and other complex shapes in everything from household blenders to aircraft.

Powdered metal parts allow for easier alloying compared to many standard part manufacturing processes.

“Manufacturers requiring high-volume part production typically find powdered

In 2003, Little Lakes decided to stay ahead of the technology curve by researching some of the latest highspeed high-precision hardmilling machines. The company began by focusing on reverse-engineering part geometries of several desired applications in order to determine the required machine specifications. Little Lakes used these findings to develop a test-punch application, which was produced on its current machinery as a control group and later sent to five machine tool manufacturers to gauge performance.

Of the five manufacturers Little Lakes approached, Makino’s test part was the first to arrive. Using a V33 vertical machining centre, Makino was able to reduce the total cycle time from approximately 26 hours to just 4 hours. The accuracy and finish qualities produced straight out of the machine were close enough to final spec that the company was able to completely eliminate previous EDM procedures and associated electrode production.

Based on these results and previous experience, Little Lakes purchased the V33 without hesitation. “Our local Makino distributor, Single Source Technologies, understood we were new to the high-speed hardmilling world and assisted us in developing tool paths and choosing the appropriate coatings and cutter technologies specific to the V33,” says Jim Roth. “With their help, we’ve been able to produce tolerances of plus or minus 0.0002 inches on a daily basis, worry free.” www.canadianmetalworking.com | November 2011 | 21

Nov 20-25.indd 21

11/10/11 1:42 PM

Nov 20-25.indd 22

11/10/11 1:42 PM

Powder metallurgy

case study

robotic loading of a makino V33 vertical machining centre

Breaking into new markets

Keeping up with the latest technology trends has also been driven by new business opportunities. Little Lakes was approached by a potential customer in 2006 looking for a manufacturer with the capabilities to produce a punch for a new portable photovoltaic film panel.

The application featured hundreds of micro-scale half-spherical sockets used to hold tiny silicon beads.

“We had never produced tooling as small and intricate as this before, but the opportunity was exciting and offered us an open door to expand our opportunities into a new and rapidly growing market,” says Dan Roth. “Based on the continued success of the V33 and outstanding service we received from Single Source Technologies, we decided

to invest in a Makino V22 vertical machining centre with a robotic cell for unattended machining capabilities over nights and weekends.”

The machine design of the V22 includes several key technologies to eliminate vibration, rotational deflection and thermal distortion, ensuring precision, accuracy and reliability in long cycle time die and mold applications. Its 40,000 RPM spindle includes Makino’s patented core cooling an under-race lubrication systems for repeatable micromachining tolerances.

“The male side of the solar panel tooling alone required 21 days of uninterrupted milling,” says Dan Roth. “To prevent power outages from ruining over two-weeks worth of uninterrupted work, we would have to purchase an uninterruptable power supply for the V22 itself.” www.canadianmetalworking.com | November 2011 | 23

Nov 20-25.indd 23

11/10/11 1:42 PM

case study

Powder metallurgy

Equipped with Makinos’ Hybrid Automatic Tool Length Measurement (ATLM) system, the V22 has provided Little Lakes with extended reliability in long run time applications.

The machine’s construction features integrally cast slide ways and no overhangs, providing excellent rigidity and damping characteristics for improved accuracy and extended tool life.

In one case, a 0.1-mm (0.0039-inch) diameter ball end mill ran for 16 hours without any breakage.

“When it comes to repeatable accuracy and surface finish in hardened materials, no other machine on our shop floor can outperform the V22,” says Dan Roth. “We’re able to hold tolerances of plus or minus 0.0002 inches for weeks at a time.”

That’s a small tool…precision machining at rotational speeds in the order of 40,000 rPm means massive, low deflection tool holding for accuracy, precision and long tool life.

reliaBle unattended macHining caPaBilities

Little Lakes’ System 3R robotic capabilities were also integrated with the V33 to assist with all applications requiring more than a single shift of processing. Doing so has enabled the company to avoid increased spending for the additional manpower and energy consumption that would otherwise be required to keep the entire facility running three shifts an day.

“Our automated capabilities combined with Makino’s reliability are not just a relief for management, but also those on the shop floor who can start a job on Friday and enjoy time with their families over the weekend,” says Dan Roth.

“And while these machines typically run two shifts on week days and unattended over the weekend, we can come back on Monday morning with finished jobs that require little or no

additional work before being polished or sent to the press.”

The automated cell features a robust 20-position rack for a variety of applications. Working closely with Single Source Technologies, Little Lakes has optimized the cell for full processing, roughing and finishing in its custom applications.

This approach has enabled operators to perform all setups offline without interrupting machining processes.

“A good portion of our business involves the re-facing (re-cutting) of tools, which requires manual face-grinding of damaged areas before entering the machine,’ says Dan Roth.

‘By giving operators the opportunity to step away from their machines, we can turn around these applications in just a day or two. This has given us an upper hand in winning this type of business.”

diVersiFying edm caPaBilities

Little Lakes’ most recent investment in Makino equipment came in 2008 with the purchase of an EDNC43S sinker EDM “The EDNC43S was initially purchased for an aerospace customer that required indexing capabilities and fine finishes in aluminum applications,’ says Dan Roth. “What we discovered was that it also provided excellent quality in applications featuring long vertical depths, where we were limited with our previously technologies. With the EDNC43S, surface finishes are consistent throughout.”

Makino’s High-Quality Surface Finish (HQSF) technology enables the EDNC43S to maintain improved electrical conductivity for more consistent discharging and spark diffusion.

As a result, Little Lakes has reporting better surface finishes, faster processing and longer electrode life than any previous sinker EDM machine.

“The EDNC43S improves our sinker EDM capabilities across the board,” says Dan Roth. “The quality we’re producing has excluded or reduced polishing in all applications, allowing us to deliver faster with better quality than ever before.” Based on the success of the EDNC43S, Little Lakes decided to expand their EDM capabilities in 2011 with an investment in Makino’s latest sinker EDM technology, the EDAF3S.

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

24 | November 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

Nov 20-25.indd 24

11/10/11 1:42 PM

Powder metallurgy

case study

are constantly challenging us with new ideas and tooling and process innovations on a daily basis.”

Little Lakes are now looking to use their knowledge and expertise for additional growth by expanding customer turnkey services, adding another benefit for customers of these hard-material veterans. cm For more information, visit www.llmt.com

The beauty of powdered metal compaction is the ability to produce complex net shape parts straight from the sintering oven.

Promoting Quality and dePendaBility

“Little Lakes Machine & Tool represents quality customer service and dependability and we want to keep it that way,” says Dan Roth. We can’t uphold this reputation if we don’t expect the same out of our machine investments.”

“Between our Makino technology and Single Source Technologies’ service and support, we’ve become a one-shift shop that can produce two shifts’ worth of finished products.

This is made possible by our highly skilled employees who

HIGH PERFORMANCE TAPS

SOWA’S COLOUR BAND SYSTEM HAS TAKEN THE GUESS WORK OUT OF YOUR TAP SELECTION

Blue Ring HSSE-V3 for Low & Medium Carbon

MADE IN JAPAN

Yellow Ring HSSE-V3 For High Carbon Steel Orange Ring HSSE-V3 Designed for Stainless Steel Red Ring P-HSS For Hardened Steel Green Ring For Aluminum

1-800-265-8221

Download your copy today!

VIEW OUR PROMOTIONS ONLINE WWW.SOWATOOL.COM HEAD OFFICE IN KITCHENER, ON. BRANCH IN EDMONTON, AB. www.canadianmetalworking.com | November 2011 | 25

Nov 20-25.indd 25

11/10/11 1:42 PM

Machine tools

Milling

The future of milling will be notable for the ability to machine thermal resistant materials at high speeds. The accuracy will improve, but so will many of the challenges, the biggest of which will be the requirement for phenomenal rates of metal removal.

“These materials have high cutting resistance,” says Yusuf Altintas, NSERC-P&WC industrial research chair coordinator of the Mechatronics Option at the University of British Columbia (UBC). “If you try to cut too deep, machine tools will vibrate, and then chip thickness grows.”

Tool companies must adjust to these increasingly challenging materials.

CBN (cubic boron nitride) will likely become the norm for finishing applications, because of its thermal stability, chemical inertness, and high wear resistance. CBN is not new, but it has been pricey, and has only recently come into wide adoption as a coating. That’s good news, because the trend toward hardened steels is here to stay.

“Machining hardened steels is a trend that has developed in recent years and will only increase in the years to come,” says Craig Ramsey, product manager for OSG Canada. “These materials include P20, H13 and D2 and can range from 28-65 Rc hardness.”

Ramsey says that, in the past, milling these materials has often been an expensive and slow process, both in tooling cost and, most importantly, in machining time. Given that new end mills and coatings have the capability to cut harder and harder steel, there is less of a need for electric discharge machining (EDM) for metal removal. Advanced tooling can assume those functions.

We’ll likely see more solid carbide end mills with a sub micron carbide substrate, such as OSG’s Exocarb-WXS. “These end mills are designed for hard machining applications,” says Ramsey. “The WXS nanotechnology coating has a much higher oxidation temperature. This allows for higher cutting speeds, which generate more heat that actually increases surface lubricity and extends tool life.”

Ramsey says that high speed machining (HSM) with spindle speeds of 15,000-45,000 RPM will only become more popular as global competition increases. At present, aluminum provides an example of where we might be headed with milling harder metals and alloys.

High Speed Machining

GETS A BOOST Incredible speeds and metal removal rates will define milling in the future

bY TIm WILSon

26 | november 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

Nov 26-31.indd 26

11/10/11 1:43 PM

Milling

“In aircraft, you can take a 1,000 kilogram aluminum block, and mill it down to only 10 to 15 kilograms,” says Prof. Altintas. “You have to cut fast, and have fast removal rates, to justify the cost.”

Prof. Altintas’s research group is the largest in Canada, with 25 people working on all aspects of metal cutting and machine tools.

“We develop technology to predict the proper speed and depth of cut,” says Altintas. “We also work on special tooling techniques to improve productivity for metal removal.”

Prof. Altintas notes that advanced industries like aerospace rely heavily on titanium and inconels, and that one of the biggest challenges – now and in the future – is temperature. Without heat dissipation, the tool will fail. As a result, milling these thermal resistant alloys has always been at very low speeds, but that will change in the future.

“In the early ’80’s a spindle would burn at 7,000 RPM,” says Prof. Altintas. “Now we are milling at 60,000 RPM, and already at 200,000 RPM for micro-machining.”

It is possible that the speeds we are seeing in micromachining could apply to larger parts in the future, because milling speeds are much easier to scale than are turning speeds, where there is always the risk that the part will be thrown from the chuck.

“This is an emerging field in milling,” says Prof.

Altintas. “It started about five years ago and is expanding. We have already designed a spindle with 500,000 RPM, but it is in research in the moment. We call them ‘turbo spindles’.”

How do you keep a spindle cool when it is revolving at that speed? One possibility in the future will be liquid nitrogen assisted machining. The appeal of liquid nitrogen is its ability to keep titanium and nickel based super-alloys both cold and brittle, allowing the tool to go faster and longer.

Better, More affordaBle solutions

“Cutting tools are running at higher speeds every year,” says Alan Reid, a faculty member at Sheridan’s School of Applied Computing and Engineering Sciences in Oakville, Ontario. “And we see a lot of CNC equipment that we didn’t see in the past – it used to be for production, but now more of it is for short runs as well.”

Reid notes that machining centres get cheaper every year, with greater capabilities, a trend that is sure to continue. “$100,000 today will get you a nice machine, and it doesn’t require advanced education levels to program it,” says Reid. “In the past, that kind of money would get you much lower functionality, and you would need almost a mathematician to program it.”

In the future this trend will lead to heavier reliance on dedicated software to inspect and verify a part.

Improved metrology will enhance inspection capabilities which, if done properly, can take the test work out of the process. Geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) will put more power and certainty into the customer’s hands. There will be more use of coordinate measuring machines (CMM), which will ensure greater confidence in a supplier and a faster move into the

Machine tools

supply chain. And, of course, access to CNC machining will be much broader.

“Some of the shops where CNC was out of the question are now a point of entry,” says Andrew Grevstad, an applications engineer at Tormach LLC, which makes a Personal CNC, or PCNC. “Our PCNCs are used in a variety of capacities – prototyping, low volume and custom manufacturing, secondary operations, and education – situations where the large acquisition cost of a production-grade CNC centre does not make economic sense, but many of the aspects of CNC technology – precision, programmability, and repeatability, are still of great benefit.”

“ Machining centres get cheaper every

year, with greater capabilities, a trend that is sure to continue

”

The biggest limitation is the throughput on Tormach’s CNC – this is a 1.5 horsepower spindle as opposed to a 20 horsepower spindle. The company’s most recent product, the PCNC 1100 Series 3, began shipping this fall. It features sensorless vector spindle control, and polyphase stepper axis motors.

“Sensorless vector technology uses advanced control to infer spindle operating conditions (RPMs, etc.) from electrical parameters, and uses this information to manage motor output,” says Grevstad. “Our motion systems are open-loop stepper systems, which makes more sense to our market than an AC servo system. And the three phase stepper motors, or ‘polyphase’ motors, have the advantage of inherently higher positional accuracy and smoother motion over more familiar bi-polar stepper systems used in other open loop systems.”

None of the technology in a Tormach mill is stateof-the-art when considered against high end VMCs, but they are delivering CNC capabilities to a wider market.

Technologies that were cost prohibitive just a few years ago are now more affordable. In the future – particularly given that technology such as the Tormach PCNC 1100 Series 3 has both automatic tool-changer and 4th-axis options – advanced manufacturing will be distributed into smaller companies, thus making the competitive landscape more diverse. That said, Tormach’s technology is unlikely to be able to deliver to the micro-machining levels being studied by Prof. Altintas and his team.

“With micro machining some tools are down to 100 microns in width and 300 microns in width,” says Prof.

Altintas. “These are very small profiles for milling – you can only see them with a microscope.”

That kind of technology has great promise in healthcare, expected to be a solid growth area in the years to come. Beyond advances in this area, experts agree that we can expect milling breakthroughs in speed and metal removal, more innovation on the coating front for hard milling, and some very cool ideas in cooling – all of this within the context of a more diverse, global market. cM Tim Wilson is a freelance writer based in Peterborough, ON and a regular contributor. www.canadianmetalworking.com | november 2011 | 27

Nov 26-31.indd 27

11/10/11 1:43 PM

Machine tools

turning

A Turn for the Better regulation and industry demand will shape the future of turning

by Tim Wilson .....................................................................................................................................................

Turning technology is set for some big changes. The regulatory environment is expected to transform manufacturing, with environmental considerations resulting in new practices. At the same time, the turning technology of tomorrow will be responding to industrial pressure, with specific sectors forcing advances in cutting tools and materials, much as they do today.

One example is the diesel engine in the auto industry, which has increasingly demanding standards.

“Dump trucks and semis aren’t allowed to send out as much black smoke as they used to,” says Don Graham, a manager with Seco Tools. “The grey iron engines currently in existence can’t run at a high enough combustion pressure in the cylinders.”

As a result, Graham expects higher auto sector demand for compacted graphite iron, given its greater strength and lower weight. These two issues – strength and durability – will also be at the fore of innovation in aerospace, which will rely on more thermal resistant materials.

boeing’s 787 Dreamliner.

“When you look at aerospace, you can see increased interest in burn-resistant titanium alloys, as well as gamma titanium aluminides,” says Graham.

There will be a much higher use of composite materials in aerospace, too, particularly ceramics and metals. These are difficult to turn, and the challenges will only increase. A good example is Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, in which the fuselage is assembled using composite barrel sections instead of multiple aluminum sheets.

“The Boeing 787 has a much higher component of composite materials, with graphites for the primary structure combined with a lot of titanium,” says John Sullivan, director at the Center for Advanced Manufacturing at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. “There will be a lot of ceramic/ metal composites – we’ll see them in commercial engines in the not-too-distant future.”

Sullivan says that in a decade’s time there may actually be a reduction of machining requirements.

“As things progress, there may be less machining, but the machining that will be there will be more intricate,” says Sullivan. “When you look at turning operations, it’s been around for an awfully long time, and we are still making improvements.

Traditional approaches will evolve to address hard materials.”

These tough materials will require better carbides and coatings to support faster speeds, meaning that the reliability of tool materials will be challenged. At present, there are still challenges with chipping upon contact with titanium. One expected solution: increased use of ceramics. Tool makers, already integral to addressing the challenges faced by new materials, will have increased significance as we enter this new era.

“I think toolmakers will be even more relevant in the future,” says John Reeb of SMTCL Canada. “The materials will be more exotic, and will require more specializations.”

To address the tooling challenge created by these new materials, academic institutions like Purdue are working with some of the bigger tooling companies to look at coatings. They are bringing some incredible scientific advances to the table. The result will be more coatings designed for more precise applications, like Seco’s Duratomic technology, which arranges aluminum and oxygen atoms for better toughness and abrasion resistance.

“Structured coating at the atomic level is analogous to a piece of wood – it is easy to split along the grain, but if you tilt it will resist,” says Graham. “This is called anisotropy, wherein materials have different properties in different directions. We can tilt aluminum oxide to make it harder and tougher – actually 15% tougher and 10% harder than the previous generations.”

Advances like these, wherein coatings and materials are addressed at the level of nano-technology, will result in more application-specific tools.

“It was a black art to put these together twenty years ago, but now coatings are advancing at the atomic level,” says Sullivan. “The result is that we can move to more and more specific coatings.”

This is true in medical applications, for example, where there is a lot of pressure to extend the life of surgical implants and where turning small, hard parts is crucial. At present an artificial knee will only last 10 to 15 years, which means that some people will have to go through more than one procedure. Here too ceramics will be important, and difficult to machine, which will inevitably result in more innovation on the cut.

“From a tooling perspective, people are looking at machining ceramic bearings, as well as other components, by utilizing laser-assisted machining,” says Graham.

As it stands, super-accurate cutting with wire or water, and

28 | november 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

Nov 26-31.indd 28

11/10/11 1:43 PM

* ©

85-101

* Standard product configuration, peak performance. Š 2011 Makino

ďż˝

Nov 26-31.indd 29 85-10171 PS_Series_CanadianMetalWork_Nov11.indd 1

11/10/11 1:43 PM 10/3/11 2:01 PM

Th en ew M th M ak at ak in fle he in o o xi l p PS PSbi Di y Se li ou sc -S rie ov ty y er d ie el ou s er s i v th ne co VMC er e m ed th ne es . A t e to w ru r w e ta pr ly ith ke liab od im le st pr on uc a p es tio ow nd th si ar n e er ve m d st , ve an fe os s at rt da t d pee ic u rd d, re em al s le p at an a r ap e nd m cis di . ak n s i on in g pe o. j o c an co s bs d m . /p s.

Th e

Machine tools

turning

“Advances like these, wherein coatings and materials are addressed at the level of nano-technology, will result in more application-specifi c tools.”

on more than one axis simultaneously, is already an advance on the past, when several different machining operations were required. There will always be limits to how fast a piece can be turned without risking throwing the part. That’s why multifunction capabilities, usually within a machining centre, will only be more popular in the future.

green Machines

Though many CNC turning machinists and business owners think that environmental concerns are something of a fad, the side-benefits of increased efficiency and material retrieval, as well as a more strict regulatory environment, will change the look of turning in the future.

“We will see more dry machining, with no coolant whatsoever,” says Graham from Seco. “In Germany, Austria, and parts of Italy they have pretty much banned the use of coolant. Our new tools have dry machining in view.”

The two motivations for getting rid of coolant are cost – from 15% to 25% of the cost of a finished part can be attributable to coolant – and the environment. Many people believe that tremendous changes with coolant over the years, and the shift

away from soluble oils, have created coolants that are environmentally sound. But the cost argument is still a factor.

“A lot of new coolants are environmentally friendly,” says Graham, “but there are costs associated with monitoring and disposing: in California it costs $3,000 for a 55 gallon drum, and in Michigan $1,200.”

So, one way or another, we can expect dry machining to be part of our future, though that future is some years out. And we can expect the supply chain to force changes on smaller suppliers.

“Green can help with the cost side of things, and reducing waste along the supply chain,” says Darryl Short from Karma Machining & Manufacturing Ltd. in Edmonton, Alberta.

“Companies are taking it upon themselves in order to be more strict internally so that they can satisfy external clients.”

How can the right support make your business better?

Visit www.etmoriseiki.com or call 877-765-1331 to find your local Ellison representative.

dmori 1080-09 Nov_CM_canada.indd 1-2 Nov 26-31.indd 30

11/10/11 1:43 PM

turning

Machine tools

go Big or go hoMe

In the future, turning will have to functions at extremes – in very small applications, such as are found in the medical industry, and with large parts in aerospace, wind, and oil and gas.

“Oil field applications call for larger diameters, and longer lengths,” says Short from Karma Machining & Manufacturing. “There are people who specialize in gigantic vertical applications – we are going to have to get into longer pieces and bigger diameters.”

And though vertical turning is seen as something of a niche market, it may have an important role to play as the future demand for large parts grows.

“When you have a heavy part that has to be turned you are better off on a vertical axis,” says John Reeb from SMTCL Canada. “The weight is more evenly distributed – it is much more stable on a vertical axis.”

Wind is another industry that is growing, and that points to future demand in large, high value parts.

“Wind relies on big, heavy gears,” says Graham from Seco. “We work with the wind industry using cubic boron nitride (CBN) tools and composites for the blades. It is so expensive to build those things, and so expensive to get the turbines in the air – you don’t want to do any repair work up there.”

There are even people who are building lay-up machines for very large structures, in which a composite – basically a liquid cloth – can be used for wind turbines and even aircraft. Clearly, the need to address size issues, both big and small, and a new era in materials, will put pressure on multi-function machines to perform more varied tasks faster. What that will look like, only the future can tell. cM Tim Wilson is a freelance writer based in Peterborough, ON and a regular contributor.

360º SUPPORT IS A PARTNERSHIP THAT WORKS FOR YOU. North America’s most trusted machine technology partners bring superior service, application support and product selection to Canada Ellison Technologies and Mori Seiki: A powerhouse combination of superior product selection and machining expertise.

A proven model in the United States, Canadian customers can now reap the benefits of one of the most dependable, accessible and knowledgeable service and application support networks in the industry. It’s just one aspect of Mori Seiki’s 360° Support—total customer care from a global leader in advanced machine tool technology.

THE MACHINE TOOL COMPANY

Ellison Technologies • 6497 Edwards Blvd. Mississauga, ON L5T 2V2

Nov 26-31.indd 31

ELLISON T E C H N O L O G I E S

9/29/11 3:37 PM 11/10/11 1:43 PM

SEE the new Salvagnini L5 fiber laser in action at FabTech 2011 – Booth 1813

1977

1978

1979

1985

1989

1996

Invention of the panel bender – P4

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

First integrated FMS fabrication system – S4+P4

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

First automatic 3D design to finished product software

First integrated stores-MRP software

Nov 32-33.indd 32

11/10/11 1:44 PM

FIBER L ASER CUT TING

Invented by Salvagnini.

Perfected by Salvagnini.

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

Now… everyone wants in. Too bad.

Those competitors are way, way behind the curve.

L3 and L5 laser cutters.

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

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

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

Salvagnini laser cutters. The first.

And the best.

www.salvagnini.com

1997

1998

2000

2002

2008

2010

2011

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

First panel bender with zero set-up

Creation of the Automated Job Shop

First automated, robotic bending cell with off-line programming

First fiber laser cutter, the L1Xe

First punch-laser to use fiber optic technology – SL4

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

Nov 32-33.indd 33

11/10/11 1:44 PM

Cutting tools

future trends

Cryogenic machining may be the future for specialty materials machining

Canada has ordered 65 F-35 variants at an estimated cost over $75 million per aircraft. The airframe is approximately 25 percent titanium alloy.

by: Jim Anderton, editor.........................................................................................................................................

If you were an apprentice some thirty or forty years ago, you’d remember the smell. The odour of coolant turning rancid was a common feature of the sump maintenance that was, like sweeping the floor, some of the first experiences many recall of the machine shop. Synthetics and advanced formulations replaced the fat-based fluids, but as materials have advanced and cutting speeds increased, it may be time to take a serious look at a technology largely ignored in the ‘70’s and ‘80’s: cryogenic cooling.

Cryogenic cooling was first

researched in the 50’s, when early carbides, modest feeds and speeds plus limited use of hard materials kept the technology a laboratory curiosity.

By the late ‘90’s however, material removal rates were up and the volume of advanced aerospace alloys and other hard materials reignited the search for more productivity. In addition, environmental regulations made disposal of used coolant a new cost factor, both in physical handling of the waste and the paper trail needed to document the chemicals. In many environmentally sensitive jurisdictions, it can easily cost

over $2000 to dispose of a 50-gallon drum of coolant waste and restrictions will get even tighter with time. The working fluid in cryogenic machining is liquid nitrogen, which flashes off to its gaseous form instantly, leaving no residue. Parts emerge from the cell clean and dry.

Why liquid nitrogen? It’s abundant (78 percent of the air we breathe is gaseous nitrogen), relatively cheap and has flow properties similar to water in the liquid state. The main reason of course, is that it exists as a liquid at -196C, but it is also non-toxic and non-flammable, although the extremely low boiling point means

34 | November 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

Nov 34-39.indd 34

11/10/11 1:45 PM

Passion.

Potential. Perfection.

TOUGHER. HARDER. SHARPER.

Milling steel or cast iron?

Increase output up to 75%!

Our passion. Your potential.

They drive us to create the perfect tool for every application.

Call us with your toughest challenge.

800 945 5554 www.walter-tools.com/us

Nov 34-39.indd 35

• Extremely stable cutting edge • Extremely smooth rake face • Easy wear detection thanks

to Tiger·tec® Silver indicator coating The machining age is over.

It’s time to Tiger.

11/10/11 1:45 PM

Cutting tools

future trends

that liquid nitrogen must be transported and stored in Dewars, vacuum insulated tanks similar to large Thermos bottles. The room temperature gas occupies almost 700 times the volume of a unit of liquid, meaning storage tanks must vent off small quantities of nitrogen gas constantly to prevent dangerous pressure buildup. Modern tanks, however, can store liquid nitrogen long enough to make losses insignificant in a production environment. In safety terms, the primary risks are frostbite from contact and asphyxiation from the displacement of oxygen in a small, closed environment, rarely encountered in a shop environment.

Compared to conventional flood cooling, this is an open loop system, eliminating the need for pumps and return lines as well as issues such as tramp oils and wet swarf. Nitrogen consumption can be tiny compared to the free flow rate of closed loop liquid cooling, generally a fraction of a litre per minute. There are no unique or difficult challenges in operating modern machining centres with cryogenic cooling. But why switch?

In a word, productivity. Machine-maker Hardinge Inc. ran a pilot project in 2006 to test the concept called Project ICEFLY, with encouraging results. According to Team Leader Tom Sheehy, “Hardinge was presented with a particular carbide part that our European subsidiary had been trying to cut. The carbide part was 11% Cobalt, roughly 8.500” long, 2.750” in diameter and nearly 80 RC. The part was being rough ground and then finish ground, and it was taking approximately four hours just for the rough grinding operation. It was felt that hard turning the part would be very much an advantage, if only from a time savings point of view. The Europeans tried everything under the sun to try and turn the part, and the best they could do was hard turn approximately 2” on the 8.500” piece, before the tool would disintegrate. So, they sent the part to Elmira,

This graph shows the tool life increase measured during mAG titanium end milling tests that compared cryogenic cooling and conventional flood coolant. At standard cutting speeds, tool life is increased 10X over liquid coolant. Tool life still shows a 5X improvement after tool surface speed has been increased 33%.

What’s really happening inside?

While testing confirms longer tool life and cutting speeds, how does cryogenic cooling achieve these impressive results? According to extensive testing reported by researchers Ranajit Ghosh, Zbigniew Zurecki and John H. Frey of Air Products and Chemicals Inc., (Proceedings of IMECE’03 Paper No. IMECE200342232) there is more going on at the tool/part interface than just efficient heat removal. Ghosh, Zurecki and Frey report that ceramics, PCBN and PCD tools are hardened and show increased toughness when flooded with liquid nitrogen. Cryo-cooled oxide ceramics also

Liquid nitrogen cooling hardens and increases toughness of cutting tools like these PCD inserts.

wore more predictably, and PCD inserts demonstrated lower cutting forces and a “resharpening” effect of the diamond particles. Overall, results showed a smoother surface finish and the elimination of material “smearing” at high cutting speeds. In many applications it would be possible to substitute low-cost ceramic inserts for costly CBN or PCBN grades.

NY, and we put it on a Hardinge Super-Precision Quest 8/51 with ICEFLY. With a little testing and adjusting the speed and feeds, we were able to take six complete passes down the length of the part for about 48”, with only one edge of the insert. We ended up with around 80 sfm and each pass was taking about four minutes. So, if we were trying to take 0.00060” off, that would be three passes, which is about 12 to 15 minutes hard turning time. This is versus four hours of rough grinding and then the additional finish grinding operation.”

After five years then, why hasn’t cryo-machining replaced conventional liquid cooling and dry machining? The primary reason is that the process pays the biggest dividends for exotic materials like heat resistant super alloys and specialty materials. An example is carbon fibre, where heat can destroy the matrix resin, or power metal parts, where liquid contamination of the porous “green” compact would cause issues in the sintering process. And while cryo will work with even simple ferrous alloys, tool makers are advancing reinforced heatresistant insert compounds that are bringing true dry machining to softer parts. The real issue, however, is profitability, and as commodity part machining migrates offshore, Canadian shops are transitioning into specialty production, like aerospace and

36 | November 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

Nov 34-39.indd 36

11/10/11 1:45 PM

Nov 34-39.indd 37

11/10/11 1:45 PM

Cutting tools

future trends

medical applications. Jobs using hard to cut exotic materials are more profitable because they’re difficult…..dollar for dollar productivity improvements in high-value jobs deliver a greater return, bringing cryo machining front and centre.

At the recent EMO Hannover and at imX Las Vegas, MAG demonstrated low-flow cryogenic machining on multiple platforms and the firm’s cryo technology is now approved for production of parts for the Lockheed F-35 Lightning II military aircraft project. The F-35 is approximately 25 percent titanium; with increases of up to ten times the tool life and four times the cutting speed, the cost savings in a competitive project like the F-35 could make the difference between winning the bidding and winning at the bank. They’re certainly excited about the prospects at MAG: “This is one of the greatest breakthroughs in the history of metalworking and it promises to rewrite the book on machining speeds and costs for difficult to machine materials, which are critical in aerospace, and coming into common use in automotive and general industry applications as well,” said Michael

The liquid nitrogen flashes to gas almost instantly, leaving dry parts with no residue.

The mAG demonstration in action. The material is titanium, with the cutter turning toward the camera.

Despite the super cold nitrogen spray, the material still glows red hot.

Judge, Vice President of Cryogenic Business Development. “In addition to the increases it brings in metal removal rates and tool life, low-flow cryogenic machining is a green manufacturing process that will produce a cascade of additional cost reductions by eliminating, or vastly minimizing, the use of liquid coolants. Liquid nitrogen is a non-greenhouse gas, so it is harmless to the environment, too.” CM

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 38 | November 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

Nov 34-39.indd 38

11/10/11 1:45 PM

future trends

Cutting tools

Handling Liquid Nitrogen Liquid nitrogen storage can be ganged to proved adequate capacity, or external tankage can be used for high-volume ands easy bulk delivery.

Image courtesy Jeffrey Riaboys.

exposure to liquid nitrogen can bulk delivery is the most economical way to produce severe frostbite. It’s important buy liquid nitrogen and reduces the need to to wear gloves and a face shield when disconnect/reconnect and handle tankage. handling tanks or connecting lines.

Cool Breeze Utility series Solid Micro-Grain Carbide End Mills There are few chemical substances as safe and inert as nitrogen.

It’s 78 percent of the air we breath and it’ the most common industrial inerting agent anywhere it’s important to keep oxygen away from flammable or reactive substances….but that doesn’t mean that there’s no injury potential in handling liquid nitrogen.

With a boiling point of -196C, painful frostbite is possible with only a few seconds of exposure to the liquid. The key risk, however is in the liquid form. Even though it’s cold, nitrogen gas is far less able to extract heat from living tissues like skin, so exposure to the vapour is far less hazardous. Standard safety equipment found in any machining operation will do: Gauntlettype gloves and a full face shield are the minimum required.

Breathing the vapour is similarly safe, except in confined spaces.

Nitrogen gas mixes freely with air, and in large quantities can displace the oxygen, creating an asphyxiation hazard. Nitrogen gas has no odour or colour so there’s no easy way to detect its presence, but as a non-toxic gas, ventilation is an easy solution.

It’s also important to make sure that any container or system containing liquid nitrogen be vented to the atmosphere.

Gaseous nitrogen occupies almost 700 times the volume of the liquid, so tightly sealing a system can produce pressures high enough to rupture tanks and lines or even cause an explosion.

A small amount of vapour leaving a liquid nitrogen vessel isn’t a leak…..it’s there for pressure relief. CM

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

L.O.C.

Chamfer

O.A.L.

Price CAD

¼” 5/16” 3/8” ½” 5/8” ¾” 1”

¾” 13/16” 7/8” 1” 1 ¼” 1 ½” 1 ½”

.008”x45° .008”x45° .012”x45° .012”x45° .015”x45° .015”x45° .020”x45°

2 ½” 2 ½” 2 ½” 3” 3 ½” 4” 4”

$9.99 $14.99 $17.99 $29.99 $52.99 $84.99 $144.99

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

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

www.canadianmetalworking.com | November 2011 | 39

Nov 34-39.indd 39

11/10/11 1:45 PM

Quality

future trends

The Future of Quality The American Society for Quality conducts an exhaustive analysis of the state of the art every three years…and for 2011 the new study is a magnum opus. Here are some of the key predictions by the ASQ team about the future of quality management in the second decade of the 21st century.

The following is an excerpt from the ASQ Emergence 2011 Future of Quality Survey, a triennial undertaking of over 140 experts from 33 countries, led by ASQ Chair Paul Borawski. To download the entire text, visit www.asq.org What follows are the top eight forces that the panel determined are shaping the future of quality….

1.

Global responsibility represents the blending of heightened awareness of the requirement to become more socially responsible with a growing awareness of the global impact of local decisions. Our planet’s finite resources are being called upon by a growing percentage of people in the world, and waste that was once economically acceptable is becoming socially unconscionable. The breadth of global responsibility spans governance, human rights, labor practices, fair operating practices, environment, consumer interests, and contribution to society as described by ISO 26000. Global responsibility is a call to ethical leadership at all levels of society— governments, companies, schools, civic organizations, neighborhoods, families, and individuals with an evolving understanding of what being responsible means. At an organization level, global responsibility embraces growth and profit—it is not philanthropy. Global responsibility appreciates the dual dynamic of being responsible by reducing waste (in all forms*) and the realization of that savings to the bottom line with increased expectations that Web-informed consumers will reward organizations for their responsible efforts with their purchases. Leaders will advocate concurrent improvements in top and bottom lines. Organizations increasingly value their reputations and act to sustain them in the face of crisis. For producers, global responsibility is a complex topic that goes well beyond production efficiency and production waste. It includes responsible design and the obligation for full product life cycle stewardship. Innovation becomes an advocate of sustainability.

An innovation without a decreased cost to society will be viewed as irresponsible. There are increasing expectations that today’s global organizations will contribute their problemsolving skills and resources to societal needs out of enlightened self-interest for the longer horizons of business sustainability through a combination of social and organizational strength.

(*Waste—most definitions of waste are limited to the observable aspects of waste—scrap and pollution. Some might include rework (the hidden factory) as a cost of waste. Fully understood, waste includes the cost of addressing dissatisfaction and both the disloyalty of customers and the lost opportunity that dissatisfied word-of mouth may cost in the reduction of new customers. Future measures of waste may well include the waste of poor use of material in design, the waste of human potential, and the full cost of unethical conduct on the lives of those affected. All these costs and consequences are avoidable and therefore may be considered waste. Another waste is the waste of humanity that comes from undeveloped minds; lives lived without purpose and the lost contributions to society that would come with the full engagement of all people living worthwhile lives.)

2.

Consumer awareness is about consumers using their knowledge to make purchasing decisions best aligned with their preferences. Before the Internet, consumption was primarily limited to locally available products and services. Today consumers can “shop” around the world, and they can use Internet knowledge to inform their decisions not simply related to the product/service itself, but also the

40 | November 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

Nov 40-43.indd 40

11/10/11 1:46 PM

Equator

tag

Quality

Introducing a unique new

versatile gauging system

Nothing compares to Equator™

Nothing compares like Equator™

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

Versatility – operators change parts in seconds; engineers adjust programs for any part design changes

Highly repeatable master and measure technique Thermal stability through simple re-mastering

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

Call +1 905 828 0104 now to request details or download at www.renishaw.com/gauging

Renishaw (Canada) Limited Unit 1, 2180 Dunwin Drive, Mississauga, Ontario, L5L 5M8 Canada T +1 905 828 0104 F +1 905 828 5519 E canada@renishaw.com

www.renishaw.com

Equator advert 2.indd 1 Nov 40-43.indd 41

www.canadianmetalworking.com | November 2011 | 41

17/03/2011 09:06:53 11/10/11 1:46 PM

Quality

future trends

practices of the company. If the Internet made knowledge widely available, social media is making information instantly available.

Consumer behavior moves at “speed of the electron” pace in both positive and precipitously negative directions. Providers will find themselves needing to respond at similar rates to the collective behavior of customers.

Closely related to the rise of consumer awareness is the ability for consumers to match their requirements and product/ service attributes. The organizations that create the greatest flexibility in their ability to create products and services to match customers’ exact wants and needs will be rewarded.

Service providers are already headed this direction as they tailor experiences to custom fit their customers. Their databases and the massive databases available to them allow them to capture customer preferences. New flexible manufacturing technologies will soon allow manufacturers to follow similar paths of mass customization. Economical order quantities of one and zero wait times will become the rule. This force will usher in a new meaning for the customer focused organization.

in organizational strategy. Risk and opportunity are huge and executives and governments are reeling in response to issues that are no longer bound by national borders. Complexity has new meaning—or, better said, human minds struggle to make meaning of the complexity they face. If that’s not enough, complexity is certain to increase. Woven into the opportunity and risk of globalization and the challenges of organizations to manage their enterprises that now cross borders, cultures, and economic developmental stages, are the issues of finite resources.

4.

The increasing rate of change was bound to surface as a force of change. In the background of past studies has been the issue of speed. In fact in 1999, when we reviewed the 1996 study’s findings, a common comment was, “the only thing we underestimated was the rate of change.” That factor became known as speed—and in the 21st century technology is the gas pedal. Like earlier forces, the increasing rate of technological change brings opportunity and threat. High amongst the threats is society’s inability to

“Futurists are

already predicting that nanotechnology will have a more significant impact on our lives than the Internet”

3.

Globalization is the only force that has been on the study since 1996. It was No. 1 in 2005 and 2008. Earlier studies referred to globalization as the “800-pound gorilla” of forces. Its strength was twice that of the force that followed it on the list. However, what globalization means has shifted since 1996 when globalization meant a huge opportunity for companies that could figure out how to capitalize huge new consumer markets. By 2005, the opportunity of global markets was offset by fear of competition and lower cost labor.

What seemed certain by 2008 was that globalization was an irreversible reality whether opportunity or threat. Those who ignored globalization did so at great risk. Then, as now, the only neutralizing factor, but not strongly measured, was the prospect of local production and a sense of social responsibility to earn a greater share of consumer spending. Why buy produce shipped halfway around the world, even if less expensive, when locally grown alternatives could significantly reduce packaging, transportation, and energy consumption? “Read the packaging” has new meaning in 2011.

Global customers and supply chains occupy a greater share

adapt to the changes foisted upon us by new technology. New technology could create consequences if we fail to look ahead.

On the opportunity side of technology are solutions to world problems. Energy, pollution, fresh water, food, housing, HIV, and cancer all lay on our list of hopes for technological solutions.

Without solutions to these problems, our dream that the future can provide our children a quality of life equal or greater than our own is doubtful. If population growth was the driver of economic success in the last century, it will have to slide over as technology takes the wheel in the 21st century. However, technology will be much less predictable a force than population growth. Technology is certain to surprise us in ways that disrupt our status quo.

Futurists are already predicting that nanotechnology will have a more significant impact on our lives than the Internet, and other technologies that we haven’t even labeled will be right behind nano. And don’t count information technology out either. In 2005 a terabyte of storage was nearing $100 (USD) and was the size of a small handbag. Now two terabytes can be purchased for the same price and the size is not much bigger

42 | November 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

Nov 40-43.indd 42

11/10/11 1:46 PM

future trends

than a pack of cigarettes! Product life cycles are short now.

Consumer electronics have life cycles of six months or less and will be shorter in the future. Industries will be born, become significant in our lives, and disappear with increasing rapidity.

Being first to market will be where the riches will be won. There will be little time, or even market, for second place.

All this speed will require organizations to better anticipate the future and be prepared to respond to the customer’s feedback immediately. The cost of missing a cue from the market, at today’s speed of information sharing, could be disastrous to producers.

Quality

of the many (working) paying for the few (not working.) Declining world populations and expanding aged populations are already testing the durability of these models around the world. It seems working longer will be a certain option, if not requirement, to postpone a day of reckoning. Organizations will need talent, and people will need the economic means to shore up their finances.

Retirement may quickly become a short-lived artifact of the latter half of the 20th century.

There will also be opportunity in the growing aged market.

Never before has the world faced the numbers of aged citizens and little is known about the consumption and lifestyle needs of this segment. Demographers predict that by 2025 the majority

“Demographers predict that by 2025 the majority of the population will be 65-plus”

5.

The workforce of the future will challenge our notions of talent, work, workplace, and learning. While hard to fathom, we’re being told unemployment, as we think of it, will become a thing of the past. The number of jobs will soon exceed the number of people available to fill them.

Demographers predict organizations will find themselves competing for talent and that competition will move jobs around the globe. High-tech companies already report this reality. This search for talent, along with technological advances, will change the nature and place where work is done, and organizations will grow increasingly flexible in their definitions of work engagements. Those of retirement age will be re-attracted to work with flexible hour arrangements and work that can be done without commuting. The rapid expansion of information (now doubling every 18 months) and the impact of accelerating technology change will put pressures on organizations to keep their workforces current. Lifelong learning will take on new meaning and the methods of learning will change in response to just-in-time education needs. Organizations will find the need to provide greater considerations of time for learning and larger investments in keeping their workforces current. Counter to the doubling of new information is our ability to forget the wisdom of the past. A real challenge in educating the workforce of tomorrow is to preserve the wisdom of the past and to build upon it based upon new insights rather than to continue to discard knowledge and theory in favor of the latest, most-fashionable concepts.

Traditional providers of education (schools and universities) will find a need to place a premium on preparing students to learn. The emphasis may shift from what students learn to how students learn. Professional certifications, evolving toward competency based models, will grow in volume and importance as organizations shift their expectations from knowledge and experience toward demonstrated competencies.

6.

Increasing life expectancies will challenge world resources and place increasing pressures on the cost of providing healthcare to a larger percentage of the world’s population. Adding years to life comes at a premium of healthcare costs, and society has not addressed the ethical and moral ground of our “at all costs extend life” beliefs. Likewise, our models of social welfare for the aged are based on assumptions

of the population will be 65-plus. With housing, furnishings, and the cost of raising and educating children behind them, we can anticipate whole new lifestyle options and experiences being created for a vital and growing segment of the population when other segments might well be in decline.

Quality of life may resurface with significant importance when the answer is not driven by the formula of “more” and the engine of growth—rising populations—is no more. Stable or declining world populations could have a dramatic impact on global economies.

7.

21st century quality may appear obvious in this section—like going to a dictionary to look up the future of quality and finding “see quality.” However, this is fitting because quality is not what it was in the past.

Organizations should prepare to benefit from what quality is becoming or they will be subject to the competition of those that do. The practice of quality has traveled a long evolutionary path, from quality through pride, to quality by inspection, to quality assurance, quality by prevention, perfect quality, and perhaps quality of creation. We have also seen quality depart from an aspect of product, or service, to the quality of management, and ultimately the quality of the enterprise itself. From products, to processes, to systems, to enterprises. Through all this evolution one truth has not changed. Quality is ultimately what the customer says it is, and for what the customer is willing to pay.

This truth is shaping organizations, industries, and countries. It is an immutable truth, increasingly so in an information rich environment. Dr. Joseph Juran (1904-2008) gave the quality community a compelling prophecy. He said the 21st century would be the century of quality. What was it that he foresaw?

Did he foresee the expansion of quality into every sector of the economy—manufacturing, services, education, healthcare, government, and nonprofit? Did he foresee the expansion of quality globally? Did he see a large scale realization of the importance of quality by leaders of all organizations? Or did he see all of these possibilities at once? If quality in the last century was defined by control and improvement, it is clear—that Continue on page 62 www.canadianmetalworking.com | November 2011 | 43

Nov 40-43.indd 43

11/10/11 1:46 PM

Fabricating

Future ManuFacturing

Manufacturing Future Forward Evolution not revolution

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

There have been a great many changes to the manufacturing landscape since the industrial revolution took root just over 200 years ago. As the sands of time shift, so has manufacturing evolved — steam machinery, the production line, arc welding, computerization, just in time processes, automation.

Barring any great technological breakthrough in the next few years, manufacturing will evolve at a steady pace.

One thing is for sure: tolerances will be tighter as engineers, scientists and designers demand more precision for their products. Manufacturers have always been able to provide these tolerances in the past; the evolution here is how one can achieve this precision. To increase profitability and throughput, machines are now capable of producing accurate to-spec parts that do not need any additional finishing work.

“What we are finding out now is because of the accuracy that we can achieve, we will not have to do a skim cut. What you get off here, the water jets, is a finished product,” said

Mark Trimper, Senior Regional Sales Manager for Omax Corporation. Omax is a leading provider of precisionengineered, computer-controlled, multi-axis (X-Y) abrasive jet systems for use in the manufacturing environment. “With our XP unit, which is our incredibly precise unit, that is a 2-by-2 foot piece of machinery, if you had an inch thick piece of mild steel, we could probably give you a plus or minus half-athousandth of an inch accuracy, or better.”

He said although water jet technology is not new, “relative to other cutting machines water jet cutting is still new. We continue to improve with a combination of speed and accuracy so we are competing a little bit stronger with other pieces of equipment and machine tools that are more specific in their applications. We complement laser, and we complement wire. With our improvements, with speed and accuracy, we are becoming more of a competition for them,” said Trimper.

“Water is a cleaner process. You do not get that sludge or

44 | November 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

Nov 44-49.indd 44

11/10/11 1:48 PM

d

Advanced nesting software that speaks any machine’s language.

SigmaNEST is simply the most advanced and efficient nesting software for sheet metal fabrication and profile cutting. SigmaNEST is as flexible as your machine shop. It allows you to run all your machines from one single system.

Please call 1-513-674-0005 to find out more about our powerful solutions for your cutting system.

Nov 44-49.indd 45

®

S

O

F

T

W

A

R

E

Nest with the Best®

www.sigmanest.com

11/10/11 1:48 PM

Fabricating

Future ManuFacturing

that burr mark that you get with plasma so there is usually no need for a secondary process.”

Increasing production efficiency is another wave of the future as Canadian manufacturers compete with offshore producers. Automation has been playing a big role in increasing production levels for many decades already. “One way that Trumpf enables fabricators to achieve maximum efficiency in their operation is by offering them choices when it comes to automation,” said Stefan Schreiber, Managing Director, Trumpf Canada. “The automation concept is defined by its modularity, and Trumpf’s automation components offer the | Built-in Process exPertise | true Hole tecHnology | remote HelP

economical and highly efficient the TrUmPF TruLaser 5030 fiber takes full advantage of the high feed rates of the energy-efficient, fiber-guided TruDisk laser.

| raPid Part tecHnology | consumaBle life oPtimization

Efficiency of movement

delivers superior performance for your operators, your company, and your bottom line.

Introducing Rapid PartTM – the latest automated benefit of Hypertherm’s Integrated Plasma Cutting Solutions achieve greater productivity by reducing cut-to-cut cycle time. rapid Part controls and optimizes every step in the plasma cutting process – without operator intervention – so you can focus on your business and your customers.

Visit us at the future of fabricating cutting conference on november 8th in toronto.

| manual Plasma | mecHanized Plasma | laser | automation | consumaBles | software

ability to respond specifically to fabricators’ needs, from semiautomatic loading to completely automatic production cells with storage connections. Take, for example, TRUMPF’s operator-friendly LoadMaster. It’s the simple, space-saving and cost-effective introduction to flatbed laser automation. The LoadMaster takes on the physical strain of loading sheet metal to your machine and does it faster than if it was done by hand. ” “The real advantages of automation are throughput and quality,” said Tim Kilty, President & CEO of Ellison Technologies. Ellison Technologies is the largest machine tool distributor in the U.S., present in 80% of the metal cutting market, and a distributor of Mori Seiki equipment among others. “45 years ago when we first started to integrate automation, it was expensive and it was difficult. We had to position everything very accurately so the robot knew where to go to grab it,” he said. “Today positioning is no longer necessary. We have a camera at the end of the arm; it tells the robot where it needs to go.

There are great advantages to integrating automation technology. We used to have to place parts very accurately on a pallet system that was designed specifically for the robot to know where to go. Now the parts can be randomly positioned on a pallet. The do not have to be in any particular position. The camera will allow the gripper to go where it is supposed to go, because it is reacting to what it sees.”

Multi function equipment is also coming to the fore now and in the near future. “We can turn, mill and drill the part in one machine,” said Kilty. “So we do not have to hand it over to another other machine. There is a better Work in Process (WIP) and there is a higher quality because you are not handling the part and refixturing it. So you eliminate the refixturing cost, you eliminate the

46 | November 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

Nov 44-49.indd 46

11/10/11 1:48 PM

Future ManuFacturing

Fabricating

WIP. There is a much higher quality involved and you get the cut-to-cut cycle) time.” part complete.”

Machines are becoming, and will become, more accurate, Automation is becoming very viable option in any level more efficient and will cost less, giving more manufacturof production situation. “If you have something that you ers the option of moving some processes in-house. It all are doing over and over again. Having your machine work starts with design software. “What we have done is rather not just 12 hours a day but 24 hours a day is huge now; it’s than having one product that does absolutely everything cutting your cost of operations in half. This has been true for everyone what we have is a range of products aimed at since the inception of automation and it is now being more different groups,” said Mark Cadogan, Vice President Sales for widely accepted,” said Patrick Simon, Marketing Manager Delcam North America. Delcam is one of the world’s leading – MC Machinery Systems Inc. a subsidiary of Mitsubishi suppliers of advanced CAD/CAM solutions for manufacturing HydroflowAdBw-CanMetal_Layout 1 9/2/11 11:10 AM Page 1 Corporation. “The biggest problem when you automate a industry with a range of design, manufacturing and inspection fabrication process that we hear from customers is, what do we do with all these parts. They are making so many parts, now they have a bottleneck at the other end. They have a problem keeping

“Newer processes of automation will help manufacturers cut the cost even further”

the parts separated and sorted. When you automate you need to be looking ahead and realize the whole process from start to finish and realize what that automated process is doing. It is not just solving the problem of getting more parts done, but now you have the problem of what do you do with all the parts that you have and how does that affect any secondary process.”

Newer processes of automation will help manufacturers cut the cost even further. “Hypertherm is delivering increased automation through our suite of integrated plasma cutting solutions,” said Michelle Avila, public relations manager for Hypertherm Inc. “For example, our nesting and process optimization software, computer numerical controllers (CNCs), torch height controls (THCs), and plasma systems are designed to work together seamlessly to get the most out of each particular cutting operation. This allows fabricators to cut more parts per hour, and cut those parts more consistently, even if an inexperienced operator is at the controls. Not only that, but the parts are cut more precisely.

Another example is our ProNest nesting and process optimization software. The software is so efficient at plotting out the placement of parts we are able to get more parts on each sheet of metal. We are also reducing waste through the use of our Rapid Part technology which reduces non-cutting (sometimes referred to as

Fluid Recycling & Filtration ...everything from Machine-Side to Plant-Wide solutions.

Coolant Recycling

Coolant Filtration

• Coolant Recycling Systems • Oil Separators & Skimmers • Coalescers • Sump Cleaners • Mixers & Proportioners • Refractometers • Water Purifiers • Pumps & Vacuums

• Hydroflow Vacuum Filters • STAR Vacuum Filters • Centrifuge Filter Systems • Cartridge Filters • Gravity Filter Systems • Hydrocyclone Separators • Magnetic Separators & Conveyors

Visit HydroFlow.Eriez.com or

Call 888.300.ERIEZ www.canadianmetalworking.com | November 2011 | 47

Nov 44-49.indd 47

11/10/11 1:48 PM

JUST THE FACTS

ABOUT ABRASIVE WATERJETS

MYTH #3 Control software doesn’t matter.

FACT SOFTWARE MATTERS. The fact is, because software compensates for the way the jet flexes during cutting, it has the power to increase speed and accuracy, and lower your cost per part.

OMAX is committed to truth in technology. But don’t just take our word for it. Ask us for a test cut.

GET THE FACTS AT OMAX.COM/FACTS.

Connect and follow OMAX for the latest news in waterjet technology.

Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

WWW.OMAX.COM 1.800.838.0343

Nov 44-49.indd 48

11/10/11 1:48 PM

Future ManuFacturing

Fabricating

please visit us at FabteCh in bOOth #2154

One COmpany. everything yOu need.

With a small footprint of only 25 m2 the TruLaser 1030 from TrUmPF offers a machine with extremely low investment and operating costs and is very easy to operate.

software. “Depending on what the customer wants we can give them just a piece of the jigsaw. As opposed to having to buy everything, we will give you what you need to fit into the workflow of the company,” he said.

Machines are getting less expensive and more affordable. “If you’re a job shop who outsources laser cutting, now may be the time to bring it in house instead of paying someone else to do the work,” said Trumpf’s Schreiber. “Trumpf’s TruLaser 1030, an affordable entry level flatbed laser cutting machine, has revolutionized the industry since it was introduced two years ago; it enables customers to use Trumpf technology to pursue new business, affordably.” Omax’s water jets are an affordable solution as well. “Water jets are much less expensive in capital investment than any other process,” said Omax’s Trimper. “OMAX also has a less expensive pieces of equipment, the Maxiem line of machines. They are dressed down and have fewer bells and whistles. It is the same technology, but not quite the same accuracy.”

When it COmes tO abrasive Waterjet maChining, OMAX Corporation has everything you need.

OMAX is a single-source provider of the industry’s most innovative abrasive waterjet technology. With the OMAX and MAXIEM lines of waterjet equipment, we offer a complete range of capabilities from industry standard to high performance.

When it comes to waterjets, OMAX is the only partner you need.

“As people retire and leave the industry, it’s

becoming more difficult to find replacement workers...today’s generation is focused on training for careers other than manufacturing” New materials are also having an effect on the industry and their use will expand in the future. “The materials are changing every day,” said Kevin Lorch, Marketing Manager for Sandvik Coromant Canada. “We are designing tools to deal with the different materials that are emerging. Like composites in the aerospace industry that are being used more and more. One thing that we pride ourselves in is that we are developing new technologies to machine these new materials. We have drills that are made specifically for drilling in composites like carbon fibers.

And we have slicing cutters and milling cutters as well.

If you look around you will see the labour market changing as it has been since the 1970’s. There is a distinct lack of skilled labour in the workplace and there will be in the future. “Another issue faced by the industry is finding employees with the necessary skills. As people retire and leave the industry, it’s becoming more difficult to find replacement workers,” said Trumpf’s Schreiber. “Today’s generation is focused on training for careers other than manufacturing.” Automation will not reduce the manufacturing base’s need for skilled labour. Automation and the new reality in manufacturing means “we are displacing labour not necessarily replacing it,” said Ellison’s Kilty. “It is a higher engineering support type of labour.

They are responsible for running machines that are worth approximately a half million dollars.” cM Nestor Gula is a Toronto-based freelance technical writer and editor specializing in metalworking and welding. Nestor was the former editor of Metalcraft Magazine.

Nestor can be reached at nestorgula@bell.net.

www.omax.com 1.800.838.0343 WWW. MAXIEMWATERJETS .COM TEL 877-MAXIEM5 (877-629-4365) Made in the USA

www.canadianmetalworking.com | November 2011 | 49

Nov 44-49.indd 49

11/10/11 1:48 PM

Welding

Future tech

Where to Doth

WelDiNg go labour shortages meet exciting new technologies

by Nestor gula ..................................................................................................................................

miller Axcess e provides information that helps a manufacturer better control their total fabrication process, maximizing quality, minimizing cost, and optimize manufacturing throughput.

For its importance in the manufacturing industry, welding has not been around for that long. While the first discoveries and experimentations happened about 200 years ago, the most significant developments, like shielding gasses and wire welding, occurred on the cusp of World War Two. The greatest issue in welding at the present time is the scarcity of skilled welders. “The biggest issue like in other trades, is finding enough skilled welders,” said Neil Armstrong, Vice President & General Manager for ESAB Canada. “More and more welding in Canada is under stringent regulation. A lot of the traditional, labour intensive manufacturing has moved offshore and what is left is more select, higher technology welding.”

The shortage of skilled labour is not expected to ease any time soon and is not just a Canadian/ North American problem, but one that is affects most industrialized nations. “Of course, the welder shortage will continue to be an issue for the foreseeable future, but the real challenge lies in the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China), where the most significant rate of manufacturing growth will take place in the next decade,” said Knut Froland, director, heavy equipment segment-Americas for Miller Electric Mfg. Co. “Not only will the BRIC countries face a welder shortage, but also a lack of training infrastructure (i.e. schools). If manufacturers want capable operators, they will most likely have to provide their own training curriculum. Without trained operators, they will face increased potential for

50 | November 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

Nov 50-54.indd 50

11/10/11 1:49 PM

Therma

Visit us at FABTECH Booth No. 6140

Canada Customer Service: Phone: 905-827-4515

•

FAX: 1-800-588-1714

•

Email: canadacs@thermadyne.com

•

www.thermal-dynamics.com

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

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

ThermalArcPDCWAd_CanadianMetalworking_11-1-11.indd 1 Nov 50-54.indd 51

10/14/11 3:20 PM 11/10/11 1:49 PM

Welding

Future tech

lincoln electric’s vrTeX is a welding simulation package that helps teach proper welding techniques without the use of consumables and gas, yielding zero weld scrap or welding fumes.

weld defects, and will most certainly encounter higher costs and slower throughput.”

Strategies for combating the deficit of skilled welders can vary. “One of the big developments, as companies discover that they cannot get enough skilled welders, is to go to automated welding processes,” said ESAB’s Armstrong. “That includes robotics, mechanized welding for higher productivity that uses skilled labour but not skilled welders. These are people who do PLC type programming or have computer knowledge which is a much higher base of skill.”

Early day examples of automation were wire feed machines that evolved

52 | November 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

Nov 50-54.indd 52

11/10/11 1:49 PM

Future tech

Welding

“A lot of the traditional, labour intensive manufacturing has moved offshore and what is left is more select, higher technology welding”

from shielded metal arc welding. No one considers gas metal arc welding on its own as an automated process any more. What GMAW did, when introduced in the 1950s, was to reduce the cost of welding, increase the speed of welding and open the door for more automation as this process is well suited for robotic applications.

Automation is the number one tool to increase productivity and it also answers the problem of too few trained operators, welding in areas too dangerous for people to operate in, or too tedious. Automation can be ‘hard’ or

‘robotic’. In the former, the part to be welded can’t be held to close fit up tolerances or there are not enough of them to achieve a reasonable payback period.

An automated welding system allows for a greater integration in a modern workplace. This trend will continue with more machinery in a plant being controlled by a central system. The result of the automation is a more consistent product. “It allows optimization of the welding process when coupled with good parts from CNC upstream processes,” said Brian Doyle, sales

manager at Miller Welding Automation.

“Good upstream parts plus welding automation equals a high quality part of predictable properties, service life, and cost. The challenge all manufacturers are facing is to use automation to drive variation out of the process. Driving out variation allows optimization, which lowers costs.”

The auto industry is still one of the biggest driving forces behind welding technology. Cars evolve — becoming smaller and lighter while at the same time stronger and more rigid. To feed this evolution new metal alloys are developed which then leads to new development in the welding processes.

“As the automakers search for lighter and more corrosion resistant materials, the welding industry will have to get better at fabricating aluminium, HSLA steels, and zinc and aluminium coated HSLA steels, said Doyle. “The challenges these materials represent will drive innovation to meet the demand.”

What starts in the automotive industry eventually ends up in other manufacturing sectors. “What we see is the trend to more stringent specifications and more high strength alloys steels so that you can use a thinner gauge of steel or lower weights of steel to maintain the required properties,” said Armstrong.

“You have more stringent mechanical requirements and what that does is www.canadianmetalworking.com | November 2011 | 53

Nov 50-54.indd 53

11/10/11 1:49 PM

Welding

Future tech

you tend to move from commodity mild steels products more and more into low alloys welding. More stringent mechanical requirements require a low hydrogen deposit to meet the more stringent specifications.”

Welding filler metals are slowly and constantly being developed by the welding industry. “The product called H4, which is a low hydrogen filler metal, is in demand more and more,” said ESAB’s Armstrong. “The low hydrogen will help in the mechanical properties. We are developing welding wire that has very low diffused hydrogen in the filler metal. This contributes significantly to better weld properties.”

Welding automation isn’t just for high-volume assembly lines. This eASb large column welding solution is microprocessor controlled and has multiple options for high deposition rates including twin wire feed. The operator controls the process from floor level with seam tracking and video.

powered by an internal combustion engine. They were noisy and consumed a great deal of power so the alternator and alternator rectifier became popular.

They ultimately were replaced by inverter technology. Inverters demand less power and are extremely portable.

Inverters started with a fixed frequency system, but are being replaced by variable systems that allows machine designers to build even more output control in the machines.

Perhaps the most fascinating development in the technology of welding is happening at Lincoln Electric and it leads directly to the main issue facing the welding sector — lack of

“We are moving more to electronic technology where you can use software to modify the waveform to improve the welding process” “Today’s welding power sources can do much more than simply weld,” said Froland. “Systems like the Miller Axcess E can provide a wealth of information that can help a manufacturer better control their total fabrication process, and thereby maximize quality, minimize cost, and optimize manufacturing throughput. These systems can generate information that can provide benefits to the welding operator, the welding engineer, the production supervisor, the maintenance manager, the plant manager, and more. Through this technology, it is possible to detect welder mistakes as well as potential defects. It can even provide reasons for why there is downtime in the weld cell.

Another very important by product of this technology is the ability to provide valuable productivity information that can help drive continuous improvement. This type of technology will continue to evolve and bring even more value to manufacturers who choose to adopt it.”

Computer or electronic control of welders does not just simply mean a robot that welds, it is also a means of shaping the electric arc that fuses the metals together. This allows the user to

manipulate the welding arc in real time to maximize the weld metal transfer.

“We are moving more to electronic technology where you can use software to modify the waveform to improve the welding process,” said ESAB’s Armstrong. This is like the evolution of the car. Where it used to be all based and controlled mechanically now the entire welding machines are driven by software. We are developing higher deposition products and processes.

ESAB has just launched a new process called ICE (Integrated Cold Electrode).

This is a process where you feed in a cold wire and you increase your welding deposition rate by 50 per cent.

This is for high productivity welding and provides other benefits like higher welding speed and reduced energy consumption.

Power consumption is also a concern in welding. In this respect the power today’s welding machines draw can be significantly less. In the one hundred or so years that Arc Welding has been used by the manufacturing industries there has been a rapid evolution to where we are now. When electric arc welding started the only welding power source was the DC generator

skilled labour. Called the VRTEX 360, it is a virtual reality welding system that can train people to weld without the cost of metal, electricity, smoke extractors and the like. “Your operation is on a single system where you interact virtually and no consumables are needed and no waste is created. This reduces set-up costs, requires no reusable or consumable purchases, and produces no scrap that must be recycled or handled as waste,” said Deanna Postlethwaite, Marketing Manager for Lincoln Electric Automation. “As you slide the helmet on your head and pick up the gun, you are immersed in a world that looks, sounds, and provides real-time feedback while you move within it.” The VRTEX 360 System can be used to simulate SMAW (stick), GMAW (MIG) and FCAW (fluxcored) welding processes and features multiple weld joint configurations and welding positions and a variety of welding environments. cM Nestor Gula is a Toronto-based freelance technical writer and editor specializing in metalworking and welding. Nestor was the former editor of Metalcraft Magazine. Nestor can be reached at nestorgula@bell.net.

54 | November 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

Nov 50-54.indd 54

11/10/11 1:49 PM

LOOK WHAT’S COMING TO CANADA THE ONLY EXCLUSIVE

FABRICATING, WELDING AND METAL FORMING EVENT IN CANADA!

March 20-22, 2012 TORONTO

CONGRESS CENTRE

CWA/CWB

fabtechcanada.com

DUE TO THE GROWING SUCCESS OF FABTECH

North America's largest metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing event, we are excited to announce the launch of FABTECH CANADA, which will be located in the heart of Canada's engineering and technology sector in Toronto, Ontario.

FABTECH CANADA is proud to bring the most relevant and important information on industry standards, new products and latest technologies to YOU. Be a part of the 1st FABTECH CANADA event!

Don't let this opportunity pass you by.

call: 1-888-322-7333 ext. 222 email: canadasales@sme.org Co-Sponsors

Nov 55-59.indd 55

“Canada represents a very important market for Fladder-Hansen & Hundebol Inc.. We participate with FABTECH wherever the event is located, and have come to expect very high results from the investment we make into the event.

FABTECH Canada is a logical next move and we are excited about the prospects it offers.”

Ben Barama, General Manager, Fladder – Hansen & Hundebol, Inc.

Strategic Partners

11/10/11 1:50 PM

Welding

PeoPle, Not Robots for Lincoln Arc Welder Production Human touch best for complex assembly tasks Automation plays increasingly significant roles in the supply chain of Canadian manufacturers, but it is most certainly not a life line.

While Lincoln Electric Canada may provide its customers with the latest technology, the company’s Toronto manufacturing facility is still dependent on a seemingly seasoned production approach, increasingly dependent on good old fashioned man-power than the new-age robotics in many facilities today.

“We did have a robot in our facility at one time,” says Kendall Fullerton, operations manager at Lincoln Electric Canada. “But we found in our situation that we didn’t have the volume going through our plant to warrant all the support you need for automation like that.”

Fullerton says Lincoln would need to be running two to three shifts for automation to be worth its hefty price tag. When it comes to building Lincoln’s arc welders, he says automation wasn’t the best fit because of the complexity involved in assembly.

“We have certain processes that would require 5 to 6 different automated operations, which would complicate things and actually take away from efficiency,” he says.

Fullerton says staying away from automation has also kept his shop workers motivated to work with management when it comes evaluating efficiencies and plant processes.

“We make sure we give our shop floor employees the opportunity to voice any concerns and even contribute to new process development,” he says. “That’s not only created relationships between our shop employees and management, but it’s also got those employees increasingly involved in how we produce our product.”

Fullerton says reviewing those processes is also increasingly important when times are tough, specifically when Lincoln found itself producing about a sixth of typical production when the global economic crisis hit in 2009.

“We were on the edge of survival, so instead of laying

people off and shutting things down, we took that opportunity to align those operations processes. We spent the time we needed to do those kinds of things to make sure our processes are running smoothly.”

He adds that the company cut the amount of capital it tied up in inventory to a quarter of what it carried at full capacity.

“It was huge in terms of our performance and the way we were viewed by the other Lincoln companies around the world,” he says. “They were looking at the Canadian operations and saying ‘they’re carrying really low inventory levels but have super high delivery rates’, that’s all been attributed to the flow process we’ve developed, even when times were tough.”

That focus on ensuring process are sound has also helped the company develop and deliver two new products to market, a move which Fullerton says has helped the company develop more ties in export markets, which represent 93 per cent of Lincoln Canada’s sales.

“We sat down in 2009 and we knew things we really ugly,” he says. “We could have sat there and licked our wounds, but we developed a new machine that’s become our biggest seller (the SAE300). We’ve boosted our production by 20 per cent because of those product launches and have adapted to productivity boost because we are well aware of the importance of seamless processes.”

Lincoln Electric Canada is a subsidiary of Cleveland-based Lincoln Electric Company and has become one of the world’s most recognizable brands in the manufacture of arc welders.

The Canadian company was found in 1930. Its current, 170,000 square-foot headquarters in the Toronto neighbourhood of Leaside was built in 1940 and was the first fully welded building in the city.

The Toronto headquarters are complimented by a 121,000 square-foot distribution facility in Missisauga, Ont. and a 17,000 distribution centre in Calgary. CM

56 | November 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

Nov 55-59.indd 56

11/10/11 1:50 PM

Case study

Cutting tools

The 4000-watt “Big dog” In A Competitive Dogfight Steel service company Harbor Steel uses major power to boost productivity When you’re going into a competitive dogfight – which is how Harbor Steel & Supply President Steve Heneveld describes the service center business these days – you want a “big dog” in your corner. The big dog Heneveld brought to the competitive fight for Harbor Steel’s Lexington, KY operation is a 4000-watt Cincinnati laser cutting system, and it’s proven to be a winner as the most used laser of the service center’s three, allowing Harbor to capture business from a multitude of industries where ultra-fast delivery and precision make the difference between winning and losing. Able to cut mild steel up to one-inch thick, the CL-840’s range of capabilities, reliability and productivity have helped Harbor build new relationships with customers in mining, food processing, petrochemical, construction, power generation

With 4000 watts of power, high volume heavy plate parts can be produced with both speed and precision.

Harbor Steel’s mike mcDermott, regional Sales manager, and melissa marcum, General manager, lexington plant, display one of the many decorative pieces procduced with the Cincinnati Incorporated Cl-840 laser.

and marine industries. “Customers don’t want to hold inventory anymore because it can lose value so quickly,” says Heneveld, “so our strategy is to support them with JIT delivery to meet their business objectives. This is very much a relationship-based business, and the Cincinnati laser has allowed us to secure business we otherwise would not have, and then deliver on what we’ve promised.”

With operations in Lexington and three Michigan locations, Harbor Steel has traditionally served the furniture and automotive markets in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.

The company recently established a new Pritchard, WV, center primarily to serve customers in construction and mining as well.

This is the company’s strategic philosophy: determine where potential business exists, then establish an operation in the area, www.canadianmetalworking.com | November 2011 | 57

Nov 55-59.indd 57

11/10/11 1:50 PM

Cutting tools

Case study

shortening delivery times and reducing shipping costs.

“Turnaround times are deal-breakers these days,” says Heneveld. “We have a window in which to service our customers, and that window closes a little more each day. We used to have seven to ten days to complete a job, but now if we can’t turn an order around in 24 to 48 hours customers won’t wait.” According to Heneveld, cutting speed was a key factor in Harbor Steel’s decision to purchase the CL-840 laser cutting system, along with proximity to the southern Ohio manufacturer for prompt support.

The 4000W CL-840’s power, cutting/piercing speed, range of cutting thicknesses and reduced cycle times have allowed Harbor

Harbor Steel & Supply.

Steel to efficiently meet a variety of customer needs, according to Heneveld.

“We have to be able to move in and out of thicknesses as fast as possible, and cut stainless, aluminum, carbon, galvanized, whatever they may need,” he adds.

The CL-840 features Cincinnati’s third-generation linear motor drive which combines with greater cutting power to allow faster processing, providing 1000 ipm cutting on 20-gauge steel. The laser’s cutting head features AutoFocus lenses of 5, 7.5 and 10-inch focal length, allowing the focus points to be instantly adjusted between piercing and cutting for optimal processing of a variety of materials.

Harbor’s regional sales manager for the Lexington operation, Mike McDermott, cited the CL-840’s ability to hold tight tolerances as a major competitive advantage as well. “We have a customer that requires a -0/+0.001 inch tolerance for holes in quarter-inch steel, and the Cincinnati laser’s ability to do this earned us the business,” he says. Other tight-tolerance work includes notched lock boxes produced from quarter-inch plate, requiring a ±0.001 tolerance. Located in the heart of horse racing country, the laser has also brought in business from local horse farms for custom decorative signage and vanity gates. “We cut a lot of horse heads and intricate ornamental designs with the Cincinnati laser,” McDermott adds.

“The design and ventilation system on the CL-840 make it ideal for dealing with the zinc emissions associated with cutting galvanized steel, too.”

The CL-840 uses dual 5 x 10 ft. quickchange pallets to enable the off-line pallet to be loaded/unloaded while work on the other pallet is being processed, allowing almost non-stop cutting efficiency.

Harbor Steel also uses the Cincinnati Incorporated programming and nesting software for greater efficiency and material maximization.

Reliability of the CL-840 is crucial for Harbor Steel. “Machine downtime is death because it creates a backlog which costs us business, “ Heneveld 58 | November 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

Nov 55-59.indd 58

11/10/11 1:50 PM

Case study

emphasizes. The Cincinnati laser is engineered for aggressive use under adverse conditions in service centers, built with heavyweight 0.75 to 1.5-inch plate construction, double the frame weight of other lasers. This heavy base provides exceptional rigidity against dynamic forces of the moving axes, and long service life under adverse, heavy-use conditions.

The Lexington center runs two shifts per day, and the CL-840 is the facility’s most-used laser cutting system, operating “almost constantly,” according to him. “The support we’ve received from Cincinnati has been fantastic,” he says. “We can’t wait for parts to come in from another country.

Waiting days for a machine to be repaired can cost us not only jobs, but customers. Anytime we need training or a part, Cincinnati reps are quick to respond.”

For more information on Cincinnati Incorporated’s new highspeed CL-840 laser cutting system, visit its web site at www.e-ci.com. CM

Cutting tools

Harbor Steel uses a Cincinnati Incorporated 4,000-watt Cl-840 laser to cut a variety of materials including stainless and galvanized steel, aluminum, and carbon.

Take Your Business to the Next Level Contact us at 1-800-408-9431 or email Sales@ScottsDirectories.com for a free consultation.

Visit us at ScottsDirectories.com to learn more

For over 50 years, Scott’s has been the market leader in business contact information for manufacturing companies in Canada.

Our qualified and verified data have allowed manufacturing companies to promote their services throughout the country. With an address accuracy of 97.2% or better, you can rest assured that you’ll reach the right person.

Our Account Executives will help you identify your key target markets and create a solution customized for your business, allowing you to begin prospecting with confidence today.

www.canadianmetalworking.com | November 2011 | 59

Nov 55-59.indd 59

11/10/11 1:50 PM

AnAlysis

Auto industry

U k O

ThE

Engine of the

Economy

Dennis Desrosiers’ not-so-rosy analysis of auto industry trends says we’re down….but there’s no reason to panic

K

O d p O E th

Dennis Desrosiers, noted Canadian auto industry analyst and founder of DesRosiers Automotive Consultants was the keynote speaker at the recent Canadian Metalworking Future of Metal Cutting Conference. No stranger to controversy, DesRosiers’ pull-no-punches style ruffles feathers in the industry, but when Dennis speaks, the business listens. Here’s a brief sampling of the data DesRosiers dealt the audience at the event.

S

E m a w

desrosier’s AnAlysis:

Cyclical Issues are pushing the market well below trend line demand and it will remain below for quite some time.

The market has recovered slightly from its low in 2009 but remains about 4 to 5 million units below trend line demand in 2011.

They will improve over the next 3-4 years so that is positive but will still remain below trend line demand until at least 2015 – 2016 … we are a very long ways from being out of this mess.

Consumers will buy fewer vehicles this decade than last decade.

T

M e s

For more information, visit www.desrosiers.ca.

60 | November 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

Nov 60-63.indd 60

11/10/11 1:51 PM

ca

Upgrade your knowledge ONLINE

Keep up to date online

Original content is posted to www.canadianmetalworking.com daily in a variety of content zones such as: home page, news, products, machining, fabricating, quality, automation and events.

Or you can research your latest project by using our search bar.

Each search gives you the option of articles on the topic or suppliers that match search criteria.

CONTACT: Steve Devonport | Pulblisher 416-543-1641 SDevonport@canadianmetalworking.com Rob Swan | Account Manager 416-510-5225, cell 416-725-0145 RSwan@canadianmetalworking.com

Stay on top of news Every two weeks, our editorial team gathers together the most interesting news, products and events to catch his eye and posts them in our eNewsletter. You can sign up on the website to receive the eNewsletter by email.

Technology eDirects More suppliers are choosing to communicate with manufacturers electronically, but you need to opt in to receive them. You can sign up to receive these 3rd party eDirects on our website.

canadianmetalworking.com Nov 60-63.indd 61

11/10/11 1:51 PM

Quality

Advertisers index Advertiser

future trends

PAge

bohler-Uddeholm

22

bCP - brake clutch pro

24

CWb

52

Delcam

57

eriez

47

Fabtech Canada

55

Haas

11

Horn

7

Hurco

IFC

Hypertherm

46

Iscar

while necessary—control and improvement will not be sufficient for the 21st century. Change and transformation are the emerging tools of quality. There is debate over whether the same professionals can span a skill continuum from control to transformation, but leading thinkers in the field are investing their time in minting new tools for change and transformation and investing their energy to obtain new skills. Many predict that near perfect product/service quality will be a minimum for being competitive in the future. Table stakes. The best companies are moving beyond product quality to manage their total customer experiences. Best practice companies around the world are showing, by their examples, the efficacy of quality applied to the improvement of the whole organization. (These are the national quality award organizations in nearly 100 countries—manufacturers, service

obC

Ingersoll

37

Lincoln

IbC

makino

29

mazak

13

mori Seiki

30 & 31

omAX

48 & 49

oSG

58

reid

23

renishaw

41

Salvagnini

feeding chain to be used as concepts, techniques, and tools in the solution of social problems. While the number of examples is small, they are nonetheless evidence that quality is exerting itself in new ways—in hopeful ways.

8.

Innovation has become a buzzword. It seems to mean the pursuit of something different and exciting. How innovation differs from R&D is uncertain. How innovation differs from improvement is unclear. What is clear is that innovation is increasingly the lifeblood of an organization. With today’s accelerating pace of change no organization can assume its future without the ability to bring innovation to customers. How to stimulate an organization to innovate is the subject of papers, conferences, articles, and the elixir of consultants. An entire industry has developed and grown in response to

32 & 33

Sandvik

“Innovation is poised to replace

Flap & 17

Schmoltz & bickenbach

19

Scientific Cutting

38

SoWA

25

Sigmatek

45

Sumitomo

9

Technifor

18

Thermadyne

51

TNT Tools

39

TrUmPF

4

Tungaloy 8CMM20186 Walter USA

01/07/2008

3 08:19 AM 35

IN STOCK American Standards and specials.

Japanese Standards inch or metric.

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

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

manufacturing as the source of wealth creation in countries” companies, small businesses, universities, schools, healthcare providers, nonprofits, and governments.)

What is clear is that quality still provides Page 1 a sustainable competitive advantage, wherever it’s applied. It is also clear that modern quality practices are still less common than you might hope.

There is a huge opportunity for quality to be a force of change in the future of quality. And whatever quality is today, it would surely evolve in response to the constellation of forces it joins in shaping the future. There’s one additional evolution of quality that is evident and powerful. If quality started in the hands of skilled trades and artisans, it moved into factories when mass production became the norm. Then it moved out of factories into every imaginable kind of organization—small and large. Today quality is being called out of the organization into the space between organizations through global supply chains and through networks of companies that understand their greatest challenges lay outside their organizational walls. And from there, quality moves even further up the

the opportunity to help other organizations innovate. How to create cultures that innovate is a challenge for today’s leaders. Countries strive to enhance their capacity to innovate. National policy, tax treatments, innovation zones, and direct investment all aimed at supporting and encouraging innovation are in place around the world. And a great deal has been written about educational systems and their ability to develop within people the mindset and skills to innovate.

Companies include innovation in their strategies, annual reports, marketing literature, and in their assessments of their leaders. It is as if innovation was a discovery of the later years of the last century, and perhaps it was. Innovation it seems is poised to replace manufacturing as the source of wealth creation in countries. If innovation means the ability of a company to anticipate customer needs, expressed or unexpressed, known or unknown, and bring products/services to the marketplace that excite customers, then clearly innovation is the fuel of growth in today’s changing world, and more so tomorrow. CM

62 | November 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

Nov 40-43.indd 62

11/10/11 3:05 PM

FaBTech canada 2012

Official Show Guide CWA/CWB

introducing canada first dedicated Fabricating and welding show Canadian Metalworking is pleased to announce we have been chosen

by SME to produce the Official 2012 FABTECH Canada show guide for the first ever fabricating, metal forming and welding show in Canada.

To receive greaT exposure prior To The FaBTech canada show and aT The show conTacT: steve devonport, Publisher 416-543-1641 SDevonport@canadianmetalworking.com

With the growing success of the With the growing success of FABTECH North America (2011 in Chicago is the largest ever) SME have added FABTECH Canada, Toronto Congress Centre March 20-22, in 2012.

rob swan, Account Manager 416-510-5225 cell 416-725-0145 RSwan@canadianmetalworking.com

March show special with increased distribution To help maximize your show efforts and to increase your exposure across Canada, the show guide will run as part of the March issue of Canadian Metalworking. You get 18,500 plus copies distributed to the readers of Canada’s #1 metalworking publication, Canadian Metalworking as well as the Show Guide handed to every attendee of FABTECH Canada 2012.

Jim anderton, Editor 416-510-5206 JAnderton@canadianmetalworking.com

increased interest Because this is the first ever FABTECH Canada, all our readers and show attendees will be interested to see what the show has to offer. In addition our regular show product preview editorial will run in the show guide, increasing the size and value to our readers.

no extra cost Our regular ad rates will apply. There is no extra charge for the extra distribution and contract rates will be used for existing advertisers in Canadian Metalworking.

advertising rates and premium positions Canadian Metalworking regular ad rates will apply, no additional costs for the extra distribution at the show, and contract rates will be used for existing advertisers. In addition to the Show Guide cover positions a high traffic fold out floor plan will be include a number of premium ad positions.

Nov 60-63.indd 63

11/10/11 1:51 PM

By The NUMBERS CANADIAN ECONOMIC INDICATORS IndIcator

change from PrevIous PerIod

PerIod

change from PrevIous year

Gross domestic product at market prices (SAAR, $ billion)

2nd quarter 2011

1,701.0

0.4%

5.6%

Real gross domestic product at market prices (SAAR, $ billion chained, 2002)

2nd quarter 2011

1348.9

-0.1%

2.2%

Business investment: Machinery and equipment (SAAR $ billion chained, 2002)

2nd quarter 2011

129.9

7.0%

19.9%

Personal expenditure on consumer goods and services (SAAR, $ billion chained, 2002)

2nd quarter 2011

855.1

0.4%

2.2%

Personal disposable income (SAAR, $ billion)

2nd quarter 2011

1042.0

0.5%

1.6%

Gross domestic product at basic prices (SAAR, $ billion chained, 2002)

August 2011

1268.8

0.3%

2.4%

Composite index (SA, 1992=100)

September 2011

255.3

-0.1%

5.1%

Operating profits of enterprises (SA, $billion)

2nd quarter 2011

64.0

-4.9%

10.2%

Personal savings rate (SAAR, percent)

2nd quarter 2011

4.1%

-0.3%

-2.7%

Source: Statistics Canada CANSIM, tables (for fee) 187-0002, 377-0003, 379-0006, 379-0027, 380-0001, 380-0002, 380-0004

The negative indicators are real GDP, operating profits and the Composite Index, all down slightly from the 1st quarter, but still up compared to the same period last year‌and business investment is up a whopping 19.9 percent over the 2nd quarter of last year, a good argument that we’re not headed for recession anytime soon.

MANUFACTURING IndIcator

change from PrevIous PerIod

PerIod

Sales (SA, $billion)

August 2011

47.6

1.4%

6.7%

New Orders (SA, $billion)

August 2011

48.4

0.8%

6.5%

Unfilled Orders (SA, $billion)

August 2011

60.3

1.3%

11.9%

Capacity Utilization (%)

2nd Quarter 2011

78.8

-0.8%

2.5%

change from PrevIous year

Source: Statistics Canada CANSIM, tables (for fee) 028-0002 and 304-0014

Again , key indicators are up strongly over last year, with unfilled orders noteworthy at 11.9 percent higher than the same period last year. Coupled with higher capacity utilization, the numbers suggest that manufacturing is still a major driver of overall growth in the economy.

64 | NOVEMBER 2011 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

Nov 64.indd 64

11/10/11 1:52 PM

Nov 64.indd 65

11/10/11 1:52 PM

TAG N3J P M K N S H 3 3 3 3 3 3

ZERO chip interference.

Provides extra rigidity & stiffness.

TAG N3UT

NEW - JT chipformer with T-land positive reinforced frontal edge. Most suitable for soft or hard alloys, cast iron, stainless steel, high temperature alloys at low-to-medium feeds.

T-Land

P M K N S H 3

Integral shank tool.

Reinforced blades for large overhang.

TAG N3W

General parting & grooving.

Adapter

P M K N S H 3 3 3 3

Dedicated blade for multi-spindle machines.

Replacement for HSS and brazed.

New generation of cut-off tools for the very popular multi- and single-spindle machines. Designed especially to compete with solid parting tools and HSS blades.

TAG N3JT P M K N S H 3 3 3 3 3

TAG N3C P M K N S H 3 3 3 3

Cutting Down Production Costs with the Superlative Parting System For more information, view this interactive ad at www.iscar.com

www.iscar.ca

ing r e v i l e D ility b a t i f o Pr ar R Gu ISCA

ante

esu es R

lts

ITA recommends the optimal tool based on application parameters and your machine power.

3 tool options, 25 alternatives, cutting data, power consumption, cutting time, metal removal rates, engineering support and more PROFITABILITY ADS-PH2-CMW.indd 4 Nov 64.indd 66

4/27/11 12:50 PM 11/10/11 1:52 PM

Our tools come with an extra feature. Us substitute for world-leading expertise. The yellow coat is your know-how to make the most of them.

With thousands of proven solutions, we have the experience to help you cut cost per part produced, increase machine utilisation and improve product quality in everything whether you are turning, threading, drilling, milling or parting and grooving.

Sound interesting? Go to our site or, better yet, get in touch with someone in a yellow coat.

Visit us at Booth 2538 during CMTS 2011.

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.

Nov FLP.indd 2

11/10/11 1:32 PM