Canadian Metalworking February 2016

PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS Messier-Bugatti-Dowty (Safran), Mirabel, QC — 36

FEBRUARY 2016 PM 40065710

CUTTING THROUGH THE SKY The role of cutting tools in making aerospace parts — 46

CANADA’S NDT SECTOR Regulations drive nondestructive testing needs — 52

ADDITIVE IN FLIGHT Metal 3D printed parts gain aerospace acceptance — 76

Randy Corey, General Manager— North American Landing Gear Operations, UTAS (Oakville, ON)

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A LOOK INSIDE SPECIAL ISSUE: AEROSPACE MANUFACTURING FEATURES LOOKING BACK — 26 Canada’s origins in the aerospace industry

INSIDE UTAS OAKVILLE — 29 A conversation with Randy Corey, General Manager—American Landoing Gear Operations

LOCKING IN PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS — 36 SAFRAN Messier-Bugatti-Dowty, Mirabel, QC

SLOW AND STEADY — 40

COVER STORY — 28 WHEELS UP

Taking on titanium and hard alloys for milling and drilling

Canada positions itself as a leader in landing gear manufacturing

FINDING THE RIGHT FIT — 44 B.C. Instruments, Orillia, Ontario

34

CUTTING THROUGH THE SKY — 46

40

The role of cutting tools in making aerospace parts

REGULATION DRIVES THE NEED FOR NDT — 52 A look at the non-destructive testing sector in Canada

NO PART TOO SMALL — 56 Workholding solutions for small parts

26 46

56

52 www.canadianmetalworking.com

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2/11/16 8:00 AM

FEBRUARY 2016 n VOL. 111 n NO. 01

www.canadianmetalworking.com

A LOOK INSIDE SPECIAL ISSUE: AEROSPACE MANUFACTURING

60

FEATURES (CONT.) FAR FROM DULL — 60 Getting the whole picture on boring tools

THE BIG PICTURE OF MICROMACHINING — 64 A niche market that shows room for growth

ADDITIVE IN FLIGHT — 76

76

64 79

Metal 3D printed parts gaining aerospace acceptance

SPECIAL SECTION: IESO — 79 The bottom line on conservation

DEPARTMENTS

THIS WEEK IN METALWORKING

VIEW FROM THE FLOOR — 10 NEWS — 12 KEN HURWITZ ON FINANCE — 20 BUSINESS MANAGEMENT — 22 CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT — 24 TOOL TECH — 67 TOOL TALK — 68 TOOL TIPS — 74

BY THE NUMBERS — 90

8 | FEBRUARY 2016

01CMW-Contents.indd 8

The March issue of Canadian Metalworking is dedicated to the Tool, Die and Mold industry. The March machining focus looks at precision grinding, including machines, tooling and workholding.

We are also covering wide ranging topics including milling machines and tools, spindles and coodrinate measuring.

The Special Feature for this issue will explore EDM machines and consumables.

Check out our website, www.canadianmetalworking.com for the latest industry announcements, product releases and metalworking events.

And don’t forget to follow along and engage with us on social media – look for us on Twitter, Google+, and Facebook!

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2/11/16 8:00 AM

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VIEW FROM THE FLOOR

CONNECTED FOR THE GREATER GOOD

Is your shop connected and ready to embrace the IIoT? I’m curious to know why, or why not. Drop me a line and fill me in.

Looking back at 2015 there was one major recurring theme at every trade show, press conference and machine tool supplier-sponsored event: how to prepare for the impending Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and what it will mean for every manufacturing-related business.

The name of the game is connectivity, and in this digital age it’s a wonder how so many machine shops have stood still as the rest of the world moves on.

At Okuma America’s Manufacturing Excellence event in early December, Jeff Estes, director of the company’s Partners in THINC program, spoke on the topic of IIoT and noted how only 4 to 5% of machine tools are connected. He quipped how shops are still relying on paper for scheduling and a stopwatch for monitoring production.

If you read that and think that you can relax, because you take comfort in knowing you’re not the only one—in fact you’re in the majority—then be prepared to be standing alone when the train has left the station.

Here’s one simple definition of IIoT that I’ve heard: taking smart information from machines, sharing it and using it.

Companies are showing that there is value in connectivity. The data being pushed out from today’s machine tools assist in human decision making.

Once you’re connected and gathering

PUBLISHER STEVE DEVONPORT 416.543.1641 n sdevonport@canadianmetalworking.com

information through shop floor monitoring software, tracking utilization becomes automatic and visible. The data makes it easier to understand issues leading to downtime and what it will take to fix them.

Integrating a factory is complex, and you need a strategy. It’s highly recommended that shop owners get their operators involved in the process. In order for any change to happen you need buy in, giving people a role in the implementation so they truly understand what’s happening and believe that the benefits will go a long way towards a smooth transition.

For those with security concerns, there are solutions, like Mazak’s SmartBox for example, that highlights Cisco secure switches for risk mitigation.

You may be wondering, why are suppliers so interested in getting shops connected?

Well, there are new service models that will be available to the connected shop. Your machine tool supplier can become a closer partner. They have exposure to operations around the world, and they’re collecting data to better analyze technology and assist with preventive maintenance and other services.

I don’t expect the IIoT revolution to slow down this year, so take the time to learn how you can get on board, sooner than later.

DOUG PICKLYK, EDITOR dpicklyk@canadianmetalworking.com

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER ROB SWAN 416.510.5225, cell 416.725.0145 n rswan@canadianmetalworking.com

HOW TO REACH US: Published by Annex Publishing & Printing Inc 80 Valleybrook Drive, North York, ON M3B 2S9 Phone: 416.442.5600 n Fax: 416.510.5140

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Content copyright © 2015 by Annex Publishing & Printing Inc, may not be reprinted without permission.

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

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www.canadianmetalworking.com

2/11/16 7:01 AM

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IN THE NEWS

HONDA CIVIC WINS THE 2016 NORTH AMERICAN CAR OF THE YEAR AWARD In the fall of 2015, 53 automotive journalists from Canada and the United States gathered to deliberate on the North American Car of the Year. After a three-tiered competition, on January 18 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the Honda Civic was awarded the illustrious title.

The Volvo XC90 was selected as the 2016 North American Truck/Utility of the Year.

The 2016 Civic is manufactured at Honda’s Alliston, ON, facility.

In October 2015, the Civic was launched into mass production, with the plant responsible for developing the processes and tooling that formed the manufacturing base at all Civic plants around the world.

“Civic is a vehicle that Canadians have grown to trust. This tenth generation model will continue to set a new benchmark in the compact class,” said Jerry Chenkin, president and CEO, Honda Canada Inc. “Canadians can also take pride in knowing that every Civic coupe, sedan and Si model sold in Canada is made right here in Ontario, for Canadians, by Canadians.”

The North American Car of the Year winners were announced at a news conference when

12 | FEBRUARY 2016

Michelle Collins, a partner at Deloitte & Touche, handed envelopes with the names of the winners to Tony Swan, a member of the organizing committee. The jurors sent their ballots directly to Collins, who did not divulge the names of the winners until the news conference.

This is the 23rd year for the awards, with both the Civic and XC90 having won in previous years. This competition is unique in Canada and the U.S. because it brings together journalists representing a wide range of media groups from both countries.

The awards are designed to recognize the most outstanding new vehicles of the year. These vehicles are benchmarks in their segments based on factors including innovation, comfort, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction and

value for the dollar.

The three Car of the Year finalists included the Chevrolet Malibu, the Honda Civic and the Mazda MX-5 Miata. When it came to the voting process, the Civic was awarded 203 points, the Malibu 181 and the MX-5 Miata 146.

The three truck/utility finalists were the Honda Pilot, Nissan Titan XD and the Volvo XC90. The Volvo had 310 points, the Pilot had 111 and the Titan XD had 109.

Domestic automakers have seen the most awards, with over 12 wins. Foreign automakers have won 11 times—Japanese vehicles winning four, European automakers have five wins, Korean automakers (Hyundai) have two wins.

Domestics have won the truck competition 15 times. Foreign automakers have won eight times.

Of those eight wins, Japanese automakers have won four times as have the Europeans.

TOYOTA KEEPS TOP SPOT With worldwide sales of 10.151 million vehicles in 2015 Toyota Motor Corp. continues to hold the title of the world’s top-selling automaker, four years running.

The Japanese car maker’s sales compared with Volkswagen’s 2015 sales of 9.93 million vehicles and 9.8 million for General Motors.

Toyota has forecast that it will

achieve sales of 10.114 million vehicles in 2016. Its 2015 numbers surpassed its forecast of 10.098 million vehicles.

Volkswagen, which led Toyota in the first half of the year, fell behind in the second half following its emissions cheating scandal. www.canadianmetalworking.com

IN THE NEWS

BOMBARDIER MAKES GOOD ON ITS PROMISES IN 2016 2016 is already proving to be somewhat more favorable for Bombardier after the Quebec-based aerospace giant saw a challenging 2015 with a major restructuring as well as significant production setbacks for its long awaited C Series aircraft.

At the beginning of January, the aerospace manufacturer delivered its first Q400 cargo-combi aircraft to its launch customer, Ryukyu Air Commuter (RAC) Co. of Okinawa, Japan.

This aircraft was manufactured at Bombardier’s facility in Toronto and is one of five ordered by RAC. The Q400, unveiled at the Farnborough Airshow in July 2014, features a cargo-passenger combi configuration.

“We are very excited to be the launch operator for the Q400 car-

go-combi aircraft,” said Takashi Irei, president, Ryukyu Air Commuter. “We always aim to offer the highest level of comfort and convenience for our customers, and the Q400 cargo-combi aircraft offers the ideal platform for the evolution of our service.”

“With the delivery of our first combi aircraft, we are celebrating a standout accomplishment for the Q400 aircraft program,” said Fred Cromer, president, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft.

“By operating on routes with high cargo demand and medium to low passenger loads, RAC will benefit from the unique economic potential of the Q400,” added Cromer.

“We are delighted by RAC’s continued confidence in Bombardier’s Q Series aircraft and are thrilled to support the airline’s bold and innovative

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Takashi Irei, President, Ryukyu Air Commuter and Hugues Lessard, VPGM, Operations, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft.

expansion strategy,” said Andy Solem, vice president, sales, China and North Asia, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft.

Bombardier has recorded 547 firm orders for the Q400 aircraft.

In mid-January, the company also announced that it ramped up to full production for its highly anticipated C Series. The final assembly facility is fully equipped and production is progressing according to plan with aircraft in various stages of the build sequence.

Bombardier also confirmed that the CS100 aircraft that is scheduled to be delivered to first operator SWISS International Air Lines (SWISS) and enter service in Q2 2016 is structurally complete.

“It’s truly a spectacular sight to see the C Series final assembly line fully stacked with production aircraft in various stages of assembly.

“The line itself has been designed for maximum production efficiency and our skilled production teams reached a milestone this month when they rolled out the first structurally complete aircraft that will enter service with SWISS in the next few months,” said Cromer. “I also had the pleasure of welcoming the first set of SWISS crews to Mirabel as they start their pilot training in anticipation of the European CS100 aircraft route-proving program.”

In December 2015, Bombardier announced that the CS100 aircraft had received its Type Certificate from Transport Canada. www.canadianmetalworking.com

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IN THE NEWS

ALCOA TO SUPPLY AEROSPACE COMPONENTS FOR GE AVIATION IN $1.5 BILLION DEAL range of GE Aviation engine programs.

“We greatly appreciate GE’s continued confidence in Alcoa’s aerospace capabilities, and are proud to support its advanced jet engine programs,” says Alcoa Chairman and CEO Klaus Kleinfeld.

The GE90 Engine designed specifically for In 2015, Alcoa secured approxithe Boeing 777 aircraft. mately $9 billion in aerospace supply contracts. The company’s aerospace businesses will form part of a new Lightweight metals leader Alcoa has value-add company, to be launched agreed to a long-term contract with following Alcoa’s announced separaGE Aviation, estimated at over $1.5 tion in the second half of 2016. The billion over the contract life. new company will be a differentiated Under the engine component agreeCMTL May CB 3278 Powerhold.pdf 1 2015-09-22 2:46 PM supplier to the aerospace industry ment, Alcoa will supply advanced with leading positions on every major nickel-based superalloy, titanium and aircraft and jet engine platform. aluminum components for a broad

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VOLKSWAGEN NAMES NEW HEAD OF NORTH AMERICA DIVISION

Volkswagen has appointed Hinrich Woebcken head of the North America region as the automaker attempts to restore confidence in the region following a tumultuous year in 2015 with the emission scandal.

Woebcken takes the position effective April 1, 2016. In this role, he will be responsible for all the activities of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand in the region.

The company is moving forward with strategic reinforcement in the regions and is bundling development, procurement, production and sales activities in Canada, the United States and Mexico.

Woebcken also becomes Chairman of Volkswagen Group of America, Volkswagen Mexico and Volkswagen Group Canada. The function of President and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America remains unchanged. Michael Horn continues to hold this post.

Prior to joining Volkswagen Woebcken was a Member of the Executive Board and CEO Commercial Vehicle Systems Division at Knorr Bremse AG. “The USA is and will remain a key core market for the Volkswagen brand.

That is why the North America region must be steered in the interest of our customers and dealers there,” says Dr. Herbert Diess, Volkswagen brand CEO. “With his international experience Mr. Woebcken will make an important contribution to the brand’s positive development in the region.” www.canadianmetalworking.com

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2015-12-08 2:54 PM

IN THE NEWS

BC AND NS TO PROMOTE SHIPBUILDING COOPERATION

PHOTO: IRVING SHIPBUILDING

.com

British Columbia and Nova Scotia both are experiencing healthy shipbuilding sectors. The two provinces have now signed an agreement affecting shipbuilding industries in both provinces.

The provincial pact strengthens workforce cooperation and trades training between the regions.

“Cooperation between provinces on training to meet the increasing demand for skilled trades people is fantastic,” says Paul Phillips of Hawboldt Industries Ltd. “We are proud to have worked with shipyards on both coasts. We see lots of similarities that Nova Scotia and British Columbia businesses and apprentices can benefit from.”

The agreement recognizes the unique training requirements for the shipbuilding and marine industries and commits both provinces to developing new ways to teach apprentices.

The pact also aims to remove red tape that slows certification and employment opportunities for apprentices.

“We share a strong shipbuilding industry,” said Karen Casey, acting Minister of Labour and Advanced Education. “We need to take advantage of this and work together to help grow our two provinces’ economies.

This partnership helps our businesses to build their export capacity and take full advantage of spin-off opportunities coming out of the industry.”

Casey says the partnership will help businesses build exports and take advantage of spin-off opportunities on both coasts.

“Shipbuilding and marine industries are important to the economies of both our coastal provinces,” added Shirley Bond, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training for British Columbia.

The pact is a result of an agreement-in-principle signed by Premier Christy Clark and Premier Stephen McNeil during a meeting of Canada’s premiers last summer.

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www.canadianmetalworking.com 2016-01-27 9:21 AM

2/11/16 7:03 AM

IN THE NEWS

LOCKHEED CUTTING TIME/COST WITH CRYOGENIC

In late November last year it was announced that Lockheed Martin acquired an Okuma MA-600HII horizontal machining center equipped with a cryogenic machining system from 5ME to perform roughing and finishing on large titanium airframe components for the F-35 program.

CdnMetal_Feb_Koma.indd 1 www.canadianmetalworking.com

01CMW-News.indd 19

Test cuts on 6Al4V titanium at 5ME’s facility in Michigan produced a 52 per cent increase in cutting speeds (21 hours with cryogenics vs. 44 hours with coolant), while maintaining equal cutter consumption.

The cryogenic system feeds supercooled (-321° F) liquid nitrogen at a steady pressure and flow rate and can be retrofit to almost any OEM spindle. 5ME’s list of tool interfaces includes specifically-designed holders, turning and grooving tools, solid carbide mills and drills, indexable mills, drills, and boring tools.

According to Lockheed, the technology will help lower the cost of large titanium parts by an estimated 30 per cent. The new cryogenic-equipped Okuma HMC is operating in Lockheed’s Dallas/Fort Worth production facility.

“The tests we conducted with Lockheed demonstrate the true business advantages of using cryogenic machining for tough-to-cut materials,” said Pete Tecos, 5ME vice president marketing and product strategy, in a company release.

2016-01-12 | 19 FEBRUARY10:48 2016AM

2/11/16 7:03 AM

FINANCE

THE MOST COMMON QUESTION I GET

BY KEN HURWITZ

A

s we start 2016, I thought as an opening article I would answer the most frequent question I am asked by both existing and potential clients as they try to figure out how best to finance their equipment purchases.

What I usually get is some variation of: “Why should I lease, isn’t leasing only for companies who cannot write a cheque?”

There is no doubt many of my customers are not bankable—meaning from a financial perspective the company can not support the transaction required to get a new piece of equipment. Buying the latest technology can be a very expensive proposition, and despite the fact good equipment, when maintained properly, will run for more than a decade (there are plants where 20-year-old machines are still running and holding tolerances) it’s still a significant cost and is difficult for typical bankers to understand.

We recently hired a new credit analyst who came from a charted bank, and I got a first hand recount of how they review assets internally.

Essentially they looked at any asset, whether it was a machine tool or a trailer, and assumed if the deal went bad they would recover about 20% of the value.

Now when a leasing company, with expertise in machinery and equipment, looks at that same transaction they know the recovery is a much higher percentage and therefore are able to approve the lease because the perceived risk or exposure is much smaller.

That said, my largest and most successful customers have very well 20 | FEBRUARY 2015

established banking relationships with large operating lines, which they primarily and properly use for short-term debt like financing receivables or to cover short-term costs like buying extra tooling and material for a large job they just landed, and they use equipment leasing as a complement to their bank.

They essentially match the lenders with their debt requirements. They stay away from tying up bank lines or working capital with long-term needs like machinery and equipment. This allows these owners to reinvest in their company where the return is much higher.

One example of where cash can be put to its best use is in product development. This is something that cannot be financed, but the return can be enormous. One of my most successful clients, a leading innovator in the medical industry, leases all of its equipment from various sources allowing it to keep profits in the company to develop new products.

Another customer of mine has a passion for owning property and the business is operated from a number of different plants, all of which are owned, and they have invested in other properties unrelated to their manufacturing business because it is an appreciating asset with a great return.

Another great use for working capital would be to hire a salesperson.

Many of my most successful clients are owner operators, so not only are they running the plant, making sure good parts are being made and delivered to their best customers when promised, but also handling all the proposals (quoting/estimating). They function as both the sales manager as well as the plant manager, two roles best handled by two people.

Depending on the business it could make a lot of sense to bring someone in, or re-assign a role to a current employee, to handle sales. I can tell you from firsthand experience, business development is a full-time job

but one which can potentially have a great return. Investing in your business is always the highest and best use of working capital, and it’s something which cannot be financed.

Lastly, and this is something that comes up quite often, is the flexibility which a leasing company can provide.

When a new piece of equipment is purchased it usually takes time to get installed, set-up, programmed and debugged before the owner is making any money. However regardless of whether the equipment is being financed internally or a lender is involved, for the most part the equipment is paid upon delivery or with a nominal hold-back until it is installed.

What a leasing company can potentially offer is a program where the payments are deferred for a few months so the manufacturer does not make any payments until the machine is up and running and, most importantly, generating revenue.

This flexibility is also found when a customer has been approved for say 80 or 90 per cent of the transaction size, but a deposit is required.

A competent leasing company can structure a contract so this deposit is paid over the first six or 12 months of the lease as opposed to in its entirety upfront, and a new piece of equipment can find a floor that many not otherwise have been an option.

I know I’ve covered a lot of territory here, but if there is one thing to take away from my first column of 2016 it’s that finding an alternative source of funding to complement your bank will allow for more flexibility and could provide many additional options. Till next month…

Ken Hurwitz, Senior Account Manager with Blue Chip Leasing in Toronto, has years of experience in the machine tool industry and now helps manufacturers of all kinds with their capital needs.

Contact Ken at (416) 614-5878 or ken@bluechipleasing.com. www.canadianmetalworking.com

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

MARKETING AND YOUR ANNUAL BUDGET

BY ANDREW WOOD

I

t’s the start of a new year, and it’s typically a time of budget and planning for fresh business goals. One of the discussions I always have with clients during this process is about the distinction between allocating dollars on an advertising line versus a marketing line.

ADVERTISING VERSUS MARKETING For me, advertising lines fund events that cast the broadest net possible in hopes that potential customers will draw a connection between your goods and services and their needs.

It’s the billboard that states: “We machine metals”.

Advertising is a broad, big awareness expense and has a “fingers-crossed” aspect to it. Conversely, marketing line allocations are purposeful, tactical support functions for your company’s sales team. They are the structures that drive successful execution of sales strategies.

Any sales strategy should have a healthy pipeline of qualified leads as an end-result. But it’s the nature of these leads that is important. Here are three things to consider: The ultimate goal of a marketing proposal that supports a sales strategy is developing awareness in your target customer that you have a value proposition created just for them.

Your customer needs to self-deduce that your company has the credibility to deliver it and that you have no peers to compete with in this regard.

Finally, it should motivate customers to either reach out to you or initiate an action that progresses towards the closing of a sale.

That’s quite a lot to ask for when you are initially allocating dollars to 22 | FEBRUARY 2016

01CMW-BusMgmt.indd 22

a budget line, which is why marketing initiatives must be tightly connected to proven sales strategies.

HOW MATURE IS YOUR MESSAGE If the above fulfill deliverables of a marketing line, then the next question to ask is: what stage of brand maturation is your organization at?

Think of three tiers of maturity: Value Propositions - Sells one client in a niche sales channel Competitive Advantage - Sells all clients in a niche sales channel Brand Recognition - Sells many clients across several sales channels Depending on the maturity of marketing programs, a company may find itself at early stage (establishing a value proposition), or later stage (conveying an acknowledged competitive advantage), or as a mature organization that already has brand recognition. These are all branches of an ever-growing tree.

Sales teams that are engaged on a client-by-client basis are still involved with building a value proposition unique to each target. They haven’t deduced the common threads in their pitches that resonate with many clients. In such cases, there is opportunity to broadly convey a competitive advantage to this niche marketplace.

If an organization has already established a competitive advantage in its market, then marketing activities may be exploited at the brand level to further develop the maturation of the company’s image.

These are factors to consider when deciding which sales strategy receives marketing budget in order to achieve maximum scale in leveraging these dollars.

Regardless of which tier the organization is ready for, keep in mind that successful marketing programs result in prospective clients becoming cognizant that using your company’s services will make their organization more competitive and profitable.

HOW TO ESTABLISH A MARKETING BUDGET Start with the sales team. What is the “go-to-market” strategy that they require funding for?

Identify where they are prospecting and what messages they are using.

Are current approaches on quantifying return on investment (ROI), cost savings or service benefits being assigned uniquely? If so, what are the value propositions generated by your company that differentiate you from your competitors?

Can your team identify common benefits within a specific niche or sales channel that resulted in a closed deal? Is there a way to broaden these specific benefits and yet maintain their impact such that conveying the message would result in more motivated clients? Will the benefits identified effectively establish a broader competitive advantage in the target clients’ minds?

Finally, would expression of that marketing message prompt clients to reach out and seek to connect with the sales person?

If the company works through all of the above conditions, then as a general rule, five per cent of your proposed revenue line should be allocated to marketing for maintenance, and 10 per cent if you’re after aggressive growth.

Remember, a marketing campaign should target a lucrative niche where the tactical message is proven to produce sales activity. It should equally communicate that the use of your services will pass on a competitive advantage to a client’s business.

A marketing line in your budget is paramount to driving the success of a sales strategy.

Andrew Wood has held senior positions in manufacturing, supply chain and other industries and sits on the TEC, Canada’s Trusted Advisors Council. andrewjwood@ changeagent.ca. www.canadianmetalworking.com

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CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

BUILDING A CULTURE OF LEARNING

BY MATT ELSON

W

hen it comes to the topic of continuous improvement in manufacturing, many consultants, "Lean" books and conferences tend to put a lot of emphasis on “tools” like work standards, value stream mapping, 5S, kanban, andon, heijunka box, etc. But continuous improvement is more about building the capacity of employees to see opportunities for improvement every day and every hour while developing the leadership ability to sustain this culture. This is a true business excellence system, where through increased employee capacity for change and improvement a company develops into a true learning organization.

Encouraging and empowering employees and leaders to instigate and accept change is the process to create a learning organization; getting staff to change the way they do their work is crucial in order to realize long-term improvements to safety, quality, quantity and cost.

While continuous improvement tools are useful for various types of problem solving, in a true improvement system the tools are only used for developing capacity for change in employees—it develops critical thinking as well as improving problem solving skills.

Improvement and coaching go hand-in-hand as part of an operation’s management system. An over-emphasis on implementing tools without providing proper context or employee empowerment is why most (anywhere from 80 to 98%) of “lean transformations” fail to achieve any actual short- or longterm results.

True Kaizen activities can typically result in extraordinary business 24 | FEBRUARY 2015

results. Based on my own experience in multiple industries and countries around the world these improvements can be in the range of 100 to 200% increases in productivity, 80 to 98% reductions in scrap or re-work, 80 to 90% reduction in lead-time/ inventory, as well as great advances in safety, cost and delivery.

The reason that most organizations don’t achieve the results is not that this thinking process doesn’t apply, but rather the focus and effort is misplaced.

Effort on improving processes or systems alone isn’t enough. Improving our leadership is crucial, which includes the coaching and development of others. This coaching is what actually results in the process improvements, not the other way around.

Coaching is the consistent and focused process of changing behavior through practice and repetition.

Just like the athletic coach or music instructor, the improvement coach guides a learner through a series of steps specifically designed to improve experience and skill.

It is the repetition of these steps, over and over again, that results in the increased capabilities. This could be why the emphasis on tools remains so strong; experienced coaches seem to focus on them relentlessly. In reality, the coach is focusing on forcing the learner into a new routine…the tools and techniques are just the easiest things to copy.

However, coaching cannot be done on its own without the ability to evaluate a situation. Does the current condition match our target condition? Is this abnormal or normal?

Is the process stable or not?

Without facts we have no way of knowing if we are actually getting better or worse. This is why an important aspect of an operations management system has to be measuring what is important to the business and comparing this to the company’s goals and targets. This is the framework that any coaching and improvement efforts will be based on. Only after we have a method to establish our baseline is it possible to start the improvement journey through coaching development.

This is why we view all of these concepts as a complete integrated system within an organizational culture. This system has been represented in four parts, each focusing on different aspects of an innovative and people-based organization.

In upcoming issues of Canadian Metalworking, this column will feature a continuing series looking at each part of this integrated system, while also detailing the improvement and coaching method to systematically accelerate the pace of learning, innovation and performance in your organization.

Matt Elson, founder of True North Thinking, works with companies worldwide implementing the Toyota Production System and continuous improvement. Starting at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada, Matt has worked with the Toyota Production System Support Center (TSSC) along with other global companies like ZF-TRW Automotive, Bombardier Aerospace and Magna International. He can be reached at www.truenorththinking.ca. www.canadianmetalworking.com

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LOOKING BACK: ORIGINS OF THE AEROSPACE INDUSTRY I

n the early 1900’s the reality of air flight was capturing the public’s imagination.

The Wright brothers started the excitement in 1903 with their first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The first Canadian aircraft production was started by the Canadian Aerodrome Company, founded in 1909 in Baddeck, Nova Scotia, bankrolled by Alexander Graham Bell. Unfortunately the company only lasted a year.

In February 1915, U.S.-based Curtiss Aeroplanes and Motors incorporated a business in Toronto, and by that summer began production.

The benefits of aircraft for military pur-

poses was realized very early, and with the advent of the First World War (1914-1918) engineering and production accelerated.

In the February 1918 edition of Canadian Machinery and Manufacturing News (the original title of Canadian Metalworking)— nine months before the end of WWI—the magazine published an article entitled “Unfolding Romance of the Airplane”.

The piece was written by Frank H. Russell, the first general manager of the Wright Brothers Company, and at the time Russell was the president of the Manufacturers’ Aircraft Association in the U.S. Following are excerpts from Russell’s 1918 article:

The romance of oil and of steel, of the railroads and of the motor car, has been written, though the stories are of such recent origin that the pioneers in these enterprises are still among us, masters now of the forces that they created.

war as the greatest industry ever created by man; an industry employing more capital, consuming the energies of more men, and rendering the greatest proportionate service to mankind ever attained by any other form of human endeavor.

But their stories, fresh as they are, yet are old, and today a new tale of success is in the making. It is the romance of the air and of the infant industry, already grown to manhood’s figure, which has revolutionized warfare and is waiting only the coming of peace equally to make its impress on the normal life of the world.

For war is not the only field in which the airplane may prove its worth. It is in the ways of peace that its greatest potentialities will be realized, although it seems to have needed the present world conflict to win recognition for even the least of its merits.

It is less than a score of years ago that the first heavier-thanair machine successfully carried a passenger into the air. It is less than 15 years ago that the art of controlling such a craft was imparted by the inventor to another, yet today air craft have been standardized, and factories turn them out with the ease that motor car builders produce their product.

Throughout the world aviation schools are in operation, and thousands of students are acquiring the art of flying just as their fathers studied and mastered the control of the motor car.

It is no secret within the industry, and it must have been widely suspected without, that the men who had the vision to foresee the future of the aircraft when the Wright brothers gave it to the world and had devoted themselves to the task of developing a demonstrated principle into practical manufacture, had come close to the end of their resources when the world conflict gave aviation the impetus which today has launched it as an industry past the experimental stage and well into the production period.

The pioneers in the industry developed their ideas against the dominating negative thought of practically the whole world.

…It is safe to say that today upward of a billion dollars is invested in an industry which within the memory of the present generation was capitalized solely by the private fortunes of the brothers Wright.

They were regarded as interesting visionaries, and it is needless to say that among them were no geniuses of finance; the art of flying was not one to attract bankers.

That capital will be doubled, trebled perhaps, before world peace succeeds the present struggle, and it is no impossible conception to picture the airplane industry at the end of the

The public had not their ability to visualize the future and the Government seemed even more blind to the possibilities of aviation.

26 | FEBRUARY 2016

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It was a sport, at best, was the chief argument against investment. It has no utilitarian purpose, and no market for the aircraft could ever be established beyond the ranks of wealthy young sportsmen who were willing to pay well for the notoriety and the sensations of an aviator.

That was the average attitude of the man with money, and to offset it the pioneer builders could advance only predictions that a commercial future was in store for the airplane as a means of transportation for persons, freight and mail; that the aircraft made possible journeys beyond the scope of ships and trains, and that it practically eliminated distances by the speed of its progress.

Such arguments, it need scarcely be said, were seldom effective and the development of the aircraft languished for lack of financial support. Up to 1914, when the airplane industry may be said actually to have come into existence, conditions were little changed.

There was little demand for aircraft and no monetary incentive to build them.

Then came the war, and with it an ever-increasing demand for airplanes and pilots, until today the United States has appropriated some $720,000,000 for the construction and equipment of aerial fleets for the army and the navy and committed to the construction of 22,500 airplanes this past year, with a doubled output for 1918, the training of hundreds of thousands of aviators and the creation of a new branch of war service that shall assail Germany from the skies and wing a way to victory that has been denied to the older branches of the service, the army and the navy.

An American airplane engine on a testing bench ready for trial. The operator is protected against injury from the propeller by a heavy wire screen. (1918)

Today some $40,000,000 is invested here in the airplane industry. Approximately 15,000 men are employed in it, and the combined output of the country is about 200 planes a week. Factories devoted exclusively to the construction of airplanes and their parts cover a floor space of more than 4,000,000 square feet.

These figures give some notion of the tremendous advances that have been made in the last three years.

It has been found that there are about 4,000 hours of work in a finished airplane, so it is generally estimated that it takes 80 men, working a 50-hour week, to produce one airplane.

The automobile industry is at hand with its tremendous organized facilities for quantity production, and on these plants the airplane makers will depend in some measure for the construction of motors. The body making department of these automobile plants may be used for the fabrication of fuselage and wing frames under the direction of airplane experts, and thus all the present sources of supply will be maintained and strengthened.

www.canadianmetalworking.com

FEBRUARY 2016 | 27

WHEELS Canada’s strong position in landing gear manufacturing shores up a robust aerospace industry.

BY NATE HENDLEY

S

oaring global demand for aircraft could mean healthy profits for firms that make or maintain landing gear systems. Simply put, what’s good for aerospace is great for landing gear companies.

“Landing gear is pretty unique because it has to be on every single aircraft and has to work every single time,” notes Jim Quick, president and CEO of the Ottawa-based Aerospace Industries Association of Canada (AIAC).

Some landing gear companies have been doing so well they’ve expanded Canadian operations—a reflection of the relatively low cost of making aircraft parts in Canada and rosy predictions of new plane orders.

The Global Market Forecast 2015–2034 from French-based aerospace giant Airbus, predicts air travel will increase by 4.6 per cent annually in the near future driving demand for 32,600 new aircraft worldwide over the next two decades.

The Canadian aerospace sector is well-positioned to take advantage of this increased demand. An AIAC/Industry Canada study

Lead Hand Denis Hamelin at UTAS Oakville measuring a nose gear main fitting.

PHOTO: ROGER YIP

called “The State of the Canadian Aerospace Industry” offers an in-depth look at a vigorous sector. Released in June 2015, the report notes there are over 700 aerospace companies in Canada, employing (directly and indirectly) more than 180,000 people. AIAC represents roughly 90 per cent of these firms. About six per cent of AIAC’s corporate members do landing gear-related work, notes Quick.

Direct revenues from aerospace came to $27.7 billion in 2014, the fifth highest results in the world (after the U.S., UK, Germany and France). Three-quarters of aerospace activity consists of manufacturing while one quarter is devoted to maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) operations. Between 2004–2014 Canada’s aerospace manufacturing segment grew by 29 per cent while the MRO segment grew by 37 per cent. At present, roughly 80 per cent of manufactured aerospace products are exported, primarily to the U.S. and Europe.

Over half of Canada’s aerospace manufacturing GDP is generated in Quebec, with Ontario accounting for one quarter. Western Canada accounts for 14 per cent of manufacturing GDP while Atlantic Canada accounts for seven per cent. These figures are reversed for the MRO side, with Western provinces generating 44 per cent of MRO GDP, Ontario generating 24 per cent, Quebec accounting for 18 per cent and Atlantic Canada accounting for 14 per cent.

LANDING GEAR SPECIALISTS Ontario and Quebec play host to several landing gear companies. InvestinOntario. com, a website run by the provincial government, states that 40 per cent of the world’s commercial airliners use landing gear made in Ontario. Messier-Bugatti-Dowty (MBD), the world leader in aircraft landing and braking systems, has plants in Mirabel, Quebec and Ajax, Ontario. Owned by SAFRAN, its French parent company, MBD’s Quebec 28 | FEBRUARY 2016

www.canadianmetalworking.com

UP

INSIDE UTAS OAKVILLE

In early October 2015 the Oakville, Ontario plant of UTC Aerospace Systems celebrated the 200th shipment of main landing gear destined for an Airbus A380—the world’s largest commercial aircraft. A380 landing gear includes two wing gears and two body gears—a fully-assembled wing gear stands about 19-feet tall.

The 400,000 sq. ft. Oakville facility, first opened in 1984, is a center of excellence within the UTC Aerospace Systems (UTAS) Landing Systems unit.

The Tier 1 landing gear specialists ship assemblies to major OEMs including Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier and Gulfstream.

Canadian Metalworking spoke with Randy Corey, general manager of North American landing gear operations with UTAS, to learn more about the oper oper-ation. A mechanical engineer from the University of Waterloo, Corey spent years in the automotive indusindus try before joining the Oakville facility as plant manman ager in 2008 (then part of Goodrich Aerospace, UTC acquired the business in 2012). He currently oversees facilities in Oakville, Cleveland (Ohio), Tullahoma (Tennessee) and Fort Worth (Texas).

facility makes landing gear components for various Airbus and Boeing planes while the Ajax facility offers design, development and assembly of landing gear systems.

UTC Aerospace Systems (UTAS), a landing gear titan based in Charlotte, North Carolina, runs landing gear-related operations in Burlington and Oakville, Ontario. The Burlington facility focuses on MRO activity, while the Oakville plant offers engineering, manufacturing, machining and assembly (see sidebar “Inside UTAS Oakville”).

Canadian-owned Héroux-Devtek, the third largest global player in the landing gear field (after MBD and UTAS), is headquartered in Longueuil, Quebec with Canadian facilities in the Montreal area, Toronto, Kitchener and Cambridge, Ontario. www.canadianmetalworking.com

What is your day-to-day role?

I’m ultimately responsible for productivity and evolving our technology. I’m overseeing the lean transformation of the business and the new technologies that we bring in. It all comes down to customer schedules and making sure we achieve deliveries.

Can you explain steps you’ve taken to improve productivity at the Oakville facility?

The changes have

Randy Corey, General Manager North America.

Landing Gear, UTC Aerospace Systems PHOTO: ROGER YIP

FEBRUARY 2016 | 29

There are several reasons why Canada is popular with landing gear companies.

Canada boasts a thriving automotive manufacturing sector which offers a degree of supply chain overlap with aerospace. The Canadian workforce is skilled and well-educated (nearly 20 colleges and universities in Ontario alone offer aerospace-related programs, including engineering courses), there is a well-established transportation network, and we’re next door to the U.S. In 2013, landing gear comprised 12 per cent of aerospace supply chain exports (a category that excludes aircraft and simulators). The value of supply chain exports of landing gear grew by 185 per cent in the decade between 2003 and 2013, says AIAC. Most (80 per cent) of supply chain landing gear exports went to the U.S. in 2013 with 17 per cent going to Europe, two per cent to the Asia/Pacific region and the remainder to South/Central America and the Middle East.

largely been to develop a continuous flow of the product to hit the cadence of the customer. That’s a major transition in the aerospace industry, moving away from batch processing to a lean one-piece flow that ultimately saves a tremendous amount of lead time and inventory.

In last five to six years, we’ve increased our output about 40 to 50 per cent while being able to reduce our labour component by about 20 per cent. Over this period, our workforce has remained relatively stable while production rates have increased.

What other changes have you undergone to improve plant operations?

Dealing with the overall productivity level, a key driver comes from steps we’ve taken with our environmental health and safety. We’ve made a huge reduction in VOCs (volatile organic compounds) as well as “fine particulate matter.” We have legacy processes in place from existing aerospace contracts that include using chrome and cadmium types of plating. Now we’re introducing new processes including zinc-nickel, which replaces cadmium and its related heavy chemical issues. And over the next year we’re going to introduce HVOF (high velocity oxygen fuel) a type of plasma spray coating process that replaces chrome plating.

What materials are you machining?

Most of the machining in Oakville today is 300M steel for the main cylinders of the landing gear. As some of our programs ramp up we may need to support our facility in Tullahoma where we’re machining more titanium components. So we’re starting to develop some early R&D on titanium here in Oakville.

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LANDING BIG CONTRACTS There have been several big developments on the corporate side of the landing gear segment.

Héroux-Devtek inaugurated its new Cambridge manufacturing facility in February 2015. The factory occupies 108,000 square feet and is devoted to making landing gear parts for the Boeing B-777 and B-777X aircraft. Héroux-Devtek has described the Boeing contract as the most important landing gear deal in the firm’s history. The Cambridge plant was part of a five-year, $54.2 million investment by Héroux-Devtek in its Ontario operations. Seven million dollars of this investment comes from the government of Ontario. The new plant is operational and the company is on target to ship pre-production assemblies by mid-2016 with production scheduled to begin in early 2017.

SPP Canada Aircraft Inc. (SPPCA) announced June 5, 2015, that it had acquired Quebec firm Tecnickrome Aeronautique.

What machining activities take place in Oakville?

From the large rough cylinder-shaped forgings that come in the door [weighing as much as 14,000 lbs.], we do a before-heat-treat machining, where we do heavy profiling, lathe operations and boring mill operations, followed by a deburring.

From that we go out to heat treat (which is almost all done at Vac Aero here in Oakville). Then comes the after-heat machining, which includes finishing the inside diameters, the bores, the surface, the faces and all of the interface points, where we get to the final tolerances.

What machining technology do you use?

We have three generations of Droop+Rein machine tools.

The older generation includes one of the only machines they ever built with six spindles—the table is about 40 feet wide and 120 feet long. The next generation includes high-speed machining cells, all 5-axis, with dedicated single-spindle machines for roughing operations and dedicated machines for finishing operations. The newest generation (the D40) does both operations in one machine. It will start on a forging with a high-torque low-speed spindle, and then it will change out the entire spindle and go into a high-speed low-torque finishing cut mode.

There are two other levels of products we use on a large scale including Tacchi out of Italy that develops our largest lathes—equipped with some proprietary technologies.

And on the milling side we have Japanese-built Kuraki machines, and some Giddings and Lewis machines.

We also use mill-turns from Mori Seiki here in Oakville, and we have a large number of Mazak machines at our Tullahoma facility.

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SPPCA, which calls itself a “world leader in the design, development, manufacture and support of landing gear systems” is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Japanese parent firm Sumitomo Precision Products (SPP).

Tecnickrome, meanwhile, specializes in surface finishing for the aerospace sector.

Are your machine tools dedicated to specific parts/programs?

On one of our new D40s we created a common fixture and put multiple nose gear programs across it. But on these machines it depends on the customer capacity requirements whether the machines are dedicated or flexible across multiple products. But the base machines are flexible for whatever we need to put on them.

You recently shipped the 200th set of main gear for the A380, how long have you been making those sets?

It was 2001 when Airbus awarded the A380 main landing gear contract. The first A380 flight was in 2005 and its entry into service was 2007.

Generally speaking, prior to any chip cutting, you’re looking at two to three years of design and analysis. Once the design is set, to get the first forgings for the size of

“Due to the cost increase and capacity shortage trend in the special process market in North America, we decided to bring in the most critical outsourcing metal finish process to secure the capacity at the optimum cost,” explains Masayuki Onishi, former vice-president and COO of SPPCA, now gen-

products that we have can take one to two years. And then it’s another 24 to 36 months worth of qualification and flight testing before you’re into production.

It’s a long process, and it really speaks to the commitment you have to make, and the resources that you need, to support such a protracted development effort.

What is production flow like at the Oakville facility?

To give you an idea, the 737 program is our largest-volume product, and we do two shipsets per day, so right now we’re at 42 shipsets per month (two main landing gears and a nose gear). For the 777 we’re at about eight planes per month (two main gears and one nose gear). For Airbus right now we’re at about 26 A380 sets a year, and our initial production for A350-1000 will start in 2016, and in 2017 that program will be at a rate of approximately one set per month.

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32 | FEBRUARY 2016

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eral manager of project management for SPP. SPPCA was founded April, 2012, and the “IN 2013, LANDING GEAR COMPRISED 12 PER CENT OF following year SPP opened a 102,000 square AEROSPACE SUPPLY CHAIN EXPORTS (A CATEGORY THAT foot manufacturing facility in Mississauga, EXCLUDES AIRCRAFT AND SIMULATORS). THE VALUE OF Ontario. The Mississauga plant currently SUPPLY CHAIN EXPORTS OF LANDING GEAR GREW BY 185 houses design, production and product supPER CENT IN THE DECADE BETWEEN 2003 AND 2013.” port for landing gear and control systems as — AIAC well as sales and marketing staff, management and research personnel. The facility, use of different kinds of metal—composwhich cost SPP over $50 million, also serves ites…there is pressure on landing gear manas SPPCA’s global headquarters. ufacturers to lightweight,” notes Quick.

According to InvestinOntario.com, SPP picked Mississauga for SPPCA’s production facility and headquarters in part because it’s cheaper to make aircraft parts in Canada than in other locales.

Financial research firm KPMG’s recent Competitive Alternatives 2014 report confirms this. The report examined business costs in 10 countries—Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States. KPMG scored countries for the cost of labour, facilities, transportation, utilities (electricity and power), taxes, etc.

“Business costs were expressed as an index, with the U.S. being assigned a baseline index of 100.

An index below 100 indicates lower costs than the U.S. An index over 100 indicates higher costs than the U.S.,” explains the report.

Canada’s overall manufacturing cost index was pegged at 96.2 with aircraft part production pegged at 96.5. This means manufacturing in general is 3.8 per cent less expenRa sive in Canada than the U.S., while DEPENDENT ON MATERIAL making aircraft parts is 3.5 per cent cheaper. Of all countries surveyed, Canada ranked third in terms of lowest costs for making airplane parts, Electro-Chemical Machining behind Mexico and the Netherlands.

Aerospace firms are eager to reduce costs even further, in part by lightweighting to reduce fuel consumption.

“We are developing a new generation hybrid actuator in collaboration with Airbus for the aircraft landing gear system,” says Onishi, adding that the end-goal is to reduce weight.

1 2 3 “A lot of trends you see going on in » Machining of » Non-contact, thermally » Minimal tool the industry such as lightweighting high-tensile alloys, neutral machining with no wear for longer adverse effect on material including Inconel production runs www.emag.com apply to landing gear as they apply to any technology. We’re seeing the

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MRO GROWING Reshoring is another ongoing trend in the aerospace sector.

“You’re seeing that particularly in the United States, where some [companies] that were going offshore into low-cost nations are now coming back. We’re seeing a level of vertical integration with companies,” states Quick.

Companies focused on the MRO side of the landing gear segment have also been busy.

KF Aerospace, an aviation service provider headquartered in Kelowna, BC, does landing gear repair and overhaul work for de Havilland, the RCAF, Convair and Boeing,

What other Canadian-based suppliers feed into your landing gear supply chain for assembly?

The big three that we use are Magellan, Noranco and Héroux-Devtek. That’s one of the interesting dynamics of this industry. While Héroux-Devtek is a key supplier of certain components given their capability, but they’re also a competitor.

Why is Canada such a global hotbed for landing gear?

If you go back 60 years or more there were a number of aerospace-related manufacturers that set up initially to support the war effort, with aircraft being produced in the Montreal and Toronto areas. That legacy has continued, and it has fed on itself over the past number of decades. We’ve been very fortunate being in the GTA [Greater Toronto Area] where we have adequate access to the skillsets we require, whether you’re talking design

among other companies.

“The jobs we perform could entail something as simple as reseal work [for] landing gear and associated components … we have NDT [nondestructive testing], machine, heat treat and plating shops … as for manufacturing, we have the capability to produce repair bushings and sleeves. This could involve plating services including nickel strike, chrome, grinding and other complex repair processes,” says Kelly Graves, military program and repair shops manager at KF Aerospace.

The company is well aware of the trend towards lightweighting.

and manufacturing engineers or machinists. And for us, proximity to one of our key customers (Bombardier), the U.S. border and a major airport all makes it easier and facilitates our operation.

What’s next for UTAS Landing Systems in Oakville?

Our evolution will include new technologies and we’ll continue to grow in different ways. The introduction of HVOF and zinc-nickel surface treatments (processes we used to outsource) will allow us a greater degree of control through vertical integration.

And as part of our ongoing lean transformation, we continue to look in-house to improve our productivity. When you look at manufacturing globally, we know we’re not the lowest-cost operations from a labour perspective, so how do we compensate for that? It’s by leveraging technology and increasing our output.

A view inside a Droop+Rein high-speed machining center at UTAS Oakville PHOTO: ROGER YIP

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www.canadianmetalworking.com

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“As with most service providers, MRO companies are regulated by the OEM’s Component Maintenance manuals for conducting repair and overhaul services on landing gear and associated components.

That said, if the OEM’s develop new processes and procedures trending towards weight reductions then companies like KF Aerospace would likely explore the opportunity to improve and advance in the industry,” says Graves.

Graves cited some of the challenges facing the aerospace industry. He denied, however, that the low dollar represented one of these challenges.

“I find the weak dollar in some ways benefits the Canadian aerospace industry as companies south of the border will take advantage of the exchange rate and send more work north. The level of training, expertise, quality and resourcefulness is often overlooked when Canadian companies are evaluated,” he states. “In my opinion the greatest future challenge to the Canadian aviation industry would be the aging workforce. It becomes more difficult every year to encourage the younger generation to become involved in the industry. Being a mechanic is not as attractive as the high-tech industry.”

Kevin Russell, VP and general manager at Asco Aerospace Canada, a Delta, BC-based firm that makes structural components for landing gear among other products, begs to differ.

“The biggest challenge is that for landing gear a lot of the potential profit is in the aftermarket and not original production. So if you only perform new manufacturing and don’t control the aftermarket, margins are typically low. Also, lots of special processes are involved [with making landing gear components] and if you don’t have these in-house and have to subcontract, it’s hard to control cost and lead time,” says Russell.

massive trade deal which involves Canada and other Pacific Rim nations.

“From an economic standpoint, you have to wonder, can we afford not to be there?

We’re going to have to build 33,000 new aircraft over next few years—half of them will go into Asia … so any window into Asia, through a bilateral agreement or a trade agreement, that’s absolutely crucial…

[TPP] provides a really good opportunity for Canada and Canadian aerospace,” says Quick.

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BUSINESS PROFILE

LOCKING IN PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS Landing gear specialists Messier-Bugatti-Dowty (Safran) in Mirabel, Quebec, verify their work upstream to ensure machining accuracy

Andre Martin (left) and Martin Reid, on the shop floor at Messier-BugattiDowty (Safran) in Mirabel, Quebec.

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BY DOUG PICKLYK

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oming in for a landing, the majestic Airbus A330-300 wide-body aircraft will approach the runway with a maximum landing weight of 187 metric tonnes (over 412,000 lbs.) relying on the plane’s landing gear to deliver a comfortable arrival for its passengers. Since 1991 the Mirabel, Quebec plant of Messier-Bugatti-Dowty (Safran) has specialized in manufacturing the main fitting of those landing gear. The largest component of the entire system, the main fitting is the central structural column that houses the shock-absorbing slider and is the most visible part of the landing gear aside from the tires. It’s a heavy high-value part that for 25 years this Montreal-area plant has been manufacturing, while continually refining its processes and honing its expertise to ensure these critical parts are done right the first time, every time.

Messier-Bugatti-Dowty is the global market leader in aircraft landing gear and braking systems, from design and manufacturing through to maintenance and repair, with manufacturing operations in France, the UK, Canada, Mexico and China.

Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2016,

the Messier-Bugatti-Dowty (MBD) plant in Mirabel machines, treats and paints the main fitting parts for main or nose landing gear for multiple Airbus programs including the A330 and A320 families, A380 (nose) and A350-900 (XWB), as well as Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner program.

Over the years the factory has become more streamlined and efficient despite its growing portfolio of parts. Andre Martin, manufacturing engineer director at the MBD Mirabel facility, has been at the plant since its opening—one of the first 11 hires. Martin recalls the early years when the shop, with a staff of approximately 150 people, was producing parts for seven A330 aircraft per month. Today, after multiple expansions and a current staff of around 300, the facility is manufacturing eight times that volume.

“We make a lot of chips,” says Martin, as we walk onto the factory floor. For MBD Mirabel, the machining process begins with solid metal forgings of high strength steel, 300M or 35NCD16, that can measure over 11-feet long and weigh about 12,000 lbs. With a line-up of 29 CNC machines, the Mirabel plant’s operations include deep hole boring, milling and turning performed on heavyduty machine tools. According to Martin, the forging for the A330, which is among the heaviest in the world, weighs six tons and leaves the factory weighing around 1,500 lbs.

“That’s metal removal,” he says.

SIMULATION VERIFICATION Before chips begin flying on the shop floor, the manufacturing process at Mirabel begins well in advance with the programming of CAD 3D models in CATIA (Dassault Systemes) software. This is followed by post processing in Canadian-based ICAM software to generate G-code, and finally all NC programs are run through VERICUT (CGTech) simulation software.

“There is no CNC program that goes to the shop floor without having gone through VERICUT,” says Martin. MBD Mirabel has been using the machine tool simulation software since 1997 to detect any potential errors in programming that could lead to machine crashes or inefficiencies in a tool path. www.canadianmetalworking.com

BUSINESS PROFILE

“VERICUT is used so the work is done right the first time,” says Martin Reid, CNC programming coordinator. Reid, who has been with MBD Mirabel since 2006, has been a VERICUT user since 1994 and is part of the 13-person programming department at the facility.

In the front end of the plant the machine tools in operation were installed 25 years ago, and according to Martin, the ability to simulate the exact movements of those machines on the simulation software has improved their processes and saved them time. Within VERICUT the programmers use the OptiPath module, a tool that optimizes feed rates by analyzing every small segment of the tool path and assigns the best possible feed rate for each cutting condition.

This year they’ll also be testing a new Force module, an optimization program that takes into consideration the force on the cutter, spindle power and maximum chip thickness to determine maximum reliable feed rate for cutting conditions.

They also use the AUTO-DIFF feature that allows the comparison of the CAD design to the final simulation, automatically detecting and indicating differences. “We enter a model from CATIA into VERICUT to verify that we’re respecting the final envelope of the part—that we aren’t making any gouges or leaving extra material on the part,” says Reid.

“For us a gouged part is scrap,” adds Martin. “And if we have extra material we’d have to re-machine and lose time. Without VERICUT we wouldn’t be able to do the volume of work we’re doing today,” he says.

EXPANSION TO MEET DEMAND In April 2013 the Mirabel plant celebrated the opening of a $58 million 9,000 sq. m. (over 97,000 sq. ft.) expansion to the existing 190,000 sq. ft. facility. The new space is dedicated to Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 production, and it’s equipped with new highly-automated multi-tasking machine tools.

“Within the new shop it’s closed-door machining,” explains Martin. “Everything is automatic behind the door.”

The increased efficiency with the new machine tool technology makes it more critwww.canadianmetalworking.com

ical that every step in the process is verified before an operator hits cycle start.

“Back when I started with three-axis machining the process was pretty simple—G-code, X-Y-Z—that was okay, but today when we look at the programs and what we are achieving on the five-axis machines, it’s a completely different ballgame,” says Martin. “It’s not possible to do all of the checking and verification manually.”

He insists their primary concern is to avoid any machine crash. It’s not only the cost related to harming the multi-million-dollar machine tools, but because of the shop’s 24/7 production schedule they can’t afford to have a machine down for even a week.

That speaks to the soaring demand in the aerospace industry. Main fittings for the A320 family account for the largest volume

An assembled Airbus A330 main landing gear sits in front of the Mirabel facility.

FEBRUARY 2016 | 37

BUSINESS PROFILE

A Vericut simulation of MBD Mirabel’s robotic tool change in one of its new highlyautomated closeddoor machine tools.

of parts leaving the Mirabel plant, and this past October Airbus announced plans to ramp up production of the A320/A321 program from 48 aircraft per month to 60 by mid-2019. And Boeing is continuing to ramp up production of the 787.

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT In the spirit of continuous improvement, the MBD Mirabel plant is also constantly seeking ways to perfect its existing processes.

“We are always looking for ways to save time,” says Reid. The ability to digitally simulate operations saves process time and having to learn hard lessons on the machine tools.

The factory also holds Kaizen events to identify tasks and set goals for improvements.

And although the plant’s focus is on one primary part, within each aircraft family there

The facility in Mirabel, Quebec, first opened in 1991, had a 9,000 sq. m. expansion in 2013.

38 | FEBRUARY 2016

are often multiple models introduced. In the 787 family, for example, there is the 787-8, -9, and a -10 that’s under production. Each is a slightly different version of the aircraft, so the main fitting part is different. And every aircraft program experiences ongoing revisions that ultimately require reviewing the entire programming process.

“A revision affects not just one operation, but many different CNC operations, and we have to review every one,” says Martin.

And when new or improved cutting tools are introduced, those parameters are configured into the software and simulated for optimal efficiency.

“We’ve attained the limits on the older machine tools, and a lot of the improvements now come from new tooling. If there is a new grade being introduced to the market, then we’ll test it,” says Martin.

There is a lot of internal learning and development going on in conjunction with tool suppliers in combination with MBD Mirabel’s programmers.

“Our programming team is made up of former operators, engineers, and technicians, so it’s very diverse and knowledgeable,” says Reid.

To highlight the complexity of the work, Martin explains how it took two of the company’s programmers, working with a tooling company, one year to develop the operations for work for one part on the new machines. Next year they will be introducing the Airbus 330 NEO to their line-up, so the programming is going on now.

As aircraft OEMs continue ramping up their production it’s reassuring to observe the continuous improvement and ongoing attention to detail that exists for the parts that must handle the extreme stresses every plane experiences on touch down. www.canadianmetalworking.com

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engineers devoted to the development of cutting strategies and process solutions The Huron MX10 5-axis that enhance machining centre is ideal both productivfor titanium landing gear with a high torque of up to ity and tool life 1016Nm. in the cutting of titanium aircraft components,” explains Rentschler.

“Our customers benefit not only from our research and analysis but the ability to utilize the learning and the understanding to improve their productivity and cost performance.”

When it comes to the characteristics of the Taking on titanium and hard machine tool for optimal cutting of titanium alloys for milling and drilling. and superalloys, attention to chip removal, machine stability, spindle technology and

BY DOUG PICKLYK cutting process all play a role.

“It used to be that customers would focus hen talking about machining for aeroon huge gear-driven spindles and massive, space the topic of hard metals, spebut very slow, machines to produce titanium cifically titanium, rises to the top. A recent components,” notes Ray Buxton, general report from research firm Lucintel sites titamanager with Mazak Canada. “With the nium consumption in global aerospace will development of modern cutting tools that grow at a compounded annual rate of 3.3 per has changed somewhat. While you still need cent over the next five years. That growth a rigid and heavy-duty machine, the corresponds to the increasing deliveries of capability for the machine to commercial aircraft programs run at higher speeds with good that are using more titanium power and torque are the keys than previous generations. to maximizing throughput.”

Boeing’s 777 consists of Barrington McCullough, five per cent titanium by mechanical developweight, while the new 787 ment engineer with Fives Dreamliner consists of 15 Cincinnati suggests, “Thrust per cent. On the military is the name of the game. Heavy side, Lockheed Martin’s F-35 roughing cuts in titanium can series are one-third titanium, oneMakino’s generate linear axis thrust in the third aluminum, and one-third ADVANTiGE series, including 10,000 lbs range. High rotary axis composite by weight. the T1 (pictured), torque is also a must.”

As Mark Rentschler, director of T2 and T4, was According to Wade Anderson, marketing with Makino, points out, designed for machining hard product specialist sales manager the rise in titanium consumption is metals. with Okuma America, stability tied to the growing use of composis critical. “Mass counts, don’t ites. “When you’re dealing with carever doubt that,” says Anderson. bon fiber reinforced plastics [CFRP] “When it comes to machining hard-to-mayou need a rigid skeleton frame, but you also chine materials you need a machine with have to be able to make connections to the enough rigidity, coupled with the correct CFRP—and to do that you need the same damping characteristics, to get the most out coefficient of thermal expansion, which of your material removal strategy.” titanium and the composite have.”

Ken Wichman, product engineer, assembly In 2010 Makino established director with Fives Cincinnati notes that the a global titanium research rigidity required goes beyond the machine’s and development center frame. “The dynamic stiffness of all the at its North American linear and rotary axes; the spindle carrier; headquarters in Mason, the spindle taper; and the cutting tool—the Ohio. “We have a number of

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weakest of these will govern the capability of the machine,” says Wichman.

For effective chip evacuation, all Fives Liné machines dedicated to titanium come with 70 bars pressure through tool, notes Mazak’s Integrex e670 Adrien Roubenne, technical sales director with Fives horizontal can mill and Line Machines. McCullough notes that although every turn and handle deep boring operations (up to application is unique, “Fives Cincinnati has found 60 inches deep) you need at least 500 PSI coolant pressure—higher is better—to quench the leading edge of the tool to give acceptable life.”

While Canada’s aerospace manufacturing capabilities cover all aircraft components, the country is recognized globally for its landing gear production. Hard alloys like 300M (with high silicon, nickel and chrome content) are used for many landing gear components. Deep hole machining of these parts is a particular challenge.

“When drilling and boring difficult materials like 300M and titanium, very high power, torque and thrust must be available,” says Anthony Fettig with UNISIG. “The coolant delivery must also be capable of the high volume required to remove the chips.”

He proposes that drilling an 8-inch diameter hole in these materials, like a main fitting on a landing gear, would be performed

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According to an energy efficiency report from the German Airline Association, a modern airplane uses just three litres of fuel per passenger per 100 km of flight route. These fuel efficiency gains are being driven by new jet engines, and now more productive machining methods are required to match the growing demand for engine components. Included among those parts are blade-integrated disks, or blisks.

Made of hard, heat resistant, materials such as

42 | FEBRUARY 2016 CdnMetal_Feb_Heule.indd 1

nickel-based alloys or titanium aluminides, the conventional machining of blisks requires high-cost tooling and often results in short tool life.

A recent study from the FraunhoferInstitute for Production Technology and the machine tool laboratory at RWTH Aachen University in Germany compared different blisk machining strategies—from multi-axis milling combined with pol polishing to high-pressure waterjet cutting comEMAG’s PO-900-BF PECM machine.

www.canadianmetalworking.com 2016-01-12 10:56 AM

The UNISIG B700 machines, well suited to landing gear production, can finish bores to 12 inches in diameter and fixture workpieces up to 13 feet long.

on a machine with over 100 horsepower at each of two spindles, working together. “In order to be successful and minimize risk of expensive scrap workpieces, the machine must have a high level of refinement in how these machining forces are delivered or catastrophic tool failure is likely and will not be detected by the machine,” says Fettig, adding “The deep hole drilling machine should eliminate variables from the process and communicate what is happening at the tool to the operators, ideally with the ability to automatically interrupt the process without damaging the workpiece.”

As aerospace programs continue to use high-strength lightweight materials, machine tool Fives’ portfolio offers aerospace solutions from machining centres makers will continue to large gantries through its Liné building equipment Machines (pictured), Cincinnati to optimize the manand Giddings & Lewis brands. ufacturing.

bined with precision electro-chemical machining (PECM).

In the electro-chemical machining process an electrolyte solution passes between the workpiece (the positive anode) and the tool (the negative cathode), removing metal ions off the workpiece. The shape of the cathode matches the desired component contour. The result is optimal surface quality without burr formations.

The German study found that with an annual production of 800 nickel-based blisks the unit cost can be reduced by 50 per cent compared to conventional machining methods, with the best alternative processes including PECM finishing.

In the PECM technology developed by Germanbased EMAG the gap between workpiece and tool is particularly narrow, and the feed rate for the electrolyte is overlaid by a mechanical, oscillatory movement. In combination, these two factors provide a more effective and accurate material removal.

In 2014 an aeroengine manufacturer certified blades machined on an EMAG PO-100-SF PECM machine as acceptable for use in aircraft, and a similar development is expected for blisk machining on the company’s larger PO-900-SF PECM machine.

The components produced by a number of NorthAmerican companies have already entered the qualification phase, and EMAG sees plenty of market opportunities for the PECM technology.

— Courtesy of EMAG

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CASE STUDY

FINDING THE RIGHT FIT B.C. Instruments, Orillia, Ontario

BY LINDSAY LUMINOSO

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.C. Instruments, headquartered north of Toronto in Schomberg, Ontario has been serving customers in the aerospace, plastic injection molding, medical, nuclear, defense and electronic industries since 1971.

The company has grown, adding locations and expanding its workforce, now boasting a current size of 57,000 square feet with 145 employees. Five years ago, its Orillia, Ontario division was located half-an-hour southwest on Highway 11 in a tiny leased space in Barrie. After realizing a market need, B.C. Instruments decided to open the Orillia facility. This 10,000 square foot shop provides precision machining capabilities to a variety of industries.

Rob Prentice, the team leader of the engineered materials machining section, has been at the Orillia facility since it opened in July 2011. He came to B.C. Instruments when they were still located in Barrie. Today, the Orillia location operates with around 12 to 15 employees, with two people working on a night shift.

“We are still hiring though,” says Prentice, who notes that they are feeling the challenge of finding skilled workers that seems to be resonating across the province.

The Orillia shop does approximately 80 per cent of its work in the medical industry with 10 per cent in aerospace and another 10 per cent for other work. However, Prentice notes that some of their most complex work is in aerospace.

Based on the type of jobs, there was a need to explore workholding solutions that were designed for five-axis machining and decreasing time for changeovers. For the past three years, B.C. Instruments has real44 | FEBRUARY 2016

ized great improvements using Jergens quick change workholding devices.

Primarily working with stainless steel 303 and 304, and Aluminum 6061 and 7075, initially, Prentice was concerned with the strength of the workholding system, seeing as they are machining blocks that can reach up to 180lbs. He looked into the Jergens 5-Axis Drop&Lock Pallet Changer & Pull Studs. He was able to basically put the studs in a block and affixed it on its side.

“It was my main concern that the studs might snap. But, I’ve never had any issues,” he explains. Prentice puts the Jergens pattern on the bottom and begins machining without any vibration issues.

“We were really put to a non-typical test when we first came in here,” says Tom Reid, the Canadian sales manager for Jergens Workholding.

Now, B.C. Instruments uses a variety of quick change workholding solutions on the array of machines in their shop. At the moment, the facility includes two 5-axis mills (one that’s a mill/turn), three 3-axis mills, two standard CNC lathes, one CNC lathe with live tooling, one twin turret multiaxis lathe, one ultrasonic machine, one 3D printer, and a manual mill and lathe. On the milling side of the shop, Jergens workholding can be seen on almost every machine.

“One of the big advantages of this system is that I can remove our fixture block, and it repeats when I drop it back on,” says Prentice of the Jergens 5-Axis Fixture Pro Quick Change System on a Deckel Maho DMU 50 milling machine. “I can remove and back screw the part so there is no clamping to get in our way while we are trying to cut.”

The advantages are in repeatability and decreased set up times. For Prentice, it’s all about being able to easily take workpieces on and off. At the shop, they have all their fixturing, vises and chucks set up just to slide right on the machines.

“You just clamp it down with four screws.

It’s easy on and off, taking about five minutes instead of spending half an hour trying to figure out how to clamp it and make it all straight,” Prentice explains, adding that offsets always come right off the center of the table, so Prentice doesn’t have to pick anything up for the x- and y-axis, which can save around 20 minutes of time.

If an operator makes even one or two changeovers in a day, by the end of the week www.canadianmetalworking.com

CASE STUDY you are adding about four or five hours of time saved and machine uptime. If you are running more than one shift, this can spell even greater savings.

For Prentice, this averages to about a cost savings of $500-1,000 per week for a workholding investment of around $1,800. This basically calculates an average return on investment (ROI) of one to two weeks.

“It pays back really fast. It does depend on your changeovers and jobs, but over here we are doing lots of prototyping, so it is on and off. One day it’s on the vise, the other it’s on something else,” explains Prentice. “We can just drop it and go.”

Another major advantage of the system is that it is designed for five-axis machining.

Prentice points out that a lot of times when you are machining, the clamp is on and it can hinder your reach. This Jergens system leaves way less in the way and it is able to tilt up and machine without challenges.

When it comes to repeat jobs, the system also makes it very easy to keep up with production.

“I don’t pick up any origins, I just call up the program/origins I’ve set right into the program the first time, and it repeats,” says Prentice. “I basically press go and it goes. I have no worries with that.”

What is more, using this system has allowed B.C. Instruments to implement lights out manufacturing. Prentice explains that he is able to load three blocks onto the Mori Seiki NMV5000 DCG, which has five pallets, three of which have the Jergens system.

“I just load three of these and go home,” he adds. “The machine runs for about three hours a part. That’s nine hours, so when I come back in, they are all done.”

B.C. Instruments currently has two employees working on an evening shift. Prentice explains

www.canadianmetalworking.com

that one advantage he’s noticed with the systems is that the day shift is able to do set-ups for the night shift. So when they come in for work, they can just hit go and monitor all the machines, without worrying about anything.

Rob Prentice, the team leader of the engineered Although there are materials machining section, shows off the Jergens great advantages, it’s workholding solutions on the shop floor. also worth noting that each workholding system has its own cost associated with it.

Eugene Kokbas, the section manager for the engineered materials machining section at the Orillia location explains, “with some parts, you are requiring a lot of extra material to screw in the screws. Sometimes we end up adding over an inch of material. So there is a cost in material. When you are working with parts like [we work with], adding another inch really doesn’t make much of a difference—you have to hold the part, right.”

The shop has found great success with the Jergens 5-Axis Drop&Lock Pallet Changers & Pull Studs, and it can be seen on their two 5-axis machines. The design of the system has allowed them to manufacture both aerospace and medical parts that require tight tolerance and precision machining. With four pins affixed underneath the block, the shop is able to machine all sides without putting stress on the block and possibly distorting the material.

“We typically see customers going for those options when it is an awkward size, like 777 landing gears,” says Reid. “They want better repeatability.”

The strength of the system, the repeatability and time savings has allowed for B.C. Instruments to see great process improvements and make jobs seamless for operators.

This is why the Jergens 5-Axis Quick Change System is the right fit for B.C. Instruments.

FEBRUARY 2016 | 45

The role of cutting tools in making aerospace parts

BY NATE HENDLEY

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Iscar’s recently released P290 cutter.

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hen it comes to making aerospace parts, cutting tool experts retain a soft spot for titanium, a hard metal that’s both light and strong and highly heat and corrosion resistant. The use of composite material also continues to grow, offering fresh challenges to companies that manufacture cutting tools for aerospace-related applications.

Here’s what the experts had to say about titanium, composites and the role of cutting tools in aerospace machining:

WHAT KIND OF MATERIALS ARE YOU SEEING MORE FOR AEROSPACE PARTS? “Titanium alloys are one of several important hard material alloys in aerospace, including super alloys such as Inconel and Waspaloy, and stainless and other alloys such as 13-8PH, 15-5PH, 4340 and 300M. Each of these alloys has important unique attributes that are essential to the aircraft—whether it’s part of the engine, landing gear, structure or other,” says Jacob Rak, applications engineer at SGS Tool Company. “Composite usage is increasing due to its strength to weight ratio. As technologies improve on how to produce and machine composites, more components and products will emerge using them,” adds Rak. “Titanium is very common for engine sections and certain airframe load bearing structures on current planes,” notes Scott Pettay, a regional sales manager with Kyocera Precision Tools. “Composites conwww.canadianmetalworking.com

2/11/16 7:40 AM

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The Raptor high feed mini mills from Kyocera Precision Tools.

tinue to replace titanium, aluminum and hard metal alloys, though, in load bearing sections.”

“I expect to see an increase of titanium usage,” says Rak.”And emerging alloys such as Ti5553 are becoming more popular, yet more difficult to machine, requiring ongoing development in machining strategies and tool design.”

Titanium and composites also register with Cullen Morrison, business development manager, threading and milling, Komet of America.

“Composite material usage will greatly increase as more and more companies are learning how to process these materials efficiently and the cost is coming down,” he says.

“If we use more composites in aircraft that lends itself to more titanium being used,” suggests Michael Standridge, industry specialist for aerospace, Sandvik Coromant. “There is still some sort of reaction between aluminum and matecomposite mate rials that creates corrosion, possibly premature fatigue.

So if composites are used, you’ll see titanium being used. And of course, I don’t see the need for lighter weight aircraft going away.

HOLDING ON TIGHT When it comes to tool holding for aerospace work, cutting tool specialists suggest it’s worth investing in high quality solutions.

“The most rigid tool with the least run-out is always the best option.

Shrink fit and hydraulic chuck systems seems to be the most popular at this time,” says Cullen Morrison of Komet.

“Depends on the component,” adds Scott Pettay from Kyocera Precision Tools. “Shrink fit holders are very popular on aluminum parts while standard CAT50 holders are fine for general purpose applications.”

“Many tool holder companies offer mechanical locks to prevent tool pull out, which can not only damage the tool, but also the machine and the component,” says Jacob Rak at SGS Tool Company. “Look for quality tool holding with proven, simple locking systems. It’s better to spend a bit more for good tool holding upfront than to spend several thousands of dollars in damaged equipment and materials.”

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Regardless of titanium, you’re going to look at more advanced lightweight alloys we might not even know about yet. The driver is more fuel efficiency, bigger cargo capacity [and lower] overall costs,” he adds.

WHAT IS THE CHALLENGE IN CUTTING COMPOSITES? According to the experts, the major issue with composites is “delamination,” which is to say, composite layers coming apart.

“When you use composites, it’s not just a single layer, but multiple layers. It’s like making a piñata with paper maché—you lay layers over layers over layers,” explains Tom Noble, national aerospace product manager at Ingersoll Cutting Tools. “As you go through these layers, to machine, very often you can separate or delaminate the layers right at the point of cutting…once it starts to delaminate, it’s game over.”

“Composites are a challenge because you don’t really know what you’re cutting, because each manufacturer has its own way of putting the layers together,” echoes David Vetrecin, product manager at Iscar Tools.

WHAT ARE THE BEST CUTTING TOOL COATINGS FOR AEROSPACE WORK? “For composites, diamond coating is best to deter edge break down. For chrome/nickel alloys we recommend our AlTiN coating, Ti-Namite-A. For titanium and steel alloys we recommend our new nano-structured AlTiSiN coating, Ti-Namite-M,” notes Rak. “Composite tooling needs to be sharp to cut the carbon, glass or aramid fibers, all of which can be highly abrasive.

Anything less than diamond or diamond coating will result in relatively short tool life, because once that keen edge is dulled it doesn’t cut the fiber, which results in unacceptable parts due to fraying and delamination,” he continues.

“It depends on the material being machined,” says Morrison.

“Super alloys need coatings that can take Komet’s new Q56 line of indexable milling tools.

www.canadianmetalworking.com

2/11/16 7:42 AM

higher heat with a low friction coefficient.

Composite materials need a coating…such as NCD (Nano-Crystalline Diamond) which is a true diamond coating.”

LET’S TALK ABOUT COOLANT. IS DRY MACHINING USED AT ALL FOR AEROSPACE PARTS? “A lot of composite and fiber materials are cut dry for various reasons. Sometimes the part is too large and the machine, such as a router, doesn’t use coolant and an air blast is used. Or the part does not allow any potential contamination from the oils in the coolant…I have not seen a trend in minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) usage with aerospace components, however,” states Morrison.

“We cannot machine titanium dry. There’s no way possible,” adds Standridge. “You can consider [cryogenics] to be a dry process in a sense because it’s a gas. That’s about as close as you’ll get for machining titanium dry.”

WHAT KIND OF CUTTING TOOL WEAR IS COMMON IN AEROSPACE APPLICATIONS? “Titanium tends to be a gummy material that can get a built-up edge, and nickel-based materials like Inconel will experience more

CMTL_Feb_TECO.indd 1 www.canadianmetalworking.com

of the notching if not mitigated with unique tool paths or proper tool substrates. Composite materials tend to see more wear as they are very abrasive,” says Morrison.

“Adhesion is definitely a problem with titanium alloys,” agrees Rak. “Specific geometry and superior coatings address adhesion concerns. Cut depth, speed and feed rates and tool path strategies also are key. Coolant holes are available on many of the high performance rougher (HPR) items and are extremely effective in providing coolant at the cutting zone, further assisting adhesion prevention.”

According to Kevin Maples, tooling solutions engineer for aerospace and energy at Walter USA, “Titanium tends to ‘work harden’ very easily and generates a tremendous amount of heat when being machined.

OSG Corp.’s new WDO-SUS drill with “Mega Cooler” coolant hole design.

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Cutting edge preparation and coatings play a significant part in the selection of indexable inserts and solid carbide cutting tools.

Edge chipping, thermal cracking and edge build-up are very common if the edge and grade selection is incorrect,” he says.

“In nickel-based alloys (stainless steel, Inconel, etc.), built-up-edge and notching [is the most common wear] due to the properties of nickel (gummy, work hardens),” says Pettay, adding “In titanium, carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) and aluminum, it is normally flank wear,”

HAS YOUR COMPANY RECENTLY RELEASED NEW CUTTING TOOLS, INSERTS OR GRADES FOR AEROSPACE WORK?

The Z5 HRP (High Performance Rougher) from SGS Tool Company

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“Komet has recently launched the new [Q56] line of indexable milling tools. One of those tools is a high feed mill design that is commonly used in aerospace applications. This tool is designed to have a very free cutting action with a large depth of cut for high metal removal rates with a geometry specifically for typical aerospace super alloys,” says Morrison. “We have also launched a new drilling insert grade for our Pentron drill. The 7935 grade was very successful in 2-3xD drilling operations in super alloys with our Quatron drill that is now available for our 4-5xD Pentron drill for long depth applications.”

Iscar recently released the P290 cutter “targeted right towards titanium machining,” says Vetrecin. According to Iscar, the P290 cutter offers excellent tool stability, optimal chip flow, easy evacuation (even from deep cavities) and high tooth load capability.

“Our new indexable insert grade WSM45X is able to handle a variety of titanium alloys from 6A14V to very difficult to machine 10-2-3 and 555-3 materials,” says Maples.

“SGS released a 377 item portfolio of the next generation, five flute version of our Z-Carb line, called the Z5 HPR,” states Rak. “This series is available in all the aerospace corner radius sizes, coolant through holes, and two types of coatings: Ti-Namite-A (excellent in chrome-nickel alloys) and Ti-Namite-M (superior in titanium alloys).”

“OSG Corporation has developed a new drill (WDO-SUS) specifically for stainless steel and titanium alloys),” says Craig Ramsey, national sales manager, OSG

Canada.

Kennametal’s new “WDO-SUS drills feaKCSM30 grade for ture a sharp cutting high-speed milling. edge (to reduce work hardening) which leads to longer tool life during secondary operations (tapping and reaming), unique flute geometry (for compact cutting chip formation), special drill margin (for reduced friction and heat), “Mega Cooler” coolant hole design (for improved coolant flow, chip evacuation and less heat generation) and OSG’s WXL coating (to minimize chipping and extend tool life).”

“Kennametal just launched a new grade called KCSM30, which is a harder, more wear resistant grade for higher speed applications,” says Scott Etling, director global product management for indexable milling at Kennametal. A high-performance milling grade, KCSM30 offers the high cutting speeds required to machine titanium.

“Kyocera released our new high feed cutters (Raptor and Raptor mini) and radius mills for aerospace milling applications, primarily for stainless steel, heat resistant alloys (HRA) and titanium,” says Pettay. “Almost all of our new products come out with edge preps and grades for aerospace applications.

Our new grades for these cutters are CA6535 (Inconel and heat treated PH stainless) and PR1535 (stainless and titanium).”

WHAT’S THE MOST CHALLENGING ASPECT OF MAKING AEROSPACE PARTS, FROM A CUTTING TOOL PERSPECTIVE? “The variety of parts can be challenging,” says Pettay. “There are so many different components that make up an airplane in many dissimilar materials. For example, tools used for machining a hydraulic connector will be much different than a spar, landing gear, etc. Knowledge of the tools, grades, and approach are a must to be competitive.” www.canadianmetalworking.com

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2016-01-19 9:24 AM

A look at the non-destructive testing sector in Canada

Aerospace and defense, oil and gas, power generation and automotive are leading sectors that use NDT techniques to ensure the quality of products. In 2015, it is estimated that North America had the largest NDT market; however, Asia and the South Pacific regions are expected to see the highest market growth rate from 2015-2020.

According to the Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS) maintained

by Employment and Social Development Canada, over the 2013-2022 period there will be approximately 32,500 job openings for National Occupations Code (NOC) 226 for “other technical inspectors and regulatory officers” with only some 27,000 job seekers, demonstrating a shortfall of skilled workers.

Within that the NOC code 2261 is dedicated to non-destructive testers and inspectors. With the boomer generation starting to retire and changes now being implanted by the NRCan NDT Certification Body to the NDT personnel re-certification scheme, more jobs will become available. And NDT employment growth is projected to be higher than average, fuelled in part by the continuous need to comply with mandated safety standards and regulations regardless of how the economy performs.

“Any market report that I’ve seen in the last five years points to a growing demand for products and services in the NDT area,” explains Larry Cote, president/CEO for the Canadian Institute for Non Destructive Evaluation (CINDE).

NDT CERTIFICATION STANDARDS

BY LINDSAY LUMINOSO

W

hen it comes to non-destructive testing (NDT), all signs point to an extremely profitable and burgeoning market both globally and in Canada, according to the January 2016 MarketsandMarkets report “Non Destructive Testing (NDT) Market worth 18.88 Billion USD by 2020”. It states that “With the increase in automation in the industrial manufacturing and infrastructure sectors, there has been a substantial hike in the demand for flaw detection related to cracks, porosity, manufacturing disorders, and so on. Adherence to industrial safety norms is also a significant factor behind the growth of the global NDT market.”

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Through the efforts of the International Standards Organization (ISO) Technical Committee 135 for Non-destructive Testing, there has been a worldwide effort to harmonize the international standard for the qualification and certification of NDT personnel.

This effort began in the 80s when Canadian industry icons such as John Zirnhelt helped lead the development of ISO 9712. Canada ultimately adopted the standard in the 90s, and more recently, in March 2015, the CAN/ CGSB-48.9712-2014 standard was approved as the identical adoption of the International Standard ISO-9712:2012, which is now the basis for all third-party NDT certification programs around the world.

“Canada should be proud of the role it’s played in the development of ISO 9712,” says Cote. “Now we can say we have one singular worldwide standard that everyone can adopt more consistently. The impact of this will be to help open up the borders for goods and www.canadianmetalworking.com

NDT AND AEROSPACE MANUFACTURING

Ultrasonic methods use beams of mechanical waves of short wavelength and high frequency, transmitted from a probe and detected by the same or other probes.

PHOTO: VICTOR AVIATION SERVICES

services, and eliminate barriers for the people who have the skills to do mission-critical inspection tasks based on the standard. We’re not all the way there yet with reciprocity between national NDT certification programs, but we’re the closest we’ve ever been.”

The ISO 9712 standard addresses many NDT methods, but the practical emphasis for industry is usually on: (1) magnetic particle testing; (2) liquid penetrant testing; (3) ultrasonic testing; (4) radiographic testing; and (5) eddy current testing.

Other similarly useful and technically advanced techniques include acoustic emission testing, strain gauge testing, vibration analysis, infrared thermography, leak testing and visual inspection. Any of these on their own can offer meaningful and challenging employment.

New inspection technologies have emerged and are now becoming commonplace in the many sectors.

“The new technology areas such as phased array ultrasound, phased array eddy current and digital radiography are making great strides in the way we can look at things to determine their quality or whether they are fit for continued service,” explains Cote.

As quality standards continue to become stricter, the need for NDT techniques becomes more prominent in many sectors, including aerospace and defense, where NDT is widely used. NDT is not always the simplest way to test and inspect parts; however, it is often a necessary option. With low volume high-cost parts, sacrificing even one part can be detrimental both from a time and cost standpoint.

When it comes to aerospace manufacturing, the need to test components is paramount, especially when it comes to new advanced materials. For example, as aerospace designs move towards composites new NDT methods were sought to help ensure the integrity of the wings and control surfaces.

Cote points out that at a recent NDT in Canada national conference, a student from the Royal Military College spoke about the best way to inspect the newer jet fighter aircraft, which now make use of composite materials. “It’s a good example of how some of the traditional NDT methods have had to make way for new approaches for composites.” With the adoption of new NDT methods, inspection technicians can say with the same certainty that the bonds on the composite material are strong and maintain their integrity every bit as well as the more familiar aluminum riveted airplane.

In 2011, the Magellan Aerospace facility in Winnipeg (MAW) opened its state of the art Advanced Composites Manufacturing Centre.

Today, production of parts for the F-35 program is underway, and among the centre’s leading-edge technologies is a PaR Laser UT Non-Destructive Inspection facility.

According to Magellan, its Laser UT system is one of four in the world, and the only one outside of the U.S. “The productivity enhancements, when compared to other traditional methods of inspection are significant,” noted Don Boitson, vice president and general manager of Magellan Aerospace. “A component that would

NDT provides an excellent and efficient method for qualifying the integrity of aircraft parts and characterization of material properties.

PHOTO: VICTOR AVIATION SERVICES

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FEBRUARY 2016 | 53

take eight hours to inspect using conventional methods can take as little as one hour to inspect utilizing Laser UT.” The Laser UT provides non-destructive ultrasonic inspection for composite materials. However, when it comes to aerospace NDT a wide gamut of different methods are employed. At Magellan’s Winnipeg facility, for example, activities currently include radiography (film & fluoroscopy), ultrasonic (conventional & laser), eddy current (phase impedance & direct reading), fluorescent penetrant inspection, and magnetic particle inspection.

“Our NDT operating procedures are compliant with our customers’ and applicable ASTM specifications,” notes John Derkach, technical team leader—process engineering, at MAW. “Our NDT inspectors are NAS 410 and CGSB certified. We maintain NADCAP NDT accreditations to be an eligible supplier to the U.S. Defense Department and prime OEM aircraft and aero engine manufacturers.”

The entire quality department at MAW consists of about 80 staff of which 12 (approximately 15 per cent) are involved with NDT.

FUTURE OF NDT In aerospace manufacturing, the increasing use of new materials demands a high integrity and traceability of NDT measurements.

“There are new and emerging NDT methods being tested and developed to keep pace with the various NDT challenges new aerospace materials provide,” notes Derkach. “Currently our traditional NDT methods have met our current customer requirements. The biggest challenge is to be more efficient when conducting the required NDT testing to allow MAW to be cost competitive globally and maintain the required high probability of flaw detection to ensure compliant hardware is delivered to the customer on time.”

The PaR Laser UT system for non-contact inspection As manufacturof composite parts at Magellan Aerospace Winnipeg ing environments has a scan envelope of 180(X) x 204(Y) x 120(Z) inches become more autoPHOTO: MAGELLAN AEROSPACE WINNIPEG mated, the need for 54 | FEBRUARY 2016

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NDT and quality assurance to keep up is increasing. And in turn, testing itself has become automated.

These systems are being widely integrated in aerospace manufacturing facilities, and also in the hundreds of nuclear power utilities across North America that cannot operate without ongoing NDT inspection to meet strict regulatory requirements to protect human lives and the environment.

“There are some tremendous quality efficiencies that can be obtained. If you don’t have a regulatory reason to be doing NDT, you should have a manufacturing and continuous improvement reason to be looking at the proper use of these technologies,” explains Cote. “Improving the maintenance and reliability of physical assets through condition-based monitoring using NDT is a competitive edge any company should want to have.”

Cote sees more automation in the future of the NDT sector. He explains that Pratt & Whitney Canada’s Longueuil facility has manufacturing cells and their inspections are much more automated. Today, Canada is a market leader when it comes to advancing technology through the efforts of Canadian companies that specialize in automating NDT techniques.

“Technology wise we are adept, and the other area we should mention is research, which is another example of how Canadians are at the forefront of NDT technology and applications,” he explains. “We have universities across the country with professors and post-grad students actively engaged in researching the new approaches that industry needs.”

Overall, Canada’s NDT sector is thriving.

Industries like nuclear and aerospace are rapidly developing new processes and technologies, and the NDT sector is working to advance new standards for this new era of manufacturing. This is an area where Canada needs to start focusing its energy, explains Cote. “Many of the technology areas already mentioned are changing faster than the standards or certification organizations can keep up with.

This has created some pressure in Canada to improve the supply chain of qualified people so that employers have a skilled workforce capable of using new NDT technology.”

Cote emphasizes, “We will either become a net importer of NDT inspectors from other countries or we will be a net exporter to other countries, and my preference is for our education, training and certification programs to make Canada renowned for an NDT workforce that is sought after around the world.” www.canadianmetalworking.com

2/11/16 7:52 AM

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Workholding solutions for small parts

BY LINDSAY LUMINOSO

W

hen it comes to work, many shops operate on the premise that there is no job too small. And although this may be true, machining smaller parts presents its own unique challenges. First and foremost, the size of the workpiece must correspond to an appropriate workholding device. There are many workholding solutions available including vises, chucks and collets, vacuum tables, fixture plates and clamps to meet any manufacturer’s specific needs. However, many smaller jobs require workholding specifically designed to deal with limited workpiece material.

WHAT’S A SMALL PART? Small means different things to different shops. A part can be smaller than 0.5mm, which requires micromachining, or upwards of 50 mm (2”), and anywhere in between.

There are many factors that need to be assessed before deciding what type of workholding suits a specific job and there are many challenges that can be overcome when the right workholding solution is adopted.

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Using standard workholding options for medium to large size workpieces, with adjustments for smaller sizes, may seem like the easy choice. However, small, thin parts can become distorted with the high clamping forces found in vises and other workholding devices designed for larger parts.

“If the part is thin enough to bow when clamped but will spring back to normal when unclamped, you can possibly clamp the part tight enough to penetrate the material with the grips, then loosen the vise and re-clamp the part not so tightly without moving it,” suggests the Mitee-Bite website.

However, not all materials are able to spring back and will remain distorted after clamping. “Small parts that are thin may need support to prevent distortion when they are machined,” explains Alan Frost, president of Carr Lane Manufacturing.

“Thin parts are also susceptible to bowing if clamped too tightly.” This is why Frost suggests matching the size of the clamp/ workholding device to the workpiece.

One of the biggest things to consider when machining small parts is the amount of material available to clamp or affix the www.canadianmetalworking.com

part. “As with all clamping situations, it is critical to understand the machining which is needed to be done prior to designing the clamp,” says Frost.

Speaking to workholding specialists about the various parameters in which work must be completed is a great first step in solving this challenge. Solutions can range from custom options, a specific product line, or retrofitting existing workholding with parts to make it suitable for small parts.

“If it is a really small part you are machining, how do you hold onto the workpiece without covering so much of the block?” proposes Sarah Selva, national sales manager for Raptor Workholding Products. “[Some solutions] require significant material covered on three different sides.” Knowing how many sides of a workpiece require machining is an important question to ask before exploring different workholding options.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF RAPTOR WORKHOLDING

THINGS TO CONSIDER Choosing the right workholding solution will depend on the shape and design of the final part. Having to use a larger block in order to affix the workpiece or adding a

CMTL_Feb_Raptor.indd 1 www.canadianmetalworking.com

PHOTO: COURTESY OF RAPTOR WORKHOLDING

2016-01-27 9:26 | 57 FEBRUARY 2016AM

layer of sacrificial material to the workpiece may not be ideal for every shop.

“The challenge to holding onto it is that many times you will end up throwing away more material than the part is made of,” says Brian O’Reil, former president and designer of Raptor Products. This can be a challenge, but sometimes the cost of adding sacrificial material is outweighed by effective and efficient workholding solutions.

As the shop environment is evolving to be highly efficient and lean, workholding options that create significant material waste can

be costly, but they can cut down on machine downtime in a way that other options may not.

Depending on the application and the type of production run (whether it is for prototyping or larger batches), a solution that uses sacrificial material may be the right choice.

“The average amount of material that is needed to affix to the dovetail is 0.125”,” adds Selva. “Some of them require less material to hold onto, whereas others require more.” This minimal amount of sacrificial material on smaller parts may not take away too much from the bottom line, but can make

Carr Lane’s Tiny Vise

Kurt’s MiniLock

The Tiny Vise edge clamps provide clamping for small parts using a pair of opposing motion wedges, which draw together when the clamping screw is engaged. Tiny Vise is available in serrated, v-jaw and double-edge versions. The M-series Tiny Vise offers a modular jaw design for greater adjustability. This new modular system allows adjusting a workpiece engagement point by adding or removing spacers. This is useful when using the same fixture for machining a family of parts, or when workpiece size can vary somewhat between batches. M-series clamps have a 1/4”thick modular jaw that can be easily extended to insert or remove spacers. www.carrlane.com

The Kurt MiniLock is a small, screw down clamp that operates much like a precision vise.

Designed to hold small parts for machining, the MiniLock provides a low cost, easy-touse option for rigidly clamping components.

MiniLocks are ideal for use in dedicated fixture setups and for palletizing small parts to be loaded into receivers on machine tables. www.kurtworkholding.com

DATRON’s Vacumate

SCHUNK’s KONTEC KSO Vise

The Datron Vacumate vacuum table module is a very flexible system for securing small, flat work pieces. The principal is an assembly that has over one thousand holes in a grid pattern and uses a flow of air pulling downward through the holes, sucking your flat piece to the table surface. No gaskets are required with this system. On the aluminum top is a thin permeable card stock that distributes the vacuum evenly while acting as a sacrificial substrate for any cut-through of your work piece. The system is ideal for milling, drilling and engraving of flat materials such as aluminum, brass, plastic and even steel. www.datron.com

The KSO is SCHUNK‘s single-acting clamping vise for small parts, based on an encapsulated spindle drive which quickly and simply brings the jaws to the desired clamping position. The workpiece is held securely in O.D. or I.D. clamping by means of the appropriate tightening torque. The long jaw guidances ensure maximum precision during clamping. www.schunk.com

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Raptor’s Micro Dovetail Fixture The RWP-031SS is a .281” dovetail fixture for milling applications. This is a new micro design with deeper dovetail, 0.0781”, to provide additional holding strength. The RWP-031SS is designed to connect directly to the following 0.75” dovetail fixtures: RWP-002, RWP-002SS, RWP-015, RWP-023, RWP024 and RWP-030SS. www.raptorworkholding.com

TE-CO’s SnapLock Fixture Plates The SnapLock Fixture Plate is ideal for many fixturing applications, such as holding many small parts or parts with difficult clamping or locating requirements. Fixture Plates can be attached or removed in seconds and are offered in two widths from high quality aluminum. www.te-co.com

www.canadianmetalworking.com

will help determine the right solution. the difference in the machining process.

Workholding devices can range drastically in Another aspect to consider is ensuring there is enough clearance between the clamp, price, but there is no value in buying an inexpensive clamping option if it distorts your or workholding device, and the cutting tool. small parts. Custom solutions, which tend A good rule to consider is if access is needed to cost more upfront, may lead to productivto the entire top surface of a small part, ity enhancements which add to your overall the part should be thicker than the clamp machine uptime, adding to your bottom line. to prevent such a collision, explains Frost.

When properly implemented, workholding Some common workholding devices for small designed for small parts effectively hold the pieces range from 3 to 6mm (0.125” to 0.25”) in thickness, meaning they can accommodate tiniest of parts and make it easy for operators to keep work flowing. small parts without the worry of collision.

Some solutions also allow for workpieces to be held from underneath, like vacuum tables and magnetic workJERGENS WORKHOLDING SOLUTIONS holding devices. When using a vacuum option it is important to ensure the workpiece is covering as many holes as possible in order to ensure the best gripping force. This can be challengMULTI-AXIS QUICK CHANGE VISES ing if the workpiece is too small to cover the appropriate table area.

Low profile, self centering and “Vacuum workholding can be used heavy duty capability. when milling somewhat larger flat parts or batch milling many parts from sheet material,” says Bill King, President of DATRON Dynamics, on the company website. “DATRON vacuum tables are designed to secure flat workpieces from 0.001” to 0.250” within seconds.”

One of the advantages of the 75MM 60MM Heavy Duty 130MM vacuum table option is that there is no clamping force applied to the workpiece, rather the table generally features airflow ports with recessed Ideal for maximizing machining chambers. For DATRON, one of the capacity on vertical, horizontal design features is that the gas-permeand multi-axis machining centers, able substrate serves as a sacrificial Jergens new quick change vises offer vacuum diffuser, allowing a milling repeatability (+/- 0.0005”) and multiple machine to cut through the workpiece jaw and insert options. without cutting into the table.

Unique modular designs allow There are many different workmounting styles including: holding options for shops looking to • Direct to Machine Table machine small parts.

• Fixture-Pro® Quick Change “Best practices for holding small • Drop & Lock™ Pallet Changers parts for machining include: a clear WORKHOLDING SOLUTIONS • Zero Point System (ZPS) understanding of the machining forces to be resisted by the fixture; knowledge of the amount of access needed to the top of the workpiece; the potential for distortion of the workpiece from clamping or machining; and being sure the clamp chosen will not interfere with the cutting tool path,” says Frost.

15700 S. Waterloo Road. Cleveland, OH 44110-3898 Talking with workholding spe1-877-426-2504 | jergensinc.com | workholding@jergensinc.com cialists about your specific needs

NEW

www.canadianmetalworking.com

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1/14/16 3:42 PM 2016-01-19 9:02 AM

FAR FROM

DULL

Getting the whole picture on boring tools

BY NATE HENDLEY

I

t’s been far from dull in the boring tool sector with new tools, technologies and tips, all designed to improve the process of enlarging and/or finishing a pre-existing hole.

“Something new is axial/radial offset cartridges for rough boring. These are becoming popular [in situations] where stability and chip control issues affect the boring operation,” says Kurt Ludeking, product manager turning for Walter USA. “By enabling adjustment both radially and axially, you can remove more material with each insert, which can reduce vibration and also improve chip-control.”

“Digital readout boring heads and anti-vibration bars are both trending currently,” states Matt Tegelman, applications and product manager Kaiser, at Big Kaiser.

“Probably the biggest thing is people using anti-vibration boring bars,” echoes Steve Geisel, senior product manager at Iscar Canada. “A lot of people are doing very deep

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boring now…[anti-vibration bars] are expensive but they do exactly what’s advertised.

They dampen the vibrations or completely eliminate vibration when doing deep boring.”

Efficient chip evacuation in boring operations is a common concern for shops. “Good chip evacuation can be dependent on the material being cut and whether you’re boring a through hole or blind hole,” says Randy McEachern, product and application specialist for holemaking and tooling systems at Sandvik Coromant Canada. “Selecting appropriate insert geometries suited to the material being cut will create small chips which are easy to evacuate.”

According to Brian Hamil, product engineering manager with SGS Tool Company there are a combination of factors effecting chip evacuation. “It has to do with the shape of the chip that the drill point creates, so that it will evacuate up the flute easier,” notes Hamil.

“Along with that, having good lubricious finishes on the drill itself and the amount of lubricity in the coolant. And of course, coolant www.canadianmetalworking.com

pressure comes into play,” he adds.

Given the importance of coolant, coolant-through is becoming standard for most boring tools, but there is a place for ‘dry’ boring. “Internal coolant tools for boring are the standard, except perhaps in very small bores,” says Ludeking, adding “Dry boring can be done for specific applications where it is required, but not as a general practice.”

Asked if dry boring was trending, Manfred Lenz, product manager for holemaking at Seco Tools says, “Not that I’ve seen … the more heat you have on the insert, the quicker it’s going to wear out.”

When it comes to setting up cutting parameters, there is no one standard for boring operations, but there are some recommendations. “Every application and set-up is different, therefore cutting data will be reliant on the conditions. At Sandvik Coromant, many inserts used in our boring tools are standard items from our turning program.

When boring, we use 75 per cent of the speed and 100 per cent of the feed recommended for turning. Depth of cut in roughing operations is governed by the insert size selected and for finish boring, the minimum depth of cut

CMTL_Feb_Kinetic.indd 1 www.canadianmetalworking.com

“SOMETHING NEW IS AXIAL/RADIAL OFFSET CARTRIDGES FOR ROUGH BORING. THESE ARE BECOMING POPULAR [IN SITUATIONS] WHERE STABILITY AND CHIP CONTROL ISSUES AFFECT THE BORING OPERATION...BY ENABLING ADJUSTMENT BOTH RADIALLY AND AXIALLY, YOU CAN REMOVE MORE MATERIAL WITH EACH INSERT, WHICH CAN REDUCE VIBRATION AND ALSO IMPROVE CHIP-CONTROL.”

should be no less than the TNR (tool nose radius) of the insert,” says McEachern.

Boring harder materials, such as titanium, demands patience. “Harder materials are more abrasive and lead to shorter tool life,” says Marcus Paul, European-based global product manager for hole finishing at Kennametal.

“They also create a higher passive force which can be critical. The boring tool could deflect… productivity suffers as the cutting speed applied is significantly lower.”

“Boring titanium can be done effectively when a few general considerations are applied,” states McEachern, who lists these considerations as follows: • Number one, use positive geometries to

2016-01-19 9:28 | 61 FEBRUARY 2016AM

•

• •

• •

allow free cutting and reduce cutting pressure.

Be sure to use specific geometries and grades for specific applications such as roughing and finishing operations.

Use sharp cutting edges (ground inserts).

Uncoated grades are beneficial to avoid reactions between titanium and materials used in coatings.

Select inserts with small TNR (tool nose radius).

The range for cutting data is smaller than •

•

•

carbon steels; therefore a good balance for speed and feed is important to apply correctly.

Always use positive feeds that don’t allow the tool to dwell.

When using silent boring bars, select an insert pocket with -3° lead angle which will transmit vibration back into the [silent] bar.

When possible, utilizing high pressure and high precision coolant will boost productivity, keeping the heat zone cool and helping with chip control.

NEW BORING TOOLS Vargus USA recently upgraded its Groovex Microscope product line that is used for small diameter boring among other applications. “We introduced a series of boring inserts with a chip former to aid in those applications where chip formation and chip management are critical,” explains Vargus USA product manager, Van Simpson. “We redesigned the smallest boring tools in our offering to increase the cross-sectional area of the tool. The redesigned tools are stronger and provide improved surface finish and tool life … we modified the top grind on all but the smallest boring tools. The modification helps to facilitate chip evacuation from the part.”

Last year, Big Kaiser Precision Tooling introduced an enhanced EWN 2-50XL Boring Kit and new MW boring head. “The MW heads lend themselves well to the automotive industry for piston wrist pin bores … the Boring Kit is more targeted to job shops where versatility is required for boring tools,” explains Matt Tegelman, applications and product manager Kaiser, at Big Kaiser.

Sandvik Coromant’s new SpiroGrooving tool: “We recently added a completely new tool to our boring tool line up. Our new SpiroGrooving tool provides a simple yet sophisticated process for making grooves for sealing rings.

The method uses a spirograph tool path to create close tolerance seal ring grooves in a very reliable and productive way,” says Randy McEachern, product and application specialist, holemaking and tooling systems at Sandvik Coromant Canada.

The new B3230 Walter Capto fine boring tool from Walter USA is highly flexible,

62 | FEBRUARY 2016

making it a good choice for job shops that do a variety of tasks, says Kurt Ludeking, product manager for turning at Walter USA. The B3230 is available in diameters from 0.078 – 7.992 inches with an adjustment accuracy of 0.0001 inch on the diameter.

MAPAL has developed a CVD-coated cutting material series specially tailored to the demands of boring in all cast materials—GJL, GJV and GJS. The new cutting materials HC720, HC725, HC730 and HC735 differ in the carbide substrate used in each. All have a heat-resistant α-aluminium oxide coating with good coating adhesion. Cutting edges with the new coating offer the potential for a significant increase in the cutting speed during boring, even with dry machining, while also achieving longer tool lives.

Kennametal has added an ER back end feature to its ModBore fine boring platform. “The ER version is equipped with a lock nut to adapt to a collet chuck. This line provides customers maximum flexibility with their choice of back ends. It is a very economical way to adapt boring heads to any kind of spindle,” says Marcus Paul, European-based global product manager hole finishing, for Kennametal.

KOMET has expanding its precision boring range with new lightweight bridges made from aluminium for its MicroKom hi.flex precision drilling system. They are low weight with high rigidity and, with four variants, cover a range of diameters from 210 to 365 mm.

www.canadianmetalworking.com

As mentioned, deep boring is a variation on standard boring. There’s also small boring, another operation which offers its own set of challenges.

“With small boring, the biggest issues are getting cutting speeds high enough to achieve good performance while maintaining stability at high RPMs,” says Ludeking.

For its part, deep boring “presents long overhangs which translates to vibrations often leaving chatter in the finished bore” which can reduce hole quality and increase cycle time, says McEachern.

Anti-vibration bars aside, there are other methods to diminish vibes when deep boring.

“Since parameters are more critical in deep boring, extra attention to the cutting geometry of the insert and the edge preparation are very important. Then matching the parameters to the capability of the cutting edge goes a long way toward reducing deflection that leads to vibration. A typical issue is too little depth of cut/feed for the application that leads to the insert not cutting, leading to deflection and vibration,” says Ludeking.

And of course, rigid set-up can help reduce vibrations.

There is also a move towards combination tools, which can allow users to blend the boring process with other operations or bypass boring completely. “We make drills that are combo drills where you can drill and counterbore all in one tool,” says Geisel. “These are mainly used in automotive where people want to eliminate the number of tools. They can just do as much as they can in one shot.”

So, will the popularity of such combination tools mean that boring might disappear as a stand-alone operation? “It depends on the part, it depends on the drill, it depends on the industry,” explains Geisel.

“Aerospace machinists would never drill and bore in one shot because the parts are too expensive…If they’re going to use a drill, they will drill with it. If they’re going to use a boring tool, they’re going to bore with it. They’re not going to do many combo tools … but automotive is all about speed. They have to produce www.canadianmetalworking.com

parts in seconds. For them, they’re going to want to absorb as many operations in a single tool as possible.”

According to Ludeking from Walter, boring is necessary where you need flexibility.

“Reaming is a fixed size operation, wellsuited to high volume production operations, so it tends to be rather inflexible … boring can adjust the true position of the hole where reaming just follows the hole that is there … for many reasons, boring will be around for a long time.”

FEBRUARY 2016 | 63

Available with 3 or 5 axes, the KERN Micro is a compact machining center for fully automated production with minimal dimensional variance. www.kernmicrotechnik.com

racy—ultra-preci racy—ultra-precision machining, or micromachining—hold tolerances of less than a micron, enabling the machining of miniature parts and ultra-fine surface finishes leading to new advanced biomedical applications.

DEFINING MICROMACHINING

THE BIG

PICTURE OF MICROMACHINING A niche market that shows room for growth

BY DOUG PICKLYK

A

s the capability of metal machining technology continues to improve the ability to machine with more exact precision is resultresult ing in new generations of end products that can truly affect people’s lives.

Industries like aerospace, automotive and medical instruments have driven the demand for precision machining, where parts must meet tight tolerances and undergo enhanced testing and scrutiny to ensure the safety of passengers and patients. For even greater levels of accu64 | FEBRUARY 2016

It’s important to understand that micromachining is not limited to miniature parts.

“For me micro machining is defined by high accuracy and/or high surface quality,” explains Toni Mangold, president of Kern Precision Inc., the North American division of German-based KERN Microtechnik, manufacturers of machining centers dedicated to high precision.

More precisely, according to Stephen Veldhuis, professor at McMaster University (Hamilton, Ontario) and director of the McMaster Manufacturing Research Institute (MMRI), ultra-precision typically involves features on the order of microns and/or surface finishes in the nanometers.

Veldhuis has been researching the area of ultra-precision machining for over a decade, studying the physics of these cutting processes at a microscopic level. “A more formal definition for ultra-precision machining involves the interplay between the chip thickness generated during cutting, the cutting edge radius of the tool and the grain size of the workpiece,” explains Veldhuis.

“In many of these applications the tooling is a single crystal diamond, so the cutting edge radius is approaching 50 nanometers thickand the actual chip thick nesses are around 0.25 to 0.5 microns, or could go as high as 2 to 3 microns.”

Makino’s iQ300 precision micromachining center offers temperature control and sub-micron accuracy. www.makino.com

www.canadianmetalworking.com

To place this in perspective, a human hair measures around 100 microns in diameter, so we’re dealing with cutting depths not perceptible by the naked eye.

PROCESS RETHINK To understand the levels of complexity in micromachining, machine shop owners, process engineers and machinists need to embrace change. “I believe that it requires two main steps to conquer the world of micro machining,” says Mangold. “The traditional shop owner needs to be willing to re-think the processes he’s been working with, and the machinists who are working with the machines need to see and understand the advantage of working with micro machining equipment.”

Machining at this level requires machine tools specially equipped for the task. “Micro machining takes all of the issues in precision machining and multiplies them by 100,” says Veldhuis.

With a dedicated micromachining R&D center at its facility in Auburn Hills, Michigan, Makino offers up its iQ300 vertical machining center as an ultra-precision tool. “The iQ300’s actual positioning accuracy is +/- 400 nanometers, that’s +/- 0.4 microns, and the positioning repeatability of that machine is 100 nanometers, ” explains Mark Rentschler, director of marketing with Makino. “And our ability to provide positional accuracies is even greater than that. Our actual minimum input is 10 nanometers, so we can program and execute tolerancing to that degree.”

Veldhuis suggests that beyond tight servo loop control and positioning accuracy, an ultra-precision machine tool requires enhanced rigidity, thermal stability and the ability to maintain that stability over an extended period of time.

According to Rentschler, Makino’s leadership in terms of precision engineering is based on the company’s long-standing experience and manufacturing techniques.

“A lot of that has to do with our longterm exposure to die and mold machining, where you need to have high-quality surface finish and the ability to manage those conditions over a long operating time.”

Holding temperature is critical when dealing with such fine tolerances. “From a technical perspective, the latest trends are thermal www.canadianmetalworking.com

compensation of the entire machine in order to provide a stability of the process,” notes Mangold. “Most inaccuracies are caused by thermal impacts. Today the very first part produced needs to be in spec. This is very important for our customers in the mold and die industry since they usually only have to produce one part.”

Because thermal stability is essential, Veldhuis explains that long warm up cycles— up to three to four hours—which mimic real cutting is required prior to making any cuts. “You need to bring the machine tool to a normal operating thermal profile, and let it expand uniformly.

Once it’s all The YASDA Micro Center uniform, YMC 430 Ver. II has a high-speed 40,000 RPM then you can spindle and is available with actually do 3-Axis or 5-Axis capabilities. your cut.” www.methodsmachine.com The chips are extremely small, so the amount of heat generated is quite small, but if coolant is being used its temperature needs to be controlled.

“Typically you use a very fine spray of mist to both lubricate the zone and also direct the chip away from the cutting zone,” says Veldhuis. “Chip control is important. A chip hitting the workpiece can damage it or can create vibration, or if you re-cut the chip at this scale it can lead to flaws.”

When it comes to micromachining, cutting by ear no longer applies, as the drone from the spindle exceeds any noise generated due to cutting. In the lab at McMaster, the researchers work on a Matsuura LX 1 with a 60,000-rpm spindle. “It’s a ceramic bearing spindle, very stable and rigid,” says Veldhuis, noting that high speed is necessary for micromachining.

“You need to achieve a certain cutspeed between the cut ting edge radius and the workpiece, so in that case you’re talking about With stable gantry construction and holistic temperature control the DMG MORI ULTRASONIC 30 linear offers new options for 5-axis precision machining. www.dmgmori.com

FEBRUARY 2016 | 65

The functioning blood oxygenator device filled with blood during experiments.

PHOTO: MCMASTER UNIVERSITY

66 | FEBRUARY 2016

With micro machining, shops are able to save a very high rpm, a high certain steps of a process, like polishing or degree of dynamic rigidEDM’ing,” says Mangold. “For example, for the ity to avoid vibration, optical industry we can offer machined housand tight servo control of ings accurate enough that a manual adjustmovements.” ment of placed lenses is no longer needed.”

Also essential is accuOptics is a large industry, from aerospace rate tool and workpiece applications to photocopiers, precision set up to avoid any vibraoptics with very tight form accuracy and tion due to imbalance. surface finish requirements are in demand.

The typical cutting tool, ““A lot of success in the micromachining a miniature end mill, area has been the micro milling of bio-flumeasures around 10 thou (0.25 mm). Veldhuis points idic medical areas,” notes Rentschler. The medical field represents a real growth out that because the opportunity, echoes Veldhuis, who has chip loads are so small it doesn’t take much worked with medical research departments runout to really overload one side of the tool. at McMaster University.

Tool locating is another critical practice, He points to the emerging development of especially when you’re setting up offsets to mobile point-of-care diagnostic devices— make a cut of one-micron or less. “You have to tools that would merge precision be very careful with how you bring the optical and microfluidic devices cutting tool into the workfor advanced biomedical piece,” notes Veldhuis. “If applications. you’re above the surface One device Veldhuis you achieve nothing, and if has experience with you’re too deep you break is a blood oxygenator the tool. Your margin for developed for infants. error is very small.” lung-asThis small lung-as At McMaster they sist device, modular in use vision-based sysdesign to accommodate tems to assist with tool The micro machined die for the oxygen a range of pre-term and set-up. Veldhuis suggests permeable membrane used in the blood oxygenator (Thank you to Dr. Christoph term infant body weights, that operators new to the Fusch in Pediatrics and Dr. Ravi exposes flowing blood to process need to experiment Selvaganapathy in Mechanical air through a gas-permewith the tools, try feeds and Engineering at McMaster University for sharing this developmental work) able membrane. The blood speeds, and get accustomed PHOTO: EMMA BADOWSKI flows through an array of to the cutting conditions. micro-channels through When it comes to capillary action and the gas exchange occurs metrology for ultra-precision machining, across the membrane. measuring surface finish requires optical Veldhuis explains how micromachining is solutions. “Because we’re producing such a necessary to make the dies and molds for small feature it’s hard to extract an Ra value these products. “For the microfluidic chanfrom it,” says Veldhuis. “Normally you take nels, if you have too rough of a surface you a stylus and run it over the surface, but in won’t get the required capillary action for these cases the geometry you’re producing is blood to flow,” he says. similar to the stylus, so it’s hard to meaThis is one example of a potentially sure.” The tools include non-contact laser life-saving device that is being made posinterferometers to measure form accuracy, sible thanks in part to the capabilities of and white light interferometers for detailed ultra-precision machining. surface finish information.

“The need for high demanding parts is still growing,” suggests Mangold. “It is difficult APPLICATIONS [for machine shops] to survive by just proWhen it comes to industries requiring such ducing standard parts, since these are often fine machining parameters, any devices produced in countries with lower labor cost. incorporating miniature electronics, I believe the market here has to concentrate high-quality optics or ultra-fine three-dion the highly specialized parts which cannot mensional channels are candidates. be manufactured overseas. Companies need “Today we find the need for micromachining to stay on the cutting edge of technology.” in larger parts in many different industries. www.canadianmetalworking.com

TOOL TECH

CARBIDE INSERT EVOLUTION (PT. I)

BY ANDREI PETRILIN & MARCEL ELKOUBY

This major development led to impressive improvements in productivity within the area of machining emented carbide is a hard mateoperations. It was immediately posrial that is used extensively in sible to increase the load on the tool cutting tools that are intended for and to intensify operational metal machining. Within an industrial removal rates. In addition to this context, references to carbide or tungsten carbide usually refer to this cost-effective method, ensuring the simple and economical replacement cemented composite. of the cutting element when worn or Carbide cutters deliver many in case of breakage, it allowed the advantages. They provide a better manufacturing of the cutting segment surface finish on the machined part, and the tool bodies to be divided. and allow faster machining when Depending on the shape of the inserts compared to the use of high-speed used, they could be quickly indexed steel (HSS) cutters. Carbide tools ensuring the rapid change of a worn are able to withstand higher temcutting corner by several methods, peratures at the cutter-workpiece such as rotating the interface than standard insert on its axis or high-speed steel by flipping it upside tools, which is the down. Initially the principal reason new cutting segfor their faster ments were known machining capabilby several names, ity. Carbide usually such as throwaway provides superior Fig.1 - The milling insert H690 tips, interchangeable performance for the TNKX 1005 inserts, replaceable inserts; cutting of tough materials features marked however, today the more such as high alloyed steel difference in height of the widespread, generic term or stainless steel, as well inserts’ corners. “indexable inserts” is used. as in situations where The technology used in other cutting tools would the manufacturing of the wear away faster. indexable inserts is based on powder Industry’s use of cemented carmetallurgy, comprising of several bide for cutting metals began in the manufacturing processes as follows: 1930s. While some tools that feature • preparing carbide powder (mixing) relatively small sizes are wholly • pressing the powder (compacting) produced from carbide; others use • sintering compact carbide in the cutting area only.

• post-sintering processing Originally the cutting area consisted • coating of a carbide tip that was brazed or In the past, inserts were produced soldered to a tool body. However, in the 1940s cutting tool manufacturers by the use of manual machines.

Hence, the application of various began to produce cutting tools with complex powder metallurgical the advantage of replaceable carbide processes was very difficult or even segments that were mechanically impossible to perform. The intromounted on to the tools body. duction of more progressive indusThis clever innovation and the trial equipment, featuring advanced use of mechanical clamping, which automation and computer control, provides much greater strength compared with the previously brazed made the technological processes more stable, controllable and reliconnections, are now recognized as able. Consequently, the mechanical memorable milestones in the metalproperties of manufactured inserts working industry.

C

www.canadianmetalworking.com

07CMW-ToolTech-Iscar.indd 67

Fig.2 - The turning insert CNMG 331-F3P has a complex chip breaker formed by use of pressing technology. The insert optimized cutting geometry ensures productive turning various hard-tomachine steels and cast irons.

became more uniform, predictable and repeatable; these factors allowed dramatic improvements in terms of the accuracy of sintered inserts by reducing production tolerances.

Today, a typical insert production press is a highly engineered device that is computer controlled.

A moveable punch can be made from several “sub punches”, each operated separately. Some press designs encompass multi-axial pressing options. The remarkable progress in press technology enables the production of complex shaped inserts that are characterized by variable corner heights (Fig. 1). This capability enables the realization of optimal cutting geometry, which guarantees not only smooth and stable machining but also the increased accuracy of a machined surface (Fig. 2).

Additionally, the advantages provided by the use of modern CAD/ CAM systems make it possible to improve the design and the shaping parts of pressing die sets. Also, the ability to simulate the pressing processes related to new sintered products, when they are at the beginning of their design stages, allows further design amendments and enhancements to be made.

Andrei Petrilin is technical manager of indexable milling, and Marcel Elkouby is material science engineer manager, material & coating development, both with ISCAR. FEBRUARY 2016 | 67

2/11/16 7:56 AM

TOOL TALK

COMBINING DRILLING, MILLING, TURNING, GRINDING AND HARDENING FERMAT, a manufacturer of horizontal boring mills, has developed its latest multitasking machine.

The 5-axis Gantry Center allows for machining of large workpieces

from five sides with a combination of operations including drilling, milling, turning, grinding and laser hardening. Fermat has installed the machine at its Lipnik, Czech

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Republic, facility. The machine is designed for power machining with high rapid traverse.

The machine boasts significant productivity enhancements. It is able to perform various manufacturing operations without needing to move the part or manual intervention. The Gantry Center demonstrates its multiple workflow benefits, which includes an overall reduced manufacturing cycle, decreased setup time and a smaller footprint. Additional enhancements include improved rigidity and increased ram stability secured by the box-in-box design of the crossrail or reduced floor space.

This multitasking machine can essentially replace four standalone machines, for example, a Gantry milling machine, a grinder, a vertical lathe and hardening equipment.

Idle time accounts for major production time consumption with setup time, logistics between machines, measuring and inspection, etc. The multitasking machine reduces the idle time to a minimum. There are

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TOOL TALK further savings of manufacturing and warehouse space, logistics cost between machines including warehousing and operative storage and cost savings of the quantity of the required clamping devices.

The machine offers a movable gantry column slide size, which ensure rigidity of the movable gantry (length 3750mm, width 1900 mm). The rapid traverse in axis X, Y is up to 40.000 mm/min, shortening production time. The automatic exchangeable milling and grinding heads provides added versatility, with the milling head enabled for roughing and finishing operations.

The ram has a working spindle with Ø160mm and travel distance of 1000mm.

The machine is controlled by a SIEMENS SINUMERIK 840D SL control system and is equipped with automatically removable heads which increase machine technology utilization. Automatic tool change is done by a KUKA robot for up to 140 tools.

All of these enhancements and operations increase productivity and reduce production costs. By using the multitasking operations, savings can be substantial.

For more information, visit www.fermatmachinery.com and the exclusive Canadian distributor, www.tosamerica.com.

MULTITASK GANTRY CENTER – BASIC TECHNICAL INFORMATION Parameters

Column to Column

4.2/5.2/6.2 m

Clearance Between Table and Nose of Taper

2,675-3,675 mm

Table Dimension/ Floor Plates (W - L)

3/4/5 m - 10 to 50 m

Table Load

3,000/10,000 kg/m²

X Axis

10 – 50 m

Y Axis

5.8/6.8/7.8 m

Z Axis

1,6 m with W Spindle Ø 160 mm Travel Distance 1 m

Spindle rpm

10 – 2,500 rpm

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FEBRUARY 2016 | 69

www.canadianmetalworking.com CMTL_Feb_SMS.indd 1

2016-01-27 10:00 AM

TOOL TALK

OKUMA AND PARTNERS REVEAL NEW SOLUTIONS Continuing its emphasis on partner collaboration, Okuma America’s year-end open house revealed its subtractive/additive manufacturing concept, Internet of Things connections and aerospace-specific machining practices.

“We’re here to show how technology can benefit manufacturing and show leading-edge thought leadership in how we are making manufacturing more productive and efficient in today’s industry,” said Jim King, president of Okuma America.

The event, held December 9-12 in Charlotte, North Carolina, included a keynote by Robert Mudge of RPM Innovations in Rapid City, South Dakota, manufacturers of powder fed laser metal deposition—additive manufacturing systems.

Together with Okuma, Mudge illustrated a flexible manufacturing system incorporating an Okuma mill and multiple RPM systems. With the slow build speeds of additive manufacturing, he outlined the efficiency of keeping the processes separate, maintaining maximum spindle uptime on the machine tool.

Okuma’s Aerospace Center of Excellence hosted partners including Sandvik, 5ME, Predator Software, MP Systems and more. Predator and 5ME displayed real-time machine monitoring and data collection software for connected shops. 5ME also had its cryogenic system installed on an Okuma MU-8000V, machining a titanium blisk. According to Michael Judge, VP of business development with 5ME, the cryogenic system is greener, cleaner and more efficient for machining hard metals. www.okuma.com

Canadian visitors, Rob Roberts (left) and Matt Little from Calframax Technologies of Windsor, Ontario attended Okuma’s event.

The company is installing an MU-6300V.

70 | FEBRUARY 2016 CMTL_Feb_ITITooling.indd 1

www.canadianmetalworking.com 2016-01-27 9:28 AM

TOOL TALK

SANDVIK COROMANT’S NEW PRESIDENT, AMERICAS Sandvik Coromant has announced Sean Holt as the new President of the Americas market area, effective January 1, 2016.

An experienced executive, most

recently Holt was serving as vice president of engineering. He is now part of the global sales management team reporting to Eduardo Martin, global vice president of sales, whom he succeeds as the head of the Americas.

Holt (45), joined1 Sandvik Coromant Project1_Layout 1/27/16 1:56 PM Page 1

in 2000 as a sales engineer in Birmingham (UK). Since then, he has held several positions such as application development specialist and aerospace manager, Americas before taking on the vp engineering, Americas role in 2014.

Sean Holt, President Americas, Sandvik Coromant

SGS TOOL AND HAIMER SIGN LICENSING AGREEMENT SGS Tool has begun offering its cutting tools with the HAIMER Safe-Lock system. The unique design in cutting tools and tool holders combines high precision shrink fit clamping with a positive form locking mechanism, preventing round cutting tools from being rotated or pulled out from tool holders during heavy machining.

The new flute design of the SGS Z-Carb end mills led to greater metal removal rates, but the design could also lead to pull-out during aggressive machining due to its high helix, multiflute design. This led SGS to test various tool holding systems, ultimately leading to Haimer’s Safe-Lock system. www.sgstool.com www.haimer-usa.com FEBRUARY 2016 | 71

www.canadianmetalworking.com CMTL_Feb_Vargus.indd 1

2016-01-27 3:19 PM

TOOL TALK

MEGATEL EXPANDS INTO WINDSOR Canadian machine tool distributer Megatel is growing with the opening of a new 10,000 sq. ft. facility in Windsor, Ontario.

The new site is Megatel’s third facility, adding to Mississauga, ON, and Ville St. Laurent, QC.

The company purchased the Windsor site two years ago and has carried out extensive renovations to mirror its other facilities.

The new operation houses an equipment warehouse and offices.

To better service customers in the

SMALLER AND

JUST AS FIERCE

Windsor area, Megatel has hired another local service technician, and one of the company’s senior sales managers from Quebec will be relocating to Windsor to manage the new operation, taking on the role of business development manager.

The company plans to hold an open house event in early April to celebrate the grand opening of the Windsor operation.

In addition, Megatel has hired Moe Obradovic to the company’s Application Engineering department, working out of Mississauga.

The new hire positions the company to better provide worry-free solutions for its customers. www.megatelcnc.com

MITCHAM SEES POSITIVE GROWTH

MFH-RAPT R H i gh Fe e d End Mills Experience the newest addition to the popular MFH-Raptor high feed milling cutter family. The MFH-Mini high feed end mills are available in diameters from 0.625” to 1.250” for small machining centers. Boost productivity and reduce machining costs with the MFH-Mini’s economical double-sided 4-edge inserts. Covering such a broad spectrum of machining operations, the MFH-Mini is an essential part to any machine shop’s cutting tool arsenal.

Face Milling & Shouldering

Slotting

Ramping

Helical Milling

Pocketing

Contouring

Check out: KyoceraPrecisionTools.com/Raptor-Mini for more information!

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72 | FEBRUARY 2016

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Toronto-based Mitcham Machine Tools will now exclusively represent a selection of brands from U.S.-based distributor Methods Machine Tools.

Mark Dempsey, Methods has Mitcham’s new regional sales chosen Mitcham to manager for distribute Fanuc Eastern Ontario.

RoboDrill, Feeler, Kiwa, and Yasda in Ontario, excluding the Windsor and Ottawa regions.

With the addition of these new brands, Mitcham has also announced hiring of Mark Dempsey who joins the team as regional sales manager for Eastern Ontario.

“Mark Dempsey, formerly of SMW Autoblok, brings a wealth of industry experience and expertise to Mitcham Machine Tools,” says Tony Seccombe, president, Mitcham Machine Tools. www.mitchammachinetools.com. www.canadianmetalworking.com

TOOL TALK

CTMA GRADUATES 17 FROM TRAINING PROGRAM On Wednesday, January 27th, the Canadian Tooling & Machining Association (CTMA) celebrated the new graduating class of 17 students from its 32-week Introductory Trades Training program through which the graduates learned tool, die, mold and machining skills.

The program was designed by the CTMA and its member companies to help reduce youth unemployment When something exceptional develops between us: in Windsor and Essex County and That´s the MAPAL effect. to help close the skilled trades gap that exists in the tool, die, mold and machining industry.

To date, over 60 youth (aged 18-29) have graduated from the program and gained workplace skills and experience through the program.

The course begins with six weeks of introductory training at the Valiant Training & Development Centre, followed by 26 weeks of on-the-job training at various shops in the Windsor-Essex region.

The new graduates have been offered full-time permanent employment by their host employers, a list that include: Absolute Industrial Management; Active Industrial Solutions; Bolzano Tool & Die Ltd.; Briadco Fixture & Gauge; Cavalier Tool And Manufacturing Ltd.; Circle 5 Tool & Mold Inc.; Cutting-Edge Technologies; Jahn Engineering Ltd.; Kapco Tool & Die Ltd.; LT&D Tool & Die Inc.; Manor Tool & Die Ltd.; Sigma Engineering; and Unique Tool & Gauge Inc. The CTMA has another class currently running that will be graduating in June.

Youth outreach assistance and screening for the program is provided by the Windsor Employment Assessment Centre and the Valiant Training & Development Centre.

Funding is provided by Ontario’s Ministry of Economic Development, Employment & Infrastructure (MEDEI) through the Youth Skills Connections – Industry Stream program. www.ctma.com

You

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provide reduced tool costs and a 50 % reduction in machining time with special milling tools.

place special importance on perfect surfaces and edges.

High performance in cost effectiveness: Single-step machining of CFK possible – at double the feed rate. www.mapal.com | Your technology partner for machining

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TOOL TIPS

DEEP HOLE MACHINING IN ‘MULTI-TASK’ FORMAT

I

n the same way that it is possible to achieve common machining techniques such as milling, turning and gear cutting on a single machine tool platform, there is now growing demand to introduce deep hole machining (DHM) to the multi-task format.

This trend emanates primarily from the aerospace industry, where many high value components, namely landing gear parts, require deep hole machining. Traditionally, manufacturing these components demanded the use of dedicated machines, but the call for consolidated operations means a single ‘multi-task’ platform.

Principal among the advantages is quality. Enhanced concentricity between diameters will usually result from completing all operations on one machine. This arises from avoiding the need to transfer heavy components between machines. Productivity can also be enhanced due to saving set-up times. Furthermore, developing a multi-task platform that includes DHM creates a ‘green light’ process, where operators can press start and walk away safe in the knowledge a completed component will be the ultimate result. In large aerospace OEMs, these green light processes are essential to maximize machine utilization.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE While these benefits are tangible, there are pre-requisites necessary to fuel the success of DHM in a multi-task format. For instance, the machine tool needs to exhibit suitable levels of torque, power and feed force to accommodate these demanding operations.

Sandvik Coromant is working on projects that demand multi-tasking with DHM, partnering with aerospace customers and machine tool vendors.

Holes up to 43 inches deep have been produced successfully deploy74 | FEBRUARY 2016

ing a multi-task format. While even deeper holes are possible, the demands on the machine climb in direct proportion. Enhanced torque, thrust and additional vibration controls are required. This becomes even more relevant when machining tough heat resistant super alloys and modified martensitic stainless steels typically found in modern energy and aerospace applications.

tube. Coolant is introduced at the spindle using a rotary connector, with the fluid passing between the two tubes. Ejector-based systems perform equally well on components featuring an irregular face, since the design of the rotary connector and drill head create a Venturi effect that draws coolant and chips through the inner tube.

FIT FOR PURPOSE THE COOLANT FACTOR Also, integrating DHM to a conventional machine tool requires an additional investment in a drill head, drill tubes, a rotary coolant adaptor and a new coolant tank. The existing tank with most machine tools will not be of sufficient capacity.

For example, producing a two-inch-diameter hole will require in the region of 30-gallons-per-min30-gallons-per-minute of coolant delivery for 60-galan ejector system and 60-gal lons-per-minute for a single tube system (STS)—to aid both cooling and chip breaking/evacuation— hence a tank of around 300 to 600 gallon capacity.

Sandvik Coromant’s DHM technology developed for use on multi-task platforms is ejector-based. Although STS technology would offer greater coolant flow, the large investment in the pressure head makes for a financially unviable solution in a multi-task format. Using existing ejector-based solutions, deep holes ranging between 1-inch and 2.5-inch diameter can be achieved using a typical machining centre platform.

Changing diameters can require swapping the head size and preparing the workpiece accordingly.

Self-contained ejector-based systems are essentially a drill tube comprising an inner and outer

The ejector system developed by Sandvik Coromant has been pur purpose-designed to allow deep hole drilling to be performed effectively on machining centers.

To deal with the copious amount of coolant needed evacto ensure good chip evac uation Sandvik Coromant offers a connector with integral coolant supply housing. The coupling is incorporated into the rear of the connector that allows interchangeability among a wide range of basic holders.

Existing Sandvik Coromant ejector-based drilling and counterboring solutions include the ground drill head CoroDrill 808, CoroDrill 800.24 and several variants of T-Max drill 424 (pictured). And while these can be adapted to existing machines such as turning centers, universal machines and machining centers without major reconstruction, application support and advice is essential in generating optimized solutions.

Deep hole machining successes are founded on the continued development of processes and tools. Here, geometries and grades, along with efficient coolant and chip management, help achieve the required results at the highest penetration rates and machining security.

Courtesy of Sandvik Coromant. www.canadianmetalworking.com

TOOL TALK New cutting material series for boring

Solid carbide milling tools

MAPAL has now developed a CVD-coated cutting material series specially tailored to the demands of boring in all cast materials - GJL, GJV and GJS. The new cutting materials HC720, HC725, HC730 and HC735 differ in the carbide substrate used in each case. All four impress with their extremely heat-resistant α-aluminium oxide coating with very good coating adhesion. Cutting edges with the new coating offer the potential for a significant increase in the cutting speed during boring, even with dry machining. Machining is easily possible with a cutting speed of 300 m/min, thus offering a considerable boost in productivity. At the same time, the cutting edges achieve significantly longer tool lives, as examples in practice show: When machining GJL25, the tool life was tripled compared with the PVD cutting material HP455 used to date. www.mapal.com

Walter introduces its new Prototyp Advance line of solid carbide milling tools, designed for universal application. The new Advance milling cutter line consisting of six cutter types and 250 line items, each providing the ideal balance of hardness and toughness for the widest pospossible application, plus long tool life due to the Advance line’s new high-performance WJ30TF grade and Walter’s own TiAIN coating. Walter’s Advance line tools are well suited to machining a wide array of materials (ISO material groups P, M, K and S) and can help reduce inventory costs as well. The cost-effective Advance line features standard geometries of 30° and 45° helix angles and comes in two main tool configurations, the shoulder mill and the shoulder/slot mill. The universal shoulder mill category consists of the MC111 milling cutter with a 30° helix angle and four cutting edges; the MC112 30° with four cutting edges; and the MC122 45°with four to eight cutting edges. The Advance shoulder/slot mill category consists of the MC213 30° with two to four cutting edges; the MC216 30° with two or three cutting edges; and the MC322 45° with four cutting edges. www.walter-tools.com

High-performance solid carbide end mills Emuge introduces an extensive line of high-performance solid carbide end mills for applications ranging from universal milling to aerospace and high hardness machining. This new line further broadens the depth of Emuge’s rotary cutting tool portfolio. The end mills, branded Emuge-Franken, are the result of extensive research and development and incorporate the latest in end mill technology, geometry and coatings and are designed to outperform conventional end mill offerings. www.emuge.com

Expand Your Clamping Action With The All-New Modular Series From Tiny Vise® Up to three spacers can be inserted to provide adjustment of up to 4.7625 mm!

Secure, accurate and efficient clamping The Dual Force Precision Mechanical Booster Machine Vise from Palmgren always provides the correct clamping force without the need to over tighten the vised spindle. The vise features a larger jaw design to increase clamping capabilities and options, an anti-lift mechanism, an advance design that protects the spindle and a consistent clamping force.

The adjustable clamping pressure provides consistent, continuous force of up to 11,200 pounds (50KN) maximum making part holding simple and easy. Precise clamping force regulation (patented) is achieved by turning the force ring to one of three graduation settings and a simple turn on the handle provides precise clamping pressure every time. visit www.palmgren.com

The modular jaw assembly is held together securely by a tough, durable O-ring, recessed in a protective groove.

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ADDITIVE IN FLIGHT The world’s largest metal 3D printed airplane component rolled out onto a stage in Las Vegas.

This part is destined for an Airbus A320.

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Metal 3D printed parts gaining aerospace acceptance.

studio. Called the “bionic partition,” the “organic” part design mimics cellular structure and bone growth.

“This is not just an interesting hypothetical experiment—this is a fully functioning component we can expect to see being deployed in aircraft in the very near future,” said Jeff Kowalski, chief technology officer of Autodesk. The partition had already completed its first phase of testing and is due to be involved in test flights this year.

The parts were “printed” using EOS M400 and Concept Laser M2 machines, and 122 of the 162 parts were made of Scalmalloy, a patented aluminium-magnesium-scandium alloy created by APWorks. The remaining 40 parts are titanium.

The 3D printed part is 45 per cent (30 kg) lighter than the current A320 component, and according to Airbus the new design, when applied to an entire airplane cabin and the current backlog of A320 planes, will save up to 465,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions per year.

This is not the first time Airbus has endorsed 3D printed parts in weight reduction strategy, and there is a cost savings component as well.

A common term in the aerospace component industry is the buy-to-fly ratio—the weight ratio between the raw material purchased to make a component and the part’s final weight. Machining blocks of titanium and other expensive super alloys return large ratios, up to 90 per cent, with a lot of chips heading to recycling. When these components can be printed from metal powders,

BY DOUG PICKLYK

E

ach fall in Las Vegas design software giant Autodesk holds a massive usergroup conference, Autodesk University, bringing together some 10,000 attendees from various industries to share knowledge and reveal new developments.

At the 2015 event a unique-looking metal structure was rolled out onto a stage, demonstrating the potential for a major shift in aerospace manufacturing. The tall semi-circular lattice-type object is part of structural partition wall destined for an Airbus A320 airplane, and when pieced together it is the world’s largest metal 3D printed airplane component.

The project was a collaboration among Airbus, Autodesk, APWorks (an Airbus subsidiary dedicated to additive manufacturing) and The Living, a New York-based design

Parts for the “bionic partition” were 3D printed on powder bed laser systems. Of the 162 parts, 122 were made of Scalmalloy, a patented alloy created by APWorks, and the remaining are titanium.

www.canadianmetalworking.com

the ratio is closer to 1:1.

In 2014 Airbus made news about an additively manufactured titanium cabin bracket being used on board the new Airbus A350 XWB test aircraft. The bracket weighs 30 per cent less than the traditionally cast or milled parts, and the brackets are expected to enter serial production as early as this year.

Using 3D printing to replace machining in part development and prototyping alone is an obvious time saver. Peter Sander, head of emerging technologies and concepts with Airbus has noted, “Previously we budgeted around six months to develop a component— now it’s down to one month.”

Of course design and development is one thing—getting parts through qualification and testing to get a component into production is another story. Last fall at the first Advanced Manufacturing Canada Conference and Exhibition, held at the Palais des Congrés in Montreal (Nov. 18-19), Julien Chaussée, engineering specialist in the core structures team at Bombardier product development, spoke about an ongoing project to introduce a 3D-printed metal part into a future Bombardier aircraft.

“Our philosophy is changing a lot,” said Chaussée, with respect to 3D printing. He was tasked with doing the research to prove the technology can deliver savings in both weight and cost. “The technology must justify itself,” he said, noting there was still the requirement to separate the hype from reality.

In selecting a test component, his team partnered with Montreal-based additive manufacturing shop FusiA (because of its previous aerospace experience). The team elected to www.canadianmetalworking.com

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optimize the design and 3D print a 6- x 5- x 3-inch door hinge bracket made of titanium.

Following multiple design iterations, in his projected cost analysis, Chaussée believes that over time they can get to a final 3D-printed part that will weigh less and cost less to produce than existing machined parts.

He noted that having a printed sample to show management went a long way in securing approval to proceed with the project. Still in the R&D phase, “We’re close to prototype production,” noted Chaussée, who added that in the next four to five years he anticipates a metal 3D printed product will show up on a Bombardier aircraft.

GE Aviation claims to be the largest user of

Located between the passenger seating area and the plane’s galley, the partition is structurally strong and lightweight, weighing 45% (30 kg) less than current designs. The first phase of testing has been completed and a test flight on board an A320 will happen this year.

MAPAL’S HYBRID MANUFACTURED CHUCK Last fall Mapal introduced its hybrid HighTorque Chuck (HTC) with a narrow contour, made possible by using additive technology. During the production of the hybrid HTC, the functional area is applied to a conventionally manufactured tool body by selective laser melting (SLM).

According to Mapal, thanks to the additive manufacturing, the clamping range can be positioned very close to the chuck tip, something not possible with conventional manufacturing. The chuck provides an optimum radial run-out of < 3 micron at the location bore and < 5 micron at 2.5 x diameter, as well as high shape accuracy with good vibration damping.

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additive technologies with metals, and 2016 is expected to mark the introduction of its 3D-printed metal fuel nozzles taking flight in a commercial aircraft engine. Each CFM LEAP engine (CFM is a joint venture between GE and SAFRAN of France) will have 19 3D-printed fuel nozzles. These parts are 25 per cent lighter, consolidate 18 parts into 1 and introduce more intricate design and supports resulting in 5x higher durability than conventional manufacturing.

With several thousand orders for new LEAP engines (Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737MAX) GE Aviation anticipates producing more than 100,000 metal 3D-printed parts by 2020.

As adoption begins on commercial aircraft, true large-scale additive manufacturing production for more than a few parts remains years away. The supply chain to feed into the industry is developing slowly, and questions

METAL ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY According to an IDTechEx report from last summer, 3D Printing of Metals 2015-2025, metals are the fastest growing segment of 3D printing, with printer sales growing at 48 per cent and material sales growing at 32 per cent. The current range of technologies, including selective laser melting, electron beam, blown powder and more from companies including EOS, Concept Laser, SLM Solutions, 3D Systems, Renishaw, Argen Digital, and more, as well as hybrid additive machine tools from Matsuura, DMG Mori and Mazak continue to evolve like most digitally-driven tech, will see frequent updates.

Following are some of the announcements that hit the market in the last year. The Mazak INTEGREX i-400AM, first revealed in Japan in 2014, made its North American debut last October at Mazak’s DISCOVER 2015 event in Kentucky. The HYBRID Multi-Tasking machine offers turning, milling, drilling, metal deposition and laser marking. The machine has dual laser cladding heads (one for high rate material deposition the other for fine cladding) that reside in the magazine of its automatic tool changer.

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remain concerning process, quality and inspection practices.

Of course aerospace is not alone in pioneering metal additive manufacturing. Dental and medical device manufacturing has been qualifying and implementing the technology for years, and the mold and die industry is embracing additive for high-value low-run projects. And the possibilities for broader automotive parts manufacturing, along with every other industrial sector, will continue to emerge as build rates and envelope sizes of the metal-based additive technologies continue to increase.

For now, developments going on at major aerospace OEM’s are being closely guarded, but as more revelations like the bionic partition continue to emerge the real disruption that metal 3D printing will introduce to manufacturing will become apparent.

It uses fiber laser heat to melt the metal powder that is used to grow near-net-shape 3D forms.

Last year DMG MORI announced the LASERTEC 4300 3D, its second additive manufacturing machine (the LASERTEC 65 3D was first revealed in late 2013). The LASERTEC 4300 3D integrates laser deposition welding with 6-sided turn and mill machining, generating and machining workpieces up to 660 × 1,500 mm and weighing up to 1,500 kg. At a press conference during EMO 2015, DMG MORI CEO, Dr Masahiko Mori, revealed that the company had installed around 20 of its additive machines worldwide–half sold to industry and half going into learning institutions.

Another announcement at EMO included Spanish machine tool maker IBARMIA demonstrating the integration of laser cladding and multitasking machining on its large moving column machining center.

Also at the show in Milan, GF Machining Solutions revealed its collaboration with EOS, introducing the AgieCharmilles AM S 290 Tooling additive manufacturing system. Targeting mold and die manufacturers, the AM S 290 Tooling was designed to improve part design through conformal cooling to reduce throughput times and increase part quality.

www.canadianmetalworking.com

Energy efficiency roundtable discussion draws out how Ontario manufacturers are making conservation pay off.

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NOVEMBER 2016 | 79

Welcome Message

A NEW WAY OF THINKING ABOUT ENERGY EFFICIENCY C

onventional wisdom used to be that increased demand for electricity was a great indicator of economic growth. The logic was simple—the more we produce, the more energy we must need. Not anymore. Today, businesses throughout Ontario have embraced energy efficiency as a key to greater competitiveness. For them, using less energy actually powers new business opportunities.

Between 2011 and 2014, Save On Energy business programs saved 4,077 GWh of energy and 389 MW of demand in the province. With energy efficiency, businesses can realize substantial energy savings, but also improve their cost structures, processes and overall competitiveness. Some businesses see improved employee engagement, for others it means reinforcing ties with their community, and for others still, it translates into a better customer experience.

And perhaps most of all, many value the opportunity to contribute to the health and well-being of their communities by using energy wisely.

To help businesses continue to move forward toward greater efficiency and competitiveness, the province has introduced a new approach

that puts energy efficiency ahead of all other supply options. This approach, “Conservation First”, is designed to take us to the next level of energy savings.

With ambitious new energy reduction targets in place, the bar is set higher now than it’s ever been. Save On Energy programs delivered by local electric utilities have been re-designed to ensure that, together, businesses can meet provincial goals while at the same time reaping the rewards of sound internal energy management practices. Looking ahead, there will be even greater opportunities for businesses to reduce their overhead through retrofits, energy audits, lighting and equipment upgrades.

This publication will help you find ways to take advantage of the many benefits of using energy wisely. In reading about different approaches to energy management, and business leaders’ determination to turn great ideas into great results, perhaps you’ll find the inspiration to do the same. To find out more about what energy efficiency can do for your business, visit saveonenergy.ca or contact your local electric utility (ieso.ca/findutility).

Terry Young Vice-President, Conservation and Corporate Relations Independent Electricity System Operator

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www.canadianmetalworking.com

CONSERVING ENERGY AND CUTTING COSTS Energy efficiency roundtable discussion draws out how Ontario manufacturers are making conservation pay off.

BY DOUG PICKLYK

I

n the vast spectrum of the metalworking industry, our resource-rich country occupies an enviable position from mining the ores and steel making to our large and diverse metal machining, fabricating and manufacturing base. However, the globalization of industrial markets and increasing competition from emerging “low-cost” economies has placed a strain on every link in the metalworking supply chain, and the challenges have placed a greater emphasis on local producers to enhance their productivity and incorporate world-leading manufacturing practices to maintain market share locally and on the world stage.

With a primary focus on production and bottom-line results, Canadian metalworking companies seek to drive down costs to maintain a profitable and sustainable industry.

The primary costs of manufacturing include raw materials, labour and energy, and while businesses zero in on minimizing cycle times to boost production-per-employee, little strategic focus is directed towards energy conservation—an initiative which delivers the dual benefits of reducing costs and cutting down on the environmental impact of operations.

For manufacturers in the province of Ontario there are multiple incentives offered to promote energy management and incorporate cost-saving technologies. The price of electricity delivered in the province includes

the wholesale price from the power generators and the Global Adjustment (GA). For consumers who pay the Hourly Ontario Energy Price or signed a retail contract, they will see a GA line on their electricity bills. This charge accounts for the differences between the market price and the rates paid to regulated and contracted generators and for conservation and demand management programs.

Large industrial manufacturers, like steel mills, are encouraged to avoid ramping up production during peak electricity demand periods in order to reduce their GA charges. In some cases, it’s more economical for the mills to shut down than incur the additional costs.

For manufacturers of all sizes in Ontario, the best way to lower energy costs is to embrace the programs offered through the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO).

To discuss how some Ontario-based companies are capitalizing on their energy management practices, Canadian Metalworking assembled a roundtable discussion in early September with a broad representation of industry stakeholders including steel makers, global auto parts manufacturers, energy consultants, utility representatives, a machine tool supplier and a financier.

LOW HANGING FRUIT To kick off the event, the manufacturing representatives were asked to identify the most common areas in their operations where energy is being wasted and their solutions.

Senka Donches:

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PHOTOS BY: STEPHEN UHRANEY

“AT MAGNA, OUR CEO DON WALKER HAS PLACED ENERGY SAVINGS AS ONE OF HIS TOP PRIORITIES FOR THIS YEAR.”

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“The low-hanging fruit I’ve found is around lighting,” says Peter Inman, and energy management consultant working with ASW Steel Inc., a Welland, Ontario-based steel making facility. A common practice among many at the table is switching from metal halide to the more efficient T8 fluorescent bulbs, and more recently moving toward long-lasting LED and induction lighting.

“LED lighting for medium and high bay is just becoming mature,” says Dilesh Thurai, roving energy manager with Toronto Hydro.

“People were hesitant before, but I’ve had at least two customers that have implemented LED high bay.”

The addition of motion sensors and automatic shut-offs for lighting in low-traffic areas was another recommendation. “We had sensors set up in areas that had previously been lit all the time, and with that we got about a 50% reduction in demand and about a 95% reduction in energy,” reports Inman.

Around the table, compressed air systems were also identified as major energy hogs.

“Most people who work in the plant think air is free. They don’t realize the cost involved in compressing that air,” notes Senka Donches, manager of energy efficiencies with Magna International based in Aurora, Ont. “We’ve begun to implement a compressed air awareness program in some of our plants to get the employees more involved.”

Aside from replacing older compressors with new variable frequency drive (VFD) systems, according to the group, the greatest challenge with compressed air is managing 82 | FEBRUARY 2016

Front row (l-r): Tikendu Patel, President, Technocrates Inc.; Senka Donches, Manager of Energy Efficiencies, Magna International; and Dilesh Thurai, Roving Energy Manager, Toronto Hydro. Back row (l-r): Robert Flack, Manager of Manufacturing Operations, Hibar Systems; Sylvia Gaidauskas, Business Manager, Industrial, IESO; Thomas Steckel, Maintenance Manager, Autocom Mfg. div. of Linamar Corp.; Michael Cummings, Service Manager, Mazak Canada; Robert Cattle, Executive Director, Canadian Tooling and Machining Association; Jim Armstrong, EHS Specialist, Crown Metal Packaging Canada; David Aubin, Electrical Co-ordinator, Kuntz Electroplating; David Meredith, Senior Energy Manager, ArcelorMittal Dofasco; Peter Inman, Energy Consultant to ASW Steel Inc.; Ken Hurwitz, Senior Account Manager, Blue Chip Leasing.

leaks and analyzing systems to ensure air is going where it’s most needed.

“We actually initiated energy audits on the air side twice a year, to try to pinpoint the leaks, and then we outsource the repairs,” says Thomas Steckel, maintenance manager with Autocom Mfg. a division of Linamar Corp. in Guelph, Ont. “We tabulated the potential savings and created a business plan, and as soon as management saw the numbers they went for it. In my facility—it’s only a 120,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility—we managed to curtail about a $70,000 loss.”

Other solutions mentioned include heat reclamation projects—diverting excess heat from compressors into the plant to lower heating costs—HVAC system retrofits and more expensive co-generation projects that allow shops to switch to gas-fired generators for power during peak electricity demand periods.

Installing newer machinery also leads to energy savings. According to Michael Cummings, service manager with Mazak www.canadianmetalworking.com

Canada based in Cambridge, Ont., new generations of machine tools operate more efficiently. “The motors, drives, moving parts, they’re always evolving and becoming more efficient. It’s the competitive nature of the business,” says Cummings. “And it’s not just the efficiency, but the accuracy and the speed that’s improved as well.”

Steckel backs up the claim. “Linamar’s philosophy has always been to repurpose equipment, but because of the energy efficiency improvements, especially yours [pointing to Mazak’s Cummings]—I have to give credit where it’s due—we are actually making business cases now to replace older equipment with new. It just makes business sense.”

INCENTIVES IESO’s Save on Energy programs provide funding incentives to manufacturers for projects ranging from lighting analysis and replacements to compressed air audits and fixes. The key is to engage your local distribution company (LDC) early in the process and work with them to identify available incentives. “The audit funding is where you have to start before you purchase any equipment,” notes Thurai from Toronto Hydro.

Everyone agreed the programs are not too complex, but companies need to understand where to start, because the rewards can be substantial. “We work with small to big facilities,” notes Tikendu Patel, president of Technocrates Inc. in Mississauga, an energy management consulting firm. “Recently we had a plant change out an old compressor—a 450-horsepower compressor for a 300-horsepower—and they are receiving incentives of around $200,000. That’s huge for a company of any size.”

Like others at the table, Donches recommends getting audits done by an independent third-party company.

For larger projects, Sylvia Gaidauskas, a business manager with IESO on the industrial side, encourages taking advantage of funding available for engineering studies. And when companies are looking for a starting point she also recommends IESO’s Opportunity Accelerator, a free service where technical advisors will visit, identify energy projects and put some early energy savings numbers and project implementation costs behind the proposals.

BUSINESS CASE The upfront cost of implementing energy efficiency programs is the stumbling block www.canadianmetalworking.com

for manufacturing facilities. Often incentivized by production numbers and bottom-line results, general management’s focus is on cycle times and not environmental efficiency.

POWERFUL HELP:

INCENTIVES TO BRING IDEAS TO REALITY There are many reasons to focus on upgrading or modernizing systems for energy efficiency, ranging from reduced operating costs and increased sales to improved employee comfort and effectiveness. Fortunately, there are also incentives and rebates available to encourage businesses to take advantage of opportunities to improve efficiency and competitiveness, as well as non-financial tools and resources.

In Ontario, these incentives and resources can be accessed through the Save on Energy program.

ENERGY AUDITS AND ENGINEERING STUDIES This is often a first step for businesses looking to improve efficiency.

They are used to identify opportunities for improvements and provide business cases. They can: • Classify energy savings by potential project • Identify potential non-energy related improvements including productivity, safety, yield, sales, etc.

• Identify the capital cost of the projects • Summarize the return on your investment for each project and prioritize the projects based on capital cost, lifecycle cost savings and non-energy related financial benefits. Use this to provide return on investment, savings to investment ratio, payback periods, etc.

Save on Energy can help cover the cost of audits. Once opportunities are identified with an audit, more detailed engineering studies can define what exactly is required and provide more accuracy on the potential savings and costs. 100% of the cost of engineering studies is covered by Save on Energy.

RETROFITS Once a business is ready to upgrade to high-efficiency systems for lighting, HVAC systems, pumps, motors, fans and other plant equipment, funding is available through Save on Energy. Companies can receive funding for project costs through the program.

ENERGY MANAGERS Free energy manager resources may be available through local utilities’ Energy Manager Program. If you prefer to hire a full-time energy manager, incentives to help cover the salary may also be available.

ENERGY MANAGEMENT TRAINING Businesses can receive a rebate towards the cost of a certified Energy Manager, Commissioning Agent and Measurement & Verification training.

Find out more at saveonenergy.ca/business or get your local electric utility to contact you at saveonenergy.ca/get-started

FEBRUARY 2016 | 83

“It’s back to sales 101,” suggests Ken Hurwitz of Bluechip Leasing, who has sold and financed machine tools for decades.

“When you can show bottom line energy savings, you’ve got to find the person in the corporation where those savings are meaningful.”

When considering a return on investment for energy projects, most firms are looking for a one-year payback, but it was pointed out that the savings on these initiatives don’t stop once the incentive is received, they keep piling on. “I tell customers not to look just at one year or two year returns, but when you project out for five or 10 years, specifically with the LEDs, you can see a large savings,” says Patel.

And once an energy-saving project is successful it’s critical to keep the momentum within the organization. Gaidauskas indentified how several participants in IESO programs use the incentive money they receive from one year to invest in their next project.

“We’ve made a lot of efforts towards being more energy efficient and we’ve looked at it project-by-project,” says Robert Flack, manager of manufacturing operations with Hibar Systems Ltd. in Richmond Hill, Ont. “The idea of using the savings from one area to fund additional projects, that’s definitely something that I’m going to be pushing at our company from here on.”

ENERGY TEAMS A key development for many manufacturing facilities is the creation of energy teams that serve to engage employees, identify areas for savings and move projects forward. “At Magna, our CEO Don Walker has placed energy savings as one of his top priorities for this year in regard to our sustainability

program and our world class manufacturing efforts,” notes Donches. She adds that Magna has energy teams in place in 90% of its plants in the Americas, about half of its European plants, and 10% of its Asian plants.

“We’re planning by the end of 2017 to have an energy team in each of our 340-some plants globally,” she says.

The company also has an Intranet site to share best practices and a quarterly newsletter that highlights energy projects from different parts of the world. At year end their energy teams report on projects, incentives received and savings in kilowatts as well as dollars. As a benchmark the corporation also has a high-level plant-specific KPI (key performance indicator)—production sales vs. kWh used. “Upper management wants to be aware that each plant is doing something in the quest to save energy,” says Donches.

A cross-functional make-up on energy teams is highly recommended. Employees from human resources to production managers, plant engineers and faculties managers are necessary, and the general manager and someone from finance are a must.

“I sit on five energy teams at industrial companies in Toronto,” says Thurai. “I’ve noticed the ones that are most effective have an executive or director attend the meetings.

Immediately you see a difference in everybody’s level of engagement.”

A challenge most shops find, large or small, is fighting what some call the “old world tunnel vision”, the idea that “This is how we’ve always done it, why change?” It’s a culture problem.

“Sometimes people get beaten down because they’ve made recommendations and they been shut down, and it kills their

Tikendu Patel:

“RECENTLY WE HAD A PLANT CHANGE OUT AN OLD COMPRESSOR AND THEY ARE RECEIVING INCENTIVES OF AROUND $200,000. THAT’S HUGE FOR A COMPANY OF ANY SIZE.” 84 | FEBRUARY 2016

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enthusiasm, but stay enthusiastic, even when it’s tough sledding. It’s worth it,” says Dave Aubin, electrical co-ordinator with Kuntz Electroplating Inc. in Guelph. Aubin sits on the energy team at Kuntz that was established by the company’s vice president.

Kuntz has implemented various initiatives from LED lighting to a co-generation unit to offset electricity use.

ENERGY MANAGERS A relatively new program is the support for energy managers in larger organizations, with a dedicated full-time role of identifying energy saving strategies and bringing projects to fruition. Through the Energy Manager initiative from the IESO, the salary of the participants is greatly subsidized. “Energy managers are a great, new, “in” thing in the last five years,” says Dave Meredith, senior energy manager with steel maker ArcelorMittal Dofasco. “Probably 10 years ago the maintenance guy was just taking care of things and hopefully it worked.

But because costs have risen, it’s driven companies to really focus on energy management, and corporations now benchmark energy usage with an energy manager. And if it wasn’t providing savings, we probably wouldn’t have energy managers.”

Robert Cattle, former owner of a small precision machine shop and now executive director of the Canadian Tooling and Machining Association, noted how electricity costs have risen significantly over the last 10 years, and he recognizes the need for the industry as a whole to speak with a single voice to combat escalating costs. “If we want to keep competitive in the global marketplace we have to put pressure on reducing the cost of our electricity.” Cattle adds that it’s important for manufacturers to continue seeking conservation efforts and also become informed of the incentives available.

Everyone around the table agreed, regardless of the size of the shop it’s in every manufacturer’s interest to embrace energy conservation. “When I talk to people about conservation, they think about, “What do I have to give up?” says Inman. “My definition of conservation is to eliminate energy use that provides little or no value, and when you do that you’re just eliminating the waste.”

As manufacturer’s across the county seek to enhance their productivity, cutting out waste in the process is a key metric, and looking at the reduction of wasted energy consumption is an area worth exploring. www.canadianmetalworking.com

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ENERGY ENGAGEMENT In early 2015, Annex Business Media conducted a survey of 510 industrial companies to determine their level of engagement in energy efficiency projects. Following are some key highlights: •

51% agree energy management is a priority, but most have not •

35% cite a lack of staff and resources as the top reason for not conducting an audit followed by no executive mandate (28%).

38% of companies conducted an energy audit in the past five years 49% of those companies identified cost savings as the

taken measures to increase their energy efficiency.

• •

key motivator.

16% pointed to incentives or audit funding as their motivation.

53% of the audited companies accessed government or • •

utility incentives.

85% report savings resulting from their energy audit.

78% of companies don’t have an energy manager on staff, 32% • •

report the owner/CEO is responsible for their energy spend/usage.

LEADERSHIP FROM THE TOP Just over half (52%) agree that employees at their company are engaged in energy efficiency, while 55% agree that senior leadership is doing all that it can to enable energy efficiency.

INCENTIVIZED MANAGEMENT Over three quarters ( 77%) of respondents report that their company does not have energy efficiency performance metrics in place for managers.

ENERGY TEAMS The vast majority (84%) of companies reported not having an energy management team at their company.

INCENTIVE AWARENESS • 53% of respondents are aware of government or utility incentives in the area of “lighting upgrades.”

Nearly half of respondents find “energy utilities” to be a helpful source of energy efficiency support and information.

•

BARRIERS TO ENERGY EFFICIENCY The primary barrier to investing in energy efficiency at these companies is “lack of capital budget or financing” (32%), followed by “lack of budget” (29%) and “low rate of ROI” (29%).

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Energy Managers Mean Business

Energy Managers are trained to find energy savings, make smart energy investments, boost their organization’s bottom-line and unleash competitive advantage. Can your business afford not to hire one?

Incentives through Save on Energy and Industrial Accelerator are available to help bring an energy manager into your workforce. Contact your local hydro company or the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) to see what programs are available in your area.

“The best part about being an energy manager is that I’m helping my company to stay competitive. The less energy we use, the more efficient we are.”

Behdad Bahrami, Energy Manager, Vision Extrusions Ltd

saveonenergy.ca

industrialaccelerator.ca

Subject to additional terms and conditions found at saveonenergy.ca.

Subject to change without notice. OM Official Mark of the Independent Electricity System Operator.

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PRODUCTS & SERVICES

Introducing an opportunity for small-space and classified advertising in Canadian Metalworking

For a quote on any size ad, contact: STEVE DEVONPORT, Publisher 416-543-1641 sdevonport@canadianmetalworking.com

Metalworking Marketplace will be available in all nine issues of Canadian Metalworking, and provides the opportunity to run small space advertising and classified ads at low cost.

There are two main parts to Marketplace, Listings for Products and Services, and Classified for Machine Tool and Fabricating Equipment.

ROB SWAN, Associate Publisher 416-510-5225 cell 416-725-0145 rswan@canadianmetalworking.com

ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

RENISHAW (CANADA) LIMITED. Renishaw laser melting system is a pioneering process capable of producing fully dense metal parts direct from 3D CAD. From tooling inserts featuring conformal cooling, to lightweight structures for aerospace & high technology applications, laser melting gives designers more freedom. Find out more at www.renishaw.com/additive.

T: 1 905 828 5519 E: Canada@renishaw.com www.renishaw.com

ASSOCIATIONS CANADIAN MACHINE TOOL DISTRIBUTORS’ ASSOCIATION (CMTDA) The CMTDA is a trade association dedicated to the marketing of machine tools and services in Canada through distributors. For more information about CMTDA or our members products and services, contact us at: T: 519 599 2803 E: info@cmtda.com www.cmtda.com

CUTTING TOOLS HORN USA, INC. HORN is the technology leader of indexable cutting tools with experience in over 100,000 custom application solutions and engineering expertise applied to more than 17,000 standardized turning and milling tools.

T: 888 818 4676 E: info@hornusa.com www.hornusa.com

Campbell Morden specializes in recruiting full-time staff for a broad range of industries, such as aerospace, automotive, CNC Machine Builders, and system integrators.

Positions include: technical sales, CNC machining, applications engineers, manufacturing management, and field service technicians – among others.

Email: bp@campbellmorden.com Call Brian Pho at 905-482-0636

SEEKING

REPRESENTATIVES

ISCAR TOOLS INC. ISCAR provides industries machine tools, carbide cutting tools, engineering and manufacturing solutions for a wide range of metal cutting applications, including innovative products, designed specifically for customer increased productivity requirements globally.

T: 905-829-9000 www.iscar.ca

Royal Products, a leading U.S. manufacturer of machine tool performance accessories, is seeking independent manufacturer’s representatives for all Canadian provinces.

SANDVIK COROMANT (Cutting tools for turning, milling and drilling, modular tooling systems for lathes and machining centres. Direct sales personnel and specialists in more than 60 countries plus authorised distributors and 20 Productivity Centres worldwide providing training in tooling solutions for increased productivity) T: 905 826 8900/800 268 0703 E: coromant.ca@sandvik.com www.sandvik.coromant.com

For further information, please contact Brian Mecca at bmecca@royalprod.com

SGS TOOL COMPANY. SGS is a privately-held, ISO-certified leader of round solid carbide cutting tool technology providing value at the spindle for the aerospace, medical, power generation, and automotive industries.

T: 330-688-6667 E: sales@sgstool.com www.sgstool.com TUNGALOY. Tungaloy has supplied carbide cutting tools for over 70 years.

Supported by our sophisticated materials technology and state-of-theart processing technology, Tungaloy is committed to quality. For more information on our extensive range of products contact us at: T: 888 886 4256 www.tungaloy.co.jp.ca WALTER TOOLS. The five competence brands of Walter, Walter Titex, Walter Prototyp, Walter Valenite and Walter Multiply, are united under one umbrella. With a product range of around 49,000 catalogue tools for milling, drilling, turning and threading. Walter is a complete service provider for the metalworking industry.

T: 800 945-5554 E: service.ca@walter-tools.com www.walter-tools.com/us

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PRODUCTS & SERVICES

EVENTS – TRADE SHOWS FABTECH CANADA. March 22-24, 2016 Toronto Congress Centre, FABTECH Canada is Canada’s largest one-stop, all-encompassing venue for the latest technologies and trends in fabricating, welding, metal forming, stamping, coating and finishing. With an unmatched reputation in the industry, FABTECH is the largest event in this sector in North America.

For more information contact us at: T: 1 888 322 7333 E: jsaperson@sme.org www.fabtechcanada.com Canadian Manufacturing Technology Show (CMTS). Sept 28 – Oct 1 2015, The International Centre, Mississauga. Canada’s largest display of manufacturing equipment and technology attended by over 8,000 professionals. Connect with over 700 suppliers under one roof demonstrating live, working equipment. For more information contact us at: T: 1 888 322 7333 E: jpike@sme.org www.cmts.ca

MACHINE TOOLS AMT MACHINE TOOLS LTD. AMT specializes in Sales & Service of: Star CNC Swiss Style Automatic Lathes and Hydromat Transfer Machines.

We also have a complete line of filtration products including Filtermist Oil-Mist collectors.

T 416-675-7760 E: sales@amtmachine.com www.amtmachine.com DIPAOLO MACHINE TOOLS. DiPaolo Machine Tools is the one stop shop for all of your machine tool needs. We’ll source the equipment, rebuild it, retrofit it, calibrate and service it. For more information contact us at: T: 905 676-9265 E: sales@dipaolocnc.com www.dipaolocnc.com HAAS AUTOMATION, INC. Haas Automation, Inc. – America’s leading machine tool builder – manufactures a full line of CNC vertical machining centers, CNC horizontal machining centers, CNC lathes, 5-axis machining centers, and rotary products.

T: 805 278 1800/Toll Free: 800-331-6746 E: haascnc@haascnc.com www.HaasCNC.com HURCO COMPANIES, INC. Hurco invents CNC technology that makes our customers more profitable. We design and manufacture more than 60 models of CNC machines with the most versatile control in the industry— equally powerful for NC and conversational programming.

T: 1-800-634-2416 E: info@hurco.com www.hurco.com MAKINO, INC. Makino is a world leader in advanced CNC machining centers for today’s most complex metalworking applications. With a wide range of high-precision metal-cutting and EDM machinery, we help our customers make what matters.

T: 513-573-7200 E: webmaster@makino.com www.makino.com MAZAK CORPORATION. Mazak is a leader in the design, manufacture and support of advanced technology solutions, including Multi-Tasking, 5-axis, milling, turning, CNC controls and automation, for all metal working industry segments.

T: 859 342 1700 E: triddell@mazakcorp.com www.mazakusa.com MITCHAM MACHINE TOOLS INC. Mitcham Machine Tools Inc. are Canadian distributors of CNC and manual Machine Tools. With our extensive product line from manufactures around the world, we will work with you to find you the right machine for your needs, both on time, and within budget.

T: 416-458-7994.

E: sales@mitchammachinetools.com www.mitchammachinetools.com TOS TRADE CANADA Inc. is a subsidiary of TOS Varnsdorf, the established manufacturer of a broad range of quality horizontal boring mills. Over 1000 boring mills installed within past 25 years.

T: 905-878-0888 E: info@tostrade.com www.tostrade.com

MACHINERY ELLIOTT MATSUURA CANADA INC. Elliott Matsuura Canada Inc. is an

88 | FEBRUARY 2016

industry-leading supplier of quality machine tools coast to coast in Canada.

Since 1950, Elliott has provided complex metal cutting solutions to meet the challenges of aerospace, automotive, medical, energy, and other industries.

T: 905-829-2211 E: info@elliottmachinery.com www.elliottmachinery.com

MARKING GRAVOTECH, INC. Gravotech are global leaders in the design, manufacturing, sales, and support of innovative solutions for engraving, marking and artistic modeling. As a global leader in durable marking technologies such as engraving, laser, micro-percussion and scribing, we utilize our expertise to develop and market equipment, software and consumables for every application.

T 800-843-7637 E: sales@us..gravotech.com www.gravotech.us

MATERIAL HANDLING PRAB. A global manufacturer of material handling equipment for scrap metal and coolant recycling. A broad line of conveyors, wringers, crushers, briquetters, and fluid filtration and recycling equipment will automate scrap processing while maximizing production and improving safety and environmental compliance.

Robert Webb Authorized PRAB Sales Representative T: 905-296-2039 E: robert@rgwsalescanada.com

METALS BÖHLER-UDDEHOLM CANADA is a leading manufacturer of high quality tool steel, high speed steel, powder metallurgical steels, stainless steels, and specialty alloys. Products and conveniently located facilities are supported by a highly trained technical sales force and by a local and international metallurgical support staff. For more information contact: 1-800-665-8335 or www.bucanada.ca/contact_us.htm

QUALITY CONTROL RENISHAW (CANADA) LIMITED. Introducing a unique versatile gauging system. Equator, an alternative to custom gauging, offers inspection of an unprecedented variety of manufactured parts. Proven and Developed on the shop floor with industry leading gauging users in a variety of industries and applications. For more contact us at www.renishaw.com/gauging.

T: 1 905 828 0104 E: Canada@renishaw.com www.renishaw.com

RETENTION KNOBS

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, OH43311

WELDING SUPPLIES LINCOLN ELECTRIC COMPANY OF CANADA. Lincoln Electric is the world leader in the design, development and manufacture of arc welding products, robotic arc welding systems, plasma and oxyfuel cutting equipment and brazing and soldering alloys. For more information contact us at: T 905 565 5600 www.lincolnelectric.ca

WORKHOLDING SAMCHULLY WORKHOLDING, INC. Samchully Workholding leverages a broad range of complementary products to provide full turn-key custom solutions. The ability to single source the solutions ensures customers optimal compatibility and unsurpassed quality control.

T 949-727-3001/1-877-750-4747 E info@samchullyworkholding.com www.samchully.com www.canadianmetalworking.com

PRODUCTS & SERVICES

ADVERTISERS INDEX ADVERTISER AMT Machine Tools Ltd. Carr Lane Mfg. Co. CG Tech CWB Group DiPaolo Machine Tools EMAG L.L.C. Emec Machine Tools GibbsCAM GMN USA Haimer USA Heule Tool Corporation HORN USA, Inc. Hurco USA Index Traub Iscar x 2 ITI Tooling Company Inc. Jergens, Inc. Kinetic Cutting Systems Inc. Kitamura Machinery of USA, Inc. Koma Precision, Inc. Kyocera Precision Tools Inc.

PAGE# 14 75 18 17 13 33 39 35 32 43 42 11 IFC 25 23, OBC 70 59 61 69 19 72

ADVERTISER Makino Mapal Inc. Mazak Mitcham Machine Tools Okuma OSG Canada Ltd. Powerhold Inc. PRAB Raptor Workholding Products Renishaw (Canada) Limited Sandvik Schunk SGS Tool Company SME MMTS SMS Machine Tools TE-CO Tungaloy America Inc. U.S. Shop Tools Vargus USA Walter USA

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Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading source for metal fabricating & welding news and information

www.canadianmetalworking.com

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BY THE NUMBERS

GEARED

UP

Canada ranks 5th in the global aerospace business. Quebec drives 55% of the activity, and the Greater Montreal Area is the 3rd largest aerospace hub behind Seattle and Toulouse (France). We host multiple Tier 1 landing gear suppliers. Here is a snapshot:

UTC AEROSPACE SYSTEMS (UTAS) Parent: United Technologies Corp.

(Farmington, CT)  UTAS has 150 sites in 26 countries employing approximately 42,000 people and sales over $14 billion. Landing Systems is one of 8 business units within UTAS.  Canadian landing gear operations: Ontario: Oakville (design/manufacturing/assembly), Burlington (MRO).  Major landing gear programs: Airbus A380, A350-100 0; Boeing 737, 747, 767, 777. www.utcaerospacesystems.com 

MESSIER-BUGATTI-DOWTY (SAFRAN) Parent: SAFRAN Group (Paris, France) World leader in aircraft landing and braking systems, MBD employs more than 7,000 people in locations across Europe, North America and Asia.  Canadian landing gear operations: Ontario: Ajax (assembly). Quebec: Mirabel (manufacturing)  Major programs: Airbus A318/319/320, A321, A300/310, A330/340, A350 800/900 (main), A380 (nose); Boeing B787. www.safranmbd.com  

HÉROUX DEVTEK 

Headquarters: Longueuil (Quebec)



3rd largest landing gear company in the world. The company employs around

1,400 people and reports annual revenue of $364.9 million.

Canadian landing gear operations: Quebec: Longueuil (MRO), Laval (manufacturing), St. Hubert (engineering/test); Ontario: Kitchener (manufacturing), Cambridge (manufacturing)  Major landing gear programs: Boeing B-777, B-777X. www.herouxdevtek.com 

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LIEBHERR-AEROSPACE CANADA Parent: Liebherr-International AG (Switzerland)  Part of Leibherr-Aerospace & Transportation SAS, in 2014 the company’s Landing Gear Systems accounted for a turnover of 140.7 million Euro (Cdn$214 million).  Canadian landing gear operations: Quebec: Laval (service), Mirabel (assembly/testing)  Major program (in Canada): 

Bombardier C Series www.liebherr.ca

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