Canadian Metalworking October 2012

October 2012 • www.canadianmetalworking.com

Money Machines Tool, die & moldmakers defy recession

Medical Manufacturing Innovations 2012 Preview PM 40069240

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How Hard is Hard?

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Vol. 107 | No. 8 | OCTOBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

MMI 2012 SHOW PREVIEW ....................... 20

26

Medical manufacturing on the move in Toronto

A resurgent manufacturing sector pumps dollars into machining

DEEP POCKETS .......................................... 32 Mold and die machining to build complex, expensive tools

HOW HARD IS HARD? ............................... 38 In-shop hardening takes patience and understanding

AN INTRODUCTION TO 3D MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGY.......................................... 40

32

Three dimensional metrology has multiple metalworking applications

MAKING MAGNETS WITH WATER .............. 44 Jobmaster Magnets wins with water jet cutting

A TURN FOR THE BETTER ............................ 52 Turning tools with higher tech

REAMING RESPECT .................................... 56 An important, underappreciated process

SPINNING WHEELS ................................... 62

52

CNC retrofit for more productive NASCAR wheel production

WELDING’S GREEN CREEP .......................... 70 Cleaner environments for all processes

POWER AND FINESSE ................................ 78 High rate removal and fine finishes in rigid round abrasives

56

DEPARTMENTS View from the Floor .......................................................... 6 News ............................................................................. 8 Floor Space .................................................................. 16 Welding News .............................................................. 66 Tool Talk........................................................................ 48

CONTENTS...

TOOL, DIE AND MOULD-MAKING SECTOR ON THE COMEBACK TRAIL ............................... 26

70

By the Numbers ............................................................. 82 www.canadianmetalworking.com | OCTOBER 2012 | 5

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PUBLISHER Steve Devonport 416-442-5125 | SDevonport@canadianmetalworking.com ACCOUNT MANAGER Rob Swan 416-510-5225, cell 416-725-0145 | RSwan@canadianmetalworking.com EDITOR Jim Anderton 416-510-5148 | janderton@canadianmetalworking.com ASSISTANT EDITOR Nicholas Healey 416-442-5600 x 3642 | nhealey@canadianmetalworking.com EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Lisa Wichmann 416-442-5600 x 5101 | LWichmann@canadianmanufacturing.com ART DIRECTOR Sheila Wilson 416-442-5600 x 3593 | shwilson@bizinfogroup.ca CIRCULATION MANAGER Selina Rahaman 416-442-5600 x 3528 | SRahaman@bizinfogroup.ca MARKET PRODUCTION MANAGER Barb Vowles 416-510-5103 | vowlesb@bizinfogroup.ca PRINT PRODUCTION MANAGER Phyllis Wright 416-442-6786 | Pwright@bizinfogroup.ca BIG MAGAZINES LP ........................................................

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

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

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Content copyright ©2012 by BIG Magazines LP, a division of Glacier BIG Holdings Company Ltd., may not be reprinted without permission.

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View From the Floor Is quality your number one priority? Better not be!

“We give or customers the highest quality”. It’s an expression I hear often when visiting job and production shops across the country and every time I hear it, I can’t help but think that the person telling me just doesn’t get it.

The term “quality”, in the pre-SPC days of ”go-no-go” gauges and “100 percent inspection”, was thrown around so liberally that everyone claimed it as their own. The quality gap with Japan was so powerful a public belief that Ford famously declared that “Quality is Job 1”. If quality is job one in your business, it’s time to reassess your priorities. Job One for any business is survival and growth through sustained profitability in a competitive market. The task is to give the customer exactly what they ask for at the agreed price. In my book there are really only two possible interpretations of the word “quality”: compliance with the customer’s standards and fitness for purpose. Anything more is wasted time and money. Let me explain with an example. I once worked on a mild steel stamping, a small blanking plate, for an automotive OEM. The simple part ran well from pilot to “first off” to production, with one small problem. The parts arrived at the plating company’s plant nested tightly together due to the vibration of the truck ride and residual oil on the part’s smooth surface. It took a pocket knife to separate some of the plates. The simple solution was to alter the print to add a small raised “dimple” at a non-critical area of the plate. The OEM duly approved the change, with a small proviso: it had to be “spec’d’ and its dimensions controlled by the same SPC system used for important attributes like screw holes and outside diameter. It’s damn hard to “mike” a dimple’s profile so we built a fixture to check the parts with our QC “shadowgraph” machine. This added a major extra headache on a low margin job that should never have happened. The dimple was not relevant to the function of the part and wasn’t specified by the customer, but the “quality is number one” mentality was allowed to extend to an attribute that wasn’t relevant to the part’s purpose. It didn’t matter what shape or size the dimple had, only that it be there. Quality costs money, plain and simple, money that should be spent to make the part better at what it does…. at a lower cost, period. As an attitude or a philosophy it’s fine, but I want to pay the lowest price I can for a part that does what I want it to do for as long as it needs to last and no more. I’m sure there are wrecking yards all over the country with “junkers” still wearing our perfect little blanking plates in their rusting bodies. The owners paid for that unnecessary durability, cost that could have been allocated to systems that matter, like brakes or suspension.

Quality makes sense only where it makes parts function better; sometimes too much quality is as bad as not enough.

JIM ANDERTON, EDITOR

Canadian publications Mail Sales Product Agreement 40069240 ISSN: 0008-4379 We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities.

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

6 | OCTOBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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News Alberta adopts new, more corrosionresistant steel for bridge roadways

Freezing temperatures and ice damage are challenges to Alberta highways and bridges.

A

lberta’s Ministry of Transportation has recently updated its Bridge Structure Design Criteria to reflect that MMFX2 (ASTM A1035) corrosion-resistant reinforcing (CRR) steel will be used in Exposure Class 2 bridges in the province. The steel is manufactured by MMFX Technologies.

Uncoated, CRR steel, such as ASTM A1035, has been independently tested and proven to be five times more corrosion resistant than conventional steels.

Freezing temperatures and ice damage are among the challenges to the Alberta highways and bridges. When compared to traditional rebar, ASTM A1035 steel will provide better protection against corrosion in Alberta’s harsh environment.

Alberta Transportation notes, “The National Research Council of Canada (NRC), U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Virginia Center for Transportation Innovation & Research, and several other research entities have

W

reported that ASTM A1035 and stainless steel reinforcing can improve long-term durability over traditional materials.”

There is typically a 100-year service life requirement specified in many new bridge projects and this corrosionresistant steel has been proven to exceed that service life.

It is also less costly than stainless steel rebar, making it an economical choice.

“The new standard adopted by the Province of Alberta is in line with the actions taken by other progressive transportation agencies that have recognized MMFX2 steel as one of the most cost-effective solutions for minimizing bridge corrosion,” said MMFX Technologies President Michael W. Pompay.

“The challenge of satisfying the 100-year service life requirement can be economically met by designing with MMFX2 rebar and such value engineering benefits the taxpayers by providing longer-lasting bridges, minimizing repair costs and avoiding traffic disruptions.” CM

8 | OCTOBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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News Additive manufacturing – the future of the aerospace industry Aurora Flight Sciences has collaborated with Stratasys Inc. to create – and fly – an aircraft with a 62-inch wingspan, built using additive manufacturing. The one-piece model was unveiled at the announcement of the new National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute (NAMII) in Youngstown, Ohio.

The concept of additive manufacturing is certainly a futuristic one. Effectively, the process takes a digital model and builds a 3D version of it using a layering process.

“The success of this wing has shown that 3D printing can be used to rapidly fabricate the structure of a small airplane,” said Dan Campbell, Structures Research Engineer at Aurora.

“If a wing replacement is necessary, we simply click print and within a couple days we have a new wing ready to fly.”

While the aircraft was clearly too small for most practical applications, the fact it was built using 3D printing could have massive implications for the future of the aerospace and manufacturing industries.

“In the aerospace industry, additive manufacturing has the benefits of reducing material usage, doing away with tooling, reducing part count, and simplifying assembly,” said Bill Macy,

The event was attended by United States Senator Sherrod Brown and United States Congressman Tim Ryan of Ohio.

Application Development Lead at Stratasys.

“These benefits allow the manufacture of a low quantity of products at lower cost, in less time, with competitive performance”.

The development of additive manufacturing has been a goal of the Obama administration , in the hopes that it revitalizes the manufacturing industry.

Aurora is headquartered in Manassas, VA and designs and builds aerospace vehicles for commercial and military applications.

American manufacturing technology orders up in 2012 US economy shows mixed results as manufacturing technology sales increase 8.8 percent versus last year.

So often it seems that as America goes, so goes Canada.

Despite the ability of Canadian manufacturers to weather the recent economic storms, like it or not, inevitably they must still look stateside to gauge what the market holds.

The Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT) has released their U.S. Manufacturing and Technology Order (USMTO) report, which measures the net increases in new orders of manufacturing technology from American distributors.

The results were mixed, but overall were generally positive.

“Suppliers to technology builders are experiencing a backlog two to three times above normal levels, and consequently growth in manufacturing technology orders has slowed. A significant uptick in order activity is expected after IMTS (the International Manufacturing Technology Show),” said Douglas K. Woods, AMT President. “Along with monthly gains in industrial production, manufacturing payrolls also saw gains for the second consecutive month — an indicator that companies are both confident and optimistic that demand will increase.”

The Northeast, Midwest and the Western region of the US each registered a bad June, showing the potential for problems.

However, each still managed to carry forward a positive increase versus last year.

On the other hand, both the Southern and the Central regions had excellent years and carried the bulk of the weight that brought the numbers up as a whole. For each, their orders went up approximately 18 percent against last year.

10 | OCTOBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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... continues on page 12

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News ... continued from page 10

HERE ARE THE REGIONAL BREAKDOWNS FOR EACH AREA OF THE US: Northeast Region

Manufacturing technology orders in June stood at $63.23 million, 0.3% less than May’s $63.40 million and down 11.0% when compared with June a year ago. At $377.27 million year-to-date, the 2012 total is slightly more than the $377.08 million for 2011 at the same time.

Southern Region

Orders in the Southern Region for June totaled $87.59 million, up 11.6% from May’s $78.49 million and up 32.3% when compared with the June 2011 figure. The year-to-date total of $381.28 million is 18.1% more than the comparable figure for 2011.

Midwest Region

Midwest orders totaled $136.07 million in June, down 9.8% from the $150.86 million total for May and 13.6% less than the total for June 2011. At $869.07 million, 2012

year-to-date is up 3.3% when compared with 2011 at the same time.

Central Region

At $136.75 million, June manufacturing technology orders in the Central Region were up 8.5% when compared with the $126.08 million total for May and up 9.2% when compared with June a year ago. With a year-to-date total of $797.52 million, 2012 is up 18.0% when compared with 2011 at the same time.

Western Region

June manufacturing technology orders in the Western Region totaled $39.31 million, 15.8% less than May’s $46.71 million and off 23.7% when compared with the June 2011 figure. At $257.23 million, the 2012 year-todate total was 3.8% more than the comparable figure for 2011.

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n o •

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Big changes ahead for the CAW after convention in Toronto More than 1,000 Canadian Auto Workers union members and guests gathered in downtown Toronto August 20th through to August 24th for the union’s first national Constitutional and Collective Bargaining Convention, which took place at the Sheraton Centre.

CAW President Ken Lewenza addressed the convention along with a number of other speakers including Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney, CEP President Dave Coles, Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) President Paul Moist, and Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page.

The CAW delegates held the vote on the proposal that would merge the CAW with the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union (CEP) – a move that would create the largest union in Canadian history. This vote will be the first of two. A similar vote will be held at the CEP convention, October 14th-17th in Quebec City.

The elected delegates at the convention also debated current issues, strategized on how to tackle critical challenges and shape the union’s bargaining and political action agenda for the future.

The nearly 1,000 CAW delegates voted unanimously in favour of moving forward with creating a new union with the CEP. The vote is the first of two before the new union can be formed.

If the CEP vote passes as expected, the new union would represent more than 300,000 members, and have a presence in every province.

“This new union has the potential to change the way workers are represented in this country, bringing about stronger democracy in the workplace and greater community

• • • • •

CAW president Ken Lewenza.

Photo credit: ©Roger Cullman

involvement,” said CAW President Ken Lewenza, following the vote. “This union will pose a serious challenge to the unrepresentative, unfair economic and political systems workers now find themselves caught in.”

CEP President Dave Coles thanked CAW delegates for supporting the shared vision of a new union and accepting change and a new kind of labour movement. He stressed that the power of the new union is in its potential to build a better life for workers in this country and around the world.

Also, as part of the convention delegates elected the union’s leadership team, with the incumbent Ken Lewenza re-elected as national president.

Lewenza said principles of equity, fairness, transparency and inclusiveness for all workers that have always guided the CAW will be the same principles that apply in the proposed new union.

12 | OCTOBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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News Despite hard times, global auto sales on the rise: Scotiabank According to a new global auto report

by Scotiabank Economics, global car sales advanced six percent in the first half of 2012, despite the ongoing sovereign debt problems in Western Europe and a slowdown in the pace of global economic activity.

Japan (52 percent) and Russia (29 percent) are leading the way. Western Europe continues to lag by comparison, with sales set to decline to 12.2 million units in 2012 – the fifth consecutive slide and the lowest level since 1996.

“Car sales are advancing in every region, with the exception of Western Europe,” said Carlos Gomes, senior

economist and auto industry specialist at Scotiabank Economics. “We expect continued gains in the second half supported by record low short and long-term interest rates in most nations, the recent acceleration in the pace of automotive lending across the globe and solid job creation in emerging markets.”

The improvement in Japan reflects a rebound from last year’s tsunami-induced

slump which slashed purchases to only 3.5 million units – the lowest level since 1986 – as well as government incentives for eco-friendly vehicles.

But gains are expected to moderate in coming months as pent-up demand subsides and demographics undercut purchases. As its population ages, the number of potential car buyers in Japan is declining by almost one percent per

14 | OCTOBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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News year, which is the worst demographic trend among the G7. In contrast, sales in Russia this year are on target to surpass the pre-crisis peak of 2.9 million sold in 2008. In fact, volumes in Russia are expected to overtake Germany (3.2 million this year) by middecade, becoming the largest market in Europe. Gains are being supported by government policies to increase auto financing, a rising middle class, record-high oil prices and below-average vehicle penetration.

North America is posting a doubledigit increase in car sales, lifting purchases to the highest level since 2007.

Light vehicle sales in North America have jumped 13 percent so far this year, the report said, led by a 21 percent surge in purchases by US businesses, governments and rental car agencies.

“Purchases in Canada have been stronger than we expected this year,

prompting us to increase our 2012 forecast to 1.68 million units, the secondhighest annual total on record,” Gomes said. “Automakers are currently offering both ’0%’ financing and ‘employee pricing’, providing discounts up to $14,000.”

Sales in China and Brazil have accelerated to double-digit gains in recent months, bolstered by government stimulus. In China, the government created a US$952 billion subsidy program for purchases of fuel-efficient cars with engines of less than 1.6 litres.

Since the introduction of the program in May, car sales have advanced 14 percent year over year, from only a 1 percent increase through April.

The Mediterranean nations – Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Greece – account for most of the weakness, with volumes slumping an additional 20 percent through July and accounting

for two-thirds of the overall slide across Western Europe. Purchases in these debtridden nations have yet to hit bottom, despite plunging to an annualized 2.2 million units so far this year, from a peak of 4.6 million in 2007. However, volumes are holding up better in the rest of Western Europe despite ongoing economic weakness. Purchases in the United Kingdom have advanced for five consecutive months. Sales in the UK are expected to edge up to two million units in 2012, marginally ahead of last year’s 1.9 million, according to the report.

And in Germany, a slip in consumer confidence has flattened volumes this year, but there is potential for a better performance, the report said, as disposable income growth is advancing at the fastest pace since 2008 and unemployment is half the level prevailing in the euro zone.

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www.canadianmetalworking.com | OCTOBER 2012 | 15

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Floor Space “What is the single best machine tool, cutting tool or other piece of equipment you ever purchased? Why do you consider this purchase the best?

“I am in the metal finishing business and for many years, relied on outside sources for stripping and removing rust or contaminants from parts which were sent for rework or for restoration projects. A couple of years ago, I came across sandblasting equipment from a competitor who was in financial distress. I purchased it and quickly realized it was a great investment. We have since increased quality, reduced our timing requirements on those orders requiring special pre-treatment and have been able to reduce costs all at the same time.”

– Joseph Manzoli, president, Colourfast, Concord, Ontario

“I would have to say our best machine has been our 1984 Fanuc wire EDM. Purchased new, this EDM is still cutting today like a champ. It had the lowest maintenance cost of all our wire EDMs and has never had a breakdown other than a small $100 servo and a few buttons from wear. Cost/cut it even outperforms our much newer Charmilles 690. Although slower, this machine will cut non-stop 24 hours/day while our other EDMs will break wires, require three times as many perishables and use five times as much wire. This machine has paid for itself many times over.”

– Adriano Oppio, vice-president, Classic Tool and Die, Oldcastle, Ontario

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“CNC boring mills and CNC lathes ... one is not good without the other.”

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

“Star SR20 [automatic screw machine] purchased and serviced by AMT Machine Tools. It’s a reliable machine with diversified capabilities.”

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

“When we installed our first CNC cutting table, it brought us from a manual shop to a company that was progressive and willing to invest in the long term of the business. It was a major step for a small shop to invest that type of money without fully realizing the impact that this investment would change the way we worked and how we progressed. It also proved to us that no matter how small the operations are, you need to invest to progress. That purchase is probably the reason we grew over the years.”

– Marco Gagnon, co-owner, Gagnon Ornamental Works, Grand Falls, New Brunswick

“I don’t have a favourite machine tool. We are a custom design and build shop. Where would we be without welding machines? I am sure that our lead hand in the weld shop has a favourite welder as a personal preference. Where would we be without our CNC lathes and mills? I know our lead hand in the CNC section has his favourite machines.

Where would we be without our assembly area? Do our assemblers have favourite hammers or wrenches?

Probably! We are more than the sum of our individual parts and favourites.”

– David Foscarini, president, Mecon Industries Limited, Scarborough, Ontario

“The best single cutting tool I have purchased is an Iscar endmill. ECI-E4L500-1.0/1.5W500CF IC900 grade. This tool is used on all steels we machine from 12L14 to 304 stainless to QT100 plate with a flame cut edge using high speed machining with outstanding tool life.”

– George Barnes, president, Foldens Machine Works, Tillsonburg, Ontario

Since this is a business, the winner [is the] machine that was cheapest with the highest return. The winner goes to: an HH Roberts built Ann Yang CNC combo lathe with Anilam controls and a manual change toolholder.

Seventy thousand bucks. I bought this lathe new in 2000, and basically nothing worked ... I tried to send it back.

The dealer said they could fix it. I have scrap parts all over the floor and my guys and myself were petrified to use the thing. The warranty period ran out and we started having to work on it ourselves. Anyway, it took a year to get going. We also jury rigged a tailstock on the headstock end so we could turn really long tubes. All of a sudden, we land ourselves some great work. It lasted for more than decade. Day in and day out. Great work that supported the shop through thick and thin. So the Ann Yang that did not work and was petrifying to use is the winner!”

–Rob Muru, president, A-Line Precision Tool, Toronto, Ontario

16 | OCTOBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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“We’re not out of the woods yet”: chief economist, Develop­ ment Bank of Canada Despite recent growth, Canadian manufacturing sector still not back to prerecession highs

News will grow by almost seven percent in 2012. There is a strong demand for aircraft in emerging countries, and with expectations for a sustained recovery in the US, production is expected to grow by three percent annually over the next four years. However, weak price growth will limit the industry’s profitability to

about $500 million annually in the next couple of years.

Auto parts industry:

Booming vehicle sales in North America have contributed to the recovery of the auto industry. Canada’s motor vehicle parts production will grow by almost 15

A report, published by the Conference Board of Canada in association with the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), suggests that although many of Canada’s main manufacturing sectors are growing, there are still challenges ahead.

The most recent edition of the report (Summer 2012) has outlooks for the manufacturing sectors of a variety of industries, including aerospace products and motor vehicle parts among others.

The Canadian Industrial Profile Service, a subdivision of the Conference Board of Canada, compiled the report.

Many of Canada’s export-dependent manufacturing industries are counting on two things to increase their profitability – the US economy and the demand from emerging markets.

“The continuing financial crisis in Europe is the primary risk to some of Canada’s high-profile manufacturing industries. Turmoil in the Eurozone could further undermine business and consumer confidence in the United States and emerging economies,” said Michael Burt, Director, Industrial Economic Trends. “Most of the industries covered in this outlook are experiencing healthy production growth, but the strong Canadian dollar will limit the prices that export-oriented industries receive for their goods.”

“Despite the continued improvement in revenue, profitability and job creation across all sectors, we’re not out of the woods yet,” cautions Pierre Cléroux, Vice President and Chief Economist, BDC. “The manufacturing sector is still far from its pre-recession highs and unless Canadian businesses make significant investments in productivity, they will have difficulty competing in the new economic environment.”

Aerospace Industry:

After three years of declining or stagnant production, aerospace industry output www.canadianmetalworking.com | OCTOBER 2012 | 17

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News percent in 2012 – however, this is still below pre-recession levels and the strong Canadian dollar is expected to limit price growth. As a result, industry profits are forecast to increase modestly from $1.2 billion in 2012 to slightly more than $1.5 billion in 2016.

The Canadian Industrial Profile Service is part of The Conference Board of Canada’s Industrial Economic Trends research. The service provides a five-year forecast for production, employment, revenue, cost and profitability for six industries each quarter.

Héroux-Devtek completes sale of aerostructure and industrial products operations Longueuil, Quebec-based Héroux-Devtek announced it has completed the sale of virtually all of its aerostructure and industrial products operations to Portland, Oregon-based Precision Castparts Corp.

The assets acquired by Precision Castparts include Héroux-Devtek’s manufacturing sites in Dorval, Quebec; Querétaro, Mexico; and Arlington, Texas. They also acquired aerostructure manufacturing sites, as well as industrial products manufacturing sites based in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The transaction is for a cash consideration of $300 million, subject to post-closing adjustments. The assets sold generated sales of $126.8 million for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012.

Héroux-Devtek expects net cash proceeds of approximately $230 million from the sale.

Héroux-Devtek will retain all of its landing gear product line as well as the Toronto-based Magtron operations. Landing gear is a core operation for the company, and they plan to focus on that aspect of their operations.

The operations they have retained include more than 1,000 employees in Canada and the United States and generated consolidated sales of $253.5 million for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012.

Héroux-Devtek Inc is a leading Canadian manufacturer of aerospace products.

CM

BOHONG COMPLETES LONG-AWAITED PURCHASE OF WESCAST Chinese company Bohong has received the necessary approval from the People’s Republic of China to go ahead with their takeover of Brantford, Ontario-based Wescast Industries.

The deal had needed the approval of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), which is required for any transaction related to foreign investment outside of China.

The purchase has been in the works since June 1st, 2012 but Bohong had experienced difficulties securing financing, and as recently as August 31st had been forced to pay a $2 million penalty to Wescast. That payment had extended the purchase deadline to November 30th.

Wescast and Bohong have also entered into an amending agreement that will see Bohong (through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Taixing International Investment Limited) loan Wescast $35 million to enable them to repay outstanding debts.

The total value of the deal is pegged at $195 million.

Wescast Industries casts exhaust manifolds for passenger cars and light trucks. They also design, cast, machine and assemble exhaust system components. Wescast employs approximately 2,100 people in seven production facilities and five sales and design centres in Canada, Hungary, the United States, Germany, Japan and China. CM

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MEDICAL MANUFACTURING INNOVATIONS TORONTO 2012

A unique event for a surprisingly large machining segment

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

The 2010 edition of MMI was packed with learning opportunities

I

n Canada’s metal machining (and today, additive manufacturing) industries, most of the attention goes to the automotive, energy and aerospace industries. Measured by “pounds on the ground”, that’s understandable, but there’s a market where parts weighing grams can generate big profits for advanced shops: Medical manufacturing. How big is the market in Canada? Canada is home to a $7-billion medical device market—of which $4-billion is centered in Ontario’s medtech hub. Demographics also suggest that the segment is poised for significant growth.

“Canada’s aging population will increasingly rely on medical innovations like joint replacements and dental implants to retain a high quality of life,” said Janine Saperson, event manager for the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), organizer of the event. “New innovations in the production of these technologies are essential for businesses looking to increase presence in this

All aspects of medical manufacturing are represented with many live equipment demonstrations

market or charter new territory and Medical Manufacturing Innovations Toronto 2012 offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity to obtain the tools and knowledge necessary to make these innovations possible.”

Segments like aerospace and automotive have specific needs for accuracy, precision, surface finish and of course, cost, but medical/dental applications introduce extensive recordkeeping, lot traceability and regulatory compliance issues. MMI Toronto is Canada’s event for medical & dental device manufacturers to compare and source solutions for their manufacturing challenges and learn about the newest innovations and technologies.

In addition to a comprehensive seminar schedule (see list on page 22), MedTech Labs are unique interactive sessions that take place right on the show floor, giving attendees a firsthand look at new industry developments, as well as the opportunity for one-on-one interaction with suppliers.

20 | OCTOBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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Lauralyn McDaniel, Medical Industry Manager for SME, explains that medical and dental manufacturing is a burgeoning sector represented by a highly diversified group of companies ranging from small start-ups to large, mature firms. “This is a market that is expected to grow to more than $7 billion by 2014, fuelled by the need to support aging populations, the resulting chronic disease incidence and an increased demand for quality of life solutions,” she says, noting that MMI Toronto 2012 aims to be the “go to” event for device manufacturers looking for innovative ways to respond. “The industry is not without its hurdles, however, which is why events like MMI Toronto 2012 are so important,” she added.

In a recent survey conducted by SME, North American manufacturers of medical and dental devices indicated that they face many innovation challenges, including how to get products to market quickly, attain necessary engineering resources, meet stringent regulatory requirements, and justify the value of improvements compared to the time and resources required to achieve them. At MMI Toronto 2012, they will learn about the latest technologies and solutions available to help address those challenges, and will have an unprecedented opportunity to network with industry peers, government officials and key medical and dental device professionals, McDaniel explained.

Building on the success of its inaugural event in 2010, MMI Toronto 2012 has grown substantially, offering significantly more exhibits and educational sessions than before. “As Canada’s only event to focus solely on medical devices, MMI Toronto 2012 brings together a unique combination of suppliers who are familiar with Health Canada and other regulatory processes and puts them in direct contact with the device manufacturers who can support them in achieving those requirements,” she said.

leads, I now compare MMI Toronto show to these shows and I had seven times as many leads as I had in the other two shows combined. Our objectives were met with attaining the number of bona fide leads and immediate e-files being sent to our office.

How else can you validate success other than through numbers?

The numbers we achieved attest to a success. I look forward to next year at the second annual event.”

In addition to showcasing new manufacturing technologies, MMI Toronto 2012 will focus on outsourcing strategies, innovation challenges and solutions, ways to navigate through the regulatory environment and new developments in inspection and validation technologies. Featured application areas include: pharmaceuticals, medical and assistive devices, biotechnology,

If you can make it…

WE CAN MEASURE IT. Medical Components Measured

QuiCkly & PreCisely INSPECTION, SPC, PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT, PROTOTYPING & ARCHIVING

MMI 2010 WAS A NOTABLE SUCCESS

“The Medical Manufacturing Innovations event provided an excellent opportunity for our office” stated David Di Felice Chief, SME Stakeholder Engagement at the federal Office of Small and Medium Enterprises (OSME). “We were able to engage numerous suppliers from the medical and dental manufacturing industry and inform them about the Canadian Innovation Commercialization Program (CICP), as well as on the opportunity to do business with the Government of Canada. The seminar session we were able to deliver was equally productive.”

Medical and Dental Machining’s Howard Blatt agrees: “Being approached

by SME to be a participant in this event, I was very reluctant to attend. Having done the big Chicago and New York MD& M shows and generating very few

sPeCiAlisTs iN NONCONTACT MeAsureMeNT

www.cmmxyz.com 2433 Meadowvale Blvd., Mississauga, Ontario L5N 5S2 Ph:905-819-7878 • Fax: 905-819-6886 • Toll Free: 1-800-606-9266 www.canadianmetalworking.com | OCTOBER 2012 | 21

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advanced materials, microelectronics, telecommunications, software and informatics.

The estimated seven billion dollar Canadian medical and dental device industry employs 35,000 people across 1,500 companies, with the majority of activity taking place in Ontario and Quebec. Most shops are currently working with non-ferrous metals like aluminum and titanium alloys, plus stainless steel grades including the traditional “300” series also familiar to aero/auto shops. A major difference between medical and conventional machining is in material choice. In many cases, it’s controlled by regulations driven by in-vitro and in-vivo testing. Machinability, cost and availability are always trumped by biocompatibility, adding new issues in raw material

procurement, certification and job costing. Unconventional post-machining processes are also in play, such as ultrasonic cleaning, grit blasting, sterilization and pharmaceutical coatings. Subcontract work with net or near net shape parts is a good way to break into the medical market within a traditional shop’s comfort zone, but the bottom line is that no part is as safety-critical as one designed to work inside a human body.

MMI hosts companies with the best equipment, technology and knowledge, who understand Health Canada/FDA compliance specifications and will showcase their latest medical manufacturing solutions. It’s a great place to investigate the market and determine what’s needed to prepare a quality shop for entry into this highly specialized market. CM

MMI TORONTO QUICK FACTS WHERE: Toronto International Centre, Hall 6 WHEN: Wednesday October 24, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Thursday October 25, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

FORMAT: Highly specialized vertical event showcasing the latest technological innovation and practices in the medical and dental device manufacturing industry and offering a platform for growth opportunities by connecting users of technology with sellers of technology CONFERENCE/EDUCATION THEMES: Day 1 = Process & Production: From Design to Manufacture, Inspection and Validation Day 2 = Innovation: Challenges to Innovation and New Technologies Keynote: Dr. Shaf Keshavjee, Surgeon-in-Chief, University Health Network, Toronto — well known for leading the team on the successful double lung transplant procedure on Helene Campbell; will speak on “Building New Lungs: Biologics and Biomechanical Devices”

Benjamin Mak, Patent Attorney, will discuss a number of topics including: • Exploiting medical device patents • Listening to your wearable sensors • Don’t hack my insulin pump • Predicting stock market prices and disease (better Big Data) • What you can learn from the phone wars (may the force of patents be with you) • Spin and win the wheel of patent lifecycle David Hood — DH3 & Associates: Establishing an R&D partnership and learning about procurement process with the U.S. military medical community MedMira testimonials — Our experiences: submitting winning proposals and working with the U.S. Army. MedMira have consecutively won two major contracts with the U.S. military to commercialize rapid diagnostics technology (in May 2012, contract valued at US$4.2 million; in 2011, contract valued at over US$2.2 million)

DISCOVERY TRACKS LINE-UP: DAY 1 Deloitte — Fast Track to Access Business Abroad (China, India & Brazil) New Technology Session Ridout and Maybee LLP (Lunch and Learn session) — Trending Medical Device Patents

DAY 2 Kangaroo Design & Innovation — Challenges and Solutions to Innovation Presenter/Moderator TBC — “The Making of Industry Leaders” Hear from successful companies that have earned the respect of well-regarded enterprise-level organizations for their outstanding leadership in the medical device manufacturing industry.

22 | OCTOBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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YES. YOU CAN.

Sponsors and Partners:

Join us at the MEDICAL AND DENTAL DEVICE MANUFACTURING industry event of the year!

October 24 & 25 at the International Centre, Hall 6 MEDICAL MANUFACTURING INNOVATIONS (MMI) is a highly specialized 2-day event for: > Medical and Dental Device Manufacturers seeking – Solutions to their manufacturing challenges – Latest equipment and cutting edge technologies to improve quality and productivity – Education and knowledge about regulations and opportunities to grow their business in this $7.7 billion industry > Suppliers – showcasing their products and innovative solutions for the Medical and Dental Device Industry

Featuring MMI Keynote Speaker: Dr. Shaf Keshavjee Renowned thoracic surgeon and director of the Toronto Lung Transplant Program who lead the team on a successful double lung transplant procedure earlier this year.

“Building New Lungs: Biologics and Biomechanic Devices” 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

“It’s a perfect opportunity to speak directly to medical manufacturers and tell them how the devices they produce help to save lives and why working together is important to innovate and improve processes.” Dr. Keshavjee

Let’s get together to build solutions and change the future!

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See it at MMI 2012

A sample of some of the technology on display at the Medical Manufacturing Innovations Show

EC 60 FLAT SERVO MOTOR WITH MILE ENCODER AND PROTECTION CLASS IP 54

Maxon’s Inductive Little Encoder (MILE) encoder is one of the smallest inductive rotary encoders and makes optimal use of the flat motor in high-precision applications and positioning tasks. Its operating principle is based on the detection of high-frequency inductivity, which generates eddy current in an electrically conducting target.

There are some advantages of a high-frequency inductive method of measurement compared to traditional encoders. One is the resistance towards dust or oil vapour, thus making additional protective measures, such as a cover, unnecessary. Also, it’s resistant to interference pulses (for example from PWM controllers or motor magnets). www.maxonmotor.com

THE ULTIMATE DESKTOP 3D PRINTER

The Objet30 Pro is a 3D printer that combines the accuracy and versatility of a high-end rapid prototyping machine with the small footprint of a regular desktop printer. The printer provides a number of capabilities in one machine, including some of the industry’s best print resolution and seven different 3D printing materials.

The Objet30 Pro is also capable of printing in clear transparent material, high-temperature resistant material and polypropylene-like material. www.objet.com

NRR 3060 QC SPINDLE

NSK America has announced the introduction of their high precision, NRR-3060 QC Spindle. The NRR-3060 QC now allows an end user to utilize preset tooling. Designed to meet the needs of specialty and bench machining requirements, the NRR 3060 QC is capable of attaining speeds as high as 60,000 rpm while maintaining less than 1 micron runout at the spindle taper.

Designed to use up to a 1/4” collet, the NRR 3060 QC allows for quick and accurate tool changes without the need for wrenches. The tool holder has the ability to be placed in a preset adaptor, which can be put on a presetter unit to provide accurate information for the offset values of the tooling. www.nskamericacorp.com 24 | OCTOBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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5-AXIS OFFERS LARGER WORKING ENVELOPE

As with all Matsuura 5-axis products, the MAM72-100H is designed to function best with flexible multiple setups, process a wide array of materials in a multitude of industries, and offer users advanced, proven and extended unmanned operation. Process integration and high-precision complex “one hit� operation come as standard. Matsuura has developed the MAM72-100H following many requests from existing MAM72 users for a machine with a larger working envelope and processing capacity. www.elliottmachinery.com

CAD/CAM FOR CUSTOM AND PRODUCTION MEDICAL IMPLANTS

Whether you are a custom or mass manufacturer of orthopaedic, dental or medical devices, we have a comprehensive suite of software for you to design and manufacture your products more efficiently and more profitably.

Our unique suite of CADCAM software tools even allows you to merge the unique human form with industry leading CADCAM tools to develop new state-of-the-art mass produced designs for plates, bone screws, abutments, hip, knee and shoulder prosthetics.

The key to our success is the way in which we encapsulate our powerful CADCAM technology into an easy to use platform for designing, manufacturing or inspecting. Delcam software allows you to rapidly explore unlimited ideas, while increasing manufacturing capacity, quality and delivery. www.delcam.ca

MITUTOYO MEASURLINK QUALITY CONTROL SOFTWARE SUITE

The MeasurLink 7 Real-Time Standard Edition is designed for acquisition and analysis of data in real-time to enable checking of variable and attribute inspection data to help maximize production and minimize defects. MeasurLink 7 Real-Time Professional Edition enables customers to connect and acquire data from Mitutoyo Coordinate Measuring Machines (CMMs), Vision and Form Measuring Systems. MeasurLink 7 Real-Time Professional 3D Edition is designed for customers who wish to collect data using the Hoops 3D graphics view. MeasurLink 7 Process Analyzer/Analyzer Lite Edition is designed for offline viewing of Real-Time data in a networked environment. www.mitutoyo.ca

Toronto - 905.565.8888 - 1.888.565.8807 - Montreal - 514.333.0717 - 1.888.595.5157 Email: info@megatelcnc.com Web: megatelcnc.com www.canadianmetalworking.com | OCTOBER 2012 | 25

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Machine Tool, Die and Mould-Making Sector on the Comeback Trail A resurgent manufacturing sector pumps dollars into machining

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

26 | OCTOBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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latinum Tool Technologies of Oldcastle, Ontario is on a roll. The company, which designs, manufactures and Automotive, as far as mould-makers repairs industrial moulds, recently invested $2.5 million in new equipment and opened an ancillary facility in Mexico. go, is very strong right now ... it looks Estimated 2012 revenues alone for the company’s Canadian plant should “exceed $11 million,” says Platinum Tool like it will remain strong. president Dan Moynahan. The Mexican operation—which launched May, 2011—might pull in another $2 million.

It’s an impressive track record, given that just a few years have fared extremely well. In an annual list, published most ago industry pundits had little but gloom and doom to report recently on October 24, 2011, Plastics News magazine ranked in Canada’s machine tool, die and mould (MTDM) sector. The the “Top Mold Makers” in North America. Rankings were combination of a brutal recession and drastic cutbacks in based on “North American sales of products in the most automotive production devastated the sector, particularly in recent fiscal year at the time of publication”. Canadian firms the industrial heartland of southern Ontario. dominated the list, occupying first, second and third place.

While many Windsor-area MTDM shops had to close, “the ones Number one on the list was Husky Injection Molding systems that survived are all doing really well ... I’m busy now,” says Moynahan, who is also a past-president of the Canadian Association of Mouldmakers (CAMM), headquartered in Windsor.

At present, Platinum employs 58 people in Canada and 18 in Mexico.

The MTDM sector hasn’t completely recovered (industrial mould exports are still down) but there is a sense that the economic tsunami is receding.

“With Century, things have been really busy ... manufacturing in Canada is busy again,” says Steve Watson, president of machine tool component distribu• Available in: - Serrated, Acme & tor Century Tools and Machinery in Square Key, American Standard & Mississauga, Ontario.

Metric Tongue & Groove Styles In particular, automotive production • Steel or aluminum heights of has revved back to life. A total of 2.098 3”, 4”, 5”, 6”, 8”, or 10” million light-duty vehicles were manufactured in Canada in 2011, according • Lower cost versus buying a short to the Toronto-based Canadian Vehicle and a tall jaw Manufacturers’ Association (CVMA). This • Competitively Priced is a huge leap from 2009, when less than 1.5 million vehicles were built.

• Increase tool versatility “Automotive, as far as mould-makers • Always in stock go, is very strong right now ... it looks like it will remain strong,” states Moynahan • Suitable for 90% of all short According to Industry Canada, tall jaw applications Canadian firms exported $607 million of • Made in the USA industrial moulds in 2011. The United States accounted for a majority (some $467.6 million worth) of this total. In 2010, ISO 9000 Certied QMS exports stood at $661 million, with $495 million of that going to the U.S.

“

”

Intermediate Height Jaws

RESHORING BEGINS

Revenues from making tools and dies, meanwhile, are on the rise. Industry Canada lumps tool and die statistics in the category “other metalworking machinery manufacturing”. Exports in this category stood at $712 million in 2011, of which $520 million worth went to the U.S. This is an increase from 2010 when total exports came to $680 million, with $490 million purchased by our southern neighbour.

While overall figures for mould exports are still shaky, some mould manufacturers

DillonManufacturing, Inc. Peter Seessle | Expertech Dist. & Tech. Inc. 44 Goodfellow Crest | Bolton, Ontario Phone: 647-960-4478 | Email: peteseessle@rodgers.com www.canadianmetalworking.com | OCTOBER 2012 | 27

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from Bolton, Ontario, with estimated sales of $113 million.

This was followed by Concours Mold in Lakeshore, Ontario with $60 million in sales and Active Burgess Mould and Design in Windsor with an estimated $58.8 million in sales. Canadian companies also took the seventh, ninth and tenth spot, giving Canada six entries in the top ten.

One of the biggest developments impacting the MTDM sector is the phenomenon of “reshoring”—that is, Canadian and American firms pulling “offshore” manufacturing operations out of nations such as China.

“A lot of companies that were dealing with the off-shore situation found their intellectual property was not protected ... [offshore operators] would build two moulds, one for the customer and one for the black market,” says Mike Hicks, vice-president at CAMM and vice-president at DMS, an Oldcastle, Ontario firm that licenses the manufacturing and

“Canadians no longer have the upper hand with exchange rates with our U.S. customers.”

distribution of injection moulding and die-casting components and other products.

Add to this the high-cost of shipping tools and moulds made in Asia and growing wage demands from the locals and it’s clear to see why reshoring would be an attractive option.

Having been burned in Asia, some firms are eyeing Mexico as a potential base of operations.

DESTINATION, MEXICO

American, Canadian and European companies are “opening more auto plants in Mexico ... they’re looking to Mexico as their low-cost country as opposed to China ... these plants serve all of South America, North America and some European markets,” says Moynahan.

When it came to setting up his own foreign branch, Moynahan skipped Asia altogether and went directly to Mexico. Things are going so well at his Mexican plant, he’s signed papers to lease a larger facility. The new locale offers 20,000 square feet of manufacturing space and a 30-tonne crane capability, versus a 10-tonne capability at Platinum’s current place of business in Mexico.

The Mexican outpost primarily repairs and maintains moulds from other companies. It also builds components, including a small number of industrial moulds.

“We are there to support existing customers and establish new customers,” explains Moynahan.

28 | OCTOBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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In other international developments, the Canadian dollar has been near par with the U.S. dollar for the past year— cause for concern in some quarters.

“Considering that we are currently exporting three-quarters of our work to the U.S., this has been a major problem.

Canadians no longer have the upper hand with exchange rates with our U.S. customers,” says Adriano Oppio, vice-president of Classic Tool and Die in Oldcastle, Ontario.

A dollar at par “makes manufacturing less competitive against companies in the U.S., which is a struggle ...the consensus is that [a Canadian dollar around] 80 – 85 cents would be good,” adds Watson.

another Italian manufacturer called Promac, and palletizers.

The company’s palletization system comes from yet another Italian manufacturer, called FCS. According to Moynahan, many Windsor-area shops are going the palletization route, for the sake of efficiency and productivity. Palletizers have boosted profits at Platinum Tools by three percent, he estimates.

CALLING ALL YOUTH

Five-axis machining is also catching on.

“We have two trends going at our shop—standardizing controls [with Haas equipment] and five-axis machining. In about a year, I suspect our mills will be five-axis and all our STRENGTH IN DOLLARS mill and lathe controls will be Haas,” says Rob Muru, presiIf an overly strong dollar is worrisome, industry pundits dent of A-Line Precision Tool in Toronto, Ontario. unanimously applaud the Canadian Now that the MTDM sector has government’s decision to extend the revived, industry experts have Accelerated Capital Cost Allowance returned to a perennial complaint: the (ACCA) in last year’s federal budget. lack of young people entering skilled The current situation is Originally introduced in 2007 as a trades. temporary measure, the ACCA allows “The current situation is that we that we cannot find skilled shop owners to write off the cost cannot find skilled workers for our of new machinery and equipment industry. We have been advertising for workers for our industry. purchases over a period of three CNC operators and skilled tool and die years. makers in all of Michigan and Ontario This is quite an improvement and are currently even looking abroad over the previous system: “Under the for skilled labourers. I see this as being traditional model of depreciation (30 percent declining balance), a major downfall for our industry today,” says Oppio. it takes 14 years to depreciate 99 percent of capital expendi“We need to bring the youth back into trades ... the industures. By contrast, the ACCA allows businesses ... to deduct try is facing the same problem that everyone is ... a lot of the almost 42 cents more per dollar invested. This provides an skilled people are in the baby boom generation ... for the next additional return on capital of approximately 12 – 15 percent,” ten years, the problem’s going to get worse,” adds Moynahan. reads a report from the Ottawa-based Canadian Manufacturers Watson, who chairs the Toronto chapter of the Canadian and Exporters (CME).

Tooling and Machining Association (CTMA), remains positive In part because of lobbying from manufacturing associaabout the future, if wary. tions, Ottawa has agreed to preserve the ACCA at least until “I’m optimistic about the next few years ... a lot of people 2013. are still very cautious though ... they want to know what’s This is good news, obviously, for MTDM firms thinking going to happen in Europe, and what’s going to happen in the about buying new equipment.

U.S. presidential elections ... I think the U.S. is going to come Over the past year-and-a-half, for example, Platinum back really strong [and Canadian shops will be] competing has purchased a five axis gun drill/boring mill from Italian again against the U.S.,” he states. CM manufacturer Isma, a five-axis high speed machine from

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SOME UPCOMING EVENTS FOR THE MOLDMAKING INDUSTRY: Exoplast will take place in Montreal in November. The show will be hosted by both the Federation of Plastics and Alliances Composites (FEPAC) and the Canadian Association of Mold Makers (CAMM).

When: November 14-15, 2012

EuroMold is one of the world’s leading trade shows for moldmaking and tooling, design and application development. The show is run by DEMAT GmbH who host a number of associated shows, such as AsiaMold, AmeriMold, and EuroMold Brasil.

The 2012 version in Germany is expected to host around 1400 exhibitors and have over 60,000 visitors. This will be the 18th year of EuroMold.

Where: Palais des Congrès, 1001 Place Jean-Paul-Riopelle, Montréal, QC

When: November 27-30, 2012

For more information contact: Chantal Blanchard at cblanchard@fepac.ca

Where: Frankfurt am Main, Exhibition Center Ludwig-ErhardAnlage 1 60327 Frankfurt, Germany For more information contact: info@demat.com

30 | OCTOBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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cmw oct 2012 Tool die mold pg 26-31.indd 31

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Deep Pockets Mold and die machining needs high tech equipment to build complex, expensive tools

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

The metalworking industry is simple to understand: we either make parts, or the tools that make parts. Both have challenges, but in each case offshore competition, slimmer margins and tighter tolerances make it harder to win and keep a good job. Job shops specializing in mold and die work also have additional stresses driven by the cyclical nature of the industry combined with growth. It’s not necessarily growth in the economist’s sense, but growth in the size and weight of the tools. Take injection molds, for example. Bigger platens, higher tonnages and faster cycle times mean bigger, more complex molds. And bigger molds mean bigger equipment to machine them, raising the stakes in a game where a job shop can literally bet the company on a major contract. It’s the same story on the tooling side. Major end users like Tier One OEM suppliers are responding to their customers’ demands for fewer parts in larger, more complex assemblies. Simulation software allows modern engineers to design massive tools and dies - and it’s up

to the job shops to find a way to build them.

Bigger jobs with tighter margins inevitably put a premium on metal removal rates, and nowhere is this as big an issue as in the injection mold segment. Big cavities were traditionally roughed out with big, aggressive, slow moving tools, but the modern trend is toward lighter cuts, with lightning speed. Flood cooling simply can’t cut it, so high pressure and increasingly, through-tool coolant flow is a must. Pumping fluid through the tool has a natural limiting effect on the tool choices a shop makes. It’s frequently more cost effective to craft a tooling program with only one or two brands, backed by extensive supplier technical support. For traditional job shops, it’s effectively a fork in the road. One path is to develop in-house cutting tool expertise, then source inserts and systems based on past experience and engineering expertise available on the shop floor and the front office. The other route is to effectively outsource this task to cutting tool manufacturers and distributors,

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The Haas ST-40 has a maximum cutting capacity of 25.5” x 44”, with maximum swings of 34.5” over the front apron and 25.5” over the cross slide. The machine’s 40-hp dual-drive spindle turns to 2400 rpm, and provides 1400 ft-lb of torque. The ST-40 features an A2-8 spindle nose and comes equipped with a 15” hydraulic 3-jaw chuck. A 12-station bolt-on style tool turret is standard, with an optional hybrid BOT/VDI turret. Auto manufacturers are interested in lowering part count in assemblies, requiring larger single stamped and molded parts, meaning larger machines in tool and mold shops (www.haascnc.com)

The new Mazak VARIAXIS i-800 Machining Center, with full, simultaneous 5-axis capabilities, performs multiple and complex curved surface machining on large, heavy workpieces in single setups. Complex jobs on single setups are key to high-productivity in modern tool and mold shops. (www.mazak.com)

sending them material and application data and cutting with tools the supplier recommends. The former lets sophisticated shops “mix and match” to optimize cutting tools for each job, while the latter allow a shop to focus on productivity, although at a higher cost per cutting edge. Which is better? Both can

work well, but smaller shops and operations venturing into new materials generally find that manufacturer support trumps a lower up front cost where the edge meets the metal.

Regardless of the feed or speed, there’s one spindle driving one cutting tool. Are more spindles in the cut the future of machining productivity? According to Steve Bond, National Sales Manager for FANUC RoboDrill, RoboCut & EDM products at Methods Machine Tools, Inc.(www.methodsmachine.com), “Today, there is really no good solution that I know of for machines with multiple spindles for mold work. Although several machine tool builders tried this type of machine configuration in the past, customers found the multiple spindle design

Machitech is a Canadian manufacturer of industrial equipment for the metal cutting markets. We offer complete installation and training packages that are tailored to the customer’s needs and experience. Our technicians are highly trained to trouble shoot any situation encountered. Machitech’s extensive knowledge in CNC Plasma, Water Jet and Laser technology is what makes them the leader in the Canadian Market

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The Tsugami BO326 Swiss-type lathe is typical of modern high-productivity equipment. Multiple tools, cutting axes and worjpgkholding options make it almost unrecognizable as a turning machine. (www.tsugami.co.jp/eng)

did not accommodate higher feed rates and smaller chip loads.

Technology then moved toward applying more axes, such as 5-axis tables or 5-axis milling heads, to ‘machine all surfaces in one’ fixturing. One set-up provides little or no need to reposition a very large block, so considerable time is saved.”

Mold shops facing large and small cavity work, as well as die shops building big progressives alongside lightweight high-speed “clickers”, face conflicting requirements in their basic milling equipment. Bond states that “’hogging’ material with a high horse power spindle still has its advantages when removing material from large pockets in the mold bases. The smaller and more complicated cavities and inserts are cut on smaller machines with higher RPMs and feed rates and lower horsepower spindles.”

Single or near single set-up machining also means more tasks performed by the centre. Thread milling is an example.

Compared with tap threading, thread milling generates superior burr-free surface finishes, and often the same tool can be used for different thread tolerances. Various materials and hole diameters can also be thread milled with the same tool for reductions in tooling inventory According to Chris McDonald,

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product specialist, Sandvik Coromant (www.sandvik.coromant. com), “the tool, die and mold industries will take the point on this. They have to cope with dimensioning pre- and post-heat treat. We’re seeing the larger shops in Canada moving toward machining post-heat treat. Any threading will be done with carbide thread mills as opposed to taps. Up to the mid-40’s Rockwell C, tapping is much faster than thread milling. There are some pros and cons to both sides. If you have a catastrophic failure with a thread mill, you typically scrap the part, which may not be the case with a cut tap.”

Reaming is another area receiving attention on the throughput side, declares McDonald. “In large dies and molds, large tools can have five or six-dozen doweled or reamed holes. We have a test product reaming 40 Rockwell C 4340 (a nickel-chromium-molybdenum high-tensile grade-ed) at 57 inches a minute with good concentricity and hole finish. If you have 50, 60 or 70 dowel holes in a shoe, it can make a big difference in productivity.” Coolant and chip flushing are more difficult in high-speed reaming; expect to see unusual flute spacing, uneven pitch and increased use of exotic helix designs with high-pressure through-tool cooling. McDonald’s task, as a cutting tool expert,

Die image courtesy Dielast Tool & Die Ltd.

The GF AgieCharmilles’ LASER 1000 5Ax uses a pulsed laser to provide detailed and nuanced texturing, microstructuring, engraving, marking and labeling of 2D and 3D geometries on molds and dies. The LASER 1000 5Ax machines 2D and 3D details from a high-quality digital image, allowing for completely reproducible results for specific textures, engravings, marks or labels. Chemical etching can only produce three to five layers, while the GF AgieCharmilles’ laser texturing technology can achieve 30 to 50 layers to provide a much higher level of detail. Textured surfaces in auto interior part molds are an example of a market that demands highly tactile part feel and appearance without post-mold operations. (www.gfac.com)

is also to cope with more and more advanced metal alloys. O1, D2 and P20 are still there, but the trend toward specialty grades continues: “Steel suppliers are improving machinability and high hardness”, he states, adding, “we’re seeing application specific grade to take advantage of modern metallurgy. Whether you buy a plain sedan or a luxury car, the major producers are tailoring their chemistries for specific industry attributes. It’s not one-size fits all anymore.”

The route to productivity in this segment is clear: profitable shops need to find efficiencies at every step in the build process. A notable weak spot is still workholding. While advanced cutting tool vendors can drive toolholding progress, it’s up to the machine user to debottleneck workholding for faster changeover, states Ron Wright, vice president, operations for SCHUNK (www.ca.schunk.com), “When specifying a machine tool, it’s essential to think about workholding. Unfortunately, often the machine tool seller looks at the core machine only and not the accessories. And often the end user doesn’t have the capability to create a workholding solution. We provide those solutions but it’s often at the eleventh hour. It should be considered when the machine is specified. Over the years, machine tool suppliers have been doing less and less of the kind of turnkey service that includes workholding. They typically let the user find their own way in workholding.”

While there are multiple routes to increased productivity, on the shop floor, the emphasis continues on feeds and speeds.

Methods’ Steve Bond summarizes: “Tooling manufacturers, along with software companies, have joined forces to advance their technology offering to take advantage of the higher feed rate and RPM capabilities. Spindles capable of speeds in excess of 40,000 rpm to as high as 90,000 rpm are going to change the way dies, molds and components are processed in the coming year and beyond. Gone will be much of the “heavier is better” thinking and more focus will be put on lighter cuts at higher feed rates for finer finishes. Controlling these speeds and the heat associated to the increased RPMs and feed rates are challenging to machine tools builders, but the world’s machine tool builders are spending most of their time, energy and money developing machines that will take tool, die and mold builders to new levels of productivity in the coming years.” CM

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Die image courtesy Dielast Tool & Die Ltd.

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How hard is hard?

Tool steels are commonly described by their hardening profile. The right hardness postmachining takes patience and understanding

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

T

ool steels come in a vast variety of grades and compositions, but on the floor of most Canadian job shops the terms “air hard” and “oil hard” are heard often. It’s ultimate hardness that defines tool steel in many production tooling applications and the ability to harden small parts in the shop is often crucial to minimizing downtime on the production line. Why harden in the shop? For small parts without complicated geometries, the ability to easily machine a part, and then treat for good wear resistance can drastically reduce the need to inventory replacement tool parts due to the time delay in outsourcing heat treating.

the part at elevated temperatures can’t be overdone and has no negative effect on the hardening process, so let it soak.

• Think about the surface. While we want atomic migration through the part to create the desired hard and tough microstructure, we don’t want carbon (steels’ critical alloying element) to escape the surface during heating. Carbon loves to bond with oxygen (like in the CO2 we exhale) and higher temperatures increase the rate of surface loss. This can leave the surface a carbon-poor, under-hard region which is also prone to cracking. Inert gases work, as can a simple stainless foil wrap for small parts.

Time-temperature profile

Note that the temperature is lower than the hardening (austenitizing) temperature. The length of heat soak for tempering is important . At least two hours is a reasonable rule of thumb, then allow to cool to room temperature. Two temperings is standard practice in tool steels, and three is a good idea for steels initially quenched from a very high austenitizing temperature.

The key to good results in shop hardening of small parts is to remember that heat treating is not just about temperature, it’s a rate process. The rate of cooling from the right temperature freezes the desired microstructure. Similarly, tempering processes are designed to control the rate of atomic motion in the microstructure to prevent overshooting the desired temper or distorting the part. Simple practice can greatly improve results: • Heat slowly. Heat takes time to flow through the part. For through hardness; the entire mass must be at temperature. You can’t measure the part’s core temperature, so go slowly. Holding

• Quench for consistent, even cooling. The cooling rate is the important issue, not the final part temperature, even though the temperature difference between quench media and steel determines the cooling rate. The other factor governing rate is the type of quench media. The traditional “figure 8” quench technique in the oil bath keeps fresh, cool media passing across the surface for correct cooling rates. Air hardening is naturally more consistent since there’s no technique to master. If you have a choice, air harden.

• Know what you’re hardening. Quality tool steel suppliers

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have lots of technical expertise and data available on-line or through a quick phone call. The same suppliers can also help troubleshoot problems. Buy tool steel from sources that have trained technical personnel available to back up their product.

In-house heat treating isn’t for every shop. Large parts with thick sections, for example, take a long time to equilibrate at high temperatures and are very difficult to quench with through hardness without specialized equipment. If the tooling requires

qualification, heat treaters can provide a log to certify the treat and a specialized quality system designed around the process.

The likelihood of serious distortion or cracking is also reduced when outsourcing to specialists. For smaller repairs on production tooling however, machinists and toolmakers can rapidly make or modify parts very quickly, and with proper technique and the right tool steel, can produce excellent results.

CM

What’s inside? Percent composition of some common tool steels OIL HARDENING, COLD WORK TOOL STEELS AISI

UNS. No.

C

Mn

O1

T31501

0.90

1.00

O2

T31502

0.90

1.60

O6

T31506

1.25 1.55

0.30 1.10

O7

T31507

1.20

Si

Cr

V

0.50 0.55 1.50

W

Mo

Co

Ni

Co

Ni

0.50

0.30 MAX

0.20 0.30

0.75

1.75

AIR HARDENING, MEDIUM ALLOY COLD WORK TOOL STEELS AISI

UNS. No.

C

A2

T30102

1.00

Mn

Si

Cr

V

W

5.00

A3

T30103

1.25

A4

T30104

1.00

2.00

5.00 2.00

1.00 1.00

1.00

1.00

A6

T30106

0.70

A7

T30107

2.25

5.25

A8

T30108

0.55

5.00

1.00

1.00

A9

T30109

0.50

A10

T30110

1.35

1.80

1.25

5.00

A11

T30111

2.45

0.50

0.90

5.25

Mo

1.25 4.75

1.00

1.00

1.25

1.25

1.00 9.75

1.40

1.50

1.50

1.80

1.30

HIGH CARBON, HIGH CHROMIUM COLD WORK STEEL AISI

UNS. No.

C

D2

T30402

D3

T30403

Mn

Si

Cr

V

1.50

12.00

1.00

2.25

12.00

W

Mo

Co

Ni

1.00

D4

T30404

2.25

12.00

1.00

D5

T30405

1.50

12.00

1.00

D7

T30407

2.15 2.50

0.60 MAX

0.60 MAX

11.50 13.50

3.80 4.40

C

Mn

Si

Cr

V

3.00

0.70 1.20

MOLD STEELS AISI

UNS. No.

P2

T51602

0.07

2.00

P3

T51603

0.10

0.60

P4

T51604

0.07

5.00

P5

T51605

0.1

2.25

P6

T51606

0.1

1.5

P20

T51620

0.35

P21

T51621

0.2

1.7 1.20 (Al)

W

Mo 0.20

Co

Ni 0.50 1.25

0.75 3.5 0.4 4

Courtesy Sousa Corporation, www.sousacorp.com www.canadianmetalworking.com | OCTOBER 2012 | 39

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An Introduction to 3D Measurement Technology Three dimensional metrology has multiple metalworking applications

I

n today’s technical marketplace, there is a constant need for gathering three-dimensional data on parts, products, and environments. Whether it’s small machined parts requiring precision diameters, alignment of large equipment or setting up machine tools, or even documenting entire buildings and environments, dimensional measurement data can help companies make more informed decisions and produce better quality products. Collecting these results in 3D provides greater insight into data, allowing companies to have more confidence in the level of accuracy and comprehensiveness of their measurements, all while becoming more efficient.

As technology has evolved, robust, portable 3D measurement tools have been introduced without sacrificing the high level of accuracy and versatility that companies require. Accelerating the digitization of complex parts and environments, 3D measurement technology allows companies to easily verify product quality and collect comprehensive high-resolution data. Replacing physical check fixtures and traditional hand tools such as calipers, plumb bobs, and tape measures, there are several different tools available for the measurement and inspection of parts, products, and environments. The following sections outline various 3D measurement tools, how they work, and their respective applications.

Perceptron’s portable 3D scanning solution provides users flexible, accurate, portable and user-friendly scanning with advanced 3rd party point cloud handling software integration support. A typical portable scanning solution consists of an articulated measuring arm (portable CMM), a Perceptron 3D scanning system and a 3rd party point cloud handling software for either reverse engineering or inspection applications. www.cmmxyz.com

ARTICULATED ARMS

TYPICAL APPLICATIONS FOR AN ARTICULATED ARM INCLUDE: • Dimensional Analysis: Calculate measurements for geometric and GD&T analysis • CAD-Based Inspection: Measure directly against CAD data to see real-time deviations • On-Machine Inspection: Inspect parts on the machine tool producing them • First Article Inspection: Measure individual parts to compare with nominal data • Alignment: Align parts to assess variation in relative position • Reverse Engineering: Digitize parts and objects to create full-surfaced CAD models

Product inspection is a critical part of ensuring quality control; in the past, manufacturers have struggled with bottlenecking issues found in using stationary coordinate measuring machines (CMMs). In order to ensure product quality with this method, items must be removed from the production line and brought to a temperature-controlled room to take measurements. The investment cost for a stationary CMM is also quite substantial.

Other inspection methods include using traditional hand tools, such as micrometers and calipers to take necessary measurements; however, variability between users can skew results and lead to defects later in the process. Additionally, hand tools’ use for complex parts is also very limited, and they are unable to work directly with CAD. The implementation of an accurate and affordable portable metrology solution, such as an articulated arm directly on the production line, can eliminate delays and result in greater efficiencies. Measurement results do not vary between operators, and you have the ability to compare against CAD data.

An articulated arm is a portable CMM that determines and records the location of a probe in 3D space and reports the results through software. In order to calculate the position of

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the probe tip, the rotational angle of each joint and the length of each segment in the arm must be known. Radial reach when extended typically ranges from 2 feet to 6 feet (4-foot to 12-foot diameter or working volume).

The angle of each rotating joint within the arm is determined using optical rotary encoders. These encoders count rotations incrementally via detection of accurately spaced lines on a glass grating disc. The software converts the counts into angle changes. Arms typically have 6 or 7 axes of rotation, which

means the instrument moves throughout a wide range of orientations.

Since these devices are portable, they allow you to take simple measurements in-process or right at the part, eliminating operator and machine downtime and quality control bottlenecks.

Companies find that by implementing an articulating arm they are able to increase production efficiency and deliver products more quickly, all while meeting quality standards with automatic, computer-generated reports.

The COMET 5 system from Steinbichler can be fitted to robotics to create afully automated 3D scanning system. www.cmmxyz.com

Mitutoyo America Corporation’s Quick Vision WLI vision measuring machine. incorporates an optical vision head as well asa white light interferometer (WLI) head. Together these heads enable high accuracy performance of non-contact vision plus non-contact 3D measurement of high aspect-ratio minute form (Z = Sub µm ~ 100µm) functions in a single machine – eliminating the need to move a workpiece from one type of machine to another. www.mitutoyo.com

Non-contact scanning metrology isn’t just for machined parts. Fabricators can benefit by digitizing assemblies too large for contact type measurement.

ARTICULATED ARMS WITH LASER LINE PROBE ATTACHMENTS

In many cases, the product or part to be inspected is made from soft, deformable materials, making accurate contact measurement extremely difficult. However, the use of laser technology allows for highly accurate measurements to be taken without the need for direct contact.

Attaching a laser line probe directly to an articulated arm allows users to quickly capture dimensions and feature definitions, with or without contact to an object. In order to capture measurement points, a high performance laser projects a beam onto the surface of the object, and a camera looks at the beam to determine the location for each point.

The laser stripe captures data at a scan rate of 45,000 points per second, allowing users to quickly and easily capture large amounts of point cloud data and understand aspects of their parts that they would not otherwise have discovered. A point cloud, also referred to as a scan, contains millions of points in an evenly spaced grid.

TYPICAL APPLICATIONS FOR AN ARTICULATED ARM WITH A LASER LINE PROBE ATTACHMENT INCLUDE: • Non-Contact Inspection: Inspect soft, deformable or complex shapes; perform cloud-to-CAD comparison, rapid prototyping, reverse engineering and 3D modeling • CAD-to-Part Inspection: Measure directly against CAD data, see real time deviations from nominal • Reverse Engineering: Digitize a part or object to create a fully-surfaced CAD model

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LASER TRACKERS

Many industrial applications require extremely accurate largescale measurements. A laser tracker is a portable coordinate measuring machine that allows users to achieve their accuracy

TYPICAL APPLICATIONS FOR A LASER TRACKER INCLUDE: • Alignment: Real-time feedback of object positioning • Installation: Lay out / level machine foundation • Part Inspection: Digital record of actual versus nominal data • Tool Building: Set up and inspect tools with only one person • Manufacturing & Assembly Integration: Obtain critical positioning feedback real-time • Reverse Engineering: Acquire high-accuracy digital scan data

goals quickly and easily and replaces tools such as piano wire, plumb bobs, layout machines, theodolites, optical transits, and total stations.

Its large measurement volume allows for the inspection of a wide range of part sizes.

When dealing with larger parts and various alignment projects, scrap and downtime can be extremely costly. A laser tracker provides the 3D data needed to get parts right the first time (thus eliminating scrap), and does it quickly enough so that expensive downtime is reduced.

The operation of a laser tracker is easy to understand: It measures two angles and a distance. The tracker sends a laser beam to a retroreflective target held against the object to be measured. Light reflected off the target retraces its path, reentering the tracker at the same position it left.

Retroreflective targets vary, but the most popular is the spherically mounted retroreflector (SMR). As light re-enters the tracker, two angle encoders measure the elevation and rotational angles while a highly accurate absolute distance meter is used to determine the 3D position of the target.

The FARO 3D Imager AMP is a high performance non-contact 3D imaging system, capable of collecting millions of points in just seconds.

A high resolution camera yields millions of points per image, making it easy to handle complete inspections and reverse engineering applications. www.faro.com

3D IMAGERS

Implementing automated measurement devices on a rotary stage or robot mounts allow users to perform inspections and verify assemblies quickly and accurately, resulting in significant time and money savings.

A 3D imager is a non-contact measurement device that collects dense surface data on an area of a part. The typical area can range from 100 to 1,000 square millimeters. Due to the pointand-shoot nature of a 3D imager, it is well suited for integration into automated solutions.

3D imagers use structured light projections, which can be a unique pattern of lines or dots. These projections are viewed by one or more cameras, and through a series of changes in the projections, 3D coordinates can be determined for each pixel in the camera. For example, a 3D imager with a 4 megapixel camera will yield 4 million points per measurement.

3D imagers using structured light techniques can achieve metrology-grade accuracy on critical surfaces. They can also be used to collect data on features, although the accuracy on features will be limited by the resolution of the camera which is what defines the point spacing on the part.

TYPICAL APPLICATIONS FOR A 3D IMAGER INCLUDE: • First Article, In-Process and Final Inspection: Capture a digital record of actual vs. nominal data for parts such as sheet metal parts and assemblies, aircraft skin, tools and dies, castings, and machined parts • Reverse Engineering: Collect high-accuracy digital scan data for use in as-built documentation, aftermarket product design and virtual assembly • Rapid Prototyping: Fabricate a 3D-scale model for use in tool modification and iterative product enhancements • Large-Volume Laser Scanners Courtesy FARO Technologies. www.faro.com

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Making magnets with water

Jobmaster Magnets, Canada’s only full-service magnet supplier, uses waterjet technology to specialize in customized magnetic solutions.

J

obmaster Magnets Canada has no trouble attracting customers. The Oakville, Ontario, manufacturer has positioned itself at the pinnacle of its industry by being Canada’s only full-service supplier of a product that is used everywhere – magnets.

In business since 1984, Jobmaster Magnets is the largest and oldest magnetics specialty company in Canada. It stocks more than one million magnets and manufactures a wide range of magnetic components, tools and materials. The company specializes in designing and manufacturing custom magnets, and has produced hundreds of prototypes for customers around the world. If you need a magnet, Jobmaster Magnets can supply it.

Thanks to the ubiquitous nature of its products, Jobmaster Magnets serves all industries, but is especially strong in manufacturing, telecom, automotive and material handling. Its

stock products include permanent stock magnets, flexible strip and sheet magnets, rare earth magnets, specialty magnets, electromagnets and magnetic tools. Examples of its custom magnetic solutions include airmags used for body panel handling in the automotive industry, electromagnets for parts handling, magnets for latching, sensing, conveying and lifting in the automation industry, and stainless steel plate magnets, grates and bars used in the food processing industry.

“We separate ourselves from our competitors through our full-service design-build capabilities and ISO 9000-certified manufacturing process,” said Jobmaster Magnets President Matt Silvestro, when asked to explain the secret to his company’s success. “We also employ the latest technologies and minimize processes to reduce cycle times and save our customers time and money.”

Jobmaster Magnets, Oakville, Ontario

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The Jet Edge 8x13 Mid Rail Gantry waterjet machine at Jobmaster Magnets is used to cut multiple materials

Jobmaster’s commitment to minimizing processes compelled the magnet supplier to be an early adopter of precision waterjet cutting technology during the mid-1990s, when waterjet was just beginning to find its niche as a mainstream manufacturing process. Waterjet’s ability to process virtually any material

was especially appealing to the magnet manufacturer, which lists waterjet cutting among its core in-house services that also include designing and engineering, manufacturing and packaging, metal fabrication and machining.

“Waterjet is integral to everything we make,” Silvestro

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Jobmaster Magnets president Matt Silvestro

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noted. “A large portion of our work is done on the waterjet, including converting and processing of finished magnets. It’s often the first and last process. We cut an extremely wide range of materials, from ceramic-based materials to all of the metals and magnetic materials. With the waterjet, we’re able to process them all without any changeovers. I don’t sub out any process work. We can deliver finished tolerance parts or make blanks for further machining processes. Our waterjets have added to our ability to offer a more diverse array of finished products to the end user and have allowed us to push the envelope on the processing of magnetic materials and other materials we use.”

Jobmaster Magnets has had several waterjet systems over the years, all powered by intensifier pumps manufactured by Jet Edge of St. Michael, Minnesota, U.S.A. The company recently upgraded its waterjet motion system to a new 8’x13’ Jet Edge Mid Rail Gantry. It powers the system with the same 75hp Jet Edge pump it has used for years. Silvestro also owns three other Jet Edge pumps that he uses at another business.

“I’m really a champion of Jet Edge pumps,” said Silvestro, who frequently welcomes prospective Jet Edge customers into his shop. “I like to see people do it right and Jet Edge does it right. In my view, they are the best pumps on the market. I’ve got 30,000 hours on my 75hp pump. They are easy to rebuild, and if you have a failure, Jet Edge stocks rebuilt intensifiers on their shelf so the only downtime is limited to transit.”

Silvestro said he decided to go with the Jet Edge gantry for his latest waterjet system because of the success he has had with his Jet Edge pumps. He has not been disappointed.

“Jet Edge’s gantries are much superior to other systems that we have used,” he said. “They have better controllers, are user-friendly and are more reliable. As an example, we produce

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Jobmaster manufactures magnets for multiple specialty industrial applications.

A WATERJET BUILT FOR YOU.

many, many thousands of ring-shaped parts. Cutting circles is one of the hardest parts you can cut on an XY system, but we’ve had great success with the Jet Edge system. I believe this can be attributed to the combination of the cutting head and the gantry design.”

Silvestro said he would definitely recommend Jet Edge to others.

“Jet Edge machines are the best quality,” Silvestro said. “You can put one on your shop floor and run it hard.”

Jobmaster Magnets Canada www.jobmastermagnets.com Jet Edge, Inc. www.jetedge.com Elliott-Matsuura Canada Exclusive Jet Edge Distributor to Canada www.elliottmachinery.com

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Feature courtesy Jet Edge Inc. www.canadianmetalworking.com | OCTOBER 2012 | 47

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Tool Talk

MAHR FEDERAL MARSURF XR 1 SURFACE MEASURING SYSTEM

The MarSurf XR 1 surface measuring system is one aimed at bridging the gap between portable devices and larger, full-featured, PC-based surface measurement and evaluation systems.

The device combines the skidded and skidless drive units of Mahr’s portable M-Series instruments, with its MarWin evaluation software. The new XR 1 provides an entry into the world of PC-based measurement and evaluation systems, including compliance with all international standards, diverse evaluation methods, extensive documentation, large storage capacity, data export and import, as well as networking and other benefits.

The device is suitable for the measurement lab or the shop floor, and provides over 80 parameters for R, P, W profiles according to current DIN, ISO, JIS, ASME and MOTIF Standards.

The system can utilize both the MarSurf RD 18 drive unit with skidded probe and the MarSurf SD 26 drive unit with skidless probe, and virtually any number of drive units can be connected to the evaluation unit via Bluetooth or cable. Measuring units can be used alone in different orientations, in combination with various accessories, or mounted on measuring stands.

Measurements can be initiated either by touch screen on a PC or manually on the drive units.

The company manufactures and markets a wide variety of dimensional metrology equipment, from simple and easy-to-use handheld gages to technically advanced measurement systems for form, contour, surface finish and length. www.mahr.com

MOTOMAN MC2000 MASTER CUT

Motoman has introduced the MC2000 Master Cut robot. It has been designed with high rigidity and precision drives to provide superior path accuracy for laser cutting small holes and sharp corners. Path accuracy can be within 0.1 mm, depending on the application.

The robot uses Formcut software to automatically generate the ideal path based on user-specified geometry. Circle, rectangle, ellipse, pentagon and hexagon shapes are supported with easy definition of shape and size rotation from a single programmed point. The cut motion, start and overlap, robot speed, timing options and corner radii are all defined in a single cut.

In addition to material cutting, the six-axis MC2000 can

be used for laser welding and dispensing applications. When used with dispensing equipment flow controls, a uniform bead is produced on contoured parts. The signal is available as an analog voltage or on a fieldbus network.

The MC2000 uses the Motoman DX100 controller that incorporates patented multiple robot control technology to handle multiple tasks and control up to eight robots (72 axes), I/O devices and communication protocols. The energy-saving controller features faster processing speeds for smoother interpolation, advanced robot arm motion, built-in collision avoidance, quicker I/O response and accelerated ethernet communication. It is compliant to ANSI/RIA R15.06-1999 and other relevant ISO and CSA safety standards. www.motoman.com

OKUMA LT-3000EX CNC LATHE

Okuma America Corporation has announced the new LT-3000EX, a high-powered CNC lathe that is now the largest in Okuma’s LT-EX series of horizontal lathe machines.

This fully loaded CNC lathe is available in either two- or three-turret versions, with or without Y-axis, to provide optimum process balance, production throughput and integrated operations. The LT-3000EX delivers precision turning in any direction, and is well suited for high production environments such as the automotive industry.

The LT-3000EX is available with 16 turret stations to allow for redundant tooling in order to best utilize back-up tooling for lights-out manufacturing or high production runs.

It offers very high feature utilization and the greatest amount of primary and secondary machining possible in one compact platform. The machine can be specified in a large number of different configurations to maximize benefits for specific production environments.

LT-3000EX Specifications include a maximum turning diameter of 13.77 in (350 mm) and spindles in 3.15 in (Standard Bore) or 3.58 in (Big Bore) [80 mm or 91 mm]. the spindle nose type is A2-6 (A2-8 optional) and the unit turns an 8-inch class chuck.

Speed ranges from 45~5,000 min-1 (45~4,200 min-1 optional).

Standard power is VAC 22/15 kW (30/20 hp) with 30/22 kW (40/30 hp) optional.• Twin opposed spindles with simultaneous A-B operation and 4-axis simultaneous turning on either spindle is backed up by automatic part transfer and optional bar feed systems. M and MY functions are available. www.okuma.com

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Tool Talk RENISHAW’S NEW ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING SYSTEM

Renishaw has developed a new laser melting additive-metal manufacturing process capable of producing fully dense metal parts direct from 3D CAD data. The parts are built layer by layer, in thicknesses ranging from 20 to 100 microns, using a high-powered fibre laser. The final product is made from a range of fine metal powders that are fully melted in a tightly controlled atmosphere.

The current range of machines has a third-generation design with key features such as variable powder delivery, ultra low oxygen content in the build atmosphere, and a safe-change filter system to minimize user contact with materials.

There are two systems available: the AM125 and the AM250, both of which feature vacuum technology and low gas consumption. Both models have the design engineering of a “machine tool”, and feature similar operation, serviceability, and ease of operation. The touch-screen operator interface will include menu options for machine preparation and clean down.

Consumable costs are minimized through features such as the soft re-coater blade that can be rotated several times before replacement, use of low-cost filter elements, and low gas consumption – all of which improve system reliability and cost of ownership.

The system is able to process a wide variety of materials, including 316L and 17- 4PH SS, H13 tool steel, aluminum Al-Si-12, titanium CP, Ti-6Al-4V and 7Nb, cobalt-chrome (ASTM75), and

T Inconel 718 and 625.

Both systems are designed for rapid material changeover.

The AM125 uses a cassette-type materials delivery system, while the AM250 uses a removable hopper.

The hopper system is particularly useful for materials development or use of a range of materials. Also, to help enhance productivity, an interlocking valve on the AM250 allows extra powder to be added while the process is running.

Safe processing of reactive materials, such as titanium and aluminum, is ensured with features such as a gas knife that clears away reactive, sooty emissions, and a heated build plate.

The AM125 provides a part-build volume of 125 x 125 x 125 mm (X-Y-Z), and the AM250 provides 250 x 250 x 300 mm (X-Y-Z) with Z axis extendable to 360 mm. www.renishaw.ca

BIRCHWOOD CASEY’S NEW RUST BLOCKER WITH LOW VOC CONTENT

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In Canada call 519-546-7073

Dri Touch Amber is a rust blocker from Birchwood Casey with low VOC content, high flashpoint and very low odour.

Rated for 100-150 hours salt spray and 600+ hours humidity protection, Dri Touch Amber meets water displacement test Mil-C-16173 and stain test Mil-C-22235A. With a 248°F flash point, Dri Touch Amber is effective in manufacturing plants that are under air quality restrictions and in areas with flammability hazards.

The product can be used on items such

TAPS FOR IN-DIE TAPPING

– Whether you have a Danly, Amada, Hutchison, Pronic or other tapping unit, call Jarvis Cutting Tools for in-die taps. Jarvis offers direct factory support to help lower your production costs.

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as hand tools without causing odour, air contamination or fire safety problems.

The rust blocker works well as a general

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Tool Talk purpose rust inhibitor, and can also be applied effectively to raw materials such as bar steel and castings prior to cutting and machining.

Dri Touch Amber liquid has a very thin consistency – similar to penetrating oil – that quickly penetrates recessed areas and lifts moisture from blind holes. It also forms a protective film that resists harmful atmospheric humidity and corrosion.

The rust blocker can be applied to wet or dry surfaces by immersion or pump spray process. The film dries quickly and provides break-in lubricity where needed without interfering with proper operation. It is also compatible with most lubricants, hydraulic oil and cutting oil. www.birchwoodcasey.com

lbs. of spindle torque and a 3.93” diameter spindle inner bore diameter.

For hard cutting material applications, an 8000RPM geardriven spindle with 349 ft./lbs. of spindle torque is available to attain excellent torque and HP at lower spindle rpm.

Servo upgrades result in feed thrust increases up to 65 percent.

To meet the high precision demands of die mold applications, the VM-76R is equipped with double anchored core-chilled ball screws and Soft Scale III for exceptional control of thermal displacement. The VM-76R is capable of machining a wide range of materials, including Inconel and titanium.

The VM-76R’s expanded worktable (61.02” x 29.92”), stroke (60.62” x 29.92”) and new head design help prevent collision between the workpiece and spindle head. www.okkcorp.com CM

OKK ADDS HIGHLY RIGID VM-76R VERTICAL MACHINING CENTER

OKK USA Corporation’s new VM-76R Vertical Machining Center is designed to reach new levels of rigidity and accuracy, while offering an expanded work area.

To achieve a 20 percent increase in rigidity, the VM-76R features a re-optimized rib shape/location and a thicker one-tonne casting. Y-axis pitch has grown 3.14-inch to reduce deflection by 30 percent and improve accuracy.

The machine is also equipped with a No. 50 spindle taper for heavy-duty cutting and larger tool capacity. Other powerful features include a 12,000 RPM 40HP spindle motor with 309 ft.

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

Tools are stocked uncoated and ALTiN coated.

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

Solid carbide grooving, boring and threading tools.

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

Threadmills

Available in coated AlTiN or uncoated sub micrograin carbide

Port tools

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

Low profile screw keeps chips flowing

SCIENTIFIC CUTTING TOOLS, INC. 110 W. Easy Street / Simi Valley, CA 93065 / 800-383-2244 / 805-584-9629 [fax] info@sct-usa.com / www.sct-usa.com www.canadianmetalworking.com | OCTOBER 2012 | 51

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A turn for the better Turning tools with higher technology than ever

By Irwin Rapopport ..............................................................................................................................................

H

aving the proper turning cutting tools in the machine shop can make all the difference in terms of output, quality and completing an order rapidly and on time.

The marketplace offers a variety of choices and prices and this roundup covers some of the leading manufacturers of such tools that supply the Canadian metalworking sector.

Critical industry requirements include the ability to handle a wide range of materials, durability and a long lifespan, operate at various speeds, the engineering and type of alloys that the tool is made of, coatings, and applications that can be handled.

Being able to cover standard and special purpose tooling – be it large or small, is also essential.

Manufacturers are listening to their purchasers and new tools are being designed to match concerns and demands.

WALTER USA – TIGER-TEC SILVER PVD COATING

Walter USA recently released its new line of grooving and cutoff indexable inserts – the Tiger-tec Silver PVD line.

“With their PVD aluminum oxide coating,” states a release, “these indexable grooving and cutoff inserts deliver superior tool life and increased productivity from advanced new coating properties. These properties include increased high-temperature wear resistance without compromising toughness.”

“The combination of toughness and wear resistance is important in any application,” it adds, “but particularly in grooving and cutoff operations because the tools experience several different conditions within the cut. At the beginning there is plenty of coolant, with little or none later. Similarly, speed varies from high to low throughout the cut, and stresses vary from low to high as the cut progresses.”

The optimized surface structure reduces friction on the cutting surface and “sharp, highly defined cutting edges can be achieved because the coatings are thinner than conventional coatings.”

The tools are available in four grades: WSM13S, WSM23S, WSM33S and WSM43S, which “gives users an optimum grooving solution for each material application, with excellent tool life and process reliability.” www.walter-tools.com

the chip. New Beyond grades are delivering higher productivity for turning tough alloys, both in higher speeds and feeds (faster turnaround time) and longer tool life (more parts per tool).”

The KCU10 is specifically engineered for increased performance in OD and ID turning, grooving, plunging, undercutting, and threading, while the KCU25 handles threading, grooving, cutoff, and other turning applications.

“Both take advantage of new PVD (physical vapor deposition) coating technology, including special surface treatments that improve machining performance in high-temperature materials,” states the release. “The KCU10 additionally features a dual-layer coating application, a top layer of AlSiTiN atop a second layer of AlTiN. The boundary between the two helps deflect micro-cracks.” www.kennametal.com

SECO TOOLS – DURATOMIC TK INSERTS

Last fall, Seco launched its TK1001 and TK2001 insert grades, featuring Duratomic coating process technology. Developed for

KENNAMETAL INC. – NEW BEYOND GRADES

Kennametal Inc.’s New Beyond grades, the company states, are particularly well-suited for machining high-strength/hightemperature alloys that are growing in applications across many manufacturing industries, notably aerospace and defense, automotive, heavy equipment, and energy.

“Higher-temperature/strength materials,” it adds, “however, also require high cutting forces when machining. Titanium, for example, also exhibits high work hardening and a large strain rate, which also raises temperatures and the energy required to remove

cast iron turning, the inserts allow for faster cutting speeds and increase tool life.

The Duratomic process involves manipulating aluminum and oxygen at the atomic level to optimize an insert coating’s toughness and abrasion resistance. The latest TK grades also incorporate new substrates that further enhance hardness levels and wear resistance.

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TK1001 is a hard, fine-grained tungsten carbide turning grade with low binder phase content. The grade was designed for turning gray cast iron with up to semi-stable conditions and cast iron under stable conditions.

TK2001 is a fine-grained tungsten carbide turning grade with high toughness. Mainly intended for machining nodular cast iron and handling gray cast iron on heavy interrupted cuts, TK2001 also offers strong performance in interrupted finishing operations due to its tough substrate and extra edge toughness.

Furthermore, it offers long, predictable tool life in unstable conditions requiring high edge security.

The new TK grades are available via 211 new inserts in a wide variety of geometries and chip grooves. www.secotools.com

the Type 110 can be used for bore holes ≥ 7 mm and Type 105 for bore holes ≥ 0.2 mm, the intermediate Type 109 provides cutter inserts that offer the customer alternatives for working with reliable processes in the upper working range of types 105 and in the lower working range of types 110.”

The Supermini tool system handles boring, grooving, chamfering, threading, face grooving, finish-boring, face-turning and the broaching of small diameters.

“There are more than 1000 different cutting insert variations,” states the release. “Only one standard tool holder is required for clamping all inserts of a Type series.”

Standard coated and non-coated carbide grades are available for machining all materials, as well as CBN and PCD inserts for harder and more abrasive materials. www.hornusa.com

GREENLEAF CORPORATION – TURBOFORM CARBIDE INSERTS

ISCAR LTD – THE EXPANDED PICCO BORING TOOL LINE

ISCAR’s expanded PICCO boring tool line was designed to “create fresh solutions for difficult ID machining problems” and handles “blind holes and deeper bores.”

“The company’s latest innovations attack three specific trouble spots in ID machining: bottoming of blind holes, reaching deeper into high-aspect bores and reducing mismatch between matching tool diameters and bore sizes,” states a release. “The better the match between tool and hole geometry, the more efficiently the operation will run. Ideally, both diameters and lengths should be matched.”

The PICCO line, with three additional bore diameters, widen the tool selections available in the popular line – it covers the bore diameter range of 0.5 to 4.0 mm.

“New diameters are 0.8, 2.5 and 3.5 mm,” states the release.

“All PICCO internal turning and chamfering inserts come in several shank lengths, to optimize the size match between tool and hole.”

“The IC900 is the most versatile PVD coated carbide grade,” states the release, “and the coating protects the cutting edge while preserving the optimum cutting geometry built into the substrate.” www.iscar.com

HORN USA, INC. – 109 TYPE SUPERMINI SERIES

Horn USA, Inc.’s new 109 type Supermini series cover a variety of machining processes with bore diameters from 0.2 mm (.0008-inch).

“The new series has a grooving and boring range ≥ 6 mm diameter and this range is used in conjunction with the two existing series types – the 110 and 105,” states a release. “While

Greenleaf Corporation’s TurboForm carbide inserts are designed “with built-in chip control that is ideal for precision finishing of thin wall sections with thicknesses as low as .050”.”

“The high, positive-rake cutting edges of these precisionground, negative-style inserts minimize tool deflection for a truly superior and accurate surface finish.”

The TurboForm inserts, notes a recent release, “are effective for finishing a variety of materials, including nickel alloys such as Inconel, Hastelloy, Waspaloy, Rene, et. al, as well as stainless steels and titanium.”

The inserts are available in carbide grades that “bring high wear-resistance to high-speed machining of abrasive and difficult-to-machine materials.”

One of the grades, G-925 is “a multi-layer, PVD-coated carbide grade specifically designed for machining abrasive and difficult-to-machine materials. Typical applications include hightemp alloys, titanium and other refractory materials, stainless steel, and many cast irons. G-925 exhibits excellent resistance to notching and deformation, and it should be applied at moderate to high speeds and moderate feeds.” www.greenleafcorporation.com

TUNGALOY AMERICA – DOMINIBORE

Tungaloy America recently developed its DoMiniBore line of boring bars with newly developed inserts for small diameter

boring operations.

“They are capable of machining bore diameters as small as .500,” states a press release. “The newly developed WXGU and DXGU inserts incorporate new double-sided inserts and the new DoMiniBore offers twice the number of corners of conventional positive type inserts from competitors. This significantly www.canadianmetalworking.com | OCTOBER 2012 | 53

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reduces tooling costs.

“The edge inclination minimizes cutting forces, while the unique chipbreaker design offers excellent chip control” it adds.

“The wide chip pocket minimizes the potential for re-cutting the chips, which can cause poor surface finishes.”

The toolholders (steel or carbide) are available with shank diameters from .375 to .750 for minimum bore diameter machining from .500 to 1.000.

“The toolholders have an innovative new-wedge shape pocket design that works with a dovetail system to deliver remarkable rigidity and accuracy for high-performance boring operations” states the release. “This highly rigid clamping structure further improves insert tool life and productivity.” www.tungaloyamerica.com

INGERSOLL CUTTING TOOLS – BLACK-RUSH SERIES

Ingersoll Cutting Tools’s Black-Rush line, a new series of cast iron ISO turning grades , is described as the “best solution for gray & ductile cast iron machining.”

“The CVD-coated grades – TT7005 and TT7015 – feature a stable substrate, strengthened coating layer and special post-coat treatment,” states a release . “The result is exceptional chipping resistance thanks to the superior bond between the substrate and the coating layer.”

Black-Rush inserts feature a new coating technology “that maximizes hardness while providing thermal stability, an important consideration when machining cast iron, especially at high cutting speeds. Following this coating process, a special surface treatment is applied that greatly reduces friction, cutting force and build-up on the insert cutting edge.

The result is stable and consistent tool life and an excellent surface finish on the work piece.”

Ingersoll notes that the TT7005 provides “maximum wearresistance making it the ideal choice for both gray and ductile cast iron in high speed applications,” while the TT7015 “delivers excellent all-around performance in these same materials while adding additional toughness for continuous to interrupted turning applications.” www.ingersoll-imc.com

ATI STELLRAM – 4E TURNING GEOMETRY

ATI Stellram’s 4E Turning Geometry was launched, “specifically to meet the demands of machining aerospace type components, manufactured from high nickel, high cobalt and titanium-based alloys.”

Available in a new grade – SP0819, the 4E inserts “utilize an approved aerospace substrate, and are enhanced with a nano TiAIN layer PVD coating,” states a release.

The 4E provides, “a combination of a new super-hard coating with micro-grain carbide substrate significantly improves heat and wear resistance in high-temperature alloy machining, enabling longer tool life and higher productivity”; “a precise reinforced chipbreaker profile with a positive cutting action dramatically reduces built-up edge, leaving a smooth surface finish and greater component dimension integrity... helping to reduce shop inventory, operator error and cost.” www.ATImetals.com

SANDVIK COROMANT – HP HOLDERS

On October 1 Sandvik Coromant released its new HP holders –“insert geometries and customized tool holders that optimize the use of coolant” and offer “accurate targeting of coolant during machining to give maximum effect in chip evacuation” Their advanced nozzle technology allows “coolant flows from the pump to the tool through nozzles directed exactly at the cutting zone. This produces a wedge of coolant that efficiently removes the heat from the cutting zone and forms the chip. Improved chip control and longer tool life are just two of the benefits, which contribute to secure and predictable machining, preventing unplanned machine stoppages.”

The release adds, “increased productivity can even be achieved in tricky applications and in materials which are difficult to machine, regardless of the pressure you use,” and that “when using low pressure of 5–30 bars (72–435 psi) – the HP holders outperform regular tool holders which can have a tendency to flood coolant.”

Sandvik notes that “advanced cooling technology has, until now, been a solution primarily for customers using quick change with Coromant Capto, SL- and QS holding system. Now, the same technology can be applied with general shank tools, making it possible for everyone working with wet machining to utilize this coolant solution, even in small lathes.” www.sandvik.coromant.com

SUMITOMO ELECTRIC CARBIDE, INC. – AC800P SERIES FOR STEEL TURNING

Sumitomo Electric Carbide, Inc.’s line of steel turning grades AC810P, AC820P and AC830P, are not only more wear-resistant than conventional grades, but they also reduce the possibility of chip adhesion due to their Super FF coating. Combined with newly developed carbide substrates, the series offers higher speed capabilities and a greater breakage resistance than conventional carbide grades when machining steels and stainless steels.

The AC810P performs exceptionally well in steel and stainless steel finishing. Its hard carbide substrate and extremely wearresistant Super FF coating make the AC810P the best option when competing at high speeds. The AC820P excels in general purpose machining and is available in a wide variety of chipbreakers, including the new high-efficiency EGE. www.sumicarbide.com CM

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Reaming Respect Reaming is an important, but underappreciated process

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

I

Image courtesy ISCAR

s reaming the poor cousin of machining—an underappreciated process that just doesn’t get the respect and attention it deserves?

Yes, say experts.

“Many people just don’t realize they should use a reamer ... they try to get by with a drill. They just close their eyes to quality requirements,” says Pat Nehls, product manager of holemaking at Walter USA, in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

“The finishes you can achieve with a drill and standard boring tool are nowhere near what you can achieve with a reaming tool,” adds Nathan Preiss, product manager at Rockford, Illinoisbased Ingersoll Cutting Tools.

While reaming tools can be pricy, they quickly prove their worth in terms of “consistency and repeatability ... as soon as you see the advantages of [reaming] it pays for itself in a short time ... in a production environment [reaming] outweighs a boring operation—you can ream it quicker than you can bore it,” states David Vetrecin, hole-making product manager at the Canadian branch of Iscar Tools, based in Oakville, Ontario.

Pundits cite tool trends and offer tips in reaming technique.

“As far as trends go, some industries are beginning to contemplate reaming operations in materials post-heat treat.

This will push reamer suppliers to produce tools capable of handling materials in the 45 - 62 Rc range,” says Chris McDonald, round tools product specialist for the Canadian branch of Swedish tool giant, Sandvik Coromant, in Mississauga, Ontario.

“Tips for successful reaming operations encompass things like correct geometries for both hole configuration (through or blind) and workpiece material, proper material allowances and tool holder selection. Too much remaining stock can lead to choked tools, caused by excessive chip volumes. This can impact surface finish attained, or even lead to tool breakage. Too small a material allowance can cause the material to smear, leaving holes with incorrect sizing and/or poor surface finishes,” says McDonald.

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“The better the pre-hole, quality-wise, in terms of straightness and surface finishing, the better the reamer performance,” adds Vetrecin.

Overlooked or not, industry observers say there will always be a need for reaming.

“Look at a vehicle [on a production line]—there are 3,000 holes in one vehicle. And out of those 3,000 holes, there’s bound to be a few holes, be it in the cylinder block or the engine block itself that need a specific surface and tolerance requirement.

Typically, the only way to really get to where you need to be is with reaming,” says Preiss.

Here’s a look at what’s new and/or noteworthy in reaming tools:

BIG KAISER

Big Kaiser Precision Tooling of Hoffman Estates, Illinois, unveiled the new Micro Tricut drill—a unique triple-fluted reamer—at IMTS 2012.

“The most notable features of the Micro Tricut drill reamer are the three flutes, its geometry and performance capabilities based on the Tricut drill, and range of Ø0.2 - Ø2.99 at five times diameter. The fine steps of .01mm provides nearly limitless precision hole making from stock. This new carbide micro drill has the most precise self-centering capabilities with a 140 degree point geometry (eliminating the need for center drilling) and is capable of achieving a hole tolerance of H7, making it perfect for short-chipping steels, cast iron and titanium. The additional flute on the drill improves the surface finish and starts to approximate the performance you would realize from a separate reamer operation. And it does it in one pass,” states Alayna Roberts, applications engineer at Big Kaiser.

SumDocHalfPageAd_CanMan9_12_Layout 1 8/3/12 8:06 AM Page 1

The Micro Tricut drill reamer from Big Kaiser

“Typical three flute drills found in the market are designed for high-performance drilling in nonferrous materials such as aluminum but are unable to provide high precision hole making.

The Micro Tricut drill reamer is able to provide superior surface finishes while maintaining hole size in ferrous materials such as titanium or steel,” continues Roberts.

While the Micro Tricut “will not provide as a fine of a surface as a fine finish reamer or finish boring operation would, it’s still better than what is possible with a standard twist drill,” adds Big Kaiser literature. www.bigkaiser.com

GUHRING

Guhring, part of a German parent company with North American headquarters in Brookfield, Wisconsin, has improved and expanded their family of HR 500 reamers.

Ben Condon, a technical sales representative for Guhring’s Canadian operations, based in Kitchener, Ontario, ticks off a list of the HR 500’s most notable features: “unequal flute spacing, cooling delivery via (patent applied for) longitudinal grooves

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Call 888.300.3743 or visit Hydroflow.Eriez.com 58 | OCTOBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

cmw oct 2012 Reaming pg 56-61.indd 58

12-09-21 11:33 AM

in the shank of the non-coolant through version and different geometry for through and blind holes. The carbide grade was developed specifically for reaming tasks ... the combination of the special carbide grade, superior tool rigidity and high coolant flow rates allow for very aggressive cutting parameters.”

Guhring’s expanded range of HR 500 reamers now includes reamers for through and blind holes in aluminum and cermettipped reamers above 20 mm.

“Some of the advantages of the cermet tipped reamers above 20 mm diameter, compared to a more conventional interchangeable system, are its higher rigidity and concentricity ... being a monoblock design, installation errors are impossible and longer tool life [is possible] because there is no possible restriction of coolant flow compared to an interchangeable system,” says Condon. www.guhring.com

The Bayo T-Ream highspeed reaming system from Iscar

SANDVIK COROMANT

Sandvik Coromant has a pair of new reamer offerings for the fall—the CoroReamer 835-P(M)F and CoroReamer 435-XF. “These two new tools deliver both an expanded size range as well as capabilities in a much broader array of workpiece materials,” says McDonald.

The CoroReamer 835-P(M)F family consists of high-performance, coated, solid carbide reamers with a size range of 3.97 mm through 20.0 mm. Tools in this family feature unequal flute spacing, which reduces chatter and boosts the surface finish quality of the reamed hole.

The reduction of chatter adds tool life and dimensional accuracy.

The 435-XF comes in a straight flute version for blind holes and a spiral flute version for through holes. Size range for both versions is 3.97 mm through to 20 mm.

McDonald recommends fitting the 835 and 435 reamers with either hydraulic chucks or shrink fit holders.

Using the correct tool holders will “help control tool run out, which will help increase reaming accuracy and surface finish in the bore,” he says. www.sandvik.com

ISCAR

Israeli tool firm, Iscar has developed new geometries in titanium and aluminum for its Bayo T-Ream high-speed reaming system.

While conventional reamers working on alloy steel average 25 – 100 SFM (surface feet per minute) high-speed systems such as the Bayo T-Ream can hit 260 – 655 SFM, states Vetrecin.

The multi-fluted Bayo T-Ream features an interchangeable carbide reaming head mounted on a steel shank (solid carbide or heavy metal shanks are also available) and a quick-change bayonet mechanism.

The system can ream at 11 mm – 32 mm, www.canadianmetalworking.com | OCTOBER 2012 | 59

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requires no set up time while indexing and handles reaming applications in the H7 hole tolerance range.

Other features include low run-out (maximum 3µm), indexing repeatability (maximum 3µm), a modular design and “through the spindle coolant, so each cutting edge has individual inputted coolant,” states Vetrecin. www.iscar.com

INGERSOLL

L

n

n and standardized separation point that’s compatible with all Dihart reaming heads. This reamer handles through holes and blind bores, has a maximum speed of 500 m/minute and a feed rate of 2.4 mm/rev. The system can machine bore tolerances as small as IT4.

The “exchangeable head” makes using the reamer “convenient for operators,” adds Adrian von Rohr, Dihart product marketing manager at Komet. www.komet.com

WALTER USA

Walter USA—the North American branch of a German parent company—is revamping its Titex line of carbide reamers.

“The release date is October, 2012 ... it’s essentially a facelift to an existing program ... we’ve made some important improvements to the original,” says Nehls.

The QuikReam high-speed reaming system from Ingersoll

Ingersoll, which is part of the global IMC group of companies, has added two additional sizes to their QuikReam high-speed reaming system.

“In the past, sizes were BN6, BN7, BN8. Now we offer BN5 and also BN9,” says Preiss.

QuikReam boasts an interchangeable carbide reaming head and can handle diameters of 9.5 mm to 32 mm with an H7 hole tolerance range. The system can be used for blind holes, through holes and holes with cross-holes or keyways. Run-out is low (maximum 3µm) and internal coolant is directed to the cutting edges. The combination of a carbide head and steel shank ensures durability.

According to Preiss, QuikReam requires “virtually zero set-up time.”

Ingersoll also offers Uni-Dex, an indexable, single blade reaming system. The system features wear-resistant carbide or cermet guidepads for accuracy and close tolerance reaming. www.ingersoll-imc.com

KOMET

Komet of America, based in Schaumburg, Illinois and part of a German parent company, sells a Dihart Reamax TS modular precision reamer described by the company as “plug ‘n ream” system.

The high-speed Reamax TS has a uniform clamping system

(above left) The Titex carbide reamer from Walter USA (above right) The Valenite single-flute guide pad reamer from Walter USA

Titex diameter range is 4 – 20 mm on the straight flute version and 2 – 20 mm on the spiral flute version in an H7-hole tolerance size. The company says high run-out accuracy ensures reliable tool life and that the Titex line can be used on machining centers with shrink fit and hydraulic chucks.

Potential applications include automotive, general engineering, aerospace, medical parts and the energy sector.

Walter also makes a single-flute guide pad reamer called the Valenite, which has a replaceable cutting edge and a diameter range of 6 – 20 mm with an H6 tolerance. This reamer comes in two versions, one for through holes and the other for blind holes. The guide pad material can be carbide, cermet or PCD. www.walter-tools.com

60 | OCTOBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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LEADing thE WAy SincE 1905 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

8 issues n 4 show Guides n 1 directory n 80 e-NewsLetters n e-directs n website n Lead GeNerators n

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Get on the

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cmw oct 2012 Reaming pg 56-61.indd 61

Rob Swan | Account Manager 416-510-5225, cell 416-725-0145 RSwan@canadianmetalworking.com

Jim Anderton | Editor 416-510-5148 JAnderton@canadianmetalworking.com

12-09-21 11:33 AM

Spinning Wheels CNC retrofit for more productive NASCAR wheel production

A

n advanced NUM CNC retrofit of a spin forming lathe is providing a platform for substantial gains in manufacturing efficiency for the NASCAR wheel supplier, Aero Race Wheels, Inc. Productivity improvements include faster batch changeovers, tighter process control and automated program generation for new parts.

Aero Race Wheels is the leading supplier of premier steel racing wheels for NASCAR events. Founded in 1995, the company has grown to become the US’s largest manufacturer of steel racing car wheels. The company’s facility in Estherville, Iowa, produces hundreds of race wheels every day, which are used by a broad cross-section of the racing community. Drivers participating in IMCA and WISSOTA events use Aero Race Wheels’ products, and more Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Series races have been won on the company’s 59 Series NASCAR wheels than all other brands combined.

Aero Race Wheels utilizes spin forming techniques to produce its high-performance racing wheels. The process involves rotating a cylindrical steel workpiece and a forming tool at high-speed while exerting localized pressure using a roller, causing the metal to flow over the tool. The technique is ideal for manufacturing axially symmetric parts such as wheel rims. It creates a very strong, seamless component from a single piece of material, with little or no scrap.

The shape forming operations are performed on a

20-year-old Autospin metal spinning lathe. This machine has two sets of pressure rollers–one at the front of the workpiece, the other at its rear–which enable both sides of the wheel rims to be formed without manual intervention. Each set of rollers has two motion control axes, X and Z, driven by four hydraulic cylinders, plus the motor-driven lathe spindle.

Given that the seasoned Autospin lathe is vital to its manufacturing operations, Aero was becoming concerned about its reliability. Although supporting the machine’s mechanics was not problematic, obtaining replacement parts for the original motion control system had become nearly impossible.

Further, the original control was at best rudimentary. It had limited functionality and could only be programmed using a point-by-point data entry table that made it difficult to visualize and modify machine motion, demanding extensive operator

62 | OCTOBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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training. And because the system could only store programs for a few types of wheel, production changeover was often time-consuming–typically taking up to three to four hours or more–severely impacting the economics of the company’s small batch oriented production processes. To improve this situation, Aero turned to a machine rebuilder, which specializes in machine upgrade solutions for the spinning market.

The machine rebuilder performed a comprehensive mechanical and electrical rebuild of the lathe. For the critical CNC element of the refurbishment, it chose to retrofit a high-end solution from NUM, primarily because unique applicationspecific software developed by NUM’s US facility helped

overcome all limitations of the lathe’s existing control system.

The software is a tailored version of the NUMspinform control package for spin forming applications. The retrofit also includes a NUM FS151 operator’s panel, a custom HMI programming interface and a customized machine panel.

Prior to the Aero Race Wheels application, the NUMSpinform interface employed a teaching method of programming where the operator begins by copying the shape of the forming tool, or mandrel, and specifying the desired wall thickness of the part; the CNC system then calculates a two-dimensional safety zone to prevent any roller-tool collision. Next, the operator spin forms the new part by controlling the X and Z axes of the roller manually via a joystick, while the CNC system records the motion paths. Before it is saved as the final production program, the recorded spinning cycle can easily be optimized by modifying the roller path in the X or Z axis–on the fly–using a calibrated hand-wheel.

In the case of Aero Race Wheels’ 4-axis Autospin lathe, the preferred programming approach is to teach the mandrel safety zone, but to then draw the spinning cycle as a series of spline curves using an on-screen drafting tool. This drawing approach is now also part of the NUMSpinform solution. It has many benefits for a spinner, including a reduction in direct exposure to the machine elements, which increases safety, and a simplified learning curve for operators who do not have the years and years of spinning feel, required for the teach-in process.

NUMSpinform also accommodates offline program generation. Users can choose to create their own tooling files with the software’s graphical drawing facilities, or import them from a design automation source such as AutoCAD, and then program a spin cycle using simple mouse-driven point-and-click techniques. As soon as the design is ready, all defined geometry can be converted into a production program with a single click of a button and exported to the lathe’s CNC system to produce a trial part. The user is no longer bound by file storage issues to limit the number of spin cycles in the library, as the NUM system provides a local drive as well as access to a network drive.

The NUMSpinform package accommodates either a simple two axis spinning lathe or a four-axis machine as in the case of Aero Race Wheels. Aero’s machine slides can be programmed and operated as independent paths or in a method where the operator programs one X1/Z1 slide and the other X2/Z2 slide simply follows in a mirrored mode.

According to Marv Dailey, Design/Process Engineer, of Aero Race Wheels, “Our business demands very flexible manufacturing–we manufacture mainly in small quantities and we need to switch between batches as quickly as possible, as well as being able to trial new designs. The service provided by NUM and our machine rebuilder partner has been exemplary, giving us a combination of precision mechanics and state-of-the-art metal spinning programming and control. Product changeover typically now takes less than 20 minutes, and the semi-automated method of generating and optimizing spin cycle programs has significantly reduced development and operator training times.

Offline programming also frees up time on this critical production machine, further boosting productivity.”

Steven Schilling, General Manager of NUM Corporation, points out that application-specific software is central to NUM’s business strategy. “Upgraded CNC software is often the most important element of a successful machine rebuilding project, and we have been very pleased with the outcome of this project, which resulted from the very close liaison between NUM’s, the system integrator’s and Aero’s engineering teams.” www.num.com CM

www.canadianmetalworking.com | OCTOBER 2012 | 63

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The Business of Welding

Ac

The

Time to make your mark T

o say that not all things are made equal is a bit of an obvious statement, but sometimes it’s a statement that is hard to prove. Take for example welded and ‘joined’ products.

These are objects we come across everyday – buildings, cars, bridges, pipelines, transport truck, appliances, even your child’s bike or swing set – there are loads of these products, but no real measure of the quality of their construction. To be more specific – what we need to know is: the skill level, knowledge and capability of the people who built them.

Welding is a skill as much as it is a science. Products that are welded rely on the welder’s skills to create something that you can rely on to be inherently safely built. A safe and well built product also relies on the skills of a wider team of designers, engineers, technicians and inspectors. As such, unless you are the manufacturer, I’m guessing you don’t give them a second thought - with respect to the people who built them, their skill level and what codes and standards were used in their construction. We might assume they are safe, but really we have no proof. It’s only when they fail that we start asking questions.

Funny thing about failures - you typically don’t hear about them unless someone gets physically injured or there’s a resulting ecological disaster or major property loss. The fact is failures happen all the time, to every conceivable type of product – I’m sure that each of us can think of something they bought that failed prematurely. For the most part the results are not loss of life or contaminated soil. More likely, we are talking about things like minor injuries and lost revenue, time, reputation, enjoyment for the consumer. These types of failures also directly impact the manufacturer through the cost of rework, repair, recall or replacement if the failed product.

If you are manufacturer you likely work hard to engineer products that last and provide safe and reliable operation over their expected lifespan. Same goes for contractors working on a project, the phrase “quality is job one” comes to mind here. Hopefully no one builds products to fail (unless that’s the intended purpose) so reliability and safety should be high on the list of things to strive for. Clearly, proper engineering plays an important part in the success of any product. But it’s only one part of the process – two other parts worth considering are product assembly and marketing.

ASSEMBLY – Simply put, poor assembly means poor quality products. Within any industry there are all kinds of reasons for poor assembly, all of which can lead to quality and safety issues. When these issues do pop-up, the underlying problem in most cases tends to be the skill level of the people doing the assembly. Looking at welding specifically, some of the underlying issues could be consistently bad welds, incorrect surface preparation or equipment set-up, not enough (or inexperienced) supervisors or no (or a lack of) trained inspectors. All of these point to the need for more training,

testing, better supervision, and the lack of a quality system (ISO,3834, Ian Campbell, Director of etc.) for the welders to follow – not Marketing and New Product to mention a certification scheme Development, CWB (CSA W47.1, etc) to tie these concepts together and measure in an auditable/ repeatable way. Efforts made to drive improvements in any of these areas will show up as improvements in quality and overall product safety, which in turn likely means more consumer demand.

MARKETING – All this leads to us creating demand through marketing. From our perspective, if you have taken the time to invest in people, training and technology to improve the quality of your welded product, then there should be a way to differentiate your company from those who have not. This is where the CWB Group, specifically our Public Safety Office, and our Quality Mark Program can help.

As discussed in last month’s column, the office is here to provide our CWB-certified companies with company promotion, access to clients, the training and sourcing of skilled welders, as well as a host of other services tied to the business of welding.

It is the only program of its kind tied to delivering a national quality welder assessment scheme for the production of welded products. The Quality Mark Program represents the quality of the people behind your product or service, which reflects directly in the quality of the products being produced.

For any of the 6000 company that are already CWB-certified there is no extra costs or fees involved – its simply one more way to tell the world about the great work you do. If you are not a CWB Certified company then you need to know that for 65 years we have been making sure companies and their welders are educated, tested and qualified on a regular basis to uphold the standards set out for the protection of the Canadian public.

As a not-for-profit safety driven organization, we work for the good of all welding-related industries and the Canadian public they serve. The Quality Mark Program is a direct extension of our certification program, allowing us to bring our commitment to quality and safety to the broader consumer market.

If you make something that is welded or uses welding in some part of its manufacture, now is the time to get “Marked”.

Watch for the launch of our Quality Mark Program towards the end of this month (you can sign up for updates on the CWB website).

Canadian Welding Bureau/Canadian Welding Association

64 | OCTOBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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Thanks to the addition of unique natural ingredients, the new AF-Weld anti-spatter emulsion retracts in the presence of heat leaving the immediate welding area clean and void of liquid.

This aids welders in making “clean” welds and increases both the quality and productivity of their work.

This new, globally patented automatic refilling spray bottle system is also a money saving way of dispensing the popular

Empirical tests demonstrate that a 10 L (2.64 gals) bag-in-box of AF-Weld can replace as many as 36 aerosol cans of anti-spatter, so the system also significantly reduces costs of storage, handling, and disposal.

Clearly, the Air Force / AF-Weld system combines the convenience of aerosol cans with the cost effectiveness of bulk packaging. It is also safe, simple to use, and enables welders to produce spatter-free welds while helping prevent weld porosity.

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Welding News creation of lightweight, high-performance structures. These cost- effective steels offer the potential for lower fabrication costs, increased payloads, more durable products, more effective space utilisation and increased safety. To maximise their benefits they need to be welded effectively.

Coreweld 89 is suited to the mechanised or robotic welding of crane arms and other lifting equipment; the chassis and bodywork of commercial vehicles; load support and fastening equipment; load handling equipment; feeding and unloading hoppers and containers. www.esab.ca

WELDING JACKETS KEEP WORKERS SAFE AND MAKE THEM LOOK GOOD

An extension to a private label program for its industrial products that started in 2008, Linde Canada Ltd is introducing a custom-designed line of Linde branded welding jackets to the Canadian industrial market.

Made of durable flame resistant fabric that retains its flame resistance through dozens of washes, the welding jackets each have a welder’s collar to protect against sparks, dual inside and scribe pockets, and adjustable cuffs. www.lindecanada.com

THE SURFOX WELD-CLEANING SYSTEM.

For working in confined spaces a built-in fume elimination system removes vapors at the source, and the Surfox system cleans stainless steel without toxic pickling pastes. The unit pumps an electrolyte cleaning solution through an application pad, which simultaneously cleans and passivates the part. It can clean surfaces at rates of three to five feet per minute. This industrial, self-contained weld cleaning system has a variable electrical output, integrated electrolyte tank and automatic pump dispensing. Delivering the right amount of electrolyte to the workpiece is achieved with a variable-speed pump. There is a switchable electrical output — AC for cleaning and marking, DC for polishing. An electrical outlet is included for the optional handpiece for marking (black etching). www.walter.com

WIRE FOR HIGH-STRENGTH STEELS

Coreweld 89 is a high-strength metal-cored wire (>890 MPa yield) that meets strict AWS H4 and EN ISO H5, low diffusible hydrogen requirements. This wire is suited for welding high-strength steel with Argon/ CO2 gas mixtures.

High-strength steels are being used by engineering designers as a solution for the

WELDING FUME EXTRACTION SYSTEM CONTROLS FIRE RISK

Engineered to reduce the risk of fires in the metalworking and fabrication industry, the Guardian fire prevention, detection and suppression safety solution from Lincoln Electric controls fire risks in welding fume extraction filter systems.

Fire is an ever present risk in manufacturing, especially where welding takes place. This fire safety solution is combined with a fume hood system to reduce the risk of fire to a minimum and in the event of a fire, reduce damages that may result. The occurrence and subsequent damage of almost all fires will be limited.

The Guardian products are divided into three categories: products to prevent, to detect, and to suppress fire.

The Spark Guardian prevents sparks, spatter and cigarette butts from entering the ductwork and reaching the combustible filter cartridge and debris in the dustbin.

The Oil Guardian is a limestone feeding unit that decreases the combustibility of oil that may be found in the manufacturing environment from punching or rust preventive oils. The limestone minimizes the risk of fires in the filter cartridges and spontaneous fires in the dustbin.

The Guardian Control unit and the fire detectors are developed to detect a fire in the early phase. Early detection by a suppression system reduces the damage to the filter system and the risk of fire to a minimum. Sliding valves in the system will isolate a fire, and the Flame Guardian aerosol fire extinguishing canister is activated only seconds after the sliding valves are closed, releasing an ultra-fine aerosol that suppresses the fire.

Because every factory is different, Lincoln Electric will send a team to review and determine how to control the fire risk in a particular workplace. They will then design a system solution tailored to each facility’s specific welding applications and requirements. www.lincolnelectric.com

66 | OCTOBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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12-09-21 11:26 AM

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12-09-21 11:27 AM

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12-09-21 11:27 AM

Is welding experiencing the green creep?

70 | OCTOBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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12-09-21 11:17 AM

Going green can save your company some green

By Nestor Gula ....................................................................................................................................................

T

he reality is that while welding does produce heat, noise fumes and dirt, the industry as a whole is not Dickensian.

“If you look at it from a very literal perspective, and characterize welding as taking place in dirty environments and that the process itself is dirty, that is a bit of a misnomer.

There are many welding environments that are kept quite clean and sterile based on the types of welds that are being made,” said Jim Totzke, general manager — industrial fabrication and manufacturing, Miller Electric Co. “Welding processes and filler metals are being advanced every day to minimize fumes and smoke from the welding process, and new personal protective and fume extraction technologies are keeping welders protected and the environment clean.”

The manufacturing process is inherently not green yet welding manufacturers are cooperating in making it less of a detrimental effect on the environment. “When it comes to the manufacturing of product, for instance MIG wire, the process by which you etch the wire, copper plate and the involvement of lubricants, has all been worked on for many years to the point where the water that we put back in the city’s sewage is almost pristine,” said Bruce Clark, director, marketing and export sales for Lincoln Electric Canada. “We have also made great strides in reducing our overall water consumption during the manufacturing process. We are presently partnered with Ontario Power Authority and Natural Resources of Canada in a pilot project to implement ISO 50001 in Canada. The three areas of concern are water, electricity, and natural gas consumption.”

Filtair filtering system

www.canadianmetalworking.com | OCTOBER 2012 | 71

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12-09-21 11:17 AM

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Oil Mist is on surrounding shop equipment without Nederman by your side Oi mist poses a health and Oil safety risk to you and your sa work environment. wo The most effective way to Th control the exposure is to co capture the mist right at the ca source. so

The onus for changing welding’s image does not lie with the welding manufacturers alone. “The welding suppliers have to provide an effective and economic way to clean up the welding fumes and it is up to the shop itself to implement it,” said Clark.

“We work hand in hand with them to make sure that they buy the right equipment and once the equipment is delivered that it is deployed properly and it works efficiently and effectively.

It is a partnership.” The individual shops are more responsible for the actual welding environment of its workers, according to Totzke. “That’s where the personal protective equipment and fume extraction technologies come into play. Individual welding shops have the tools at their disposal to make the work environment as clean and comfortable as possible for their workers. This includes respiratory equipment, heat stress relief equipment, and fume extraction technologies.”

“The energy savings and increases in productivity often provide a relatively fast return on investment.”

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For some shop owners, the idea of becoming a ‘green’ shop sends shivers down their spine. For them the misconception is that reducing environmental impact is a money drain that despite some marketing goodwill will not bring any real financial benefit to the company. “Welding suppliers are building equipment that is as energy efficient as possible while retaining the necessary performance qualities of that piece of equipment,” said Totzke. “This is something that, as an industry, we will continue to innovate and help reduce the industry’s carbon footprint. We really share this responsibility because we can help educate the industry on the financial, productivity and

74 | OCTOBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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12-09-21 11:17 AM

The Sharp Generation IRB 2600 Industrial Robot

www.abb.com/robotics

With the best accuracy in its class, the IRB 2600 can help you increase output with higher process speeds and lower scrap rates, resulting in improved productivity. This is particularly useful in process applications, such as arc welding. The high accuracy is achieved by use of the patented TrueMove™ motion control software.

ABB Inc., Robotics 201 Westcreek Blvd.

Brampton ON, L6T 5S6 905-460-3000 abbrobotics@ca.abb.com

ABB introduces new robotic laser cutting solutions.

High precision robotics laser cutting is made easy, and delivers greater manufacturing flexibility for up to 35% lower capital investment.

ABB has introduced two new software tools designed to make robotic laser cutting more accurate, more flexible and easier to use. Using robots for laser cutting offers substantial cost benefits compared to traditional five-axis laser cutting machine, and they occupy less floor space, whilst allowing production layouts to be optimized – thus saving both production space and cost. In many cases robotic laser cutting allows one or more costly manufacturing operation to be eliminated, resulting in more efficient production processes.

RobotStudio Cutting PowerPac is an add-in to RobotStudio, ABB’s 3D simulation tool. The software, specifically designed for laser cutting, allows users to easily generate & modify cutting programs based on part geometry & CAD models. It also supports simulation & optimization of cutting programs, set up of interface signals, and management of cutting process data.

Commenting on the new software, ABB Product Manager, Andreas Eriksson says "It is easy and efficient to program even complex paths and shapes using the sophisticated Cutting PowerPac add-in. Users can create & test advanced laser cutting programs in an office environment, which maximizes production uptime and resource efficiency."

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environmental benefits of these machines.

Individual welding shops have every incentive to convert to welding equipment that is more energy efficient. It’s often smaller, it requires less energy (which in turn allows shops to add more welding units on the existing power in the shop and increase productivity), and it lowers the utility bill compared to older equipment. The energy savings and increases in productivity often provide relatively fast return on investment.”

Efficient use of electricity has been improving for many years, it started when people went from motor generators to transformer rectifiers, then to inverters.

Inverters are inherently more efficient.

Recently inverter frequencies have gone as high as 120,000 Hz,” said Clark. “This has resulted in much lower current draw, increased efficiency and improved Power Factor. Another benefit is the reduction in the cost of cable and electrical equipment required to power these machines.”

Having an efficient plant makes economic sense. “Energy efficient technology helps reduce a company’s total carbon footprint, and some utilities throughout North America have offered rebates based on an estimated reduction in power requirements. This is good for both the business and for the environment,” said Totzke. “In terms of how it’s done, it simply comes back to finding new and efficient ways to build a mousetrap.

With engine-driven technologies, we’re incorporating elements

such as Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI) and Auto-Speed technology that significantly reduce fuel use without sacrificing any power. Inverter-based technology has really changed how our industry looks at equipment for both the shop and field, and has exponentially reduced power consumption compared to older equipment.”

For the past several years automation in welding has been the talk of the town.

The advances in this field have been remarkable, as the systems have become more affordable and easier to program and use. “What automation has not done is to eliminate the need for skilled welders on the shop floor. It is always recommended to have a welder operate an automated welding system as they understand the process and can identify or troubleshoot potential problems,” said Totzke. “It is not as easy as throwing someone on an automated weld cell and saying ‘hit the button’. It should be a fabricator who understands welding and fabrication.”

Welding automation will continue its inroads into Canadian manufacturing because of the realities of the world market.

Mark Carney, the governor of the Bank of Canada recently told a Canadian Auto Workers meeting that the industry needs to embrace automation if it is to remain viable and profitable. He said Canadian business has to use more automation to make more products competitively and not hope that a low Canadian dollar will return to boost Canada’s competitiveness.

76 | OCTOBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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Another area where technology is advancing in leaps and bounds is in welding waveform control. One area that waveform control is being used is in the welding of aluminum. “The supply of helium is in very short supply,” said Clark. “Helium is used with Argon to increase the ionization point which increases the heat in the arc. When you can’t get the helium anymore you have to find a different solution. We are using waveforms control as one solution to put more heat into the arc to do what helium used to do. Waveform control has become one of the fastest growing technologies out there.

Where on one hand the welders are getting more complex, with more options and settings, on the other hand they are getting smarter. “Welding manufacturers are making welding power sources as intuitive as possible, taking much of the guesswork away from the welder,” said Totzke. “On more advanced power sources this includes built-in programs and the ability to update the unit’s hardware with new processes and programs. We’re building power sources with specialized functions for certain industries and applications. Even on relatively smaller products, designed for smaller shops and the personal user, we’re building in controls that simply require the operator to enter the type and thickness of material they are welding.” CM www.canadianmetalworking.com | OCTOBER 2012 | 77

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Grind Hard, Grind Fast There’s more technology in mounted abrasive wheels than meets the eye

By Irwin Rapopport ..............................................................................................................................................

L

ast month Canadian Metalworking magazine presented its readers with an article on hand-held discs, flap discs and belts. This month, in terms of abrasives, the focus is on solid grinding wheels and related products. Like the previous article, it provides information on six products and some advice from the manufacturers on what shop purchasing agents need to consider when determining which products will make their operations more efficient and productive.

Improved productivity covers a wide array of factors, including metal removal rates, surface finish, which depends on the quality of the abrasive; and controlling excessive wear and grinding costs.

Do special tool steels and exotic metals need special abrasives, can you use regular tool steel grinding wheels for special alloys, what kind of surface finish can be achieved when grinding tool or mold steels and how do you get that finish? Tim Borges, Sales Manager for North American Distibrution for Rex-Cut Abrasives replied: “Different grains and different bonds affect the performance of a grinding wheel in relation to the metal being ground. The right mix of grain, along with the ability to break down and release worn grain and expose new grain, is what creates a consistent metal removal rate and finish.”

On how to best select the appropriate grit size and abrasive material for roughing and finishing operations, Borges notes: “You want to choose a grain size that is aggressive enough to remove metal freely, while not being so aggressive as to damage the workpiece. Too coarse a wheel will create additional steps to remove scratches. Too fine a wheel will cause the abrasive to work too hard and generate too much heat, discoloring the material and potentially distorting it.”

DURABILITY

Concerning the durability of grinding wheel – which wheel materials last longest, and does it save money to use a more expensive wheel in the long run? Borges explains that “a grinding wheel must break down to perform properly. Grain dulls with use and must be released – and new grain must be exposed. Using inexpensive wheels may save money up front, but will ultimately lead to higher labour costs and longer lead times for customers. In the long run, and in a production situation, it is definitely more cost effective to use the best performing abrasives, even at a higher price.”

SURFACE FINISHES

Concerning the types of surface finishes that can be secured via grinding tools and mold steels and how such finishes can be achieved, Fultz states: “You can achieve almost any surface finish with these steels and any other steels. However, each application is unique. That is why Abtex has an applications laboratory that allows our engineers to experiment with customer workpieces and specify the tool to best achieve the desired surface finish.”

And on the choice of grit size and abrasive materials for roughing and finishing operations, selections, says Fultz, should

be based on “specific applications, which is why “Abtex customers rely so heavily on our applications laboratory.”

He also agrees with the view that it is wise to invest in grinding wheels that are durable and have a proven record, even if such purchases may be costly in the short term.

“Certainly it saves money to use higher quality wheel materials,” Fultz explains. ”Besides the cost of the wheel itself, you have to factor into the cost the production downtime to change lower quality wheels more frequently and the personnel cost to make those frequent changes.”

Fultz notes that “at Abtex, we believe that special and exotic metals and alloys do need special abrasives. That is why we distribute Artifex products. These elastic-bonded abrasives have the properties to put a wide variety of finishes on special and exotic metals and alloys.”

Ross Paterson, the Marketing Manager for 3M Canada’s Abrasive Systems Division, notes that when it comes achieving a fine surface finish via grinding tools or mold steels and how to best achieve such results, “the substrate will determine the product. More importantly, the product’s mineral, which could be anything from aluminum oxide to CBN – once you know that, then the condition of the substrate and desired finish will determine the product of choice and likely the sequence.”

GRIT SIZE AND ABRASIVE CHOICE

When considering grit size and the choice of abrasive material for roughing and finishing operations, Paterson says “it’s the condition of the workpiece that is the basis. Obviously heavy mill scale or welds require coarse grade products, while if the requirement is just slight surface modification to get a desired finish or look, finer grade products will come into play, and they could be coated, bonded, or non-woven abrasives. The desired finish normally requires a sequence that involves a few different grades.”

Moreover, he says, “premium-priced grinding wheels are normally priced that way because of durability, life, and the mineral contained within the product. The bottom line normally is that cost or price will determine product benefits.

The substrate also has a major effect on the life – the end point when used on soft substrates such as aluminum or brass is loading. There is no use paying a high price for a product when end point is a loaded product.”

Commenting on flow rates and coolants, as well dealing with exotic metals and the use of special abrasives and regular tool steel grinding wheels, Paterson tells Canadian Metalworking that “normally a job shop that does an array of jobs utilizing different tools and substrates, will have a selection of wheels on hand for the various metals they deal with. Most bonded grinding wheels have markings for specific metals. The abrasive within the grinding wheels, whether that be aluminum oxide, silicon carbide or ceramic, like 3M Cubitron, or even CBN or diamond, are in play for a reason, that being the substrate.”

78 | OCTOBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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A

ARTIFEX – ABRASIVE FINISHING TOOLS

Abtex Corporation is the North American distributor of abrasives manufactured by Hamburg, Germany-based Artifex. Artifex produces elastic-bonded abrasives that are comprised of silicon carbide or aluminum oxide, supported in a foamed polyurethane or rubber flexible matrix, and are used by industries for precision grinding and finishing operations.

Artifex products, which Abtex has been distributing since 2006, “conform perfectly to the workpiece profile, have open structure for cool grinding, and are easily profiled with conventional tools. Operators can achieve surface finishes well below one micron. The non-clogging, free-cutting tools flexibly grind, reduce roughness and minimize operator error.” www.abtex.com

REX-CUT ABRASIVES – SIGMA GREEN PREMIUM GRINDING DISCS

Rex-Cut Abrasives’ Sigma Green Premium Grinding discs are manufactured with a combination of aluminum oxide and zirconium oxide in a proprietary bond to allow for rapid stock removal.

“The unique construction allows for a cool, quiet, and chatter-free operation with reduced operator fatigue,” states a release. “Virtually iron free, it is recommended for stainless steel, mild steel, aluminum, titanium, and all nickel alloys. Particularly cost effective for work on stainless steel, Sigma Green is capable of cutting up to 50 percent faster and running 20 percent cooler than aluminum oxide grinding wheels.” www.rexcut.com

3M CANADA – BONDED ABRASIVES

3M Canada’s offers a variety of bonded grinding abrasive products, which include Type 27 Wheels.

“The Type 27 Depressed Center Wheel, is a durable, aggressive 1/4-inch product for heavy-duty stock removal applications,” says Marketing Manager Ross Paterson, “while the 3M cutting and grinding wheels are more conformable at 1/8-inch, which results in smoother finishing and less vibration during use. These can be used as a cut-off wheel also, for notching.”

The release adds that, “both the Depressed Center Wheels and the Cutting/ Grinding Wheels have a depressed center, which reduces the protrusion of the mounting hardware from the grinding surface of the disc, keeping it out of the grinding process, enabling the disc to be use at the proper angle.” www.3m.com

PFERD OF CANADA – FLAT (TYPE 1) UNIVERSAL LINE PS-FORTE

PFERD of Canada’s Flat (Type 1) Universal Line PS-FORTE bench wheels are designed for use on bench and pedestal grinders.

“These vitrified wheels offer high-performance on a multitude of applications,” states a release. “All bench wheels are packaged with telescopic bushings to accommodate popular machine spindle sizes.”

PFERD bench grinding wheels are offered in aluminum oxide and green silicon carbide via a wide range of grit and sizes to meet workshop demands.

In terms of workpiece materials, the wheels can handle steel and all ferrous materials. “[They] are ideal for removing burrs on workpieces,” states the release. “[They are] also used for sharpening edges of tools made of high-speed tools.” www.pferdcanada.ca

UNITED ABRASIVES, INC. – ULTIMATE CUT

United Abrasives, Inc./SAIT has a new .045-inch thin high-speed cut-off wheel on the market. The Ultimate Cut offers “extra long life on stainless steel while also having exceptional cutting performance on metal and aluminum,” states a release.

The Ultimate Cut .045-inch cut-off wheels are available in

80 | OCTOBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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ADVERTISERS INDEX ADVERTISER . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE

ADVERTISER . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE

ABB Robotics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75

KMT Waterjet Systems, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

AMT Machine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Lincoln Electric Co. of Canada . . . . . . . . 68,69

Benz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Lubricor Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Bluco Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77

Machitech Automation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Bohler-Uddeholm Limited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

Megatel Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Canadian Measurement-Metrology. . . . . . . .21

Nederman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74

CWB Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71,76

PFERD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67,79

Data Flute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Renishaw Canada Ltd.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

Dipaolo CNC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Retention Knob Supply & Mfg. Co. Inc. . . . . .81

IN STOCK

Dillon Manufacturing Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Sandvik . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . front flap. 49

DMG/Mori Seiki USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Schunk Intec Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Eclipse Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Scientific Cutting Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51

American Standards and specials.

Japanese Standards inch or metric.

Eriez Magnetics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58

Scotchman Industries, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Fagor Automation Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Seco Tools Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55

Flow International Corp.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

SGS Tool Company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59

Gibbs & Assoc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

SME. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Hilco Industrial, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Sumitomo Electric Carbide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

HORN USA, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Toshiba Machine Co. of Canada . . . . . . . . .31

Hurco USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFC

TRUMPF Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IBC

Ingersoll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57

Tungaloy America Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Iscar Tools Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . OBC

Victor Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72,73

Jarvis Cutting Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50

Walter Surface Technoligies . . . . . . . . . . . . .65

Jet Edge, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46

Walter USA, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Type 1 and Type 27 shapes in 4-1/2-, 5- and 6-inch diameters to fit angle grinders. www.unitedabrasives.com

NORTON OFFERS A FREE ABRASIVES APP

Norton Abrasives recently launched a free app – the Norton Abrasives Grinding App – to help determine grinding calculations, select abrasives products and more.

The application includes three calculators, including a wheel speed conversion calculator, as well as a coolant and dressing parameter calculator for abrasives applications. The app also features a right angle grinding product selector and distributor locator.

A link to Norton’s abrasives connection and website to find and order product, check orders and inventory is also available, in addition to a convenient button to contact Norton. “The app is designed for manufacturers to quickly simplify the process of calculating the requirements for their grinding application,” says David Long, Director of Marketing and Strategy at Norton Abrasives.

The app is available for IOS and Android operating systems on mobile devices. To download the free app, go to: www.nortonindustrial.com/GrindingCalculationApp.aspx

NORTON ABRASIVES – QUANTUM X CREEPFEED GRINDING WHEELS

In mid-September Saint-Gobain Abrasives launched its new Norton Abrasives QUANTUM X Creepfeed Grinding Wheel.

The wheels feature “three proprietary technologies to create the ‘ultimate’ wheel for free-cutting,” states Norton Abrasives.

“The leading Norton technologies that comprise QUANTUM X include a patented pore-induced construction, Norton Quantum ceramic abrasive and the latest, strongest patented bond from Norton. The new wheels are positioned in the ‘best’ tier of

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

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

Norton grinding products to provide the best metal removal rates compared to all other ceramic creepfeed wheels.”

Norton adds that the wheels “are ideal for a variety of applications ranging from low to medium and high-force on heat sensitive, hard-to-grind inconel, titanium and aerospace alloys” and that they “excel on large areas of contact applications and offer exception form and corner-holding.”

Jim Gaffney, Product Manager at Norton, points out that “QUANTUM X wheels will allow our customers to reduce grinding cycle times up to 50 percent while using over 20 percent less power” and that “these new wheels provide the highest productivity by featuring the longest wheel life combined with the fastest grind cycle time.”

The QUANTUM X wheels are available in blank stock in a type 01 Straight Wheel in six sizes ranging from 16 in. x 1 in. x 5 in. (D x T x H) to 20 in. x 5 in. x 8 in. (D x T x H), with unfinished blank stock wheels available in various abrasives and grit sizes – “they can be quickly customized to meet a user’s dimensional requirements and are ideal for aerospace, automotive and energy applications, among others.” wwwnortonindustrial.com CM www.canadianmetalworking.com | OCTOBER 2012 | 81

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By The NUMBERS Slow and Steady: Canadian economic growth continues at a modest pace

S

tatistics Canada’s second quarter numbers are in and nationally, the results show continued modest growth.

Real gross domestic product (GDP) rose 0.5% in the second quarter, matching the pace of the two previous quarters.

Business investment contributed the most to second-quarter GDP growth. Final domestic demand grew 0.4%. On a monthly basis, real GDP by industry advanced 0.2% in June.

Business investment in plant and equipment advanced 2.3%, the fastest pace since the second quarter of 2011. Non-farm business inventories also increased substantially.

Investment in housing rose 0.4%, following growth of 2.7% in the first quarter.

Exports slowed to 0.2% in the second quarter, after a gain of 1.0% in the previous quarter. In contrast, imports rose 1.6%, up from the first quarter increase of 1.3%.

Consumer spending on goods and services advanced 0.3% in the second quarter, following a similar increase in the previous quarter (+0.2%). However, this was down from the pace of 0.7% in the fourth quarter of 2011. Final domestic demand advanced 0.4%, similar to the pace of the previous five quarters.

Gross domestic product and final domestic demand

GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT AND FINAL DOMESTIC DEMAND

Goods production grew 0.9% and the output of service industries increased 0.3% in the second quarter. Mining and oil and gas extraction, and construction were the main contributors to overall growth. Gains were also recorded in manufacturing, agriculture, wholesale trade, the finance and insurance sector and professional services. In contrast, retail trade and utilities declined. Manufacturing rose 0.5%, as a 1.1% increase in durable goods production, particularly machinery and transportation equipment, more than offset a 0.3% decline in non-durable goods manufacturing. Expressed at an annualized rate, real GDP expanded 1.8% in the second quarter, matching the rate of the previous quarter. By comparison, real GDP in the United States grew 1.7% in the second quarter. Business investment in machinery and equipment grew 1.8%, following a 1.0% increase in the first quarter. This follows two consecutive quarterly declines 82 | OCTOBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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in the last half of 2011. Machinery and equipment investment was led by purchases of other transportation equipment (+4.4%) and industrial machinery (+3.7%).

CONSUMER SPENDING RISES

Consumer spending on goods and services rose 0.3% in the second quarter, similar to the previous quarter’s pace (+0.2%), but slower than the 0.7% increase in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Non-durable goods (+0.9%) and services (+0.7%) increased, whereas purchases of durable and semi-durable goods each declined 1.7%. Purchases of new and used motor vehicles declined 3.2% in the quarter, following two consecutive quarters of growth. Spending on clothing, footwear and accessories decreased 1.1% after seven quarterly increases in a row. These declines were partially offset by a 2.4% increase in spending on furniture, carpets and other floor coverings.

Source: Statistics Canada, www.statscan.gc.ca

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