Canadian Metalworking March 2014

March 2014 • www.canadianmetalworking.com

Serving the Canadian Metalworking Industry Since 1905

FABTECH CANADA 2014

Bringing forming, cutting and welding technology home

CRUDE CONTROVERSY Rail or pipeline for oil transport?

MILLING, HEAT TREATING, TOOLHOLDING AND FIXTURING FOR SUCCESS PM 40069240

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What’s Getting in Your Way?

I am so tired of ghting technology

I can’t afford downtime

I can’t keep shipping money with each part

Hurco Can Help Hurco gets rid of all of the stuff that gets in between you and making chips.

WAT C H

THE VIDEO premiere

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Scan to watch video

www.HURCO.com | 800.634.2416 TURNING CENTERS

MACHINING CENTERS

5-AXIS

ELLIOTT-MATSUURA CANADA INC.

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DOUBLE COLUMN

www.elliottmachinery.com

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H O R I Z O N TA L

905.829.2211

Machines shown with options. Information may change without notice.

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TA L

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Crystallizing the breakthrough...

Three new grades, one breakthrough in material science; Scientifically, Inveio is the arrangement of the grain structure of the aluminum oxide crystals in the insert’s coating. Put simply, an innovative method to create a cutting edge, that is both exceptionally long-lasting and high predictable in its wear patterns.

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TURNING STEEL

GC4325

GC4315

An edgeline performance out of the ordinary.

With a wear resistance crucial for high cutting temperatures.

MILLING CAST IRON

GC3330 With up to a 40% durability increase, this is your new

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To access the GF Machining Solutions mobile website, download a QR code app and scan this image.

A history of excellence.

A new name.

A history of excellence. A new name.

GF Machining Solutions, previously GF AgieCharmilles, has continually achieved milestones that have redefined EDM technology’s true potential. + First Isopulse generator to produce consistent EDM finishes, leading to the creation of the VDI Scale, which is still used today + First high-speed wire EDM generator, achieving 42" sq/hr industrial cutting speed + First wire threading system to anneal the wire, providing maximum reliability + First AWC (Automatic Wire Changer), representing the only automatic wire changing system to decrease cost per part and increase productivity + First full collision protection, protecting both part and machine from potential programming accidents + First 3D probing system, eliminating time consuming part leveling for wire EDMs + First Quadrax axis motion design, allowing cutting of tapers up to 48 degrees + And many more innovations for diesinking EDM

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Tel. (800) 282-1336 www.gfms.com/us

Elliott Matsuura Canada Inc. 2120 Buckingham Road Oakville, Ontario L6H 5X2 Tel. (905) 829-2211 Fax. (905) 829-5600

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A LOOK INSIDE Vol. 109 | No. 2 | March 2014 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

COVER STORY MAPLE LEAF MACHINES FABTECH Canada brings technology home ............................... 38

FEATURES JOB SHOP SNAPSHOT..................................................... 27 P&E Manufacturing, Bas-Cap-Pele, New Brunswick

27

TRAINING PROFILE............................................................ 29 Sheridan College, Oakville, Ontario

MOVING MONEY............................................................... 30 Is rail or pipeline the best way to transport crude oil?

CLAMPING TO AVOID DISTORTION................................... 66

30

Proper clamping techniques for welding

BLUE SKIES AHEAD.......................................................... 70 At Signature Tool Inc.

MONEY MAKERS............................................................... 72 Milling machines offer more “A LOOK INSIDE”, continues on page 8

70 66

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Amada_3-2

FEATURES cont’d 78

“

TALKING TOOLHOLDERS.................................................. 78 New solutions to toolholding issues

8,0

THREE MEASUREMENT FIXES.......................................... 88 Enhanced accuracy in the toolroom

CAM IN THE CLOUD.......................................................... 92 Is cloud-based software a step too far?

WHY HEAT TREAT?............................................................98 Q+A about heat treating for better tool life

88

WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE CANADA JOB GRANT?.......102 The country’s skills education policy needs help

Am

98

92

102

DEPARTMENTS View From the Floor..........................................................10 News.................................................................................12 Ken Hurwitz on Finance....................................................23 The Business of Welding...................................................25

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Tool Talk.............................................................................82 Welding News....................................................................60

By The Numbers..............................................................106

Cover design by Kathy Smith

This February, Canadian Metalworking partnered with Makino to launch a new section on our website, called the “Productivity Centre”. The goal of the new addition is to give our readers a place where they can find stories and case studies about shop owners who are finding new and unique ways to improve their business. Visit us online at: www. canadianmetalworking.com to find out more, or subscribe to our weekly Machine Shop newsletter to keep up to date with the new stories and videos as they appear!

If you have a question or a comment about our website or the new Productivity Centre, feel free to send me an email at nhealey@ canadianmetalworking.com. I’d love to hear from you!

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

Am

Gran

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Amada_3-2014_CM_Precison_Layout 1 1/31/14 2:25 PM Page 1

“Amada’s automated solution enables us to run 8,000 parts lights-out over the weekend.”

— Ehreth Horinek, President Precision Design & Manufacturing, Inc.

Amada Booth 1705

“We’re running 24/7 and programming parts a week in advance.”

MARS (below) increases up-time and machine efficiency tremendously by organizing the manufacturing process — providing for continuous, on-demand production with minimal supervision.

www.amada.ca

TK — Automated single-part removal and stacking

Since 1998, Precision Design and Manufacturing Inc. in Westlock, Alberta has been committed to manufacturing the highest quality line of stainless steel products. The company manufactures truck accessories, water distillers & water dispenser equipment and custom products. All parts are manufactured from H304 bright annealed stainless steel with a mirror finish — requiring precise tolerances and scratch-free processing. To meet customers’ demands for high-quality parts while maximizing employee efficiency, Precision Design turned to Amada.

Amada’s integrated solution included the EMLZ 3610 NT punch/laser combination machine equipped with an automated load/unload system and a single-part picking machine.

To maximize machine and material utilization, Precision Design also purchased a MARS (Material Automated Retrieval System). Commenting on the purchase, Precision Design’s president, Ehreth Horinek, states “ Without automation, we couldn’t expand our business. Amada’s integrated automated solution allows us to run 24/7. And, we’re writing programs a week in advance to keep pace with our new level of productivity.”

Amada’s punch/laser combination machine linked to advanced automation enables Precision Design & Manufacturing to:

Amada Canada, Ltd. 885 Avenue Georges Cros, Granby, Quebec, Canada J2J 1E8

800-363-1220 2345 Argentia Road, Unit #101 Mississauga, ON L5N 8K4

800-561-4578

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• Reduce Operating Costs (Automation provides predictable and reliable performance, which dramatically cuts lead-time while reducing costs. Amada’s EZ Cut System also reduces costs associated with Precision Design’s nitrogen usage by up to $7,000 per month).

• Maximize efficiency (MARS allows Precision Design to continuously track a variety of material types and thicknesses stored in the 35-shelf system).

• Improve quality (The EML combines Amada’s revolutionary electric motor punching technology with the reliability of an innovative hybrid laser motion system. The result is one of the fastest, most productive fabricating systems on the market delivering unequaled precision and flexibility).

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PUBLISHER Steve Devonport 416-442-5125 | SDevonport@canadianmetalworking.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Rob Swan 416-510-5225, cell 416-725-0145 | RSwan@canadianmetalworking.com EDITOR Jim Anderton 416-510-5148 | janderton@canadianmetalworking.com ASSOCIATE 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.............................................................................

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View From the Floor Keystone XL is safe... but it’s still a bad idea

S

o much has been written and broadcast about the Keystone XL pipeline project that it’s hard to avoid another repetitious rehash of the issues. I won’t, but instead I’m going to argue that the project should be abandoned, but not for the reasons the mass media report. Environmentalists routinely seize public “mind share” when it comes to major pipeline projects and their concern is understandable. It is a disaster when oil pipelines rupture and despite monitoring and quick action, it’s very difficult to avoid spills involving large quantities of crude.

When it happens, it’s very, very bad. That however, is not the issue. Failure of any crude oil transportation system be it pipeline, rail, truck or a 55 gallon drum in an oxcart, is a bad day for the environment. Since we must move the oil, we should consider the method least likely to fail catastrophically and that method is clearly underground pipeline. That’s not to say that crude can’t be transported safely by other means, it can, but any intelligent analysis of risk factors suggests that pipelines are the safest option. That however, doesn’t mean that the Keystone XL project is a good idea. We live in a country whose transportation links run increasingly North-South at the expense of East-West systems that are essential for a robust, independent energy distribution system.

Canada should be linked coast-to-coast by an effective trans-Canada pipeline system before we consider projects like Keystone XL, for economic and national security reasons. Unlike most advanced nations, including the U.S., Canada has no strategic petroleum reserve; our emergency supply is in the ground. It’s also primarily in Alberta and Saskatchewan, creating a ludicrous situation where Eastern Canadian refineries process imported oil for the markets where most Canadians live. Issues of sovereignty and supply vulnerability aside, the cold, hard reality of oil is that the US, courtesy of fracking and the vast Bakken formation, is essentially energy independent. Even worse for the long term viability of Canadian oil, the product that Keystone XL will ship is low-grade bitumen, which like other southbound oil exports, we’ll sell at a discount to world price.

Asia on the other hand, is energy hungry and will stay that way for the foreseeable future. Northern Gateway would not only open those markets to Canadian oil, it would allow us to market that petroleum at world prices. Keystone XL makes a great deal of sense for US-based petroleum producers who have access to excess refinery capacity on the Gulf and ready export markets overseas for refined products. If we’re going to send petroleum south, then let’s make it high-value refined goods like motor fuel, Jet A kerosene, lubricants, fertilizers and plastics. This would require a large expansion of the petrochemical industry and serious refinery construction, all of which would create jobs, strengthen our economy and protect Canada against domestic supply issues.

Yes, there are environmental issues with Pacific Coast oil shipping, but that’s an engineering problem and is definitely surmountable. There are also interprovincial and Aboriginal rights issues, again, all surmountable. So why then, do we consistently support major energy projects that work against the national interest? Conspiracy? Crony capitalism?

Federal incompetence? All three? I could go on for pages, but it’s a fundamental question that needs to be put to our politicians on the Right, Center, and Left. Remember it come election time.

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 of the Department of Canadian Heritage.

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

10 | MARCH 2014 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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Mini cutting at its Peak

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Sintered, chip breaking geometries ensure excellent chip control and increased productivity. Horn’s Mini system, the tool you need for internal applications. www.hornusa.com

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IN THE NEWS

Canadian auto industry poised for another solid year in 2014: BMO

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ORONTO — According to a new report from BMO Economics, Canadian auto sales had another banner year in 2013 and could be poised for another solid year in 2014. Preliminary numbers from the report indicate that light vehicle sales jumped to 1.74 million units in 2013, which was an increase of 4 per cent since the previous year (1.68 million units sold), and a 10 per cent increase since 2011 (1.59 million units sold).

“A solid model lineup and new offerings from manufacturers at very generous financing terms will continue to generate interest from the Canadian consumer,” said Alex Koustas, economist, BMO Capital Markets.

“Sales activity will remain brisk, but will likely drop off last year’s pace given rising ownership rates and more elevated debt levels. Nevertheless an overheating is unlikely as long as financing terms remain balanced.”

Mr. Koustas predicts that auto sales will slide marginally from 1.78 million units in 2013 to 1.71 million units in 2014. Despite this drop in projected volumes in 2014, projected auto sales for the year are still expected to mark the third best performance on record.

The report also listed a variety of factors that were encouraging the growth of auto sales. Koustas noted that continued investments in the auto industry are helping to fuel growth, and

technological advancements — particularly improved fuel economy — have helped with the continued growth. There has also been a boom in auto loans. Since 2009, Canadian automotive loan balances have increased by a 165 per cent, which is dramatic when compared to the 35 per cent in total consumer loans – and the credit momentum is expected to continue. Leasing has also rebounded from major lows. Before the financial crisis began in 2007, the leasing market accounted for nearly half of all auto sales but, by 2009, the number had sunk to below 10 per cent.

However, lease activity has made a comeback, climbing to more than 20 per cent of sales.

Another factor cited in the report is increased competition amongst automakers. Redesigned vehicles boast greater amenities, performance and value than those of previous generations.

For example, fuel efficiency has improved by nearly 20 per cent across the board in the last five years and the evolving technology, size, safety and functionality of these vehicles have also expanded.

“As manufacturers look to strengthen their brand and attract new customers,” said Robert Sadokierski, Head of Automotive Finance, BMO Financial Group.“Prospective buyers can really benefit from attractive finance offers and the competitive nature of the industry”.

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IN THE NEWS

Rio Tinto Alcan inaugurates new Quebec aluminum smelter New smelter has 60,000 tonne capacity

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MONTREAL — Rio Tinto Alcan has inaugurated their US$ 1.1 billion Arvida Aluminum Smelter, in SaguenayLac-St-Jean, Quebec. The AP60 Technology Centre is a new plant that has an installed capacity of 60,000-tonnes of aluminum and is among the most advanced smelters in the world.

“Today’s milestone is the result of years of work by our research and development teams. The innovative new AP60 technology platform will also allow for the development of a series of next generation technologies permitting further improvements in productivity, and reductions in energy and environmental footprint,” stated Jacynthe Côté, chief executive of Rio Tinto Alcan. The Arvida Aluminum Smelter, AP60 Technology Centre will produce 40 per cent more aluminum per cell than the previous generation of AP technology. The 60,000-tonne plant employs nearly 135 people and reached full capacity in December 2013.

“The new AP60 plant clearly illustrates Rio Tinto Alcan’s commitment to innovation and our strategy to focus on projects that will increase our competitiveness through productivity and that leverage our unparalleled hydro power position, further reducing our environmental footprint”, concluded Mrs. Côté.

Rio Tinto Alcan’s Arvida Research & Development Centre and R&D teams will continue supporting the new smelter and the further development of the AP60 technology platform. Rio Tinto mines and processes aluminum, copper, diamonds, energy (coal and uranium), gold, industrial minerals (borax, titanium dioxide, salt, talc) and iron ore.

(Photo: Rio Tinto Alcan)

14 | MARCH 2014 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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IN THE NEWS

Manufacturing skills training program celebrates success Top up of previous funding expected to support up to 30 small and medium-sized enterprises, plus train 500 workers KITCHENER, Ont. — On January 31, the Ontario Minister of State for FedDev Ontario, Gary Goodyear, announced an investment of up to $1 million for the Yves Landry Foundation (YLF).

The funds are a top-up to a previous investment from the federal government to the Achieving Innovation and Manufacturing Excellence (AIME) Global Initiative, a skills training program.

The AIME Global program was created to meet the needs of exporting and export-ready manufacturers in southern Ontario.

Through the program the YLF offers training designed to upgrade the skills of workers at small- and medium-sized manufacturing companies, and help manufacturers identify innovative ways to improve productivity and diversify their products.

This additional funding is helping YLF to support up to an additional 30 small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to train and re-train an additional 500 workers. According to a government release, the funding expected to create an estimated 60 additional jobs.

“Our government is committed to supporting the growth of the manufacturing sector by investing in the people who make

it so vital,” Goodyear stated, adding “these investments have allowed for the continued skills training that workers need, and in turn, will help manufacturers improve productivity and access new markets locally and globally.”

The $1-million top-up brings the total FedDev Ontario investment in YLF to $18 million. In November 2009, the Agency committed $12 million to YLF through the Southern Ontario Development Program. A $5-million contribution to YLF through the Agency’s Prosperity Initiative was announced in January 2012.

“I’m pleased that Minister Goodyear has taken the time to meet with local stakeholders about challenges and opportunities in the food and beverage processing sector,” said Karyn Brearley, Executive Director, Yves Landry Foundation.

According to government figures, the total investment of $18 million has allowed YLF to expand the AIME Global program.

They claim the project has supported over 170 SMEs across southern Ontario, leveraged over $6 million in SME investments, trained 5,166 workers, created 801 jobs, and maintained almost another 800 jobs.

Since August 2009, FedDev Ontario has invested more than $1.1 billion, resulting in partnerships with more than 5,300 organizations and more than $1.5 billion in additional leveraged investments from almost exclusively non-government sources to support businesses, organizations and communities in southern Ontario.

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IN THE NEWS Ottawa launches design, strategy phases of shipbuilding program Tasks part of contract awarded to Irving Shipbuilding in March 2013 worth an estimated $288-million By: CanadianManfacturing.com Staff

HALIFAX—The federal government says the build planning and engineering design phases have been launched as part of a massive shipbuilding endeavour—steps that could be worth as much as $53.5-million to Canadian firms.

Announced by Public Works Minister Diane Finley and Justice Minister and Nova Scotia Regional Minister Peter MacKay in Halifax, the two phases have been authorized for the construction of offshore patrol vessels under the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS).

The tasks are part of a contract awarded to Irving Shipbuilding Inc. in March 2013 for the construction of arctic/offshore patrol ships (AOPS) worth an estimated $288-million.

The second phase of engineering design is the second of three design tasks that will see Irving and partners continue to implement federal specifications into the eventual makeup of the ships.

During the project implementation proposal development phase, the shipyard will prepare a full build plan, which will include all activities related to material procurement and construction.

According to the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI), the NSPS will mean 15,000 long-term jobs and $2-billion annually in economic growth over 30 years.

Public Works said plans to cut steel and begin construction of the ships in 2015 remain on schedule.

“By proceeding with these next two tasks under the definition contract, we will continue to refine and complete the ships’ design and production details before cutting steel, and in turn reducing risk and respecting taxpayers’ money,” Finley said in a statement.

No timeline for the completion of the design and planning steps has been provided.

www.canadianmetalworking.com | MARCH 2014 | 17

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IN THE NEWS

Canadian business divided on how to tackle country’s skills gap Survey examines many aspects of recruitment that employers consider essential TORONTO — A recent survey by the Canadian Education and Research Institute for Counselling (CERIC) suggests that Canadian employers are split on how to address the skills gap facing the country’s industrial sector.

Environics Research Group conducted the telephone survey of 500 Canadian business leaders about the skills shortage and skills gaps, employee training and recruiting workers, as well as career management practices.

While there are many challenges facing employers, one of the more commonly cited ones is a shortage of skilled workers. The survey suggests that a shortage of skilled workers is a challenge for 7 in 10 businesses across the country right now.

“Clearly, Canadian business leaders are very concerned about their need for skilled people and the talent disconnect that is happening,” said Mark Venning, chair of the CERIC board of directors.

“They need additional tools and expertise when it comes to

A student from Quebec competes in the CNC Machining category at the 2013 Skills Canada competition

recruiting new employees and helping all their employees achieve their career goals.”

The survey found that a majority of executives (72 per cent) perceive a gap between the skills they are looking for, and what most job seekers have. More than one in three businesses (36 per cent) feel that gap has grown. Executives in organizations with over 500 employees are the most likely (51 per cent) to say that the skills gap has increased in recent years.

Among Canadian businesses, there is an even split between those who feel the best way to close the gap is for employers to provide more training (43 per cent), and those who say it is prospective employees who should better prepare themselves for the labour market (43 per cent).

According to the CERIC survey, a total of 70 per cent of Canadian executives say finding a skilled employee is not an easy task, with one quarter describing it as very difficult. For businesses located outside of Ontario, that challenge is even greater and, as a result, many rely on referrals from current employees and internal promotions to fill positions.

Nearly two-thirds of executives say they would hire an employee with the right soft skills and provide training on the more technical aspects of the job. Yet two out of three businesses (66 per cent) have difficulty finding candidates with the soft skills they’re ... continues on page 20

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IN THE NEWS ... continued from page 18

looking for – a positive attitude, good communication ability and a strong work ethic.

Although willingness to provide training is high, a majority of employers (64 per cent) also express concern about losing employees after investing in training.

When it comes to recruiting, just half of Canadian executives (52 per cent) say that a potential employee’s online footprint is important to them, with only one in 10 (11 per cent) saying it is very important. Small businesses (of less than 10 employees) are the least likely to consider a potential employee’s online profile – just over one quarter (26 per cent) say it is not at all important. Seventy-six per cent of executives said resumes are still important, while an additional 10 per cent see resumes as having become more important.

Canadian executives were also asked about their organizations’ efforts to recruit candidates from under-represented groups, such as visible minorities, aboriginal people, people with disabilities and new Canadians; half (50 per cent) say that this is not something in which they invest a great deal of time or effort.

The survey was conducted October 25 to November 11, 2013 and has a margin of error is plus or minus 4.4 percentage points (at the 95 per cent confidence level). The sample included representation across regions, urban vs. rural, number of employees and by industry.

The CERIC is a charitable organization that advances education and research in career counselling and career development. www.ceric.ca

Enbridge investing $200M to expand northern Alberta terminal Will build 350,000 barrel crude oil storage tank at facility near Christina Lake oilsands project

By Canadian Manufacturing Daily Staff

CALGARY—Enbridge Inc. plans to spend $200-million to expand one of its terminals in northern Alberta to support increased production from a nearby oilsands operation.

According to Enbridge, it will develop a new site adjacent to to its Sunday Creek Terminal in the Christina Lake area near Fort McMurray, Alta., and build a new 350,000 barrel crude oil storage tank and associated pumps and piping to support a boost in production at the Christina Lake project. The work also includes installations for a future tank, Enbridge said.

The Christina Lake project is jointly owned by Cenovus Energy Inc. and ConocoPhillips. The Sunday Creek Terminal was put into service in August 2011.

“We are pleased to move forward in supporting the planned production growth from the Christina Lake project,” Guy Jarvis,

Cenovus Energy’s Christina Lake oil sands operation in northern Alberta.

PHOTO: Cenovus

executive vice-president and chief commercial officer of liquids pipelines, said in a statement.

“This expansion furthers Enbridge’s plans to bring incremental volume from projects in the region to the Athabasca Twin pipeline.”

20 | MARCH 2014 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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FINANCING

Know the value of your shop floor machinery Industrial equipment can be leveraged for working capital

By Ken Hurwitz ......................................................................................................................................

M

anufacturers in growth mode are all too familiar with the challenge of raising working capital.

Whether it’s to expand, launch a new product or buy raw materials, access to cash can make or break even the best ideas.

As a certified appraiser whose family owned a machine tool distribution business for decades, I’ve seen numerous examples of the innovation that’s possible with robust financial strategies.

So what is the right way to find and manage working capital? Here are a few key considerations.

1) Use bank credit for short-term expenses. If you have an operating line with a bank, avoid using it to buy equipment. Today’s interest rates are low, so manufacturers might be tempted to use credit lines for major expenditures. Doing so can leave you short on capital to pay employees, suppliers and other invoices.

A big customer failing to pay on time can leave you tapped out financially, and that’s when you’ll need the safety net of your operating line.

2) Finance long-term investments. You may pay a slightly higher interest rate on asset-based financing, but considering the length of time the machine will be in service and the amount of revenue it will generate, the expense makes financial sense, especially when compared to the risks of using up your working capital.

3) Assess the value of your equipment. Shop floor machinery can be used to tap into financing such as a sale leaseback. Under this arrangement, you sell a piece of machinery to a lender for a nominal amount.

The lender takes ownership of the machine, provides you

with an amount of money based on the machine’s value, which you pay back over time.

4) Get an expert opinion. If your machinery is old and antiquated, banks might not approve financing against it, but don’t be Ken Hurwitz deterred. Get input from a reliable auction company (we use Glen Shoniker of Asset Services), appraiser or asset-based lender who has deep knowledge of machine tools and their resale value. Recently, we had a client (a small manufacturer aiming to expand into the US) who was refused a loan by his bank. When we saw his shop floor assets, the decision for us to provide him with financing was easy.

5) Make sure you own the assets free and clear. It sounds simple enough—you buy a machine tool and pay for it. But if you have a relationship with a bank, there’s a good chance they have a General Security Agreement (GSA) covering all your assets. A GSA provides creditors with a security interest in your inventory, accounts receivable, equipment and other assets. Every piece of equipment you’ve added through the years could have been automatically included in the GSA. 6) If in doubt — do a search.

One of the first services we provide to clients is a search of lien registrations on their equipment. Often, my clients are surprised to learn they ... continues on page 105

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THE BUSINESS OF WELDING

Is welding a career?

By Ian Campbell .............................................................................................................................................................

W

hen it comes to education, Canada’s a funny place.

On one hand we are a highly educated country, and on the other we are hamstrung by our inability to get the skilled workforce we need to get things done. It would appear, sometime over the last four or so decades we’ve lost our way, and as a result we now have a lot of book smart people, with a lot of great ideas, but too few people who can actually turn those ideas into the products and infrastructure we all need to keep this country going.

We might be a “knowledge economy” on paper – there are a lot of university graduates with PhD’s and MBA’s driving taxis and serving coffee, but with so few skilled tradespeople we are looking beyond our shores to fill the jobs.

So, where have all the “doers” gone? Well, they’re not gone, we just haven’t created enough of them.

Last weekend I was reading through the local Toronto paper and there was an article about Yousuf Karsh – who is one of Canada’s greatest photographers. Turns out that back in the ‘50s he was hired by Ford to photograph their workforce. Ford did it for a reason: They wanted to show something important to their investors and customers, namely “pride of work”. Karsh was a master of the camera, and what he was able to capture with the employees he photographed was an honest expression of commitment and pride in what they were doing. It got me thinking - these were not the faces of people who were simply working a ‘job’, these were tradespeople who had a career with Ford. What’s worth remembering is that back in those days large industry fostered the concept of a ‘career’ in the trades. For better or worse, regardless of the working conditions and pay, they provided and supported the idea that skilled trades were important and had value. The skills learned were not merely a route to a job, but a foundation to a career. Getting employed at Ford, or any other large manufacturer, was a career decision, defining a clear path forward in life.

As much as I might paint a rosy picture of the past, I do know it was not always great. There have been lots of labour struggles, and major shifts in skilled roles due to technology and offshoring that have fundamentally changed business.

That said, I still think there are things we can learn from the past starting with the idea of trades, welding being one of them, as a real career path and not simply a job. Think about that last comment for a second: A job is just something you “do”, a place you go to get paid. A career is what you get when the job you do is a good match for your skills, is something you love to do, and fits your needs, providing a path towards the future.

“You have to love what you do to be successful” – this is something I’ve been told several times in my career, and I fully buy into it. But the hard truth behind the saying is

that someone has to first recognize the “love” (and your associated Ian Campbell, Director of skills), and provide an opportunity Marketing and New Product Development, CWB for you to use it to contribute to both your and their success. This is the role education and employers have to play.

Educators need to start putting value back into the idea of a pursuing a career in the trades. This starts in grade school and high school where ideas and perceptions around what people do for a living are made. Careers relating to skills (the ability to do something) should have equal value to those tied to knowledge (understanding how to do something) because fundamentally, within a modern society, one is totally useless without the other. Students should be directed into the trades because they show real and measurable aptitude and interest, not because of the perception that they lack the marks for university.

At the post secondary level we need educators and industry to come together and re-build the concept of “career training” that supports an on-going career within a chosen industry. As much as educators can prime the future employee pump, industry is really the final arbitrator of success as they do the hiring. What is important here is that industry, and industry organizations, need to take stewardship of the trades they employ, acting where and when governments don’t to support the future growth of those trades.

Yes, education is a provincial jurisdiction, and it’s sometimes easier to sit back and let the educators and bureaucrats try and work out a system that attempts to deliver what’s truly needed. But would it not be better to have industry help lead the change? After all, one of the objectives of any educational system is to find employment for its students. In this respect industry has a very large hammer, so to speak - maybe it’s time to start swinging it. If the needs of industry in terms of skilled graduates are not met, or are met too slowly, then industry has the right to vote with its feet – impacting local employment levels and taxes.

As Canada’s welding organization, the CWB Group is fully committed to working with industry, educators and all levels of government to foster and create welding as true career. Stay tuned for more announcements in the coming months. As always, if there’s something the Canadian Welding Association can do to help you please let me know.

Canadian Welding Bureau/Canadian Welding Association www.canadianmetalworking.com | MARCH 2014 | 25

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Job Shop Snapshot

P&E Manufacturing, Bas-Cap-Pele, New Brunswick

P&E Manufacturing, Bas-Cap-Pele, New Brunswick

By: Nate Hendley

P

&E Manufacturing owes its existence to the presence of water. Which is understandable, given this job shop is based in Bas-Cap-Pele, New Brunswick, right on the Northumberland Strait near the Atlantic Ocean.

“We primarily serve three industries: marine (fishing boat equipment), commercial restaurants (countertops and accessories) and seafood processors (larger processing equipment).

Both metal fabrication and machining are done here. Having both these trades under one roof serves us very well as a lot of our seafood processing equipment can be engineered and built in-house and [we] only have to source out necessary parts (conveyor belts, motors, gearboxes, electronics, etc.).

We also maintain parts and repair certain brands of processing equipment in-house,” explains sales manager Gilles Gallant.

P&E is owned by cousins James and Roland Belliveau and boasts 16 employees and a marine division, called

P&E Fabricating and Manufacturing of Bas-Cap-Pele, New Brunswick.

Anchor Hatches. The company facility underwent a 5,000 square foot expansion in late 2011, pushing the total size of the firm to 12,000 square feet. The expansion “allowed us to take on bigger projects, as we didn’t have space in our existing fabrication shop,” explains Gallant.

P&E was “started in 1988 by brothers Paul-Emile Belliveau and Emery Belliveau. Their sons took over the business in 2000. P&E began as a small welding and fabrication shop.

We started serving the local seafood processing community and boatbuilding community. Eventually, our specialty in stainless steel has earned us business in the commercial restaurant industry. Our skilled fabricators and our attention to detail have also been key in our start in residential commercial stainless steel,” he continues.

Gallant says the biggest challenge facing P&E is “probably the U.S. dollar, because of the volume of our U.S. business.

In 2008, with the [recession] we suffered a big drop in U.S. sales and many of our local marine clients also closed up shop. Thankfully, we serviced other industries and were quick to adapt. Now, our marine division is stronger than ever and our experience in other industries has grown too.”

Gallant is generally upbeat about conditions in Canada’s machine shop sector. “One threat I can see is the increase in Asian made products. Due to the longer delivery times, it will likely take a while before this becomes an issue here on Canada’s east coast,” he says.

“On a positive note, we feel the effects of the recession are nearing the end and that a lot of our clients are at the point of starting to spend money on things they were holding off. There have also been big projects announced so there should be some spinoffs for many businesses. Things have been positive in the industry,” notes Gallant. www.anchorhatches.com

ESSENTIAL NUMBERS FOUNDED: 1988 by brothers Paul-Emile and Emery Belliveau OWNERS: Cousins James and Roland Belliveau SIZE: 12,000 square feet NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 16 SPECIALTIES: Metal fabrication, machining, processing, manufacturing, repairs

MARKETS SERVED: Marine (fishing boat equipment), commercial restaurants, seafood processors FIRST MACHINE: Conventional mills and lathes still being used as backups MOST RECENT ADDITION: Three-axis CNC mill from Mazak FUTURE PLANS: Acquisition of a laser cutting table and a new shear www.canadianmetalworking.com | MARCH 2014 | 27

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Training Profile

Sheridan College, Oakville, Ontario

S

heridan College has a diverse platform of programs in everything from interior decorating to computer animation, though the trade programs definitely feature prominently at the school.

The college has three campuses spread across Oakville, Mississauga and Brampton, but most of their industrial programs are based at the school’s Skills Training Centre, located on Iroquois Drive in Oakville.

The metalworking-specific programs at Sheridan include mold and die making, tool making, and welding techniques.

Alan Reid, the Associate Dean for the School of Skilled Trades, has been with the school for almost 35 years as a teacher after spending time working in the field in both England and Canada before that.

“Industry is facing such competition these days, they need to be able to hire an apprentice to hit the ground running, so we offer a large variety of post-secondary programs to help (students) be able to achieve that,” Reid says of the school’s metalworking programs.

Sheridan has also started working closely with the regional school boards to help introduce prospective students to the college world.

“We do dual credit training with the high school boards … so a high school student, usually in their final year, can experience some of the college courses and (receive) high school credits concurrent with a college credit they can apply to the future.”

While the school’s machining program has been longrunning, they also have a welding program that is relatively new, after Sheridan offered to take it over from Brampton’s Mohawk College in 2009. Steve Summers is the coordinator of the program and has over 40 years of industry experience in the field. He spoke to Canadian Metalworking about some of the program’s offerings.

Learning on manual equipment is an essential experience for students that are new to machining.

“In our first semester for the techniques program the students go through a manufacturing trade safety program where they get their WHIMIS and CPR,” Summers says.

The students also study blueprint reading for welders, math for welders, and welding and cutting processes where they learn about oxy fuel and plasma cutting processes. They also receive Level 1 shielded metal arc, and take a general elective that has to be unassociated with welding.

“Then second semester they get some metallurgy, layout and fabrication, they’re introduced to gas metal arc welding, gas tungsten arc welding and then they have Level 2 shielded arc welding,” Summers continues.

Summers admits this may change a bit in the coming years since welding techniques is currently a certificate program, but they plan to upgrade it to a diploma program.

“We want to make it so the techniques and the diploma programs are seamless. That way if the students wish to leave after the techniques program and go off and make some coin then that’s perfectly okay, but if they wish to continue on and get the second year, then it just flows right on.”

The certification from the welding program then allows the student to take certificate tests with the Canadian Welding Bureau.

For more information on Sheridan’s metalworking programs, visit: http://www.sheridancollege.ca/academics/programs-andcourses.aspx For additional coverage of Canadian Metalworking’s college profile visit our website: www.canadianmetalworking.com and search “Sheridan College”

SHERIDAN’S METALWORKING PROGRAM AT A GLANCE

LOCATION: Sheridan’s Skills Training Centre, Oakville, Ontario.

RELEVANT COURSES OFFERED: Mechanical Techniques - Tool and Die Maker, Mechanical Technician–Tool Making Program, Welding Techniques TUITION: Mechanical Techniques - Tool

and Die Maker, $4,454.50 (two academic terms), Mechanical Techniques Tool Making, $4,454.50 (two academic terms), Welding Techniques, $4,482.75 (two academic terms). There are additional fees of around $500 if students are accepted in a co-op program through the school. www.canadianmetalworking.com | MARCH 2014 | 29

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Moving Money T

he transportation of Canadian crude oil is all over the news these days, and for all the wrong reasons. Deadly tanker accidents on rail lines and the ongoing controversy over the Keystone XL pipeline for environmental reasons are driving a wedge in public opinion between those that want the economic benefits of Western energy and the group concerned about safety and environmental risk. It’s a complex issue with both technical and political considerations that often trump the reality of moving oil over the large distances of the continent.

RAIL IS FLEXIBLE, BUT IS IT SAFE? With 47 dead and millions in damage, last summer’s Lac Megantic railway disaster was a worst-case scenario for rail haulage of crude oil. While the Transportation Safety Board is operating an ongoing investigation into the disaster, and the direct cause is clearly an operational issue, the question of the safety of the current generation of DOT – 11 tanker cars is very much on the table. Is current tanker car design deficient? DOT – 111 standards for cars ordered after October 2011 require cylindrical tank bodies with hemispherical tank ends welded from 7/16-inch material, specifically carbon steel, aluminum alloy, HSLA, or nickel steels. For cost reasons carbon steels are typically used, in normalized plate grades.

The normalized steel is essential to maintaining suffi-

By Jim Anderton, Editor .

Pipeline and rail transportation of Canadian oil are both controversial ... which is safer?

cient toughness at higher yield strengths than tempered steels. The need to build with readily available steels with good weldability and formability is crucial; in 2009 11,300 carloads of crude oil shipped in North America.

In 2013 that number was 560,000. At Lac Megantic, 63 DOT– 111 cars carrying Bakken crude oil derailed. Current TSB estimates state that 6,000,000 L, (about 89 per cent of the total load) of oil was released from ruptured cars. A preliminary Transportation Safety Board of Canada report has identified in the steel plate, vulnerable top and bottom fittings, and inadequate thermal protection as contributing factors in the accident. Although the age of cars ruptured in the accident has not been announced, cars ordered before October 2011 were only required to use non-normalized 7/16-inch thick A516–70 steel.

As far back as 2010, a University of Illinois statistical analysis determined that tank ruptures from DOT – 111 cars can be reduced by 50 per cent with thicker steel, tank jackets and shields on tank heads. New Association of American Railroads requirements increase minimum head and shell thickness to ½ inch for non-jacketed cars and 7/16 inch for jacketed cars. Normalized steel is specified as is a ½ inch thick head shield. According to the AAR, 92,000 DOT – 11 ones are used to carry flammable liquids, but only 14,000 are built to be postOctober 2011 standards. With the typical tank car life expectancy of up to 40 years, that represents 78,000 of

30 | MARCH 2014 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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the more vulnerable designed cars in daily use across the continent. Transport Minister Lisa Raitt has called for requirements for upgrades to the DOT – 111 standard, but the move is symbolic, as the industry has already adopted tougher requirements.

The railroad industry is in a difficult position; although they are liable for loss of life and environmental damage, railroads typically do not own the tank cars they haul, making the association a strong advocate for stronger construction. Complicating the problem is the light Bakken crude oil now shipping from Saskatchewan and North Dakota. Gaseous volatiles that are dissolved in the oil, when released in a post-crash fire, can create pressures sufficient to rupture tank shells, as well as contributing to very high temperatures which further degrade steel properties. Retrofit costs, which can approach $100,000 per car (nearly the new build price) make retrofitting 78,000 tank cars in the foreseeable future unlikely.

A lower cost alternative that would increase safety however, would be extra guarding on tank valves and fittings, combined with strengthened attach fittings between tank and wheel bogie assemblies. An intermediate step may be to increase guarding on tank valves and fittings. An upgrade like this would create a ready market for laser or waterjet cut plate steel retrofit kits - a relatively simple development for Canadian fabricators.

Operationally, “unit trains” dedicated as crude oil carriers will likely be routed around population centres and operating procedures revised to prevent tragedies like Lac Megantic. With little progress in pipeline development, and increasing production from Bakken and other formations due to new fracking technology, rail shipment of crude oil will be a growth industry for the foreseeable future.

ARE PIPELINES THE ANSWER? For bulk transportation of liquid commodities, nothing beats pipelines for cost and efficiency. In the 21st century however, cost and reliability have become side issues compared to environmental concerns. The current Keystone XL debate will likely determine the future of large-scale crude oil pipelines for at least a decade, and the issues are highly political. For the Obama administration in Washington, the project risks alienating the Democrats’ environmentally conscious wing with approval, or with rejection, slams the door on a significant job creator during a stubbornly slow recovery. For environmentalists, Keystone XL carries a dual risk: potential damage to sensitive aquifers in the event of a pipeline rupture, and the increased CO2 burden from the petroleum products refined from Keystone-delivered crude.

While the global warming implications aren’t directly related to the mode of transport, the spill risk is a major engineering issue and a big part of the recently released

Lac-Mégantic, QC with the aftermath of the train derailment and explosion. Photo courtesy HazMat Magazine.

US State Department Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement on the project. The report, although only one component of the Obama administration’s decision-making process, makes an extensive risk analysis and both pro-and anti-Keystone advocates claim that the report supports their positions. Environmentally and from athe pipeline construction perspective, the key issue is the relative risk of crude oil release from Keystone XL completion of the Alberta to Gulf Coast system (XL is just a part of a major network already in place), versus rail tanker carriage to the Steel City Nebraska terminal where it would then be pumped southward.

According to the report, Keystone XL would result in a statistical 0.46 release per year rate, with annual amount of crude released at 518 barrels. Rejection of XL, resulting in a combined rail/pipeline system by comparison would result in 294 releases per year, with a total amount of crude released at 1227 barrels. Statistically, the total amount of crude released is not significantly different for each method, surprising considering the expected large number of tank car release incidents in the rail scenario.

This is because of the relatively small amount of crude released in most rail incidents, compared to relatively large volume expected in a pipeline rupture. On average, Keystone XL is expected to experience a rupture every other year, releasing an average of approximately 1,000 barrels of crude oil.

The rail scenario envisions approximately the same number of barrels spilled each year, but released through 300 annual rail incidents. While the pipeline option is initially safer, pipeline performance is relatively fixed over the life of the project; rail transport safety is expected to improve progressively as more modern, thicker wall tank cars and better track monitoring systems are implemented in the coming decades.

While many analysts at the time of writing point to a high concentration of dissolved volatiles in Bakken crude as a major factor in the magnitude of the Lac Megantic www.canadianmetalworking.com | MARCH 2014 | 31

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WHERE TANK MEETS CAR

A

sk fabricators to attach a round section tank or pressure vessel to a longitudinal chassis, and they’ll agree that the point of attachment is critical. In modern railroad tank car design, tanks are supported near their dome ends, with the tank structure itself forming the cars’ chassis. Bolster plates are used as doublers at the point of attachment to the bogie assemblies, spreading loads and allowing deep penetration welds at critical attachment points without risk to the integrity of tank walls. If a derailment causes the bogies to shear at the point of tank attachment, ideally the walls remain intact.

In fact post-accident investigation often shows punctures at the dome ends and fill/drain valves rather than the tank walls in moderate speed derailments. Currently under investigation in the Lac Megantic disaster is the role that the cargo, Bakken

Adapted from U.S. NTSB Accident Report NTSB/RAR-12/01PB2012-916301

crude, played in the explosion and fire. If Bakken is found to contain excessive amounts of dissolved volatiles, flammable gases coming out of the oil solution may have pressurized the tank bodies and contributed to the failures and post-accident explosion and fire. Diluted bitumen will be much less flammable, making rail transport a viable alternative if Keystone XL is rejected.

While it’s impossible to retrofit thicker tank walls, armor around fill/drain valves, increased protection for the hemispherical dome ends and beefed-up attach weldments should increase tank car safety significantly. Retrofit kits should be a straightforward design issue, and a huge market for enterprising fab shops with waterjet or plasma cutting experience with heavy plate. Who will be first to market with an affordable retrofit kit for rail tank cars?

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DOES SHALE OIL CHANGE THE GAME?

N

ew fracking technologies are widely reported to be the reason for America’s growing energy independence, but where is this “tight oil” coming from? A recent presentation at the Argus Americas Crude Summit by the US Energy Information Administration’s head Adam Sieminski demonstrates just how significant new oil and gas reserves are. According to Sieminski, the number of drilled wells in the U.S. that produce both oil and gas increased 37 per cent in 2007 and 56 per cent in 2012. He also notes the production growth is driven more by well productivity, namely fracking, as opposed to an increase in the well count. Shale derived production is more than offsetting declining production rates from existing conventional oil and gas wells. Most significantly, six shale deposits account for almost 90 per cent of US domestic oil production growth and essentially all domestic natural gas production growth. Of the six formations, Bakken, and Eagle Ford formations account for two thirds of the oil production growth. Around 2017, the US will become a net exporter of natural gas and at approximately the same time, “tight oil” production will lift US domestic crude oil output above the country’s historic maximum production level of 9.6 million barrels per day in 1970. Natural gas output is underreported, but highly significant. Natural gas is a favoured replacement for coal in electricity generation in the US, and its use as a motor fuel in heavy trucking is accelerating rapidly. From the

Source: US EIA drilling productivity report

transportation standpoint, natural gas can’t be economically transported in large quantities by train; it’s also expensive to ship by tanker. Results will be a strong impetus for continued pipeline expansion. For Canada, the key will be pricing. Natural gas has spent years at low prices, but with increasing demand south of the border, momentum for more pipeline investment here should build.

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disaster, Keystone XL would carry a form petroleum at the opposite end of the spectrum: bitumen. In fact, the line would carry diluted bitumen or ‘dilbit’ containing a light petroleum liquid fraction to make the product pumpable.

In the case of a spill, a catastrophic explosion is less likely, but many environmentalists argue that bitumen separating from the dilutant would sink to the bottom of lakes and rivers, causing a difficult-to-clean hazard to aquatic flora and fauna. Not surprisingly, the petroleum industry disagrees.

In the short term, regardless of the status of the Keystone XL project, an important consideration for Canada is that our portion of the system is already built, so from a pipeline construction standpoint job creation will be in the US. The proposed Energy East project would involve both construction and modification of existing pipelines, while the Northern Gateway project to the Pacific would be “new build”. While there are multiple reasons for a comprehensive east-west pipeline in Canada, from an export perspective giving Asian consumers easier access to Alberta and Saskatchewan petroleum is economically attractive and a good hedge against possible rejection of Keystone XL. Northern Gateway however, is far from a done deal. The project has been an issue between the British Columbia and Alberta governments as well as aboriginal groups who have both financial and environmental concerns with the project. In June 2013 BC Premier Christy Clark outlined five conditions for approval of the project: • Successful completion of an environmental review process • A state-of-the-art oil spill response prevention and recovery system for BC’s coastline and ocean • A similar response and recovery system for land oil spills • Legal agreements with First Nations and Métis stakeholders • A negotiated share of fiscal and economic benefits for British Columbia While the environmental review and technical issues around oil spill prevention response are readily solvable, environmental review process and aboriginal claims will take years - if not decades - based on past experience.

Unlike Alberta, environmental policy is very much in play politically at the provincial level, a long approval process with plenty of time for the environmental lobby to line up support. It’s likely that Ottawa would play a part in resolving the issues, and with a federal election in 2015, the project could be stillborn or seriously delayed with a Liberal victory.

Regardless of outstanding environmental and safety issues, the amount of money at stake in moving Canadian oil and gas is colossal. Sooner or later, by pipeline or rail, that energy will get to market. Which market will depend more on political considerations than technical or economic issues. Canadian Metalworking will continue to monitor this vital industry; look for an Energy and Resources Report in our May issue. CM

34 | MARCH 2014 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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THE TOOLS FOR SUCCESS.

ALL THE TOOLS YOU NEED TO SUCCEED. Whether you punch, bend or stamp, the only tooling supplier you need is Wilson Tool. No matter the machine, we provide off-the-shelf or custom solutions, and offer unmatched capabilities for even the most unique fabrication demands. What’s more, our consulting and training services ensure you have the right tools and knowledge to get up and running quickly. Whatever you need, Wilson Tool will supply the tools you need to succeed.

Call 888.678.9966 for stamping or punch press tooling. Call 888.649.6111 for press brake tooling.

Or visit www.wilson-breadth.com.

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C A N A D A

Strength. Performance. Innovation.

2/7/14 11:51 AM 14-02-14 1:09 PM

Visit PFERD at Booth #2122

WE TRUST BLUE

PFERD CANADA INC. 5570 McAdam Road • Mississauga ON L4Z 1P1 Phone: (905) 501-1555 • Toll-Free: (866) 245-1555 Fax: (905) 501-1554 • email: sales@pferdcanada.ca

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PFERD INNOVATIONS Introducing New Products from PFERD CC-GRIND-SOLID Grinding Discs The new CC-GRIND-SOLID offers extremely aggressive stock removal and a large surface contact area. Grind effortlessly and comfortably. Leave a better surface finish. Twice as aggressive as grinding wheels. Easy control, non-gouging, low grinding angle.

50% less noise, dust and vibration

CC-GRIND-SOLID Range:  Black for STEEL  Blue for Stainless (INOX)  4-1/2“, 5“ and 7“ Diameters

POLIFAN®-STRONG-FREEZE Ceramic Flap Discs New POLIFAN®-STRONG-FREEZE drastically reduces heat levels generated by grinding. Now you can achieve high removal rates without thermal overload.  Unique, ultra-cool ceramic abrasive grain, patented disc design  Extremely fast removal rates on stainless steels  Cold grinding with minimal sparks  Extremely long service life

POLIFAN®-STRONG-FREEZE Range:  4-1/2“, 5“ and 7“ Diameters  7/8“ A.H. or 5/8-11 hub  36 and 50 grit Ceramin oxide CO abrasive

Tungsten Carbide Burs STEEL Cut New STEEL Cut Burs provide up to 50% higher stock removal rates for applications on steel and cast steel compared to conventional burs with double cut. Deliver smooth but very aggressive operating action, generating large chips and very high removal rates. Along with increased productivity, users experience better handling, reduced vibrations and less noise.

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FABTECH Canada 2014: It’s Ours A melange of machinery, solutions and services for the manufacturing sector

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

A

imed at anyone involved in fabricating, welding, metal forming and finishing, FABTECH Canada will be held at the Toronto Congress Centre on 650 Dixon Road in the north-west corner of the city.

Conveniently located near Pearson International Airport from March 18 to the 20, the event will draw, “C-level management, plant managers, job shop owners, con­ tract manufacturers, corporate management to design and production engineers,” said Janine Saperson, Event Manager with SME (formerly the Society of Manufacturing Engineers). “Anything from SME’s (small to medium sized enterprises) to large corporate OEM manufacturers.”

The show is growing and is expecting over 5,000 attendees this year, up from over 4,000 people in 2012. This is a testament to the resurgence of Canada’s manufacturing sector and the show’s unique place in this industry. Nearly 300 exhibitors will be displaying their machinery, innovations, solutions and services to visitors. Attendees will, “discover technical solutions, see new products, evaluate machinery and technologies side-by-side, interact with industry peers and hundreds of world-class suppliers, see live demonstrations and capital equipment, expand knowledge through premier conference program, meet innovators, and network with industry peers,” according to Saperson.

One of the key foci of FABTECH Canada in 2014 is the promotion of diversity in the workforce. This will be served with “a keynote speaker followed by a panel discussion focused on diversity in the workforce – Embracing Women in Manufacturing, on Tuesday March 18, with a VIP breakfast” said Saperson. The keynote speaker will be very interesting as it is Jessi Combs.

She is a true renaissance woman – a metalworker, TV host (All Girls Garage, Overhaulin’, Myth Busters, Xtreme 4x4, among others), industrial designer, artist, and auto racer. Her line of welding wear for women is part of Lincoln Electric’s welding gear portfolio.

The keynote will be followed by a panel discussion

featuring panellists Natalie Panek, Mission Systems, and Operations Engineer for MDA Space Missions and Karen Kindner, founder of Karico Performance Solutions.

The session is sponsored by Women in Manufacturing, a nearly 400-member-strong US-based organization dedicated to the attraction, retention and advancement of women who are pursuing, or have chosen, a career in the manufacturing industry. A networking reception will be held on Tuesday from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. for both exhibitors and attendees.

On Wednesday March 19, recognizing the crucial role that job shops play in the manufacturing sector, FABTECH has organized a Job Shop Night. Here attendees can mingle with industry peers, see live machinery in action and find the latest manufacturing technologies in today’s market. The event will culminate with a reception for all and complimentary beer and pizza.

Throughout the show attendees can participate in the Education Program.

Divided into eight categories this program has something for everyone. In the Laser/Cutting section you can find out about new advancements in laser, water jet and plasma cutting, how to choose between fiber and CO2 lasers, and laser joining considerations, among others. There is a section on management where attendees can hear seminars on human resource issues, sales and marketing. There will be a section that will let attendees learn how to use robotics in metal forming and fabrication. The Forming / Fabricating section has seminars on press brakes, roll forming, punching, tube and pipe forming and coil processing. The finishing section has seminars on electrocoating and powdercoating. Attendees at the stamping section will learn about increasing productivity through chemistry and see a case study of fiber laser cutting of 3D stampings, deep draw and metal spinning parts. The welding section will feature seminars on the fundamentals of weld cracking, aluminium welding, pipeline welding, US codes and standards, as well as the future of welding education.

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Experience a World of Innovation at Fabtech Canada.

Bystronic’s best-in-class BySprint Fiber and Xpert Press Brake technologies provide the ultimate experience in leading edge machine innovations.

BySprint Fiber: • Proven Bystronic machine performance and laser expertise • Superior cutting head technology for unrivaled cut quality and speed • Fiber power levels available for a broad range of materials and thicknesses • Machine table sizes for sheets up to 6’ x 13’ • High-speed automation designed to support fiber’s unmatched productivity • New! Part ID laser code etching for part identification and traceability Xpert Press Brake: • Automatic bend sequence calculation • Automatic set-up plan and tool selection • Dynamic material thickness detection • Dynamic crowning and frame deflection compensation Xpert

• Optical bend guiding option for tool positioning and operator station guiding • New! Part ID laser code scanning for automatic and precise program loading • New! Voice Control option for increased productivity and operator ergonomics Experience the ultimate innovation difference at Fabtech Canada, Booth 1317.

Bystronic…Your single source solutions partner Laser | Bending | Waterjet bystronicusa.com

BySprint Fiber Scan for more information.

Download the Tag scanner app from http://gettag.mobi

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ARTFORM.

Look to Women to Help Tackle Manufacturing Workforce Shortage

D CREATIVE CHALLENGE. CREATIVE SOLUTION. From architecture as art, to everything in between and beyond, Mate Special Application tooling provides fabricators with the solutions needed to get the job done.

Mate Precision Tooling. Forming the future since 1962. Find out more by calling 1-800-328-4492 or visiting mate.com.

iversity-focused panel discussion to kick off three-day conference on key issues facing manufacturers today Recruiting qualified employees in the face of a declining workforce is a top problem facing today’s manufacturers, and solving it will require taking concrete steps to narrow the gender gap, say industry experts.

“Manufacturing today is more about brains than brawn,” said Allison Grealis, vice president, of membership and association services at the Precision Metalforming Association (PMA), and director of Women in Manufacturing (WiM), a 400-member-strong organization established in 2011 to support women in the manufacturing sector. Grealis will be moderating the FABTECH Canada opening day panel discussion, Diversity in the Workplace: Embracing Women in Manufacturing.

“If we’re going to fix the workforce shortage, we can’t just focus on half of the population, “said Grealis. “We have to look at women as a viable solution to fill the gap and commit our industry to doing a better job of attracting, retaining and advancing women in manufacturing.”

The opening day discussion on diversity, sponsored by WiM, PMA and Metalforming magazine, will kick off this year’s FABTECH show on Tuesday, March 18 at 8:30 a.m. with a keynote address by popular TV personality, metal fabricator and race car driver Jessi Combs. Combs will share her own inspirational story about her career in the manufacturing sector. The full opening session will examine the current state of women in manufacturing. In addition to proposing ways

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TAKE THE LEAD in bending productivity with ToolCell

STRIPPIT FULL PAGE AD

LVD leads the way in revolutionary bending automation technology with the introduction of ToolCell.

This unique press brake system will give you a leading edge in bending productivity with its integrated automated tool changing system that maximizes bending throughput.

Visit us at Fabtech Canada 2014 March 18-20 Booth 1117

Learn more about the fast, easy-to-use, extremely reliable ToolCell by visiting us online at www.lvdgroup.com/toolcell/us or calling 800-828-1527.

Take the Lead with LVD

LASER • PUNCH • BEND • INTEGRATE • www.lvdgroup.com

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to attract women to manufacturing careers, the panel — which includes Natalie Panek, a mission systems and operations engineer with MDA Space Missions, and Karin Lindner, the founder of Karico Performance Solutions — will also highlight the benefits of a diverse workplace.

“What we’re seeing is that women make up 50 per cent of the general workforce, but only 30 per cent of the manufacturing population,” said Grealis. “Our biggest challenge is selling the story of today’s high-tech manufacturing environment. Too many women — of all ages and backgrounds — don’t see manufacturing as a professional path because they aren’t aware of the many opportunities in today’s modern manufacturing facilities.”

In Canada, women accounted for approximately 475,000 of 1,734,000 manufacturing jobs in 2013.

Immediately following the panel discussion, FABTECH will offer a comprehensive educational program featuring targeted technical, operational, economic and managerial sessions designed to exchange best practices

and explore latest advancements. Sessions are grouped into the following categories: Laser/ cutting, management, forming and fabricating, finishing, welding, stamping and robotics. Highlights include a look at the skills gap and what manufactures are doing about it, the latest applications for lasers in industry, more on manufacturing workforce solutions, and an in-depth look at welding and finishing fundamentals.

FABTECH Canada is hosted

by SME, The Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, Int’l (FMA), The American Welding Society (AWS), PMA, and Chemical Coaters Association International (CCAI). Significantly expanded in size and scope, FABTECH Canada 2014 features a larger conference and welding area, and brand new finishing and stamping pavilions, in addition to a wide range of exhibiting companies.

For more information or to register for FABTECH Canada 2014, please visit www.fabtechcanada.com or call 1-888322-7333 ext. 4447. CM

Your Production Matters To Us PLASMA MACHINE PRESS BRAKES

SHEARS

WE OFFER INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS TO INCREASE YOUR PRODUCTIVITY

ONTARIO - EASTERN CANADA 3980 Chadburn Crescent Mississauga, ON L5L 3X4 Tel: 905-820-3232 Fax: 905-820-3234 WESTERN CANADA Westside Service Ltd 4406-58 St. South Lethbridge, AB T1K7E2 Tel: 403-380-5047 Fax: 403-380-5048

FIBER LASER

PLATE ROLLS PROFILE ROLLS

PUNCH PRESS

Q U A L I T Y | S E R V I C E | VA L U E | W W W . F E R R I C M A C H I N E R Y. C O M

SEE US AT FABTECH BOOTH 705 42 | MARCH 2014 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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See it at FABTECH Canada: ADVANCED WATERJET CUTTING CAM SOFTWARE At FABTECH Canada the OMAX Corporation will spotlight its new advanced computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software tool that further simplifies the cutting of complex, precision parts on its JetMachining Centers. Free to OMAX owners, the new Intelli-CAM software, which interfaces directly with the company’s intuitive Intelli-MAX Software Suite, easily generates 3D tool paths from solid 3D models as well as quickly performs 3D to 2D file conversions. This special functionality eliminates the need to manually add 3D attributes to a 2D file, thus allowing users to significantly reduce their production times.

Intelli-CAM generates machine-ready cutting geometry through a few simple computer mouse clicks. Offered as a free update for existing JetMachining Center owners, Intelli-CAM operates as a standalone application or in tandem with several of the popular third-party 3D CAD systems. It supports a wide range of neutral and native 3D file formats – CATIA, SolidWorks, Solid Edge, Autodesk Inventor, Siemens NX, Pro/E, Creo, Step, IGES,

VDA-FS, ACIS, Parasolid, 3D DXF and DWG – so that OMAX customers avoid having to purchase expensive CAD software filter packages. Intelli-CAM also supports direct interface with CAD software such as SolidWorks, SpaceClaim, Inventor, and Rhinoceros, which allows users to launch Intelli-CAM directly from those applications.

OMAX Corporation www.omax.com Booth #1823

.

G N W I T O T U N C K & G E N WELDI W ER S A L

MIG

IG bles T L suma om E U F d Con htip.c Y X s an torc O A orche erican M S ns, T w.am A .

L .S.A P Gu ww U e in d Ma

www.canadianmetalworking.com | MARCH 2014 | 43

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NEW TOOLING SOLUTIONS AT FABTECH CANADA Mate Precision Tooling will bring a bigger presence to FABTECH Canada 2014 with several tooling products. Mate’s VariBend is a flexible, multi-purpose tool that bends sheet metal tabs at any angle up to 90°. It eliminates time-consuming secondary operations usually performed on a press brake. Mate’s VariBend is well-suited for punch presses with upforming capabilities and especially machines with stroke control. For thick turret machines without stroke control, Mate’s Ultraform holder can be used for length adjustment. VariBend is available in many tooling styles and station sizes. Mate’s Premia automated tool sharpening system features an innovative touch screen interface that simplifies all tool setup and maintenance operations. Premia’s operation is effortless, starting with the universal fixture that accommodates all popular tooling styles including thick turret, Trumpf style, Murata Wiedemann, Multi Tool, thin turret, XMT and Salvagnini. Mate’s UltraTEC A and B punches are now available in optional M4PM steel for high performance punching applications. For the most demanding punching projects, M4PM offers superior resistance to adhesive and abrasive-wear to maximize interval between regrinds. M4PM steel helps ensure increased machine uptime, improved sheet metal products, and lower tooling and production costs. New for TRUMPF press users is Mate’s support for forming applications and special

shape tooling. Mate now provides complete setup and Trutops programming information for special shapes and forming applications for all of its TRUMPF customers This value-added product enhancement is automatic and provided at no added cost. Customers signed up for TRUMPF files eNotification also have the files emailed to them while Mate is still producing the tool. When the tools arrive, customers are up and operating as quickly as possible.

Mate Precision Tooling www.mate.com Booth #1217

ABB ROBOTICS’ NEW IRB 6700 FAMILY

Affordable Precision Plasma Cutting Messer Cutting Systems, U.S.A. Menomonee Falls, WI www.messer-cs.com

ABB Robotics has introduced the IRB 6700 robot family, its seventh generation of industry-leading, large industrial robots.

The new IRB 6700 is available in payloads from 150 to 300 kg, and reaches from 2.6 to 3.2 metres, and is designed for spot welding, material handling and machine tending. In addition to enhanced speed, payload and accuracy, the power consumption has been lowered by 15 per cent, total cost of ownership has been reduced by up to 20 per cent, and maintenance has been optimized, doubling the time between service intervals.

The new model is available with LeanID, a new Integrated Dressing (ID) designed for easier programming and a smaller footprint. It has also been built to withstand the harshest working environments and is available with ABB’s ultimate Foundry Plus 2 protection system.

Booth #2523 www.abb.com/robotics

44 | MARCH 2014 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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fiberlightsaber > Performance

OPTIPLEX Fiber

New Fiber technology and higher wattages deliver similar cut ranges to CO2 laser-cutting machines, but with substantive advantages when processing thinner materials. Mazak’s new Fiber technology extends the performance advantages delivered by our industry leading OPTIPLEX CO2.

To determine whether Fiber or CO2 laser technology gives you the best ROI for your application, call 847.252.4500, contact your Mazak Optonics representative or visit www.mazakoptonics.com for more information.

Mazak Optonics Representatives in Canada Cascade Machine Sales - British Columbia: 866.609.2672 Dietech - Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta: 204.981.7979 Westway Machinery - Quebec, Maritimes and Ontario: 905.803.9999

FABTECH Canada Booth

1305

Over 50 different laser-cutting models

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AMADA’S NEW HG SERIES OF PRESS BRAKES With models varying in capacity from 50-170 tonnes, Amada’s new HG press brake series can handle a full range of material thicknesses in bend lengths from 55 to 168 inches. Equipped with a newly-developed AMNC 3i (intelligent, interactive, integrated) control, the HG series provides high-speed and highaccuracy with unprecedented ease of use. A 19-inch multi-touch LCD panel ensures simplified operation.

The user-friendly screen is designed for intuitive operation (similar to a smartphone) allowing for fast and efficient entry even if an operator lacks experience. Enhanced database network features provide better communication between the CAM program and the AMNC 3i — resulting in less manual interaction and faster processing.

This series features a hybrid drive system that is engineered for low energy consumption and requires less hydraulic fluid than conventional machines. In addition to being eco-friendly, Amada’s hybrid drive system delivers consistent repeatability.

The innovative drive system also ensures smooth operation and reduces noise levels.

Booth #1705 www.amada.ca

FARO PROVIDES A COMPETITIVE EDGE WITH LASER LINE SCANNING The FARO Edge ScanArm is the world’s smallest, lightest, and most affordable solution that combines the convenience of a FaroArm with the power of a hand held scanner to form the perfect contact/non-contact portable measurement system.

Non-contact measurement devices are becoming more and more popular. Handheld laser scanners provide a quick and effective way to inspect and reverse engineer complex parts and surfaces. They turn everyday objects into digital computer models. Deformable or complex shapes can be easily inspected – all without ever coming in contact with the part.

Unlike other scanning systems, the ScanArm’s hard probe and Laser Line Probe can digitize interchangeably without having to remove either component. Users can accurately measure prismatic features with the hard probe, then laser scan sections requiring larger volumes of data — all in one simple tool. The excellent data quality of the ScanArm even allows for the scanning of dark or reflective materials.

The FARO ScanArm is the ideal tool for product development, inspection, and quality control and offers capabilities such as point cloud comparison with CAD, rapid prototyping, reverse engineering, and 3D modeling.

Booth #1043 www.faro.com

46 | MARCH 2014 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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LASER PROCESSING of METALS Automotive, Aerospace, Industrial, Medical

Visit us at FABTECH Canada Mar. 18–20, 2014 Booth #2005

ROFIN offers a full range of innovative laser system solutions for your specific marking, welding or cutting application based on our comprehensive range of products and technologies. From laser sources to customised systems to lasers for integration. Standard or custom, high-precision production systems or desktop units; when it comes to High-Quality Laser Systems,

Think ROFIN Call us at +905.607.0400 for a demonstration, or send us your sample parts ROFIN-BAASEL, Canada LTD., 3600(A) Laird Rd., Mississauga, ON L5L-6A6. info-canada@rofin-baasel.com

WE THINK LASER

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www.rofin.com

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RADICAL NEW WELDING PLATFORM With its radically new modular GMA welding platform TPS/i, Fronius is leading the industry into a new era. The customizable and upgradeable welding systems stand out for their intelligence and ease of use, including touchscreen control and software updates via USB and Ethernet. Users can select the hardware and software needed for their application and upgrade it as their requirements change.

Fronius has made significant improvements to the art of welding and two new weld processes have been added, made possible by the integrated intelligence and high-speed control circuits of the TPS/i: short-circuit arc process LSC (Low Spatter Control) and PMC (Pulse Multi Control). Together, all of these features ensure the TPS/i is future-proof and allows users to weld with noticeably less spatter, a more stable arc, better penetration and higher efficiency.

Booth #175 www.fronius.com

HYPERTHERM POWERMAX SYSTEM AT FABTECH CANADA Hypertherm, a U.S. based manufacturer of advanced plasma, laser, and waterjet cutting systems, is highlighting its Built for Business Integrated Cutting Solutions platform at the 2014 FABTECH Canada show. Booth visitors are able to meet with Hypertherm cutting experts, see live cutting demonstrations, view cut samples, and discuss the pros and cons of plasma, laser, and waterjet so they can choose the cutting method that’s right for their particular application.

Also at this year’s show, Hypertherm plans to introduce a new lower amperage Powermax plasma cutting system that promises to deliver high performance in a small portable package. The new system is 50 per cent more powerful than its predecessor, while maintaining a light weight and small size. It features a two-in-one design for high power cutting on thick metal and detailed cutting on thin metal using FineCut consumables.

The recommended cut capacity is 3/8” (10mm) with a severance capacity of 5/8” (16mm).

Booth #1923 www.hypertherm.com

50 TON TURRET IRONWORKER

W to las ab pr als gr cu do th ou pu pr ou lo im

Scotchman Industries is pleased to feature the 5014 TM Ironworker to their metal fabricating solutions. The 5014 TM offers a threestation revolving turret unlike any other Scotchman machine. This turret accepts up to three pieces of tooling that can be changed in seconds allowing users to reduce set-up time and increase productivity. This machine has 50 tonnes of pressure and the ability to punch a 13/16” hole in a 3/4” plate.

The 5014 TM is made in America, with many standard features and equipment including: an angle shear that will shear up to 4” x 4” x 3/8” angle iron and a flat bar shear that can shear 3/4” x 4” to 1/4” x 14”.

This machine also features a rectangle notcher that will notch up to 2-1/2” x 3” in 5/16” material. With its component tool table design, it has the ability to accept optional equipment, such as the 12” press brake, rod shear, square tube shear, picket tools, pipe notcher, and special tooling, which is also available.

Booth #1937 www.scotchman.com

D B A Pi

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“T AV ap de pr m ha pu m Th Pl qu co in

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“The Platino laser has changed AVT Beckett’s engineering approach. The way we design…the way we build product now has given us much more capability than what we had prior with just the turret punch press. It has given us much more design flexibility.

The speed of the cut on the Platino is unbelievable. And the quality finish is better than we could have hoped. The Platino increased production 30-40%.

Prima Power is a leading supplier of 2D and 3D laser sheet metal processing systems. We provide the option of either CO2 or Fiber Laser power sources.

A single-source provider, Prima Power manufactures the CO2 laser source, machine tool, control, PLATINO Fiber Laser software, and material handling. For more than 40 years, the Prima laser manufacturing division has been producing high-quality industrial CO2 laser resonators, providing DC excited, fast axial flow 3000, 4000, and 5000-watt resonators.

We were at our capacity prior to purchasing the Prima Power laser. We would not have been able to meet our current production without it. There is also the “Wow” factor – it looks great! When we bring customers through the door...their chins drop. We use the Platino as a sales tool for our company. The Platino has put us to the next level with prospective customers who visit our facility. It gives us the look…the knowledge…it is an impressive machine.”

Darren Sullivan & Barb Buchanan AVT Beckett Elevator Ltd. Pickering, ON Canada

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Compact design saves floor space, facilitating efficient material flow, and requires no special foundation.

Efficient resonator design reduces power consumption by as much as 33%... and uses fewer optics, further reducing operating expense and maintenance costs.

Cantilever design provides tremendous flexibility in terms of operator access and material handling options.

SYNCHRONO Fiber Laser

PLATINO CO2 Laser

Prima Power Canada Ltd. Tel. 800 344 7143 • www.primapower.com

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SYNCRONO FIBER LASER With its unique and revolutionary architecture and its 6g acceleration, SYNCRONO is the only machine on the market which can match the dynamics necessary to fiber laser technology on thin sheets. The energy efficiency of the SYNCRONO (small masses execute faster movements) is further enhanced with fiber laser. This technology allows a dramatic reduction of the electric consumption, through the use of lower power and the high efficiency of the source without turbine, optical chain, or filters.

Fiber laser allows a widening of the range of materials that can be cut with SYNCRONO, including high reflecting brass and copper.

Booth #805 www.primapower.com

NEW BRIGHTLINE FIBER AT FABTECH CANADA The TruLaser 5030 fiber, a 2D laser cutting machine with a 5 kilowatt solid-state laser, will be on display at FABTECH Canada with the new BrightLine fiber function. This technology, exclusive to TRUMPF, enables the TruLaser 5030 fiber to cut stainless steel up to 1-inch thick with exceptional quality. BrightLine fiber also allows the laser to produce small holes and execute tight contours in thick sheet metal while boosting cut quality and productivity in mild steel in the ½ inch to 1-inch thickness range. Able to cut all standard material types and thicknesses at excellent quality including highly reflective materials, it is truly an all-purpose machine. It also means the solid-state laser has now reached an application range that had previously been reserved for the CO2 laser.

Booth #1405 www.trumpf.com

CUTTING, GAS CONTROL AND WELDING SOLUTIONS AT FABTECH CANADA Victor Technologies will exhibit its full range of innovative cutting, gas control and welding technologies in booth #2025 at FABTECH Canada.

Victor Technologies’ branded solutions at the show include: Victor Thermal Dynamics Ultra-Cut XT power source for automated plasma cutting, which delivers higher productivity and lower cutting costs. StepUp technology provides the flexibility to upgrade with modular “inverter blocks” that can expand a 100A system into a 200A, 300A or 400A system. Victor Thermal Dynamics CUTMASTER series of hand-held plasma cutters will also be on display. Like the automated systems, these units now feature a new green trade dress and updated branding.

For manual oxy-fuel cutting, the new Victor ST400 straight torch features a patented contoured candle, excellent visibility and ease of use. End-user driven design features include a patented contoured handle, three-tube cutting design, color-coded & labeled valves for clarity and safety.

In addition, Victor Technologies has announced it is positioning Tweco as its single brand for specialty welding products and arc accessories. Starting with the Tweco Fabricator 3-in-1 welding machines, and continuing throughout the entire Thermal Arc product line, all welding products will transition to the Tweco brand.

Booth #2025 www.victortechnologies.com

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FIBERMAK GEN2 FIBER LASER Ferric-Ermark is presenting their second generation fiber laser cutting machines during the Fabtech. Well engineered, the fiber laser is equipped with the latest technologies on fiber laser and maintenance free linear motors for axes movement. Different cutting powers and table sizes are available.

The Fibermak lasers are backed up by local service in Mississauga. www.ferricmachinery.com Booth #705

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Richardson Electronics will be showcasing replacement bellows and consumable products at the FABTECH Canada show – Booth 147.

Designed and manufactured in Europe, laser bellows are made with heat resistant, flame retardant materials and are able to withstand high operating temperatures while providing years of service. Richardson tight fitting laser bellows keep unwanted particles out of the laser beam and protect machine rails, racks and bearings to keep your laser machine running smoothly.

Claudio Schutz, VP and General Manager of the Industrial Services Group for Richardson Electronics, Ltd., noted, “After careful selection of an experienced European manufacturer and strict adherence to our quality assurance processes, I am excited to bring this tested product to market to help our laser customers reduce their cost of operation. Bellows and other parts for additional machine models will be available throughout the year.” In addition to an expanded product offering, Richardson Electronics continues to supply the tubes that are used in TRUMPF and other laser systems.

To complement its products, Richardson Electronics provides installation support and service in select countries. www.rellaser.com Booth #147

Stop by Booth #2230 & Enter to Win a Kindle Fire HDX 52 | MARCH 2014 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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FIBER TECHNOLOGY AT FABTECH CANADA Mazak Optonics Corp. will feature the OPTIPLEX 3015 4kW Fiber laser-cutting system in booth #1305 at FABTECH Canada this March. The OPTIPLEX 3015 4kW Fiber laser is designed to process reflective materials with greater thicknesses and at greater speeds than its CO2 counterpart and can cut up to 0.875-inch in stainless steel and 0.750-inch in aluminum with impressive accuracy. The fiber design can also significantly reduce operating costs for applicable material types and thicknesses.

Compared to conventional laser processing machines, the OPTIPLEX 3015 Fiber machine increases the productivity of thin worksheet cutting with traverse rates of up to 4,724 ipm. The rugged construction of the system provides heightened accuracy, reliability, and greater part throughput. The OPTIPLEX 3015 Fiber can also be integrated into a wide range of automation systems with the potential to further increase productivity.

The OPTIPLEX 3015 Fiber uses Mazak’s new PreView 3 CNC Control which features a user-friendly 15-inch touch-screen and automatically determines the required processing conditions for the material prior to cutting. In addition to its user-friendliness, the OPTIPLEX 3015 Fiber is environmentally friendly. Mazak manufactures their machines in an underground, eco-friendly factory with ISO-4001 certification. Further adding to its eco-

friendliness, the OPTIPLEX 3015 Fiber offers an 80 per cent reduction in oscillator and chiller electrical power consumption as well as a 100 per cent reduction in laser and optical path gases when compared to conventional laser processing.

Mazak Optonics www.mazakoptonics.com Booth #1305

/ Perfect Welding / Solar Energy / Perfect Charging

TUNGSTEN CARBIDE STEEL BURRS New STEEL Cut Burrs provide up to 50 per cent higher stock removal rates for applications on steel and cast steel compared to conventional burrs with double cut.

Deliver smooth but very aggressive operating action, generating large chips and very high removal rates. Along with increased productivity, users experience better handling, reduced vibrations and less noise. www.pferdcanada.ca Booth #2122

/ The most advanced system in MIG welding is here. The Fronius TPS/i pushes the boundaries of what’s possible; we have created an intelligent system that’s upgradeable and constantly evolving. The intelligent revolution in welding technology is beginning now at www.fronius.ca.

NADA FABTECH CA VISIT US AT TO N RO - 20, TO MARCH 18

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MAGNETIC CORE DRILL AND ANGLE GRINDER With an automatic digitally-controlled drill feed, the brand new FEIN KBM 50 Auto magnetic core drill is incredibly efficient yet totally mobile. The auto-feed provides repetitive drilling times and constant work progress, saving time and money with its unrivalled efficiency. Its double drill motor guide gives this tool the largest stroke range on the market for even more precision. The KBM 50 Auto features a high performance two-speed motor, a QuickIN rapid change system, MT3 holder, an intuitive operating panel in the user’s direct line of sight, an integrated gravity-driven cooling lubrication system, and much more. At 35.6 lbs (16.2 kg), the FEIN KBM 50 Auto is the lightest magnetic core drill with automatic feed on the market, its compact design and low weight allows for convenient use on the construction site or in the workshop.

The new FEIN compact angle grinders available in SOLID, POWER and INOX product ranges feature high performance long-life motors designed for constant speeds, especially under load. They remove up to 30 per cent more material resulting in faster work, saving time and money. FEIN’s new grinders provide the longest carbon brush service life on the market due to innovative carbon brushes, optimum ventilation and especially low temperatures. Extremely robust and durable yet lightweight and ergonomic, built with the outstanding FEIN quality that professionals depend on.

FEIN Ltd. Booth #2529

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MEGAFAB GROUP OF FABRICATING PRODUCTS MegaFab is a U.S. manufacturer of machine tool and metal processing equipment. The company is comprised of the Piranha, W.A. Whitney and Bertsch brands of machine tools – the product offering including comprehensive laser, combination punch/plasma fabrication centres, plasma cutting machines, ironworkers, plate rolls, section rolls, structural punching equipment and tooling.

Whitney: • Laser: offering proven-quality and value-driven models, and large-format / plate-capable models. • Combination machines: maximizing throughput with single setup for multiple processes (plasma; bevel; punch; mill; drill; tap; form; mark; automate), with one Whitney. • Plasma: offering, with laser-like quality, power Up to 400A, table sizes up to 10’x40’, and optional bevel and high-speed drill.

Bertsch: • Plate and angle rolls: American made since 1879, with stocked models 14-ga through 1-inch (with standard sizes up to 6-inch).

Piranha: • Ironworker: Piranha Tough — new models, more tonnage, more capacity, same great value. www.megafab.com Booth #1531

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EDGEMAX-L SERIES The EdgeMax-L by Messer Cutting Systems is designed as a compact machine with a rugged unitized steel water table / frame, full capture bearing assemblies and a low-mass aluminum beam.

Driven by dual brushless AC motors, the EdgeMax provides fast acceleration, precise motion and a very stable cutting platform.

From precision plasma, conventional plasma or low power plasma systems, the new water table EdgeMax-L can be configured to provide custom solutions for your plate cutting needs.

Powered by the Messer Global Control S with touch screen interface and the familiar Windows screen layout, novice operators quickly master the machine. Coupled with Messer’s Virtual Service, real-time direct applications help is available to new operators and programmers providing quick, accurate and complete answers to process and operational questions.

The EdgeMax can be configured as a dry cutting table with dust collection system as well.

Optional accessories may be added to customize your EdgeMax. Messer Cutting Systems Booth #1005 sales@messercutting.com

IMI’S SHEET SEEKER INDEXING SHEET FANNER IMI’s Sheet Seeker is a breakthrough in magnetic sheet fanner technology. The magnetic circuit is lifted and locked into place for introduction to a stack of sheet steel. Once the materials are in place, the sliding magnet is unlocked and automatically centres on the top of the stack, fanning the sheet stock. As each sheet is lifted from the stack, the magnet indexes down automatically, fanning to the bottom of the stack.

The optional magnetic base provides fast set up for blanking and stamping line change over. Simply turn the locking magnet handle to the “off” position allowing for easy removal or repositioning of the fanner. The magnetic base holds the fanner securely to steel pallets for operation.

Booth #2011 www.magnetics.com

PLASMA CONVERSION KIT American Torch Tip’s PHD 260 Plasma Conversion Kit allows you to attain your goals of cost reduction while maintaining productivity. No adaptation needed, simply install the PHD torch into your system and cut. The installation of the PHD cutting torch is easy and everything needed is included in the conversion kit. American Torch Tip has been manufacturing welding and cutting torches, guns and consumables for 75 years.

Proudly made in the USA. American Torch Tip Booth #2241 www.AmericanTorchTip.com

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FORM A STRONG BOND.

Visit Us at Fabtech Canada Booth #2025

Tweco FabricaTor SerieS ®

®

Introducing the game-changing 3-in-1 MIG, Stick and TIG portable welders.

From the versatility of the 141i and 181i, to the power of the 211i, this family of machines sets a new standard for optimized performance.

All Fabricator 3-in-1 multi-process systems come with reliable Tweco Fusion® MIG guns and Velocity™ consumables.

Tweco and Fabricator are registered trademarks of Victor Technologies™. © 2014 Victor Technologies International, Inc.

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800-426-1888 Tweco.com

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THREE PRODUCTS AT FABTECH CANADA 2014 The Rofin UW180C Cladding System is offered as a turn-key laser cladding solution complete with powder feeder, cladding nozzle, and laser.  It can be combined with a broad range of laser technologies (Fiber, Diode, CO2) to ensure the correct laser meets the application demands. The CombiLine Basic Laser Marking System with PowerLine F 20 laser offers efficient, high-quality and affordable laser marking. It boasts a wide, motorized door; motorized z-axis for varying workpiece heights; and an integrated computer with sophisticated laser marking software.

StarWeld Performance redefines the state-of-the-art of microwelding with many application-driven innovations and technical refinements. Smarter: weld-assist systems for new level of controls; Simpler: menu-driven access to all laser functions; and Stronger: up to 100W output power.

Rofin North America Booth #2005 www.rofin-inc.com

Talk to the Experts in Welding

The best press alternative on the market for unitized tools and small die sets.

MULTICYL INC

640 Hardwick Road, Unit 1, Bolton, ON, Canada L7E 5R1 Tel.: 905-951-0670 - U.S. Toll Free 1-800-388-6359 - Fax : 905- 951-0672 www.multicyl.com - punch@multicyl.com

CANADA | tel: 1-905-689-0734 USA | tel: 1-704-230-2510 EUROPE | tel: +31-6-2036-1018

liburdi.com

Visit us at FABTECH CANADA Booth #2326

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LATEST IN LASER CUTTING, BENDING AND PUNCHING

At FABTECH Canada, LVD Strippit will feature two brand new products: the highlyflexible Strippit-PX Series punch press is designed to punch, form, tap and even bend all on one machine and Dyna-Press, a new solution for cost-competitive bending of small piece parts- it’s small, portable, fast and affordable. Also being featured at FABTECH Canada this year are: the Electra FL-3015, LVD Strippit’s fast and flexible fiber laser and the PPEC, a mid-range bending solution offering a balanced mix of performance and value. LVD Strippit will also demonstrate the power of its CADMAN offline programming system for use with LVD Strippit forming, punching and laser cutting equipment.

Strippit, Inc www.lvdgroup.com Booth #1117

NEW PRESS BRAKE TOOLING

Bystronic Inc. wll show their new line of press brake tooling, with the Bystronic XPT and RF-A tooling series, at FABTECH Canada. The Bystronic XPT tooling is compatible with existing Wila® NSCL ll type hydraulic clamping and tooling systems, offering customers a revolutionary new tooling that maintains high quality features, with the added benefit of increased open height and 100% compatibility with the Bystronic bending database at the machine control. Features include self-seating and segmented front-loading tooling technology, precision ground and hardened surfaces for long tool life and the RF-A upper and lower hydraulic clamping systems. Bystronic will offer RF-A as an option on all new Bystronic press brakes sold in North America in 2014.

Bystronic Inc. www.bystronicusa.com Booth #1317

®

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FABRICATING & WELDING NEWS

Steel conference hits Toronto Over 100 technical sessions will take place at the NASCC’s annual conference later this month.

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

F

or anyone who uses steel in construction, NASCC: The Steel Conference is the place to be. Held this year in Toronto on March 26 to 28 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, the conference is a must for structural engineers, fabricators, detailers and erectors to learn about structural steel design and construction.

Sponsored by the AISC (American Institute of Steel Construction) the NASCC (North American Steel Construction Conference) this annual event gives participants an opportunity to learn the latest techniques, see the most innovative products and network with peers and clients.

Also as part of the Toronto show, participants will be able to partake in several parallel events like the World Steel Bridge Symposium (WSBS), the Technology in Steel Construction Conference (TSCC), and the Structural Stability Research Council’s (SSRC) Annual Stability Conference. These three events are to be held held in conjunction with NASCC: The Steel Conference and participants can attend all events and seminars.

Over 3,500 individuals involved in the design and construction of fabricated steel buildings and bridges attend the conference each year. Judging from past shows about 1/3 of the attendees are fabricators, 1/3 are engineers, and the remaining 1/3 is a combination of detailers, erectors, educators and others involved in the design and construction of fabricated steel.

With more than 100 technical sessions it is the premier educational event for anyone involved with steel construction.

In these sessions attendees will learn about the direct analysis method and about the Code of Standard Practice.

Participants can explore the practical aspects of designing for torsion and what really matters in weld inspection. While some sessions are aimed at engineers, others will be of greater interest to fabricators and welders. Attendees are welcome to attend any session. Some seminars will be Effects of Welding Variables on Mechanical Properties, Weld Inspection: What Matters and What Doesn’t, Construction Law in the USA and Canada, Analysis and Design of Repurposed Steel Shipping Containers in Low-Rise Building Construction, and Detailing: What Fabricators Want (Hint: It’s Not Just Low Price), among many others.

Two keynote speakers will be featured at The Steel Conference: Neil Pasricha, author of The Book of Awesome, a #1 international bestseller, and Larry Muir, Steel Connection, LLC, recipient of AISC’s 2013 T.R. Higgins Lectureship Award.

Unlike many other conferences that issue a general call

for papers, NASCC carefully selects topics of interest and then invites the top experts and presenters. Some of the presenters will be very well known to attendees (such as John Hooper from Magnusson Klemencic Associates, Cliff Schwinger from The Harman Group and Ron Hamburger from Simpson Gumpertz & Heger) while others may not be as well known but will bring their knowledge and expertise to this conference (such as John Moebes from Crate & Barrel and Pat Fourtney from Cives Engineering Corp.).

Networking is a large part of The Steel Conference in addition to the seminars. Attendees will have many networking opportunities, including the annual Fabricator Roundtable and a series of “Quick View” sessions where four or five speakers give very short presentations and the rest of the session is devoted to discussions between small groups and the speakers. The conference offers an extensive trade show featuring over 200 exhibitors with products ranging from structural software, fabrication equipment, bridge products, detailing software, connection products, safety equipment, engineering software, and coatings to machinery for cutting steel beams. Equipment manufacturers will typically provide full demonstrations of their equipment; steel beams are cut, punched and drilled right on the exhibit hall floor.

For more information visit: www.aisc.org

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FABRICATING & WELDING NEWS

Lincoln goes Outlaw Lincoln Electric partners with World of Outlaws

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

W

ith more than 800 dirt tracks in the United States, and over one million devoted followers of the exciting sport that is dirt track racing, the World of Outlaws has partnered with Lincoln Electric. The welding company will be now known as the official welder of the World of Outlaws.

“Lincoln Electric is very excited to partner with the premier dirt racing sanction in the World of Outlaws,” said Mickey Holmes, manager, Sports Marketing at Lincoln Electric. “The fans are extremely passionate and loyal to their drivers and sponsors. We are thrilled to get the ‘Lincoln Welders’ brand in front of these passionate fans.”

The branding will be focused on the two series, World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Late Model Series. The World of Outlaws sanctions nearly 150 events annually at dirt tracks across the United States and Canada. “Lincoln Electric is the industry leader and the brand you think of when it comes to all things welding,” said

The driver of this dirt car, Steve Kinser is the 20-time World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series champion and has won 576 races during his 36 year career.

World of Outlaws CMO Ben Geisler. “Our racers and fans will be happy with the program Lincoln Electric and the World of Outlaws have put in place for 2014.”

The program is not simply a branding exercise, but will involve Lincoln Electric’s line of welding equipment, consumables and years of experience. “We look forward to not only providing the teams with the best equipment and consumables, but also with the proper welding techniques and procedures to produce a quality weld,” said Holmes.

For more information visit: www.lincolnelectric.com and/or www.WorldofOutlaws.com.

ABB Robotics. From small parts to the largest. Automated metal fab made easy.

From entry level systems for smaller parts to the most intricate, highly engineered systems for heavy, large frame welding, ABB has the ideal robotic system for the full range of welding, cutting and metal fabrication applications. With industry leading software innovations that reduce programming complexity, ABB robots and modular systems can easily handle small batch runs of highly diverse parts. The ABB family of robots includes a selection of integrated dressing models that deliver 15% shorter cycle times, lower operational costs and greater flexibility. www.abb.com/robotics

ABB Inc., Robotics 201 Westcreek Blvd.

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

Join us at Fabtech Canada March 18—20, 2014 Toronto Congress Centre Booth #2523

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FABRICATING & WELDING NEWS

New Hobart stick electrodes help with weld quality The stick electrode is designed for pipe welding applications, construction and shipbuilding, and general-purpose fabrication

H

obart Brothers Company has added to its family of American Welding Society (AWS) E6010 stick electrodes.

The new 610 stick electrode features a concentric design, ensuring an even coating along its entire length and consistent arc performance. Welding operators gain greater control and weld quality as a result, along with reliable weld penetration and arc stability.

The stick electrode is designed for use in pipe welding applications, construction and shipbuilding, maintenance welding and general-purpose fabrication, and can be used in all welding positions.

The Hobart 610 stick electrode also features quick arc starting, resulting in increased welding efficiency, while the superior arc drive ensures exceptional joint penetration.

Excellent vertical-down capabilities offer faster travel speeds.

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Additionally, the stick electrode provides an easy weld lay-in and smooth bead appearance with a light slag that results in quick and easy clean up.

The Hobart 610 stick electrode exceeds AWS minimum specifications by offering tensile strengths in the range of 78,000 psi and yield strengths of approximately 65,000 psi.

It also offers Charpy v-notch impact values in the range of 45 ft-lb. at temperatures of -20 degrees Fahrenheit (-30 degrees Celsius) to minimize cracking in low temperatures.

The electrodes are currently available in 1/8- or 5/32-inch diameters packaged in a 50-pound can. www.HobartBrothers.com

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FABRICATING & WELDING NEWS

Salvagnini announces new Canadian subsidiary New facility will include a full service office, spare parts warehouse, and a showroom HAMILTON, Ont. — Salvagnini America has announced they will be expanding their physical presence in Canada by building a new facility in Hamilton, Ontario.

Currently, the company operates out of a temporary facility in Mississauga, Ontario.

The company, which makes equipment for sheet metal fabrication, expects the new headquarters to be ready by May 1, 2014. The new facility will also be staffed by a regional sales

manager, an office manager and three field service engineers.

It will include a full service office, a spare parts warehouse, and a showroom, and will carry the full line of spare parts for all Salvagnini machines sold in Canada. This will also improve the company’s ability to ship spare parts to Canadian customers.

The service technicians will be based in both Toronto and Montreal, giving them a broader reach for service calls. www.salvagnini.com

C T

ESAB North America announces partnership with RoboVent ESAB Welding & Cutting Products has announced a partnership with RoboVent Product Group, Inc. for the development of high-performance robotic welding solutions in North America.

RoboVent fume extraction equipment will be featured as part of ESAB’s robotic welding systems, including the new Swift Arc Series of pre-engineered robotic welding cells offered as complete ready-to-weld units.

RoboVent is a provider of ventilation systems for manufacturing applications, including welding, cutting and metalworking; dust and lubricant mist collection; and general ventilation. Its air filtration products are designed to improve production quality and employee safety, and are proven reliable and cost efficient in installations throughout North America.

ESAB will apply RoboVent’s expertise in collecting, filtering and recycling contaminated air to engineer a safer, more efficient welding automation system that ensures protection for both the machine operator and the welding equipment, and reduces production disturbances to improve machine capacity and productivity.

“RoboVent has built a solid reputation as a manufacturer of high quality fume exhaust equipment offering comprehensive product support. These factors were pivotal in our decision to partner with RoboVent to further enhance ESAB’s welding automation systems,” stated George Learmonth, ESAB’s Vice President of Automation for North America.

“As we expand our efforts in the robotic welding market, RoboVent helps us offer customers better overall automation solutions.”

W

WWW.CANADIANMETALWORKING.COM

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Canada’s leading source for Metalworking News and Information

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COME TOGETHER. Dan FLannery Sr. Engineer II BorgWarner yearS attenDIng ImtS 2 goaL For ImtS 2014 Each year I have attended, IMTS has always succeeded in gathering the best manufacturing technologies from around the world. I am certain that trend will continue this year. In engineering, there are always barriers to overcome. I look to IMTS to find new ways to solve those problems – or better yet, prevent them.

LEAVE SMARTER. Where else can you meet the minds that are moving manufacturing forward?

Nowhere but IMTS 2014. With a focus on success through cooperation, the week will be filled with technology, education, and ideas that we can all benefit from.

Join us at McCormick Place Chicago, September 8–13, 2014. Learn more at IMTS.com.

regISter now • ImtS.Com

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Come together.

Leave your mark.

14-02-27 9:30 AM

Clamping to avoid distortion

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Taming weld distortion with proper clamping techniques

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

I

t’s a universal truth in fabrication: parts are manu­factured to strict tolerances and any discrepancies slow down production, eventually costing the manufacturer money.

When welding, metal is heated and this causes the metal to distort. There is no avoiding this. “When welding, distortion in metal is problematic for a variety of reasons, one of the most crucial is the fact that the weld might not be structurally sound,” said Bruce Clark, Director, Marketing and Export Sales for Lincoln Electric Canada.

“Welding distortion is caused by non-uniform heating and cooling in and near the weld, which produces residual stresses in the metal,” said Chris Conrardy, CTO & VP Technology and Innovation at EWI. “The form and magnitude of the distortion depends on a number of factors, such as the component geometry, material type, weld design, welding process heat input, welding sequence, tooling, etc.” Welding heats a very specific point of the metal surface, usually the edge, and this causes the material to expand unevenly. “The metal is restricted in the amount it can expand by the cooler metal further away from the weld. This causes the expanding metal to compress, which upon cooling makes the now compressed metal shrink pulling the weld into tension.

This leaves the weld area distorted,” said Kodi Welch, welding engineer at Miller Industrial Systems Group.

Different metals will move in different ways when heated.“Each metal has a different coefficient of expansion and contraction based on heat input,” said Tom Wermert, Senior Brand Manager for Victor Technologies.

“What you will find is that aluminium transfers heat very quickly through the material where mild steel would have

a medium transfer of heat and stainless steel the heat becomes very localized to the specific area depending on the amount of nickel and chrome in the product. Materials react and distort differently based on the amount of heat that is put in them.”

All material will distort in some way, even thick material. “The type and magnitude of distortion depends on many factors, including thickness,” said Conrardy.

“Very thin materials, such as sheet metal, suffer most from a form of distortion known as ‘buckling’, which is characterized by metastable ‘oil-canning’ and ‘waviness’.

Angular distortion is more common for greater thicknesses, and is often most pronounced in materials of thickness from 5 to 20 mm. Thicker materials tend to have less distortion due to their greater inherent ability to resist the residual stresses that cause distortion.”

SIMPLE AVOIDANCE The simplest way to avoid distortion in a weld is not to over-weld the product. “There is no single ‘silver bullet’ that solves all types of distortion,” said Conrardy.

“The optimum solution for a particular application may involve combining multiple distortion control methods.

In general, one of the simplest ways to minimize welding distortion is to minimize the total welding heat input.

This is done by optimizing weld joint designs and procedures to avoiding over welding. For example, using an 8-mm fillet weld where a 5-mm weld would be sufficient more than doubles the weld volume and can dramatically impact distortion.”

Spending less time over the weld joint can also minimize

WELDING AND CUTTING AUTOMATION

www.gullco.com From weld preperation to completion GULLCO INTERNATIONAL has an automation solution.

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GULLCO INTERNATIONAL LTD. 1175 Nicholson Road - Newmarket - Ontario - L3Y9C3 Tel: 905.953.4140 Fax: 905.953.4138 e-mail: sales@gullco.com

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distortion in the metal part. “Increase your speed and deposition of filler metal on the weld. Heat input and travel speed on a weld are inversely proportionate. If you were to double your travel speed, you would actually only put in a fourth of the amount of heat into the product,” said Wermert.

CLAMP IT DOWN Proper clamping of the workpiece is crucial to creating a proper distortion free weld. “Tooling can have a significant effect on distortion,” said Conrardy. “Properly restraining a component during welding and cooling can resist and reduce certain types of distortion such as angular distortion and bowing.” Proper clamping technique must be observed to eliminate the potential of distortion. Ensuring that the workpiece is evenly clamped is essential. “You have to make sure that all your clamping is balanced so that you don’t have one piece of material that is able to move versus another piece that is held more tightly,” said Wermert. “So clamping across from each other or a balanced clamping really helps and will eliminate some distortion.” Clamping a workpiece at the ends and not the middle can lead to distortion in the middle of the workpiece.

For some crucial applications, water-cooled jigs can be deployed. “When welding sheet-metal, a water-cooled jig will carry heat away from the welded components,” said Clark.

Improper clamping can have the opposite effect of increasing or exacerbating the distortion. “Improper work holding methods can have negative consequences, by shifting the distortion to other portions of the structure which are not restrained, or increasing the likelihood of cracking in highly restrained areas,” said Conrardy.

Justin Durik, a welding engineer at Miller Industrial Systems Group said “clamping a part then welding on that part will put added stress into the material due to the shrinkage from welding,” while Lex Palmer, a welding engineer at Miller Industrial Systems Group said, “depending on the material, it can restrict and strain the materials microstructure which can cause cracking.”

PREDICTING DISTORTION Knowing how the part will distort will help the welder avoid, or at least minimize distortion. “There are software packages that offer distortion predictions,” said Palmer. “It is often difficult to predict without previous testing and measuring. A welding procedure should be put into practice to ensure welding variables stay within pre-tested ranges.” Since heat is the cause of the distortion knowing how much heat is going into the workpiece is important to know. “A simple calculation for heat input is (V*A*60/travel speed[ipm]). Reducing heat input into the weld joint will help reduce distortion,” said Durkin. “For simple component geometries (e.g., a single

stiffener filet welded on a square plate), empirically derived equations can give estimates of expected distortion for different material types, thicknesses, and weld sizes,” said Conrardy. “For more complex ‘real-world’ applications, computer simulations are often required to predict distortion. Computer simulation technology is rapidly evolving and accuracy is improving, however some physical testing is often required to validate and fine-tune the predictions.”

Welding distortion is something all welders have to contend with and in a large manufacturing environment it can be a significant cost when parts are not made to required tolerances and there is considerable amount of reject parts. “Heat input must be controlled. Use welding processes and joint designs that allow for faster travel speeds and smaller weld sizes. Use the smallest bead size allowable that will still give the required strength. When able, use pulse equipment to help lower the average amperage at given travel speed as compared to conventional CV spray. Preheat if allowable. Use rigid fixturing.” said Welch.

“In some instances you cannot avoid distortion, so what you can do is prebend the parts so when you weld, the distortion will distort in the position where you want it to be,” said Wermert. Another technique is to preset the parts in such a way that the metals will distort in such a way as to pull the completed part into the correct tolerances. “Prebending, presetting or prespringing the parts to be welded, is a simple example of the use of opposing mechanical forces to counteract distortion due to welding,” according to Lincoln Electric. “Another common practice for balancing shrinkage forces is to position identical weldments back to back, clamping them tightly together. The welds are completed on both assemblies and allowed to cool before the clamps are released. Prebending can be combined with this method by inserting wedges at suitable positions between the parts before clamping.”

“By the use of proper tooling or fixturing, distortion can be greatly reduced. Also, reducing the overall heat input into the part will help reduce distortion. This could be anything from traveling faster to switching from a CV weld to a pulsed arc weld. Design of the part will come into play, because a bend in the material will resist weld distortion,” said Durkin.

“To minimize distortion, manufacturers should take a holistic view of the entire production sequence to assess potential distortion contributors,” said Conrardy. “The assessment should include the component and weld design details, construction sequence, the materials preparation methods (e.g., handling, cutting, weld joint preparation), fitting practice, tooling methods, and welding procedures.

An approach which focuses on controlling distortion at each step in the production sequence will usually minimize the resultant welding distortion.” CM

68 | MARCH 2014 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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Blue skies ahead at Signature Tool Inc. How a small shop made smart decisions and sound investments to power through the worst of the recession.

By: Nick Healey

T

he story of Signature Tool Inc., in Oldcastle, Ontario, might as well be a metaphor for the cutting tool industry in this country.

Sitting on the couches in the shop’s main office coowners Frank Quint and Greg Soulliere talk about their days at the helm of their shop and seem very much at ease now that the recession is in the rearview, and they can see retirement (or at least a partial one) on the horizon.

Boom-and-bust days are a reality of the industry, but few could have foreseen a downturn like the mid to late 2000’s. Soulliere and Quint admit there were times when they considered packing it in, but through some well-timed investments, out-of-the-box thinking and persistence, the shop is now humming along and things have improved enough that Greg’s son Scott sees his future in the business, and plans to succeed his father at the shop one day.

The co-owners got their start at Valenite Modco, one of

(Left to Right) Frank Quint, Greg Soulliere, and Scott Soulliere pictured at their shop in Oldcastle, Ontario.

the largest cutting tool manufacturers of the day. By 1987 they’d decided to go it alone and started Signature Tool Inc. Although Quint is himself a machinist and has experience with cutting tools, he took on more of a sales role with the fledgling company while Soulliere manned the shop.

Their initial goal was to get their hands on a CNC machine by their fifth year, but it was only one before they had a two-spindle Deckel in their shop. From there business continued to roll, and next thing they knew, Signature Tool had two buildings and was doing a booming trade repairing cutting tools for General Motors and other local automotive manufacturers.

But the elder Soulliere doesn’t mince words when he talks about the bad times either.

“We went from 27 guys down to about 3,” he said.

“In about 2007, 2008, things started to slow. We were doing a lot of work with Ford at the time, but the Ford Essex engine plant pretty much shut down and General Motors was shutting down the transmission plant.”

“I remember telling (Scott), ‘I’ve had enough of this, man. We’re losing too much money. I’ll take the money home rather than watch it go out the window.’”

But Soulliere credits his son Scott with encouraging them to stay the course and keep plugging away in the hopes that things would get better. Plus, it didn’t hurt that Scott came up with some creative cost-saving ideas of his own to improve the shop’s productivity.

In fact, it’s quite a testament to the elder Soulliere and co-owner Quint that they put their faith in the next generation of the business. Some shop owners have been too hardheaded to give up the reins – or doubtful of a younger employee’s ability to guide the business. After some lean months, suddenly the shop found itself having better months, but decided to take a chance.

“We thought, okay, here we are, everybody’s hungry

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An example of a cutting tool made Signature Tool.

out there, there’s not a lot of work out there, what are we going to do? So what we did is we went out and bought a machine,” Soulliere recalls.

“And we said this thing is going to make us or break us, so we bought our first Hurco. This was in 2009. It was bad, but there was some opportunity out there.”

It was a risk, to be sure, but Soulliere and Quint decided that taking a chance to give their shop an edge would be worth it. “Ford even said, ‘I don’t know why you’re buying a machine now’ – and they were giving us the work!” Quint says with a laugh.

But the new machine opened up new possibilities – ones that Scott, and engineer Shawn Morand were able to exploit. The example Soulliere recalls is Scott’s suggestion to cut square parts on round barstock.

“I’m old school CNC machines, doing it all, and I thought I was the best at it – but you have to let these young guys go with it,” Soulliere says. “And they (Scott and Shawn) came up with some ideas – things they came up with had me going ‘oh, this isn’t going to work’ – and he would come and show me what they did, and holy smokes... It was good!”

“What took us an hour and a half to build was now taking 20 minutes.”

The other feature of the new Hurcos that Scott is quick to credit is the ability to program right on the machine.

This let the company invest most of their money in a machine while they could wait to invest in more CAM software later on.

“That would have been a lot of money to drop for (CAM software) as well – and we could program on the controller. It was slow, so we were getting small jobs. It’s hard to put the time into all that software and then the time into programming, when you could be standing at

In addition to building indexable cutting tools, tool repair is also a large part of the shop’s business.

the machine and do two parts, make your (money) and move on to the next one,” Scott says.

And so began the company’s road back to relevancy.

Their Windsor-area location is ideally situated in the heart of North America’s automotive market, and Quint started going after some of the big fish right as work was starting to come back to the area.

Signature Tool had been repairing lots of cutters for Ford’s Essex engine operations, but decided now was the time to start making new build tooling for them. They knew of some production issues Ford was having, so they took on the challenge of building new cutters that would give them perfect parts every time.

“At first, they just cut some parts to see if it was going to cut (well)… and it was first part, good part – which was very rare,” Quint says.

Shortly after, the company landed a tooling program with Ford and is now supplying tools for a number of other automotive suppliers country-wide. Suddenly, the new fiveyear plan is a lot more optimistic than it was a few years ago.

“We’re not afraid to quote on anything anymore,” Soulliere says. “What we’ve done in the past two years, adding this new equipment, landing this first program that we took on – it’s pretty sophisticated work – we got the guys together, and I told these guys, ‘this is the stepping stone. This is going to benefit you guys, not me… this is your future.’”

More importantly, with the tough times now a thing of the past, it’s actually enjoyable to come into work.

“The fun went out of it for those four or five years that we really struggled,” Quint says.

“When we got that first Hurco we were able to lower our pricing and take the package. So that was the catalyst for a lot of this, and now I think some of the fun’s starting to come back, when you have the work and you can do it.” CM Signature Tool Inc. was recently featured in the “Cycle Start” video series put together by Joe Poulin, a sales manager for Hurco Canada. The series is designed to encourage young people to get involved in the trades by detailing the daily work of a machinist. If you’d like to learn more about Cycle Start, or watch the most recent edition, go to www.cyclestartshow. com or visit www.canadianmetalworking.com and search “Cycle Start”. www.canadianmetalworking.com | MARCH 2014 | 71

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New in Milling Machine Manufacturing

More capability, more options

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

I

ndustry pundits cite automation and a move to multi-axis machines as ongoing trends in the milling sector.

“Automation has been a rapidly growing market segment.

We believe that North American manufacturers recognize automation as a key to global competitiveness, minimizing the impact of low labour costs from overseas competition,” says Mark Rentschler, marketing manager at Makino.

“Manufacturers are not only requesting the automated technologies themselves, but the engineering support to effectively and efficiently integrate these systems for their specific production requirements. They look for automation and machine tool suppliers to be partners and consultants that they can trust to support them as they make this dynamic shift in production … our expectation is that integration of automated systems will continue to grow substantially in the coming years,” adds Rentschler.

“The more we go down the road, the more we’re automating. It’s getting to the point now where job shop owners who were reluctant [to automate], because they couldn’t afford the payback on it, are looking at it more and more,” echoes Rick Ware, vice-president of sales/marketing at Mazak, based in Florence, Kentucky “As for trends in the milling sector, we continue to see increasing interest in automation and multi-axis machining,” says Scott Rathburn, marketing product manager at Haas Automation in Oxnard, California.

“The biggest trend we have noticed is the adoption of five-sided machining to reduce setup time. Traditionally, if a shop didn’t have complex parts that required simultaneous five-axis machining, they wouldn’t even consider purchasing a five-axis mill. Now, before they just buy another spindle, shops

are seriously considering (and often investing) in a five-axis mill even if they don’t have complex parts. Once they see the ROI, it’s an easy decision to transition to five-sided,” says Maggie Smith, media relations manager at Hurco, based in Indianapolis, Indiana.

There’s a move towards “process integration (combining more operations in a single machine or set-up). In the aircraft sector we are seeing more applications to machine tough materials such as titanium,” says Vince D’Alessio, executive vice-president at Elliott Matsuura Canada, based in Oakville, Ontario.

“Certainly the notion of multi-tasking is going to continue to expand … you want to be able to do multiple operations that get as close to doing a part complete in one-set up as possible.

This isn’t always possible, but that’s the goal,” agrees Randy Von Moll, technical sales director at Fives Cincinnati.

Pundits were also asked if customers had been requesting anything new in their milling machines, such as more CNC controls, larger workpiece handling capability, etc.

“Customer are demanding better accuracy. Parts produced in North America are much more complex than in the past, requiring machines with better thermal stability and accuracy, more tools and good spindle/cutting performance,” says D’Alessio.

“Another frequently requested feature recently has been larger capacity tool magazines for enhanced spare tool selection. This is also in particularly high demand within automated facilities as they seek to extend their hours of unattended production,” adds Rentschler.

Here’s a look at what’s new and/or noteworthy in milling machines:

HURCO

Hurco of Indianapolis, Indiana, introduced a new horizontal boring mill, the HBMX55i to its lineup of CNC machine tools late last year.

This new mill boasts a diminutive footprint (18 feet, 4.37 inches x 17 feet, 3.28 inches) despite an expansive work envelope (55.1 x 55.7 x 43.3 inches). The HBMX55i has a W-stroke of 19 inches, a two-speed geared head spindle, hardened box ways and a total machine weight of just over 21 tons (42,328 pounds).

Other notable features include a 4.33 inch diameter quill (which lets operators use shorter tools), a contouring fourth axis rotary table, linear glass scales on X, Y and Z axes (to maintain thermal stability and boosting accuracy) and a 60-tool ATC. In 2013, Hurco also introduced the VMX50i machining center at WMTS. A 50-taper mill, the Hurco’s new HBMX55i horizontal boring mill VMX50i features double-nut pre-tensioned ball screws anchored on both ends for enhanced accuracy and rigidity. www.hurco.com 72 | MARCH 2014 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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MAKINO

“The T1 five-axis horizontal machining center is Makino’s most recent milling machine introduced within the North American market. It’s designed to meet the needs of high-efficiency job shops within the aerospace and energy markets. Its highly rigid construction and wide-ranging spindle capabilities provide the flexibility to handle parts of any shape, in any material. The key features of the T1 are its unique casting and kinematic structure which provide ideal accessibility to large, heavy prismatic and cylindrical workpieces. These features, combined with a highpower, high-speed spindle, provide exceptional performance and efficiency in a variety of materials ranging from aluminum to titanium,” says Rentschler.

Introduced in January, 2014, the T1 “has been designed for optimal efficiency in large, complex components of varying materials, providing manufacturers with speed and flexibility in a variety of applications, as well as a level of precision not com-

monly seen in large, heavy applications,” he continues.

The T1 HMC has a 12,000 rpm spindle, X, Y, Z axis travels of 59.1, 51.2 and 78.7 inches (1,500 x 1,300 x 2,000 mm), rapid traverse of 984.3 Makino’s new T1 five-axis horizontal inches/minute and 60-tool machining center capacity. The T1 can take tools up to 23.6 inches long and weighing 66.1 pounds.

Makino will be introducing new machining centers in 2014, “but you’ll have to wait to see what we have in store. There will be all new machine platforms and improved, next-generation versions of some current technologies. We’re excited to be able to share these later this year,” says Rentschler. www.makino.com

HAAS

The DT-1 high speed drill/tap machine from Haas offers a very popular milling function

The DT-1 from Haas is a small-sized, high-speed drilling and tapping machine with a notable milling function.

“We found that most of our customers use our DT-1s as high-speed milling machines, rather than as drill/tap machines,” says Rathburn.

Such enthusiasm might spread, given that Haas is increasing spindle speed on the DT-1 from 12,000 to 15,000 rpm, effective February of this year.

The DT-1 has a small footprint, rear chip evacuation and “the added benefit of being a very capable milling machine, which makes it appealing to small and medium job shops. The DT-1’s 15,000-rpm spindle features a 15 hp vector drive system … the machine also has 2,400 ipm rapids, and a very fast tool changer, which keep non-cutting time to a minimum,” notes Rathburn.

“Most job shops and contract manufacturers machine a wide variety of parts. Batch sizes of 100 or less are much more common than long part runs of 10,000 or more. For these shops, cycle time is critical to keeping costs low and profits high. The high spindle speed, fast rapids and feedrates, fast tool changer, and high accelerations of the DT-1 help these shops produce more parts in less time. The small footprint also means they can fit two DT-1s—and thus two spindles and double the production—into roughly the same space as a single high-speed 40-taper machine,” he adds. www.haasCNC.com

ELLIOTT MATSUURA CANADA The MX-850 five-axis vertical machining center from Matsuura Machinery Corporation of Japan was introduced to North America at CMTS in October 2013.

“The MX-850 is a larger version of the current and very popular MX-520. The MX-850 is a very flexible five axis machine capable of producing a variety of parts used in industries such as aerospace, mould and die, automotive, energy, oil and gas, etc. The MX-850 is the second machine in the MX series of five-axis vertical machining centers,” says D’Alessio. The MX-850 has X, Y, Z travels of 35.43 inches x 30.70 inches x 25.59 inches (900 mm x 780 mm x 650 mm), 60-tool storage capacity, and can handle a workpiece with a maximum size of D850 x H450 mm and weighing 500 kilograms. The VMC also boasts a new, optional Matsuura MAXIA spindle capable of reaching 20,000 rpm for high-speed machining and 15,000 rpm for heavy duty machining operations.

This spindle “uses an 80 mm ID bearing for extra rigidity, and delivers 30 kw (40 hp) and 350 Nm of torque. This spindle offers the flexibility to produce aluminum parts, and parts made from tough materials (steel, titanium, Inconel, etc.),” says D’Alessio. Matsuura will be introducing a new horizontal machining center sometime this year, he adds. www.matsuura.co.jp

The new five-axis vertical machining center model, MX-850, from Matsuura

74 | MARCH 2014 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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FIVES CINCINNATI Fives Cincinnati has put the XT Profiler, a five-axis, multi-spindle gantry profile milling machine into general production.

Geared for the aerospace industry and machining hard steels, the XT Profiler’s design allows for independent control of the rotary axes on each spindle, an industry first.

“That is the most significant difference in the machining configuration from the previous generation,” says Von Moll. On earlier Fives multi-axis machines, the spindles were “all in a common spindle housing … problem is, when you get up to five spindles and try to machine difficult-to-machine materials like titanium, that single structure generally doesn’t have the stiffness required [for the job] … so we took five spindles out of a common piece of structure and now mount them as individual pivoting A and B axes. So it’s much stiffer,” he explains.

“We are able to remove 40 percent more material with the [XT Profiler] than with previous five-axis” mills, adds Von Moll. www.fivesmsi.com/en

The XT Profiler, five-axis, multi-spindle gantry profile milling machine from Fives Cincinnati

OKUMA

Okuma’s new MA-12500H horizontal machining center

Okuma is so pleased with the speed and power of its new MA-12500H horizontal machining center, the company is using four of these HMCs to build lathes at a new Okuma plant in Oguchi, Japan.

The MA-12500H has a maximum load capacity of 11,000 pounds and rapid traverse (X, Y, Z) of 1,653 ipm. The HMC is built on an integral bed and base, with reinforcing ribs for enhanced stability and load carrying capacity. The 50 Taper 60/50 HP spindle is capable of 6,000 rpm, with options for a 12,000 rpm wide range spindle or 4,500 rpm heavy duty spindle.

The MA-12500H can take parts up to 78.72 inches in diameter, 62.99 inches in height and weighing 10,141 pounds. X, Y and Z axis travels are 86.61 inches, 62.99 inches and 64.96 inches respectively. The machining center is 81-tool matrix ATC standard and up to 171 tool matrix optional. www.okuma.com

MAZAK Mazak’s Vertical Center Universal (VCU) line of machining centers consists of “three different models with 14 variations … starting with the 300 series which is quite small [and] very nice for the guys in automotive and small electronics,” says Ware.

The VCU 300 vertical machining center has a three-axis table, a powerful, rigid CAT-40 taper spindle capable of 10,000 rpm, 18-tool standard storage capacity (with a 24-tool storage option) and a compact footprint (38.58 inches or 980 mm wide, 96.45 inches or 2,450 mm deep and 104.3 inches or 2,650 mm high). The VCU 300 still has a large work envelope and can handle part sizes up to 13.78 inches (350 mm) x 11.8 inches (300 mm) x 12 inches (305 mm).

The VCU 400, meanwhile, also has a rigid CAT-40 10,000 rpm spindle, 20-tool storage capacity (30-tool magazine optional), X, Y, Z axes travels of 19.88 inches (505 mm), 15.74 inches (400 mm) and 17.12 inches (435 mm) respectively.

“There’s a tremendous amount of standardization between the different models of the machines,” notes Ware. www.mazakusa.com

The VCU 400 machining center is part of Mazak’s Vertical Center Universal line

76 | MARCH 2014 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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Talking Toolholders New products and new solutions to common toolholding issues

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

C

utting tool representatives are eager to discuss both new toolholders and common toolholding mistakes.

“The biggest thing we find, especially with lathe tools, people are over-torqueing the clamping screws on the holders. And this is probably the number one issue that we see… we’ve all seen shops where people have some kind of Allen key or wrench. And they put a pipe on the end of that and that’s how they clamp the insert in. So they’re putting way too much clamping pressure on the insert and when the insert is in the cut this will create fractures and eventually the insert will fail. So the biggest thing that we tell people is, use the keys provided with the toolholder because they are designed so they are not able to over torque clamping screws,” says Steve Geisel, senior product manager at Iscar Canada.

“Another thing I see — I wouldn’t say on a daily basis, but I definitely see it — is when end-users load the tool into the turret [and] leave a couple inches hanging out of the turret. If you’re doing an interrupted cut, that’s not good. You want that tool as far into the turret as possible, with little overhang,” adds Alex Livingston, product manager at Tungaloy Canada in Brantford, Ontario.

Barry Schwartz, vice-president of Canadian sales at Sowa Tool & Machine based in Kitchener, Ontario, recalls a conversation with a machine tool dealer about toolholder contamination: “I asked him, ‘Can you put a conventional CAT-40 tool and a dual contact [toolholder] in the same spindle?’ He said yes, but you have to be careful. He said you should use one or the other. If you put a standard toolholder into the machine, you might get contamination—dirt, chips, coolant on top of the flange. If you put your dual contact toolholder in there, it jams that dirt in. That’s not good for the spindle, not good for the tool, not good for tolerances.”

Sometimes machinists try to use the same toolholder for multiple applications, says Scott Irie, product manager at Lyndex-Nikken. “[They] think just because something worked in

one application it’s going to work for everything else… however, when you start getting into the more highperformance equipment, you want to find the proper cutting tool and the toolholder that matches the caliber of that equipment. Unfortunately, people don’t necessarily make the connection and say, ‘I need to upgrade my entire assembly [not just] one component of it’,” says Irie.

Toolholders are also sometimes treated as an afterthought.

“You have a million dollar machine, the best stateof-the-art milling cutter touching the material, but in between some people think, ‘I’ll spend five dollars on my holder’,” says Mike Smith, product manager, reaming and EPB, at Seco Tools, LLC, based in Troy, Michigan.

Such mistakes tend not to occur with larger companies who “have a level of expertise and knowledge where they recognize there’s a very synergistic effect… when buying a new machine, you also have to incorporate the latest toolholding technology, along with the latest cutting tool technology. It’s a whole process to get the end result you’re trying to achieve, which is reducing costs after productivity increases. However, smaller companies that don’t have the [same] resources, lean towards [getting] the new machine tool with all the bells and whistles, but then they’ll continue to use the older holder systems they have in place,” says Mark Hatch, product director at Emuge.

“Holders are as critical as the tool to ensure the success of the machining process, but are often overlooked. A holder which cannot achieve the required precision, rigidity or concentricity will negatively impact the tool—hampering it from achieving its peak performance … a toolholder deserves the same level of care and attention as the tool itself,” says Stephanie Goudreau, director of marketing and business development at Komet of America.

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

ISCAR

The Jet-HP line was initially targeted “for machines that have high-pressure coolant systems. We realized it also had tremendous benefits for standard pressure machines… Jet-HP is actually tooling that can be applied on any machine, with any coolant pressure, and you’re going to get benefits from it,” continues Geisel.

That said, “the higher the pressure the more benefits you’re

Iscar is now offering its Jet-HP line of high pressure coolant toolholders in quick-change holders (Capto, KM and HSK).

“We started [the Jet-HP line] by having a very select product range … But as the line became more and more successful, we’ve expanded it. So now when it comes to JHP, we can cover all ISO, grooving and part-off geometries,” says Geisel.

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going to get from this type of product,” he adds.

At medium-pressure (400 – 800 psi), “you’re going to see improvements in tool life but you’re also going to see performance benefits. You can run a higher spindle speed or you can run a more aggressive depth of cut or a more aggressive feed because you’re dissipating the heat generated in the cut a lot better because of the higher pressure of coolant,” says Geisel.

At high pressure (“anything from 800 – 1500 psi” says Geisel), “you’re not only going to see benefits to tool life … now you’re going to see the coolant pressure affect chip control. Which means, on material that once gave you poor chip control—like soft steels, low-carbon steels, high-temp alloys, stainless steels, Inconel, titanium … now you’re seeing excellent chip control,” he continues.

Geisel offers some tips on getting maximum life and productivity from Jet-HP toolholders: “Make sure the tools are set

up properly. You have to make sure the tool is in the machine properly. Because you have the potential of running a high-pressure system, if you’re running 1,000 psi and you don’t have the right tubes and connectors set up and let’s say the tube blows, you have a large amount of pressure now that’s free in the machine and potentially might hurt somebody.

Therefore, use the proper system,” he advises. www.iscar.ca

Full Grip Jaws

• Aluminum, Steel, or Cast Iron - diameter size range from 6-inch to 36-inch • Jaw heights range: 2-inch, 4-inch, and 6-inch • Close tolerances and concentricity easily maintained.

• Allows for complete gripping of the work piece • Special oversized jaws available • Excellent for gripping thin-walled parts without distortion • Machine and tool life extended due to lighter weight jaws, reducing mechanical stress.

• Made in the USA

LYNDEX-NIKKEN Lyndex-Nikken recently introduced the Taper Plus dual face contact toolholder system.

The company offers a wide variety of toolholders in the Taper Plus line, including High Torque ER Collet Chucks, end mill holders and high-precision advanced toolholders.

Taper Plus toolholders are ground to a very tight tolerance which ensures maximum contact between the machining spindles, toolholder taper and flange.

“The biggest dilemma regarding two-face taper and flange contact toolholders is properly maintaining both faces of contact .... continues on page 80

ISO 9000 Certied QMS

DillonManufacturing, Inc. Peter Seessle | Expertech Dist. & Tech. Inc. 44 Goodfellow Crest | Bolton, Ontario Phone: 647-960-4478 | Email: peteseessle@rodgers.com www.canadianmetalworking.com | MARCH 2014 | 79

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.... continued from page 79

during centrifugal or thermal expansion of a spindle. If flange contact has already been initiated and a spindle starts to expand, taper contact loss can occur. Taper Plus holders have been designed, and ground to assure the right balance where taper and flange contact will stay intact through the dynamic changes of spindle growth,” says Irie.

“The additional flange contact of the Taper Plus system acts as a support cantilever giving much stronger static stiffness and dampening characteristics than a traditional taper toolholder. With an additional surface area contact of 53.3 percent, roughing applications can be expedited and machined product consistency and quality can dramatically improve,” he adds. www.lyndexnikken.com

WALTER USA Walter USA of Waukesha, Wisconsin is planning “significant additions to the monoblock adaptor program this year,” says Pat Nehls, the company’s product manager.

Walter has already introduced, “ISO 40 and 50 taper shank monoblock tools with Capto, Weldon, face/shell mill and hydraulic chucks. The primary market is ISO/metric,” continues Nehls.

The planned additions will consist of “CAT-40 and 50 with shell mill/face mill mount as well as Weldon, collet chucks,” he states.

As for tips on ensuring maximum life and productivity with the new adaptors, Nehls says, “Always observe proper handling, keep the adaptor clean, [use] the proper torque for the clamping screws.” www.walter-tools.com

HORN USA Horn USA has expanded the range of its M101 series of disc milling cutters, or “self-clamping slot milling cutters” as Jason Farthing, technical sales and marketing at the company’s

headquarters in Franklin, Tennessee, prefers to call them.

The M101 series is designed specifically for slot and deep groove milling. While previous cutters in this series could manage two mm cutting widths and cutting depths up to 20 mm, the new cutters are capable of cutting

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widths up to four mm and groove depths up to 59 mm.

“The replaceable carbide inserts are not held in place by screws or bulky clamps.

This gives the tool a capability to produce narrow grooves at greater depths with the advantage of replaceable carbide inserts,” says Farthing.

“It is a toolholder, yes. It’s just a very specific toolholder,” he adds, of the M101 cutters. www.hornusa.com

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ADVANCED MACHINE & ENGINEERING

SECO TOOLS

Based in Rockford, Illinois, Advanced Machine & Engineering Co., recently introduced an improved OTT-Jakob brand Power Drawbar for toolholding. These drawbars have a patented intensifying mechanism that serves as “a force intensifier. It amplifies the pull in force of the springs by three times. So a steep taper drawbar with 2,000 pounds of pulling force [becomes] 6,000 pounds of pulling force. A drawbar that does not have the intensifier will need to overcome 6,000 pounds of pull in force to unclamp the drawbar. We only need to overcome the 2,000 pounds of unclamp force,” explains Harold Goellner, a product manager, engineering at AME. “The wedge ring design also prevents the tool from releasing when in the clamped position. It takes approximately eight times the pull in force of the springs before the tool breaks loose from the taper. But because of the design and reverse driving of the wedges, the tool will not release if the cutting forces exceed the pull in force. This is a nice safety feature to have,” Goellner continues. Advanced also released new, improved OTT-Jakob GD single-passage rotary unions at the end of last year. www.ame.com

In early 2014, Seco expanded its range of EPB 5600 Shrinkfit holders so they could be ordered with the Safe-Lock system, designed to enhance pullout protection for round shanked cutting tools.

The clamping force of the EPB 5600 is a third stronger than an equivalent DIN holder.

The Safe-Lock system consists of drive pins in the Shrinkfit toolholder bores. When matched with spiral-shaped grooves in the cylindrical cutting tool shank, the pins prevent the tool from being pulled out of the chuck during extreme machining operations.

For machining titanium alloys, Seco recommends pairing the EPB 5600 with the Jabro HPM JHP770 solid carbide end mill with optimized edge protection. www.secotools.com

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TOOL TALK

EMCO Maier vertical turning DUO cell

The machining concept of vertical pick-up machines as a modular system meets manufacturing companies’ requirements for more quality, while simultaneously maintaining high flexibility and reducing cost.

The right-hand and left-hand versions of the EMCO Maier VT 160 and VT 250

T

he right-hand and left-hand versions of the EMCO Maier VT 160 and VT 250, when linked with one of three basic conveyor options — oval, meander, and crossover-meander designs — provide a complete machining solution for workpieces with diameters of up to 250 mm, a workpiece weight of 8 kg, and a workpiece height of 150 mm with 30 workpieces (oval) or 50 workpieces (meander). The integration of a cross-over allows the use of different pallets or different workpieces. Each option footprint is only 21 m2.

The VT 160 and VT 250 ‘Duo’ solutions can each perform complete machining of a workpiece (two face machining with the OP 10 and OP 20). In addition, the production of two different workpieces is possible (part A on machine 1, part B on machine 2).

With the VT 250 and 160, the user can opt for different versions. Beyond the basic version without a Y-axis, the version with the moving turret axis and driven tools leverages the benefits of complete machining. A multi-function platen is available. It can accommodate additional fixed or driven tools. This also applies to long drills and piercing tools.

Also, operators can add a linear measuring system, process monitoring and electronic evaluation to their VT 250/160.

“The automation solution available with Duo supports a variety of customer-specific solutions – with or without a workpiece carrier (or pallet). The implementation of the Duo cell is compact and space-saving, and it offers unrestricted access for loading and unloading workpieces,” said a company spokesperson.

Multiple machine operation and short set-up and retooling times reduce wasted time. Optimized production processes and short chip to chip times for the vertical machines create ideal conditions for complete machining with high quality and efficiency.

The machines feature steel-welded construction of the rigid, vibration-damping machine bed and thermo-symmetrical construction of the headstock. Excellent rigidity is also ensured by the large distances between the guideways of the carriage system and the size 45 linear carriage.

The digitally controlled synchronous motor on the main spindle can handle even heavy-duty machining, with maximum outputs of 29 (VT 250) and 21 (VT 160) kW power, speeds of 5000 rpm or 7000 rpm and 280/150 Nm of torque. Directly driven ball screws of Ø 40 mm with lash and maintenance free couplings achieve speeds up to 60 m/min.

The traverse strokes for the VT 160 are X = 620 mm, Y = ± 65 mm, Z = 310 mm, and for the VT 250 520 / ± 90 / 310 mm. To prevent the Z axis dropping in case of a power failure, it features mechanical weight compensation.

Both the inner and the outer machine panels are designed for low maintenance. The stainless steel covers and strippers eliminate telescopes; guideways and seals are protected against swarf. The fully enclosed guarding permits economically and ecologically meaningful part removal, as the machine door stays closed even when picking up the workpiece. www.emco-world.com

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TOOL TALK

Japanese bearing manufacturer fined $4.5 million

“On July 12, 2013, JTEKT Corporation pleaded guilty to two counts of bid-rigging under the Competition Act and was fined $5 million for its participation in an international bid-rigging cartel.”

N

SK Ltd. (NSK), a Japanese bearings manufacturer, pleaded guilty to two counts of bid-rigging under the Competition Act, on January 30. The company was fined $4.5 million by the Superior Court of Quebec in Gatineau for its participation in an international bid-rigging cartel.

NSK’s plea relates to automotive wheel hub unit bearings supplied to Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc. (Toyota) between 2007 and 2013.

The evidence shows that NSK secretly conspired with JTEKT Corporation (JTEKT), another Japanese bearings manufacturer, to submit bids or tenders in response to requests for quotations to supply Toyota. NSK admitted that it participated in an agreement to rig bids in response to requests for quotations to supply automotive wheel hub unit bearings to Toyota for the Rav4 models produced in Canada from 2008 to 2012 and the Corolla/Matrix models produced in Canada from 2007 to 2013.

“Bid-rigging has a negative impact on all Canadians and cracking down on cartel offences continues to be a top priority for the Bureau,” stated John Pecman, Commissioner of Competition. “(It) deprives those seeking goods or services of the benefits of a competitive bidding process and the resulting competitive prices.”

The Bureau became aware of the bearings cartel by way of its Immunity Program, after which it began its investigation in July 2011. The investigation also received cooperation from other companies under the Bureau’s Leniency Program. There is no allegation of wrongdoing against Toyota, the customer of the companies under investigation. The Bureau’s investigation of the bearings cartel is part of a large international cartel investigation relating to the supply of various motor vehicle components.

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TOOL TALK

CTMA appoints new executive director Robert Cattle has been part-owner of Micrometric Ltd. for 37 years.

CAMBRIDGE, Ont. — On February 3, the Board of Directors of the Canadian Tooling & Machining Association (CTMA) announced that Robert Cattle was appointed the new executive director of the association.

Cattle succeeds Leslie Payne who has served the association over the last 30 years as a volunteer director, president (2002-04) and executive director.

Cattle has been part-owner of Micrometric Ltd. for 37 years and brings his precision metalworking excellence and organizational expertise to the position.

Over the past decade Robert has served on the association’s Board of Directors as Toronto Chapter Chair, Vice-President, President and Past-President. In these roles he has gained a great appreciation of the association and its member companies.

“I look forward to bringing to the association the same

commitment, dedication and passion that I have given my own company for all these years,” Cattle stated.

“I also look forward to working with government officials, other associations and our CTMA staff to bring the highest value possible to our members and to the tooling and machining industry.”

President David Glover expressed his pleasure with the Board’s choice.

“Robert’s industry knowledge and experience as a director of CTMA provides him with invaluable know-how.”

He added, “I have no doubt that, with Robert at the helm, the association will expand its Robert Cattle national presence and flourish.”

Cattle and Payne will work together over the next couple of months while Cattle assumes the new role. Payne will then embark on his retirement plans in Maple Leaf Golf & Country Club, Florida with brief spells back 1in Canada.

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TOOL TALK

M4 Sciences appoints new VP of Sales and Marketing

M

4 Sciences LLC, a manufacturing and product design. He holds a Bachelor technology company providing of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering patented drilling systems, has from Purdue University and an MBA from the announced Philip Fassnacht as the Vice Kelley School of Business.

President of Sales and Marketing.

M4 SCIENCES LLC, is a privately held Most recently Fassnacht served as the company (est. 2005) located at Purdue Marketing Director of Hurco Companies, Inc. Research Park in Northwest Indiana. They where he launched a worldwide rebranding, design, manufacture, and sell a range of and in an earlier role as Sales Director in devices based on their patented modulation which he led the North American division to assisted machining (MAM) technology. The record sales in back-to-back years.

TriboMAM system provides CNC machining “Phil’s appointment is an important step operations with up to five times faster drilling forward for the future of M4 Sciences” said while doubling tool life through its ability to James Mann, Chief Executive Officer. control chip formation, improve cutting fluid “He will play a vital role in the continued effectiveness, remove peck cycles, and growth and global expansion of our increase process stability and feed rates. company; he has proven himself as a It can be used in a wide range of metals leader that can bring new ideas, focus and and alloys such as aluminum, stainless steel, Philip Fassnacht relationships to further help M4 Sciences and titanium. M4 Sciences was selected as achieve its goals.” one of the 100 most technologically significant products Fassnacht’s professional background is broad based introduced in 2010 by R&D Magazine. encompassing sales and marketing, general management,

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TOOL TALK

Multi-flute finishing end mills from SGS Tool

S

GS Tool Company has expanded its Multi‐Carb high performance end mill offering to include metric corner radius options.

The Multi‐Carb incorporates a large number of flutes for stability and high feed finishing capabilities in applications where surface finish and tolerance are critical factors.

Available with 7, 9 or 11 flutes based on tool diameter, the odd number of flutes allow for a smoother cutting performance while controlling the natural harmonics by staggering entry and exit of the cutting edges.

The optimized cutting geometry is designed for finishing applications of challenging materials such as titanium, stainless steel and high-temperature alloys that require superior surface finishes and tolerances. Ideal applications include aerospace structure components; ferrous housings, pumps and manifolds; defense applications and various medical components.

Multi‐Carb finishing end mills are manufactured using

high performance raw material for reliable and consistent performance and are coated exclusively with Ti‐NAMITE‐A (ATiN) for increased tool life and proven performance at high temperatures. www.sgstool.com

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TOOL TALK

R&P Metrology announces CMM capabilities for portable gear inspection

R

linear motors drive technologies are &P Metrology GmbH has announced new measurement employed for accuracy and long life. capabilities for the RPG PM 750/1250 Portable Gear North American support, service and Metrology machines. When the system is used with the sales for Kapp Technologies is based in available docking station, it is capable of a full range of 3D Boulder, Colorado. prismatic metrology. www.rp-metrology.de The RPG PM 750/1250 Portable Gear Metrology system now can perform CMM measuring tasks with full CNC control and lab grade accuracy.

According to Hans Rauth, President of R&P Metrology, “The docking station, with the extremely accurate rotary table, extends the use of the PM system beyond the plant floor, to the inspection lab. Not only can it use generative metrology for gear inspection, it can become a precise The Series 33 uses the latest in engineering CMM with the customer’s choice of design and grinding capabilities to handle software.”

All R&P Metrology systems adhere to aggressive ramping, pocketing and slotting the I++ (Inspection Plus-Plus) protocol of difficult materials such as Stainless Steel, and can utilize any CMM software that is Titanium, and Inconel* compliant, such as Wenzel and Zeiss.

Rauth continued, “When used as a portable system, the PM 750/1250 can measure gears of unlimited size. We offer docking stations with 3,000mm outside capability for inspection lab use for gear inspection and 3D CMM metrology.”

When the R&P PM 750/1250 system is docked, the built-in active rotary table provides higher accuracy for form and roundness measurements, as well as faster measurement times than CMMs without an integrated rotary table. This gives customers a uniquely flexible machine with both shop floor portable gear inspection * SGS helped a machining company and inspection lab CMM capabilities, with GAIN twice the material removal high accuracy in both modes. rate, while REDUCING the total R&P Metrology designs and builds metrology equipment, concentrating on job cost by over medium and large parallel axis gears, bevel gears, tools, shafts, bearing rings and 3D parts. The range starts at approximately 1.0 metre in size. R&P also offers hybrid systems that combine gear measurement DEFINING HIGH PERFORMANCE with conventional CMM metrology.

MILLING DRILLING ROUTING All R&P machines utilize proven CNC control and analysis software, which will be familiar to users of the Wenzel GearTec www.sgstool.com 330-686-5700 Manufactured in the USA systems. R&P Metrology incorporates granite guideways with air bearing slides, a benchmark for the industry. State-of-the-art

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Measured, Cool and In Control Three quick and easy fixes for better toolroom operations

By Jim Anderton, Editor, Canadian Metalworking ......................................................................................................................................

This Mitutoyo High Accuracy Digimatic micrometer has 0.0001mm resolution, making body heat, dust and ambient air temperature factors in accurate measurement. All are controllable.

A

t heart, this is a simple business. Take a block of metal, remove the bits that don’t look like your finished part, and voilà, you’re done. For the production side of the chip sector, it looks that simple, with the work hidden inside multi-axis machine tools. The toolroom however, is a different story. Here, it’s about one-offs, tool modification, tool repair and improvisation. Molds and dies are generally unique jobs in the toolroom, which means that quality is defined by accuracy relative to print specs, not precision. There are no upper and lower control limits here; every dimension has a tolerance and the closer to spec, the better. This is still the domain of handheld measuring instruments and properly used they can still deliver sensible data in an age when tolerances are measured in ‘tenths’. The tighter tolerances and productivity pressures however, mean that old school sources of error are even more important. Here are some tips to keep those error sources down and out: TEMPERATURE STILL MATTERS Temperature control of inspection rooms and quality labs has been a given for decades; today most toolrooms are air-conditioned for worker comfort and to avoid heat buildup from machine tools. That’s good, but is working temperature uniform throughout the toolroom? In many cases, there may be a significant variation in temperature.

The area immediately around the machine tool maybe significantly warmer than the toolmaker’s or machinist’s bench. The problem is exacerbated when workers adjust the airflow to blow cooler air into the bench area for comfort. Most craftspeople will avoid measuring a part that’s literally hot off the mill, but warm to the touch is still warmer than ambient. Carry that part to the bench, then leave it in a cool draft over a lunch break and there may be significant contraction or even distortion relative to the just-machined state. If the part is meant to be used in a hot environment, there may be an issue. The print should specify unusual operating conditions for measurment.

Today’s shop environment is much more productivitydriven than the past; modern, powerful machines and aggressive, durable cutting tools mean roughing and sizing operations that remove lots of metal quickly, which means heat. Traditional but still commonly used tools like Bridgeport-type vertical knee mills and toolroom lathes can present an additional problem. In many cases sound insulating dividing walls or partitions are placed around these machines. Conventional sound insulation is much like fiberglass or rock wool home insulation, trapping heat locally.

In addition, these partitions and tight guarding can frustrate attempts to equilibrate temperatures in the toolroom by blocking air circulation. What’s the solution?

Ideally, large, slow moving overhead fans should mix

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ambient air without creating drafts; temperature control should be by central heat and air conditioning. In many shops, the toolroom is placed in an older part of the facility, usually a low bay portion near an outside wall for good natural light. Opening windows frustrates temperature control, as do window type air-conditioners. It’s still a balancing act, however. The atmosphere in a toolroom can’t be hermetically sealed; fresh air is a must in an environment where coolant mists, solvent vapours and grinding dust can make air unhealthy to breathe. Makeup air for the toolroom HVAC system should come from a fresh source, which may require ducting to the outside.

SOMETIMES CALIBRATION ISN’T ENOUGH To maintain ISO and other certification, periodic calibration of measuring tools is commonplace, either as a contract service or if the shop is big enough, with a certified in-house quality lab. It’s still a journeyman trade and personal tools are usually well treated, so it’s rare that calibration reveals gross accuracy issues. A dropped ‘mike’ with a bad thimble, an abused vernier with a rough rack, or a height gauge with excessive lash are self-evident problems, but there are other, more subtle factors. Repeated measurement of highly abrasive materials for example, can wear anvils. The ability to instantly zero modern digital equipment can hide the effect, as well as concealing excessive screw or rack lash.

Carbide-faced instruments are available, and there’s always the “Jo block” set for peace of mind, but shops with an in-house QA lab offer a capability often underutilized by toolroom personnel between mandatory calibrations. It should be possible to check a measuring instrument against a master gauge in the lab at any time a machinist or toolmaker feels the need, on a walk-in basis. If not, then a designated master gauge set should be available in the toolroom as a standardized reference for all instruments in the shop. This is a rare case where traceability and a paper trail is not only unnecessary, but is a bad idea. There should be the capability for a quick “piece of mind” check between

scheduled calibrations… add a reporting procedure and you also add a disincentive for this extra check.

Demographics are also making subtle workplace issues a consideration. The average Canadian toolmaker is in his or her 50’s now and likely needs a brighter workspace, some additional magnification when doing intricate jobs, or both. Magnifying lamps are common on individual benches, but installation of one next to a mill, machining centre or lathe is an excellent idea for machine-side dimensional checks. The same goes for the surface plate. The psychology of aging is rooted in

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denial; there is often a strong subconscious resistance to a walk back to the bench for reading glasses.

Fatigue is also a factor. Multiple studies show that reading error increases with operator fatigue, which is more than simple tiredness. Anti-fatigue matting to protect joints, benches at a comfortable working height and proper seating all play a part. It’s common to see steno chairs in Canadian toolrooms replacing industrial stools.

For jobs that require long monitoring with relatively little machine adjustment, like surface grinding, seating with proper lumbar support can keep a worker pain-free longer.

THE OTHER IMPORTANT CONTROL There used to be a saying among exasperated toolmakers: “We gave them what they asked for, not what they wanted”. The nature of tooling is a one off, constantly changing business. Properly dimensioned prints are the norm for big jobs, but running modifications or repairs to keep a line up and running may require changes that supersede print dimensions. This can cause chaos when later qualifying the tool, when the part that works bears no relation to the part’s print design. Modern procedures can exacerbate the problem.

The digital CAD-generated drawing, networked to the toolroom and presented on a flat screen requires extensive toolmaker or machinist interaction to annotate changes. In a “just-in-time” world a middle-aged toolmaker is unlikely to wade through tiered menus on a touchscreen to revise a spec. A better system lets the craftsperson annotate changes by marking a paper print, which is then returned to engineering to be formalized into an “alphabet” print revision. Working directly in the CAD drawing is asking for trouble, unless the tool’s designer is directly involved and uses a proper chronological revision process.

In most operations, the production manager’s needs trump the engineering office and it’s common for example, to

This Big Ass Fan shows that a single slow moving overhead unit can circulate air in a large space without creating drafts.

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kind of emergency fix is often undocumented or is noted informally.

If the toolmaker moves on, the new worker will likely machine a replacement part to the print spec, reintroducing the original clearance problem. Ironically, this issue is most common in midsize shops. Small shops have short lines of communication between tool designer and toolmaker; often they’re the same person. Large shops usually have formal configuration control procedures and an engineer in the building who can be called when running changes are needed. In the middle is a gray area where the path of least resistance is “fix This Autocad rendered part is easily annotated in paper print form...on a flat screen, a running change may be difficult now, document later”… perhaps never. to note. One answer is to feed the marked paper print back to the engineering office for formal revision Temperature variation, doubtful find a shimmed punch or die block contrary to the original hand measuring instruments and weak configuration print. If the shim is a consequence of normal die maintencontrol are just three of the many small things which ance like sharpening, it may be acceptable to log it with can conspire to cause big trouble in the toolroom. In pencil and paper. If that die block or punch is shimmed these examples, the fix can be as simple as a ceiling laterally however, to solve a clearance issue for example, fan, a set of master gauges, or a notebook and pencil. If there’s a problem with the tool design and it’s essential continuous improvement is the goal, these are examples to feed that information back to the tool designer. This of low hanging fruit that are worth picking early. CM

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CAM in the Cloud Autodesk’s CAM in Cloud service opens for Beta testers ... but is the software-as-a-service shift it represents too radical for an industry set in its ways?

By Mike McLeod ......................................................................................................................................................................................

CAM 360 combines CNC programming, simulation and design with real-time collaboration and online project and data management.

T

hroughout its history, Autodesk’s software has almost exclusively played on the engineering and designs side of the product development fence, leaving the shop floor, the actual manufacturing, to CAM software developers. And it was the only major CAD software developer to do so. PTC, Siemens and Dassault Systemes all have CAM software in-house that tightly integrates with their respective CAD suites.

That changed in 2012 when Autodesk acquired HSMWorks, a company that made integrated CAM software exclusively for SolidWorks. Since then, Autodesk has been working on bringing the same seamless 2.5-, 3- and 5-axis CAM integration to Inventor with Inventor HSM. Autodesk took their CAM strategy a step further at Autodesk University 2013 with the announcement of CAM 360. Utilizing the same HSMWorks CAM kernel, the online NC programming and toolpath creation/simulation service is the latest addition to Autodesk’s growing stable of cloud-enabled engineering software. It joins the “push-pull” direct modeler, Fusion 360, released last year, as well as AutoCAD 360, PLM 360, Sim 360 and Mockup 360, all of which are linked to the Autodesk 360 cloud file storage and collaboration service.

The first of its kind, CAM 360 is designed to split its CAM functions between the user’s local computer and Autodesk’s cloud computing service, using a server/ client model. A relatively small executable is installed locally, which ties, via the Internet (and an account login), to Autodesk’s cloud service. According to Anthony Graves, Autodesk Product Manager for CAM, CAM 360 will dynamically shift processing duties from the local thin client to the cloud or vice versa depending on which is faster.

From the user’s point of view, the experience is the same as with purely locally installed software, but the online model opens up a number of unique opportunities typically not offered by traditional CAM software.

The first is CAM 360’s all-inclusive offering. Initially, the CAM 360 version open to beta testing will provide capabilities similar to that of Inventor HSM or HSMWorks for Solidworks: 3-axis CAM with a range of toolpath strategies — for generating milling, drilling, counterboring and tapping operations — as well as adaptive roughing or clearing strategies and toolpath simulation.

What’s unique is that CAM 360 does not require the license of a pricey CAD package. Instead, it borrows the

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direct modeling tools from Fusion 360 that CAM users need to feature, de-feature, modify or patch a model to prep it for machining. In addition, it also includes cloud-based translators that import CAD data formats from major CAD packages (Pro-E, Catia, SolidWorks, SolidEdge, NX, etc.) plus most neutral formats (STEP, IGUS, STL, etc.).

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, Autodesk says it will continue to offer 2.5-axis CAM at no charge after the full commercial release of CAM 360 in early 2014.

To generate toolpaths, CAM 360 is built with the same CAM kernel that drives HSMWorks and Inventor HSM. For those who need more, the 3-axis CAM 360 version will cost $75 per user per month on a 12-month contract while 5-axis (3+2) will run $150 a month.

According to Graves, it’s this comiMachining Technologybination of no-cost or pay-as-you-go Wizard 2.5 to 5-axis CAM plus free CAD file translation and intuitive modeling tools that makes CAM 360 a disruptive and compelling entry in the CAM software industry.

“What’s important about CAM 360 is that it includes the kind of modeling and patching tools that CNC programmers dream of to quickly prep models for machining,” he says. “But, at the same time, they get all the CAM functionality Finally, a CAM system that REVOLUTIONIZES and performance of HSM technology. machining to make any CUTTER, on any CNC With CAM 360, you will get 2.5-axis CAM MACHINE, DEVOUR any MATERIAL! for free and by the end of next year, I can’t imagine anyone spending money Reduce your cycle times, extend your tool on 2.5-axis CAM ever again.” life and increase your profits!

In addition, he says that, since all In fact, we’re so confident in iMachining that design data including revision history, if you don’t cut your cycle times by at least is stored in the cloud, all of Autodesk half [most save 70% or more], then we’ll give 360 tools (including CAM 360) allow your money back ... GUARANTEED! users to share and collaborate on projects. For example, an engineer could model a part in one location using SolidCAM’s iMachining Cut Cycle Times by at Least Half Fusion 360 and invite a job shop in GUARANTEED! Provides you with: another location into the project. The UNMATCHED Tool Life machinist, through his Autodesk 360 account, could then access the most PATENTED Speeds & Feeds Wizard current design revision and produce the toolpaths to manufacture the part ining! ith iMach w using CAM 360.

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C

CAM 360 gives users access to professional CNC programming tools to program their machining projects regardless of where their CAD data comes from or what operating system and hardware they prefer.

technically an international standard, is unique to each brand and specific model of CNC machine. The syntax of the language (G0, G1, etc) is largely the same, but CNC makers like Fanuc, Heidenhain, Haas, Hurco, Mazak and many others tweak the standard language to suit their products’ unique capabilities. On the other side of the equation, post processors also have to be matched to each CAM package since each generates and encodes toolpaths in a unique way.

As a result, there is no single post processor to rule them all, much like there isn’t a single universally accepted CAD data file format. But unlike faulty BREP geometry, bad G-code isn’t simply a matter of a nonmanifold solid or a reversed normal. A malformed Gcode block can gouge a workholding setup or thrash a $200,000 machine, which is why many machinists still prefer to manually write 2.5-axes code from scratch or at least edit code produced by software.

To confront this challenge, HSMWorks, and now Autodesk, has adapted an open source model for post processors development. Like many CAM developers, HSMWorks/Autodesk offers its own generic post processors, which it refines to suit specific customers at no charge. Beyond this, the company writes its post in relatively accessible Javascript instead of a heavyhanded programming language like C++ or Java that is compiled.

Autodesk’s approach eliminates the “black box” aspect of some post processors that force customers to go back to the CNC manufacturer, reseller or a 3rd party for customization. More importantly, it makes the code available to a community of post developers who can refine the code to suit any CNC machine or machinist’s preference. Autodesk is taking advantage of the unique

setup through its CAM website (cam.autodesk.com) with a post development forum where members can share their customizations.

WILL IT WORK? Autodesk bills its 360 spectrum of cloud products as a complete design-to-manufacture solution, and in many ways it succeeds. Parts and assemblies can either be modeled or imported to Fusion 360, run through FEA and/or CFD analysis in Sim 360, photo rendered in Autodesk 360 and now, potentially, physically manufactured via CAM 360.

But for all its capabilities, Autodesk’s cloud toolbox lacks one crucial manufacturing component: Drawing creation and/or PMI data. For any machinist or job shop, simply getting a CAD file isn’t enough to produce an accurate or even acceptable part. While it may sometimes be possible to drill down on specific properties within a design file, this only holds true when the file is open in its native CAD environment.

However, Fusion 360 (and therefore CAM 360) doesn’t retain this information for imported models. Being history free, it strips parametric and build order data from the model. While dimension remain intact, precise GD&T or PMI data (e.g. surface finish and material specifications) isn’t included.

It should be noted that at Autodesk University 2013, the company strongly hinted that manufacturing drawing creation or some form of Model Based Definition capability would be added to the 360 line in the near future.

Another potential challenge for Autodesk’s cloud strategy in general is that companies doing work for government agencies, at least in the U.S., are contractually restricted from storing digital design data on third

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party computers, including the cloud storage on which the 360 service depends. Although Autodesk emphasizes that 360 customers will always be able to access their files, even in the case of a billing dispute, purely private entities may also baulk at having their design data stored with a third party.

Finally, CAM 360 represents a radical shift. Concepts like storing files off site and using software that one rents rather than “owns” may be hard to accept for machinists who’ve spent years producing quality parts with a stand-alone CAM package.

Still, given CAM 360’s aggressive freemium and/or low-cost model, Autodesk is hoping potential customers will at least “kick the tires” on the new service and come to prefer the ability to scale their software expenditures up or down at will. And even if entrenched machinists give CAM 360 a pass, the company is betting the next generation on the shop floor will embrace the mobility, platform independence and social media-like advantages the 360 approach affords. www.cam.autodesk.com

MASTERCAM X7 RELEASED CNC Software, Inc. has released Mastercam X7, which includes a new Mill-Turn product, Renishaw probing, and lathe dynamic rough toolpath, among other enhancements. Mastercam’s Mill-Turn streamlines the programming process with intelligent job setups that are keyed to an exact machine. In addition, intelligent work plane selection makes it easy to select the proper spindle and turret, and program milling and lathe toolpaths.

Mastercam X7 also integrates Renishaw’s Productivity+ for in-process gauging. This feature uses a measuring probe on a machine tool to determine fixture offsets, orientation and critical dimensions. It also allows for machine offsets to be automatically adjusted, even during the machining process.

The new Lathe Dynamic Rough toolpath is designed for hard materials cut with button inserts. The dynamic motion allows the toolpath to cut gradually, remain engaged in the material more effectively, and uses more of the surface on each insert. www.mastercam.com

SOLIDCAM WITH iMACHINING AT SOLIDWORKS WORLD 2014 SolidCAM demonstrated the integration of SolidWorks + SolidCAM with its iMachining 2D & 3D functions, at the SolidWorks World 2014. According to the company, SolidCAM with iMachining allows NC programmers to cut any material 70% faster on any CNC machine; extend cutting tool life and perform unmatched hard material machining. In addition, SolidCAM’s iMachining Wizard automatically calculates optimal feeds and speeds by using the toolpath, stock and tool material and machine specifications to calculate the perfect cutting conditions When paired with SolidWorks, SolidCAM preserves the look and feel of SolidWorks with seamless Single Window integration.

It also features full associativity and full integration that eliminates the need for file import/export. SolidCAM + SolidWorks is scalable with packages for all CNC machine types and applications including, Milling up to 5x, Turning, advanced Mill-Turn, WireEDM and Probing. www.solidcam.com

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GIBBSCAM SHOWS OFF SOLIDWORKS INTEGRATION Gibbs and Associates showed off GibbsCAM tight integration with SolidWorks at SolidWorks World 2014. Specifically, the company demonstrated how GibbsCAM uses Knowledge Based Machining to automatically read SolidWorks part features. The software’s Feature Manager, for example, enables an NC programmer to read features from the SolidWorks Feature Tree and then select areas for machining and apply machining processes required to make the part.

Other time savers for SolidWorks users are GibbsCAM’s Automatic Feature Recognition (AFR) and its Hole Manager, which integrates with the SolidWorks Hole Wizard to automatically read all attributes applied to holes and automatically generates tool lists and processes right down to the finished operations. GibbsCAM also preserves colors applied to SOLIDWORKS models, since colors applied in the design process often convey information about manufacturing processes. www.gibbscam.com

EDGECAM 2014 R1 Vero Software has released Edgecam 2014 R1, which includes numerous enhancements. Most notable among them are its new part setup and stock and fixture management capabilities. For example, a Machine Feature command allows users to interactively select a feature on their component to only rough, finish, or rough and finish the part. In addition, the Fixture Manager introduces chucks and collets that can be used for milling and turning. The fixture manager will also automatically filter valid and invalid fixtures based on component size, and offer a dynamic placement preview before it is placed on to the component.

Other manufacturing enhancements include a new Chamfering Cycle; support for 3D Normal Offset Output; a new design CPL datum marker with colour coded rotation bars and axis labelling; and an interactive editing tool for re-designing standard dialog boxes. www.edgecam.com

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Why Heat Treat?

Böhler-Uddeholm Thermo-Tech’s Michael Schmidt describes the process and benefits for better tool steel properties

By Jim Anderton, Editor, Canadian Metalworking ......................................................................................................................................

T

he thermal processing of metals, specifically heat treating is as old as metal processing itself. Long before ancient blacksmiths understood what metal alloys were, they knew that heating and quenching changed the properties of the material. Today we understand the trade-offs between wear, toughness, ductility and hardness, but for many users it’s a mysterious process that’s done out of house. Canadian Metalworking spoke to Michael Schmidt, division manager of Böhler-Uddeholm Thermo-Tech in Mississauga Ontario about the process.

Canadian Metalworking: “First of all, why heat treat?

What are the advantages?”

Michael Schmidt: “The easiest way to describe it is by analogy; it’s like purchasing an inexpensive hammer at a hardware store; you attempt to pull a nail out of a plank and the hammer ends up bending to almost a 90° angle because the steel wasn’t hardened. You heat treat to change the steel’s microstructure in order to get the properties that you want out of the material.”

Canadian Metalworking: “Is it still about conventional oil hardening and air hardening steels? Are you seeing more advanced metal alloys these days?”

Michael Schmidt: “We definitely don’t see as much of

Michael Schmidt, division manager Böhler Uddeholm Thermo-Tech

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Böhler Uddeholm Thermo-Tech’s Mississauga facility has numerous conventional and vacuum furnaces offering heat treating and other thermal processing services

the oil quenching type materials any more. Grades such as A2, D2, and S7 are still very common but there’s definitely been an increase in the use of more exotic grades. Certain grades will always remain a staple of the industry, but there are many diverse materials now available which use other alloying elements that provide great performance for certain applications. However there will always be applications where conventional and more economical grades will suffice.”

Canadian Metalworking: “What is the most popular tool and die steel? Is there one?”

Michael Schmidt: “A very common grade for BöhlerUddeholm Thermo-Tech is H13, Orvar Superior or W403 (a Cr-Mo-V-alloyed hot work die steel with good resistance to thermal fatigue). From a cold work perspective we see our fair share of D2 and S7. Grades such as 4140 and P20 remain very popular but are often purchased and used in the pre-hardened condition; these still require thermal processing for relieving residual stresses, quite often prior to finish machining or nitriding.”

Canadian Metalworking: “Cutting tool manufacturers have invested millions in tools that can economically cut hardened metal. Do you see this as a threat to the treating industry?”

Tools can then be machined in the ideal as-hardened condition as a result of cutting tool improvements. In today’s price sensitive industry a balance has to be struck between costs and price for the improvements.”

Michael Schmidt: “Improvements in cutting tools and inserts have advanced in a way that allows them to cut materials like never before. We see this as a benefit to heat-treating, with respect to maximizing the material properties through proper hardening and quenching.

Canadian Metalworking: “How much will customers pay for superior properties?”

Michael Schmidt: “Böhler-Uddeholm has many customers that recognize the value and cost of quality and www.canadianmetalworking.com | MARCH 2014 | 99

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promised, usually the proper amount of time and/or the temperatures used.”

An in-house laboratory includes high resolution microscopy to study material microstructures.

willingly pay a premium for quality processing. There are however some companies that don’t give quality the priority and value it deserves. Industry in Canada has its challenges and one of them is obviously to be cost effective. Subsequently we, as a heat-treater, need to provide our customers with competitively priced services.”

Canadian Metalworking: “What’s the difference between hardness and quality?”

Michael Schmidt: “It’s all about the microstructure of the steel and maximizing the materials potential. As an example, some customers just specify the hardness range, regardless of how the heat-treater achieves this requested hardness. There are no shortcuts in heat-treating that optimize the materials properties. Hardness does not equal quality; the controlled process will yield the ideal quality.”

Canadian Metalworking: “It sounds like shops need to factor in several days of turnaround time for a proper heat treat.”

Michael Schmidt: “We see product ranging in size anywhere from a few grams in weight to as large as 3500 kg. Depending on size, weight, and cross-sections, 48 to 72 hours is an absolute minimum, and that’s assuming the heat-treater has a furnace available. Larger pieces can easily take well over a week. Even with an abundance of capacity, it is not always possible to have a furnace available the moment the product arrives. It all takes time. Time correlates to price and a longer turnaround.

If the turnaround is too quick, something was likely com-

Canadian Metalworking: “How much is the part shape affect the process? Are thick section parts more difficult to treat?”

Michael Schmidt: “You need to start with quality steel as your first step to success. Proper design and machining practices are the second step. The part shape definitely affects the process especially when there are thin to thick sections to consider, which may lead to a compromise in the ideal thermal cycle. Having the right technology, equipment and quenching capability allows us to achieve uniformity within the part. It’s like baking a cake where time, temperature and cooling rate are essential.”

Canadian Metalworking: “Are there other ways a shop can benefit from thermal processing?”

Michael Schmidt: “There are many processes available beyond just through hardening. For example, BöhlerUddeholm offers Ferritic Nitrocarburizing (FNC) and Gas Nitriding as a surface enhancement. These services can provide a high surface hardness and increased wear resistance while maintaining ductility and dimensional stability.”

Canadian Metalworking: “If you could give one piece of advice to shops needing heat treating, what would it be?

Michael Schmidt: “Provide sufficient stock removal to accommodate dimensional changes that occur during heat treatment. Many customers expect little or no dimensional movement. A good heat treater will do everything in their power to help minimize dimensional changes but at the end of the day heat treatment is all about metallurgical transformation.” CM www.buthermotech.ca

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What’s wrong

with the Canada Job Grant?

The country’s current plan for skills training could do more harm than good.

By Nick Healey .........................................................................................................................................................................................

T

he growing demand for skilled trades is one of the most important issues facing the Canadian manufacturing sector. Workers are needed in just about every field, and in every part of the country, from the oil patch to the shipyards.

This April 1, the Canada Job Grant (CRJ) is supposed to go into effect as part of the 2013 federal budget.

There’s only one problem – the provinces hate the plan.

Provincial leaders fear the creation of the Job Grant will divert tax funding from programs they already have in place. Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba and Nova Scotia have already been quite vocal about their desire to steer clear of the program, and as a result the status of the CRJ is in limbo as the provinces look to make a counter-proposal.

But first, what exactly is the Canada Job Grant? You may have seen some ads for the program during last season’s NHL playoffs, but so far concrete information has been hard to come by. According to literature from the federal government, “Businesses with a plan to train unemployed and underemployed Canadians for an ex-

isting job or a better job will be eligible to apply for a Canada Job Grant.”

The plan, which was part of the Conservative government’s Economic Action Plan, is set to provide up to $15,000 in grants per person. That money has been designated to come from three different sources, in equal $5,000 amounts: the federal government, the provincial government, and business.

The CRJ was a unilateral creation by the government – in other words, no input from the provinces, who have largely been given the skills training mandate – so naturally provinces are resistant to the idea.

The main issue is that the CRJ is effectively robbing Peter to pay Paul by taking money from one fund (Labour Markets Agreement, or LMA) to cover the costs. Ottawa already sends $500 million a year to the provincial governments through this agreement, but under the Canada Job Grant, the federal government would cut $300 million from the LMA, and package it in the form of the new grant. And this is where the provinces are crying

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foul. Suddenly, they will be out of pocket when it comes to trying to fund their own training and social programs.

This wouldn’t be that problematic if the province’s current programs weren’t working as well as they are. A report from the Provincial and Territorial Labour Market Ministers titled Building Skills Together suggests current programs are doing well enough in their own right, and dismantling existing programs at the expense of a new and untested plan is a reckless move.

The report details evaluations that the provinces undertook, in collaboration with the federal government, which suggest there is value in the current programs.

Two key takeaways were: • 87 per cent of clients are employed after participating in a provincial or territorial program, compared to only 44 per cent of clients entering the program.

• The average client increased his/her earnings by $323 per week after participating in a provincial or territorial program.

Another question mark in the plan is whether or not employers will actually use it. The reality is, a lot of smaller shops don’t have the money to toss around to help their employees get trained, and the ones that do might be inclined to keep their workers on the site, helping with production. So there is a good chance that only larger organizations will be able to take advantage of the program, and they often have some types of training programs on their own.

In fact, a release from the Mowat Centre suggests, “One-quarter of Canadian private sector workers are in businesses with fewer than 20 employees… It will be the rare small business where someone has the time,

knowledge and experience to initiate and design a training program to access a Canada Job Grant.”

Finally, the way the funding is set-up, there’s not much benefit to particular demographics that should really be targeted by training programs – namely high school students. Funding from the Job Grant would be facilitated through an employer, meaning it would mostly benefit those who already have a job. Additional training for those in apprentice roles, already.

Currently, the CRJ funding wouldn’t help topple the main hurdle to getting a skill –education. It would create a chicken-and-egg situation where students can’t get skills funding without having a job, but wouldn’t have the requisite skills to apprentice somewhere in the first place.

Of course, simply handing out tuition money to possible students is no good answer, but taking some of that money and really investing in creating a solid education program would be a better plan.

A skills program akin to the one Germany uses would be a good one for Canada to emulate. The “dual system”, as it’s often referred to, is effectively a combination of a part-time apprenticeship at a company and a part-time education in a vocational institute. The system is widely lauded, and establishing a grassroots education system would bring more of a lasting solution to our skills shortages.

The current Labour Market Agreement will expire by the end of March, so by then we will see how the situation has resolved itself. In it’s current form, the Canada Job Grant feels like more of an opportunity for the government to simply rejig the current system, and avoid spending any money rather than come up with a practical solution. CM

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FINANCING ... continued from page 23

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

can’t sell or leverage their machinery as it is encumbered ABB Robotics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 by their bank under a GSA. Amada Canada, Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 7) Ask your bank to waive their interest. The key American Torch Tip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 question here is, how good is your relationship with AMT Machine Tools Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . 84 your bank? Your account manager might be convinced Bohler-Uddeholm Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Bystronic Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 to waive their rights on certain pieces of equipment. As Canadian Measurement-Metrology . . 89 long as your company isn’t in distress, banks sometimes CWB Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 exempt certain pieces, or at least enough for you to Dillon Manufacturing, Inc. . . . . . . . . . 79 arrange a sale lease-back with another lender. This is DiPaolo Machine Tools . . . . . . . . . . . 13 DMG Mori Seiki/Ellison Technologies . 28 something we help clients with all the time, in terms of Elliott Matsuura Canada Ltd. . . . . . . 6,28 the forms and procedure.

Emec Machine Tools Inc. . . . . . . . . . . 28 8) Understand loan-to-value. Even if a machine tool ERI America Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 on your shop floor is worth $100,000, you may not Exxon Auction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 Fein Power Tool Company . . . . . . . . . 91 get the full amount in financing. There’s a difference Ferric Machinery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 between fair market value, and the price the machine Ferro Technique Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 would get under forced sale or at auction if it were to be FRONIUS Canada Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 seized. In this case, there are dealer, auction and other GF Machining Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Gravotech Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 costs for the lender—which have to be accounted for in Gullco International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 the loan amount. That said, the healthier your business, Haas Automation Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 the better the loan-to-value ratio.

Hiwin Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 9) Know your tolerance for paperwork. Banks will Horn USA, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 want a lot of information from you before providing any Hurco USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFC IMTS 2014 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 significant amount of financing or credit. If gathering Industrial Magnetics Inc. . . . . . . . . . . 59 all the data and reports seems onerous, asset-based InfoSight Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 financing might be a better option. In this case, the Ingersoll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 machinery speaks for itself. Asset-based lenders con- Iscar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . OBC ITI Tooling Company Inc. . . . . . . . . . . 90 duct due diligence as well, but if they’re confident in Jesse Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 the asset’s value, and the business makes sense, that’s Kinetic Cutting Systems Inc. . . . . . . . 32 Kyocera Cutting Tool Division . . . . . . 83 usually enough for them to unlock financing.

One of manufacturing’s biggest pain points is access Liburdi Dimetrics Corporation . . . . . . 58 Lincoln Electric Co. of Canada . . . . . . 61 to capital. With the right financing, your company is in LVD Strippit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 a far better position to take on larger orders, expand, Machineries Isotop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 upgrade technology and innovate.

Of the numerous financing options, the OnSite & OnLine key is finding the one that makes the most sense for your business today, and over Equipment formerly of the long term.

ADVERTISER . . . . . . . . . PAGE Mascoutech Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Mate Precision Tooling . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Mazak Optonics Corporation . . . . . . . 45 Messer cutting Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Methods Machine Tools, Inc. . . . . . . . 73 Miller Electric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Multicyl Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Natex Tools & Natex Machinery Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 NorthBridge Insurance . . . . . . . . . . 101 Pearl Abrasive Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 PFERD Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36,37 Powerhold Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Prima . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Renishaw (Canada) Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . 22 Retention Knob Supply & Mfg. Co. Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 Rofin-Bassel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Sandvik . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,5 Scientific Cutting Tools . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Scotchman Industries, Inc. . . . . . . . . 54 SGS Tool Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Shop Data Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Sirco Machinery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 SME FABTECH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 SME MMTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 SolidCAM Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 SST Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Thomas Skinner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 TRUMPF Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IBC Tungaloy America Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 United Grinding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Universal Robots USA, Inc. . . . . . . . . 85 US Shop Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Victor Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Walter Surface Technologies . . . . . . . 69 Walter USA, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Weiler Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Wilson Tool International . . . . . . . . . . 35

8CMM20186

01/07/2008

08:19 AM

AUCTION

Ken Hurwitz is the Senior Account Manager with Enable Capital Corp., an asset-based lending company in Toronto. Ken has years of experience in the machine tool industry and now works to help all types of manufacturers tap into their own capital to optimize their operations.

Contact Ken at (416) 614-5878 or via email.

Learn more at www.enablecapitalcorp.com This article is part of the Financial Management Success Centre, bringing you the latest strategies and trends in equipment finance, capital preservation and leasing opportunities.

OVER 1,400 LOTS!

Surplus assets from a Polypropylene Film and Sheet Facility Equipment from the Plastic, Converting, Metalworking Industries & General Plant & Shop Support Equipment SALE STARTS:

THURSDAY, March 6 • 8 AM CST SALE LOCATION:

321 University Ave., Belleville, ON, Canada

1.314.863.7711

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IN STOCK American Standards and specials.

Japanese Standards inch or metric.

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

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

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By The NUMBERS Should America export oil?

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ith the likely approval of the Keystone XL pipeline project adding a 36 inch diluted bitumen link to U.S. Gulf Coast refineries, U.S. finished petroleum products production is set for a major ramp up. The U.S. net crude oil imports graph shows how Canada will fit in. Note that OPEC imports have declined significantly since 2007 while Canada’s exports to the U.S. have risen since 2010, with total foreign imports down significantly over the six-year period. While declining OPEC numbers are understandable, Venezuela’s reserves are estimated by many to exceed those of Saudi Arabia; current political realities prevent access from major U.S. oil companies to those reserves, something which will change quickly if the Venezuelan government shifts to the right. If this happens, Venezuelan oil,combined with new fracking technology and increasing production from the Bakken formation, may drive U.S. dependence on Middle East oil to zero, or more likely move the U.S. into the export realm. What will they do with all that crude?

The second graph shows one possibility. Note that total refined products, principally kerosene [typically diesel fuel] and gasoline are climbing significantly as an export product in the U.S.. With energy efficiency and environmental concerns flattening energy demand in the U.S., export of refined products is a logical outcome of Alberta bitumen flooding Gulf Coast oil refineries. Crude oil export has been regulated in the U.S. since the 1973 oil crisis, with special exceptions granted by application. The U.S. oil lobby would like to see this restriction removed, creating a new profit center and reducing excess supply at U.S. refineries, maintaining prices and margins for refined products. The effect will prop up retail pricing for gasoline and diesel fuel. If unlimited exports are allowed however, Alberta bitumen could boom. The wild card is Venezuela.

If that nation comes into play, we’ll need to look to the Energy East and Northern Gateway programs to move our product East-West instead of North-South.

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