Del Mar, CA Airstars Purchase of a CNC machine allows the company to physically explore a part before it is approved for manufacturing. By being able to produce actual physical prototypes in-house, AirStar can visualize and simulate real-world performance of the design, speeding up the process from concept to manufacturing.

The CNC capabilities allow Airstar to decrease design time on rework or work-in-progress for crucial projects, reducing errors on initial designs through better visualization, and eliminating lengthy design to product changes during tight lead times.

WallstreetStockReview.com (http://www.wallstreetstockreview.com) Reports on Stocks to Watch:
Mundus Group Inc. (OTCBB: MNDP), Dillards Inc. (NYSE: DDS), Playboy Enterprises Inc. (NYSE: PLA), Netlist Inc. (NasdaqGM: NLST), Sun American Bancorp. (NasdaqGM: SAMB), Altus Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NasdaqCM: ALTU), AmericanWest Bancorp. (NasdaqGS: AWBC), Wellstar International Inc. (OTC BB: WLSI), BizAuctions Inc. (Other OTC: BZCN)

Featured Stock:
MUNDUS GROUP INC.
(OTCBB: MNDP)
http://www.wallstreetstockreview.com

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Other Stocks to Watch:
Dillards Inc.
(NYSE: DDS)
Dillard’s, Inc. operates as an apparel and home furnishing retailer in the United States.

Playboy Enterprises Inc.
(NYSE: PLA)
Playboy Enterprises, Inc. operates as a media and lifestyle company.

Netlist Inc.
(NasdaqGM: NLST)
Netlist, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and sells memory subsystems for the server, computing, and communications markets in the United States and the People’s Republic of China.

Sun American Bancorp.
(NasdaqGM: SAMB)
Sun American Bancorp operates as the holding company for Sun American Bank, which provides various commercial banking products and services to small to medium sized businesses, individual investors, and consumers.

Altus Pharmaceuticals Inc.
(NasdaqCM: ALTU)
Altus Pharmaceuticals Inc., together with its subsidiaries, focuses on the development and commercialization of oral and injectable protein therapeutics for patients with gastrointestinal and metabolic disorders.

AmericanWest Bancorp.
(NasdaqGS: AWBC)
AmericanWest Bancorporation operates as the bank holding company for AmericanWest Bank, which provides various financial services in eastern and central Washington, northern Idaho, and Utah.

Wellstar International Inc.
(OTC BB: WLSI)
Wellstar International, Inc., through its subsidiary, Trillennium Medical Imaging, Inc., engages in developing and licensing the use of advanced thermal imaging technology in the consumer healthcare and veterinary markets in the United States.

BizAuctions Inc.
(Other OTC: BZCN)
BizAuctions, Inc. provides commercial eBay liquidation services for excess inventory, overstock items, and returns. It serves retailers, manufacturers, and distributors in California, Arizona, and Colorado.

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Source: WallstreetStockReview.com MNDP Aquires CNC Machine

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POPLARVILLE — Pearl River Community College will offer a free workshop next month for people with machine shop experience.

The CNC (Computerized Numerical Control) Machine Tool Operations workshop will meet from 6 to 9:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Dec. 1, 8 and 15 at the Center for Career Education on the Poplarville campus.For more information, contact Kenny Adams at 403-1262 after PRCC reopens on Nov. 30 following the Thanksgiving break.

http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20091121/NEWS01/311210001/PRCC+to+offer+free+CNC+machine+tool+workshop

Over $550K worth software to be used at Campbell Graduate Engineering Center and CU-ICAR

Gibbs and Associates, developer of GibbsCAM software for programming CNC machine tools and a Cimatron company, announced today that it has granted  the Clemson University Campbell Graduate Engineering Center 50 seats of its GibbsCAM software for the university’s use in undergraduate and post-graduate mechanical and automotive engineering research and curricula. The software will be used for advanced CNC machining simulation and analysis at the university campus and the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR). Clemson University uses CAD, CAM, and many other advanced analytical and manufacturing technologies in its mechanical and automotive engineering programs. At CU-ICAR, it offers a Masters of Science degree in automotive engineering and the only Ph.D. in automotive engineering available in the country. Gibbs and their regional reseller installed and support the GibbsCAM software, which is now in use, on a network implementation, at Clemson University facilities.

“GibbsCAM covers a broad range of capabilities, from programming the simplest CNC machine tools, to verifying the most complex toolpaths, to simulating the most sophisticated machine tool motion,” explained Bill Gibbs, Gibbs and Associates company founder and president. “We are confident that our products will help Clemson students understand machining and assist their research and preparation for careers in automotive and general manufacturing. It is with this expectation that we are pleased to partner with Clemson University, by providing them a uniquely powerful CNC programming system for their innovative, first-of-class, automotive research and manufacturing programs. We look forward to their students’ success.”

The software, valued at over $550,000, includes 3-axis, rotary, and 5-axis milling, multi-task machining (MTM), and lathe turning, plus tombstone management, machine tool simulation, postprocessors, and CAD-specific translators, together with software maintenance.

“Because of this generous gift, students now have an extremely cost-efficient way of testing and analyzing different machining parameters,” said mechanical engineering assistant professor Laine Mears. “The software allows simultaneous use by up to 50 students across our graduate and undergraduate curricula. With this access, students will be able to use state-of-the-art software to help them simulate machining processes such as milling, turning and 5-axis freeform machining, and to produce and test programs before using them to make parts on the machining centers.”

About Gibbs and Associates and GibbsCAM

For over twenty five years, Gibbs and Associates has been a leader in providing cutting edge CAD/CAM technology, while maintaining its signature ease-of-use and productivity.  Powerfully Simple, Simply Powerful is the guiding philosophy at Gibbs. Gibbs believes in empowering the NC programmer, machinist, and manufacturing engineer, not eliminating them. Gibbs’ goal is to introduce manufacturers to new technologies and new ways of working that makes their machining easier and their businesses more profitable. To achieve this goal, Gibbs creates tools that are naturally intuitive, graphically interactive, extremely visual, associative, and just plain enjoyable to use. Gibbs provides a total quality solution with the service and support successful customers require.

The current GibbsCAM product line supports 2- through 5-axis milling, turning, mill/turning, multi-task simultaneous machining and wire-EDM. GibbsCAM also provides fully integrated manufacturing modeling capabilities that include 2D, 2.5D, 3D wireframe, surface, and solid modeling. GibbsCAM is certified for Microsoft’s Windows Vista. GibbsCAM’s data exchange capabilities are able to access the broadest range of native and industry standard CAD data formats. GibbsCAM is certified under the Autodesk Inventor Certified Application Program, is a Solid Edge Certified Select Product, and is a SolidWorks Certified CAM Product. GibbsCAM is either offered or endorsed by a number of leading worldwide control and machine tool manufacturers, including GE Fanuc, Infimatic, Siemens, Doosan Infracore, Haas, Index, MAG Fadal, Mazak, Mitsubishi, Mori Seiki, and Tornos. Gibbs and Associates distributes its products worldwide through a network of international Resellers.

In January 2008, Gibbs and Associates merged with Cimatron Ltd, and is now operating as a wholly owned subsidiary. For more information about Gibbs and Associates and its CAM software packages, call 1-800-654-9399, or visit the company on-line at www.GibbsCAM.com.

About Cimatron

With over 25 years of experience and more than 40,000 installations worldwide, Cimatron is a leading provider of integrated, CAD/CAM solutions for mold, tool and die makers as well as manufacturers of discrete parts. Cimatron is committed to providing comprehensive, cost-effective solutions that streamline manufacturing cycles, enable collaboration with outside vendors, and ultimately shorten product delivery time.

The Cimatron product line includes the CimatronE and GibbsCAM brands with solutions for mold design, die design, electrodes design, 2.5 to 5 axes milling, wire EDM, turn, Mill-turn, rotary milling, multi-task machining, and tombstone machining. Cimatron’s subsidiaries and extensive distribution network serve and support customers in the automotive, aerospace, medical, consumer plastics, electronics, and other industries in over 40 countries worldwide.

http://www.tenlinks.com/news/PR/gibbs/112009_clemsoniniv.htm

Techno, Inc. - CNC Router Systems

Release date: November 19, 2009

If you’re tired of manufacturing products with hand tools, and tired of losing work to competitors who are under bidding you, Techno CNC wants to give you a $1,000 incentive to automate your cutting process.Techno CNC Offers $1,000 Holiday Discount on CNC Router Machines!

New Hyde Park, NY — -”Our customers have seen their businesses change dramatically with our machines,” says Roy Valentine, Techno CNC sales manager. “We know wood workers, sign makers, plastic fabricators, and many other industry fabricators need to automate their cutting process. With aggressive US government incentives to purchase capital equipment we felt we should chime in as well. This extended discount is to encourage and motivate companies to automate and streamline there production. We hope this added contribution will prove that Techno equipment is a small investment with a big return.”

To learn more about the $1,000 Techno CNC discount and see a video of the Techno CNC router machines in action, please visit: http://www.CNC-Router-Machines.com

For more than 23 years, the experts at Techno have led the industry in the design and manufacture of CNC routers; routers known for their performance, durability, and ease-of-use. Techno CNC routers allow customers to cut with greater accuracy, faster production speed, and expand their business into new markets by cutting parts they could not cut by hand. Techno continues to set industry standards.

“The accuracy is incredible on these machines,” said Techno CNC customer Tom Farmer, owner and CEO of Hilton, N.Y.-based Upstate CNC Service Inc. “If you want to do something the old way with a Jigsaw you can hope that you get a straight line or an accurate curve. But the Techno CNC machines are computer perfect. I can make 1,000 parts exactly the same. You couldn’t do that with a hand tool.”

The Pro-series CNC Router is designed to meet the demanding production needs of panel processing shops. This machine model is engineered for optimal performance and product throughput in sheet goods such as plastic, wood, and similar materials. The LC Series, Techno’s most popular model, is ideal for small to mid-size production shops. It’s an excellent entry-level machine that allows the user to start with a CNC Router featuring many advancements typically found in more expensive machines. In addition the LC Series has two Table top models available for small part processing.

The Patriot CNC is ideal for prototyping, model making, jewelry manufacturing, or schools for teaching CAD/CAM technology to students. The Patriot is fully enclosed and can be equipped with many accessories such as a reverse engineering digitizer an automatic tool changer, and 4-axis for intricate carvings.

“We’ve always been impressed by the quality of their American-made machines,” said Bob Barnes, another Techno CNC customer and owner Aurora, IL based Display Connections, a manufacturer of point-of-purchase displays. “The fact that we’ve purchased seven machines from them over the years says it all!”

Whether you’re working with wood, plastic, or other routable materials, Techno has a CNC router for you. Isn’t it time for your business to lower labor costs, shorten lead times, and become more profitable? Call 516-328-3970 for more information or visit the following website to learn about the Techno CNC $1,000 discount visit: http://www.CNC-Router-Machines.com

Techno CNC Routers turn a small investment into a big return. Thousands of companies are currently using Techno CNC systems for numerous applications on a wide range of materials, such as: woods, metals, plastics, foam, MDF, and more.

http://news.thomasnet.com/companystory/569085

A CNC machining expert has introduced a new four-axis centre-drive lathe series to maximise workshop efficiency, it has been revealed.

Bardons & Oliver announced that while the 12-station turret machines the front end of the workpiece, a second turret is able to take care of the other end.

This integrated workholding capability is joined by the CNC lathe’s ability to address the critical surfaces at each end of the part and allows them to be machined concentric to each other.

Bardons & Oliver said it can be loaded manually, robot-loaded or configured with an automatic bar feed to create finished parts from full-length raw material.

Vice-president of sales at the company Brian Lane said: “Many of our customers are making plans right now to make the necessary investment in manufacturing systems and factory automation to meet the needs of their customers as we enter into this recovery phase.

“We feel that our centre-drive lathe will be an important investment for our customers moving forward.”

Based in Solon, Ohio, the organisation started producing large capacity CNC turning machines in the 1980s.

http://www.machinetooldirect.co.uk/machine-tool-news/Bardons–Oliver-introduces-new-CNC-lathe-2009-11-1.asp

Two new CNC machining centres, with a combined cost of nearly £500,000 have been installed at the company’s Stockton site in Warwickshire.

They are being put to full use in production of the company’s nine-model reversible plough range. Large component throughput has risen by some 30 per cent since installation and Jason Stringer, Dowdeswell’s technical manager, says this will allow the company to maintain manageable lead times current models and those in the future.

This large investment means that up to 90 different machining activities for both cast and fabricated components can be completed in one sequence, ensuring a consistent speed and accuracy.

A typical sequence could be boring, drilling, tapping and milling of a headstock, lift arms or depth wheel swivels.

Non-stop machining can be carried out with the larger Doosan HM8000 CNC machine, which enables one component to be worked on as another is placed in position by the operator.

All design processes now incorporate the CNC system, and Dowdeswell hopes to reap the benefits when launching a new range of ploughs by mid-2010.

http://www.farmersguardian.com/news/machinery/machinery-news/dowdeswell-ploughs-investment-into-production-technique/28996.article

MANITOWOC — For Wisconsin manufacturers to emerge from the recession in a strong position, they might look at Manitowoc Tool & Machining.

All it is taking for the local company is millions of dollars in new technology, more intensive training of the workforce, and “100 percent on time delivery with zero ppm (parts per million) defects,” said Scott Mertens, MTM president.

That means no defects at all, with MTM making parts for everything from locomotive crankcases to satellite circuit boards with tolerances in ten-thousandths of an inch — far less than the diameter of a strand of human hair.

“We are very optimistic,” said Mertens, noting 2008 was a record revenue year for the 45-year-old company with plants on Expo and Clipper drives.

“In January the pipeline turned off, but we engaged our sales force heavily with laser precision, going after new opportunities and current customers to fill capacity,” he said.

MTM has hired 80 workers since June, some called back from layoff, and it will be hiring 15 to 20 more.

The company already had dozens of sophisticated CNC (computer numerically controlled) machines capable of creating parts small enough to fit in the hand to those weighing thousands of pounds made out of aluminum, ductile iron, steel, brass and bronze.

One machine is described as a “Mazak Multipilex 6300Y twin spindle-twin turret 6-axis center with gantry robot.” That translates into parts made with maximum efficiency and conformance to blueprints.

To assure the part — for example 800-pound compressor rotator housings for air conditioning units — meets specs, it is hoisted on to a coordinate measuring machine elevated table.

The new technology, installed at MTM in summer, uses multiple optical probes to assess the physical measurements of the part down to 0.0001 inch, far too small for the naked eye to see any flaw.

Manitowoc instead of Mexico

MTM has customers in the automotive, transportation, medical technology, recreation, heating-ventilation-air condition and defense industries.

http://www.htrnews.com/article/20091118/APC03/311180113/1984/MANlife/Emerging-stronger-from-recession-Manitowoc-Tool-&-Machining

With integrated collet that allows quick changes of engraving toolbits, 20 mm dia Spring Loaded Engraving Toolholder can be used in CNC machines with 20 mm collet or end mill holder and is designed for high-volume, high-speed production engraving. Collet can be changed to hold variety of engraving tool sizes in diameters of 1/8, 3/16, and ¼ in. and 4 and 6 mm. Spring Loaded Engraving Tools simplify engraving and marking on flat, curved, and uneven surfaces.

CNC Engraving Toolholder is available in 20 mm size.

Slant Turn NEXUS 550M has headstock with 10.8 in. bore mounted on 60 hp, 1,000 rpm turning spindle that generates up to 5,163 ft-lbs of torque. Spindle is also used as C-axis, capable of being indexed at 0.001° increments to position part for slotting cuts and precisely drilled holes. Additionally, C-axis spindle acts as full-function CNC controlled axis for milling. System also has 10 hp, 4,000 rpm milling spindle for roughing, grooving, endmilling and facemilling.

CNC Turning Center is designed for large part applications.

Mazak’s Slant Turn NEXUS Series Ideal for Large Part Turning

Florence, Kentucky, November 4, 2009 - Mazak’s Slant Turn NEXUS 550M is a powerful, heavy-duty CNC turning center designed for large part turning applications such as oil field pipes, pipeline control valves, turbine wheels, aircraft and off-road parts and the production of power generating components for the aerospace, oil, gas, coal and nuclear industries. The Slant Turn NEXUS series is a renovation of Mazak’s successful Slant Turn series of CNC lathes.

The STN550M’s headstock features a 10.8″ bore mounted on a 60 hp, 1,000 rpm turning spindle generates up to 5,163 ft-lbs of torque for heavy duty cutting of large workpieces. The spindle is also used as a C-axis, capable of being indexed at 0.001° increments to accurately position the part for slotting cuts and precisely drilled holes. Additionally, the C-axis spindle is a full-function CNC controlled axis for milling.

For convenient tool management, the STN550M utilizes a 12-position drum turret for rapid tool indexing. The machine is also equipped with a 10 hp, 4,000 rpm high speed milling spindle for roughing, grooving, endmilling and facemilling operations, allowing many processes to be completed in a single machine cycle. The STN550M’s total travels are 18.25″ in the X-axis and 129.88″ in the Z-axis, with a 40.7″ swing capacity and a capacity steady rest of 16.14″.

The machine also features an NC servo-driven tailstock to enable automated processes. The tailstock is fully programmable, driving the W-axis on its own AC servomotor and ball screw. Through the part program, the tailstock will retract to a known position and its center makes contact with the part with consistent holding pressure. Further, because of its positive independent drive system, the tailstock can be used to drill holes on a shaft centerline adding versatility to the jobs it can process.

The sixth-generation Mazatrol MATRIX NEXUS CNC simplifies multi-tasking metalworking operations on the STN550M. It offers a 12″ LCD color display and the familiar QWERTY keyboard. A pointing device, acting like a mouse, and USB port for downloading programs are also at the operator’s fingertips.

Conversational part programming can be accomplished in Mazatrol language while the machine is cutting another part, or off-line in a CAD/CAM system. Once imported into Mazatrol MATRIX, a realistic 3D cycle simulation verifies the machining cycle and checks for machine interferences, greatly reducing the need for test cuts.

About Mazak Corporation
Committed to being your partner in innovation, Mazak Corporation is a global pioneer in the manufacture of productivity-improving machine tool solutions. With plants throughout Japan, Asia and the United Kingdom, Mazak’s strengths include a world-class facility in Florence, Kentucky for production-on-demand of the latest machine tool technologies and equipment.http://news.thomasnet.com/fullstory/568390

Business is good at Kirsan Engineering, but it can always make room for more. The shop thrives on repeat contract work from over 20 customers. However, just six or seven of those customers make up 90 percent of the shop’s business, and Kirsan Engineering likes it that way.

Besides its contract manufacturing operations, Kirsan Engineering is now marketing two products it developed for in-house use, a saw loading system and self-contained power workholding unit.

Jerry Ring, general manager at Kirsan, said that for his shop, he’d rather have a few top customers that he can focus his service on. That way, Kirsan builds relationships with its customers and can better service them. While business is holding steady, Kirsan is constantly in the process of developing new customers; its goal is to add three or four new ones per year.

Kirsan serves markets such as aerospace, mining, defense, and medical. Their sales have grown over 30 percent each year for the past seven years. The shop also serves customers involved in wheel services, brake lathe, and wheel balancing components. Additionally, Kirsan has customers in the power-generation industry and in the production of positive- displacement flow meters. It also manufactures components for its parent company Ocenco Inc., a producer of self-contained breathing apparatus.

Most of Kirsan’s customers submit blanket orders, followed by periodic releases of jobs. They are not really P.O.s, but rather more along the lines of long-term agreements.

Customers place release orders until a previously agreed upon quantity is filled. For a few of its customers, the shop provides consignment inventory/ inventory management, delivering parts a few times per week or “vendor managed inventory.”

Job volumes for customers range from 100 to 250,000 parts per year, with the average single job running between 25 and 300 pieces. Kirsan’s main processes include mostly milling and multi-tasking turn-milling. Ring believes there are a few key factors that set his shop apart from the competition. These include developing/ training its workforce, standardizing on one brand of machine tools, and proper tooling management.

In the past, Kirsan purchased machines based on tool room work, and had a hodgepodge of different machine types and brands on its shop floor. Now, the shop has standardized on Mazak machines.

“The benefit of staying with one tool manufacturer allows machinist’s to move from a lathe to a horizontal with less training. They are more comfortable with the program codes, and the screen layout is very similar for the machines. The other benefit is machine maintenance. Machine problems that might arise are more similar, and navigating them is easier. For instance, whether it’s a lathe, horizontal, or vertical, the machines have similar parts, drives and motors” explained Ring.

The shop’s current machines, as compared with its previous ones, help reduce part cost, which customers routinely demand. Newer high-efficiency horizontal machining centers and multi-tasking turning centers with part feeders make it possible to process parts differently than the shop had in the past. The new machines use automatic part loaders and are able to finish the parts in one operation.

Efficiency levels, once below 60 percent for the shop’s old vertical machines, now run over 90 percent for its horizontal machining centers. These machines, said Ring, can always be running, and he indicated that the shop is slowly moving away from using vertical machining centers. However, the shop does keep some simple machines around because, Ring said, “The shop is not going to run simple less-complex parts on a quarter-million- dollar machine. That would put a higher burden and rate on a lowerdollar part. Simple parts call for simple machines, and if volumes are high enough, they justify keeping some basic machines around.”

Kirsan employs 51 people, and at one point, operated 24/7, which was tough to do on weekends. By cultivating its machinists with in-house software training and off-site training offered by machine tool suppliers, Kirsan has greatly improved its capabilities. Machinists are supplied with laptops for training at home, and the shop pays for completed training courses.

The philosophy is that the more high-level machinists a shop has, the less overall labor is needed. In addition, Ring said the higher-level machinists seem to be more reliable because they “invest in” the company and become better team players, versus just being an “employee.”

Technically, Kirsan still operates 24/7, but on weekends, employees scheduled to work have the luxury of coming in as needed to make sure machines are loaded with raw material and remain running. Thus, the shop gains an entire weekend worth of production with minimal labor cost without having a fully manned weekend shift.

“Weekends used to require a full shift’s worth of employees. Now one person can keep many machines going without spending the whole day at the shop,” said Ring. “Of course you have to have machines with the capabilities to run unattended for this to work.”

Kirsan organizes its machines into cells, and each one has an assigned coordinator on first shift. On second and third shifts, one coordinator oversees all the cells. This is because first shift is for setting up machines, processing prototype parts and one-off jobs, while the off shifts involve basically tending machines that are already set up and running.

Kirsan has also greatly reduced its tooling cost to about 2 percent of shop sales by working more closely with tooling suppliers and implementing a full time tooling person.

Along with standardizing with one tooling supplier, the shop established an internal inventory system that links to the tooling supplier. They also incorporated a vending-machine system that keeps all tooling in one centralized place, not scattered around in individual tool boxes.

In addition to contract manufacturing, Kirsan offers customers full-time engineering services and strives to team up and partner with customers. Its engineering capabilities have also paid off in terms of product development.

When business slowed a bit in 2009, Kirsan marketed two products which it designed for its own use. One is a bar-loading system for band saws, the other a self-contained power unit for workholding applications.

The bar loading system eliminates the need to move and load bar stock, bundles of stock or tubing using a jib or gantry crane. Instead shops can use a forklift to load sawing material. By using the loader, one operator easily keeps two saws fed with stock and has time to also balance parts and load/unload deburring machines at Kirsan.

Kirsan’s self-contained power unit (SCPU) is a hydraulically powered fixturing system, but it has no external hydraulic reservoir, pump or hoses. Instead, a shop’s CNC machine tool’s spindle itself activates the system using a special tool, with no modifications necessary to the machine. This also reduces labor requirements and can easily allow robotic implementation.

http://www.americanmachinist.com/304/Issue/Article/False/84992/Issue