Ranchi: Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC), Ranchi has begun dispatching its new generation CNC Under Floor Wheel Lathe machine, which was ordered by the Central Organization For Modernization of Workshops (COFMOW). The first machine, out of the 7 ordered, has been thoroughly inspected by RITES and is all set to be commissioned.

The 2nd machine of the series is also ready and will be offered for inspection to RITES within a week. In addition to this, the company’s new generation CNC Surface Wheel Lathe for CLW, Chittaranjan also was inspected and cleared for dispatch by a team of Inspecting Engineers from CLW this month.

This machine has been developed and manufactured in association with Hegenscheidt of Germany for the 1st time in India by Heavy Machine Tools Plant (HMTP) of HEC, Ranchi.

G K Pillai, CMD, HEC expressed his happiness & said that the rest 6 machines should be supplied in time so that customer confidence is won. On this occasion, a small function was organized at HMTP amidst all senior officers and staff.

This new generation CNC Under Floor Wheel lathe machine requires minimum operator’s interference as the machine is fully automatic. The machine decides the optimum metal removal for maximum Wheel set life. It offers highest accuracy, is less prone to human error, is highly productive and ensures better accuracy of Wheel profile.

The Indian Railway Workshops were earlier equipped with old generation conventional Under Floor Wheel Lathe Machines. The performance of these machines were dependent more on the skill of operator for metal removal and achieving profile. This resulted in less Wheel life in the earlier generation machines.

The new generation automatic CNC Under Floor Wheel lathe Machine is expected to improve the life of Railway Wheel sets by around 20% to 30% with minimum operator interference. With the use of this machine, Indian Railways will be able to manage its Rolling Stock in more efficient & productive manner.

With this HEC has strengthened its position as a solution provider for Rolling Stock management.

http://machinist.in/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3687&Itemid=2

• Tormach PCNC 770
• · $6,400 and upThinking about getting a CNC like the pros use? Computer numerical control rigs, which use rotating bits to carve shapes from nearly any material, are coming out of the machine shop and into the home, and Chinese-made models like this Tormach are getting cheaper and better all the time. Plus, this unit takes up less space than a fridge. We asked Jerry Blake, a retired aerospace-parts maker who is now a hobbyist auto-parts maker, to put one through its paces.
• 
  

  Tormach PCNC 770

  The 770 uses an R8 spindle with a 5/8-inch, three-slot setup—a common standard that means most people who have manual drill presses will be able to use a lot of their existing tooling. Made in china brings the price to about a third that of comparable American-made mills, but it’s still robust and easy to use. The controller, which comes preconfigured with industry-standard Artsoft Mach3 software, works right out of the box. The 770 is a three-axis machine, but it comes with simple directions for adding the optional fourth axis, which allows for keyways and undercuts for full 3-D milling. There are some limitations, though. The 1-horsepower motor will feel anemic to anyone accustomed to 7.5-horse industrial units. More troubling: The tolerances can vary as much as 0.002 inch from day to day. It’s a great hobbyist’s machine, but nothing to bet your livelihood on.

  Wired: Much cheaper than comparable models. Modular for easy transport. Runs off 110-volt outlets. Great online and phone support.

  Tired: Slightly underpowered. Doesn’t hold tolerances with pro-level precision. $6,400 and up

• http://www.wired.com/reviews/2011/08/reviews_cncmill/

Many designers have excellent product ideas but do not possess the resources to convert those ideas into reality due to lack of know-how. Alljack Co. Ltd. offers an omnibearing method for these designers to get a prototype that can bridge that gap. This company with state of the art facilities, technologically advanced tools and senior engineers delivers cost effective CNC machining and prototyping solutions for industrial designers.

Alljack has established itself as a premium prototype manufacturer by Simon Duh in Taiwan. During the 15 years devoted to prototyping, Alljack has worked with numerous leading industrial designers and engineers. Its passion and desire to take on the challenges drove the company go forward and expanded the business from Prototyping Center to Premium Crafts Workshop and Mass Production Precision Machining Factory. Alljack’s team is always pushing itself to go beyond the limit.

Today, Alljack has been a large operation with over 250 professionals, three branches in Taiwan, one branch in Japan and one office in Germany. Now, Alljack is no longer satisfied by just being the top one prototyping leader, with its ambition to continuously growing, not only Alljack has premium crafts workshop for OEM machining of hand-made precision parts, but also extends business to production of precision parts in small quantity.

To prove the world Alljack is ready to face any challenge in the next few decades, besides employing the most experienced and knowledgeable staff to offer the most effective solution on mass production and guarantee nothing but the best to its customers, this company has also invested in creating the best CNC machining and prototyping facilities in the industry. Alljack strives hard to achieve the highest level of precision and accuracy by using the latest technology and equipment, such as DMG high-speed 5-axis CNC machines and Moriseiki integrated turning & milling centers, in the 24-hour-operating automatic factory.

“Working under the condition of constant temperature of 20±2°C and constant humidity of (45+-10)% maintained 24 hours a day, it ensures the high precision required by automation robot arms and by CNC equipments for small quantity production,” said the Account Manager of All Jack Flora Chen, “the less than ±0.005 mm tolerance of finished products stays within the quality requirement. “Flora Chen added.

With regard to delivering good quality CNC machining and prototyping solutions, several factors come into play. Firstly, the delivering company should be committed to what they are doing. More than retaining top position in the industry, there should be dedication to delivering customers with excellent quality solutions. The precision machining factory should take pride in the quality of the solutions delivered to customers. Secondly, the professional prototyping center should invest in acquiring the best equipment possible to set up precision machining facilities. Thirdly the staff should be knowledgeable and skilled.

Only when all these factors blend well, a CNC turning-milling center will be able to meet the customers’ requirements in a satisfactory manner. Without a doubt, All Jack has proven all those factors and even done more. For more information, please visit: http://www.alljack.com

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/8/prweb8719127.htm

FANUC Factory Automation has developed a distributed data-management program specifically for machine tools driven by Fanuc CNC automation. FOCAS Automation Solution Connect (FASConnect) software is described as easy to use, cost-effective, and scalable, and it supports older FANUC CNC systems as well as newer installations. It allows operators to manage CNC data for all the machines in a shop from any network computer.

FANUC FA America will introduce FASConnect at the imX even next month in Las Vegas. FANUC manufactures factory automation (FA) and robots, and its FANUC FA America supplies FANUC CNC systems and in the Americas.

“Backup all your FANUC CNCs and manage your part-programs from anywhere on the network without going down to the factory floor,” explained Paul Webster, product engineering manager. “FASConnect was designed by FANUC, for FANUC, to support the data management requirements of the industry.”

FASConnect is a software-only solution that installs as a Windows service on a central computer. This computer becomes the ‘server’ in the client/server arrangement, and once configured it allows access to all the FANUC CNC systems that are on the plant network.

FASConnect is a software program for network-distributed data management for FANUC CNC-equipped machine tools.

With the main application installed on a central PC and then accessed either locally on that central “server” PC, or remotely via a “client” PC that can be located elsewhere on the same network.

FASConnect uses file transfer protocol (FTP) to achieve a high degree of compatibility. The connected CNCs are accessed “as if they were folders on a computer,” the developer explained. Local and remote access are equally effective, and no client software is required as FASConnect uses the standard Windows Explorer web browser as the client.

Up to 22 users can connect simultaneously. The CNC data files can be dragged and dropped for backup, and the files themselves can be opened with any text editor, and are easy to read.

Since FASConnect software installs as a service in Windows, it can be run without a user login or desktop interaction (which may risk a user accidentally deleting the program.) Built-in security allows for backing up only critical CNC data. Writing of part programs to the CNC is possible as long as the user has the proper credentials (username/password). This reduces the risk of CNC data being compromised but allows for remote part-programs remotely. The FASConnect service will run on Windows XP, Windows 7, or Windows Server 2008. The client can be any Windows-based computer.

Once the program is configured, no non-Windows software is required, and incremental licensing allows shops and manufacturers of all types to use this software cost effectively. It is scalable from 2 to 22 simultaneous users, from 10 to unlimited CNC connections, and multiple ‘servers’ are possible, too.

FASConnect was designed for use by factories of any size using incremental licensing. This purchasing concept allows the buyer to acquire only the number of connections and users that are needed: as the operation grows, additional connections or even new ‘server’ installations can be added. A basic, two-user 10-CNC installation is affordable, and the installation can be scaled up. There is no limit on the number of possible CNC connections.

http://www.americanmachinist.com/304/Issue/Article/False/87790/Issue

Midwest Precision announced that Mike Christopher has been named Controller. His 30 years of manufacturing management will help the company’s growth. Midwest Precision specializes in close tolerance CNC machining and assembly of all types of stainless steel, aluminum, nickel alloys, titanium and other engineered materials.

Midwest Precision announced today that Mike Christopher has been named Controller. Reporting to Wayne Foley, President of Midwest Precision, Mr. Christopher succeeds William Marlowe who is retiring after 25 years with the company.

Mike brings nearly 30 years of experience in financial and operations management in the manufacturing sector. Most recently, he served as Controller of Netshape Technologies. Prior to Netshape, Christopher served as Controller at Nova Machine Products, division of Curtiss Wright Corp. and held both Controller and Plant Manager roles at RB&W Manufacturing, division of Park-Ohio Corp. Mr. Christopher received a bachelor’s of Business Administration degree majoring in Accounting and Business Law from Ohio University.

“Mike brings critical expertise and a strong track record in financial controls, analysis and hands-on manufacturing experience that are crucial to the growth plans of Midwest Precision,” said Foley. “We are delighted to add someone with Mike’s skills and expertise to our management team.”

About Midwest Precision

Established in 1953, Midwest Precision, formerly known as Midwest Screw Products, is an AS9100 / ISO 9001 certified manufacturer of precision machined components and assemblies for the Aerospace, Defense, Power Generation and Engineered Industrial markets. The company is well-known for its innovative manufacturing engineering, value-adding capabilities including program management and expertise in precision machining and assembly of close tolerance materials including Stainless Steel, Aluminum, Nickel Alloys, Titanium and other engineered materials.

Midwest Precision was formed by former executives of International Motion Control, a global leader in industrial and aerospace motion control components and systems. Midwest Precision applies operational expertise and investment discipline to successfully grow industrial manufacturing companies.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/8/prweb8741599.htm

The American Machine Shops Network (AMSN) continues to promote the Made In USA concept for its members

Montgomery, Alabama - MFGpartners.net, founder of the American Machine Shops Network (AMSN) announced this morning the launch of its Alabama Machine Shop Directory published to help companies in the state and nationwide buy and sell machined parts and components as well as a wide array of other job shop services. The company is actively looking for job shops serving markets in Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, Huntsville, Mobile, Gadsen, Auburn, Decatur, Dothan, Hoover and other cities across the great state of Alabama to promote on its website and connect with companies and individuals in the market for precision CNC machining services, metal machining, precision machined parts and other custom manufacturing solutions.

Companies can submit an RFQ free-of-charge at http://www.mfgpartners.net/rfq.html

Qualified shop can advertise on the American Machine Shops Network at http://mfgpartners.net/advertise

According to MFGpartners.net, the company’s B2B marketplace is the only one of its kind providing RFQ’s (request for quotes) at no charge to US-based machine shops in effort to help bring work to hard working machinists, fabricators, molders and other craftsman in the United States. AMSN said there is a number of marketplaces online that charge fees to manufacturers for trade leads (RFQs) and it wanted to provide such vendors with other options and thus, pass the savings on to the buyer. MFGpartners said the free service is unique to the industry and shows the company’s commitment to helping U.S. jobbing shops get work for prototyping, steel & metal fabrication, CNC components, precision machining, plastic injection molding, foundry casting and a wide range of other services.

“The American Machine Shops Network welcomes job quotes from national and international buyers seeking jobbing shop services provided by quality manufacturers in the United States,” said Richard Milton, spokesperson for the company. He concluded, “Lately AMSN has been focusing on the state of Alabama and companies in or around Hoover, Dothan, Decatur, Auburn, Gadsen, Mobile, Huntsville, Tuscaloosa, Birmingham and Montgomery looking for precision machining and other contract manufacturers that can meet their needs.” Milton said there are nearly 1,000 machine shops presented on MFGpartners.net with new vendors added daily to the Website.

The Alabama Machine Shop Directory is located at http://www.AlabamaMachineShop.org

About MFGpartners

MFGpartners.net is home of the American Machine Shops Network (AMSN) located at http://www.MFGpartners.net. The company specializes in promoting US-based manufacturers of machined parts and components as well as other custom manufacturers. AMSN is designed to help companies, inventors, engineers and others find the most suitable machine shop offering a variety of CNC machining, fabrication, prototyping, foundry casting and other contract manufacturing solutions. AMSN also owns MFGmatch.net, the leading custom manufacturing marketplace at http://www.MFGmatch.net

American Machine Shops Network (AMSN)

Founded in 2010 with roots dating back to 1993, the AMSN initially focused on the Northeast region of the United States in which the company published machine shop directories for Massachusetts, New York, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Connecticut. The AMSN later introduced a series of guides for locating and comparing job shops throughout the Midwest and Eastern region, including Pennsylvania, Ohio, Delaware, Maryland, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and Missouri. In 2011 with the assistance of the Industrial Leaders Group, AMSN introduced machine shop directories for companies throughout the Atlantic and Southeast region, including Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Kansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Later in the year it created similar guides for those sourcing jobbing shop services in the Western region of the United States such as Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, South Dakota & North Dakota, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington and most recently Alaska and Hawaii. Today, AMSN serves national and international companies in need of complete custom & contract manufacturing solutions.

http://www.onlineprnews.com/news/162368-1313673060-alabama-job-shops-offering-cnc-machining-services-added-to-mfgpartnersnet.html

Capital Equipment Investments Continue for Wire Forming Company

Wirefab, Inc., a leading manufacturer in wire-based products for the baked goods industry, has recently purchased and installed a Haas CNC Vertical machining Center The HAAS VF-5 CNC features a 40 taper, 20 hp (14.9 kW) vector drive, 7500 rpm and a 20-station carousel tool changer. The new equipment will allow Wirefab to expand its capabilities and to supplement the continuous effort to improve efficiency in spite of hard economic times.

“We have been a leading supplier of wire formed products to the bakery and food industries”, said Wirefab Sales Manager Michael Murdock. “The HAAS CNC Machine will allow us greater flexibility, lower costs and quicker turnarounds for our customer, “Murdock said. Haas CNC turning centers are well known for their high degree of accuracy as well as the ability to use customer cad geometry to increase the efficiency of tool path generation. Wirefab’s capabilities includes wire forming, wire fabrication, aluminum fabricating including cutting, bending, rolling, forming, stamping and MIG and TIG welding.

http://www.machinetoolsonline.com/article.mvc/Wirefab-Expands-With-Purchse-Of-HAAS-CNC-0001

The developers of the new Multistar NX-24
rotary machining system emphasize that users will benefit from its
productivity, flexibility and high-precision processing. “With its
number of cycling steps, it almost achieves the productivity of fully
mechanical machines,” according to Mikron Group. Mikron designs and
develops machining systems and cutting tools, as well as automation and
testing technologies.

The blank is fed into the first workstation and clamped in the collet. The completely machined workpiece is unloaded from the machine at the last station, so 22 workstations are available.

Using the CNC-programmable Multistar NX-24 rotary machining system is effective when different types of workpieces must be produced in quantities ranging from hundreds to many thousands, with accuracies to the hundredths of millimeters.

The Multistar NX-24 is well suited for producing component parts for automotive systems, medical devices, climate control systems, and timepieces, i.e., where large volumes of different workpieces must be produced to the highest standards of accuracy.

With the Multistar NX-24, all machine axes
are programmable, which saves the operator a significant amount of
downtime when changing over the from one production series to another.

Mikron
SA Agno, the center of the group’s machining business unit, reports
that its rotary machine systems are designed to achieve up to 150 cycle
steps per minute, meaning they can produce up to 520 parts per minute
when equipped with four cycles per machine. It is designed for
high-output, large-volume production, but because it is fully
mechanically controlled, changeover can take time.

The new
CNC-controlled Multistar NX-24 increases flexibility significantly with
only a slight reduction in output, so it is effective when different
types of workpieces must be machined in quantities from a few hundred up
to many thousands, and with tolerances in the range of hundredths of a
millimeter. Automotive machining is one likely sector, but others
include medical equipment, climate-control systems, and timepieces.

Simultaneous machining at all workstations
All axes are programmable and the control unit’s clearly presented HMI
simplifies rapid programming and quick product changes. However, the
machine still has a range of additional features.

For example,
the Multistar NX-24 is equipped with 24 workstations and up to 44
machining units and up to 60 axes. All axes work simultaneously, which
is how the machine achieves its extraordinarily high output. Workpieces
are machined completely, including processes like deep-hole drilling,
workpiece repositioning/reclamping, in-process measuring and
compensation, as well as complete deburring. This is how the machine
produces, for example, 8.5 for automotive injection nozzles per minute.

Because
each axis is CNC-programmable, changeover is done mainly by software
programming. Compared with machines that rely on mechanical control,
this results in significant timesavings. With different types of
workpieces, with maximum diameters of 35 mm and maximum lengths of up to
65 mm, the Multistar NX-24 achieves very attractive per-part production
costs.

Mikron is known for high precision machining operations,
as for example the special watch screws with M 0.8 threads and
corresponding surface finishes that the NX-24 can produce without
difficulty.

Machining happens simultaneously on the 24
workstations, each one capable of machining two sides simultaneously —
from above and below, from above and from one side or from below and
from one side.

Once around the cycle, workpiece finished
On one hand, the machine’s compact design means that temperature has
less an influence in the machining area. On the other hand, the
machine’s sturdy construction guards against the effect of vibrations.
Turning the rotary table through 15° to the next workstation occurs in
0.6 seconds. Then, indexing pins lock the table with an accuracy of ±2.5
µm for the next machining operation. The table can be equipped with
different clamping collets.

The workpiece blank is fed to the
first workstation and clamped in the collet; the completely machined
workpiece is ejected after the last workstation, meaning that there are
22 workstations available for the machining operation.

The
machine can be equipped with different clamping collets, which can be
driven from above or below the table. During machining in the individual
stations, the collet is locked by the C-axis spindle or with a
mechanical index pin.

Collet drives for turning work at up to
7,500 rpm rotate with a precision of ±0.005 millimeters. And all this
during millions of indexing cycles. Turning is possible on workpieces
with diameters of up to 15 mm. However, collets that are fix during
machining can accept workpieces with diameters of up to 35 mm. Collets
that are CNC-programmable, which can rotate and interpolate through
360°, can hold workpieces up to 30 mm in diameter. The CNC-programmed
axes index through 180° in 0.1 second, for four-axis milling.

Depending
on requirements, individual stations can be equipped with different
machining units. For example, the CNC-controlled, triple-axis machining
unit can produce a number of configured drillings, as well as perform
milling and deburring operations. Together with the C-axis, around which
the collet chucks are rotated, four-axis simultaneous machining is
possible from above as well as from a horizontal direction and also
inclined.

Fitting a CNC-controlled twin axis machining unit
provides, together with the C-axis, triple axis simultaneous machining.
For example, milling operations and drilling, from above or from a
horizontal direction. Together with the C-axis, it can also perform
outside and internal turning operations.

For small drills and mills, and for deburring the workpiece, high-speed spindles running at up to 32,000 rpm are available.

The
machine can be fitted with a CNC deep-hole drilling unit with moving
guide bushing, too. The deep-hole drilling unit works from a horizontal
direction or inclined from above, either with or without a guide
bushing. The high-pressure cooling unit can be programmed so that the
coolant is fed with increasing pressure as the depth of the drilling
increases. The maximum pressure is 120 bar, which ensures that all chips
are flushed out of the hole.

For high-precision turning,
including eccentric recesses in bores, Mikron indicates the recess unit
is a good solution. But, for many machining operations the single-axis
machining unit is sufficient. It offers an excellent price/performance
ratio and can be numerical controlled in horizontal, vertical or
inclined position.

Complete machining, including quality control
The control unit’s interface has self-explanatory graphics that provide
a reliable overview of the individual machining stations. At the same
time, it simplifies the task of programming individual processes using
the graphics. A complete range of machining operations can be programmed
and executed with up to four-axis interpolation, including milling,
turning, reaming, drilling, deep-hole drilling, tapping, outer-thread
turning, profile recessing, precision deburring, and even workpiece
washing, and minor assembly tasks.

The possibility of carrying
out tasks like 3D deburring directly on the machine means significant
cost savings. Rework, as is often necessary when complex workpieces are
deburred electro-chemically, always carries a significant cost.

However,
complete machining also includes functions like measuring and analyzing
the results. By means of continuous measurements, the machine control
unit determines in advance when the machining results are approaching
tolerance limits (for example, through tool wear or temperature
changes.) Based on these results, the control unit detects deviations
promptly and automatically for these. Defective components are detected
automatically during machining and separated at the unloading station.

The
software produces statistical data continuously from the measurements
it collects, analyzes it, and informs the machine operator of any
deviations from normal operating conditions. This in-process,
comprehensive control is important, for example, when producing
automotive components for customers with very low tolerance for rejects.
For example, the Multistar NX-24 can produce injection nozzles
completely on a single machine, rather then on two machines as formerly
necessary.

The control unit generates a predictable
machine-servicing program, based on machine data that is computed and
analyzed continuously. Then, maintenance and servicing can be scheduled
for dates when it will be least disruptive to production. Mikron’s
remote diagnostics and support reduce the time needed for service.

http://www.americanmachinist.com/304/Issue/Article/False/87760/Issue

Delcam for SolidWorks CAM software helped this engineering firm relied on to generate the complex tool paths for a prototype job that many machine shops dismissed as too difficult.