Recently added articles from Modern Applications News:
'Future shock?' We ain't got no steenking future shock: we've come a long way in almost 40 years. Not only do we expect change, we demand it.(EDITOR'S CORNER)
May 01, 2009; ... Back in the 1970s, Alvin Toffler, a futurist--whatever that is--wrote a book entitled Future Shock. It was about how change, both technologically and culturally, was happening so fast that people were being shocked by not only the changes, but the rate of change as well. He described it as ...
It's not a tangled web: establishing a shop's basic presence on the web is easy and can help grow a unique business identity.(BUILDING THE 21ST CENTURY JOB SHOP)
May 01, 2009; ... Manufacturing has seen remarkable advances in how products and goods are manufactured, especially since the introduction of the personal computer. It has fueled obvious advancements such as CAD and CAM, but also in the way vendors and customers communicate. It's important for a shop to ...
Probing the unknown: use of a measuring probe and CNC measuring cycles can make life much easier than finding the zero point manually.(CONTROLLING INTEREST)
May 01, 2009; ... In CNC production, it is common to measure tools and workpieces by hand on the machine. The zero point is determined by scratching, and the values are entered into the CNC system. This method is prone to error and is expensive and time-consuming. It also requires a steady hand. Using a ...
Formulating success--part III: dealing with offshore competition, and winning, means examining what a company does best and then formulating a strategy to play to that strength. This is the third of a three-part series.(GROWING THE JOB SHOP)
May 01, 2009; ... The prices quoted by offshore sources look so attractive that many manufacturers believe there is no way to compete by remaining in the U.S. Here is part three of an example of a company--Baldor Electric Co., Fort Smith, AR,--that not only is facing offshore competition, but winning. ...
Industrial distribution market weak, but may be stabilizing.(Industry News)
May 01, 2009 ... A survey of industrial distributors shows weak markets, but also a possible stabilization in the industrial sector based upon an uptick during the January-February time frame, according to Longbow Research analyst Eli Lustgarten. Among industrial distributors surveyed, 21 ...
Gibbs and Associates celebrates quarter-century mark.(Industry News)
May 01, 2009 ... Gibbs and Associates, Moorpark, CA, celebrated the 25th year of its founding. The company is the developer of GibbsCAM software for programming CNC machine tools. The company began in 1984 and merged with Cimatron Ltd., Novi, MI, in January 2008. ...
Employment Trend Index drops.(Industry News)
May 01, 2009 ... The Conference Board Employment Trends Index--ETI--fell in March. The index now stands at 90.1, decreasing 2.3 percent from the February revised figure of 92.2, and down 22.1 percent from a year ago. "While we see a continued sharp fall in the ETI, the decline was not as strong ...
Delcam had record year in 2008.(Industry News)
May 01, 2009 ... Delcam announced it achieved record sales for calendar year 2008. Sales grew to $48.4 million, an increase of 11 percent more than the $43.7 million recorded in 2007. Pre-tax profit rose to $3.32 million compared with the $3.16 million last year. The company continued to ...
Behringer Saw marks 20th anniversary.(INDUSTRY NEWS)
May 01, 2009 ... Boosted by record sales levels in 2008, Behringer Saws, Morgantown, PA, celebrated its 20th year of North American operations. Behringer supplies automatic bandsawing, marking, punching, drilling, shearing systems, and circular cold saws. Incorporated in the U.S ....
Some markets healthy despite recession.(INDUSTRY NEWS)
May 01, 2009 ... Despite the recession, U.S. businesses see opportunities in new markets, green initiatives, and sectors such as biotech, energy, and aerospace and defense. According to a survey, by GlobalSpec--www.globalspec. com--"How Industrial Companies Can Succeed in the Current Economy," there are ...
Manufacturing technology takes big dip in new year.(INDUSTRY NEWS)
May 01, 2009 ... January U.S. manufacturing technology consumption totaled $94.95 million, according to the American Machine Tool Distributors' Association--AMTDA--and The Association For Manufacturing Technology--AMT. The total, as reported by companies participating in the United States Manufacturing ...
The old resenter.(The Bull of the Woods)(Cartoon)
May 01, 2009; ... I DON'T THINK THEY SHOULD PUT IN ANY MODERN MACHINES TILL THEY GET RID OF ALL THE OLD ONES! OL' DODE IS KILLIN' HIMSELF TRYIN' TO PROVE TH' NEW IS NO BETTER THAN THE OLD! ...
Haas Scholarship fund kicks in $200k for education.(INDUSTRY NEWS)
May 01, 2009 ... The Gene Haas Foundation, Dearborn, MI, provided a $200,000 grant to the SME Education Foundation to help qualified students interested in machine operation and maintenance coursework take advantage of their Gene Haas Foundation Machining Technology Scholarship. High school ...
Grinding firm marks half-century mark.(INDUSTRY NEWS)
May 01, 2009 ... Unison Corp., Ferndale, MI, celebrates 50 years in business since its founding in ...
Hardinge gets 10 megabuck loan.(INDUSTRY NEWS)
May 01, 2009 ... Hardinge Inc., Elmira, NY, announced on March 16, that it entered into a financing arrangement with Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company--M&T. Under the agreement, M&T provided Hardinge with a $10 million term loan which is secured by the company's U. S. assets, as well as two thirds of ...
NASA picks "retro" heat shield material.(INDUSTRY NEWS)
May 01, 2009 ... NASA has chosen the material for a heat shield that will protect a next generation of space explorers when they return from the moon. After extensive study, NASA has selected the Avcoat ablator system for the Orion crew module. Orion is part of the Constellation Program that is ...
The need for speed: graphite molds answered the need to get a housing to market quickly and inexpensively.(MATERIALS)
May 01, 2009 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Thinking outside of the box," has become a cliche, but for the Siemens Energy and Automation plant in Nashua, NH, it was a literal requirement. The box in question was the housing for the SIMATIC HawkEye 1600T machine vision camera it was developing ....
In a tight fix: the advantages of modular fixturing for welding offer shops hidden advantages.(WORKHOLDING)
May 01, 2009 ... Framing squares, chalk, tape measures, levels, piano wire, and a stout hammer are the basic tools for an experienced welder. The good welders have amassed a collection of special tools gathered over the years that makes their jobs easier. It is the evolution of these special tools into a ...
Reducing hub hubbub: a deburring solution for 80-lb hubs of earth-movers shaved 20 minutes off of each part's production.(DEBURRING)
May 01, 2009 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Skyway Precision, a CNC machining operation, was a shop experienced in producing automotive components, but when faced with a job machining hubs for earth-moving machines it moved into unknown territory. Deburring the hubs proved to be more expensive and ...
Splitting airs: with the addition of a waterjet, a shop expanded its business into NASCAR aerodynamic components, and it ended with a profit race to the bottom line.(WATERJET)(Company overview)
May 01, 2009 ... Versatility is a necessity for success. For ITEN Industries, versatility meant looking beyond normal machine tools to solve a problem it faced dealing with a new material. Founded in 1922, ITEN, based in Ashtabula, OH, is a vertically-integrated plastic parts producer with the ...