VIP, February 2007

February 20, 2007
NEWSLETTER SPONSOR Makino

Makino— a leading manufacturer of horizontal and vertical machining centers and EDM machines — has announced a new series of online Webinars. Designed for shops of all types and sizes, the seminars are free to anyone who registers. The planned seminars are intended for shops in the automotive, aerospace, medical product and die and mold industries. In addition to metal cutting and die/mold, the seminars will cover new technologies, such as micromachining. Mark Rentschler, marketing manager, says, "Online seminars allow anyone with an Internet connection to attend without losing a day of work." The seminars concentrate on shop efficiency, lean manufacturing, asset utilization, machine tool integration and automation, machine tool technologies, and metal cutting processes. Makino's application engineers, product managers and guest speakers will give presentations. Click here for more info on upcoming seminars and registration information.

The Care of Spindles

Good spindle maintenance can help a shop to keep it machines up and running, and contributes to the production of high quality parts. This series of articles discusses spindle care and design, and techniques that will help shops to keep their spindles in good working order. Precision care for high-speed spindles High speed spindles are application specific, sophisticated, delicate and expensive. Here is how one manufacturer and supplier ensure high-speed spindles are optimally designed for their applications, and users know how to get the performance they expect while protecting their spindle investments. Read more. Spindle-alignment kit Pinpoint Laser Systems Inc. has a spindle alignment kit made to check parallelism, concentricity and wear on spindles, lathes and boring equipment. Read more. Five-minute spindle change A special spindle design gets old spindles out, new spindles in, and machines back in the cut. Read more. New spindle designs for high-speed machining A four year, $7.5-million spindle-development project headed by The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS), Ann Arbor, Mich., has ended with the development of three new spindle designs for high-speed machine tools. These new high-performance spindle prototypes represent both the rolling-element and fluid-film families. Read more. High-speed spindles with synchronous motors meet many machining needs Many shops dealing with a variety of jobs need spindles that handle an entire machining operation on a single-spindle machine. For instance, applications may range from driving small-diameter, high-speed tools for micromachining and superfinishing to handling large-diameter tools and taps. An increasingly important spindle feature is the ability to stop at predesignated positions for thread cutting without an adapter collet or for reading barcodes using scanners that identify tools by reading marked toolholders. Read more. FEATURED ADVERTISER JobBOSS

Exact JobBOSS is an effective and affordable software system for job shops / custom manufacturers. It provides them with the flexibility they need to respond to the day-in and day-out changes to schedule dates, quantities and part specifications. And the visibility and control they need to compete and win! Learn more about JobBOSS with one click. Or call 1-800-777-4334 to talk with one of our job shop experts.

American Machinist Benchmarking Survey 2007

American Machinist is conducting its annual Benchmarking Survey, sponsored by IMTS. We use this survey to compile the largest body of performance benchmark data available on machine shop operations. Key findings from the study are reported in the magazine and American Machinist.com throughout the year. The results enable managers, like you, to compare your facilities to industry norms and gain a competitive edge in today's challenging business environment. Go to www.AMBsurvey.com before March 12, 2007 to take the survey.

Practical Machinist Metalworking Forum

Does anyone still hand-grind tools? "I know inserts are great but when you need a part in a rush hand grinding can save the day. Is it a lost art?" What to do with shavings? "I have lots of shavings tangled with trash and contaminated with shop dirt and way oil. What can I do with them?" Unsticking aluminum threads "Does anybody have a good trick for unsticking frozen aluminum threads? We can't apply too much force without breaking the whole unit."

SUBSCRIBER UPDATE

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Hot Products

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AMERICAN MACHINIST DIGITAL EDITION

Now you can get the latest edition of American Machinist delivered directly to your PC. Click here to learn more about the digital edition.

American Machinist's Machine Shop Workshop

Use Data. Get more competitive. Increase profit. Machine shop managers will learn a systematic approach to improve operations by using AM′s benchmarking tools for Operations, Customer Satisfaction, Finance and Human Resources. Attendees leave with a plan to achieve continuous improvement, and a differentiating business strategy. Don′t miss this opportunity to improve your business. Held in Cleveland, November 7-9, 2007 at the Marriott at Key Center. Click here to register.

Case Study

11 Criteria For Selecting The Best ERP System Replacement It's no light matter to replace your Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. By definition, the ERP system is your information backbone and reaches into all areas of your business and value-chain. Read more.

Learn How Kaizen Can Help You Reduce Energy Waste

In a special breakout session at the IW Best Plants Conference - Marco Antonio Nascimento, Senior Management Consultant for TBM Consulting Group-will show you how to generate savings and improve efficiencies despite the onslaught of today's escalating energy costs. For more information or to register for the IW Best Plants Conference April 24-25, 2007 at the Indiana Convention Center & RCA Dome go to: www.iwbestplants.com.