June 2008 Edition

Product Spotlight

DEBURRING AND FINISHING

Blasting Cabinet has a 36" Diameter Turntable

Guyson Corp. of U.S.A.The Model SP-10 has a 60"×60"×60" capacity with an automatic sliding door and is equipped with rails and a transfer cart that rolls in and out of the finishing enclosure under power. A 36" diameter turntable on the cart is motor-driven to rotate at controlled and adjustable speed during the programmed automatic blasting cycle. Eight suction-feed blast guns are mounted on a swing-arm actuator that provides horizontal traversing motion synchronized with the rotation of the component. Each gun is secured on a telescoping bracket that lets nozzle angles and offsets be adjusted. Designed for use with harsh mineral grit abrasives, the blast system is supplied with a cyclone separator and media reclaimer lined with abrasion-resistant urethane rubber. The reclaimer has an in-line magnetic separator to remove any burrs or metal particles from the blast media. Electronic media level sensors detect when the supply of grit is low, and the system replenishes the media from a hopper dispenser. Catch-trays under the track extension collect blasting grit carried out from the finishing chamber, and it is pneumatically conveyed back to the media reclaimer.
Guyson Corp. of U.S.A., Saratoga Springs, NY

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Deburr, Polish, Clean, and Relieve Stress in One Process

Extrude Hone Corp.The CoolPulse 200 electrolytic deburring and polishing machine deburrs, polishes, relieves stress, and cleans in one finishing process. During the process, stainless steel or aluminum workpieces are not subject to mechanical or thermal stresses. It is suited for small to medium-sized workpieces that may be inherently delicate or intricate. Typical fields of applications are medical components, orthopedic implants, and parts for the aerospace, semi-conductor, and automobile industries. CoolPulse ECM technology is applicable for almost all conventional metals and metal alloys. In the process, the workpiece to be machined is immersed in an electrolyte solution as a low voltage is applied. The proprietary electrolyte is a chilled, non-fuming, odorless, near-neutral solution. It has high electrical resistance for selectivity and discrimination for the removal of burrs and peaks on workpiece surfaces. While the system is optimized for deburring, surface and cleanliness improvements are a natural by-product of the process. It is capable of removing rough surfaces – 2.5µm to 5µm Ra – and producing smooth surfaces down to 0.1µm Ra. It produces mirror-like finishes on stainless steel and bright to matte finishes on aluminum. Average cycle times range from 15 seconds up to 3 minutes; smaller components take 10 to 15 seconds. 
Extrude Hone Corp., Irwin, PA

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Micro-abrasive System for Blasting Small Parts

Comco, Inc.The AccuFlo micro-abrasive blasting system can deburr, clean, and texture small parts. It is equipped with a patented system of mixing air and abrasive to improve flow consistency. The result is control over the volume of powder flowing through the machine. The system also features an ergonomic handpiece. A media tank features a clear top for checking of the powder level. LCD counters keep track of blast cycles and hours of use, providing milestones for maintenance. An open design with color-coded air lines and connectors facilitate regular maintenance. The AccuFlo micro-abrasive blaster ships with either a standard or tall tank, in 115V and 230V models. Micro-abrasive blasters are used for deburring, surface preparation, selective cleaning, material removal, and focused cutting in medical manufacturing, microelectronics, precision machining, and the aerospace industry. 
Comco, Inc., Burbank, CA

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Micro Brushes for Tiny Deburring

The Mill-Rose Co.Micro/mini brushes are manufactured to tolerances from 0.018" in diameter. Typical applications include microbiology and cytology sampling, cleaning endoscopes and other medical instruments, deburring, and custom-design applications for precision instruments. The micro/mini brushes are available in a range of materials that include stainless steel, brass, bronze, gold, silver, titanium, molybdenum, and other materials, as well as synthetic fibers: nylon, polyethylene, styrene, Herox, and Tynex. Bristle materials range in thickness from 0.0025"; uniform brush diameters are accurate to ±0.001". Loop handles allow use of the micro brushes in turning and handling. Brushes are also available without loop handles for power applications.
The Mill-Rose Co., Mentor, OH

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Two Deburring Tools at 1,600 ipm

Two tools are available for producing sheet metal parts that come out of the punching machine burr-free. With the deburring MultiTool, a separate manual deburring stage is no longer necessary. Both tools displace any burr by chamfering the sharp edges – about 0.004" – on the underside of the part. The roller deburring tool uses a formed embossing roll for long edges and contours with a radius of more than 0.8". In connection with the MultiShear tool – a tool for punching outer and inner contours without overlap marks – the deburring tool produces quality edges while maintaining speeds of 1,600 ipm. The three-way deburring MultiTool is suited to handle smaller radii, intricate geometries, and corners in a single stroke or in nibble mode. Both tools are suitable for punching sheet thicknesses of up to 0.10" in steel, stainless steel, and aluminum. They are controlled by the TruTops Punch programming system.
TRUMPF Power Tools, Farmington, CT

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Wet Deburring

Abtex Corp.The Tri-Ten Series includes a system that deburrs parts in a wet environment. All motors and electrical components are on the outside of the process cabinet so critical components are isolated from the wet environment. The wet system has a reservoir and filtration system at the rear of the machine for continuous circulation of coolant. Parts are placed on a conveyor, as they are in the dry Tri-Ten system. As they pass under the first planetary head, three brushes, bathed in a constant spray of coolant, deburr the top surface. Parts are then picked up by a magnetized overhead conveyor and passed over the second planetary head whose brushes are also bathed in the coolant. This head deburrs the bottom surface. The finished parts pass over a demagnetizer and exit the system.
Abtex Corp., Dresden, NY

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Combustible Deburring Dust Caught by Wet System

Dynabrade, Inc.The Wet Deburring Station offers a wet filtration system to capture potentially combustible filings and dust in an air/water mixing zone. By entrapping these particles in water, potential flammability is reduced. After pulling the filings and dust through the air/water mixing zone, the material is then disposed of as slurry. A hose drain port lets the slurry drain through a standard garden hose connection. Weighing 100 lb, the station is 21"×20"×36". The table-top design can be placed either on a countertop or a cart for transport from one work station to another. The Wet Deburring Station can be used with a separately-sold Electric Dual Grinding Wheel Machine which attaches to a grated work surface where particles reach the water. A water reservoir and float valve compensate for water evaporation. The station also includes a transparent wheel guard, which adjusts vertically to compensate for wheel wear. 
Dynabrade, Inc., Clarence, NY

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Industry News

Blue-collar Jobs Lead Employment Decline
According to information released by the National Council for Advanced Manufacturing – NACFAM – seasonally adjusted manufacturing employment was reported at 13.4 million by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in September.

NTMA and PMA Join to Strengthen Industry Advocacy
The Precision Metalforming Association, Independence, OH, and the National Tooling and Machining Association, Fort Washington, MD, are combining their federal government advocacy programs to promote the U.S. government to ensure a strong manufacturing sector.

Unemployment Trend by State
According to the Economic Policy Institute, since the economic downturn began in December 2007, the U.S. has lost more than 600,000 jobs, and the national unemployment rate has risen to a five-year high of 6.1 percent.

Manufacturing Technology Consumption Falls in July
July U.S. manufacturing technology consumption totaled $303.44 million, according to the American Machine Tool Distributors’ Association and the Association For Manufacturing Technology. This total, as reported by companies participating in the U.S. Manufacturing Technology Consumption – USMTC – program, was down 21.5 percent from June but up 5.7 percent from the total of $287 million reported for July 2007.

GE Fanuc Backs MTConnect
GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms, a unit of GE Enterprise Solutions, Japan, announced its support of MTConnect, a new communication protocol to link machine tools from varying suppliers around the world.

Flow Executes Definitive Agreement in Omax Merger
Flow International Corp., Kent, WA, a developer and manufacturer of industrial waterjet machines, executed a definitive agreement to merge with OMAX Corp., Kent, WA. OMAX was a privately-held provider of waterjet systems.

Dimension 3D Printing Provides $400,000 in Grants to Schools
The Dimension 3D Printing Group, Minneapolis, a business unit of Stratasys, Inc., gave more than $400,000 to schools across the nation to underwrite the purchase of 3D printing systems for the 2008-09 school year.

PennEngineering and Peninsula Components Announce Patent Fight Agreement
The patent infringement suit brought by PennEngineering & Manufacturing Corp., Danboro, PA, against Peninsula Components, Inc., San Carlos, CA, was settled.

Shuttle Follow-on Builder Chooses PLM Software
Siemens PLM Software, Plano, TX, announced Space Exploration Technologies – SpaceX – a privately-held leading space launch vehicle developer and services provider, standardized on Siemens’ NX and Teamcenter software for product design, simulation, and product data management.

Lincoln Electric Opens Automation Center
The Lincoln Electric Co., arc welding products manufacturer, opened its Automation Center of Excellence on October 23, adjacent to its Cleveland headquarters. The 100,000 ft2 facility showcases the company’s robotic welding solutions.

Association For Manufacturing Technology Elects New Board of Directors
The Association for Manufacturing Technology – AMT – elected its 2008-2009 officers and directors at its 2008 Annual Meeting in Austin, TX.

Some Good News in a Sour Economy
There may be at least three silver linings in the dark cloud of global economic crisis, according to a Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, Rockford, IL, economic consultant.