Cmw september2014 de by Annex Business Media

WHERE WE STAND Dennis DesRosiers on Canada’s auto future - p32

SEPTEMBER 2014

THE NEED FOR SPEED Why cutting parameters are crucial - p36

WELDING’S DRIVING FORCE Auto industry advancements - p74

UNDERSTANDING THE CUT Cost effective bandsaw cutting - p88

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Keep the green light on Automotive transmission Whether you are manufacturing shafts, gears or any other transmission components, your focus is probably to achieve an optimized and safe machining process. With the high level of automation and intense hunt for cost savings in the automotive transmission industry, there is just no room for production break-downs and components with poor quality. Ask us for productive tools and machining solutions for your production and component.

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SEPTEMBER 2014 ß VOL. 109 ß NO. 7

www.canadianmetalworking.com

A LOOK INSIDE SPECIAL ISSUE: AUTOMOTIVE MANUFACTURING IN CANADA FEATURES WHERE WE STAND — 32 Dennis DesRosiers on Canada’s automotive future

THE NEED FOR SPEED — 36 Why cutting parameters are so crucial

THE EXPERTS WEIGH IN — 40 Extending cutting tool life in mass production/ automotive settings

AUTOMOTIVE MANUFACTURING IN CANADA — 26

AUTOMATED AUTOMOTIVE ASSEMBLY — 46 Chrysler’s Brampton plants are ahead of the curve

COMPETING IN A NICHE MARKET — 50

Innovation blossoms yet production dips

How Trovac Industries is going against the current

A HOT SPOT FOR A FULL-SERVICE SHOP — 54 J/E Bearing and Machine, Tillsonburg, ON

TRUE TRACEABILITY — 58 Measuring for the root cause of a problem

RUST BEGONE — 62 Automation changes automotive finishing

32 36 50

54 46 www.canadianmetalworking.com

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 SEPTEMBER 2014 | 7

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SEPTEMBER 2014 ß VOL. 109 ß NO. 7

www.canadianmetalworking.com

A LOOK INSIDE FEATURES (CONT.)

THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND WELDING — 74 The auto industry has been steering welding advancements

UNDERSTANDING THE CUT — 88 What factors are affecting the cost of cutting?

AUTOMATED DEBURRING SPEEDS THROUGHPUT — 97

100

Abrasive technology finishes in one operation

SUCCESS BY SINTERING, PART 2 — 100 Rational expectations for 3D printing

UPCOMING @ CANADIAN METALWORKING The October issue of Canadian Metalworking will feature Canada’s metal fabrication industry with a look at the upcoming FABTECH show.

DEPARTMENTS VIEW FROM THE FLOOR — 10 NEWS — 12

Right now, on our website, www.canadianmetalworking.com, visit our “Product News” section on the homepage to see FABTECH 2014 Previews for the November show. And don’t forget to follow along and engage with us on social media – look for us on Twitter, Google+, and Facebook!

KEN HURWITZ ON FINANCE — 25 BUSINESS OF WELDING — 69 WELDING NEWS — 70 SUCCESSION PLANNING — 78 BY THE NUMBERS — 106 8 | SEPTEMBER 2014

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www.canadianmetalworking.com

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“With the FOM2 RI, we have secured new business while meeting the ever-changing demands of our current customers.” — Calvin Schmidt, President Schmidt Laserworks

Quickly Change From Flatbed Laser Cutting to Tube in Minutes. No Handling. No Jigs. No Problem.

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Located in Edmonton, Alberta, Schmidt Laserworks has earned a reputation as a single source provider of laser processing and precision metal fabrication. That reputation was challenged as a growing number of existing customers were sending parts to machine shops to process holes and cutouts in tubes. To retain current customers while adding capabilities to attract new business, Schmidt Laserworks turned to the technology leader. Amada provided the FOM2 RI laser with an integrated Rotary Index. Calvin Schmidt, President of Schmidt Laserworks, reflects on that investment. “Purchasing a hybrid machine ensures us maximum flexibility. We can go from processing tube, change to cutting flat, and back to tube, with only minutes of setup between jobs. We can also supplement the production of our other flatbed lasers when needed.”

Amada’s FOM2 RI laser with Rotary Index provides: • Process Range Expansion (The FOM2 RI can process round, square, rectangle, C-channel, and angle iron, making it the most versatile Rotary Index laser available). • Reduced Scrap (The ability to nest parts in 20 ft. lengths has minimized or eliminated scrap — resolving a costly problem associated with processing parts on a bandsaw).

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• Maximum Productivity (Previously, holes were drilled or parts were fixed into jigs on a flatbed laser. One side was processed at a time and parts were turned manually which required running multiple programs. Complex jigs were built, which also required storage for future use). Reflecting on the decision to choose Amada, Schmidt states, “We’re always looking for a competitive advantage. Purchasing the FOM2 RI has once again raised the bar, placing Schmidt Laserworks at the forefront of laser cutting solutions and positioning us as a premier, one-stop metal fabrication service provider.”

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VIEW FROM THE FLOOR

NOT GOODBYE, BUT SEE YOU LATER

I’m happy to report that the risk-adverse, technologically conservative, inward-focused job shop or manufacturing plant is almost extinct.

hange, for individuals and corporations is inevitable and managed correctly, beneficial. Despite the Great Recession triggered by the 2008 banking fiasco and persistent pressure from low wage manufacturing regions like China and Mexico, Canadian companies in our sector have responded better and faster than anyone imagined possible. One of the best parts of editing a magazine like Canadian Metalworking has been the ability to visit excellent Canadian businesses from coast–to-coast and see firsthand how they’re succeeding. It may be a generational shift, relentless cost pressures or the disappearance of weaker players, but integration of multiaxis CNC technology, ERP software and extensive use of the Internet is widespread, down to the smallest shop. It’s heartening to see. Interest rates are low, and machine financing is cheaper than it’s been in a generation. The equipment in turn, is easier to program, more versatile and more reliable. Reshoring is now an entrenched fact with many shops (southwestern Ontario’s mold makers come to mind) actively winning back customers lost to Chinese and Mexican competition. This win is not simply based on price..it’s about quality and delivery, which is key to building sustainable, profitable operations in the long term. Challenges? They’re still there, primarily the skilled labour issue, but advances in machine automation are removing much of

PUBLISHER STEVE DEVONPORT 416.442.5125 fl sdevonport@canadianmetalworking.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER ROB SWAN 416.510.5225, cell 416.725.0145 fl rswan@canadianmetalworking.com ACCOUNT MANAGER NICHOLAS HEALEY 416.442.5600 x3642 fl nhealey@canadianmetalworking.com EDITOR JIM ANDERTON 416.510.5148 fl janderton@canadianmetalworking.com ASSOCIATE/WEB EDITOR LINDSAY LUMINOSO 416.442.5600 x3645 fl lluminoso@canadianmetalworking.com EDITORIAL DIRECTOR LISA WICHMANN 416.442.5600 x5101 fl lwichmann@canadianmanufacturing.com ART DIRECTOR STEWART THOMAS 416-442-5600 x3212 fl sthomas@bizinfogroup.ca CIRCULATION MANAGER SELINA RAHAMAN 416.442.5600 x3528 fl srahaman@bizinfogroup.ca

the need for highly skilled workers in many operations. I recently visited a medium-sized shop with 6 part-time designers, none of whom were engineers. They were producing outstanding work using a common CAD/CAM platform, but derived their expertise from the shop floor. The ability of non-engineers to perform some of the tasks usually handled by P.E’s suggests a new “democratization” of the design/build process: like the computer software billionaires, making things can now be tackled by people who would never be given a chance to get involved in the product lifecycle in the “old days.” With very few exceptions, change in our industry has been a good thing. At Canadian Metalworking we’re changing too. Many readers have noticed our new look, and starting next issue, CMW will have a new editor, as I’m moving over to a new position with an engineering website. It’s been my pleasure to edit this magazine and to our crew here and more importantly, to you readers of Canadian Metalworking, thank you for making this a tremendously satisfying and interesting magazine to produce. For many of you, I’ll see you in my new role, and I expect to attend many of our industry trade shows, so if you see me on the floor, be sure to say hello…it’s not “good-bye,” it’s “see you later!”

JIM ANDERTON, EDITOR janderton@canadianmetalworking.com

HOW TO REACH US Published by BIG Magazines LP, a division of Glacier BIG Holdings Company Ltd. 80 Valleybrook Drive, North York, ON M3B 2S9 Phone: 416.442.5600 fl Fax: 416.510.5140 CM, established: 1905 is published 9 times per year by BIG Magazines LP, a division of Glacier BIG Holdings Company Ltd. SUBSCRIPTION RATES Canada $55.00 per year, Outside Canada $90.00 US per year, Single Copy Canada $8.00. RETURN UNDELIVERABLE TO CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON M3B 2S9 All rights reserved. Printed in Canada. The contents of the publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, either in part or in full, including photocopying and recording, without the written consent of the copyright owner. Nor may any part of this publication be stored in a retrieval system of any nature without prior written consent.

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PRESIDENT OF BUSINESS INFORMATION GROUP BRUCE CREIGHTON VICE-PRESIDENT OF CANADIAN PUBLISHING ALEX PAPANOU EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER, MANUFACTURING TIM DIMOPOULOS

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CM accepts no responsibility or liability for claims made for any product or service reported or advertised in this issue. DISCLAIMER This publication is for informational purposes only. The content and “expert” advice presented are not intended as a substitute for informed professional engineering advice. You should not act on information contained in this publication without seeking specific advice from qualified engineering professionals. PRIVACY NOTICE From time to time we make our subscription list available to select companies and organizations whose product or service may interest you. If you do not wish your contact information to be made available, please contact us via one of the following methods: Phone: 1.800.668.2374 Fax: 416.442.2191 Email: jhunter@businessinformationgroup.ca Mail to: Privacy Office, 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON M3B 2S9 Canadian Publications Mail Agreement: 40069240 ISSN: 0008-4379 We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage.

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IN THE NEWS

2014 AEROSPACE, DEFENCE AND SECURITY EXPO: MAJOR GOVERNMENT AND INDUSTRY ANNOUNCEMENTS

he Canadian aerospace industry is made up of over 700 companies nationally and is an important contributor to the Canadian economy. Currently, Canada ranks third in terms of global civil aircraft production, with forecasts predicting it will outperform global production by 2021. On August 7-8, 2014, Abbotsford held Canada’s only expo affiliated with a major airshow, connecting industry professionals and government representatives in an effort to strengthen Canadian aerospace, defence, and security sectors, while promoting national manufacturing of commercial and industrial aircraft. According to The State of the Aerospace Industry: 2014 Report, Canada offers a diversified space system manufacturing sector with close to 50 per cent of its revenue dedicated to commercial and industrial activities. Canada is a leader when it comes to manufacturing aircraft, with over 70 per cent of industry activity related to manufacturing. Quebec made up more than half of Canada’s direct GDP in aerospace manufacturing according

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to 2013 Industry Canada reports. However, Atlantic Canada was the fastest growing region in aerospace manufacturing between 2008-13. The aerospace industry ranks first in productivity and strategic importance over total manufacturing. Major manufacturers include Bell Helicopter Textron, with its Mirabel, QC plant; Bombardier, with manufacturing sites in Dorval, Mirabel, La Pocatière, Saint-Laurent, QC and Kingston, North Bay, Thunder Bay, and Toronto, ON; CAE with a manufacturing facility in Saint-Laurent, QC; Pratt & Whitney Canada with plants in Longueuil and Mirabel, QC, Mississauga and Ottawa, ON; Lethbridge, AB, and Halifax, NS. The ADSE stressed the importance of all geographic areas of the aerospace industry with a need for further development to be taken in Western Canada. At the ADSE in Abbotsford, this year’s event saw approximately 400 attendees and delegates, with 47 exhibitors. Twenty-nine provincial and federal government representatives participated, highlighting the importance not only of the ADSE but also the aerospace sector’s signifi-

cance as a national initiative. Both government and key aerospace industry leaders made announcements that promise to affect the Canadian aerospace industry. One of the largest announcements came from the Honorable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade (on Hon. James Moore’s behalf). He announced that government funding in the amount of $30 million for research and technology development would be given to the Consortium for Aerospace Research and Innovation in Canada (CARIC). British Columbian government representatives spoke to exhibitors on provincial support for the aerospace industry, including its recent $5 million dollar commitment and its partnership with the Aerospace Industry Association of Canada (AIAC) Pacific. “Asia Pacific is a key market for Canada’s aerospace industry. Companies located on the west coast are perfectly situated to take advantage of this opportunity, which is made even greater by the B.C. government’s recent funding contribution,” said Jim Quick, president and CEO of AIAC. www.canadianmetalworking.com

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IN THE NEWS

CANADA’S FIRST ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING AND ADVANCED MANUFACTURING CENTRE Additive manufacturing is a growing industry in Canada. Although it is not expected to have the same economic impact as traditional, largescale manufacturing, the technology is innovative and will help create jobs and keep Canada on the cutting edge of industry advancement. 3D printers are being used to produce parts and prototypes in a vast range of industries, which include aerospace, automotive, and medical manufacturing. As the technology continues to grow and advancements in machinery continue to improve, soon Canada will see an influx of additive manufactured products. One way that Canada is working to stay competitive is through its SMART program. In 2012/13, $19 million in funding was provided by Canada’s Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev) and was administered by Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters to help support companies working with additive technology. This program was successful and is expected to have renewed success in 2014. The manufacturing industry

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needs to adapt to fit the growing interest and development in additive manufacturing processes. Recently, there has been an influx in companies entering into the 3D printing venture. In May 2014, TRUMPF announced that it will partner with SISMA S.p.A., Italy’s biggest laser manufacturer, to co-develop the latest generation production system for 3D printing of metal components. And in July, Hurco Companies announced that it filed a U.S. patent application for its new technology combining 3D printing and CNC machining. This August, Burloak Engineered Solutions announced its 5-year plan to invest $11.5 million to establish Canada’s first full production additive manufacturing and advanced manufacturing centre. They plan to offer a facility featuring Canada’s first production direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) system for metal printing. The focus for their investment will include aerospace, defence, energy, medical, architectural, automotive and industrial manufacturing sectors.

EOS’s M290, a laser sintering machine for industrial applications. PHOTO: EOS

Burloak Engineering Solutions is already ISO9001:2008 certified and will be AS9100 and ISO17025 registered by the end of 2014. They have already commissioned the first round of machines. EOS will provide DMLS 3D printers, while Elliott Matsuura will provide 3, 4, 5-axis machining and CMM systems. The project is slated to begin production in mid-August 2014. The company has rebranded under the name Burloak Technologies Inc., to accommodate both its Advanced Manufacturing and Engineered Solutions subsidiaries.

www.canadianmetalworking.com

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IN THE NEWS

THE METALWORKING MANUFACTURING & PRODUCTION EXPO IS BACK IN 2015 Canadian Metalworking is pleased to announce the return of the Metalworking Manufacturing & Production Expo (MMP Expo), for 2015. After great success in previ-

ous years, this event will once again return to Coquitlam, B.C. at the Hard Rock Casino on May 5, 2015. MMP Expo will also be expanding to Winnipeg, MB at the Victoria Inn and

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Conference Centre on April 7, 2015. “We are thrilled to once again returning to Coquitlam for our third edition of the MMP Expo. Our expansion into Winnipeg was initiated by our sponsors and a large number of our exhibitors that are interested in exploring new opportunities in that market,” said Rob Swan, Associate Publisher of Canadian Metalworking magazine. “Manitoba is similar to B.C. in that there are no metalworking shows to speak of. We expect a very enthusiastic and engaged audience and look forward to premiering this event in Winnipeg on April 7th.” This new location is part of an initiative to reach out to smaller yet important markets to Canadian manufacturing. The shows in Coquitlam and Winnipeg will offer a one-day event with the opportunity for networking and interacting with manufacturing professionals from various areas of the industry. Attendees will get the chance to explore exhibits from machine tool, cutting tool, fabricating, welding, quality, and finishing industries. “[We are] very excited about the addition of the 2015 Metalworking Manufacturing Tabletop Show in Winnipeg. Like Vancouver, the Winnipeg market has not been exposed to machine tool shows,” said www.canadianmetalworking.com

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IN THE NEWS

Frank Bolieiro, Vice-President Sales & Marketing of Elliott Matsuura Canada Inc. “The Winnipeg Tabletop Show will provide Elliott and our suppliers the opportunity to reach out to our customer base in the region. We are expecting the same level of success we experienced the last two years in Vancouver.”

Elliott, Mazak, Renishaw, Sandvik and TRUMPF are all returning as sponsors for the shows in 2015. This expo offers free admission and will cover a wide range of industry-related topics, including the latest trends in aerospace, automotive, medical, shipbuilding, energy and resources, and other manufacturing work. Guests will be able to explore company exhibits and meet industry leaders. Don’t forget that the Windsor, ON MMP Expo will be held on October 23, 2014, at the Ciociaro Club. To register for the up-coming shows or for more information, visit: www.mmpshow.com www.canadianmetalworking.com

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IN THE NEWS

STATSCAN REPORTS INCREASE IN MANUFACTURING SALES For the fifth time in six months, Statistics Canada is reporting that manufacturing sales rose to $52 billion. This is a 0.6 per cent increase in June and a 6.9 per cent increase over the previous Juneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s figures. This is primarily due to non-durable sales goods, although the machinery industry also contributed to the growth, with an increase of 1.2 per cent. Alberta saw the greatest increase in sales primarily in mining and oil and gas equipment. Quebec and Alberta led the provinces in sales, while Ontario lagged behind. This is due to an 8.5 per cent drop in motor vehicle sales in June, although July reports are promising. Excluding the motor vehicle industry, sales

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including all subsectors, saw losses across the board with the exception of railroad rolling stock and ship and boat building. Inventories rose 0.5 per cent to $72.2 billion in June, Statistics Canada says. Industry-specific data shows the aerospace products and parts SOURCE STATISTICS CANADA industry had lower unfilled orders, down 2 per cent, which caused an overall drop in this category. New orders rose 0.6 per cent to $51.7 billion in June as a result of gains in just over half of the 21 categorized manufacturing industries. Overall, these numbers reflect a strengthening and growing manufacturing sector.

for the province were up 0.5 per cent. In terms of manufacturing sectors, the primary metal sales were up 1.7 per cent from the previous month. Fabricated metal products dropped by 0.9 per cent; however, grew just under 10 per cent from the same time last year. Transportation equipment,

www.canadianmetalworking.com

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IN THE NEWS

DEMAND FOR RAIL TRANSPORT CREATES OPPORTUNITIES This year has seen its share of reports that tank and freight cars are in high demand. Many industries are facing transportation challenges when it comes to moving their products or commodities. As of now, rail has been a fairly popular method, largely due to its availability and feasibility over other methods. However, as more industries are relying on rail as a primary method of transportation, the infrastructure is no longer able to meet the demands. Currently, the rail industry is facing a supply challenge. Older rail cars are no longer deemed operational, new regulations are forcing working cars off the tracks, and there is an overall lack of supply to meet the growing demand.

www.canadianmetalworking.com

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The oil industry in Canada is feeling the effects of shortages in rail transportation. According to the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, there is an increased demand for tank cars to transport crude oil due to the current status of proposed

major pipeline expansions such as Keystone XL, the Trans Mountain Expansion, Enbridge’s Northern Gateway Project and TransCanada’s proposed Energy East Pipeline. Because none of these projects are yet

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IN THE NEWS

in the construction phase growth in demand for rail capacity is expected to continue in the near future with significant loading capacity coming into service before 2016. The oil industry needs a way to move its product while the pipelines are being constructed. There is an increase in demand that the current rail industry isn’t able to meet. Another reason demand is increasing both in Canadian and American markets is due to new regulation. The U.S. and Canada have set standards on tank cars that require an increase puncture-resistance. The challenge is whether or not to retrofit older cars or just go with new ones. Again, either way, this will keep demand up. Canada set a threeyear deadline to replace or retrofit 65,000 tank cars that carry flammable materials. In the U.S. rail regulators have not yet set a deadline

but are expected to adopt tougher standards by the end of the year. What does this mean for the Canadian rail industry? Major rail companies in Canada will begin to ramp up production, requiring more skilled workers to meet demands. One of the most recent reports demonstrating this changing labour climate is at Hamilton’s National Steel Car plant. The company recently announced that it is looking to add hundreds of new employees to its facility in order to meet the increasing demand for tank and freight cars. In December 2013, the company laid off over 400 of its employees, all of which are being recalled, according to reports. In just under a year, the demand for rail cars increased so much so that the company was forced to make drastic changes to its production and labour force.

Overall, National Steel Car is looking for approximately 300 new workers, many of the positions are for welders, but other skilled tradespeople are needed. The demand for skilled tradespeople is so great that the company is even opening its own welding school. The two-week certified training course will allow the company to compete with the growing industry demands while generating a skilled workforce. Many industries are now focusing on rail as a primary or alternative method for transport. In Canada, this spells great news for skilled tradespeople as educational and job opportunities are also growing. With the addition of new jobs in the industry, Canadian rail companies will be able to supply other major industries with the transportation they need to support their businesses and customers.

“CANADIAN INNOVATION DAY” AT FORD MOTOR COMPANY The Consulate General of Canada, in partnership with Export Development Canada (EDC) and the APMA, will host a unique opportunity to showcase Canadian automotive capabilities. On October 13, 2014, “Canadian Innovation Day” will be held at Ford Motor Company in Cologne, Germany. This is an opportunity for Canadian automotive suppliers and research organizations to showcase their work. Participants will have the chance to speak key Ford Purchasing and Engineering personnel located in Germany who oversee engineering and procurement activities globally. Ford Motor Company is interested in learning about the new suppliers, existing clients with new or alternative product offerings, and research groups with innovations to showcase. This event will take place on the eve of the IZB Trade Fair in Wolfsburg, Germany. All Canadian companies are welcome, whether they are exhibiting at IZB or not. Opportunities such as this have proven to be highly successful for participants in the past. Some of the following research areas include: fuel efficiency technologies, vehicle safety, cost and weight reduction, electrification, and advanced materials.

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www.canadianmetalworking.com

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IN THE NEWS

AMEXPO 2014 WILL FEATURE RAPID CANADA CONFERENCE On September 23-24, 2014, the additive manufacturing/3D printing community can attend this year’s RAPID conference & expo in Mississauga, ON at the Additive Manufacturing Expo. Located at The International Centre, Hall 5, attendees will have an opportunity to research and source the latest equipment, materials and services in additive manufacturing/3D printing and 3D scanning. The additive manufacturing, also called 3D printing, industry in Canada is getting a lot of notice recently. The technology is gaining interest and attention with new initiatives and developments taking

shape. The RAPID event hopes to showcase new and upcoming developments in the industry. The RAPID Canada show floor will include OEMs, service bureaus, and related technology consultants and partners. The keynote presentation is on 3D printing for Hollywood, by Jason Lopes, Lead Systems Engineer for Legacy Effects. A panel discussion by the Government of Canadian will look at the “Power of Partnerships.” Panelists include Ursula Gobel of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC); Denis Godin of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

(NSERC); Milena Sejnoha, of the National Research Council Canada (NRC). They will look at exploring federal initiatives and collaborative projects in additive manufacturing. Don’t miss RAPID Conference & Exposition at AMExpo 2014!

THE APMA TO RETURN TO THE CANADIAN AEROSPACE SUMMIT The Canadian Aerospace Summit is set to take place on November 18-19, 2014 in Ottawa, Ontario. The conference offers four unique and distinct events to meet the growing needs of the aerospace industry. One of the significant offerings includes a B2B and Tradeshow matchmaking program which connects prime contractors with potential suppliers. For the third year in a row, AUTO21 is partner-

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ing with the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada to host an automotive pavilion at the Canadian Aerospace Summit. There are over 1,000 participants at this event, many of which are looking for potential partners. According to the Automotive Parts Manufacturer’s Association (APMA), the auto industry suppliers have been specifically asked to participate. The AUTO21 pavilion

will offer members of the APMA a chance to showcase their abilities and connect with aerospace professionals in a push to create partnerships and potential business contacts. The pavilion will offer booth space in the specifically branded automotive cluster on the trade show floor. For the third year in a row, this will give automotive suppliers a chance to diversify their applications.

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14-09-05 1:09 PM

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FINANCE

AVOIDING THE PANIC OF LAST-MINUTE MACHINERY UPGRADES Postponing the decision can lead to higher costs and lost orders BY KEN HURWITZ

y entire profes-profes sional career has been in the machine tool industry and over the years, I’ve made numerous contacts in the U.S., Europe, and the Far East. One of the questions I’ve always been asked is “why are Canadians so price conscious?” In most other countries, particuparticu larly the U.S. and Japan, you’ll find the typical buyer is brand-loyal and will not only buy the same brand but also pay a premium. As a seller of equipment, I’ve never found this approach to be consistent in Canada. I’ve walked through many shops over the years, including very good customers of ours, and seen numerous brands of what is essentially the same equipment. It begs the question: why? I think it boils down to differences in both taxation systems and culture. For example, Canadians get taxed much more heavily than our neighneighbours in the U.S., both at the personal and corporate level. Canadians just pay more and therefore keep less. To me, that’s the first big difference.

TECHNICAL BACKGROUND The second difference is culture. If you look at successful Canadian manufacturers, many share a comcommon thread—they started out on the bottom, often emigrating from another country, working as a lowlevel operator or apprentice. They all either came with a strong engineering background or develdeveloped it on the shop floor and honed it to a point where they eventually www.canadianmetalworking.com

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started out on their own. Over time, they built successful companies. They’ve had to operate within an industry that’s unregulated and fiercely competitive where a few cents per part could mean the differdiffer ence between winning or losing hunhun dreds of thousands or even millions of dollars’ worth of business. They have a strong technical backbackground and inherent knowledge of how to make complicated parts or equipment from a time, labour, and material perspective. They’re indiindividuals who truly understand value. If you don’t completely understand your product, how it works and why it costs what it does, you will always have trouble selling in this industry. Successful manufacturers in Canada tend to be forward-thinking compacompa nies that take the time to research and then invest in the right technology. They don’t allow their price-conscious qualities to impact their decisions. The sales cycle for a new machine tool can take as long as 12 months or more and invariably, the decision is postpostponed until additional work is secured or a new contract is signed. Time is spent sourcing, configurconfiguring, and isolating a piece of equipequip ment but then the decision is put on hold for other reasons. Any new machine tool, if it’s a true factory order configured with additional options, will require anywhere between two to four months to be built, shipped, and delivered. Postponing the purchase and waitwait ing until the machine needs to be in production severely hinders the ability to get the right machine on the floor. Invariably, what gets installed is a machine with the quickest delivery. It likely won’t have the right options or might have more expensive features than needed. The reality is all the time and effort put into findfind

ing the right solution is totally lost.

GOOD INVESTMENT There are two very important facfac tors to a lender when they consider financing an asset. Can the machinemachine generate significant revenue? In the event of a default when the equipment has to be sold, will it hold its value? A well-known branded machine tool, regardless where it has been manufacmanufactured, is one of the best assets in the world to finance for a number of reareasons. Firstly, a good piece of technoltechnology will have a positive effect on the purchaser from a capacity, efficiency and most importantly, profitability standpoint. In the event of a slowdown or business crisis the equipment can be quickly sold with a large percentpercent age of the original value recovered. Canadian manufacturers have to invest in new technology to remain competitive on the world stage. That involves fighting their natural and inherent buying hesitancy so when the investment is made, it’s done for reasons beyond price and delivery. I consider myself very fortunate to work loosely with some of the smartsmartest and most successful sellers in the industry and one of them—who was not only a friend but also a mentor— always told me: “Kenny, if you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you always got.” Ken Hurwitz is the Senior Account Manager with Blue Chip Leasing Corporation, an equipment finance company in Toronto. Ken has years of experience in the machine tool industry and now works to help all types of manufacturers either source or tap into their own capital to optimize their operations. Contact Ken at (416) 614-5878 or via email at ken@bluechipleasging.com. Learn more at www.bluechipleasing.com SEPTEMBER 2014 | 25

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Production dips but innovation blossoms BY NATE HENDLEY

n June 4th of this year, the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association (APMA) unveiled a glimpse of the future in the form of a Toyota Lexus RX350 SUV decked out with cutting-edge electronics. Some 13 Canadian companies contributed to the connected and customized RX350, which boasts the latest in communications, infotainment, safety, operating and lightlighting technology. While the exterior of the four-door SUV looks standard (aside from an array of company logos), its dashboard resembles something out of Star Trek. Introduced at the APMA’s annual conferconfer ence in Windsor, Ontario, the souped-up and fully functional RX350 serves as a showcase for made-in-Canada automotive technology, says Steve Rodgers, president of the Torontobased APMA. The association represents most of the 90,000 workers employed in Canada’s auto parts sector. The APMA plans to take the vehicle on a tour of automotive OEMs in North America, Europe and Asia — the latter two locales via video-feed. Canadian firms that provided time or technology for the APMA’s connected vehicle project include Magna, Lixar, Leggett & Platt, Rogers, QNX Software Systems (a subsidiary of BlackBerry), the University of Waterloo Centre for Automotive Research (WatCAR), etc. The Lexus itself was donated by Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada (TMMC). “There’s no doubt in my mind [connected cars] are an area where Canada can be very competitive. It’s an area where we have some fairly interesting technology,” says Rodgers. Innovation, as exemplified by the modimodi

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2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. PHOTO COURTESY CHRYSLER GROUP LLC

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Dodge Challenger SXT Plus. PHOTO COURTESY CHRYSLER GROUP LLC

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fied Lexus RX350, will help guide Canada through changing times in the auto sector, he continues. Rodgers insists the mood in the Canadian auto industry is “very optimistic. 2014 is going to continue to be a good year, no doubt about that. 2015 still looks very positive.” He says this despite the fact Canada’s share of North American vehicle production has been on a slight decline. Automotive manmanufacturers in Canada and their suppliers have to reckon with competition from Mexico (where car manufacturing is booming) and strict new U.S. rules on gas mileage. At present, an estimated 115,000 Canadians are directly employed in the automotive industry, making vehicles or parts. This reprepresents 7.7 per cent of all manufacturing jobs in Canada. Overall manufacturing sales in the automotive sector stood at $82.6 billion in 2012, according to Statistics Canada. Some $68.5 billion of these revenues came from exports. Rodgers says auto part sales will probably amount to $23.6–23.7 billion this year. The epicenter of Canadian auto manufacmanufac turing remains the industrial heartland of Ontario, where five OEMs—Chrysler Canada, Ford of Canada, General Motors of Canada, Honda Canada Manufacturing and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada—currently operate manufacturing facilities. A total of 2.379 million vehicles were manufactured in Canada in 2013, down from 2.463 million the year before, a drop of 3.4 per cent. These figures come from the Paris-based International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (known as the “Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d’Automobiles” or OICA). This year’s production figures look much the same. Between January and June 2014, some 1.186 million vehicles were manufacmanufac

tured in Canada, versus 1.207 million for the same period last year, reports Southfield, MI automotive research firm, WardsAuto. As of mid-2014, Canada’s share of North American auto production stood at 13.5 per cent, down from 14.3 per cent in 2013. Of the vehicles produced in Canada last year, some 408,183 were made by Honda and 505,335 came from Toyota. The remainder were built by “Big Three” plants (that is, facilities run by GM, Chrysler or Ford). Mexico, for its part, produced 3.052 million vehicles in 2013, up 1.7 per cent from 2012 when the country produced 3.001 million. Production in the United States stood at 11.045 million in 2013 up from 10.332 million in 2012, a lift of 6.9 per cent, states the OICA. Despite the dip in domestic production, Rodgers believes Canada is in an excellent position to take advantage of the growing interest in high-tech cars. In addition to “connectivity,” the current buzz word in auto circles is “autonomous vehicles”—as in, driverless cars run by computers. While auto experts insist autonomous cars won’t be proproduced on a commercial basis any time soon, driverless vehicles represent another niche tech-minded Canadian companies can explore. The Canadian government seems to have similar ideas and has been pouring money into automotive research. In February 2014, Ottawa announced plans to add $500 million over two years to the Automotive Innovation Fund (AIF). Introduced by the Canadian government in the 2008 budget, the AIF initially earmarked $250 million over five years for automotive firms looking to make greener, more fuel-ef fuel-ef-ficient vehicles. The AIF was renewed in 2013, to the tune of $250 million over five years. February’s announcement ramps up funding even further. www.canadianmetalworking.com

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SINCE INVESTING IN MAKINO “EQUIPMENT, OUR REVENUE HAS GROWN MORE THAN 14 TIMES. ”

IT UP, WE’RE RUNNING “MORETO SUM PARTS WITH BETTER QUALITY, FASTER THAN AT ANY OTHER POINT IN THE COMPANY’S HISTORY.

”

[MAKINO] HAS GIVEN THE “ COMPANY A 200 PERCENT INCREASE IN SALES PER EMPLOYEE. ”

Profit. After all is said, all is done and everything has shipped, it’s why today’s leading manufacturers choose Makino. Because when you make what matters, making it with Makino is the surest path to profitability. Just ask the companies that are already there. Read their stories. Watch their videos and cutting demos at Makino.com/profitability.

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Clockwise starting from top: 2015 Dodge Challenger SXT, 2015 Dodge Challenger R/T Shaker, 2015 Dodge Challenger 392 HEMI Scat Pack Shaker. PHOTO COURTESY CHRYSLER GROUP LLC

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To Rodgers, the increased funding demondemon strates Ottawa’s commitment to the auto sector and offers a lucrative enticement for Canadian car firms to get creative. Innovation is seen as key to preserving Canada’s existing automotive manufacturing infrastructure. Embracing innovation will help Canadian companies compete with low-cost, but less technologically advanced regions such as China, India and Mexico, he states. Rodgers concedes that “re-shoring” (that is, North American automotive firms returning to this continent because of quality concerns about off-shored operations in Asia and elsewhere), has primarily been an American phenomenon so far. “The trend in the auto industry in NAFTA is definitely a story of re-shoring. We’re starting to see more [auto companies] coming back. More decisions are being made to stay local rather than going to China and India, etc. But we have to be honest, the re-shoring industry or re-shoring story rather has been more of a United States story. We haven’t really seen it to the same extent in Canada,” he states. Nonetheless, combining innovation and cutting-edge technology seems a logical aveave nue to follow for Canadian firms looking to stand out in the global automotive market. Other developments south of the border prespresent additional challenges and opportunities for Canada’s auto sector. The American program CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) places increasingly stringent gas mileage rules on cars sold in the United States. By 2025, CAFE calls for an average fuel economy in new cars of 54.5 miles per gallon, roughly double the current average. While there is some flexibility in the rules, CAFE regulations have had the effect of pushing auto companies to embrace hydrogen fuel cell, electric and hybrid engines as well as the notion of “light-weighting.”

Light-weighting refers to the science of making automobiles that weigh less than standard vehicles currently on the road. This can be done through copious use of advanced composites, ultra-high strength steel and aluminum. Ford, for example, will be releasreleasing an F-150 pickup truck later this year that weighs 318 kilograms less than its predecespredeces sor, thanks primarily to aluminum. The CAFE rules “are generally seen as posiposi tive, because [they] create a number of opporoppor tunities” for innovative Canadian suppliers, says Rodgers. Given that nearly all (some 97.2 per cent worth, according to Statistics Canada) of Canadian automotive exports go to the United States, CAFE rules are also unavoidable. The wobbly Canadian dollar represents another challenge/opportunity. At present, the Canadian dollar sits around 90 cents to the U.S. dollar, down from parity in 2007. To make an impact among firms that sell goods and services to the United States, the dollar needs to stay where it is. “Most of the OEMs that were purchasing components for the United States haven’t really in their minds adjusted their exchange rates. The Canadian dollar needs to remain down at 90 cents and below for a longer period of time before they change their longrange forecasts,” says Rodgers. David Foscarini, president of Mecon Industries Ltd. in Scarborough, Ontario, believes a consistently weak dollar might spur diversity in the manufacturing sector. An automotive supplier, Mecon makes coil handling equipment. Foscarini estimates 75 per cent of the company’s business is auto-related, a percentage that has remained consistent for years. “We need to maintain a culture of manufacmanufac turing to be a well-rounded and diversified province,” says Foscarini. While the Mecon president was speaking specifically of Ontario, his words echo the APMA’s attitude about the country as a whole. Asked if he had any advice for Canadian part makers, Rodgers offers the following: “I think the words of wisdom are, continue to make investments in new technology and innovation. Through 2025, there’s going to be lots of opportunities. So it’s necessary to continue to make investments to stay competitive. That’s highly important. Take advantage of innovation at every turn. Take advantage of all the opportunities we have because that’s where the growth is going to occur.” www.canadianmetalworking.com

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WHERE WE STAND Canadian industry analyst Dennis DesRosiers on the future of Canada’s auto sector

ennis DesRosiers is the dean of Canadian automotive analysts, with a resume that spans from OEM’s to the government sector to the University of Windsor in the heart of Canada’s auto industry. When DesRosiers talks, people listen and in an era when low wage right-to-work jurisdictions are claiming an increasing share of auto part making and assembly activity, questions about Canada’s long term viability in the sector are inevitable. Canadian Metalworking put the critical questions to DesRosiers…and as always, he pulled no punches: CMW: Canada became a major auto assembler through deals like the Auto Pact. How much did it drive the expansion of the Canadian industry? Dennis DesRosiers: “The Autopact was everything when it comes to the growth of Canada’s automotive sector. At the time (Jan 16, 1965) it was the most important trade agreement anywhere in the world. It merged Canada’s struggling and totally inefficient auto sector to the much larger and much more

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efficient U.S. Auto sector. Most don’t realize it but in the first few years it also decimated the Canadian industry in that none of our suppliers could compete with their American competitors and ALL of our OEMs needed to totally re-invest in their plants and build modern facilities. But the Autopact also was a very protectionist Agreement requiring the OEMs to produce one car and truck for every one sold in Canada and there was a separate ratio for cars and light trucks. This meant that each of the members (primarily the Detroit Three) had to build both a car plant and a truck plant in Canada to qualify. Now remember that in 1965 light trucks were primarily for commercial use (about 20 perc ent of sales ) as there was no such thing as a minivan or SUV or CUV. When these categories took off in the mid 1970s Canada was perfectly positioned to produce for the fastest growing segments in the industry and thus production eventually tripled from a million units to about three million units. The Pact also has Canadian Value Added required which was very complex so I won’t bore you with the details but it was the root www.canadianmetalworking.com

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of why the parts suppliers eventually did so well. A number of Canadian suppliers emerged like Magna, Linamar, etc. and just about every U.S. multi-national choose to invest in Canada to help the OEMs meet this tough standard. To highlight how important the AutoPact was ... its elimination in the late 1990’s coincides with the beginning of the deterioration in our industry which plagues the industry to this day. The AutoPact was essentially eliminated with the signing of the FTA … The FTA allowed the OEMs to import vehicles and parts duty free without meeting any safeguards which made the Autopact ‘toothless’ and every OEM began importing/ exporting vehicles and parts into and out of Canada under FTA instead of the Pact. NAFTA extended this to Mexico.”

there are extremely compelling reasons to be close to your customer base so as Mexico and the U.S. South explode with assembly activity ultimately most top tier suppliers will employ their capital close to these plants and not in Canada.” CMW: What can we do to protect our industry? Dennis DesRosiers: “Nothing, and indeed it would be a mistake to ‘protect’ our industry from the competition. Support it through any

CMW: Many economists claim that Canadian operations aren’t cost competitive on a global basis. Is it true? How do we stand in competitiveness compared to other auto making nations? Dennis DesRosiers: “I’m not sure I am qualified to talk about all other auto making nations but my general response would be that the OEMs are fairly competitive because they have the capital to build and have built very modern plants. The suppliers less so, although there would be many exceptions. High value added parts like the parts that Linamar produces are likely competitive … anything labour intensive would not be … with lots between these two polar opposites.” CMW: Many assembly plants are moving to “right to work” jurisdictions like Alabama and Tennessee. Is it strictly a wage cost issue? Dennis DesRosiers: “Partly but I think it has more to do with nonwage costs than wages.” CMW:Can the Tier One and Tier Two supplier network adapt to assembly operations that are farther away in the U.S. and Mexico? Dennis DesRosiers: “Some can but www.canadianmetalworking.com

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GM’S OSHAWA ASSEMBLY OPERATION BUILDS CHEVROLET’S FLAGSHIP IMPALA SEDAN Where are Canadian-bought cars built? According to new data from DesRosiers Automotive Consultants, the majority of light vehicles sold in Canada are built in North American plants, with approximately a quarter of new vehicles sourced from overseas production facilities. Over the decade spanning 2003 to 2012, the Toronto research firm said, the percentage of new vehicle sales derived from North American-assembled products stayed relative constant, declining mildly from 76.8 per cent to 73.8 per cent last year. “While Detroit-based vehicle companies have suffered significant market share erosion during this period, virtually all of the benefitting import brand OEMs now build mainline products in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico (indeed Mexico crossed the three million unit production threshold for the first time in 2012), keeping North American sourcing levels high,” the firm said in a new report. “With much of that added assembly capacity focused on C-segment vehicles in Mexico and D-segment vehicles in the U.S., overall Canadian market sourcing proportions have changed little over the past decade. Indeed, the growing popularity of European and Korean-assembled models has roughly balanced the increase in North American-built vehicles sold by import nameplate OEMs.”

number of different initiatives, yes, but to ‘protect’ it would mean the end is more likely to happen. Go back to the Autopact in 1965. Dozens of weak players disappeared but the remaining players invested in new technoltechnol ogies and advanced manufacturing systems and billions of capital was put on the ground to make the industry globally competitive … the OEMs had tough Safeguards to meet but the Supplier community has zero protection under the Pact.” CMW: What’s the future for auto parts makmak ing and vehicle assembly in Canada? Is there danger it will decline? Dennis DesRosiers: “Sure, but we started to see the willowing out of our industry at the turn of the century and it will continue to wilwil low out for the foreseeable future. It wouldn’t surprise me to see the industry disappear almost entirely over coming years but this could 20 to 30 years and a lot of water could flow under the bridge in that timeframe.”

Since 1985, Dennis DesRosiers has been Canada’s leading autoauto motive industry anaana lyst and global expert on Canada’s auto industry. Founder and president of Richmond Hill, Ontario-based DesRosiers Automotive Consultants, Dennis was the first analyst to use advanced modmod elling and analysis techniques to analyze and forecast the Canadian auto market. Through his newsletter, blog, multiple public appearances and media interviews, Dennis delivers insight into the automotive market in Canada from new vehicle sales to the Tier One and Two supplier network and beyond. Dennis is a past board member of the University of Windsor and was direcdirec tor of research for the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association as well as an auto analyst for the Ontario Treasury. He is currently a board member of new car dealer group AutoCanada. Dennis was recognized for his contribution to the nation with the award of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012. See Dennis live at the Metalworking Manufacturing & Production Expo, OCTOBER 23, 2014 at the Ciociaro Club, 3745 N Talbot Rd, Windsor, Ontario. See www.mmpshow.com for more details. 34 | SEPTEMBER 2014

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THE NEED When machining many parts at high speed, cutting parameters are crucial

roductivity in milling, when defined as metal removal rate, Q cm³/min, can be optimized in many different ways. Choosing the right tool for the application is important, but the choice of cutting parameters is equally critical. The seven examples below show how cutting data can be increased above normal recommendations and contribute to a higher productivity.

Face milling – High cutting speed, vc In machining aluminium, and sometimes in machining cast iron with CBN or ceramic inserts, cutting speeds of more than 1000 m/min can be used, which results in a very high table feed, vf. Also, this type of machining can be called High Speed Machining (HSM).

Peripheral milling – High cutting speed, vc, and feed, fz When the cutter has a small radial depth of cut, ae, the time in cut per rev. is short, consequently the cutting edge temperature will be low. This means that the cutting speed can be raised above normal recommendations. Also, the feed, fz, can be increased, because the maximum chip thickness, hex, will be low. The feed will be limited by the surface finish requirement.

Profile milling – High spindle speed, n This milling technique is often called High Speed Machining (HSM) and is typical in finishing or super-finishing profiling operations with a ball nose end mill.

Face milling with small entering angle and high feed, fz Cutters with very small entering angles enabla a dramatic increase in the feed, fz, due to the chip thinning effect when a p is small. IMAGE COURTESY SANDVIK COROMANT.

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FOR SPEED Heavy duty milling – large depth of cut – heavy duty In heavy duty applications, large insert cutters with large diameters are used. Cutting speed is normal, but high a p and fz, combined with a large ae, make it very productive.

Finishing with wiper inserts In a finishing operation with a large face milling cutter, the feed, fz, normally has to be kept low. However, by using wiper inserts in the cutter, the feed can be raised 2–3 times without sacrificing the surface quality.

Face milling – extra close pitch cutter In milling short-chipping materials, like grey cast iron, a face milling cutter with an extra close pitch can be used, resulting in high table feed. Also, in HRSA material where cutting speed is normally low, an extra close pitch results in a high table feed.

“Light and fast” technique: Methods 2, 3 and 4 are based upon small depth of cut, ae, and/or ap, which generate low cutting forces and heat, making it possible to increase speed and/or feed.

Q=vfxa pxa e /1000 (cm3/min), where vf =fz xnxzn (mm/min)

THE MILLING PROCESS Cutting speed – vc (m/min) This indicates the surface speed at diameter and forms a basic value for calculating cutting data. Recommended cutting speeds for all materials and for different hex values are available in the Main catalogue.

This value is necessary for determining the true cutting data at the actual depth of cut (ap). This is a particularly important value when using round insert cutters, ball nose end mills and all cutters with larger corner radii, as well as cutters with an entering angle smaller than 90 degrees.

Effective or true cutting speed Indicates the surface speed at the effective diameter (Dcap).

Spindle speed – n (rpm) The number of revolutions the milling tool makes per minute on the spindle. This is a Continues on page 38 

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 Continued from page 37 machine oriented value, which is calculated from the recommended cutting speed value for an operation. Feed per tooth – fz (mm/tooth) A basic value for calculating cutting data, such as table feed. It is also calculated with consideration of maximum chip thickness (hex) and entering angle. Feed per revolution – fn (mm/rev) Auxiliary value indicating how far the tool moves during one complete rotation. It is used specifically for feed calculations and often to determine the finishing capability of a cutter. Feed per minute – vƒ (mm/min) The table feed, machine feed or feed speed in mm/min it represents the movement of the tool in relation to the workpiece, dependent on feed per tooth (fz) and number of teeth in the cutter (z n). Maximum chip thickness – hex (mm) This value is a result of the cutter engagement as it is related to (fz), (a e) and (k r). The chip thickness is an important consideration when deciding the feed per tooth, to ensure that the most productive table feed is employed. Average chip thickness – h m (mm) A useful value in determining the specific cutting force, used for net power calculations. Metal removal rate – Q (cm³/min) The volume of metal removed in cubic mm per minute. It is established using the values for cutting depth, width and feed. Specific cutting force – kct (N/mm²) A factor used for power calculations. The specific cutting force relates to the material resistance when cut at a specific chip thickness value. Power Pc and efficiency – n mt Machine tool oriented values, which assist in calculating the net power to ensure that the machine can handle the cutter and operation. Machining time – Tc (min) Machining length (l m) divided by the table feed (vf). IMAGE COURTESY SANDVIK COROMANT.

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COURTESY SANDVIK COROMANT. WWW.SANDVIK.COROMANT.COM

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BY NATE HENDLEY

hat’s the best way to extend cutting tool life in mass production/automotive settings? Canadian Metalworking recently approached a series of industry professionals with this question in mind. Here’s what they had to say:

IN MASS PRODUCTION SETTINGS, PARTICULARLY FOR AUTOMOTIVE, WHAT’S THE BIGGEST THREAT TO THE LONGEVITY AND PERFORMANCE OF CUTTING TOOLS? “In mass production automotive manufacturing, one of the biggest threats to operations is unpredictable tool life. Since many of these operations are highly automated with the use of robots, gaging and other automation systems, downtime can be very time consuming and expensive. Often these manufacturers will optimize tool life and then set the tool change counter to less than maximum tool life for a safer more predictable tool life. The downtime costs to index an unintended tool change far outweigh trying to extend the tool life by a few more parts. However, due to variations in materials and normal wear and tear on tool holders, catastrophic insert failure still occurs. Many manufacturers do not view tool holders as consumable tools and change them only after failure. Tool holders, however, do wear out where the pocket may deform and not hold the insert as securely as it once did, allowing for movement and eventually catastrophic failure. Tool holders should be closely inspected at every insert index. Tool holders should be replaced at regular intervals. Another tactic often used by automotive manufacturers is to index inserts during periods of shut down such as breaks, lunch and the end of shift,” says John Mitchell, general manager for Tungaloy America, based in Brantford, ON. “Measuring tool life is often not as simple as just counting parts or using elapsed time as a measurement. A better way to measure tool life can be the amount of material removed. For example, one cutting tool may produce 100 parts but requires two passes — a roughing and a finishing pass. Each tool can get 100 parts per edge. Another tool may make 90 parts but requires only one pass. Obviously one tool removes more material and reduces the cycle time. Sometimes tool life is measured in minutes. For example, one insert may last one hour before indexing. 40 | SEPTEMBER 2014

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However if another tool only lasts 45 minutes but produces twice as many parts, it is removing more material and reducing the cycle time,” adds Mitchell. “The number one killer for tool life is always speed. No matter what we talk about, speed is number one. [Speed] creates more heat in the cutting zone. And heat is your enemy as far as tool wear … the best way to improve tool life is to be in contact with the workpiece for less time for each component,” adds Kevin Burton, product specialist at Sandvik Coromant in Mississauga, ON. “Look at how operators work today [in mass production]. Go back 20 years. Back then, you had a machinist operating one machine. Today, that’s not necessarily the case. They have other responsibilities and/or multiple machines in the cell. Repeatability becomes very, very important,” states Jan Andersson, senior global product manager for turning products at Kennametal, in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. “An obstacle that occurs in gaining optimum performance in high production automotive operations [is the fact that] tools are not always run to their extended life or failure mode. Automotive is high produc-

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tion with many variances that affect tool life. They run large numbers of components … [An automotive company] might have a cutting tool that has a failure mode and performance life that could exceed more than one full production shift, perhaps a shiftand-a-half or more. However, because it can’t perform two full production shifts, many cutting tools are “MEASURING TOOL LIFE IS OFTEN NOT indexed or changed AS SIMPLE AS JUST COUNTING PARTS prematurely at the OR USING ELAPSED TIME AS conclusion of each MEASUREMENT” shift. The focus is to decrease production downtime thus increasing production volumes,” says Cliff Fields, automotive/OEM division sales manager, Ingersoll Cutting Tools, based in Rockford, Illinois.

WHAT ROLE DOES COOLANT PLAY IN EXTENDING TOOL LIFE IN MASS PRODUCTION/AUTOMOTIVE SETTINGS? “Coolant can play many roles and often helps increase tool life. However, in any interrupted cutting applications the tool should be run dry, since intermittent coolant may

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“SOMETIMES YOU’RE NOT IMPROVING TOOL LIFE BY 100 PER CENT OR 50 PER CENT. IT’S A SMALL PERCENTAGE BUT IT COMPOUNDS OVER A MILLION PARTS” cause thermal cracking and shorten the tool life,” says Mitchell. “One of the biggest tool failures [in mass production] I used to see was related to coolant. Coolant holes were plugged or there wasn’t enough coolant on the tools. In mass production, you have a big build-up. Cast iron dust, forgings. You get this surface skin that builds up into a powder, gets into the coolant and causes slurry. It plugs up coolant lines,” echoes Burton. “More and more applications are going to MQL [Minimum Quantity Lubricant], especially in drilling and hole machining,” adds Fields.

ARE THERE ANY ‘RULES OF THUMB’ FOR SELECTING INSERTS IN MASS PRODUCTION OPERATIONS VERSUS SMALL MACHINE SHOP SETTINGS?

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“Generally job shops are looking for cutting tools that work well in a variety of applications. Job shops may require a tool that will cut cast iron, ductile iron, low carbon and alloy steels. One insert that is capable of cutting all of those materials is likely not the optimal insert for any one material but its versatility is critical to the job shop, since the job shop typically has short runs and machines a variety of materials. Conversely, a high volume automotive shop can fine tune their cutting tools to one specific material. A good rule of thumb is to start with a forgiving grade and progressively move to a harder grade until the insert chips. Care should be taken when monitoring the “failure mode” to insure it was not another symptom that caused the failure. Generally the harder the grade the faster the speed which will reduce cycle time,” says Mitchell.

ARE THERE ANY COMMON MACHINING MISTAKES IN MASS PRODUCTION/ AUTOMOTIVE SETTINGS THAT ARE DETRIMENTAL TO CUTTING TOOL LIFE? “A lot of automotive manufacturers,

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because they’re dealing with millions of components, tend to run very, very aggressive speeds because they need to get the part done as quickly as possible. In automotive, every second counts,” says Steve Geisel, senior product manager, Iscar Tools, based in Oakville, Ontario. “Some of the big automotive makers, they are buying Chinese inserts. They’re really low cost, like $2–3 an insert, but they only have four edges. They’re only getting a certain tool life. What [companies] have to look at is some of the newer technology where we have eight, sixteen edges. Don’t just look at total cost of the insert. Break it down, cost per edge,” adds Tom Hagan, milling product manager at Iscar Tools. “Good handling of cutting tools when off of the machine is very important. They require good handling and cleaning … are the pockets cleaned properly? Are [the cutting tools] thrown in a bin to be washed? If they are not handled properly, it could cause inserts to fracture or chip on the cutting edge thus creating premature failure and decreased performance when on the spindle, which has nothing to do with the application itself. That becomes a problem at times. You seldom experience this type of issue with smaller job shops, as you do with automotive,” says Fields.

“GOOD HANDLING OF CUTTING TOOLS WHEN OFF OF THE MACHINE IS VERY IMPORTANT” “[In mass production/automotive] not every operator or individual sticks with the same application, job or transfer line continually. So you might have individuals that are coming in to do an application that they have never performed it before,” adds Fields. www.canadianmetalworking.com

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“I had a call from a guy just today. An automotive customer … they’re running at the maximum feed rate for the insert and they want to know why we can’t improve tool life. That’s typical in automotive. They run very high speed, high feeds, maximum depths of cut. It’s all about cycle time,” states Burton.

changes the material … there’s a signifi“THE NUMBER ONE KILLER cantly shorter tool LIFE IS ALWAYS SPEED” life when you have non-aged castings which also means now the cutting tool materials change quite significantly as well,” says Andersson.

WHAT IMPACT HAS WIDESPREAD ADOPTION OF THE ‘JUST-IN-TIME’ SYSTEM HAD ON CUTTING TOOLS IN MASS PRODUCTION/AUTOMOTIVE SETTINGS?

PHOTO: COURTESY SANDVIK

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“MORE AND MORE APPLICATIONS ARE GOING TO MQL [MINIMUM QUANTITY LUBRICANT], ESPECIALLY IN DRILLING AND HOLE MACHINING” ANY FINAL WORDS? “We do a lot of special tools for the automotive industry. In a lot of cases, it’s combina-

tion tools — a drill bore, finished bore all in one tool … I think optimized tools are key. In the past, many, many years ago, companies used to develop grades for steel wear. They used to work in stainless or cast iron. Now grades are optimized very specifically for the material in the working area. That obviously pays dividends,” says Burton. “We have a team in Israel [at company headquarters], a complete team that … all they do is look for ways to improve processes for automotive and mass production components. They take a component and ask, ‘Okay, what is the best and most efficient way to produce this part?’ They come up with combination tooling. They come up with unique ideas as to how to be able to produce whatever part they’re looking at. The quickest, most efficient and most inexpensive way possible,” says Geisel.

“THERE HAVE BEEN MAJOR CHANGES IN THE INDUSTRY ABOUT HOW WE RECEIVE MATERIALS, ESPECIALLY LARGE PRODUCTION SHOPS” “Most of our major automotive customers have objectives to lower their cost per unit (CPU) by 10 per cent annually. As a partner, their cost reduction becomes our objective as well. If you can’t achieve this goal, you’re not going to stay as a preferred supplier. The only way we can do that is not only having better products than the competition but [continually improving our own products] … that’s what we do to lower the cost to the end-user customer,” says Fields. “Sometimes you’re not improving tool life by 100 per cent or 50 per cent. It’s a small percentage but it compounds, over a million parts. So when you’re talking mass production, one second can be very valuable,” says Burton.

A PARTING THOUGHT

PHOTO: COURTESY TUNGALOY

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“It seems in automotive, like many industries, when there are issues, the first thing customers suspect is a faulty cutting tool. However, there are many factors that affect tool life, like the machine tool itself, the process, the material, etc.,” says Fields. www.canadianmetalworking.com

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Chrysler’s Brampton Stamping and Assembly plants have been on the leading edge of automation since the early 90s BY NESTOR GULA

or the average consumer, the concept of robotic manufacturing is something new. The reality is, as manufacturers know, robotics have been ingrained in the production process for many years. However, the technology is constantly changing. There have been many advances over the past several decades with automated welding, metal forming, material handling and assembly. The automotive industry has been a leader in the adoption of automated processes and robotics. Stemming from the assembly line developed in the early 20th century, with roots in the Chicago meat packing industry, the idea that a worker would perform one task as a conveyor moved the product along caught on quickly. Although, there was some definite pushback — some thought this type

The stamping presses are a blur of activity. PHOTO: NESTOR GULA

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of work was dehumanizing. It was from this concept that the automated process was born — where machines did all the unpleasant, repetitive work. The modern auto plant is fully automated and there is a remarkable ballet of automated robots performing various duties. Chrysler’s Brampton Assembly plant, located in Brampton, Ontario was opened in 1986 by the American Motors Corporation (AMC) as a state-of-the-art robotic assembly facility. The facility, with 2,950,000 square feet of floor space, was designed to produce the Eagle Premier vehicle. Co-joined to Brampton Assembly plant is the Brampton Stamping plant, which is one of six Chrysler stamping plants in North America. Brampton assembly manufactured 244,771 vehicles in 2013 and currently manufactures about 930 cars per day. It takes about 16 hours to build a car, excluding the painting. The stamping plant, completed in 1991, is fully automated. “From a technology standpoint, it is very advanced for the current state, and incredibly advanced for 1991,” said Pat Walsh, Head of Satellite stamping operations for Chrysler Group LLC. “There is very little worker interaction. Not only is it very efficient but it is very safe.” The plant has five press lines equipped with Komatsu brand presses. The nearly 25 year

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old plant has an interesting history as it was built in conjunction with a plant in Illinois. “One of the unique things about Brampton Stamping, compared to our other stamping plants, is that this plant was mimicked after a Mitsubishi DiamondStar plant in Normal, Illinois,” said Walsh. “Back when the plant was put together, we were in a partnership. Those presses were bought with metric dimensions and all our other presses are bought with SEA dimensions. When I say it is a mid-size transfer, we look at the width we can put in a press. In our normal mid-size transfer we can put 120 inches. The Brampton Stamping ones are actually 118-inches. It makes a difference when we try to move things from plant to plant.” The Brampton Stamping feeds Brampton Assembly which makes the Challenger, Charger and the 300. “We also do some shared componentry for some Maserati cars that we ship overseas,” said Walsh. However, 99 per cent of what they do is for the Brampton assembly plant. Another unique aspect of the Brampton Stamping plant is that the steel is brought in in coils and is processed in-house. Walsh explained that Chysler blanks everything in-house except the aluminium, which arrives in sheet stock. This is also an automated process, and a system that saves Chrysler money. “Steel comes in coils because it is less expensive,” said Kevin Hedding Senior Manager of Stamping at Chrysler’s Brampton Stamping Plant. “They can ship more steel in coils. There are a lot of savings here.” Many cars now feature aluminium parts. “We can stamp aluminium and steel but we can’t blank aluminium.” Humans interact with the raw material only to unload it from the truck. The area where the coils are stored and blanking done is off limits to most because of the degree of automation. As the blanking is completed, self-guided

vehicles place the raw material into storage for use when needed. “They get automatically put into a storage system and delivered to the presses via Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV) so there are no forklifts or any truck interaction,” said Walsh. “We will be taking the finished products to the stacks. These presses from Kamatsu are all transfer presses so they have integrated automation in them. They will move anywhere from eight strokes per minute to 16 strokes per minute.” In a testimony to good engineering and design, none of the plant has been changed much since it was built. The design for the Brampton plant has not retrofitted since 1991. “We may replace the rail system but the presses themselves just require normal upkeep and maintenance. But the transfer system, the mechanical transfer system...we are [now] going with a more electronically coupled system versus a more mechanical transfer system that we have on these Kamatsus,” said Walsh. The advantages of having the presses mechanically linked as opposed to electronically linked, is that the rail cannot be under the ram of the press when the press is on bottom, explains Hedding. The Brampton Stamping Plant produces the majority of the stamped parts for the Charger, Challenger and the Chrysler 300. “Almost all of the parts are manufactured here. The aperture is not and some speciality parts like the door header which is rolled formed off site. We do not do the apertures here. For that we need a 180 inch press these are about 120 inch presses. 118.7 inch presses,” said Hedding. The aperture of a vehicle is the side to which

A hood is being checked for accuracy in a special jig at the Brampton Assembly. PHOTO: NESTOR GULA

Rolled steel is waiting to be blanked prior to stamping at the Brampton Stamping Plant. The special Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) for this process is waiting to do its work. PHOTO: NESTOR GULA

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the doors will be mounted and the body panels attached. The Brampton Stamping plant produces the roof, the doors, the deck hood, the fenders, the hood, and many of the components that are hidden underneath the ‘skin’ of the car. In an quirk of organization, the stamping plant is also responsible for the assembly of the door. “We take those components, weld them together and send them to Brampton Assembly,” said Walsh. The stamped parts are automatically placed in storage for use when called for. “When you get to the back of the line, man power, human capital takes the panels and places them on the racks where another automated system takes them into the storage system,” said Walsh. “And they will get called out of the storage system and loaded on the AGVs and go to their respective customer within the assembly plant.” The storage area is huge but the stock moves quickly. Parts do not sit in the racks for too long. “There is less resources needed and less manufacturing space holding parts. If you leave the parts for three or four weeks they will start rusting on the rack,” said Hedding. In general there is a two-and-a-half day supply of parts. “Our press lines have anywhere between 12 and 18 different jobs between them. When we are running, we can run a batch and then move to the next one,” said Walsh. “You have to cycle through all your jobs.” The rather lean amount of inventory also guarantees that quality can be maintained. “We have recently strengthened our quality department by adding a stamping specific quality manager,” said Walsh. “He has several employees that report directly to him. We have two inspectors that cover the five lines per shift. They go through critical characteristic sheets to make sure that all the parameters are met. It starts with process control.”

There are quality control stations strategically place in the massive factory. At any point, a door panel, the hood or roof, can be taken and measured precisely in custom forms to ensure that the parts will join together properly at the final assembly. There is a definite reason why cars are better and last longer now. The quality control of cars is very exact. “All our steel comes in with all the data attached – the metal thickness, the R value the N value. All the different characteristics of the metal,” said Walsh. “We have good systems so we can control incoming quality.” In the stamping process there are finite adjustments to set the distances between upper and lower die. “We have tonnage monitors in some of our plants, we have lubricators that will place a thin layer of oil on the metal panel,” said Walsh. Chrysler’s roving inspectors and production teams have responsibility of looking at certain aspects of the panel. They call this process quadrant stoning, where each inspector is responsible for checking a certain area. They have gauges that are able to check the dimensions of the panel for accuracy. They also have a very high tech metrology centre. With their partnership with FIAT, they have advanced our ability for data collection, which is done through a state of the art metrology section. “We have some responsibility for our MQAS (manufacturing quality assurance system) audits. We have a third party auditing company, TUV, that gives us our international governance on ISO 9000 and 9001. So we have governance responsibility for that,” said Walsh.

An Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV) is carrying stamped parts from storage to the assembly area.

A part of a vehicle is moving down the line to be assembled.

PHOTO: NESTOR GULA

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BUSINESS PROFILE: FABRICATING

TROVAC INDUSTRIES, BLAINVILLE, QUEBEC Trovac Industries was founded in 1960. In 1976, the Cyclo Vac brand launched.

Going against the current in order to compete in a niche market BY LINDSAY LUMINOSO

ou wouldn’t know it from looking at the exterior of the building but big changes are happening at Trovac Industries Ltd. The central vacuum cleaner company is located in Blainville, QC and houses a 75,000 square foot facility with an over 50 year history in the industry. Trovac has launched several brands over the years, including Cyclo Vac, its popular central vacuum unit. “This won’t be the same business any more. The goal is to grow. If we are more effective, we will definitely be better,” said Marc Bruneau, President of Trovac Industries. There are several different ways that Trovac is working to ramp up productivity and truly become a leading force in central vacuum cleaner manufacturing. In such a competitive market, Éric Vachon, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Trovac Industries, kept his cards close to his chest, remaining quiet about sales figures. However, he did joke that if Electrolux is number 1, 2, 3, Trovac hopes to be number 4. One of the biggest challenges facing the manufacturing industry today is cheap, overseas labour. How can a Canadian 50 | SEPTEMBER 2014

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business compete with that? Well, Trovac believes that there is more to their company than just the end product, it’s about the quality, effort and craftsmanship that goes into every single piece. After what was considered to be one of the worst economic situations in 50 years, Trovac found themselves remaining flat in a declining market. Two years ago, they decided to make many significant changes in order to continue their strength and success. They began to change their production model and invest in new equipment. Some companies would say that this wasn’t the right time, but for Trovac, Bruneau explains, they are going against the current. And they are happy with the results. Trovac decided that a key factor in their success is the “Made in Canada” sticker, which is why they are focusing on making big changes to their manufacturing centre. “I think we can easily do it here…just get out of our comfort zone,” said Bruneau. And world wide, Trovac’s “Made in Canada” products are recognized as top-notch. “We have a stronger dealer network in France. The brand is strong, Made in Canada, in France,” explained Vachon. www.canadianmetalworking.com

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BUSINESS PROFILE: FABRICATING The reason why Trovac is able to maintain its “Made in Canada” products is through investment in new machinery and technologies. In February 2014, the company purchased a Strippit M-1225 punching press and began reconfiguring its facility to better suit its new production mentality, which saw the process move from batch to one-byone. Their goal is to cut 20 per cent of their facility, removing inefficiencies, especially because they don’t want to have as much in-process product in their warehouse. Bruneau believes that this is reasonable; he explained that if he asked for five per cent, he would be happy if they cut three per cent, so why not challenge his company to achieve more. The new Strippit machine allows for the company to maximize their capabilities, which adds flexibility to their operation. The new machine replaces five or six traditional presses and offers less work in progress. “You don’t put the big 5000 lb. tube in….now you have the machine gun that you start and its does 10 different models in the blink of an eye,” said Bruneau. The machine does what would have taken four operations in one step. “And sometimes it only takes 30 seconds,” explains Vachon. Its complex processes include bending, forming and cutting. “That is the beauty of this machine,” he continued. The particular model that they purchased, the M-1225, offers a 47-station thick turret configuration, as well as nesting software, which allows for minimal waste. If there is metal left, the software can determine what part can be made with remaining product. “It’s sad to see the old machines out when they still work. Why make 5000 when I can make the 50 I need this week and the other 55 I need the next week after that,” said Bruneau. The new production model and the new equipment allow Trovac employees to handle the machines far less with better results. Bruneau explains that the transition away from batch manufacturing is the only way he can be successful in his market, while still keeping jobs in Canada. It’s all about investing in the right machinery and creating the right environment for increased productivity. It is also very important that the company maintains its machines. They continue to use traditionally presses because they work, and according to Bruneau, if you come back www.canadianmetalworking.com

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in 20 years, they will continue to work. The new Strippit machine will also be properly cared for, because “if your tooling is not well maintained, you will feel the burr. If it’s well maintained you shouldn’t have that.” Trovac is looking towards developing and maintaining long-term goals for its facility. “The first time we had the drawings [for the new floor plan] with the engineer, the employees were facing the wall. I said forget it. I mean those people are human beings, how can they be facing a concrete wall? … When you have people here for 10 years, it’s a blessing. When you have people every three months to train, this is a nightmare,” said Bruneau. Trovac’s entire business model is all about stepping out of their comfort zone and doing things differently than the norm. They believe that although things may be more costly upfront, in the long run,

Trovac has decided to invest in new machinery; its newest machine is the Strippit M-1225 punching press.

Traditional presses still continue to be used.

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BUSINESS PROFILE: FABRICATING

A pressed part done on the traditional press for a Cyclo Vac central vacuum unit.

grow and work through innovation. If something is no longer productive, why keep it? The old way of doing things was no longer working for Trovac Industries, which is why Bruneau was forced to change his mentality. He hopes to reduce his facility size while incorporating state-of-the-art equipment, andadditional workspaces like a in-house paint shop. They even began manufacturing the vacuum hoses in-house after their supplier moved to Mexico. If they couldn’t guarantee customers products on time or high quality, Bruneau believed Trovac could, which made the decision easy. Today, Trovac is a major player in the central vacuum system market. “Trovac decided two years ago … that [their products] had to be made here [in Canada]. We had to change, and we had to change fast. That is the only way I think we could have stayed in business as far as being competitive, having a topnotch product, having fast services… Like the Strippit machine, this was the start of the big solution when I decided to buy that type of equipment,” said Bruneau. When asked how well Trovac is doing in such a niche marL-R: President, Marc Bruneau, and ket, Marc Bruneau Vice President of Sales and simply stated, “We Marketing, Éric Vachon, holding a make a lot of vacufabricated part done on the new Strippit machine. ums.”

Trovac will benefit and continue to be competitive. The average Trovac employee has been working there for 8 years. Vachon elaborates that its not just the individual but sometimes there are whole families that have worked at the facility. That’s why its so important to maintain a good working environment. The shop itself is extremely clean and everything has a spot, but both Vachon and Bruneau expressed on several occasions how much cleaner they expected things to be especially once the renovations are complete. They work to create an environment where people can

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BUSINESS PROFILE: MACHINING

J/E BEARING AND MACHINE, TILLSONBURG, ONTARIO A full-service shop in the hub of South Western Ontario’s manufacturing sector

illsonburg, as any fan of folk legend Stompin’ Tom Connors knows, is all about tobacco. At least it used to be, and like many regions dependent on an industry declining in importance, the southwestern Ontario town moved with the times. The entire region is now part of the regional manufacturing scene with Tier One and Two suppliers as well as major automotive OEMs, an easy day’s drive, ideal for Just In Time shipping. It’s a natural location for a thriving job shop and J/E Bearing and Machine has enjoyed 30 years of growth servicing the regional market. The company serves many industries including defense, food processing, energy, automotive, and mining. J/E has a diverse range of product and service offerings allowing them to build complete, in-house components and parts. “It is a big bonus for our customers when they can get spare parts, repairs and CNC products under one roof,” explains Vice President Chuck Hendricks. Additional services include root cause analysis, reverse engineering, inventory management, documented cost savings and OEM replacement wear parts. J/E is also a dealer in MRO parts and supplies with bearing and power transmission products from suppliers such as SKF, Timken and Baldor among others. Founded by Joe and Edna Volkaert, J/E began as a small custom shop serving local farmers and manufacturers. They offered a full line of bearing and power transmission products, as well as a full service conven54 | SEPTEMBER 2014

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L-R: Joe Volkaert, president and Chuck Hendricks, vice president, sales and marketing.

tional machining operation. The business grew, and in 1988, the Volkaerts built an 8,000 square foot facility. “The move allowed us to invest in more machines and add employees,” explains Chuck Hendricks. J/E expanded again in 1995 adding 6,000 square feet. The extra room was needed to accommodate machinery and staff. At that time, company had 20 full-time employees. Today, J/E has 45 employees and operates out of a 22,000 square foot shop, operating 5 vertical machining centres, a horizontal high speed production machine and 4 CNC lathes. Supporting the numerically controlled equipment, J/E also has several manual mills, lathes and an overhead crane. The company’s most recent purchases were two CNC www.canadianmetalworking.com

14-09-05 12:49 PM

BUSINESS PROFILE: MACHINING

machines: a DMG horizontal milling and a Doosan TT2500SY. The future looks promising for J/E as sales continue to grow as well as the business. In the last few months, the company has hired over 6 people to compensate for demand. “The problem we are having now is finding enough skilled people to fill the gaps,” says Hendricks. J/E is taking steps in creating awareness for the machining industry aimed at the younger generations. They recently teamed up with In-House Solutions in creating a video promoting machining as a career. The video will be shown in high schools and explain to students that machining isn’t what it used to be. Technology, innovation, and computers are all intrinsic parts in how it is done today. Hendricks and the rest of the team at J/E are confident in what the future holds for Canadian machine shops and the manufacturing industry. “We have gone through struggles

Design and shop scheduling use modern software.

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07CMW-JEbearingProfile.indd 55

SEPTEMBER 2014 | 55

14-09-05 12:49 PM

BUSINESS PROFILE: MACHINING

The firm rebuilds and fabricates machinery of all kinds in house.

J/E performs TIG welding in house and includes large manual machine tools for repair/rebuild operations.

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BUSINESS PROFILE: MACHINING

in the past years with the recession, but the future looks bright for Canadians. We have to continue to leverage our existing skills and technology to the fullest. Customers are looking for true parts in their supply chain,” explains Hendricks.

Quality is monitored in the inspection room. Note the Rockwell hardness tester.

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TRUE Finding non-conforming parts is crucial… measuring for root cause of the problem is the next step.

hen a manufacturing process is dependent on an external or offline measurement method, finished part dimensional information is the only data normally collected for quality assurance or traceability purposes. Unfortunately, this dimensional information is the sum total of the interactions of many process variables and events during the total machining process. In the event of a subsequent quality non-conformance, it is difficult to establish exactly the sequence of events and interactions that occurred while machining the defective parts. When quality issues arise, the logical, structured approach to problem investigation is to introduce additional measurements and recording of process events to characterise the process and understand the variability. This incurs time and effort. It also introduces delays in solving the root cause of the problem and implementing improvements.

to log any detail of machine updates, required re-machining, or tools that were broken. This ‘route’ information can subsequently be used to analyse the process and to identify when changes were introduced which may have affected the yield or efficiency. Process ‘route’ data can include: • time and date stamp for an activity • record of inspection data against a batch or part number • record of tool offsets established through tool measurement • record of tool offset correction following feature measurement • record of any alarms generated by macro code • record of restart after operator intervention • reports from logic elements e.g. ‘feature required re-machining’ • information from machine based measurements or activities, e.g. critical features: Perform update, Report on update and Track updates over time

BENEFITS • Complete process history log of all measurements and decisions taken during the machining process • Allows downstream analysis for problem investigation • Enables monitoring of discrete events, capability measurement and process control • Activity log to determine utilisation and performance levels

A FEW EXAMPLES Output data from an automated machining system: RESTARTING PRESS CYCLE START TO CONTINUE 376 CYCLE START PRESSED TIME 10.38 DATE 23 10 09 FIXTURE START---CAR35 POSN12 PROG8945 RESTART ABOUT TO HAPPEN ------------------------------------PROG 9033 X-214.6850 Y-254.5510

SOLUTION Most CNC control systems have the capability to send customised information through RS232 serial ports, an Ethernet connection, or to the hard disc of the CNC control. The reporting capability allows a traceable record of the ‘route’ used to manufacture a component to be stored along with the component inspection data. For example, it is possible 58 | SEPTEMBER 2014

07CMW-InProcess.indd 58

Z-426.2460 VAR 681 0.2275 PROG 9003 VAR 691 -214.685 VAR 644 SET TO -214.361 TIME 10.40 DATE 23 10 09 G55 FOR T7 COMPT 1X-272.109 Y-366.533 Z-418.146 G55 FOR T7 COMPT 2X-368.103 Y-366.531 Z-418.146

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14-09-05 3:34 PM

G55 FOR T7 COMPT 3X-464.100 Y-366.535 Z-418.146

Output data from a mill-turn machine during batch manufacture:

G55 FOR T7 COMPT 4X-560.098 Y-366.552 Z-418.146 G55 FOR T7 COMPT 5X-656.094 Y-366.562 Z-418.146 BATCH 406 WING 12 COMPT 1 MEASURED WIDTH 20.648 BATCH 406 WING 12 COMPT 2 MEASURED WIDTH 20.655 BATCH 406 WING 12 COMPT 3 MEASURED

05 November 200916:21 CYCLE START PART 159T 1836 5 11 ------------------------------------PART 160 5 11 2009 18.36 ------------------------------------FEATURE 13 0FFSET 50 OPPOSED SPINDLE INTERNAL FINISH TURN

WIDTH 20.656 BATCH 406 WING 12 COMPT 4 MEASURED WIDTH 20.661 BATCH 406 WING 12 COMPT 5 MEASURED WIDTH 20.668 TIME 11.13 DATE 23 10 09 T29 LENGTH OLD 228.383 NEW 228.409 LAST ON WING INSPECTION DATA TOP HSG OP20 PROG 8046 LAST PART ON WING 12

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-----------------------------TOOL 8 P65 X20.000 Y5.000 Z NOM 0.000 ACT -0.036 DEV -0.036 P66 X0.000 Y15.000 Z NOM 0.000 ACT -0.022 DEV -0.022 P67 X-20.000 Y5.000 Z NOM 0.000 ACT -0.002 DEV -0.002 MAX -0.002 MIN -0.036 SPRD 0.034 AVE -0.020 OLD OFFSET G55 X-656.094 Y-366.562 Z-418.146 NEW OFFSET G55 X-656.079 Y-366.547 Z-418.146 -----------------------------TOOL 10 P72 X NOM 16.957 ACT 16.952 Y NOM -20.956 ACT -20.964 DEV 0.009 P73 X NOM 20.082 ACT 20.076 Y NOM -15.543 ACT -15.553 DEV -0.011 P74 X NOM 15.813 ACT 15.822 Y NOM -16.687 ACT -16.693 DEV -0.011

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P75 X NOM 21.226 ACT 21.228 Y NOM -19.812 ACT -19.814 DEV 0.003 MAX 0.009 MIN -0.011 SPRD 0.020 AVE -0.003 -----------------------------CYCLE TIME TOP HSG 0.747HOURS

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07CMW-InProcess.indd 59

www.cmmxyz.com 2433 Meadowvale Blvd., Mississauga, Ontario L5N 5S2 Ph:905-819-7878 • Fax: 905-819-6886 • Toll Free: 1-800-606-9266 SEPTEMBER 2014 | 59

14-09-05 3:34 PM

CONTROL LIMIT EXCEEDED INSPECTING

X - .007 Y - .011 Z 5.002 SIZE

NEXT PART

47.976

FEATURE CORRECT

OLD WEAR OFFSET X .032 Y .000 Z

-------------------------------------

.102 R .000

PART 161 SUSPECT INSPECTING NEXT

NEW WEAR OFFSET X .057 Y .000 Z

PART

.102 R .000

-------------------------------------

CONTROL LIMIT EXCEEDED INSPECTING

PART 162 5 11 2009 19.08

NEXT PART FEATURE CORRECT

-------------------------------------

FEATURE 13 0FFSET 50

PART 160 SUSPECT INSPECTING NEXT

OPPOSED SPINDLE INTERNAL FINISH TURN

PART

X - .010 Y - .008 Z 5.000 SIZE

-------------------------------------

48.002

CYCLE TIME .292 HRS

OLD WEAR OFFSET X .031 Y .000 Z

PART 160T 1854 5 11

.102 R .000

-------------------------------------

NEW WEAR OFFSET X .031 Y .000 Z

PART 161 5 11 2009 18.54

.102 R .000

------------------------------------FEATURE 13 0FFSET 50

FEATURE CORRECT

OPPOSED SPINDLE INTERNAL FINISH

------------------------------------PART 162 OK

TURN

-------------------------------------

X - .011 Y - .010 Z 4.999 SIZE

PART 171T 2124 5 11

48.026

FEATURE 13 LIFE EXPIRED

OLD WEAR OFFSET X .057 Y .000 Z

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

.102 R .000

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

NEW WEAR OFFSET X .031 Y .000 Z

IIIIIIIII 100.3 PCENT - F 13 -

.102 R .000

In terms of inspection software, here’s a typical program run with Renishaw’s Sample Inspection Plus. N10 G0 X0 Y0 Z10.

Positioning move to measuring clearance point

N20 G65 P9810 Z-5. F3000

Protected positioning move into bore for measuring

N30 G65 P9814 D20.0 W2.0

Measure 20 mm bore, increment component number, reset feature number

N50 G0 Z10.

Move to clearance position

N60 G65 P9810 X 15.

Protected positioning move to measuring point

N70 G65 P9811 Z0 T20. W1.0

Measure Z0 face, increment feature number, update tool length offset 20

N80 G0 Z10.

Move to clearance position

N90 G65 P9810 X0 Y10.

Protected positioning move to measuring point

N100 G65 P9812 D50. Z-10 W1.0

Measure 50 mm wide web, increment feature number

N100

Continue

Can you find out-of-spec parts with straightforward in-process measurement? Yes, but a little additional software and additional data

can point to the root cause of the problem, saving valuable machine downtime.

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60 | SEPTEMBER 2014

07CMW-InProcess.indd 60

RENISHAW ACCEPTS NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY PROBLEMS

SPARE AND UNUSED VARIABLES FOR INDIVIDUAL APPLICATIONS.

OR DAMAGE ARISING FROM THE USE OF ANY SAMPLE CODE AND

SAMPLE PRODUCTIVITY+™ PROGRAMS ASSUME THE USE OF

ADVISES THOROUGH CHECKING OF OUTPUT VARIABLES FOR THE

ACTIVE EDITOR PRO 1.70.20. SAMPLE INSPECTION PLUS

SELECTED INSPECTION PACKAGE AND THE AVAILABILITY OF

PROGRAMS ASSUME USE WITH FANUC TYPE CONTROLS

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14-09-05 3:34 PM

Renishaw.indd 1

14-09-05 11:42 AM

Modern materials and automated processes lead to less rust and corrosion on new cars. BY NESTOR GULA

s a vehicle ages, you may notice rust beginning to build up, only minor spots at first, but rust will continue to accumulate and even develop into body damage and holes. Rust is a challenge we have faced since we started using metal in our day-to-day lives. The process of finishing and painting automobiles has really advanced in the last decade or so. One of the most notable changes is the absence of people from the application process. “Gone are the days of operators in full protective suits holding onto a spray gun and painting the car as it passes by on a conveyor,.” said Darcy Ste. Marie, Area Manager for Paint Shop for General Motors of Canada Limited. “The process is now fully automated with robots dispensing the appropriate amounts of prime, base coat and clear coat.” There are three key aspects to painting vehicles: process, materials and facility/ equipment. “It takes all three components to make the system work,” said Richard Owusu, Head of Paint Operations, Manufacturing Engineering for Chrysler Group LLC. “Over the years we have made significant improvements in all three aspects through new technologies and new innovative solutions.” Another major change in the industry has been the shift away from solvent-based paints to water-borne paints. There are many factors involved in the switch, which 62 | SEPTEMBER 2014

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is partially due to government mandates and the advancement in finishing materials and paints. However, ongoing research is constantly adding to the discussion surrounding metal finishing. “What we are using today is more waterborn materials,” said Owusu. “We have gone from solvent-based materials to waterborne materials. It is more environmentally friendly and does not have the VOC [Volatile Organic Compounds]. We are using equipment that is more efficient so when we are painting the vehicle, we are attracting more material to the car and not as much material dropping down. We are reducing material usage.” The switch to water-borne paints was not straightforward, though. “It is easier to process solvent-borne paints than water-borne paints,” continued Owusu. “But to be an environmentally-friendly company, we had to learn how to process this new material. Switching from solvent-based paints has come with its challenges, especially in terms of quality. The solvent-borne paint tends to be more forgiving in terms of defects. Waterbased paint is more sensitive to process. However, the new water-born paints have improved the look of the cars. “The clear coat that we apply on Oshawa products gives a beautiful, wet-looking finish that was previously unachievable with earlier technologies,” said Ste. Marie. The painting department of a car plant must www.canadianmetalworking.com

14-09-05 12:55 PM

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A paint shop team member measures the “appearance” of the vehicle at the General Motors Lake Orion Plant in Orion Township, Michigan. PHOTO BY JEFFREY SAUGER FOR GENERAL MOTORS

A ready to paint car moves through rotating drums of female ostrich feathers. They carry a low electrical charge and are used to remove loose particles from the body before paint is applied. PHOTO COURTESY CHRYSLER GROUP LLC

64 | SEPTEMBER 2014

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be a secure area. Companies need to ensure that no dust or foreign matter enters the area where the cars are prepped and painted. The preparation of the car body for painting takes up most of the time and the most effort. “When we get the raw body of the car first we go through a nine stage process of cleaning the vehicle,” said Owusu. “In this process — called pre-treatment — we have a stage where we do a zinc phosphate coating where we coat the substrate ... with the zinc coating to create a surface to be painted. That is the very first step. The second step is an electro-coating deposit where we apply an e-coat material to the sheet metal. That is done by electric transfer, where a negative electrical charge is introduced to the body and you get attraction. Then you get it baked.” The cleaning process is essential for the painting process and inspections are needed to ensure quality. Cleaning the surface properly establishes a foundation where paint can be applied. Owusu explains, “We have a saying – we don’t paint metal we paint a phosphate substrate. We paint a phosphate layer. It is critical that it is defect free.” The preparation of the vehicle for painting is rigorous and carefully done. Each step is equally important to the process and

ensures a perfect job. “You can’t paint on dirt or it will show, and you must ensure complete coverage of the materials before the paint colour is applied or the car will not meet the durability standards that our customers demand,” said Ste. Marie. In this automated process, the cars are mounted on special carriages and go through a series of tanks containing the necessary chemical cleaning compound or coating material. “The cars are on a conveyor. The car bodies are lowered onto a carriage that is carried by the conveyor,” said Owusu. “We lock the body down onto the carrier, so it cannot move. The body is then transported through the process. The under-body of the car sits on the carrier. No outside surface is touched during the process. Special prop tools are used to keep the doors four inches ajar to allow drainage when the cars are dipped into the tanks.” A special chemical is used to clean the body and water is used to rinse and condition the body. The zinc phosphate is applied when the bodies go through the tanks. While most of the process is automated, there is a sealing process, which is performed manually. In this step, workers apply sealing material to seal the door hems, deck lids and other areas of the car so there is no place for the rust to start. Once the preparatory process has been completed, the car body, which has been baked and e-coated, is then transferred to a different carriage which will be moved to the spray area. In the Chrysler plants, the prepared car bodies go through an emu feather rub down before the paints are sprayed on. “These are ostrich feathers — the term emu feather is used interchangeably,” said Owusu, who explained that the process is the same. They use these feathers to remove loose particles from the body before painting. The feathers carry a low electrical charge and remove the loose dirt from the body while a vacuum removes the dirt from the feathers. “It is a very good process — if you would do it manually you would have variation in process.” In fact the automation of the vehicle finishing process is one of the main reasons today’s cars can remain rust and corrosion-free for so long. One of the advantages www.canadianmetalworking.com

14-09-05 12:55 PM

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14-09-05 11:07 AM

With the primer applied, the red paint is sprayed onto the vehicle. PHOTO COURTESY CHRYSLER GROUP LLC

is that the automated process allows for every part of the body to be covered. With manually processes, there tends to be some variation or even missed spots. Owusu contends that “variation in process is the root of all evil in manufacturing.” Vehicle corrosion is reduced by the e-coat— a significant step in the process. The elec-

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tro-deposited materials function is to prevent the sheet metal from corroding. “The material tends to be dense and coats all the surfaces. It is important to note, however, that any good paint job includes a primer. Chrysler uses a powder for their primer to protect the e-coating from UV and also to provide chip resistance. The primer layer is important because it can prevent extreme rust. Owusu explains that if there is a stone chip, the primer layer can act as a barrier, preventing a deeper chip. If the chip goes beyond the primer layer, the potential for rust is high, as it will attach to the bare metal. After the primer layer, the paint process begins with the first coat which is the base coat. “We spray the colour, we do the interior surfaces first and then the exterior surfaces,” Owusu said. The car is put through a process to dehydrate the water, then the clear coat is applied and the car is baked. “So when the car comes out, it is inspected for imperfection. If we find any we repair them,” said Owusu. The imperfections are sanded either by hand or orbital sanders with 600 grit paper. If there are no imperfections then it can be sent to the final process

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where foam is used to fill the cavities that will temper the noise and vibration harshness. Beyond that, it is sent to the final assembly. Owusu explains that the whole process takes eight hours to complete. There are two systems of spraying a car. One has a robot that is connected to a central paint supply, every time colour changes the main spray hose has to be flushed so that no paint colours are inappropriately mixed and there is no colour carryover. Even with the flushing there is always a danger of colour carryover, especially when going from a red to white,” he said. “You can get a pinkish hue. When we schedule colours we do not schedule white after red.” The other system is using individual canisters that will hold the correct amount of paint to spray

the given vehicle. “The robot picks up the canister, sprays the car. When it is done, I put down the empty canister and pick up the next one and paint again,” said Owusu. This avoids down time and is the easiest way to paint in blocks. At Chrysler, they try to paint 10 colours in a row. All colours are decided by the colour studio that looks at trends and different styles and what colours people want to buy. “They will tell us what colours we need… and we just execute the colour,” said Owusu.

The finishing coat provides the first layer of protection for the car body. PHOTO COURTESY CHRYSLER GROUP LLC

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SEPTEMBER 2014 | 67

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Untitled-1 1 Bohler.indd 1

14-04-28 2:32 PM 14-09-05 11:08 AM

THE BUSINESS OF WELDING

WELDER EDUCATION It should be what you’ve learned, not where you learned it. IAN CAMPBELL, DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT, CWB

et’s look at an area where there is a lot more talking then there is action — welder education. As an industry, we have spent a lot of time talking, having meetings, floating ideas, and maybe more than just a bit of staring at our feet, in an attempt to get at the underlying issues that have resulted in the current shortage of skilled Canadian welding professionals in this country. Considering all the upcoming projects across the country that will rely on welding, it would seem that, even at a national level, meeting the numerous provincial welder demands for these projects in the next few years is going to be a huge challenge. Yet, here we are, still looking for a solution… The challenge seems to be one of logistics and alignment as it applies to industry’s need for better education and more welding professionals. As things stand right now, the Canadian model for welder education is one that is focused on creating provincial welders who are, in theory, trained to serve industries within their province. That is fine (and I should add, also good business) for regional schools, provincial regulators and governments, but I’m not convinced it solves any of the underlying problems from a national perspective. There are still too few welding professionals available when and where they are needed, and there is still too much disparity with respect to what they were taught and how they were measured/assessed before www.canadianmetalworking.com

07CMW-BusWeld.indd 69

heading out in to the job market. So looking at the problem from industry’s perspective, I think it is fair to ask some questions: Where are all the welding professionals going to come from? Who is creating and teaching the programs that will create these people? Who is going to set the national standardization for education and assessment? Who is going to provide the resulting data industry needs to quickly and cost effectively determine a good hire from a bad hire? And finally, who is going to pay for all of this? I suspect that, at some level, industry already knows who to ask these questions to—they include provincial boards of education, colleges, universities, apprentice boards, regulators, industry associations and government agencies. That said, knowing who to ask and getting the answers needed are sometimes two very different things. The same logic applies to moving beyond asking questions and giving answers — someone, sometime is going to need to take some action to start making this right. The problem is there are lots of people that have a piece of the “education pie” and that creates a lot of players for industry to deal with. Everyone has an opinion, most have a mandate, and few have any influence beyond their local area. This results in what best can be described as a large “distributed bureaucracy” when expanded across all provinces and territories. Don’t get me wrong, there is value in this, but it comes with the following issues. Lack of Funding, Inaction and Pride – Assuming industry is actually able to wade through the bureaucracy, things are further complicated by a number of other issues, namely: Funding, Inaction and Pride. Let’s look at these in a bit of detail:

Funding and Inaction - Fixing any problem requires action and all actions have an associated cost. As can be expected, finding funding is a universal issue for all, including industry itself. Even if there is a need and an agreed upon action, the question is always going to be: Who is paying to get it done? It is fair to say, though, that there are not a lot of players putting up their hands to volunteer. Talk is cheap—action is expensive! Pride – Now on to the age-old problems of perceived stature or superiority—let’s just call it ego. Ego makes people, institutions and organizations put up roadblocks that stop progress. In the absence of hard facts, ego fosters a “we are the best” attitude and a resentment to change. The reality is not all welding programs are good, and not all welders from all programs are great welders; but you would never know by asking those involved. Everything is always great until things can be equally and independently measured. Truth, through the act of measuring and assessing, removes the influence of ego. What is important to understand is that all these factors impact education and industry. Consider this, how does industry determine if a welding professional from college A is actually better than one from college B? Is this based on marks, the course material, the instructors, what the school says about its program? If you ask both A and B, both will tell you Continues on page 96  SEPTEMBER 2014 | 69

14-09-05 12:41 PM

FABRICATING & WELDING NEWS

B.C.’S SKILLS FOR JOBS BLUEPRINT GETS PROVINCIAL SUPPORT

PHOTO: WENDY D. – BCIT.

he Skills for Jobs Blueprint initiative is working to increase access to trades training needed to develop major industries in the provprov ince of British Columbia. One way the government is delivering on its promise is by adding 272 seats at the B.C. Institute of Technology (BCIT), as early as September 2014.

PHOTO: WENDY D. – BCIT.

“Our government’s Blueprint comcom mitted to delivering a trained workwork force that will be ready for jobs in the Liquefied Natural Gas and other industries. A career in the trades proprovides the opportunity for long-term, well-paying jobs that strengthen our families and communities,” said Shirley Bond, Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training Minister and Minister Responsible for Labour. The seats are aligned with the top 12 Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) trades jobs that include welders, industrial electricians, ironworkers, crane operators and heavy duty equipment 70 | SEPTEMBER 2014

07CMW-Fab&Weld.indd 70

mechanics, and will support in-dein-de mand jobs needed in other industries. According to the B.C. Skills for Jobs Blueprint, data indicates that with a scenario of five LGN plants constructed between 2015-24, there would be up to 100,000 jobs created and approximately $175 billion in industry investment. The provincial government’s initiative is to ensure that workers are properly trained and the industry has a skilled workwork force ready for the influx of jobs. By 2022, there is expected to be approxapproximately a million job openings, with about 43% requiring college education or apprenticeship traintraining, according to the Skills for Jobs Blueprint report, 2014. BCIT will receive $1.35 million from the government of B.C., with $798,000 to fund the additional 272 seats and $553,000 in operating funds for minor equipment such as tools, a small steam boiler, welding equipment, threading machines and other training equipment to support trades students. By creating addiaddi tional seats, wait times for these proprograms at BCIT will be reduced. For example, the wait time for the heavy duty mechanic apprenticeship proprogram will be reduced by 10 months. Further funding for other post-secpost-secondary programs is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

“BCIT is grateful for this contribucontribution from the Ministry of Advanced Education and Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training. BCIT is one of the largest providers of trades training programs in Western Canada,” BCIT vice-president, educaeducation, research and international Paul Dangerfield explained. Funding allocations are based on the most-recent labour market data, on consultations with instiinstitutions, the Industry Training Authority and the Province’s Labour Market Priorities Board, as well as institutions’ current waitlists and capacity to add training seats. For more information, visit www.workbc.ca/skills.

Minister, Shirley Bond speaking about B.C.’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint initiative. PHOTO: WENDY D. – BCIT.

www.canadianmetalworking.com

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FABRICATING & WELDING NEWS

CANWELD CONFERENCE EXPLORES “WELDING IN THE ARCTIC”

n September 28, 2014, the Canadian Welding Association will kick off its fifth annual CanWeld Conference. It will also be the first year the conference is being held as an International Institue of Welding (IIW) Congress. This event is Canada’s largest and most attended industry event. This year, the conference is themed “Welding in the Arctic,” and for four days, attendees will get to explore products and services related to sub-zero work environments, as well as meet industry professionals and develop welding initiatives. The conference is a great way to learn about technical research and developments, while grappling with

Award winners at the CWA CanWeld 2013 Conference. From left to right: Dr. Patricio Mendez, Mathew Yarmuch, Steve Siu, Dr. John Bowker, and Will Morlidge.

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industry challenges. There will be over 40 international industry experts who will present technitechni cal papers, some debuting for the first time. Pipelines, Shipbuilding, Construction, Mining, Research, Education, NDE, Safety, Underwater Welding and Energy are just some of the industry focuses planned for this event. The Canadian Welding Association have also planned a tour the Seaspan Shipyard, a golf tournatourna-

ment, entertainment, social activiactivities and activities for spouses. If you cannot make it to the event, there is always the option to virtually attend through online webcasts.

DATE: September 28 – October 1, 2014 LOCATION: Westin Bayshore Hotel 1601 Bayshore Dr, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6G 2V4. For more information, visit www.cwaevents.org.

VICTOR TECHNOLOGIES OFFERS STUDENT CONTEST Victor Technologies has announced its 2014 “A Cut Above” student contest. The contents is open to students in cutting, welding, and related programs in the secondary and post-secondary levels. Students have a chance to win over $30,000 in equipment and cash. Three beginner students will each win $250 by submitting a 500-word essay that the judges deem to best support the contest theme. Judges will also choose three advanced student winning teams and each member of the winning team wins $500. Advanced students will submit a team metal fabrication

project that incorporates an oxy-fuel, air-fuel or plasma cutting process. In addition to student prizes, each of the schools associated with the winners at their time of entry will receive the following prize package, valued at more than $4,000: • One (1) Victor Medalist 250 Medium Duty Cutting System • One (1) Victor Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster 42 Air Plasma Cutting Outfit • One (1) Tweco Fabricator 211i3-in-1 Stick-MIG-TIG Welding Machine Kit • Two (2) Tweco 4-sensor autodarkening welding helmets Get your entry in before October 31, 2014! Rules and entry forms available at www.victortechnologies. com/acutabove.

www.canadianmetalworking.com

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THE DRIVING FORCE

BEHIND WELDING Welding advancements have been steered by the auto industry

BY NESTOR GULA

oth welding and the automotive industry developed at the same time and have grown and evolved together. The welding industry has always been driven by the needs of the auto industry. It was in the 70s that most consumers first encountered automated production when photographs and videos of the Japanese automotive plants were shown on North American television. The Asian auto manufacturing market was used as an example of why the “Big Three” were struggling. Over the past few decades, the playing field has evened out for the most part. There are few auto plants that haven’t gone completely to the automated welding systems and robots of every kind. “In the 1980s, we had manual welders and although there were some hard automatic welding systems with pneumatic and relay controls, the vast majority were manual and semi-automatic,” said Jeff Mitchell, Body Shop Shift Leader for General Motors of Canada. “Today, we have more than 1,000 welding and material handling robots in our Oshawa Flex plant alone. These robots do everything from adhesive applications to metal positioning.” Although robots and automated welding systems are a big investment, they pay off

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down the line because of their flexibility, throughput and accuracy. “You can make an investment in a whole bunch of robots and when a new program comes along, you can reuse those robots and that is re-utilizing assets. It is a big factor of keeping costs in check,” said Marc Levesque, Director, Corporate Marketing for CenterLine Limited. He went on to explain that high usage of robots, reusing assets from project to project, and enhancing functionality of robots has been a significant trend. “[It] allows the robots to move faster they take up less space you can get into tighter areas and the cost is lowered.” Automotive welding is synonymous with spot welding as this process dominates in welding thin sheets of mild steel together. “Automation has been well incorporated into the automotive sector for a long time now and is the enabler technology for all types of welding at the OEM and Tier suppliers [GMAW, Spot, Laser, etc.],” said Deryck Hart, Director, Automotive Sector, ITW Welding North America. “Most of OEM welding is spot welding as they focus on the body skins. Most of the Tier suppliers are doing GMAW welding of structural [frame and suspension] and safety components [bumpers, seats, exhaust].” In the automotive sector there are many

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sub-sectors where certain companies build different types of parts for the cars. There are a lot of advancements being made to these parts to save weight, improve durability and reduce costs. “Other than spot welding and MIG welding there are a certain amount of applications where adhesives are being used and a lot of self-piercing rivets being installed in various applications,” said Larry Koscielski, Senior Technical and Strategic Advisor for CenterLine Limited. However, when talking about aluminum parts or carbon fibre or plastic, this is an entirely different conversation. The advancements seen in MIG and TIG are now, generally, being seen in spot welding. “There has been a lot of wonderful advancements in both spot welding, projection welding and gas metal arc welding and welding control,” said Koscielski. “In spot welding specifically there is a lot of good advancement with adaptive controls. Basically what is happening on the adaptive controls with a welding gun, which may or not be on a robot, the welding gun is monitoring what is happening during the weld and making adjustments during the weld as it goes through the process. Even though the spot welding process is so fast, with the types of processing speeds we have now, it actually can make adjustments in time to have an effect on the weld.” Much of these advancements are only possible because of the speed of modern day computer processors. Although one can get standalone robotic welding cells, when dealing with the volumes that the auto industry deals with, it is necessary to have a complete automated system that incorporates material handling as well. “The stampings still often have to be placed into the welding jig and then taken out manually after the process is completed,” said Koscielski. “The fasteners, we have good solutions for feeding them but with the stampings themselves, it is a fairly cumbersome process.” There is a lot of growth potential in this area—not in automated welding but in the material handling, positioning and fixturing of components and stampings for the welding process. One of the areas of advancement is how workers present parts, or load parts, into the automatic assemblies. Generally, an

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operator would be tied to the machine cycle—synchronicity. However, with new improvements, the operator has more freedom. “Now there is a lot of work being done to create a situation where operators are still loading parts but they are loading them onto some sort of conveyor or some indexing tool where they will be able to load enough material for five or 10 machine cycles at a time and then walk to the next part of the line and do the same thing. So the move is to get the operator into an asynchronous mode with the machines,” said Koscielski. In a sense, the operator is tending the machine. There are many added benefits of this type of system. The system can respond well if the assembly line has to slow down because of a problem or if parts need to be removed for quality inspection, the sequential work of the assembly line will not be altered. Automotive welding and manufacturing is now no more than moving parts from A to B, with certain performance steps along the way. Levesque explains that it’s really the automated system for Tier One suppliers that has changed. “[These are] suppliers that are manufacturing sub-components that are then shipped to the assembly plant and put on a car,” said Levesque. “Instead of a linear transfer where you have a conveyor system where

The body of a 2015 Chrysler 200 is welded at Chrysler Group’s Sterling Heights (Mich.) Assembly Plant. PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRYSLER GROUP LLC

Automated spot welding machines at the Brampton Assembly weld the parts for the unibody. PHOTO: NESTOR GULA

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MIG welding is very prevalent in the auto industry. PHOTO COURTESY OF LINCOLN ELECTRIC

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the part is picked up and walked through the whole process, what we are seeing is a lot of robotic applications where you have dual tools. Where robots in one orientation have a welding gun and are performing a process then flips over and it is more of a gripping mechanism and will pick up the part and move it to the next station.” This trend is successful because it makes the whole process more flexible, especially when modifications or changes need

to be made. This system allows for the robot to be reprogrammed. The new high-speed processors and imaging equipment have made data acquisition and quality control much better. “Data acquisition and process feedback has been a big trend as well – trying to understand to see and look through the process to verify that everything is in place,” said Levesque. The benefit of this is that you don’t have to wait until the end of the line to discover you have made a bad part or you have missed something. “Vision systems and proximity switches— that’s been a huge part of the evolution of automation in the auto industry. They want to know, they want to track the quality of the parts all the way through. So they can reduce the scrap and ensure that the end product is of a much higher quality.” Manufacturers are constantly working to improve their systems to increase quality and reduce costs. “There is a Manufacturing Engineering Group in Oshawa that has experience in design-

14-09-05 1:19 PM

ing, building and launching new vehicle welding equipment and processes,” said Mitchell, who also mentioned that they have a larger Manufacturing Engineering group situated in Michigan. A lot of work is being done to analyse and improve the manufacturing process. “The more refined the process is the more that impacts the amount of floor space that you need, you can concentrate the things you need,” said Levesque. “It impacts the quality of the welding because there is a certain art in how you weld the part. You just don’t go ahead and start welding. You have to think of how to do it sequentially—where you are going to apply the heat, where you are going to apply the weld so it doesn’t deform the part or twist it in any way.” With a fast moving automatic assembly line, an improper weld can be repeated many times ruining costly raw materials, wasting line and affecting the bottom line. One of the biggest challenges is being cognisant of the fact that a heat force is being introduced, if you don’t do it properly, you

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can compromise the quality of assembly. There is still a lot of room for improvement in robotic welding especially in projection welding. “It is welding nuts and studs onto sheet metal,” explains Koscielski. This is a resistance welding process where a nut or a stud is installed onto a piece of sheet metal so that attachments can be added at a later time. “[This] is one area of the industry that I see is not very highly automated yet. But I see a lot of motion in that area.” Another big challenge is with the automated welding machines themselves. Koscielski thinks the next challenge is not the automation but the staff at the plant level. They need to be able to keep the automation going. “I think that it is a huge challenge…it is not that the technology exists or [doesn’t], it is whether the customer can keep the technology running. Is the technology intuitive enough or simple enough to keep running or do you need too high of a skill level for the average customer? This is a really big question moving forward.”

14-09-05 1:19 PM

SUCCESSION PLANNING

FINANCING YOUR SUCCESSION PLAN: MANAGEMENT BUYOUT (MBO) BY ALMA JOHNS, PRESIDENT, BENCH CAPITAL ADVISORY INC., A BUSINESS FINANCING ADVISORY FIRM BASED IN TORONTO.

s Canada’s aging business ownowners begin to transition into retirement, a new breed of entrepreneurial employees will take ownerowner ship positions in some businesses. Members of managing teams who want to play a more active role in the business often consider buying —individually or in teams—the busibusiness from their previous employer. Widely known as Management Buyout, or MBO, this method of busibusiness transition requires a significant infusion of financing, primarily in the form of bank loans, vendor takeback and private equity financing. MBOs occur internally, so buybuyers have a strong understanding of the inner workings of the company they’re buying. Also, because they already are familiar with systems and processes required to operate the business, MBOs have a higher probability of success post-tranpost-tran sition. Further, retiring business owners often favor MBOs because they want to see the business remain viable after they leave.

These include: • buying shares with other key employees using their own equity • term debt financing from the bank • subordinated debt from sub-debt lending institutions • private equity funds • vendor take back (VTB) • earn out provisions embedded into Purchase Agreement

HOW MBO FINANCING MAY LOOK We caution readers that the examexample outlined below is a simplified scenario and excludes VTB and Earn Out provisions. Also, we assume that the Management team is able to find a suitable Private Equity firm to co-invest. In our example, the company gengen erates an EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Income Tax, Depreciation and Amortization) of $2 million per year. If today’s industry stanstan dard valuation is 5x EBITDA, the company valuation is likely around $10 million. It’s assumed that the company has no debt and that the three-person management Team can raise $1 million of their own equity. Accordingly, they need to finance the remaining $9 million from various sources. This creates the following typical capital structure. Management’s Equity Private Equity Total Equity

$1 million (16.7% of Total) $5 million (83.3% of Total) $6 million

WHAT TYPES OF FINANCING ARE NEEDED? However, traditional financial instiinstitutions often deem MBOs particuparticu larly risky because the new owners may not have the same experience, business relationships and financial savvy as the previous owner. So the MBO team must often find alternaalternative funding methods to finance the transition and execute the buyout plan. 78 | SEPTEMBER 2014

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Bank Debt $3 million Subordinated Debt $2 million Total Debt $5 million At the time of transaction, the Debt-to-Equity ratio becomes 0.8:1 or 80 cents of debt for every dollar of equity. But a healthy Debt-to-Equity ratio typically used as benchmark by most banks is 2:1.

This financing structure changes with time. Assuming the Bank Debt has a repayment term of 7 years, the Principal-plus-Interest method of repayment equates to approximately $430K in Principal reduction per year. At Year 5, the Bank Debt reduces to $850K. If the Subordinated Debt has a 6-year repayment term with Interest Only in Year 1, and subsesubse quent equal repayments of $400,000 annually, at the end of Year 5, the Subordinate Debt is paid down to $400,000 and the outstanding Bank and Subordinated Debt collectively goes down to $1.25 million. So, at Year 5, the above structure may look like the following (using a 20% year-over-year growth in equity). Management’s Equity Private Equity Total Equity

$3.11 million (25% of equity) $9.33 million (75% of equity) $12.44 million

Bank Debt $850,000 Subordinated Debt $400,000 Total Debt $1.25 million Ironically, this timing coincides with the period when Private Equity firms typically exit ownership of the company unless the firm decides to extend their “holding period.” With Year 5 capital structure, the Debt-to-Equity ratio effectively www.canadianmetalworking.com

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SUCCESSION PLANNING becomes 0.10:1 or 10 cents of Debt for every dollar of Equity—considered by the bank to be low leverage. If the Private Equity exits at this point, the Management can either take on another Bank Debt to take out the Private Equity’s share in the firm or, together with the Private Equity, sell the business to a strategic buyer at a premium. The former will increase the Debt to Equity or Leverage Ratio to 3.4:1. While this ratio is off the ideal ratio of 2:1, most banks will tolerate the risk, especially if the company continues to generate a strong cash flow as it did historically.

to year depending on the company’s performance). That should be added the Subordinated Debt Principal repayment of $333,000 per year. Although simplified, we can use a similar equity growth rate of 20% above as our EBITDA growth rate in our projection. The Debt Service Coverage ratio will improve as the EBITDA grows since the annual debt

repayment amount remains constant year over year. Alma Johns is President of Bench Capital Advisory Inc., an independent financing consulting practice based in Toronto. She can be reached at alma.johns@benchcapital.ca or www.benchcapital.ca.

CASHFLOW, EBITDA AND ABILITY TO SERVICE DEBT We made an oversimplified scenario on the Capital Structure above. The company’s ability to service debt using the same scenario is also important. For example: Bank Debt $3 million Subordinated Debt $2 million Total Debt $5 million If the Bank Debt has a repayment term of 7 years at an Interest Rate of 5%, and the Subordinated Debt has a repayment term of 6 years at an Interest Rate of 15%, this gives us a total repayment of $880,000 in Year 1, assuming Principal + Interest repayment method. Principal $3 million/ Bank Debt 7 years = $430,000 Interest $3 million@ Bank Debt 5% = $150,000 Principal $2 million/ Subordinated 6 years = $0 Debt (Interest Only in Year 1) Interest $2 million @ Subordinated Debt 15% = $300,000 Total Repayment $880,000

Greater Efficiency SGS has designed specific cutting tool technologies that combine substrate, geometry, edge preparation and coating to withstand the complex conditions of Composite applications requiring minimal fiber breakout and delamination.

DEFINING HIGH PERFORMANCE MILLING

If the company generates an EBITDA of $2 million per year in Year 1, the Debt Service Coverage is 2.3:1 or approximately 2.3 dollars in cash flow for every 1 dollar of debt repayment (This can vary from year www.canadianmetalworking.com

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DRILLING

ROUTING

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TOOL TALK

GIBBS & ASSOCIATES PARTNERS WITH SANDVIK COROMANT Gibbs and Associates announced a partpartnership with Sandvik Coromant to inteintegrate the Adveon Tool Library application. The Adveon Tool Library provides three functions to assist users. It offers a library, which allows customers to download or enter data for tooling items to create a master catalog. A second function enables users to categorize the various tooling items they use, while the third allows them to quickly and easily create tool assemblies from these components. Applications, which supsupport the standard, can then access the cutting tool assemblies without further searching or definition. Users can quickly and easily create tool

assemblies, see immediate representarepresentations in 2D and 3D, and use them for simsimulation with GibbsCAM’s integrated Cut Part Rendering and Machine Simulation. Gibbs and Associates will begin marketing Adveon integrated with GibbsCAM immediately, and begin shipshipping it with the GibbsCAM 2015 release. Adveon will initially support milling tools. GibbsCAM users with current software maintenance will receive Adveon free of charge. “Adveon is a perfect fit with GibbsCAM, which has the inherent ability to assoassociate specific tools with machining proprocesses and the parts and part features the tools cut, to facilitate fast CNC propro gramming and even faster engineering changes,” said Robb Weinstein, Senior Vice President of Sales and Strategic Planning of Gibbs and Associates.

ISCAR PARTNERS WITH MACHINING CLOUD Machining Cloud GmbH will now pubpub lish Iscar’s product data on their cloud system. This partnership will allow Iscar products to be easily accessi accessi-ble for customers to directly feed their CNC programming, machine simusimulations, and machine tool setup and operations. Machining Cloud wants to create a single source for all their machining needs. Manufacturers of machine tools, cutting tools, and workholding can upload their product information and customers can access up-to-date and complete information. Iscar’s decision to partner with Machining Cloud will allow its users access to the cloud and increase productivity.

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Tel: 416-675-7760 Fax: 416-675-6988

“Having direct access to the Iscar cutting-tool product data on the cloud reduces the frustration and time associated with obtaining the tooling information needed for running their CAM systems, tool-management software, cutting-tool presetters and machine tools,” says Stephane Julien, Cloud Evangelist for Machining Cloud GmbH. Using the Machining Cloud tablet and desktop apps, users have access to a set of software features including selector, configurator, job management, reporting and commerce. “The cloud-computing technology … is now materializing in the metalworking market with Machining Cloud,” said Meir Noybauer, Business Development www.canadianmetalworking.com

14-09-05 2:01 PM

TOOL TALK

DIPAOLO TO EXCLUSIVELY SELL PIETRO CARNAGHI MACHINES IN CANADA AND NEW YORK

Manager at Iscar Ltd. Iscar is not the first company to partpartner with Machining Cloud. Okuma, TDM Systems, Zoller are just a few of the many companies to put their data on the cloud system. For more information, visit www.machiningcloud.com.

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DiPaolo Machine Tools Ltd. of Mississauga, ON, is now expanding its line to include Pietro Carnaghi machines, an international leader in machine tool manufacturing. The Italian-based company was founded in 1922 and offers over nine decades of industry experience. Their vertical turning lathes and gantry milling machines are sought after in various industries including energy, aeronauaeronautics, aerospace, mining, earth moving equipment, bearings, and general machining. The company exports almost 90 per cent of its products to major installations worldwide and had previously focused on Europe, China, Russia, the Middle East, South America, and the U.S.A.

On July 1, 2014, DiPaolo agreed to act as the exclusive authorized agent in Canada and New York State for the Italian company. This is just another way that DiPaolo is working to meet the machining needs of its customers. For Pietro Carnaghi, this partnership will expand its reach into the growing North American market.

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TOOL TALK Maximize the application field of milling and turning machines

TOOL TALK PRODUCTS Superior robots for processing large parts The high-speed MH50 II-series robots have an extremely flexible design, allowing them to be used for a variety of applications, including coating, dispensing, machine and press tending, material cutting and handling. The long reach of the MH50 II model and the extended reaches of the MH50 II-35 and MH50 II-20 make these robots superior for processing large parts. In many cell layouts, the extended reach modmod els can eliminate the need for an external track, decreasing system cost and simplifying programming. Internally routed cables and hoses maximize system reliability, minimize interference and facilitate programming. Wide work envelopes with small interference zones allow the MH50 II-series robots to be placed in close proximity to workpieces and equipment, reducing floorspace requirerequirements. The robots have brakes on all axes and can be floor-, wall- or ceiling-mounted for layout flexibility. www.motoman.com

SCHUNK has developed the highly flexible manual chuck ROTA-S flex particularly for machining a wide workpiece range on milling/ turning machines. The weight with ROTA-S flex is approximately 60 per cent of a conventional chuck with the same capacity. At an identical table load much heavier workpieces can be machined, and due to the low height, enough space remains for the workpiece and the tools The ROTA-S flex can be easily assembled on a machine table, and by using the optimized jaw quick-change system, retrofitting can be done within seconds. The chuck clamps small parts as reliably as large ones, ensuring operator safety. The clamping solution is available in sizes 700, 1000, and 1200 for ROTA-S plus, and the manual chuck ROTA-S plus 2.0 is available in sizes 315, 400, and 500. The ROTA-S flex can be combined with numerous chuck jaws from the 1,200 types of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest standard chuck jaw program from SCHUNK. www.schunk.com

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Precision machining of high volumes of parts The CarvLock towers are available with eight or twelve clamping stations in both manual and hydraulic models. Equipped with easily changeable jaws, these Kurt towers provide maximum setup flexibilflexibility and fast changeover between jobs. Kurtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s complete line of CarvLock tower system options allows manufactures to configure one that fits their exact needs. They are ideal for use on mid-size and larger horizontal machining centers. Each tower station has either a 3 or 4 inch jaw opening and provides repeatable clamping to 0.0002 inch with a maximum clamping force of 5,870 to 7,460 lbs., depending on model. It does this achieving true workpiece immobility while damping cutter-induced vibration. www.kurtworkholding.com www.canadianmetalworking.com

14-09-05 2:01 PM

TOOL TALK New and improved line of rotary tables KOMA Precision, Inc. introduces a new improved line of extra-large center bore, dual disc hydraulic clamp clamp-ing rotary tables from Tsudakoma. The RCB Series has the proprietary dual lead worm gear system with ultra-precision cross roller bearings. The Tsudakoma dual lead gearing system delivers the optimum balance between power, durability and smooth cutting performance. Three new models are available, with table diameter of RCB-350, R being 8.45”, RCB-450, R with 10.4” and RCB550, R with 12.4”. The RCB Series rotary tables can be mounted either vertically or horizontally. Various options such as chucks, tailstocks, support spindles, and faceplates are available. Pneumatic and Hydraulic rotary joints for autoautomatic load and unload of the work piece are also available. www. komaprecision.com

Here’s a great idea for:

Milling cast iron

NEW hi.aeQ face milling cutter A high-efficiency tool for counterboring and milling

Vertical turning machines help prepare transmission manufacturers EMAG has a variety of solutions and the necessary machines for the production of gear shafts. Their newly developed VT 2-4 Vertical Turning Machine offers four-axis machining at high speeds. Workpiece gripgrippers transport the blanks into the machine, where they are clamped ververtically between main spindle and tailtailstock and then machined from two sides, using a number of different tools. As with all the VL series machines, travels are kept very short, resulting in a considerable reduction in idle times. The vertical alignment of the workpiece ensures proprocess integrity, as the vertical chip flow prevents a build-up of chips in the machining area. Machining operations are carried out by two turrets, each featuring twelve tool stations. www.emag.com

The idea: Providing a quiet, stable, flexible, and highly-effective milling solution.

Why it’s great: • High number of inserts resulting in quick machining and low cutting forces. • 8 usable cutting edges per insert for cost-effective production. • Available with or without internal coolant. Learn more about this and other great ideas.

High performance offering in new Plastic Composite Router (PCR) SGS Tool Company has added a new Plastic Composite Router (PCR) to its high performance offering. The new Series 29 PCR product line is specifically designed for machine routrouting glass reinforced composite materials, such as fiberglass and G10, as well as most other common plastic and non‐ non‐metallic materials. The PCR design features a radial chisel edge for better control, smoother cutting and longer tool life. It is manufactured with a variety of length and diameter options as well as 3 different end styles; no end cut, end mill and drill point. www.sgstool.com www.canadianmetalworking.com

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Go to www.komet.com/greatideas or scan this QR code.

www.komet.com 905-551-1743

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TOOL TALK

UNIQUE THREAD FORM TAPS FOR HIGH VOLUME CNC PRODUCTION

Spiralock’s unique 30° wedge ramp female thread securely connects standard male thread forms.

BY DEL WILLIAMS, TECHNICAL WRITER, TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA Machinists can now add a locking feature to tapped holes by utilizing specialized Spiralock taps. These taps are based on a unique thread form that resolves the thread loosening and joint integrity probproblems common to standard fasteners. The Spiralock thread form has been used in extreme fastening applications where joint failure or loosening is not an option: from the main engines of NASA’s Space Shuttle, the Saturn Cassini orbiter and Titan Huygens probe to deep sea oil

rigs, military and aerospace vehicles, as well as medical implants, artificial limbs, and heart pumps. In traditional 60-degree threads, the gap between the upper edges of the male and female threads can lead to vibration-caused thread loosening. Stress concentration and fatigue at the first few engaged threads is also a probprob lem, particularly with softer metals. The profile of Spiralock threads closes the gap that causes loosening, improving the integrity and reliability of threaded joints. “Compared to other machining operoper ations, thread form tapping has been

Spiralock’s upgraded cold forming taps produce a thread by deforming material instead of removing it. It is ideal for aluminium, brass, copper and mild steels.

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relatively slow,” says Jeff Jungmann, a Spiralock engineering manager. “The entire cut has to be made in one pass with little to no visibility, so most machinists are very conservative about their speeds.” The Spiralock product line of machine taps have been improved for CNC machining in regards to the tool’s geometry, surface coatings, flute angles as well as shapes, nose size and other key factors. The new thread form taps include four styles: Multi-Purpose, T-10 Straight Flute, Cold Forming, and High Performance, of which all but the Cold Forming include a physical vapor depodeposition (PVD) coating. Tap blanks include a neck behind the threads on most sizes. The neck allows more room for coolant to get into the hole being tapped, and more room for chips to get cleared away from outoutside a blind hole. This decreases heat buildup and further increases wear life. The four tap styles are offered in plug chamfer for through holes or a bottom chamfer for bottom holes. Minor changes to flute shape have also improved tap usability across a broader range of materials for each style. For instance, hook, rake, and spiral point angles are tailored to specific purposes corresponding to each tap style. Since the point diameter at the front of all tap styles is now larger, the taps start cutting material sooner and spread the load more evenly over all the cutting edges, improving wear life. “By improving the quality of the taptap ping tool, machinists can now have the confidence they are making the proper cut without having to be as conservative in their speeds,” says Jungmann. For information, visit www.StanleyEngineeredFastening.com.

Spiralock’s improved multi-purpose thread form taps for blind or through holes come with a PVD coating for a harder, more lubricious, wear-resistant surface.

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Visit us at booth #127

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TOOL TALK

HYDRAULIC WORKHOLDING SOLUTIONS Devices add reliability while clamping down on waste Whether for machining cumbersome workpieces, or machining operations that require precision finishing in a production environment or machinmachining center, hydraulic vises and similar workholding systems offer a highly flexible and stable fixturing solution that can speed up work cycles and also cut down on waste. In many situations today the machine shop can simply not afford to apply traditional mechanical vises and other clamping devices to hold workpieces in place. These include instances where it would very difficult to manman ually mount and apply the necessary

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consistent-and-even clamping pressure workpieces, thereby risking movement or vibrations that could render workwork pieces into scrap. “In the past, one machine shop was having some difficulties machining welded beams that were perfectly straight—using a mechanical vise setup,” says Larry Johnson, president of Special Machined Components, Mason, Ohio. “Due to the size of the workpieces, mechanical vises were tough to load and control. I understand that they had to scrap quite a few of the beams during the first two or three months of production, perhaps 50 of

them. However, at our shop, thanks to our hydraulic workholding system, I don’t think we’ve had to scrap 10 workpieces over a 12-year period, certainly a huge improvement over the mechanical vises.” The hydraulic workholding system that Johnson’s company installed in 2001 was a six-vise stacked ProHold model manufactured by Planet Products that is used by some job shops for welding and riveting as well as machining operations. One of the problems of using a mechanical vise for large or heavy workpieces is that it is difficult to set up the machine for consistent clamping. For example, if a powerful 300-lb. operator is working the first shift, then a much smaller man takes over on the next shift, there is likely to be a difference in the clamping power between the two shifts. Those who are using hydraulic vises are quite often applying them to production runs, where the consistency of clamping grip and ease and quickness of operaoperation are most important. You simple set the pressure, and it holds each producproduction workpiece the same way. “Our hydraulic vises have a pre-set, automatic clamping and release mechmech anism,” says Larry Johnson. “You just open or close the valve on it and the jaws open and close.” The powered opening allows a 400 lb. part to rest on the vise and always open. This typically would not happen with a spring return vise. “These beams we are machining weigh about 400 lbs. each. To use a mechanical vise you’d have to use a hammer to go around and make sure they’re tight enough. With the hydraulic vises, we’ve got much better control, and no concerns about operator errors. Using the ProHold hydraulic I’ve never had a problem with workpieces coming loose. The hydraulic system is the only way to do it. It’s more expensive, but pays for itself,” explains Johnson. For more information, visit www.planet-products.com. www.canadianmetalworking.com

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Factors that affect the cost of cutting COURTESY OF LENOX, WWW.LENOXTOOLS.COM

utting metal with a band saw sounds easy. Install the blade on the machine, vise the material and let the machine rip. Still, the actual process is much more of a science than an art. It begins with selecting the correct blade to achieve your goals while balancing variables such as material, machine style and condition, and even operator skill level. Making the proper blade selection takes careful consideration and should be done with guidance from your blade partner. However, prior to blade selection, it’s necessary to understand the anatomy

and physics of a cut in order to affect the efficiency of the cutting process. There are several factors that affect band sawing efficiency, including tooth design, band speed, feed rates, vise loading, lubrication, the capacity and condition of the machine, and the material you are cutting. This guide is intended to help you get started by understanding the basics. LENOX has developed planning tools that help you make intelligent decisions about these many variables so that you can optimize your cutting operation. Ask your LENOX Distributor or Sales Representative about the SAWCALC computer program.

HOW CHIPS ARE MADE If you were to look at a blade cutting metal under a microscope, you would see the tooth tip penetrating the work and actually pushing, or shearing, a continuous chip of metal. The angle at which the material shears off is referred to as the “shear plane angle.” This is perhaps the single most important factor in obtaining maximum cutting efficiency. Generally, with a given depth of penetration, the lower the shear plane angle, the thicker the chip becomes and the lower the cutting efficiency. The higher the shear plane angle, the higher the efficiency, with thinner chips being formed. Shear plane angle is affected by material, band speed, feed, lubrication and blade design.

Low shear plane angle = low efficiency

High shear plane angle = high efficiency

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GULLET CAPACITY Gullet capacity is another factor that impacts cutting efficiency. The gullet is the space between the tooth tip and the inner surface of the blade. As the teeth cut away the material during a cut, the chip curls up into this area. A blade with the proper clearance for the cut PHYSICAL LIMIT

Physical limit of gullet capacity: uniform curl

allows the chip to curl up uniformly and fall away from the gullet. If too much material is cut away, the chip will jam into the gullet area causing increased resistance. This loads down the machine, wastes energy and can cause damage to the blade. BEYOND PHYSICAL LIMIT

Beyond physical limit of gullet capacity: distorted curl, jams, chokes machine leading to increased resistance

FEED Feed refers to the depth of penetration of the tooth into the material being cut. For cost effective cutting, you want to remove as much material as possible as quickly as possible by using as high a feed rate/ pressure as the machine can handle. However, feed will be limited by the machinability of the material being cut and blade life expectancy. The measured chip thickness will often be greater than the depth of tooth penetration. This difference is known as “chip thickness ratio” and it will change depending upon the shear plane angle. The shear plane angle is a function of both the properties of the material you’re cutting, and the tooth tip rake angle. As the rake angle is increased, the shear plane angle will also increase. A dull tooth tip, or built up edge can have the effect of changing the rake angle. Chip thickness will vary inversely with changes to the shear plane angle. For example, as rake angle is reduced (and, consequently, the shear plane angle is decreased) the measured chip thickness will increase. How can you tell if you are using the right feed rate? Examine the chips and evaluate their shape and color.

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PHYSICAL LIMIT

BEYOND PHYSICAL LIMIT

NOTE: In the illustration above, the chip thickness ratio = 4 since the measured chip thickness is 4 times the depth of penetration

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BAND SPEED Band speed refers to the rate at which the blade cuts across the face of the material being worked. This is usually stated as FPM (feet per minute) or MPM (meters per minute). Faster band speeds can lead to faster cutting rates. However, band speed is restricted by the machinability of the material and ultimately heat produced by the cutting action. Too high a band speed or very hard metals produce excessive heat, resulting in reduced blade life. How do you know if you are using the right band speed? Look at the chips; check their shape and color. The goal is to achieve chips that are thin, tightly curled and warm to the touch. If the chips have changed from silver to golden brown, you are forcing the cut and generating too much heat. Blue chips indicate extreme heat, which will shorten blade life. The new LENOX ARMOR family of products create some exceptions to this rule. These products use coatings to shield the teeth from heat. This ARMOR like shield pushes the heat into the chip.

TELLTALE CHIPS Chips are the best indicator of correct feed force. Monitor chip formation and adjust accordingly.

Thin or powdered chips—increase feed.

Burned heavy chips— reduce feed/speed.

Curled silvery and warm chips—optimum feed.

BEAM STRENGTH INCREASED TENSION CROSS SECTION

DECREASED TENSION

RATED

ACTUAL

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When resistance grows due to increased feed rate or the varying cross section of the material being cut, tension increases on the back edge of the blade and decreases on the tooth edge. This results in compression, forcing the blade into an arc, producing cuts which are no longer square. Beam strength is a blade’s ability to counter this resistance during the cutting process. A blade with greater beam strength can withstand a higher feed rate, resulting in a smoother, more accurate cut. Beam strength depends on the width and gauge of the blade and the distance between guides, machine type, blade tension and the width of the material being cut. From a practical standpoint, use no more than 1/2 of the saw machine’s stated capacity. For harder materials, it is safer to work closer to the 1/3 capacity.

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INCREASE BEAM STRENGTH – REDUCE COST/CUT Here’s an example of how increasing beam strength can improve cutting economy. A customer needed to cut 31 ⁄4” squares of 4150 steel on a 11 ⁄4” blade width machine. The operator, trying to cut efficiently, placed three pieces side by side. The three squares measured 93 ⁄4” wide—well within the 14” machine capacity.

113/4

31/4

9 3/4

51/4

BEAM STRENGTH – RULE OF THUMB BLADE WIDTH

MAXIMUM CROSS SECTION

1” 1-1/4” 1-1/2” 2” 2-5/8” 3”

6” 9” 12” 18” 24” 30”

27mm 34mm 41mm 54mm 67mm 80mm

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150mm 230mm 300mm 450mm 610mm 760mm

31/4

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SEVEN WAYS TO MAXIMIZE BEAM STRENGTH

1. Calculate the real capacity

5. Reposition odd-shaped material

A practical limit is 1 ⁄ 2 of the manufacturer’s stated machine capacity. Restrict harder materials to 1 ⁄ 3 capacity.

2. Use a wider blade A wider blade with a thicker gauge will withstand bowing, allowing for greater pressure and, therefore, higher feed rate.

3. Reposition machine guides Bring guides in as close as possible. The farther apart the guides, the less support they provide to the blade.

4. Reduce stack size By cutting fewer pieces, you can increase speed and feed rates for an overall improved cutting rate.

NESTING

Changing the position of odd-shaped material in the vise can reduce resistance and improve cutting rate. Remember, the goal is to offer the blade as uniform a width as possible throughout the entire distance of cut.

6. Check for blade wear Gradual normal wear dulls a blade. As a result, you cut slower, use more energy, and affect the accuracy of the cut.

7. Check other limiting factors Use the SAWCALC® computer program to determine the correct feed, band speed, and tooth pitch for the work you are cutting.

CLAMPING OF ANGLES

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VISE LOADING The position in which material is placed in the vise can have a significant impact on the cost per cut. Often, loading smaller bundles can mean greater sawing efficiency. All machines have a stated loading capacity, but the practical level is usually lower, 1 /2 to 1/3 as much, depending on the material being cut (harder materials are best cut at 1/3 rated capacity). When it comes to cutting odd-shaped material, such as angles, I-beams,

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channel, and tubing, the main point is to arrange the materials in such a way that the blade cuts through as uniform a width as possible throughout the entire distance of cut. The following diagrams suggest some costeffective ways of loading and fixturing. Be sure, regardless of the arrangement selected, that the work can be firmly secured to avoid damage to the machine or injury to the operator.

www.canadianmetalworking.com

14-09-05 1:10 PM

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