Canadian Metalworking November 2012

November 2012 • www.canadianmetalworking.com

Get in and Drive Auto part makers on the move

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NEW COLUMN: The Business of Metalworking

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On the shop floor, you sometimes have to raise your voice. But we’re always listening. So Hurco’s comprehensive line of lathes offers what you told us you need: rigid, reliable turning centers with intuitive controls that help make your job easier and your shop more profitable. You spoke your mind. Every Hurco lathe is proof we heard you. >> HURCO.COM/LATHES MACHINING CENTERS

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Vol. 107 | No. 9 | NOVEMBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

18

COVER STORY:

LEAP OF FAITH.................................................. 32

NEW: JOB SHOP PROFILE....................................18 MicroMetric Ltd.

%

FABTECH 2012 PREVIEW......................................20 Money machines in Las Vegas

STANDING TALL................................................ 40 New, large verticals join multi-tasking horizontal turning centres

EFFECTIVE COOLING STRATEGIES FOR TITANIUM MACHINING.................................................... 44 The lightweight metal is growing in popularity … and it’s a challenging material

32

MEASURE FOR MEASURE.....................................50 Elliott Foster on your first CMM purchase

NICE THREADS..................................................52 Thread milling moves forward

MANAGING METALWORKING............................58 Canadian Metalworking’s readership survey reveal some interesting facts

FULL COURT PRESS..............................................62 Automate and upgrade punching operations for winning performance

MANAGING WELDING CONSUMABLES..............70

40

Do it right or pay the price

GET A GRIP.......................................................76 Great hand tools for great work

NEW COLUMN:................................................80 The Business of Metalworking

52

DEPARTMENTS View from the Floor........................................................... 6 News.............................................................................. 8 Floor Space ................................................................... 16 Tool Talk......................................................................... 56

CONTENTS...

Auto partmakers are flying high..can it last?

Welding News............................................................... 66 By the Numbers.............................................................. 82

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Cover image courtesy Ford Motor Company

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PUBLISHER Steve Devonport 416-442-5125 | SDevonport@canadianmetalworking.com ACCOUNT MANAGER Rob Swan 416-510-5225, cell 416-725-0145 | RSwan@canadianmetalworking.com EDITOR Jim Anderton 416-510-5148 | janderton@canadianmetalworking.com ASSISTANT EDITOR Nicholas Healey 416-442-5600 x 3642 | nhealey@canadianmetalworking.com EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Lisa Wichmann 416-442-5600 x 5101 | LWichmann@canadianmanufacturing.com ART DIRECTOR Sheila Wilson 416-442-5600 x 3593 | shwilson@bizinfogroup.ca CIRCULATION MANAGER Selina Rahaman 416-442-5600 x 3528 | SRahaman@bizinfogroup.ca MARKET PRODUCTION MANAGER Barb Vowles 416-510-5103 | vowlesb@bizinfogroup.ca PRINT PRODUCTION MANAGER Phyllis Wright 416-442-6786 | Pwright@bizinfogroup.ca BIG MAGAZINES LP.........................................................

PRESIDENT OF BUSINESS INFORMATION GROUP | Bruce Creighton VICE-PRESIDENT OF CANADIAN PUBLISHING | Alex Papanou EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER, MANUFACTURING | Tim Dimopoulos 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. Fax: 416-510-5140 CM, established: 1905 is published 8 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.

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View From the Floor The Euro Debt Dilemma If there’s one thing the near-death experience endured by the global economy in 2008 taught us, it’s that we’re all connected. Regardless of Canadian firms’ reliance on export markets, as the global economy goes, so does ours. A major reason is the troubling reliance of our nation on the natural resource sector, which is entirely reliant on global commodity pricing. The livelihood of a man wrangling a bit on a rig in the Beaufort Sea can be determined by factors as disparate as a scientist’s solar energy research or the actions of a terrorist a continent away. Our industry is no different. More troubling, banking is globally interconnected in ways that aren’t fully understood by economists and policymakers. This is why economic and political developments in Europe hold the key to economic recovery in the Americas and perhaps the world.

Italy is a case in point. I’m writing this column from the BIMU show in Milan, and both on the show floor and on the street, there is a mix of “we’ll get through this” optimism and unease about the future. European industry executives are everywhere here and most have great confidence in the ability of their firms to succeed going forward, if larger economic forces don’t crush the Eurozone. Italy is one the nations mired in debt, owing sums so vast that many economists don’t believe they can ever be repaid. The currently fashionable solution, more lending through “euro-bonds”, is much like taking a stroll in the park while kicking a hand grenade in front of you … a pleasant experience with a very uncomfortable ending. Is there a solution?

I believe the short answer is “yes”, but only if worldwide political elites come to grips with the most inconvenient truth about global finances: they’ve become entirely disconnected with the real economy.

Metalworking is as real as it gets; we manufacture goods, add value, and allow our customers to do the same. It’s value you can touch and see, not the arbitrary and intangible pseudo-worth of collateralized debt obligations and stock options. Banks that gambled on loans to governments that can’t repay them must operate by the same principles that govern all successful markets and accept the losses. The current privatization of profit and socialization of losses has not only driven people to the streets in Athens and Madrid, but opens the door to the uncertain and possibly dangerous development of extreme political solutions. Don’t like the current system? If we drift towards a command economy, a very possible outcome, your business will depend on friends in high places more than quality and efficiency to survive. Milan is a great example of the disconnect between global finance and reality. It’s a high-tech city in a nation filled with productive and talented people … that’s technically bankrupt. Instead of endless “quantitative easing”, let the debt-holding institutions fail, but manage the process to keep markets functioning. Access to capital is essential to manufacturers here and at home; there’s no reason to allow recklessness in global banking to straightjacket our industry. There are firms across Canada with orders in hand, needing only skilled labour and steady financing to challenge anyone, anywhere in the industry. For a lender, that’s a good risk. We shouldn’t let bad risks half a world away pull up the ladder just as we’re poised to climb.

JIM ANDERTON, EDITOR

Do you agree? Let me know, and feel free to drop me a line at the e-mail address below, or buttonhole me at a show or event. I’d love to hear from you! janderton@canadianmetalworking.com

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News Boeing licenses Héroux-Devtek to service landing gear on H-47 Chinook helicopter

The company will fabricate, assemble, and test landing gear for Chinooks

H

éroux-Devtek announced it has received a license from Boeing to service landing gear on the H-47 Chinook aircraft in nearly a dozen countries.

The license allows Héroux-Devtek to fabricate replacement parts and carry out repair and overhaul services for the landing gear of all variants of Chinook aircraft.

The agreement also includes option renewal periods beyond the initial five-year period.

In a statement, Gilles Labbé, President and CEO of HérouxDevtek, said, “In addition to generating recurring revenues throughout the life of the program, the license will also allow Héroux-Devtek to maintain an optimal balance between new component manufacturing and aftermarket services.”

Héroux-Devtek also delivered its first H-47F complete landing gear to Boeing. Héroux-Devtek’s landing gear products operations is under contract from Boeing to fabricate, assemble, test and deliver the landing gear for H-47F aircraft delivered to customers outside the United States.

“The Chinook is the backbone of heavy-lift helicopter fleets around the world. As the Canadian program continues to gain momentum, we look forward to continuing to expand our relationships with reliable partners,” said Steve Parker, Boeing director, Canada CH-147F Medium-to-Heavy Lift Helicopter program.

The H-47F Chinook is a multi-mission, heavy-lift transport helicopter. It is primarily used to move troops, equipment, and supplies on the battlefield.

It also performs search and rescue and medical evacuations as some of its other missions. Chinook aircraft have been used by the U.S. Army since 1962.

Héroux-Devtek is a Canadian company based out of Longueuil, Quebec. They specialize in the design, development, manufacture and repair, and overhaul of landing gear systems and components.

Approximately 70 per cent of the corporation’s sales are outside Canada, most of which are to the U.S. CM

8 | NOVEMBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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News FABTECH announces expanded education program for Las Vegas show FABTECH has released a schedule for its newly expanded education program, which will be held alongside the show in Las Vegas, November 12-14.

The lineup will feature more than 100 valuable educational sessions that offer unique insights from top industry experts on today’s hottest topics in manufacturing.

FABTECH is expected to attract more than 25,000 manufacturers to the Las Vegas Convention Center to view 1,100 exhibits, including live equipment demonstrations covering more than 400,000 net square feet of floor space.

Simultaneously, the education program features technical, operational, economic and managerial sessions where participants will discover solutions to advance their careers and their businesses.

“This year’s lineup will be like no other,” said John Catalano, the show’s co-manager. “We have added more than 50 new sessions, including presentations in Spanish and expanded our welding, management and lean manufacturing tracks.”

A workshop on lean manufacturing will be offered on Sunday, November 11. There will also be a panel discussion with government relations experts on how the presidential and congressional election results will impact U.S. manufacturing, and a roundtable with five manufacturing CEOs on “The State of the Industry: Manufacturers’ Executive Outlook.

A schedule of educational sessions, pricing information, and registration is available on the FABTECH 2012 website.

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Atlanta-based Novelis has announced it has secured a multiyear agreement to become the sole supplier of automotive sheet products for Jaguar Land Rover.

As one of the components of the sole supplier relationship, Novelis will recover and recycle all the automaker’s aluminum scrap, thus creating a closed-loop recycling system.

The company has established targets of achieving 80 per cent recycled aluminum input by 2020. Their percentage of recycled input increased from 33 per cent in 2011 to 39 per cent in 2012.

Aluminum is lighter than steel and is desirable for its ability to reduce the weight of vehicles and help decrease CO2 emissions.

“Novelis’ ability to deliver a secure supply of aluminum sheet will enable Jaguar Land Rover to meet the growing demand from its customers worldwide for lighter vehicles and improved fuel economy,” said Roland Harings, Vice President, Global Automotive for Novelis.

“This close partnership reflects the aligned growth paths of both companies in reaching our respective sustainability goals, due to our collaboration on a proven closed-loop aluminum recycling system.”

Also, Novelis will supply aluminum for use in the new Range ... continues on page 12

10 | NOVEMBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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News Rover, which marks the first time a sport utility vehicle will incorporate a lightweight all-aluminum body structure.

Their aluminum is already widely used across Jaguar Land Rover’s product range, and to meet the growth in demand for automotive aluminum sheet worldwide they are doubling their capacity dedicated to the automotive market.

Novelis operates in 11 countries, and has more than 11,000 employees.

Haas Automation hosts Demo Day in Toronto As part of “Demo Day 19”, Haas Automation displayed a variety of machines October 10th at their Toronto-area factory outlet. The event was well attended by a variety of people across the industry, who took in live demonstrations of the newest horizontal and vertical machines as well as an Oktoberfest-themed lunch.

Dan Ferko, President of the Haas factory outlet in Toronto (a division of Sirco Machinery), was on hand along with a team of engineers and sales people to field questions on the new product line. There were also technical seminars available for

Digital

those interested in learning more about tooling, workholding and CAD/CAM strategies.

The event was also attended by other companies such as Iscar, Renishaw, Sandvik and GibbsCAM who were there with table-top displays.

Government gives a boost to Quebec aerospace industry

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The Government of Canada has announced funding for a number of development projects with members of Quebec’s aerospace industry.

The government will provide funding to three commercial enterprises – Messier-Dowty Inc., Shockform Aéronautique Inc., and Delastek Inc. – and Aéro Montréal, a non-profit organization.

Denis Lebel, the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, said in a statement, “The Government of Canada is working with the aerospace industry to ensure it remains solid, globally competitive and at the forefront of technological development.”

Quebec’s aerospace industry is a key cog in the province’s economy. In 2011, the sector posted sales of $11.7 billion – 80 per cent of which were exports. Overall, Quebec’s aerospace companies employ 42,000 people and are responsible for 55 per cent of the national activity in the industry.

The initiatives that will come from the funding vary for each organization. Messier-Dowty received the largest total investment of $58 million to expand their existing plant in Mirabel. The expansion is a response to increased production of Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 aircraft.

The non-profit, Aéro Montréal, received a $1.2 million investment to implement an “international MACH showcase” which will help major contractors increase their productivity.

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News TRUMPF Photonics celebrates the tenth anniversary of solid-state laser production

T

RUMPF Photonics celebrated the tenth anniversary of the firm’s solid-state laser production facility in Cranbury,

In Canada call 519-546-7073

New Jersey on September 28th.

The event featured a rare inside look at laser diode production, including

a peek inside the state-of-the-art Class 100 clean room facility where the core diodes are fabricated.

Techniques including chemical vapour deposition are used to build laser diodes at the molecular scale, with the capability to build semiconductors in layers as little as 13 atoms thick.

Seminars on laser technology were also held, including a look at new disk laser innovation.

The small disk pictured can produce 10kW of power despite its small size.

Both cutting and welding applications were outlined.

14 | NOVEMBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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News Thomas Skinner open house draws record numbers On October 4th, Thomas Skinner hosted an open house to celebrate their 30year anniversary and exhibit their new showroom and training facility. Over 330 customers were in attendance for the Oktoberfest-style event showcasing the newest technology available in the market today.

“We had a lot to celebrate and we did it in style” said Don Babineau, Thomas Skinner VP of Operations.

Featured at the event were turning/ multi-function machines like the Haas ST-40 (live tooling), Okuma Genos L400 and the Okuma LB4000 EXMY (milling and Y-axis), which exhibited heavy material removal, large hole drilling, C-axis and Y-axis involute milling, threading, and grooving.

Sandvik provided the tooling for the demonstrations.

Mill machining centres included the Haas VF-6/50, Haas VF-4 with Rotary 4th axis and the Okuma M560-V, which demonstrated features like heavy milling, large hole drilling, thread milling and high-speed machining. Emuge provided tooling for the VF-4.

“It was a great event for everyone that attended, both customers and suppliers. The newly renovated showroom and facility looked fantastic; however, what matters most is what it represents. The investment made in the facility and the inventory that Thomas Skinner has speaks volumes to the level of commitment to the manufacturing community of Alberta” said Wade Anderson, Okuma Regional Sales Manager.

“Thomas Skinner has proven why they are the most well established, full service distributor, for western Canada and did a terrific job showcasing their capabilities during this open house.”

The schedule for the 2013 open house will be posted on the company website in January.

DMG Mori Seiki announces new facility, products DMG Mori Seiki has announced the official opening date for its new facility in Davis, California. The factory, which began operation in August, will have a

grand opening ceremony on November 7th, 2012.

President, Dr. Masahiko Mori, Senior Executive Operating Director,

Reversible Hard Jaws • Available in - Serrated, Acme Key, Square Key, Tongue and Groove styles • Option of either single or two-step jaws • Reversible - suitable for OD & ID workholding • Accurate gripping and locating serrations • Heat treated and precision ground • Diamond shaped serrations and black oxide finish • Made in the USA

ISO 9000 Certied QMS

DillonManufacturing, Inc. Peter Seessle | Expertech Dist. & Tech. Inc. 44 Goodfellow Crest | Bolton, Ontario Phone: 647-960-4478 | Email: peteseessle@rodgers.com www.canadianmetalworking.com | NOVEMBER 2012 | 15

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C

Floor Space

I

What’s the oldest machine in your shop? Do you still use this machine on a regular basis?

“We have a couple of single point planers that date back to the late 1940s, early 1950s that we still use almost daily.”

– David Foscarini, president, Mecon Industries Limited, Scarborough, ON

“The oldest machine in the shop would be a lathe that dates back to the 1950s. We use it on a regular basis for special projects that need large parts machining. The machine was purchased for the specific machining that we are doing with it, so there’s no plan to replace it in the near future.”

– Marco Gagnon, co– owner, Gagnon Ornamental Works, Grand Falls, New Brunswick

“My oldest machine is a Mazak STX Laser. It is a 1997 machine and is used every day.”

– Larry Stuyt, president, Ontario Laser Cutting, Tillsonburg, Ontario

A

“The oldest machine we have is an automatic spray system, typically used to apply powders on long runs of parts of the same colour. Because of lack of use, we decided to completely disassemble it from our main production line and put it in storage two years ago.

The machine itself is in perfect condition and maybe 15 years old now. Before the loss of the high volume runs to offshore competitors, we would use it regularly. Running “lean” (first in and first out) has eliminated our ability to group orders from various clients in the same colours. We only apply powder manually at this point.”

– Joseph Manzoli, president, Colourfast, Concord, Ontario

“We have an older Hardinge lathe [from] the early 1990s, which is set up to turn mostly one job. We don’t use it on a regular basis. We use it probably seven to nine times per year.”

– Chad Plath, shop manager, D– M Precision Products, Dunnville, Ontario

... continued from page 15

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Dr. Rudiger Kapitza, and DMG/Mori Seiki USA’s President, Mark Mohr, spoke at a press conference at IMTS 2012, announcing the new facilities and a number of new products.

Kapitza emphasized that the U.S. was due for an industrial renaissance and predicted they would surpass Germany in the machine tool market because of the weak Eurozone.

Also discussed was the company’s philosophy to build a better workforce.

“The old way of thinking is that factories just make products but… a very important role of the factory is to create skilful engineers.” Dr. Mori said.

The company also took the opportunity to unveil a number of new products. The Milltap 700 was given particular praise by Dr. Mori, partly due to its high-speed tool changer that can swap tools with a change time of 1.1 seconds. It also consumes 30 per cent less energy and has a 10 per cent smaller footprint without compromising work area. CM

16 | NOVEMBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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Incorrect results can often result in the loss of a contract or scrap parts.

The measurement company you choose should offer multiple solutions for measurement. The following are to be considered prior to selecting a services company: 1. How frequently are the machines calibrated?

2. Is the machine in a temperature controlled environment?

3. Are different sensors available in case a touch probe is not sufficient for optimum measuring?

4. Are other devices available to verify the results?

5. Does the measurement provider have access at site to other measurement technologies?

6. Are there additional in house resources available for consultation should discrepancies arise?

7. Will the company provide references of customers that manufacture similar parts?

Remember a low hourly rate does not guarantee a cheaper end price, choose a provider who has the resources to guarantee credible results.

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Canadian Metalworking Feature Business

Micrometric Limited Specialty Grinding in Scarborough

M

icrometric Ltd. Specializes in jig boring, jig grinding and wire EDM, but will tackle most any job that requires very high precision. The Scarborough, Ontario-based shop‘s suburban Toronto location is central to Micrometric’s customer base and at 5000 square feet in size, the shop is just big enough to operate the large machines that dominate the floor. Micrometric is owned by Rob Cattle, Vince Docimo and Peter Rivers, with Rob and Vince managing day-to-day operations with 8 employees. Rob is a second generation machinist/toolmaker; his father was one of the founders of the business in 1961. Both Rob and Vince are experienced, with 36 and 27 years in the trade respectively. There are lots of interesting jobs on the shop floor at Micrometric ... many of

which are confidential Micrometric owners Rob Cattle and defense contracts for Vince Docimo aerospace applications.

Micrometric’s “two tenths or better” capability has attracted several aero applications, including a super-precision gyro job for an orbiting satellite. Both men love the industry. “I like working with Vince, meeting people and solving problems”, declares Cattle. Vince Docimo agrees: “It’s not like a traditional job. It becomes part of you. You develop great relationships with suppliers and customers; it’s like family.” Micrometric is branching out into machine design and engineering, with a secret project under development that will add new capabilities to the firm’s precision portfolio.

For big grinding job Micrometric uses s, bi equipment. Unde g r cover is a classi the fied aerospace job

Micrometric Ltd., Scarborough, Ontario

owing building is a gr Custom machine Note T-handle Allen ic. etr part of Microm for scale key

Who said grinding is dirty? Micrometric’s shop floor is clean, bright and well ventilated. Dust extraction is efficient and the building is climate controlled for dimensional stability and worker comfort

New equipment at Micrometric includes an Agie EDM machine

Essential Numbers Micrometric Jig Boring and Jig Grinding Limited www.Micrometric.net Fo unded: 1961 by Cyril and Donald Cattle, Bob Coad Ow ners: Rob Cattle, Vince Docimo, Peter Rivers Size: 5000 square feet Number of Employees: 8 Number of machine tools: 18

Sp ecialties: Jig boring, jig grinding, wire EDM, machine engineering and fabrication Ma rkets Served: Aerospace, automotive, tool, mold and die, high precision small part First machine: Omega jig borer Mo st recent machine: Moore G18 CNC jig grinder Fi ve Year Outlook: Rob: Add production part making; Vince: Triple sales volume

18 | NOVEMBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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Fabulous FABTECH 2012

The premier fabricating show in the hemisphere, in the premium centre for action, Las Vegas

By Nate Hendley ..................................................................................................................................................

Las Vegas Convention Centre — home of FABTECH 2012

I

t’s a safe bet that FABTECH 2012, scheduled November 12 – 14, 2012 at the Las Vegas Convention Centre in the city of the same name, will be both enlightening and entertaining. The largest metal forming, fabricating, and welding exposition and conference in North America, this year’s edition of FABTECH features an appealing blend of exhibits, panel discussions, and educational sessions. The conference will offer high-minded ruminations on U.S. politics and the economy, a “state-of-the-manufacturing industry” panel discussion, and a look at the growing trend of reshoring.

“FABTECH 2012 is expected to be one of our largest shows to date. We expect greater participation from the west coast because the show’s in Vegas this year. We know we’ll have more than 25,000 participants, but it’s too early to tell about total numbers,” says John Catalano, FABTECH show co-manager.

“We’re in the neighbourhood of 1,200 exhibiting companies [in] over 445,000 square feet of space,” adds Mark Hoper, vice president expositions and media for the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association (FMA).

Based in Rockford, Illinois, the FMA represents 135,000 professionals in the metal forming and fabricating industry, and is a co-sponsor of FABTECH 2012. Other co-sponsors include the

Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), American Welding Society (AWS), Precision Metalforming Association (PMA) and Chemical Coaters Association International (CCAI).

An annual show held in a rotating cast of cities, FABTECH’s mission is to “bring buyers and sellers together in a convenient venue that facilitates business relationships, networking, education and the buying process,” states the conference website.

WHAT’S IN STORE?

Featured technologies include assembly, bending and forming, brazing and soldering, business services, coil processing, cutting, fastening and joining, hydroforming, inspection and testing, job shop/contract management, lasers, lubrication, maintenance and repair, material handling, metal suppliers, plate and structural fabricating, press brakes, punching, resistance welding, robotics, saws, stamping, thermal spraying, tool and die, tooling, tube and pipe fabricating and welding, welding consumables and welding machines.

Exhibitors will show off new products, processes and applications, hold live equipment demonstrations and try to drum up new business among attendees.

20 | NOVEMBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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FABTECH 2011 held in Chicago

FABTECH 2012 has an expanded educational component, with over 50 new sessions. In total, attendees can select from over 100 sessions on an enormous variety of topics, from highly technical subjects to managerial issues.

“The Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, Int’l, Society of Manufacturing Engineers, Precision Metalforming Association, and Chemical Coaters Association International co-sponsor educational sessions on cutting, finishing, forming and fabricating, management, stamping, and tube and pipe. The education program features technical, operational, economic, and managerial sessions where participants will discover solutions to advance their career and their businesses. The American Welding Society presents a comprehensive lineup of welding education led by the industry’s top professionals. The AWS programs focus on best practices and new commercial developments in welding and thermal spray,” says Catalano.

There is no single keynote speaker this year. Instead, a series of special events will be held, including a workshop on “Lean Manufacturing for Managers”. This workshop offers an overview of lean methods, with an eye on tips on minimizing waste in manufacturing settings. The workshop also features an interactive class exercise in paper airplane building — mass production style versus lean style.

ELECTION DEBRIEFING

Another special event likely to be highly popular consists of a post-election analysis (the election in question being the U.S. presidential race, to be decided in November).

“Seasoned Washington D.C. government relations experts will discuss how the presidential and congressional election results will impact U.S. manufacturing,” explains Catalano.

The panel will be moderated by Paul Nathanson, founding partner of the Policy

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Resolution Group. The event is free and open to all FABTECH attendees.

Regardless of how the elections go, the results will “eliminate some uncertainty that’s out there in the industry,” says Hoper.

Until the elections are decided, manufacturers will remain uncertain about “regulatory issues, tax issues ... health care issues ... and the direction [the U.S.] goes as a country,” he adds.

Another much anticipated special event consists of a roundtable with five manufacturing pundits speaking on the topic, “The State of the Industry: Manufacturers’ Executive Outlook”. The five experts are Rick Taylor, president and CEO of Jay Industries, Jerry B. Ward, vice-president of Metcam, Gregg Simpson, president and owner of Ohio Laser, Shivie Dhillon, owner and president of SunDial Powder Coatings and Patrick J.

The latest in robotics will be on display at FABTECH

Thompson, president of Trans-Matic Manufacturing.

These five manufacturing executives will be led through an interactive question and answer session by Chris Kuehl, an economist with the FMA. The State of the Industry discussion promises “insights from leaders representing job-shops, contract manufacturers and other service providers who are dealing with the same issues of supply, demand, labour and changing business sectors,” states FABTECH conference material.

This event is free and open for all conference attendees.

FABTECH is also addressing the issue of “reshoring” — that is, North American firms that have given up on offshoring, usually because of quality or pricing concerns and pulled foreign manufacturing operations back home. FABTECH estimates that reshoring has resulted in the creation of 50,000 U.S. manufacturing jobs over the past few years. It’s unclear how many manufacturing jobs reshoring has created in Canada.

“Reshoring” or “onshoring” are buzzwords in Washington, DC these days and attendees at FABTECH will see this first hand at the show. In addition to large U.S. manufacturers sending their representatives to FABTECH to find domestic suppliers, foreign manufacturers who are interested in sourcing products from the United States will also be attending the show. The Reshoring Initiative’s Harry Moser will present a session at FABTECH titled “To Offshore or Reshore? How to Objectively Decide!”,” says Catalano.

Moser, who has written extensively about reshoring and is the founder of the Reshoring Initiative, will be outlining “all the

variables that somebody would need to have in mind whether or not to offshore or shore … he takes into account travel, shipping, just-in-time issues — all that kind of stuff,” adds Hoper.

The reshoring session is free and open to all FABTECH attendees.

PRACTICAL ADVICE

Also available are sessions on management issues (“A Practical Approach to Developing a Strategic Plan for the Job Shop”, “Developing a Winning Sales Force”, “Let’s All Play Nicely Together: Managing Boomers, Xers and Yers in Your Business”), cutting (“Overview of Laser Technology and Systems”), stamping (“New Tool Steels to Improve Die Life”), forming and fabricating (“Roll Forming Fundamentals”), Finishing (“Autodeposition & Powder Coating Hand-in-Hand”), tube and pipe (“Principles of Tube Fabrication”), etc.

A pair of FABTECH theatres will be the scene of new product presentations throughout the conference. Dozens of companies will make presentations in two theatres located on the exhibition floor. New products to be displayed include eco-friendly waterjet pump technology, a liquid electrostatic gun, welding automation systems, coil-fed laser blanking systems, the latest in lasers, etc.

The new product demos are free for all FABTECH attendees.

FABTECH started in Cleveland, Ohio in 1981. Originally a small, regional show, the first FABTECH had 161 exhibitors and 42,925 square feet of conference space. The show moved to the Chicago area in 1983 and began to grow apace. FABTECH 1987 boasted 293 exhibitors working in 106,770 net square feet of conference space. Attendance topped 20,000 people for the first time in 1993.

Fourteen years later, attendance reached over 30,000 people.

Along the way, FABTECH began picking up new co-sponsors and added events. In 2005, the American Welding Society joined forces with FABTECH. In 2008, the Metalform trade show came under the FABTECH umbrella. One year later, the Chemical Coaters Association International joined to sponsor a Finishing Pavilion and conference at FABTECH. According to Catalano, FABTECH might grow yet again.

“We are focused on the Las Vegas show so there’s nothing to announce at this time, but we have been very pleased with FABTECH’s growth and are always looking for opportunities to expand,” he states.

Last year’s FABTECH, held at McCormick Place in Chicago, broke all records, with 35,457 attendees (a 35 per cent increase over 2009), 1,300 exhibitors and 505,000 square feet of conference space. FABTECH 2012 might seem smaller by comparison, but Hoper notes that the Chicago shows are typically wellattended, a fact he attributes to the Windy City’s locale in the heart of the Midwest U.S. manufacturing sector.

ALL ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE

FABTECH returns to Chicago for the 2013 edition.

As for FABTECH 2012, there’s no particular theme to the show beyond, “experience FABTECH,” says Catalano.

“FABTECH is all about the visitor’s experience. Attendees have commented that it’s the time of year when the FABTECH family comes together to celebrate manufacturing and the metal fabricating industry. The event not only showcases innovative equipment and services, but offers top-notch education, key networking opportunities and features presentations that touch on the topics that keep our industry professionals up at night,” he states.

That said, the continued recovery of manufacturing, in both Canada and the United States will be on everyone’s mind at the show.

“All the negatives you hear — the deficit, the [crisis in]

22 | NOVEMBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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Europe, the uncertainty of the U.S. elections — regardless of all those things, manufacturing in the U.S., and I’m quite sure in Canada, is really doing quite well,” says Hoper.

“Manufacturers in the U.S. added 12,000 jobs in May 2012, the eighth straight month of gains in the sector. Since 2010, a half million manufacturing jobs have been created in the U.S. Offshored work is returning home and profits at manufacturing companies increased 25 per cent in 2011,” states FABTECH background information.

Canadian manufacturing too has recovered relatively well from the recent economic downturn, which particularly devastated the automotive sector.

“SUPERBOWL” OF THE FORMING INDUSTRY

Catalano makes it clear that FABTECH is not just a playground for the big boys: “The show is for manufacturers of all sizes. Any manufacturer interested in viewing the newest technologies, meeting current and potential suppliers and of course, current and potential customers should plan to attend,” he states.

“The core attendees of FABTECH are small to medium-sized job shops,” echoes Hoper, who estimates that representatives of small to medium-sized job shops will make up three-quarters of attendees.

“FABTECH serves the smallest job shops looking for a competitive edge to the largest Fortune 500 manufacturer seeking innovative solutions to complex problems,” states FABTECH press material.

FABTECH typically attracts people working in aerospace, agriculture, automotive, construction, heavy equipment, mining and utilities, military and defence, etc.

It’s not all serious business, however (this is Las Vegas, after all). Networking and socializing opportunities abound, including a “Cocktails and Comedy” event. The C&C event will feature comedian Greg Hahn who has made the rounds of various television shows, including Comedy Central and Late Night with Conan O’Brien. An “interactive” comedy session is promised.

The conference features a “FABTECH Bistro” offering an expansive lunch buffet with fresh and healthy options, located within the exhibit hall. A $20 fee covers lunch, drinks, dessert and tax. There will also be a FABTECH “Happy Hour” slated for the exhibition floor. The latter is free and open to all attendees who can use the time to quaff beverages while investigating displays and new equipment.

Of course, attendees might also want to investigate some of the host city’s allures. Besides being the casino gambling Mecca of North America, Las Vegas offers a wide selection of entertainment in the form of concerts and casino shows, plus a plethora of inexpensive restaurants.

For those who prefer fitness to partying, an inaugural FABTECH five kilometer footrace will be held on the streets of Las Vegas. Runners and sponsors involved in the race can donate to different charities.

Asked what the FMA hopes to get out of FABTECH and Hoper waxes businesslike and sentimental.

“For us, FABTECH represents the Superbowl of the forming and fabricating industry ... it’s an event, once a year that gathers all the suppliers, all the users, at one place ... it’s an opportunity to get the industry together to network and facilitate a sales cycle that puts buyers and sellers together,” he states.

For more information visit: www.fabtechexpo.com CM

machitech

24 | NOVEMBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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FABTECH Welcomes Welding

Sparks will fly at FABTECH 2012

AWS trailer

By Nate Hendley ..................................................................................................................................................

T

he American Welding Society (AWS) will be hosting one of the most innovative exhibits at FABTECH 2012—a 53 foot, single expandable trailer containing five welding simulators and interactive displays. The trailer in question is part of an exhibit called “Careers in Welding” that aims to “excite young people and those searching for second careers about the welding industry,” says Cindy Weihl, AWS public relations manager.

“The trailer spent 2012 traveling across the country to different events ... it will be at FABTECH for all visitors to come on board and try their hand at welding and to learn about different career paths within the welding industry,” continues Weihl.

The trailer boasts 650 square feet of exhibit space, with five Lincoln Electric VRTEX 360 welding simulator stations.

“The VRTEX 360 feeds computergenerated data with a virtual welding gun and helmet equipped with internal monitors. The participant practices welding in virtual environments, which include simulated field-wielding applications,” explains an AWS press release.

The trailer also boasts a display wall with 11 industry segments and welding trivia, and a “Day in the Life of a Welder” exhibit that offers videos showing real-life segments of welders on the job, and a social media kiosk that allows visitors to post to Facebook.

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The trailer is just one of a slew of interesting presentations and exhibits the AWS has planned for the Welding Show portion of FABTECH 2012, which is scheduled for November 12 – 14, 2012 in Las Vegas.

Founded in 1919, and based in Miami, Florida, the AWS boasts 60,000 members worldwide. The society’s self-proclaimed mission is to “advance the science, technology and application of welding and allied joining and cutting processes, including brazing, soldering and thermal spraying.” The AWS offers workshops, technical publications, and educational programs.

The AWS launched a stand-alone welding show in the 1950s.

In 2005, the Welding Show was merged with FABTECH and now takes place under the latter’s umbrella. The AWS, for its part, is a co-sponsor of FABTECH 2012.

According to Weihl at least, the AWS is pretty sanguine about its absorption into FABTECH. “Being part of FABTECH allows attendees to see more new products, technologies and expand their networking opportunities. It really benefits our attendees to have everything under one roof … as with every FABTECH show, AWS is excited about coming face-to-face with our members, providing quality educational seminars and conferences, and making sure that all attendees walk away with new ideas to increase productivity and quality,” she says.

In addition to the educational trailer, the AWS will be presenting a program called “American Welding Online” at FABTECH 2012.

Weihl describes it as “a new virtual learning environment, offering an array of interactive classes and tools for practitioners, students, educators and professionals, advancing the art and science of welding.”

There will be two presentations to showcase American Welding Online. The first presentation, on November 12, focuses on AWS educational programs, and touches on the American Welding Online initiative. The second presentation, held November 13, is specifically focused just on the Welding Online program. Both presentations are an hour long and free for FABTECH attendees.

A two-day resistance welding school will be held at FABTECH 2012 as well.

At present, AWS hosts welding seminars and certification exams around the globe. For the first time ever, AWS will be

offering two Spanish-language code clinics at FABTECH. “The clinics serve as prep courses for the Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) exam. The exam can also be taken in Spanish at the show,” says Weihl.

A final AWS event focuses on a student welding contest. Six top ranked student welders will “go head-to-head on the show floor” for glory, and a spot in the 2012 Invitational Weld Trials, states Weihl. Students will compete during show hours in the North Hall, Booth N1131.

Additional events at the Welding Show include committee and subcommittee meetings for AWS members on topics including resistance welding in the aerospace industries, friction stir welding, high-energy beam welding, and thermal spraying. An annual business meeting will also be held as part of the Welding Show portion of FABTECH 2012.

Asked what the AWS perceives as the biggest challenge facing its member companies, Weihl says “a shortage of skilled workers.”

“By 2019, we will have a need for 238,692 new and replacement welders. AWS has made welder workforce development a priority and its most recent effort is the ‘Careers in Welding’ trailer,” she states.

While Weihl is speaking for the United States, her words apply to Canada as well. Trades in general are facing difficulties attracting young people to the fold.

The Canadian Welding Association is the homegrown equivalent to the AWS. Based in Milton, Ontario, the CWA has a chapter membership of 4,500 individuals and companies in both the welding and joining industries. The association runs educational programs, seminars, workshops, tradeshows, and is a non-profit branch of the Canadian Welding Bureau (CWB). The latter was founded in 1947 and provides training and certification for welders. The CWB also offers newsletters, videos and various publications.

Like other officials involved with FABTECH, Weihl insists the show is applicable to all firms, not just major players in the welding scene.

“FABTECH 2012 is definitely a must for small companies!

Attending the show provides an opportunity to see the latest technologies, source current and potential suppliers, see live demonstrations and meet with experts in the industry.”

PROMINENT WELDING EXHIBITORS AT THE AWS WELDING SHOW PORTION OF FABTECH 2012 INCLUDE: THE HOBART BROTHERS – BOOTH #N5516

A leading manufacturer of welding filler metals, the Hobart Brothers of Troy, Ohio, will be showcasing new products at FABTECH 2012 and offering live welding demonstrations.

“Welding experts will showcase and demonstrate stick electrodes and tubular wires (flux-cored and metal-cored) and will also be available to answer questions and provide recommendations for filler metal solutions,” states a Hobart Brothers press release.

The Hobart Brothers Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Illinois Tool Works, Inc., based in Glenview, Illinois. www. hobartbrothers.com

MILLER ELECTRIC MANUFACTURING COMPANY – BOOTH # N5213 & BOOTH #N5816 – MILLER WELDING AUTOMATION – BOOTH # N5513

Miller Electric Manufacturing Company of Appleton, Wisconsin, will be exhibiting several new products, “spanning a variety of processes and applications” in the company’s words. Miller will also host dedicated presentations related to the oil and gas, construction and fabrication, construction, shipbuilding and heavy equipment manufacturing sectors.

New products being showcased include the Multimatic 200, a three-in-one portable welding power source capable of performing MIG, Stick and TIG welding processes in one compact design. Multimatic 200 weighs less than 30 pounds and can

26 | NOVEMBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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1977

1978

1979

1985

1989

1996

Invention of the panel bender – P4

Invention of the combo punch-shear machine with multipress punching head – S4

First integrated FMS fabrication system – S4+P4

First lights-out sheet metal fabrication factory is installed in North America

First automatic 3D design to finished product software

First integrated stores-MRP software

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PANEL BENDERS

Invented by Salvagnini.

Perfected by Salvagnini.

From the dawn of the industrial revolution until the mid-seventies, forming parts from sheet metal was mainly accomplished on a press brake.

But in 1977, everything changed. No longer did an operator have to stand in front of a brake and hand feed parts.

Salvagnini had invented the flexible, automated P4 panel bender.

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1997

1998

2000

2002

2008

2010

2011

First “no teach” robots for parts handling with panel benders

First panel bender with zero set-up

Creation of the Automated Job Shop

First automated, robotic bending cell with off-line programming

First fiber laser cutter, the L1Xe

First punch-laser to use fiber optic technology – SL4

First lasers designed exclusively for fiber optic technology – the L3 & L5

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connect to ordinary 120 and 230-volt power receptacles with the Miller MVP multi-voltage plug.

Also on display will be the Big Blue 350 PipePro, an enginedriven welder/AC generator with a Caterpillar Turbocharged C1.5T diesel engine. Said engine is a liquid-cooled, three cylinder model that runs at 24.7 horsepower and 1,800 rpm and is said to be both quiet and fuel efficient.

Miller will also showcase the latest in the Bobcat line of engine-driven welder/generators. This line has been redesigned to reduce sound, weight and fuel use. Noise on the new models is said to be reduced by a third while the machine is 5 inches shorter and 55 pounds lighter (depending on the model) than its predecessors.

In addition to new products, Miller will demonstrate specific applications such as aluminum and pipe welding. Attendees can investigate technology such as the PipeWorx pipe welding system and the AlumaFeed synergic aluminum welding system.

Founded in 1929, Miller is now the world’s largest manufacturer of arc welding equipment. www.millerwelds.com

BERNARD – BOOTH # N5516

Bernard of Beecher, Illinois will be exhibiting the new Bernard Filtair Fume Extraction MIG Gun and Bernard Dura-Flux Gun. “The Bernard FILTAIR Fume Extraction MIG Gun features a vacuum control regulator at the front of the handle that allows for balance of suction with shielding gas flow to protect against porosity. The gun complements FILTAIR Systems from Miller Electric Mfg. Co. and is compatible with vacuum systems from most other manufacturers,” explains the company.

“The Bernard Dura-Flux Gun with replaceable power cable liner is a self-shielded flux-cored arc welding (FCAW-S) gun that allows quick and easy power cable maintenance. The gun also features an advanced handle design that helps reduce downtime associated with operator fatigue. It is available with an optional dual schedule switch that allows for easy wire feed speed adjustment while welding and is integrated into the handle to protect it from weld spatter,” adds Bernard.

Bernard is owned by Illinois Tool Works, Inc. www.bernardwelds.com

WELDCRAFT – BOOTH # N5516

Weldcraft will be exhibiting various TIG torches and accessories and offering live welding demonstrations.

“Of special interest to this year’s show is the new WP-280 water-cooled TIG torch from Weldcraft. This new torch features a two-piece torch head with Weldcraft’s exclusive Super Cool Technology, which is designed to increase cooling efficiency and capacity. The torch body includes an anti-rotation feature and multi-position locking to prevent handle movement during welding and improve operator control,” states Weldcraft.

Based in Appleton, Wisconsin, Weldcraft is the world’s leading manufacturer of GTAW (TIG) welding torches and accessories.

Company personnel will be on hand to answer weldingrelated queries at the show. www.weldcraft.com

EW N6 A 18

AMERICAN TORCH TIP – BOOTH # N2022

American Torch Tip is the self-described largest manufacturer of welding consumables in the world.

The company, based in Bradenton, Florida, offers over 16,000 parts and over 100 competitive brands.

Among other items, American Torch Tip sells, “welding torches and guns, tips, nozzles and consumables that equal or exceed OEM quality. Parts for plasma, MIG, TIG, oxy-fuel, laser cutting systems and thermal spray coating equipment.” www.americantorchtip.com

“ Being part of FABTECH allows attendees to see more new products, technologies and expand their networking opportunities.

”

TREGAKISS – BOOTH # N5513

Canada’s own Tregakiss will be exhibiting a variety of MIG guns and welding accessories all designed to “increase productivity, improve weld quality, and reduce downtime in manufacturing and fabrication applications,” in the company’s words.

Experts will be on hand to answer questions about Tregakiss products in specific, and MIG welding in general – and to offer product demonstrations.

Tregakiss is based in Windsor, Ontario and is a leading manufacturer of MIG welding guns and peripherals. The company’s brands include Tough Gun Manual, Robotic MIG Guns and Peripherals, TGX MIG Guns and Tough Gard Anti-Spatter.

Tregakiss is a wholly owned subsidiary of Illinois Tool Works, Inc. www.tregaskiss.com

ESAB WELDING AND CUTTING PRODUCTS – BOOTH #N3922 AND #N4122

ESAB Welding and Cutting Products is “one of the world’s largest and most skilled manufacturers of welding and cutting equipment and filler metals,” in the company’s own words.

The company also produces consumables and equipment for various welding and cutting applications.

ESAB’s product range covers small and large gantry shapecutting machines with oxyfuel, plasma, laser and waterjet processes, arc welding equipment, automated welding lines, plasma cutters, gas apparatus, filler metals, etc.

ESAB is based in Florence, South Carolina. www.esabna.com

LINCOLN ELECTRIC – BOOTH # N4102, BOOTH # N4113, BOOTH # N4515

Lincoln Electric is taking up three booths at the Welding Show portion of FABTECH 2012.

Company reps will be offering welding and cutting demonstrations and displaying their latest fabrication equipment, welding consumables, automation, cutting systems, software and welder trainer systems.

Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Lincoln Electric is the self-described “world leader in the design, development and manufacture of arc welding products, robotic arc welding systems, fume control systems and plasma and oxyfuel cutting equipment”. Lincoln Electric also has a “leading global position” as company literature puts it, in the brazing and soldering alloys markets. www.lincolnelectric.com

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Leap of Faith Auto partmakers are flying high ‌ can it last?

Image courtesy Ford Motor Company

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T

h

here’s no doubt, for manufacturers of consumer goods, especially durables like autos, it’s been an uncertain year. Fears over the European debt crisis, combined with uncertainty over oil supply due to ongoing issues in the Middle East, have tempered the outlook for what in an ordinary economy would be clear sailing. All three of the Detroit automakers are profitable, and post-tsunami production is still ramping up from the Japanese firms. European brands continue to build and assemble in North America, further diversifying markets for Tier One’s and Two’s. Why the pessimism?

Automakers are moving forward with excellent vehicle sales numbers. According to Scotiabank automotive analyst Carlos Gomes, September was an excellent sales month, pointing to continued strength in the sector. Sales were up six percent year over year with an annualized production from this time last year at 1.67 million units. This September was second only to the peak year of 2000 in sales. Gomes reports, “imported brands led the way, with volumes surging 12 percent year over year and setting a record for the month of September. European automakers posted the strongest gain, with volumes advancing 15 percent.” Perhaps surprisingly, United States sales are also rebounding, up 13 percent year over year in September, boosting the annualized production total to 14.8 million units, up from an average of 14.2 million for the previous three months.

Gomes notes that economic gloom isn’t slowing new vehicle demand: “The September results were the best in five years and highlight the importance of pent-up demand, as households are opting to replace their aging vehicles even when faced with a sluggish labour market and negative headlines pointing to slowing global economic growth.”

VEHICLE SALES STRONG

By Jim Anderton, Editor

Courtesy, Conference Board of Canada www.e-library.ca

The Scotiabank study further notes that smaller, more fuel efficient models are finally taking hold in the U.S. market. GM volume, for example, increased only 1.5 percent year over year, yet sales of their mini, small and compact cars surged 97 percent for the same time period.

Even in a recession, eventually vehicles must be replaced, but there are macroeconomic factors in play that could dampen new vehicle demand in 2013. In Canada, the outlook is stable, with modest growth. According to the conference Board of Canada, real GDP for 2012 will total 2.3 percent, down slightly from the 2.5 percent logged last year. The combination of fiscal restraint, public sector job cuts and slowing fundamentals are predicted to result in an employment growth figure of just 1.2

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Current population growth is stable at just over 1 percent per year, with most of that growth occurring in cities. An ageing population living in congested urban areas may put pressure on new vehicle sales, unless offset by immigration or a policy change that favours larger families. Even if the urbanization trend reverses, an aging population will drive less, primarily due to disability. Stats Canada reports that 1.7 million seniors (43.4%) report having a disability, with mobility, hearing and vision impairments being the most prevalent; this increases to 53.3% for persons 75 and over.

A possible response may be increased levels of driver automation, leading eventually to self-driving cars. Nissan, for example, has revealed remote parking and steer-by-wire technology and Google is actively testing self-driving technology on public roads in the U.S. The impact should be neutral to slightly positive for metal cutting OEM’s with new actuator systems offsetting weight reduction in manual systems like steering column assemblies.

percent, while real disposable income will ledge up slightly, at 1.7 percent, despite low inflation. Those record low interest rates, however, are fuel for new vehicle sales, and the Board predicts 5 percent more real spending on vehicles and parts in Canada for 2012 and 3.2 percent in 2013, resulting in prerecession sales levels.

Demographics are also playing a part. According to Statistic Canada, the proportion of Canadians 65 years and over will increase substantially, not slowing down until sometime between 2036 and 2056. That’s a long time off, but the incremental change each year means that the industry may be winning sales from a consumer body in their peak middle age earning years. Either side of this income bulge are populations who buy fewer, cheaper vehicles. Urbanization is also a factor. This global demographic trend will increase passenger traffic, with intra-urban travel in large metropolitan areas topping the list of transportation challenges.

“ Canada’s productivity lags the United States in virtually every category.”

In the meantime, partmakers are taking advantage of a resurgent Detroit Three and post-tsunami production ramp up

by Japanese automakers. The economy is volatile, however, and one result is a trend to strong cash postions for many companies on both sides of the border. This, combined with historically low interest rates, makes merger and aquisition a viable alternative to expansion for growing partmakers, especially larger Tier Ones.

PriceWaterHouse Coopers tracks automotive industry merger and acquisition (M&A) activity globally and according to their research, M&A transaction slowed during the first half of 2012, with 264 deals closed with a disclosed value of $10.6 billion, a significant decline compared to the same period in 2011, which totaled 303 completed deals with a disclosed valued at $18.8 billion. The reason is Europe. “Europe is taking a toll on

Courtesy, Conference Board of Canada www.e-library.ca

Courtesy, Scotia Economics. www.scotiabank.com

MERGERS WAIT FOR EUROPE

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courtesy pwc www.pwc.com

Courtesy, Conference Board of Canada www.e-library.ca

global M&A deal activity,” declares Paul Elie, U.S. automotive transaction services leader for PwC. “Historically, Europe has been among the most active regions in automotive M&A. That said, opportunities exist for automotive companies from emerging countries like China and India to acquire technology or market access at favourable valuations in Europe.”

The economic crisis there is directly suppressing vehicle sales, with new car registrations declining by 6.3 percent through the first half of the year. PwC’s expects 2012 annual sales for Europe to decline by 7.3 percent to 12.6 million units, nearly 3.4 million units below the 2007 peak. One result is that the region is now carrying almost 5.8 million units of excess light vehicle manufacturing capacity. While this is bad news for exports, it does offer some tempting targets for mergers and acquisitions for at least the next 12 months.

The real action is in Asia, mostly intra-regionally, with 86 out of 98 transactions between Asian companies. Bigger Asian partmakers are not just looking for economies of scale; these buyers are also likely to pursue technology deals to compete globally, as well as to defend against foreign competition.

Canadian partmakers looking to crack Asian markets will need size, technology, or both to address the current trade imbalance in parts.

According to Elie, “ PwC maintains positive expectations for deal activity contingent upon the following conditions:

Successful resolution of Europe’s sovereign debt crisis; Strong economic recovery in developed markets such as the United States and Japan; and resumption of trend line economic growth in emerging markets like China and India.”

LABOUR COSTS: UNDER CONTROL

For the majority of Canadian suppliers, however, the Detroit Three and import North American assembly operation are still the primary markets and compared to even a year ago, the traditional “domestic” OEM’s are poised for stable growth. A major factor in Canada is the willingness of the Canadian Auto Workers Union to address labour cost issues exacerbated by the strong Canadian dollar. Recent deals with GM and especially Ford (who claimed a $15 an hour labour cost disadvantage versus the U.S.) will lower the automakers labour costs

APMA Annual Outlook Conference

The Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association (APMA) will hold its 17th Annual Automotive Outlook Conference on November 29th at the Sheraton Toronto Airport hotel. Produced in partnership with Export Development Canada (EDC), this year’s event will be an “Automotive Competitiveness Manufacturing Summit”, focusing on Canadian competitiveness in manufacturing and how it compares globally. The event will examine key competitiveness issues being encountered by Canadian manufacturers and will explore strategies and solutions being implemented by some. Using a variety of perspectives and data points, this event seeks to answer the question:

Can Canadian companies compete globally over the long term?

The summit will begin with a high level review of macroeconomic data and will provide strategic economic insight. Following the economic overview, the agenda will feature two blue-ribbon panels of supplier CEOs assembled in a round table/discussion format.

One panel will consist of private supplier companies while the other will be public companies, providing insight from multiple perspectives. There will also be an opportunity for audience participants to ask questions from the floor and raise relevant issues to discuss.

For more information, visit www.apma.ca

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courtesy pwc www.pwc.com

significantly, with the deals also obliging the automakers to maintain production in Canada, a win-win. Almost as importantly, the CAW’s pattern negotiation strategy means that the Detriot Three are at the beginning of the contract cycle more or less simultaneously, assuring labour stability for several years going forward, a major factor when OEM’s decide on allocation of production capacity.

The labour cost issue is one counterattack against a strong dollar, but as an industrial nation, Canada is still not addressing the longer term issues that threaten our position as both vehicle makers and part suppliers. The traditional explanation for lagging growth and productivity in both partmaking and the manufacturing sector as a whole has been economies of scale, or more specifically, our lack of scale as a small-population nation. A damning report from Deloitte entitled “The Future of Productivity: Clear choices for a competitive Canada” – makes it clear that Canadian companies need to be bolder when it comes to investing in productivity-boosting measures and seeking out growth, both within Canada and internationally. “Canada’s productivity performance has been declining for many years, in part because Canadians appear to be more concerned about protecting and preserving what they have rather than creating something new,” said Frank Vettese, Managing Partner and Chief Executive of Deloitte Canada. “Trying to maintain the status quo in an environment of increased global competition will simply leave us falling further behind other countries.”

CANADA: STILL LAGGING

The Deloitte report found that Canada’s productivity lags the United States in virtually every category, regardless of a company’s size, sector, business type or location. The gap in competitiveness has been particularly significant in the manufacturing sector where, since 2000, U.S. productivity has grown six times faster than in Canada. “Canadians know how

to compete and win globally, but not enough of our business leaders follow this path,” said Bill Currie, Deloitte Canada’s Vice Chair and Americas Managing Director, who co-authored the report. “They need to exploit growth opportunities wherever they occur, and government needs to support them by making growth a business imperative and removing barriers to competition, both inside Canada and with the rest of the world.”

The report makes sobering reading. Exporting firms outperform their non-exporting peers in terms of productivity growth, but fewer than three per cent of Canadian firms export.

Canadian businesses spend at only 65.2% the U.S. rate on machinery and equipment and manufacturing investment in information and communication technology is at 66% of U.S. levels. In the face of low foreign investment levels in the sector, government still maintains a ponderous and expensive foreign direct investment review process, insulating Canadian businesses from direct competition and reducing the incentive to invest and innovate in order to remain competitive.

In a recent speech to the Vancouver Island Economic Summit, Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney clearly voiced frustration over Canada’s lagging industrial performance: “We are in an environment where we have a strong currency, imported manufacturing equipment is cheaper than it ever was, we have fierce competition internationally, we have a productivity deficit versus virtually every other advanced economy—our productivity is 70 per cent of the U.S.—and we have massive opportunities. Should we just wait out a decade-long deleveraging process in the crisis economies? Should we lower our expectations? Or should we control our destiny by building on our strengths in the new global environment?”

While the answer seems self-evident, fear and timidity can’t be analyzed by statistics ... yet they may be the biggest single determinant in national success, both in the automotive manufacturing sector and for the Canadian economy as a whole. CM

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Standing Tall New, large verticals join multi-tasking horizontal turning centres in the battle for new applications

By Nate Hendley ..................................................................................................................................................

MAG VTC 5000 with part

VTC 5000 during assembly

VTC 5000 during assembly

MAG VTC 5000

n the market for a monster-sized vertical turning centre (VTC) or software designed to simplify the turning process?

You’re in luck, as machine tool companies unveil new giant vertical turning centres, multi-tasking machines and highperformance vertical turning lathes.

Here’s what’s new and noteworthy in turning tools:

large machine scale … heavy equipment builders and power generation companies—their parts are getting larger,” says Helene Nimmer, director of proposals and product management, at MAG IAS’s American operations in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.

Just introduced to the market last year, MAG’s giant VTCs are definitely a speciality item: “every one we sell will probably have some customization,” says Nimmer.

“The machine itself is very flexible, has an adjustable rail on it ... it allows for the machining of parts that are of varied height ... as well, we have two-and-a-half meters of ram travel ... the table itself can accommodate up to 150,000 kilograms of weight,” Nimmer continues.

Such flexibility is imperative given that the VTC’s massive size limits the number of parts it can produce.

I

MAG

Customers of global machine tool giant MAG can now purchase extremely large-size vertical turning centres or VTCs with a sidehead option.

“We have developed a family of large VTCs—table diameter from five to eight metres—which can accommodate swing diameters up to nine metres. We saw a need in the market for this 40 | NOVEMBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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The VTC sidehead option, meanwhile, was added last year.

This option “utilizes a 250 mm square (10-inch) ram to deliver 34,000 N (7,600 lbs.) thrust from the optimum angle for efficient turning of tall or flanged parts in vertical orientation.

The sidehead option is available on machines with table sizes 1,250 to 3,500 mm (49.2 – 137.7 inches), capable of handling parts with a maximum diameter of 3,700 mm (145.6 inches) and height of 3,300 mm (129.9 inches). The sidehead provides a 1,250 mm (49.2-inch) X-axis span and 1,900 (74.8-inch) Z-axis with a traverse rate of 20,000 mm/min (787 ipm). It is equipped for automatic tool change with a 40-tool chain magazine, and available with modular Capto C8 or KM tool interface,” reads a MAG press release.

Nimmer says of the sidehead option, “It’s a very robust design that offers a lot of travel and allows for heavy cuts ... we saw a segment of the market that was unaddressed and wanted to target it with this feature.” www.mag-ias.com/en.html

OKUMA

Machine tool firm Okuma unveiled the new LT-3000EX CNC high powered lathe at IMTS 2012.

“The fully-loaded CNC lathe is available in either two or three-turret versions, with or without Y-axis, to provide optimum process balance, production, throughput and integrated operations. The LT-3000EX delivers precision turning in any direction and is well suited for high production environments such as the automotive industry,” states a press release from Okuma America Corporation based in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“The new LT includes several new features such as Okuma’s Thermal Friendly Concept and Thermal Active Stabilizer (TAS) as standard, Collision Avoidance System (CAS) as an option and Mac-Navi chatter control as an option. In addition, we now offer

three 16-station turrets to maximize production, larger spindle bores to increase part capacity and BMT-style turrets for more powerful milling capability,” adds David Fischer, lathe product specialist with Okuma America Corporation.

The collision avoidance, thermal control and Mac-Navi technologies “are designed to keep our customers running at a high level of spindle utilization,” he explains.

“The LT3000EX also comes with the latest Okuma control, the OSP P300L. This new control goes to great lengths to make the operator’s job easier and simplify machine operation. There are new covers that internally maximize chip disposal and externally provide a larger window and LED lighting for ease of operation … with the availability of three 16-station turrets, this machine provides a large tooling capacity which, depending on the type of parts being run, can minimize setup time,” continues Fischer.

Okuma also introduced the new LU-EX 4-axis lathe and the VTM1200-YB vertical multi-tasking lathe at IMTS 2012. Both of these lathes come with P300 controls. The LU now has larger spindle bores than its predecessors while the VTM1200-YB now comes standard with a 0.001 degree positioning B-axis with full contouring available.

Okuma America’s parent company is based in Japan. www.okuma.com

SECO

Seco offers the Thread Turning Wizard—an extremely helpful software program designed to simplify and perfect the thread turning process.

“It’s downloadable for free from our homepage ... you put in data for thread ... indicate which machine you are using ... [the software will help] pick out suitable tools for you [and] choose which insert, which grade to use,” says Kurt Gustavsson, product manager threading at Seco company headquarters in Sweden.

Okuma’s LT-3000EX CNC high powered lathe. www.canadianmetalworking.com | NOVEMBER 2012 | 41

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The Thread Turning Wizard program “eliminates complicated programs and calculations. With minimal input from you, the Wizard selects your optimum holder and insert, identifies the best operating parameters and then downloads the information to your CNC. For maximum tool life. Better chip control.

Reduced production time. And, a perfect thread from the very first cut,” adds Seco literature.

“The customer, by using our program is going to thread more correctly with the right amount of passes … with our software, there’s a good chance he can increase production at least 30 per cent,” echoes Don Halas, product manager threading and grooving at Seco’s North American headquarters in Troy, Michigan.

Machinists often take multiple passes to make a thread, notes Halas.

“Most customers are taking double the amount of passes they need to do as a precaution ... they really don’t need to do that ... with our software, we give the right amount of passes and it’s generally half the amount the customer is doing ... what you gain from this is reduced cycle time,” he states.

Thread Turning Wizard software is compatible with Windows 2000. www.secotools.com

NAKAMURA-TOME

Nakamura-Tome, a Japanese machine tool company whose products are distributed by Methods Machine Tools in Sudbury, Massachusetts, has unveiled a multi-tasking machine for the North American market.

“It’s called a WY-100 ... it’s not new to Nakamura—it’s been [out for a couple years in Japan] but we just started importing it in the U.S. ... it is a double Y machine ... double Y brings a lot to the plate,” says Rich Parenteau, Nakamura-Tome director of applications and product manager.

The WY-100 features opposed, two-spindle, two-turret construction, 62 mm Y-axis on two-turrets, a spindle speed of 6000min-1 (upper/lower turrets), 11/7. 5kW + 11/7.5kW L/R spindle motor and a 7.1/2.2kWx3 driven-tool motor (upper/ lower). The same machine has a height of 2,395 mm, length of

2,780 mm, a machine weight of 7,400 kilos and a 19-inch colour LCD touch panel. The upper and lower turrets each have 24 index positions and 12 driven-tool stations. Controls on the machine are designed to alert operators to periodic maintenance requirements.

“The double Y is fairly new to us … I think [double Y] is going to be a big thing for customers,” says Parenteau.

Nakamura-Tome also has other innovations in store but Parenteau hesitates to reveal any details.

“We’re working on something for another series of turning centres but I can’t talk about that—we do have some irons in the fire,” he says. www.nakamura-tome.co.jp/e/

FEELER

Feeler—which is also distributed by Methods Machine Tools— introduced a new, high-performance FVT-600 vertical turning lathe in August, 2012.

This new lathe is “ideal for machining large, heavy, challenging parts including those used in aerospace and power generation industries. To easily automate processes for high-volume production applications, the FVT-600 is available in left-side and right-side versions, allowing automation to be strategically stationed between the lathes,” reads Feeler information.

The FVT-600 is designed to handle large, bulky parts. It has heavy-duty roller type linear guideways, which results in high rigidity during heavy cutting. The lathe also boasts a high-precision and high-rigidity spindle which runs on NN series roller bearings.

Feeler machines are made by the Fair Friend Group, a global machine tool manufacturer with operations in Asia and the United States.

“The FVT-600 features a turret with a 12 position ATC and offers an X-axis travel of 12 inches (305 mm) and a 25.6 inch (650 mm) Z-axis travel. Spindle speeds range from 50 to 2,000 RPM on chuck sizes of 15 inches (381 mm), 18 inches (457.2 mm), 21 inches (533.4 mm) or 24 inches (609.6 mm) and provides a high metal removal rate of 24m/min. The new lathe offers a maximum turning diameter of 23.6 inches (600 mm) and a maximum turning length of 25.6 inches (650 mm). Maximum workpiece weight is 2,205 pounds (1,000 kilos),” states Feeler information.

The FVT-600’s footprint is relatively compact, with a length of 153.5 inches (3,900 mm) and width of 86.6 inches (2,200 mm). The lathe weighs 19,842 pounds (9,000 kilos).

Feeler has several other turning machines available, including the FT-Series turning centres, which boast slantbed/boxway construction, a maximum turning diameter of 320 – 800 mm (12.5 inches – 31.5 inches), maximum turning length of 500 mm – 3,000 mm (20 inches – 118 inches), maximum bar capacity of 51 mm – 117 mm (2 inches – 4.6 inches), chuck sizes of 6 inches – 18 inches, a spindle motor of 20HP – 50 HP and Fanuc 0i-TC control. www.methodsmachine.com/feeler/index.aspx CM

Nakamura-Tome’s WY-100 multi-tasker.

42 | NOVEMBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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Effective Cooling Strategies for Titanium Machining The lightweight high-strength metal is growing in popularity…and it’s a challenging material

W

ith the demand for titanium aerospace components expected to exceed current manufacturing capacity, it should come as no surprise that interest in titanium machining is rapidly growing among North American manufacturers. However, there are several attributes of titanium that contribute to challenging machining conditions, which make profitable titanium part production a balance of both processing speed and maximizing tool life.

Heat generation, a natural occurrence within all machining processes, typically disperses through the part material, tool and surrounding environment. Due to titanium’s low thermal conductivity, a higher level of heat is concentrated directly onto the cutting edge of the tool, causing rapid degradation and deformation of the cutting tool. In many cases, tools are worn down so quickly that the cost of tooling alone negates sizable profit margins.

“Titanium possesses several unique characteristics that contribute to extreme heat generation within the cutting zone,” says Brian List, titanium process engineer at Makino. “By understanding these characteristics and how they impact all aspects of the machining process, we can better understand the source of the heat, why it develops and how we can manage the heat for a more efficient and profitable titanium machining process.”

FUNDAMENTALS OF TITANIUM

Titanium’s high strength and low density are key characteristics for aerospace manufacturers. In terms of tensile strength, titanium towers over other metals with 1100 Mpa, beating aluminum at 69 Mpa and 1020 steel with 350 Mpa. Its low density of 0.16 lb/in3 is nearly half that of 1020 steel (0.284 lb/in3) and just slightly above aluminum (0.097 lb/in3). This combination of high strength and low density makes titanium a valuable asset in the design and construction of modern aircraft. It also has a low modulus of elasticity, or springiness. However, while a benefit in the design of aircraft, this feature contributes to a high level of deflection when stress or force is applied during the machining process. Compared to steel, which has a similar strength, titanium will produce approximately twice as much deflection, requiring more energy to be input into the cut.

The low thermal conductivity of titanium is also a doubleedged sword. Although its thermal expansion rate makes it highly compatible with composite materials, titanium is practically an insulator in the world of metals. Normally, when a manufacturer cuts aluminum or steel, 60 per cent of the heat generated goes out with the chip. The rest is divided between the workpiece and the tool. With titanium, only 15 per cent of heat goes into the chip, and the heat that goes into the chip stays concentrated near to the rake face of the tool. When coupled with titanium’s high strength, manufacturers must apply higher forces, and therefore more energy, into the cutting

zone, 90 per cent of which is converted directly into heat. This means more heat with nowhere to dissipate but the cutting tool, resulting in rapid tool wear and frequent breakage.

THREE TESTS TO EXAMINE CUTTING FORCES

In order to properly manage the thermal conditions present in the machining of titanium, it’s critical to first understand how and why heat is generated in the cutting zone. To do so, calculations can be derived using force models within two distinct areas: the primary deformation zone where energy is input into the system and material is forced upward, and the secondary deformation zone, which produces frictional heat as the chip curls along the cutter edge.

The following series of experiments were conducted at Makino’s titanium research and development facility using a Kistler dynamometer to measure cutting forces along the X, Y and Z axes. By mounting a workpiece to the Kistler dynamometer and performing a variety of test cuts, verification of the force model and cutting parameters—surface speed, depth of cut, chip load—were achieved. This information was then used to generate a ranking of how cutting parameters impact forces in the cutting zone.

The first experiment compared cutting forces with axial depth cut (figure 1). Adjustments were made to the depth of cut incrementally at 2mm, 4mm, 6mm, 8mm and 10mm. The results revealed a linear relationship between increases in the depth of cut and forces experienced by the tool.

In the next case, cutting forces were measured against

Figure 1

Titan succ Mak bring highe exten tech perfo repu comp

Build the m

maki

WH

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THROUGHPUT. TOOL LIFE. EVERYBODY KNOWS WHAT MATTERS IN CUTTING TITANIUM. ONLY MAKINO ADVANTiGE™ DELIVERS.

Titanium is demanding. To succeed, you need everything Makino titanium ADVANTiGE brings to your shop floor. From higher metal-removal rates to extended tool life, ADVANTiGE technology delivers on-time performance, builds your reputation and secures your company’s future.

Build your business cutting the materials that matter most. makino.com/ADVANTiGE

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Figure 2

Figure 3

various cutting speeds (figure 2). While there was a measurable difference in forces experienced by the tool as cutting speeds varied, the overall deviation had a minimal impact on the cutting performance. From these findings, an optimal cutting speed of 70 metres per minute was determined. At this speed, heat levels rose to titanium’s softening point of 550 degrees Celsius (1,022 degrees Fahrenheit), reducing the cutting forces for improved efficiency.

The third experiment evaluated the relationship between cutting forces and feed rates (figure 3). Similar to the test observing axial depth of cut, the cutting forces adjusted proportionally to incremental changes in feed rates between 60 microns and 140 microns.

By combining results from each test in a Design of Experiment (DOE) study, parameter rankings were revealed: Axial depth and radial engagement had the greatest impact on

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cutting forces, followed by chip load, cooling methods, and finally, surface speed. It was determined that by reducing radial engagement, a larger axial depth using full flute of a cutter can be used while minimizing the force energy applied to the work zone.

The first round of temperature tests focused on gauging the impact of cutting speeds and feed rates on heat generation (figure 5). Machine processes were established for 40 metres per minute, 55 metres per minute and 70 metres per minute,

Figure 5

MANAGING HEAT

Once force rankings are established and a decision is made on how to manage cutting forces, focus must then be directed at reducing heat in the cutting zone. This approach requires delicate adjustments to cutting parameters and advanced cooling technologies that not only extend tool life but also improve productivity.

Recent cooling tests performed at Makino’s titanium research and development facility used a three-inch by three-inch titanium block fixed with thermal couple sensors to measure and record cutting temperature under a variety of cutting parameters and cooling methodologies. This data was then applied to the inverse heat conduction equation (figure 4) to calculate specific temperatures along the cutting edge.

Figure 4 each with feed rate increments of 80 micron, 100 micron and 120 micron at 4mm radial engagement with a 32mm tool. Thermal couple results indicated that process speeds of 55 metres per minute resulted in the lowest temperatures. As speed increased to 70 metres per minute, temperature rose sharply. A trend in feed rate results was also observed. As feed rates increased from 80 to 120 microns, the temperature consistently decreased across all spindle speeds.

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H

Figure 6

Verification of these trends was then tested by adjusting radial engagement to 8mm under the same machining conditions (figure 6). This broke the previously recorded trend with results indicating higher temperatures with increased feed rate.

As the feed rate approached 120 microns, strong adhesion and wear on the insert caused higher temperatures outside of the linear relationship experienced in all other cases.

A final series of experiments were performed to evaluate the impact of coolant on cutting-zone temperatures (figure 7). Machining parameters were configured with a speed of 40 metres per minute, feed rate of 100 microns and radial engagement of 8mm. Under dry cutting parameters, temperature readings quickly rose from our room temperature of 25 degrees Celsius to 80 degrees, 95 degrees and 100 degrees (or 77 degrees Fahrenheit, 176 degrees, 203 degrees and 212 degrees).

Figure 7

This test was then performed using through-spindle coolant.

Using this cooling method, temperature readings increased only to 32 degrees, a near 90 per cent temperature differential.

Based on these results, rankings were established regarding which factors had the greatest impact on cutting temperatures.

Above all others, coolant had the greatest effect in temperature experienced at the thermal couple. This finding was followed

by surface speed and radial engagement. And while chip load shared a linear relationship with these factors, the magnitude of its impact was much lower. Lastly, axial depth of cut had almost no influence on thermal conditions experienced by the tool.

Due to the significance of coolant in thermal control, Makino assessed several common coolant fluids for the highest cooling potential, including water, ammonia, ethanol, liquid carbon dioxide, ethanoic acid and liquid nitrogen. Each fluid was evaluated based on its boiling point and specific latent heat of vaporization. Water had the highest boiling point and specific latent heat, able to decrease temperatures 11 times faster than liquid nitrogen.

n o •

APPLYING THE RESULTS

The insight revealed through this test data can be applied to the titanium machining process through a variety of means: the first and most significant being a machine platform with the power and rigidity for the task at hand. Standard production machining centres typically lack the rigidity, torque and vibration damping technologies necessary to appropriately manage forces that occur during the machining of titanium. As such, a machine platform that’s purpose-built for titanium is highly desired.

Coolant technologies must also fit into the overall strategy.

According to Makino, best results were achieved by injecting coolant directly between the cutter edge and material at high pressures and highvolumes. This approach provides sufficient lubrication to reduce the coefficient of friction and overall production of heat, providing for extended tool life.

“In applying this knowledge to the design of our T-Series machining centres and ADVANTiGE technologies, we’ve seen dramatic improvements in our titanium machining efficiency,” says List. “We’re consistently seeing four times the productivity and tool life of standard machining centres, and oftentimes up to twice that depending on the application. By employing such technologies, and effectively balancing machining parameters, North American manufacturers can capitalize on the demand for titanium with a higher profit margin than ever before.” CM Feature courtesy of Makino. www.makino.com

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Measure for Measure Upgrading your shop to modern quality measurement systems is easy when you ask the right questions. Canadian Measurement and Metrology’s Elliott Foster has the answers

By Jim Anderton, Editor ..........................................................................................................................................

B

uilding or expanding a shop isn’t cheap, but it is straightforward; most owners understand machine tools and know where new features and benefits can make money. However, on the quality inspection side it’s a different world. Metrology is a science in itself and old-time machinists used to vernier calipers and hand-held “mikes” simply aren’t equipped to make a sensible first time equipment buy. Canadian Measurement and Metrology President Elliott Foster knows metrology and has some good advice for shops getting started in modern inspection and measurement. Canadian Metalworking asked the questions:

What motivates a shop to upgrade to modern measurement equipment?

Most times the shops customers – aerospace is an example – demand a specific level of expertise and technology. Most companies are dragged kicking and screaming into setting up a modern inspection department. Manual inspection is dead. That kind of expertise isn’t there and when it is, it’s typically with a toolmaker or machinist. Their time is better spent at the bench, not doing inspection.

Do shops perceive quality and inspection as a moneymaker?

Generally it’s an afterthought. Many shops spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on machine tools, and leave nothing for inspection. Even the best machine tool can produce scrap.

If we’re talking about a coordinate measuring machine, for example, it can save a company a lot of money, particularly when machining metals like titanium. Probably 90 per cent of the companies we deal with have been asked or told to purchase a coordinate measuring machine.

Do small shops know what questions to ask about metrology?

Usually, no. Most small shop owners look at a brand name, or they hire someone to run their quality department and they go with the machine that person is comfortable with. For a small shop with a good contract, I would look at the used machine market. They should look at the type of components they have to measure and look and the equipment their customer uses.

Commonly, they contact the manufacturer of the equipment they’re interested in and arrange a demonstration on their parts.

Modern CMM’s are compact and tough. This Brown and Sharpe 4.5.4SF is temperature compensated and resists vibration for use anywhere in the shop floor environment. The unit fits through standard doorways, operates on simple 110/220V power and doesn’t require shop air. www.cmmxyz.com.

Is used equipment a safe buy?

There are two ways to buy used equipment. One is to purchase it at an auction, in which case you have no way of knowing what you’re getting and the other is to source from a company that sells and supports the equipment. That way you get full training and support. Generally coordinate measuring machines haven’t changed in 30 years mechanically, but what has changed are sensors, probes, controls and software. You can buy a small machine for $10,000 with no spare parts availability. Or you can also buy a machine at about half the price of a new machine with excellent parts and service availability. Most people know machine tools, but not measuring machines. You need advice from people that know the business. It’s the same with machine tools. At some point you must surrender yourself to the sales team at the vendor. There’s so much out there today it’s bewildering. A simple demonstration with a pretty part isn’t

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enough. You must do research to make a proper purchase.

Most shop owners buy coordinate measuring machines at an emotional level, not a practical level. Sometimes they fall in love with a name. Often, used machine buyers are more canny but they often buy because a customer or a friend has one; most people make a decision within 15 minutes of demonstration based on the perceived ease of use. The problem is the demonstration is made on a test part, not on the customer’s part.”

What defines “ease of use”?

There is no such thing. In reality, to successfully program and operate a coordinate measuring machine you need at least a week’s training. They should expect a six month ramp up, beginning with personnel with a prior quality background.

GD&T (geometric dimensioning and tolerancing), projection angles, best fit alignments, it’s important to understand metrology. That’s the dilemma, but with the advent of CAD, the program can be written in the engineering office or CAD suite.

Today you can write the program offline in the CAD area then port it to the CMM just hit run and your measuring parts!

How much will it cost?

Take a typical machine with a working volume of 700 mm per side. An entry-level machine with a two axis indexable head and CAD software could be $120,000. Used, it could be $50,000.

Climate control and special conditions aren’t always necessary.

For shop floor use we recommend a “hard bearing” (roller bearing) machine. 50 per cent of the machines we sell are used on the shop floor. There’s nothing wrong with measuring the part at the temperature at which it was machined. The only problems are airborne contaminants and vibration.

have the expertise. Like all vendors, we don’t calibrate closed architecture machines, only equipment we have expertise and training on.

How much resolution is enough?

First time buyers, beware

The average customer should not bother themselves with the fundamentals of metrology unless they’re involved with less than micron precision. The average customer is interested in accuracies within the range of 10 to 20micron. I would estimate that 90 per cent of the machines on the market can achieve that level of precision The key is to identify where you are in accuracy terms. The traditional rule of metrology is 10 times; in other words, if you’re measuring to 100 microns, you would specify a 10 micron machine, but the costs go up exponentially.

If a customer requires a 10 micron tolerance and asks for a 1 micron accuracy machine, it could cost a million dollars plus another $300,000 in environmental controls. It’s not practical.

Most first time buyers generally want a quick fix. A second time buyer is a more educated buyer. When you buy a machine, look at the resources the vendor has. Do they have knowledgeable people? Do they have a service department? It’s no different than buying a car. The biggest single error is buying on price alone. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If you buy a coordinate measuring machine for $15,000 to support an aerospace contract, the odds are against you. The other problem occurs when the buyer underestimates the resources they’ll need to bring the machine into full operation. If you’re fortunate enough to have an expert in CAD, then you can use less qualified people running the equipment. Don’t underestimate the importance of training. Probably 50 per cent of the shops in Canada won’t invest properly in training. Show me a problem in measuring equipment and almost always, I’ll show you a problem with the way it’s run. You can’t take someone from shipping and receiving and drop them into the job. CM

What about calibration?

The entire personality of the machine resides in the control.

Usually, the machine’s calibration matrix is propriety to the manufacturer. I would recommend going to the OEM manufacturer or to a calibrator that has demonstrated specific expertise. Calibrating a machine is one thing, bringing it into spec is another. It’s difficult for the independent calibrator to

Large, fixed units like this Leitz moving bridge unit are a significant investment.

It’s essential to buy on service and support, rather than price especially with large or special purpose CMM’s. www.cmmxyz.com

Elliott Foster is the president of Mississauga-based Canadian Measurement and Metrology. www. cmmxyz.com www.canadianmetalworking.com | NOVEMBER 2012 | 51

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Nice Threads – Thread Cutting Tools In threading circles, thread milling continues to gain in popularity.

By Nate Hendley ..................................................................................................................................................

“W

e see the application of thread mills as a growth segment in the threading world. Some market segments (like aerospace) have long used this technology due to the high hardness of their materials and/ or the high value of these components, where a broken tap can spell disaster. Another segment that is giving serious consideration to adopting thread milling is mould and die, where problems associated with tight threads post heat treat can be overcome by creating the threads after the hardening of the workpiece,” says Chris McDonald, round tools specialist for the Canadian branch of Swedish tool giant, Sandvik Coromant, in Mississauga, Ontario.

As for other trends: “We are seeing an increased demand in [threading] tools for machining what is deemed as ‘exotic’ or ‘hard-to-machine’ materials such as Inconel, titanium alloys or high-strength steel. New geometries and coatings are being developed that allow for a smoother process and a longer tool life, and help prevent breakage in those costly parts,” says Julian Webb, manager of product management at Komet of America, a Schaumburg, Illinois-based subsidiary of the Komet Group from Germany, a global leader in metal cutting tools.

Cutting tool pundits also offer a few tips on threading technique.

“Most threading [equipment] is not interchangeable … we all have our unique insert thicknesses … we all have our unique angles that we put our inserts at … so, use the toolholder for the insert you’re running … if you’re running an Iscar insert, make sure you have it in an Iscar holder … if you have a Sandvik insert, make sure you have a Sandvik holder … if you have somebody else’s insert and somebody else’s holder [it won’t work properly],” says Steve Geisel, senior product manager at Iscar Canada, in Oakville, Ontario.

Here’s a look at what’s new and/or noteworthy in threading tools:

OSG

OSG of Japan describes itself as “the world’s largest manufacturer of taps and threading tools” so it’s no surprise the company has new product to promote.

“Recently, OSG Corporation developed a state-of-the-art high performance forming tap series called the Exopro XPF. This series is designed for customers looking to increase productivity and reduce cycle times while extending tool life ... the S-XPF (non-coolant) series and Oil-S-XPF (coolant through) are OSG’s newest generation of forming taps,” says Craig Ramsey, product manager at OSG Canada, based in Burlington, Ontario.

“Unlike traditional ‘cutting’ taps that create threads by cutting and removing material, forming taps have no cutting edge and create the thread through plastic deformation of the work material. This means no cutting chips. Thus forming

taps are immune to the usual chip control issues such as ‘bird nesting’ and ‘chip packing’,” continues Ramsey.

“Exopro XPF series taps greatly reduce friction resistance by combining a special thread design with OSG’s V coating which results in a reduction of tapping torque by up to 40 per cent compared to traditional forming taps as well as considerable heat suppression during the tapping process ... this new thread design enables XPF taps to excel in previously difficult applications such as form tapping of larger diameters (up to 42 mm or 1-5/8 inches) and also permits high-speed operations using water soluble coolant while achieving longer tool life at the same time,” he adds. www.osgcanada.com

EMUGE CORPORATION

In April, Emuge of Germany expanded its line of solid carbide thread mills in the THREADS-ALL program.

“The original program was developed to address tap breakage problems being experienced by customers in small screw thread sizes from #0 through #10. Customers wanted a new tooling solution to eliminate the possibility and consequence of tap breakage in high-cost components. The tools worked so well and proved so flexible in application range, our customers requested that we expand the program up to 3/4-inch,” says Mark Hatch, product director for taps and thread mills for Emuge’s North

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American headquarters in West Boylston, Massachusetts.

“Newly developed geometry allows for quick adaption for a variety of thread requirements with minimal tooling in a wide range of materials and ensures a consistent and repeatable process,” continues Hatch.

While the THREADS-ALL program is specifically designed for difficult-to-cut materials such as, stainless steels and Inconel, the “newly developed geometry of the THREADS-ALL program [also] works exceptionally well in soft materials such as carbon steel, aluminum, brass and copper,” he says. www.emuge.com

ISCAR

of engineering at Komet of America.

Komet added the BASS line in early 2012.

“The BASS brand of HSS-E taps represents a complement to our JEL line of solid carbide tools. They are an excellent alternative for smaller production runs or for applications where a high-speed steel tool is better suited ... BASS also offers a series of taps with special

Israeli tool giant Iscar is expanding its offering of threading tools with new grades and chipbreakers. Said offering is known simply as “the Iscar threading line” (there’s no specific brand name for this tool group).

“The grade we added is IC1007 … it’s specifically for high-temp alloys, stainless steel, things like that ... for general purpose threading we have our IC808 grade … that’s reasonably new ... it’s for general purpose—carbon steel, alloy steel, things like that,” says Geisel.

“We use very, very hard grades for our

KOMET

Komet offers the established JEL brand of threading tools and now the new BASS brand of machine taps and roll form taps.

“The JEL brand of threading tools from Komet consists of a wide range of high-performance solid carbide tools perfectly suited for large volume production … [the JEL brand] covers a wide range of sizes from the smallest M1.2 up to very large sizes, whether as a standard or made-to-order tool,” says Wolfgang Ruff, vice-president

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threading, which allows us to thread at higher spindle speeds, but because we’re using very, very hard grades, we need to take more passes. [Some companies] use tougher substrates, so therefore their speeds aren’t as high but their passes are less … so in the grand scheme, it kind of works out the same … high-speed—more passes, low-speed—less passes … it’s just a different way of attacking it,” explains Geisel. www.iscar.ca

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industry. These tools will be available for producing threads in the UNC, UNF and metric ranges,” he continues. www.sandvik.com

WALTER USA

cutting geometries for aerospace applications in titanium alloys and Inconel,” says Webb.

As if this wasn’t enough, Komet will be releasing a new series of thread mills at the end of this year. www.komet.com

SANDVIK COROMANT

Sandvik Coromant recently introduced the CoroTap program of threading tools.

“The CoroTap range of cut taps complement the existing threading tool offering of Sandvik Coromant. These products include such things as thread whirling inserts and holders (used primarily in biomedical applications for making bone screws), indexable threading inserts for both ID and OD threading on turning centres and thread mills,” says McDonald.

“For shops looking to maximize the performance of our

Walter recently introduced the Prototyp Protodyn HSC thread former.

The thread former “is made from a new carbide substrate, with or without coolant through, enhanced polygon profile and optimized lead chamfer,” says Pat Nehls, product manager at Waukesha, Wisconsin-based Walter USA, which is owned by a German parent company.

“The Protodyn HSC provides a thread production process that creates no chips, bird nesting or chip removal problems, yielding a high level of process reliability even for deep hole and through threads,” reads a Walter USA press release.

Late last year, Walter also released a new version of the Prototyp TMC thread milling cutter with countersink. The TMC cutter allows operators to “produce the thread and chamfer the entrance of the hole with one tool,” says Nehls.

Other features on the Prototyp TMC thread milling cutter include “a helix angle of 27 degrees with a shortened flute run-out, internal coolant supply from as low as thread size M4, a 90-degree countersink angle, and a multilayer TiCN coating that permits higher cutting speeds and longer tool life. The new tool can be used for all materials up to a hardness of 48 HRC,” adds a Walter press release. www.walter-tools.com

SECO

new CoroTap range of threading tools, we strongly suggest they be applied in a rigid tapping cycle, without the use of tension/compression tap drivers. This allows for the production of high quality threads at reduced cycle times. For shops with older machines with rigid tapping capabilities, the addition of our SyncroFlex Tapping Chuck can help overcome thread pitch errors arising from higher spindle speeds,” says McDonald.

“We currently offer threading solutions for ISO material groups, P, K and N ... taps for ISO M materials, typically stainless steels, will be launched [in the fall] ... this has been a highly anticipated addition to our threading range as stainless steels are very prevalent in the Canadian metalworking

Swedish tool giant Seco has expanded its line of Threadmaster mills. These mills boast a high-end carbide substrate with TiCN-coating and can be used on steel, stainless steel, cast iron and high-temperature alloys.

The Threadmaster line includes Threadmaster H (for hardened materials up to 60 HRC), Threadmaster 900 (for materials with a tensile strength of 900 N/mm2, available in thread dimensions between M4 and M16) and Threadmaster Mini (for small dimensions in hard materials from 45 to 60 HRC).

A new addition to this line called the Drilling Threadmaster is primarily designed for cast iron and aluminum, covering a range from M4 up to M16, UNC/UNF and Whitworth profiles.

“This is a combined tool. You have the possibility to drill the hole, chamfer the hole, thread mill the hole with the same tool ... [you can] save one or two changes, depending on which metal you use,” says Kurt Gustavsson, product manager of threading at Seco HQ in Sweden Seco also offers the Thread Milling Wizard—a free, downloadable software program designed to make the thread milling process as smooth as possible.

The Wizard can be used “to get a correct gauging thread, first time,” says Don Halas, product manager for threading and grooving at Seco’s American branch in Troy, Michigan. www.secotools.com CM

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Tool Talk

T

ACCUTEX INTRODUCES HEAVY-DUTY DIE SINKER EDM

AccuteX EDM, a division of Absolute Machine Tools, Inc. recently introduced its DS-550CM Die Sinker EDM. Contributing to its rigidity is a heavily ribbed, high-grade Meehanite casting. Premium grade components, such as its precise drive system, linear bearings, class 5 pre-tensioned fine finish ballscrews, and high-resolution servo motors are used, along with roller-type linear guideways, and optical scales.

Its X, Y, Z working capacity is 20-inch (50.8 cm) x 16-inch (40.6 cm) x 14-inch (35.5 cm). The work table size is 32-inch (81.2 cm) x 18-inch (45.7 cm) Maximum workpiece size is 47-inch (119.3 cm) x 27-inch (67.5 cm) x 17-inch (43.1 cm), and

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this machine can accommodate workpiece weights up to 2,970 lbs (1347 kg).

Options for the DS-550 for greater flexibility include a built-in C-axis with 360-degree indexing, an automatic electrode changer, dielectric cooler, and custom tooling package.

Customers can perform 3-axis machining in six directions, multi-cavity, circular, square and any angle orbiting, internal/ external spherical, and 45-degree corner machining. Further, the EDM can do 3-axis linear machining, 2-axis arc machining, and offers helical machining electrode compensation.

The Accutex control’s 15-inch (38.1 cm) industrial grade, LCD monitor is easy to read and in full color. Its software supports dialogue options for simple programming and operation.

AccuteX EDM offers a complete line of wire and die sinker EDM equipment to manufacturing facilities in the United States and Canada. AccuteX Technologies also offers machines delivering 6-axis control with 5-axis simultaneous interpolation for aerospace and medical-class operating performance. www.accutexedm.com

ATI STELLRAM’S 7792VXE16 HIGH-FEED MILLING TOOLS

ATI Stellram’s patented Stellram 7792VXE16 high-feed shell mill cutter is designed to yield the highest levels of material removal rates in titanium and other high-performance alloys such as nickelbased alloys, cobalt-based alloys and titanium-based alloys.

The milling tool directs cutting forces axially into the spindle, reducing spindle wear and improving machining stability.

These face mills take repeated shallow depths of cut and operate at very high feed rates. In addition to high-feed face milling, the 7792VXE16 tool is capable of pocketing, slotting, and plunging.

Inserts for the 7792VXE16 cutters feature four cutting edges for improved tool economy. There are a variety of insert grades available: — Grade X500 is a member of ATI Stellram’s X-Grade Technology family of carbide inserts, designed for use on nickel-based alloys, cobaltbased alloys, titanium and titanium-based alloys.

— Grade X400 is an X-Grade insert designed for applications in steels and hardened materials to 53HRC. — Grade SP6519 offers the combination of a tough substrate with the latest generation of TiAlN super nano coating making this a grade equally suited for high-temperature alloys and stainless steels.

— Grade SC3025 offers the combination of a tough substrate and a wear-resistant CVD coating to enhance performance in difficult cast iron machining conditions and is equally suited for either grey or ductile cast irons. www.atistellram.com

HARDINGE SURE-GRIP LEVER OPERATED, COUNTERBALANCED POWER CHUCKS

Hardinge has introduced a line of lever-operated, countercentrifugal and dynamically balanced Sure-Grip power chucks.

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Tool Talk In the lever-operated system, the drawtube is connected to the jaws through a pivoting lever that is mounted on pins inside the chuck body. The lever system has reduced friction and increased mechanical advantage compared to a wedge-operated chuck.

In other words, a lever will always have greater actual gripping power at the jaws than a wedge-operated chuck, for any given draw bar pressure.

The lever system also has reduced internal bearing surface over the wedge-operated closure, making it less sensitive to lack of lubrication.

The design results in reduced wear on the operating cylinder, increasing component life.

Hardinge machines all have collet spindles that do not require a collet chuck or adaptor, they just require removing the collet and mounting the 3-jaw Sure-Grip power chuck when needed.

The chuck’s drawtube threads directly into the machine’s draw bar, just as a collet would. This changeover can be accomplished in ten minutes or less.

Hardinge manufactures its chuck components to high accuracy and repeatability standards. The repeatability of a chuck is the measure of its ability to repeat the performance, either from job-to-job or from part-to-part. Most models of Hardinge Sure-Grip power chucks have an accuracy (T.I.R.) of .0005-inch and repeatability of .0005-inch. www.shophardinge.com

the mold, and eliminates the need for EDM operations in many cases.

The table (C-axis) has unlimited and continuous angular movement, which is especially important when machining down a steep wall and going around the part.

Powered by the Hurco control with WinMax, the machine has the specifications required to process large part programs, such as a 40 GB hard drive, 2 GB of RAM, a 2.8 GHz Pentium 4 processor, and processing speed up to 2,918 bps.

Additionally, the control has numerous features that enhance NC programs, such as tool path linearization, which eliminates gouging of the workpiece and the line segments in the form of XYZBC or AC moves that a CAM system uses. With tool path linearization, the mold will have a smoother surface finish. www.hurco.com CM

HURCO’S 5-AXIS VMX42SR TECHNOLOGY BENEFICIAL FOR MOLDMAKERS

The Hurco 5-axis VMX42SR has multiple benefits for mold shops, especially shops that manufacture deep cavity molds or tall core molds.

The VMX42SR uses a rotary table and swivel head that promotes the use of shorter tools instead of long, skinny tools that a typical 3-axis machine requires.

With long tools, a decreased feed rate is needed to prevent tool breakage and minimize chatter. With stouter, shorter tools used on the 5-axis VMX42SR heavier cuts can be taken with an increased feed rate.

The ability to use shorter tooling with the VMX42SR also reduces the deflection of the tool, increases surface finish quality, significantly reduces the need to polish www.canadianmetalworking.com | NOVEMBER 2012 | 57

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Managing Metalworking Canadian Metalworking’s annual readership survey reveals some interesting facts about how we do business in Canada

By Jim Anderton, Editor ..........................................................................................................................................

C

anadian Metalworking does extensive research on businesses across Canada in an ongoing effort to measure and understand the economics and importance of our

sector. The charts and graphs make for interesting reading and reveal some interesting facts about the industry as we fight our way out of global recession.

GRAPH 1: PRODUCT TYPES IN ACTIVE USE

This graph shows current product types in active use, meaning equipment used for moneymaking activities on the shop floor.

At 80 per cent and 73 per cent respectively, cutting tools and machine tools are, not surprisingly, the majority of the production base in Canada, followed by welding and fabricating equipment. The interesting stat is Quality control equipment, at 53 per cent.

This figure is far lower than the machine tool stat, suggesting that modern automated or semi-automated quality assurance technology isn’t fully utilized in Canada’s shops.

Similarly, automated manufacturing lags at 46 per cent, reflecting the gap between high-volume large producers and job shops in Canada. The low penetration of metal coating equipment is no surprise.

Tough environmental regulations make the traditional paint booth or pickling tank an expensive proposition, leaving high value finishing to specialist companies.

GRAPH 2: INVOLVEMENT IN THE PURCHASE OF PRODUCT TYPES Compared to the product types in the active use chart, reader involvement in equipment purchase is notably lower.

Most involved are machine and cutting tools, reflecting the increasing complexity of the equipment and the need to consult more players on both shop floor and front office to make a sensible decision. Fabricating and welding involve fewer individuals, reflecting the specialist nature of the machines; Canadian shops, with a few exceptions, spend more time and effort shopping a multi-axis mill than a TIG welder, although both are important to productivity.

Quality and automation spending is a surprise at 41 and 39 per cent. Both figures suggest low penetration rates for the products in Canadian shops, but also imply that fewer personnel are involved in these important equipment buys.

One possible reason is the reliance on vendor support for complex machinery buys…or an underestimation of the importance of quality and automation.

58 | NOVEMBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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“ This is a well-paid industry. According to the most recent Statistics Canada figures (2010) the national average income for men is $46,500 and for women $31,700, and averages in each category exceed those figures.”

INVOLVEMENT IN THE BUYING DECISION This simple chart makes an interesting point. It shows 84 per cent of shop personnel are involved in the specification or purchase decision process for new tools and equipment.

This figure would seem to contradict the previous chart, which shows lower direct involvement by equipment type.

There are two plausible reasons for the discrepancy. One is that Canadian shops have become much more specialized, with staff highly skilled at a few tasks, splitting the purchase decision into separate teams. The other possibility is that much of the decision making process is happening in the front office, where key players may be involved in the purchase decision without knowing or understanding exactly what the equipment does. This makes sense in medium to large operations, where return on investment, financing and logistics are handled by specialists; they simply don’t need to know exactly what the equipment does, as long as it’s specified correctly.

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CANADIAN SALARY INFORMATION

AVERAGE HIGHEST SALARY

AVERAGE LOWEST SALARY

AVERAGE SALARY

Plant manager

$90,301

$76,556

$83,429

Production engineering

$76,807

$60,481

$68,644

General machinist

$56,388

$43,784

$50,086

Machine shop foreman

$68,193

$59,194

$63,694

The bottom line is money and this chart shows where we stand as an industry.

There are two key points illustrated by this simple chart. The first is, there is very little variation between highest and lowest average salary in each job classification.

This suggests an increasing professionalism (and credentialism) as job categories are more often filled by workers with specific training and qualifications. This standardization extends from the general machinist to the plant manager‌the days of working up from the floor without formal training are clearly over. The other, most important point is that this is a well-paid industry.

According to the most recent Statistics Canada figures (2010) the national average income for men is $46,500 and for women $31,700, and averages in each category exceed those figures. The low participation rate of women on the shop floor in the Canadian metalworking industry makes gender comparisons difficult in our sector. In every case, however, the most important statistic, income, suggests that this should be an attractive industry for youth, with an excellent future.

Visit Canadian Metalworking online: www.canadianmetalworking.com follow us on twitter: @CdnMetalworking visit us on facebook: www.facebook.com/ pages/CanadianMetalworking-Magazine

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Full Court Press Automate and upgrade punching operations for winning performance

By Irwin Rapopport ...............................................................................................................................................

T

here’s no question…this is a tough market. Staying ahead of the competition is a given and when that pressure is reinforced by overseas competition, Canadian shops engaged in punching operations need that extra edge to remain efficient, competitive and profitable.

Automation is a key aspect of that strategy and this issue is raised by the manufacturers who commented on the latest advances in punching technology and how Canadian operations can best upgrade their equipment and maximize the output of their current machinery.

When to upgrade is crucial and it has to be done right meaning many factors need to be considered when deciding on long-term capital expenditures.

Mike Kroll, TRUMPF Inc.’s TruPunch and TruMatic Product Manager spoke to Canadian Metalworking magazine regarding punching machines.

When asked if punching is often considered a low-value operation easily off-shored to low cost manufacturers, and what Canadian manufacturers can do to reduce production costs in punching to stay competitive, he replied, “Secondary operations drive up costs of finished parts. Off-shore, low-cost manufacturers are able to manually complete these operations by hiring

inexpensive labour to handle these tasks. Punch machine fabricators have to incorporate the ability to complete these operations on their machines. Today’s equipment can tap holes up to 0.375-inch diameter, bend flanges up to 1-inch high, deburr parts, and provide shear cut edges on punch parts giving them the highest possible quality. Manufacturers also design parts in thinner gauge materials to save costs on raw material. Stiffening ribs and offsets add rigidity to the part without adding costs,” he says.

LONG PRODUCTION RUNS

“Designers are also designing parts to eliminate welds and include more bends. Eliminating welds reduces the need to clean up secondary operations associated with welds on parts. Machines also offer scratch free processing to eliminate secondary cleanup of parts. Low cost manufacturers cannot afford to invest in this high-end equipment which is gradually eliminating their ability to remain competitive.”

Is automation restricted to long production runs and captive operations or can a job shop benefit? Kroll explains, “Automation is definitely not restricted to long production runs. Today’s fabricators nest and kit dissimilar parts, stage

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TRUMPF TRUPUNCH 3000

TRUMPF’s TruPunch 3000, with “its 4-ft x 8-ft format, offers innovative, skeleton-free punching in a small footprint for an average of 10 per cent higher material utilization and additional process reliability,” As well, scratch-free small part sorting and tabbing parts into the sheet skeleton is easily performed.

The electric punching head technology averages electrical consumption of about 5 kW. “TRUMPF is the first manufacturer to offer skeleton-free processing directly on the punching machine,” says TRUMPF’s Mike Kroll, product manager of TruPunch and TruMatic machines, who adds that skeleton-free punching is possible for all types of geometric shapes. www.us.trumpf.com

multiple material thicknesses and types to process short run jobs more quickly and easily. The addition of automation into a punch processing system allows the operator the flexibility to run more than one system. An operator can now be focused on staging materials and maintaining tooling for multiple machines instead of being dedicated to one manually operated machine,” he says. “Adding automation in a job shop environment also allows the flexibility of an operator to run different types of sheet metal fabrication equipment. A good example of this is while an automated punching cell is processing parts, the same machine operator can simultaneously be bending parts on a press brake. “ And when does a shop know when it’s time to upgrade equipment for higher productivity? Kroll notes, “New technology for sheet metal fabrication equipment models evolve approximately every 10 years. A reason for this is due to some of the components used to drive this equipment. Computers are used to position the coordinate measurements of these machines and as computers get faster so does the equipment where it is installed.

“Let’s think about punching equipment at the turn of the century,” he stresses. “ Machine punched holes at 900 hits per- minute, rotated tools at 1 revolution per second, high-speed mark at 1,700 strokes per minute, and had positioning speeds of approximately 4,300 inches per-minute. Today comparable models punch holes at 1,400 hits per-minute, rotate at 5.5 revolutions per second, high speed mark at 2,800 strokes perminute, and have positioning speeds of 4,600 inches per minute.

This equates to an average of 50 per cent increase in processing speed.”

of the tool and “using advanced programming software like HACO’s easy to use HACO Punch Pro and HACO management software module with high advanced auto-nesting capability, eliminate expensive set-up costs and minimizes wastage. Using a machine with an auto index punching head that rotates all the tools is one of the key benefits of reducing the production costs.”

Esmail stresses that the majority of conventional turret punching machines on the market “use only a few auto index stations ( e.g. 4 auto index)” and that the HACO Q series punching machines use ATC ( automatic tool changer ) and a single punching head with auto index system that rotates all the tools at high speed.

“Rotating all tools reduces the number of tools for a job from

HACO Q SERIES

ROTATE THE TOOLS

Hanif Esmail, of HACO Canada Inc., says that in terms of remaining competitive by reducing punching costs, “Canadian manufacturers must look beyond reducing their production cost of punching a part. With versatility in the latest punching technologies they can also reduce the price of the final product.

The HACO Q Series punching machines are equipped with options that allow operations such as bending, tapping, forming and rolling, thus rendering unnecessary, a secondary operation at another machine and less secondary manipulations = lower price/part costs.

He adds that automatic tool lubrication on the machine and regular regrinding of tools can dramatically increase the lifetime

HACO Canada’s Q2/Q3/Q5 Series machines use a hybrid servo/hydraulic punching head with 18, 22 or 30 tonnes of force using fast torque motors for tool indexation and a 60-inch Y-axis. The Haco Q2/Q3/Q5 models can process plates as large as 60-inch to120-inch before repositioning (depending on the model) With a rotating punching head, all tools can be indexed, reducing the number of tools and tool changes to produce the part. www.hacocanada.com www.canadianmetalworking.com | NOVEMBER 2012 | 63

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LVD STRIPPIT VX-SERIES

LVD Strippit’s VX-Series of high-performance CNC turret punch presses are designed for fast processing of thin sheet materials and combines a highspeed 20 metric tonne hydraulic ram with a 48-station turret, and an innovative table design to provide high productivity output. The new generation punch press employs an energysaving hydraulic press drive and motor system, which delivers fast axis speeds of up to 530 hits per-minute on 1-inch (25 mm) centres. Strippit VX-Series punch presses can be equipped with a compact tower for loading, unloading, and storage of raw material and finished parts. www.lvdgroup.com

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64 | NOVEMBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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40 up to 70 per cent,” he says. “There is also much more flexibility in the use of the tooling. If the designer wants to change the punch part, he just programs another angle and it’s done.

Due to indexation of all the tools, all programs can be rotated under every angle during nesting and that translates into less scrap material, maximum sheet usage, and once again reducing production costs.

“Single head punching machines with automatic tool changers (ATC) like the HACO Q series,” he adds, “require less maintenance in comparison to conventional turret punching machines. This includes reduction/elimination of: periodic alignment of the upper and lower turret, replacing the spring packs on the tooling with positive clamps, and replacing the tool guiding bushings inside the turret. Having a machine with a flexible tool system leads to tangible cost reductions at the end of the day.”

WHEN TO UPGRADE

On the importance and role of automation for long production runs and captive operations, Esmail says: “Job shops can benefit through automation as long as the level of automation is realistic to the needs of the customer.

Another aspect is the flexibility of the automation system as automations are sometimes built for a specific product. Having an automated system that is flexible, easy to program and allows for quick set up time is essential.

“Manipulation of big sheet sizes requires multiple operators and this can be avoided with the use of loading and unloading systems. CNC punching machines run automatically. If the loading and unloading is still manual, an operator is required to be next to the machine, especially when punching out small programs. Sometimes only a short period of time is required to complete a program. If the operator has to load/unload the machine it does not make sense to give him a second job (e.g. welding, bending) if he will be distracted every few minutes.”

When queried on how a shop can measure when it’s time

to upgrade equipment for higher productivity, Esmail replied, “Generally a system upgrade is necessary when the following is experienced: increased labour costs from equipment maintenance/failures, and product corrections/rejects; increased production costs from equipment maintenance/failure, downtime and wastage; reductions in orders or revenues as these may now may be going to the competition with modern versatile automated systems; and delays in completion and deliveries.”

Dan McIntyre, LVD Strippit’s Punching Product Sales Manager put forward these thoughts on automation and punching: “Automation is not necessarily restricted to long production runs, though that is the more traditional application. Today’s sophisticated nesting software and more capable punch press equipment combined with a greater range of automation options allow job shops to harness the productivity of automation.

“Assuming a shop standardizes on a 4-ft x 8-ft blank,” he adds, “with the use of current nesting software it’s possible to nest dissimilar parts from different jobs and even different customers on the same material blank. Add to this a highcapacity 48-station turret that allows more tools to reside in the machine, reducing tool changeover time. This creates a perfect environment for automated production where throughput is high and changeover is low. “

THE ULTIMATE SOLUTION

McIntyre believes that the “ultimate solution for a job shop is a compact tower system that holds up to 10 shelves of material available to load at any time. So, with the use of current nesting software, maximizing material usage and working with dissimilar parts or jobs on a high capacity punch press, and presenting that material using a standard load/unload system or a compact tower, a job shop is able to capture the benefits of automation, processing a variety of different jobs.” CM

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Welding News GET A FREE STICK/TIG WELDER WHEN BUYING A PLASMA CUTTER

You can receive a free Thermal Arc 95 S stick welding kit when you purchase a Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster True Series manual plasma cutting system between October 1st and December 31st, 2012. This offer applies to Cutmaster 52, 82, 102 and 152 models. The Cutmaster manual plasma cutters offer powerful and portable plasma cutting, and Thermal Arc wanted to thank their customers with a complimentary product and additional processes that also offer portability.

The Cutmaster 52 weighs 43 lbs. and provides a 1/2-inch recommended cut at 25 inches per minute; the Cutmaster 82 provides 80 amps of output power for a 3/4-inch recommended cut (1-1/2-inch maximum cut), the Cutmaster 102 weighs 62 lbs. and provides 100 amps of cutting power and delivers 1-3/4-inch maximum cut while the Cutmaster 152 weighs only 62 lbs. and offers multi-voltage 1- or 3-phase input capability and provides 120 amps of cutting power for a 1-1/4-inch recommended cut and 2-inch maximum cut.

The Thermal Arc 95 S stick/TIG welder weighs less than 10 lbs. and measures about the size of a lunchbox. It uses 115V household power to provide 90 amps of stick welding output at 20 per cent duty cycle. While extremely compact, the 95 S uses inverter technology to provide positive arcs starts and stable arc performance. It can weld with 6011, 6013, 6014 and 7018 electrodes up to 3/32-inch diameter. The Stick welding package includes the 95 S power source, Twecoâ-style electrode holder and ground clamp with 10ft. leads and 20-amp adapter plug and cable. The 95 S can also Lift TIG weld at 95 amps (20 per cent duty cycle) when paired with Thermal Arc’s 17V TIG torch and argon regulator (each sold separately).

The offer redemption forms and instructions can be obtained on the Thermal Dynamic’s website. www.thermal-dynamics.com

NEW TORCH FROM ESAB

As part of the new Purox Elite Series of gas apparatus products the new Purox Elite Series Combination Torch includes the WH-4200 welding handle and the CA-4200 cutting attachment.

This torch welds material up to one inch thick, and cuts up to eight inches in thickness. It has a tubeless extruded handle that minimizes the potential of gases mixing in the handle. This tubeless handle design, along with the torch’s head injector, contains any flashback that could occur at the furthest point

from the user (flashback typically occurs at the point where the fuel gas and oxygen mix together). Stronger than torches with individual gas tubes, this tubeless design increases the torch’s durability.

These combination torches feature color-coded pressure adjustment knobs for quick and easy identification of gases, and the torch is properly weighted for comfort and reduced operator fatigue. The Purox Elite CA-4200 cutting attachment features an internal tip nut to keep the cutting tip seated, thereby reducing the risk of leaks. This design also protects the threads on the head of the cutting attachment from damage while changing tips. The piston-style attachment makes it easy to connect to the welding handle, increasing the safety benefits.

It has a 3-tube design, making it stronger, and offering the highest cutting capacity of any medium-duty combination torch on the market with alternate fuel gases.

Both the Purox Elite CA-4200 Cutting Attachment and the Purox Elite WH-4200 Welding Handle are compatible with the Purox W-300 handle and CW-300 cutting attachment. www.esabna.com

GAS-SHIELDED, FLUX-CORED WIRE FOR PRESSURE VESSEL FABRICATION

Suitable for pressure vessel fabrication and many other applications requiring post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) of mild steel the UltraCore SR-12 gas-shielded flux-cored wire has premium arc performance and bead shape that makes it easy to use for welders of all skill levels. This 75 per cent - 80 per cent Argon / balance CO2 gas-shielded flux-cored (FCAW-G) wire is capable of meeting AWS E71T-12M-JH8 requirements in as-welded and stress-relieved conditions. It has low-temperature impact toughness requirements in as-welded and stress-relieved conditions with impacts of 110 - 200 J (80-150 ft•lbf) @ -40°C (-40°F). Available in 15 lb. and 33 lb. packages, the UltraCore SR-12 wire comes in the standard .045-inch (1.1 mm) diameter and conforms to AWS A5.20/A5.20M: E71T-1M-JH8, E71T-9M-JH8, and E71T-12M-JH8 classifications. CM

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The Business of Welding

Welding — A skilled trade in search of the future T

he more I work in this industry, the more I realize how much we sell ourselves short. Yes, there have been years of decline in Canada’s manufacturing sector that have put a damper on our industry, but there’s still a huge amount of business available for those who want to work at finding and closing it. As I’ve mentioned in past columns, welding is a highly transportable skill and right now, in Canada, welding is the trade to be in. It’s a bit of a double win for our industry as welding is not only an in-demand trade, it’s also an industry that cannot be dispensed with, or easily replaced. Simply put - where two pieces of metal come together, you are going to find a welder, or the results of a welder.

Just look at what I call the “BBP” market – that’s buildings, boats and pipelines (and everything that is attached to or “feeds” them). There’s a lot of metal joining going on (or about to go on), but there’s simply too few skilled Canadian welders to do the required work. To be precise, I’m not talking about the number of welders needed, rather the key point I want to make here is the need for “skilled” welders and, by extension, the system we use to define and measure what it means to be skilled.

At a basic level, the word skilled indicates a level of quantifiable training; this can be through a college or university, a trade or union program, or something more general like Red Seal. All these provide, at a surface level, a standards-based welding curriculum (i.e. based on Red Seal, CWB, ASME, etc.) with the required theory and practical skills training being delivered, as determined by the teaching facility. In reality, even if these courses follow a standard, they can be unique in content and delivery, leading to inconsistencies in an industry where there should be none. Course content and delivery issues aside, the measurement of a welder’s skill (and by extension the quality of the course) is determined through practical testing, such as CWB’s Welder Qualification or provincial pressure tickets and it’s here things get interesting.

If you have been following the news, you likely know that welding has become the focus of a lot of attention with respect to pipelines – specifically the issues of weld quality, inspection and engineering oversight. All of which tie back to education and testing. It is also worth noting there are a very small handful of critical welding industries, like pressure vessels, that still handle most welder testing, and administration at a local provincial level. These are agencies generally working to, and/ or interpreting, an industry-adopted guideline or standard on behalf of their industry and/or their provincial government. This system works well when the business end of a welding project (or the welders themselves) stays within one province, but when things go inter-provincial, it brings up some interesting questions. For example, with no nationally focused administration providing oversight, how are the public and industry assured of the consistency of the welds being done as the pipelines wind their way across the country? What if parts of it, or the refineries or ports facilities it’s attached to, are made

offshore? Who’s checking up on the foreign welders and fabricators?

If we are to build large projects, which have the potential to greatly Ian Campbell, Director of impact the people and communities Marketing and New Product they are built in, it may be wise to Development, CWB do what we did 65 years ago - adopt a common testing standard for all welding, secure its use in Canadian codes and laws, and then enforce it uniformly across Canada. But even under such a unified scheme, big projects can only be undertaken if you have the right skilled workers to build them, which brings me back to where I started – opportunities for Canadian welders.

Over the past year, the CWA has conducted a survey to get a better handle on what an average Canadian looks like – and I’m not talking fashion here. Our goal was to figure out the demographics of Canada’s welding workforce and the findings confirm what, up to this point, has simply been speculation: we have some of the best quality welders in the world, but we need more, and fast.

The average Canadian welder is male, 50 years old or older (49 per cent) or between 31 to 40 (22 per cent), has a college or trade school education (69.9 per cent) and holds a full time salaried/hourly wage job (74.5 per cent). The majority feels that they are paid well (43 per cent), or on par (30 per cent), for the work they do; they have stable employment (63 per cent) and a safe work environment (99 per cent). At face value all this looks good for the future of the trade, however welders in the 18 to 30 age range only account for 19 per cent of those who responded – confirming another issue we felt was true, namely the graying of the trade.

So to wrap things up this month, I will leave you with some thoughts. First, big projects need lots of skilled welders.

These welders will need training, and training will need to be delivered and tested consistently across Canada. Second, once trained and tested, skilled Canadian welders will need the freedom to go where they can help the most, which means their skills are uniformly recognized across the nation. Third, nothing gets done without input, action and leadership. There are many ways to get things started and we would like to hear your thoughts. For starters, why not drop by our Facebook or Twitter pages and leave us your thought on Canada-wide welding standards and testing?

One last thing – if you have not taken our survey, please do so. Your time will help shape an ongoing and accurate picture of welding in Canada.

Canadian Welding Bureau/Canadian Welding Association

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MANAGING

Consumables

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Use them right, or lose profitability

By Nestor Gula .............................................................

T

oo often, one looks at the use of consumables in welding as a cost of doing business. After all, they’re bound to get used up eventually. However, there is a balance between the wise use of welding consumables and obsessive-compulsive micromanagement. Knowing how best to manage the consumables in your shop will lead to savings and less waste.

PROPER STORAGE

“Improper storage can lead to porosity, elevated diffusible hydrogen levels, poor weldability, and rust,” says Lisa McFadden, Product Manager – Consumables at Lincoln Electric.

“Store indoors at up to 70 per cent relative humidity. Protect from the weather or other adverse conditions. Packages should be stored under conditions that minimize the likelihood of temperature variations that cause moisture condensation on the consumables. Ensure packaging is intact until ready to use.

Use first-in first-out inventory rotation principles.”

Where some shops will store their consumables in an out of the way corner of the plant, this is not an ideal solution according to Jose Luis Bermudez NA Product Business Manager – Solid Wire from ESAB’s Technical Team at the Guadalajara, Mexico office. “The proper storage is a location, clean, free of dust and dirt, and [without] changes in temperature. Most important, avoid direct contact with floor and walls. It is obvious that temperature control is one of the aspects that most people recognize.”

Improper storage of consumables will lead to problems on the shop floor with bad welds and defective products.

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“Improper storage can cause damage to the wire or stick electrode that leads to quality issues within the weld. These quality issues cause downtime for rework and increase costs for labour that is not contributing to the productivity of the welding operation,” said Bruce Morrett, product manager, solid wire and stick electrode division, Hobart Brothers. “Damaged consumables also need to be thrown away and they typically void manufacturer’s warranties, so companies not only lose money for product they can’t use, but also for purchasing new consumables.”

There is no difference if it is a small shop or a large plant.

“Wires that have been used on an application should be covered securely with a plastic bag if left on the wire feeder, or ideally removed and stored in the original box in an appropriate area.

Stick electrodes should also be kept in a clean, dry area, and reconditioned per the manufacturer’s recommendation should they encounter moisture,” said Morrett.

Having an inventory system that tracks welding consumables will eliminate the danger that old stock does not go to waste.

“It is also important to work under a FIFO methodology (First In, First Out),” said Bermudez. “Avoid keeping old material in stock.”

THE STICK SITUATION

Although it can be minimized, there will always be waste when using stick welding. “With stick electrodes (also called welding rods), the entire length cannot be used, resulting in anywhere from two to eight inches of stick electrode that is thrown away.

Stub loss is part of the nature of the process, since welders can only weld with so much of the stick electrode,” said Morrett.

“The higher amount of stub loss typically occurs in applications in which the welder bends the stick electrode to reach into a restricted joint, such as a boiler tube application. Sometimes poor arc initiation or ‘sticking’ the electrode can cause the coating to crack, resulting in the loss of entire electrode.

Improper storage or reconditioning, especially on code jobs, requires the stick electrodes to be disposed of and leads to greater waste.”

Ideally sticks should be burned down to about a two-inch stub. “Not burning the electrode down to a short (two-inch) stub leads to waste,” said McFadden. Getting back to proper storage, “leaving the rods exposed to the atmosphere for an excessive length of time leads to moisture pick-up,” she said.

Rods which have been exposed to the elements should be rebaked and not scrapped said McFaadden.

SAVE THE WIRE

Loading a wire feeder can be tricky, especially for the novice.

Most of us have seen the wasteful birdcage that is created when a carelessly opened wire spool springs open. This however is not the only cause of waste. “Welders typically clip the end of the wire to help improve arc initiation. Excessive clipping could result in waste of the welding wire,” said Morrett. “Improper wire feeder set-up can also cause ‘overrun’ of the wire, allowing too much wire to feed out of the GMAW gun and requiring the welder to clip the excess amount. In some cases, the wire may

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come loose from the spool (usually due to poor manufacturing processes) and cause the wire to spin free; this remaining wire will typically be thrown away. On jobs with code requirements, consumable waste can occur if wire is left on the wire feeder for too long; it will need to be thrown away after a given period of time. Similarly, improper storage can lead to damage that renders the wires unusable and welders must dispose of them.”

Improper setting can also lead to not just waste of the wire, but to bad parts and loss of production. “The number one waste in the GMAW or FCW process could be related to the excessive use of shielding gas,” said Bermudez. “However, there are many variables in this process that must be carefully reviewed, from the correct parameter setting to avoid excessive spatter to the healthy condition of drivers and feedrolls, to prevent continuous stops in the process.”

gas saver device can provide savings up to 30 per cent from the current cost.”

AUTOMATION QUESTIONS

Automation is usually trumpeted as the saviour to all the problems but with waste in the work place it might not be so.

“Automation typically uses bulk packaging. This can reduce the amount of partial spools that are potentially thrown away common in semi-automatic welding,” said Lincoln’s McFadden.

“However, with bulk packaging, recommended exposure time may be exceeded before the package is used up. Therefore, bulk packaging should only be used in higher volume applications.”

Morrett agrees stating, “In some cases it can, but the reduction is not huge. Typically, robotic welding applications use larger drums of welding wire, so there is less changeover of packaging and potentially less wire waste at the end of a drum (i.e. in GAS ISSUES comparison to multiple smaller spools).” Bermudez adds, The most likely cause of waste with shielding gas is leaks in “Automation is a good option only when the volume of the the system. These can be hard to notice and even harder to production is high. At this point the investment on automation trace and mend. “Excessive gas to the gun, regulators and guns equipment will make sense. Waste is reduced because a robot in poor condition,” are other reasons for shielding gases to will only apply the amount of filler metals necessary according dissipate before their use. “For GMAW/FCAW process, using gas to a program. The savings come also from the reduced labour savers should be considered. Depending on condition, a 1 cost as well as reduced down time.” CM SumDocHalfPageAd_CanMan9_12_Layout 1 the 8/3/12 8:06 AMthe Page

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Powercu

Already a the Powe PowerCu products full range PowerCu

The Powe than othe life, highe

Looking unbeatab deliver th and more

SPOOLA

Take your plasma productivity to a whole new level.

ESAB cutting machines come standard with something extra – confidence. A confidence built on knowing that every component of your system is genuine ESAB, not a collection of pieces from different manufacturers.

Plus the assurance of our unparalleled after-sales support team to help you achieve and maintain maximum productivity.

SPOOLA process –

by ESAB The wire and mee for MIG

EFFICI DUAL S WELDI EXCEL SOLID ARC W STREN SHIELD SUBAR ROBUS SUPPO RUGGE SERVIC AGILIT GLOVE WELDI EFFICI DUAL S WELDI

It’s this passion for plasma that has earned our U.S. facility the distinction of ESAB’s Global Center of Excellence for plasma cutting technology.

Watch our three-minute movie at esabna.com/canmovie

Visit us at FABTECH booth N3922 & N4122.

ESAB Cutting Systems / 1.877.935.3226

esab7194 Cutting8.125x10.875.M3.indd 1 cmw nov 2012 Weld Consum pg 70-75.indd 74

Canadian Metalworking

10/12/2012 2:40:03 PM Trim - 8.125” x 10.875” Live - 7 x 10 Bleed - 8.375 x 11.125 12-10-23 1:14 PM

ADV-21260 FAB

2 2:40:03 PM

Powercut® 400 / Powercut® 700

top-rated, ultra consistent wire.

Mechanized Cutting

Already a leader in manual plasma cutting, ESAB has expanded the PowerCut series to include the PowerCut 400 and PowerCut 700 plasma cutting packages. These new, innovative products complete the PowerCut series, which offers a full range of plasma products, including the PowerCut 900, PowerCut 1300, and PowerCut 1600.

SPOOLARC Elite gives welders lower spatter, faster arc stabilization, and better feedability of the wire. This results in less downtime on automatic welding equipment and less clean up and preparation time. This reduces the operating costs of welding and increases productivity. Fabricators using SPOOLARC Elite enjoy cost savings, consistency, and quality like never before.

ESAB Cutting Systems is exhibiting a wide range of new products at FabTech 2012, including software features, a plasma bevel system, and a drill station.

The PowerCut 400 and 700 offer the lowest cost per foot of cut than other machines in their price class, and feature longer part life, higher cutting speeds, and a simple torch design.

Looking for cost savings, outstanding productivity, and unbeatable performance? The PowerCut 400 and PowerCut 700 deliver the solutions you need by making plasma cutting easier and more economical.

SPOOLARC® Elite SPOOLARC Elite is produced using a superior manufacturing process – a result of detailed design, analysis, and testing

by ESAB Technical Experts from around the world.

The wire is made from advanced wire drawing equipment and meets exceptional industry and global standards for MIG welding wire customers. All of this results in a

PUROX® Elite ESAB brings improved solutions in oxyfuel welding, cutting, and heating. The new PUROX Elite Series features top-of-theline quality, performance, and durability. Updated safety and design features bring superior equipment to the market at a competitive price.

The PUROX Elite Series represents the latest generation of oxyfuel products. The line includes welding handles, cutting attachments, hand cutting torches, regulators, and complete outfits.

ESAB regulators were the first in the industry to include patented technology to contain oxygen regulator fires. This commitment to safety and quality is carried through into these new product lines.

EFFICIENCY / ARCALOY / CERTIFIED / WARRIOR / ARISTO / SERVICE ////////////////////// DUAL SHIELD / ROBOTICS / COVERED ELECTRODES / PROFITABILITY //////////////////////// WELDING TRACTORS / QUALITY / COLUMN AND BOOM / ARC WELDING / PLASMA CUTTING EXCELLENCE / CORE-BRIGHT / TECHNOLOGY / CORESHIELD / RUGGED //////////////////////// SOLID WIRE / MIGMASTER / EXPERIENCE / TIG WELDING / ROBUST ///////////////////// ARC WELDING / PLASMA CUTTING / PRODUCTIVITY / STICK WELDING / QUALITY / CADDY™ STRENGTH / HYBRID LASER / AUTOMATION / MIG WELDING / RELIABILITY / ARISTOROD™ SHIELD-BRIGHT / PERSONAL PROTECTION EQUIPMENT / GAS APPARATUS / SUREWELD SUBARC MINIARC ROBUST HELMET SUPPORT POWER QUALITY RUGGED ARISTO SERVICE AGILITY SPEED GLOVES SMART WELDING CONSUMABLES / OXWELD ELITE / PROFITABILITY / OXY-FUEL / DEPENDABILITY EFFICIENCY / ARCALOY / CERTIFIED / WARRIOR / ALCOTEC ALUMINUM / SELECTION DUAL SHIELD / ROBOTICS / COVERED ELECTRODES / 100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEE WELDING TRACTORS / QUALITY / COLUMN AND BOOM / ARC WELDING / PLASMA CUTTING ®

®

®

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®

Experience ESAB’s innovative welding and cutting products and processes in action at FABTECH. PowerCut 400/700 The newest additions to the powerful, durable, and simple PowerCut lines of plasma cutting packages. ®

SPOOLARC Elite The next big thing in solid wire, SPOOLARC Elite gives welders less downtime and more weld time. ®

PUROX Elite Series Our new and improved gas apparatus offers top-of-the-line safety, durability, and performance, no matter your welding or cutting application. ®

Mechanized Cutting Our experts will demonstrate how our new technology and processes can be integrated to work together seamlessly for maximum productivity and profitability.

Welding Automation Quality, capacity, and of course much higher productivity.

Our Automation division will exhibit several key products and processes.

Warrior The new arc welding game-changer from ESAB will be unveiled at FABTECH. Don’t miss it!

To learn more about our welding and cutting solutions, stop by booths N-3922 and N-4122, visit esabna.com/welding-cutting-solutions, or scan the QR code with your mobile device.

ESAB Welding & Cutting Products / esab.ca / 1.877.935. 3226

ADV-21260 FABTECH Advertorial_8.125x10.875_CndMtlwkg.indd 1 cmw nov 2012 Weld Consum pg 70-75.indd 75

The exhibit centers around the Avenger X large gantry cutting machine, equipped with the Vision® T5 CNC, ESAB’s new Global PRO plasma bevel system, and a drill station. The Avenger X will be plasma bevel cutting on ESAB’s exclusive Continuous Cleaning Downdraft table.

The new standard drill station can drill up to 20 mm holes in materials up to 2" thick. The heavy-duty drill is fully automated, making it easy to produce plasma or oxy-fuel cut parts with precision drilled holes in a single operation.

ESAB’s upgraded Global PRO plasma bevel system incorporates new height control and plate sensing features allowing it to cut bolt-ready holes using Precision Hole Technology™. With new XR Series Nozzles, the Global PRO produces the highest quality plasma bevel cuts.

The Global PRO features ESAB’s Smart Voltage Height Control system, which automatically compensates for electrode wear to improve plasma cut quality and maximize consumable life. It is also equipped with SmartCycle Technology to boost plasma productivity by streamlining motion between cuts.

ESAB will also debut the new Live View Process Control system, which displays all process-related information on an interactive real-time diagram, so operators and maintenance personnel can easily view and diagnose any process problem.

Welding Automation ESAB continues to advance welding automation with innovative solutions for robotic welding.

The new Aristo® RT Robotic Torches offer world-class performance in single arc or tandem applications. The large, brass outer tube and collision-resistant torch design mean no readjustment of the torch neck, which stabilizes the tool center point while improving productivity and reducing downtime. These versatile robotic torches are available for Standard, Helix, or Infiniturn robots making the torches suitable for all types of robots.

ESAB also teamed up with KUKA to bring you the newest in robotic welding cells. Discover high performance solutions with more standardized features for steel, stainless steel, aluminum, or other non-ferrous GMAW applications. These robotic packages are easy to use and easily programmed for enhanced productivity and quality.

The new ESAB AL angle loader robot cell features a simple cell design with easy-open manual doors – ideal for job shops.

The cell has two independent working locations for maximum productivity – tooling can be changed on one side while welding takes place on the other side. At 36 ft. x 42 ft., the large capacity flat table side is approximately twice the size of a 60 in. rotating turn table. The cell features the KR-5 Arc Robot with PC based KRC-2 controller with 11-lb payload and 55.5 in. reach.

Other standard features include harmonized motion between the robot and external axes, open architecture Windows HMI, easy teaching with the PC based controller, constant wrist orientation function, electronic mastering for quick calibration, and much more.

Warrior™ Finally there’s a machine as rugged and reliable as you are.

Introducing Warrior by ESAB, designed with input from real-world welders and brought to life by ESAB’s legendary engineering. This easy-to-use, multi-process machine is designed for heavy-duty productivity, and delivers up to 500 amps.

Never-before-seen Warrior will make its world debut at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, November 12, in booth N-4122. You won’t want to miss it!

ADV-21260 FABTECH Advertorial

10/12/2012 2:37:14 PM

Canadian Metalworking 12-10-23 1:14 PM Trim: 8.125x10.875 in.

Get a Grip

Modern hand tools save time, money and effort

By Nick Healey, Assistant Editor .............................................................................................................................

T

he importance of quality hand tools around the shop often goes unrecognized. Most times an attitude of “good enough” prevails... a bad way to think about any tool. Quality, durable tools will ultimately make a difference in safety, downtime, and the speed in which work can be executed. For example, say you are preparing to grind down a weld, but you need a new grinding disc. If you need to fumble

around with a pair of pliers to get the collet off, your time is being wasted. It may not seem like much, but it adds up, and if every tool in your shop requires similar attention, you’ll find your productivity slowly limited. With that said, here is a rundown of some new products that could replace your old, unproductive equipment:

TRUMPF TRUTOOL SLITTING SHEARS

MILWAUKEE CORDLESS SUB-COMPACT BAND SAW

TRUMPF’s TruTool C 160 slitting shears are available in both electric and cordless models. The shears give the user an open view of the workpiece, which allows the user to cut precisely, and more easily on both straight and curved cuts. This is increases the likelihood of a high-quality, distortion-free cut. A wide variety of blades are available for the shear making them suitable for a number of different applications. They can also be easily exchanged in a single motion and with the optional parallel stop, precise strips from 1.4 to 11.8 inches long can be cut. As is the case with many tools today, they are lightweight and ergonomic allowing for easy use. The electric model weighs 1.4 kilograms while the cordless model is 1.9 kg. www.trumpf.com

BOSCH 18V DIE GRINDER

DEWALT IMPACT READY CLEANABLE NUT DRIVERS

DeWalt has launched the Impact Ready Cleanable Nut Drivers, designed to fit standard and high hat hex head fasteners for industrial applications. This product is able to eliminate clogging in magnetized nut drivers, which is common in metalto-metal fastening applications.

“In our jobsite research one of the challenges professionals revealed about working with metal is that it produces a great deal of shavings, making it difficult to engage the magnetic fastener inside the nut driver,” said Greg Weston, Lead Category Manager, DeWalt.

Typically, because nut drivers are difficult to clean, fasteners don’t always sit properly in them, so the cleanable feature of the Impact Ready nut drivers gives it a solid magnetic hold, even when using long fasteners in odd angle applications. As a result, work can be done efficiently, with less downtime. www.DeWalt.com

Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation has created a solution to difficult overhead or one-handed cutting with their M12 Cordless Sub-Compact Band Saw. It is compact enough at 6.75lbs (3kg) and 12 inches (30cm) in length, to work well in a variety of situations.

“The M12 Band Saw is not only ideal for one-handed cutting applications because of its size, it is the only band saw on the market with a fully integrated lower guard that covers the blade outside the active cutting area,” states David Lincoln, Product Manager, Cordless for Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation.

The saw is powerful enough to cut through 3/4-inch EMT in three seconds and can deliver 150 cuts per charge. The cut capacity is 1-5/8-inch x 1-5/8-inch and vibration is low, so clean cuts can be made on common small diameter metal cutting applications like 3/4-inch EMT, 3/8-inch threaded rod and 1-5/8-inch x 1-5/8-inch Unistrut. www.milwaukeetool.com There can be a bit of a stigma around cordless power tools.

Some are critical of their limitations on power and battery life, but what they lack in that area they can make up for in versatility. Bosch Power Tools new DGSH181 18V Die Grinder offers a solid combination of power and performance while being compact and light-weight.

The tool weighs 3.9 pounds (1.77kg) and is 13 inches (33cm) long, and has a slim soft-grip design making it comfortable and easy to use in tight spaces. The hardened 1⁄4-inch collet provides durability, and user safety for use with a variety of 1⁄4-inch shank accessories for grinding, sanding, cutting and polishing applications. Also, the electronic motor protection (EMP) and electronic cell protection (ECP) systems can recognize motor overload and protect the tool by monitoring and adjusting usage conditions. The DGSH181K Grinder kit retails for $285. www.boschtools.com

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STANLEY MAGNETIC TAPE RULE

FEIN FILLET WELD GRINDER

Stanley has introduced its new 1-1/4 inch, 25 foot (7.6m) magnetic tape measure –which will also come in a metric version for Canadian retail (model FMHT33866).

Scott Moore, V.P. of Marketing, Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. said, “We are proud to be introducing a new magnetic tape measure that is accurate and provides both long reach and a power magnet, making it the perfect choice for pros in a host of different trades.”

This tape is specifically designed for electricians, plumbers, machine shop workers, steel framers or for sure with HVAC. The magnet is able to help ensure accurate measurements within +/– 1/32 inches. The magnet’s holding force is up to 4lbs. (1.8kg) and has a blade standout of 11 feet (3.35m).

The tape rule also features BladeArmor coating on the first three inches to help with durability of the hook end and a Mylar polyester film on the blade. www.stanleytools.com

FEIN’s Fillet Weld Grinder is a part of its stainless steel surfaceprocessing range. The grinder is small, low profile and able to remove fillet welds quickly and easily. Tight corners and angles can be leveled, ground and polished and scratches and unevenness can be removed with precision.

Flexible operation using the tool-free, rotating arm, as well as an electronic speed control, are features that make consistent results easier to come by. www.fein.ca

WALTER MAXI-GRINDER

Walter’s new angle grinder has been beefed up with power and speed, which allows the user to complete heavy-duty grinding and finishing jobs more quickly and with less effort.

The most important feature is the improved motor efficiency that translates into less heat and higher speed under load. This feature means that tasks like beveling, surface work, power

ENDURO-FLEX

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For product information or a demonstration at your facility call toll free 1-888-592-5837 or visit us online at walter.com

GUARANTEED LONGEST LIFE AND LESS DISC CHANGEOVERS! Outlive the competition! Use the most durable flap disc on the market!

78 | NOVEMBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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a wide range of specialty tools designed for professional end users. One of their specialty metalworking tools is a new 16ga. nibbler (LXNJ01), which works well on stainless steel. The cordless feature gives it more mobility than a regular power tool and it has good visibility to help with straight-line cutting.

The slim body makes it easy to grip and the convenient for the operator to use. Currently, the 18V LXT line-up includes more than 50 tools to suit a variety of applications and offers longer battery life, less heat build up, more run time for more work. www.makita.ca CM brushing or grinding down heavy welds can be done easily. The grinder is suitable for use on cast iron, nonferrous metal, stainless steel and steel. www. walter-tools.com

PFERD ONE-HAND BELT GRINDER

FEIN . . . the core drill specialist E!

AILABL V A W O N

A good belt grinder can be essential in a shop, especially if putting a nice finish on an awkward piece of metal is necessary.

Pferd’s light, ergonomically shaped, onehand belt grinder is suitable for a number of applications and its thin attachment arms allow work in cut outs, fillet welds, and on workpieces that are too small or recessed to use a regular grinder on.

The compact shape makes it easy to use and a long-life angle transmission will ensure that it lasts. And as with any tool, safety is an important feature, so a ring lever throttle keeps the tool from being started accidentally. www.pferd.com

G DRILLIN E R O C L uring IN META ure feat

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h ew broc line of Brand n IN-SLUGGER s.

FE essorie the full utters and acc load ills, c to down r. core dr m o .c w.fein o orde Visit ww 00-265-2581 t 8 nch and Fre or call 1 le Availab

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MAKITA 16GA NIBBLER

FEIN ● SLUGGER

Makita Canada Inc. has been steadily expanding its line-up of 18V Lithium-Ion cordless tools since they were first introduced to the market in 2005 with

FEIN High Performance Core Drill Units FEIN Hand-held Core Drills FEIN QUICKIN Cutters SLUGGER Cutter Line Core Drill Accessories

1-800-265-2581 www.fein.com www.canadianmetalworking.com | NOVEMBER 2012 | 79

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The Business of Metalworking

Beware of free tools

by John Mitchell........................................................................................................................

T

John Mitchell, General Manager of Tungaloy Canada

here’s a trend in the industry for cutting tool manufacturers to offer free milling cutter bodies. On the surface this looks like a great proposal. However, this can be a costly proposition if you don’t do your homework. There are many factors to consider. One must consider the price of the insert, the life of the insert, the cycle time costs and the cost to index inserts, just to name a few.

A real life example of this is with a high feed cutter. The end user was considering two brands. Both cutters were 1-inch in diameter Brand A had two inserts while Brand B had five. Both cutters ran at 600 SFM or 2,300RPM. Brand A ran with a 0.040inch chip per tooth, while Brand B ran at 0.050-inch chip per tooth. Therefore, Brand A ran at 184 inches per minute while Brand B ran at 575 inches per minute.

Brand A

Brand B

feed /tooth

0.04”

0.05”

# of teeth

2

5

RPM

2300

2300

Feed IPM

184

575

Sample of a “free” milling cutter body.

CYCLE TIME

To consider the financial impact we need to look at this as cycle time per part. In this instance the part had four six-inch long slots, three inches deep. The cycle time worked out to just over 10 minutes for Brand A and 3.2 minutes for Brand B. At a shop rate of $150 per hour that meant Brand A’s cycle time cost was $25.11 per part, while Brand B’s cycle time cost per part was only $8.03. Considering the lot was 2,500 pieces Brand A had cycle time costs of $62,771.74, while Brand B’s was $20,086.96.

Brand B would have saved the user $42,684. length of cut

6”

6”

depth of cut

3”

3”

number of passes

77

77

total distance travelled

1848”

1848”

cycle time / part

10.04 Min

3.21 Min

Shop rate / hr

$150.00

$150.00

Shop rate per minute

$2.50

$2.50

cycle time cost / part

$25.11

$8.03

Number of parts

2500

2500

cycle time costs

$62,771.74

$20,086.96

Savings $42,684.78

“ There are many factors to consider.

One must consider the price of the insert, the life of the insert, the cycle time costs and the cost to index inserts, just to name a few.”

Insert cost is another factor. Brand A ran for 30 minutes with only 2 inserts. Brand B had 5 inserts but ran for 90 minutes.

Both inserts had a cost of $13.00. Brand A had three edges, while Brand B had four edges per insert. The cost per cutter load for Brand A was $13/3 edges x 2 inserts or $8.67. Brand B cost per cutter load was $13/4 edges x 5 inserts or $16.25.

However, Brand A had a tool life of three parts. Brand B was capable of producing 28 parts. This means insert cost per part for Brand A was $8.67/3 parts, or $2.89 per part and Brand B was (16.25/28) $0.58 per part. Over a run of 2,500 parts Brand A had an insert cost of (2,500parts x $2.89) $7,225 and Brand B had an insert cost of (2,500parts x $0.58) $1,450. Brand B had an insert savings of $5,775.

Another factor to consider would be the time required to index an insert. This cost could be avoided by running redundant cutters. That is to have a fully loaded milling cutter in the magazine ready to deploy when it is time to index the inserts.

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A

ADVERTISERS INDEX ADVERTISER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE

ADVERTISER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE

ABB Robotics Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Lubricor Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Canadian Measurement-Metrology . . . . . . . 17

LVD Strippit Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

CBP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Machitech Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

CWB Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Makino Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Dillon Manufacturing, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Megatel Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Diapaolo CNC Retrofit Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Mori Seiki . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Eclipse Tools North America Inc. . . . . . . . . . 56 Elliott Matsuura Canada Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Emuge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Eriez Magnetics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 ESAB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74,75 Fagor Automation Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 FARO Technologies Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35,59 Fein Power Tool Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79 Forkardt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Horn USA, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Hurco USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFC Hypertherm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

8CMM20186

01/07/2008

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Page 1

PFERD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Renishaw Canada Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Retention Knob Supply & Mfg. Co. Ltd. . . . . 81

IN STOCK

Rofin-Bassel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

American Standards and specials.

Japanese Standards inch or metric.

Salvagnini America, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28,29 Sandvik . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . front flap, 39 Schunk Intec Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Scientific Cutting Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Scotchman Industries, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 SGS Tool Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Sowa Tool & Machine Co. Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . 14

Ingersoll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Sumitomo Electric Carbide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Iscar Tools Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . OBC

TRUMPF Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IBC

Jarvis Cutting Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Tungaloy America Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Jesse Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Victor Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Jet Edge, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Walter USA, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Lincoln Electric Co. of Canada . . . . . . . . . . 67

Walter Surface Technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

The time required to index inserts was five minutes for Brand A and seven minutes for Brand B. Brand A indexed after every third part. Brand B indexed after every ten parts. Therefore indexing cost for Brand A was (2,500/3 parts) 834 indexes x 5 minutes per index or 4,170 minutes. At $2.50 per minute shop rate that is a cost of $10,425. Brand B required 90 indexes at 7 minutes each or 630 minutes of indexing time or $1,575. Brand B had a indexing time savings of $8,850.

THE TOTAL COST FOR BOTH BRANDS WAS AS FOLLOWS:

Cost

Brand A

Brand B

Cycle time

$62,771.74

$20,086.96

Insert

7225

$1,450

Indexing

10425

1575

Total Cost

$80,421.74

$23,111.96

FOR FAST DELIVERY: Contact your local tooling dealer or order direct.

TEL 937-686-6405 FAX 937-686-4125 www.retentionknobsupply.com Retention Knob Supply Company P.O. Box 61 Bellefontaine, OH 43311

the costs the Brand A sales person was able to convince the user that a free cutter and a cost to load the cutter of only $8.67 as compared to $16.25 was the way to go for the tool. The free cutter saved the end user $350 but cost him $57,309.08 - a costly mistake.

That’s not to say all free cutters are bad. But to make the best decision, one must do their homework and consider all the factors before they cut. CM John Mitchell is general manager at Tungaloy Canada. www.tungaloyamerica.com

Visit Canadian Metalworking online: www.canadianmetalworking.com

BRAND B SHOWED COST SAVINGS OF OVER $57,000

To be fair, Brand A offered their cutter for free while Brand B had a cost of $350 for its cutter body.

As you can see, even if Brand A offered free cutters and free inserts, it would still be more cost effective to use Brand B. Some readers may be skeptical of the $150 per hour shop rate. Yet at a shop rate of $75 per hour the savings would have been $35,968.75 or with a shop rate of only $35 per hour the savings would have been $24,585.42.

Without having done the homework and considered all of

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By The NUMBERS DIVERSIFY OR DIE Canada’s over reliance on the U.S. export market continues, but there is progress on trade with other nations.

CANADA’S EXPORTS BY MAIN COUNTRIES, 2010 AND 2011 (Millions of dollars) DESTINATION 2010 2011

GROWTH RATE IN PER CENT

United States

299,075

330,150

10.4

Other Countries

100,225

117,372

17.1

United Kingdom

16,367

18,636

13.9

China, People’s Republic

13,232

16,789

26.9

Japan

9,195

10,671

16.0

Mexico

5,008

5,475

9.3

Korea, South

3,709

5,085

37.1

Netherlands

3,272

4,807

46.9

Germany

3,937

3,955

0.5

399,300

447,521

12.1

Total World

Notes: Total exports, including domestic exports and re-exports. Source: Transport Canada, adapted from Statistics Canada, International Trade database

T

he numbers are interesting overall and by nation. Total export growth is up by over 12 per cent for the 20102011 period, although the oil and gas industry does mask weakness in other sectors. Canada is seeing explosive growth in exports to China, up 26 per cent, as well as South Korea and the Netherlands. Interestingly, exports to the Dutch and the Koreans are similar, despite the prevalence of Korean consumer goods in Canada. Exports to Japan and the U.K. also exceed the average, while growth of shipments to the U.S. are well below, at just over 10 per cent. The post-2008 recession,

combined with a strong Canadian dollar are constraints on export growth to the U.S. Trade with Germany is flat, not surprising for a Eurozone nation under the current economic climate, making the Dutch statistics even more noteworthy.

Exports to the Netherlands are mostly resource-based led by refined petroleum products, coal, aluminum, uranium and nickel.

In contrast, exports to China are led by canola seed, followed by wood pulp, coal and nickel. Crude and refined petroleum product exports lag; it’s not surprising that Bejing is interested in investment in the Canadian oil patch.

82 | NOVEMBER 2012 | www.canadianmetalworking.com

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TRUMPF-FABTECH2012-ad(CM).indd 1 cmw nov 2012 p 83-84.indd 83

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Ø40 mm (1.57")

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cmw nov 2012 p 83-84.indd 84

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cmw nov 2012 Cvr flps.indd 2

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