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Fall 2016
A Publication of the Spring Manufacturers Institute / Vol. 55, No. 4
The International Magazine of Spring Manufacture
Alternative Materials
page 26
Flashback: Titanium 30 Nitinol: Taming the Magic Metal 34 Composite Leaf Springs 39 SpringWorld Preview 51
2001 Midwest Rd., Suite 106 Oak Brook, IL 60523-1335 Change Service Requested [59986Cover.pdf](3)
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Photo courtesy of Abigail Keenan / Unsplash
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President’s Message
SMI Executive Committee President: Mike Betts, Betts Company Vice President: Steve Kempf, Lee Spring Secretary/Treasurer: Bert Goering, Precision Coil Spring Co. Immediate Past President: Hap Porter, SEI MetalTek At Large: Dan Sceli, Peterson Spring Executive Director: Lynne Carr
From Mike Betts
SMI Board of Directors
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Dream It. Do It. One of our industry’s most pressing challenges is finding next generation, work-ready talent who can join our businesses and add value. What you may not know is that the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) subsidiary, The Manufacturing Institute, houses the “Dream It. Do It.” program that helps address this need. Dream It. Do It. helps open the door to reach next generation students who are interested in our industry. The program can help you connect with Career and Technical Education (CTE) students in your local high schools and community colleges. Several SMI member companies will host Manufacturing Day events through Dream It. Do It. in October. Most events include tours of manufacturing facilities by high school juniors and seniors and community college CTE students. In some cases, businesses open their doors to younger students in the fourth, fifth and sixth grades. Since research has proven that tours through manufacturing plants open students’ eyes to what is possible in the field of manufacturing, the Dream It. Do It. program is an important component to the future growth of manufacturing. It’s not hard to get engaged in Manufacturing Day events. In most regions in the U.S., the local CTE schools, whether public or private, have information on how to reach the school coordinators, who can help you arrange student tours. In several cases, SMI member Manufacturing Day tours have led to paid and unpaid internships. An exciting prospect is that many students get hired by the companies they toured, once they graduate from their respective program. The value of an internship is reciprocal. It allows the student to get to know your business and culture, and for you to get to know the student. In fact, most schools offer workers’ compensation coverage for participating businesses when students begin a working internship. Typically, the students who attend the Manufacturing Day tours are prescreened and tested to ensure the industry sees the “best of the best.” Being invited to go on tours is a privilege that is earned by the student’s academic focus and extracurricular activities. Students have a minimum of two years of Linked Learning Manufacturing Skills and many have stackable industry certificates in addition to the certificates of completion from their program. The official 2016 Manufacturing Day is Oct. 7, although you can hold your event any weekday in October or anytime throughout the year. To learn more about Manufacturing Day visit www.mfgday.com. You can easily register and then post your event online under the caption “Host an Event!” Our SMI executive committee and board of directors applauds all our members who have reached out to the CTE community in their region and opened their doors for tours. Many in our industry have expressed surprise at how qualified these young students are. We have several Manufacturing Day champions in the ranks of SMI who are available to share their success stories with you. Reach out to SMI at www.smihq.org and we will make sure one of our champions contacts you to answer questions and assist you.
John Bagnuolo, MW Industries • Cheri Betts, Betts Company • Tim Bianco, Iowa Spring • Mark DiVenere, Gemco Manufacturing • Frank Foernbacher, Kern-Liebers USA • Brett Goldberg, International Spring • Ed Hall, Spring Team • Don Jacobson III, Newcomb Spring • Charly Klein, Fox Valley Spring • Bill Krauss, Vulcan Spring • Bill Lathrop, Colonial Spring Company • Don Lowe, Peterson Spring • Daniel Pierre III, JN Machinery • Hannes Steim, Kern-Liebers USA • Chris and Jeff Wharin, Bohne Spring • Ted White, Hardware Products • Steve Wunder, Duer/Carolina Coil
Springs Magazine Staff Lynne Carr, Advertising Sales, lynne@smihq.org Gary McCoy, Managing Editor, gmccoy@fairwaycommunications.com Dina Sanchez, Assistant Editor, dina@smihq.org Sue Zubek, Art Director, zubekdesign@gmail.com
Springs Magazine Committee Chair, Ted White, Hardware Products • Reb Banas, Stanley Spring & Stamping • Lynne Carr, SMI • Raquel Chole, Dudek & Bock • Ritchy Froehlich, Ace Wire Spring & Form • Bud Funk, Fourslide Products • Brett Goldberg, International Spring • Tim Weber, Forming Systems • Europe Liaison: Richard Schuitema, Dutch Spring Association • Technical Advisors: Loren Godfrey, Honorary Member • Dan Sebastian, Honorary Member Advertising sales - Japan Ken Myohdai, Sakura International Inc. 22-11 Harimacho 1-Chome, Abeno-ku Osaka 545-0022 Japan Phone: +81-6-6624-3601 • Fax: +81-6-6624-3602 E-mail: info@sakurain.co.jp Advertising sales - Europe Jennie Franks, Franks & Co. 63 St. Andrew's Road Cambridge United Kingdom CB41DH Phone/Fax: +44-1223-360472 E-mail: franksco@BTopenworld.com Advertising sales - Taiwan Robert Yu, Worldwide Services Co. Ltd. 11F-B, No 540, Sec. 1, Wen Hsin Rd. Taichung, Taiwan Phone: +886-4-2325-1784 • Fax: +886-4-2325-2967 E-mail: stuart@wwstaiwan.com Springs (ISSN 0584-9667) is published quarterly by SMI Business Corp., a subsidiary of the Spring Manufacturers Institute: 2001 Midwest Road, Suite 106, Oak Brook, IL 60523; Phone: (630) 495-8588; Fax: (630) 495-8595; Web site www.smihq.org. Address all correspondence and editorial materials to this address. The editors and publishers of Springs disclaim all warranties, express or implied, with respect to advertising and editorial content, and with respect to all manufacturing errors, defects or omissions made in connection with advertising or editorial material submitted for publication. The editors and publishers of Springs disclaim all liability for special or consequential damages resulting from errors, defects or omissions in the manufacturing of this publication, any submission of advertising, editorial or other material for publication in Springs shall constitute an agreement with and acceptance of such limited liability. The editors and publishers of Springs assume no responsibility for the opinions or facts in signed articles, except to the extent of expressing the view, by the fact of publication, that the subject treated is one which merits attention. Do not reproduce without written permission.
All the best! Mike Betts
Cover art credit: ©iStockphoto.com/v-alex
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Contents FEATURES 26 Alternative Materials By Gary McCoy
30 Flashback
Titanium: A New Material for Spring Application by Robert A. Budington
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34 Nitinol: Taming the Magic Metal by Austin Weber
39 Composite Leaf Springs: Saving Weight in Production Suspension Systems
by Karen Wood
45 ASQ Research
More Organizations View Quality as Strategic Asset, Competitive Differentiator
48 Are You Aligning Your Training Goals with Your Business Goals?
Four Keys to Establish Congruency By Cordell Riley
51 SpringWorld 2016 Show Preview
57 DEPARTMENTS 2 President’s Message Dream It. Do It.
7 Global Highlights
12 Regional Spring Association Report
COLUMNS
57 Springmaker Spotlight
19 Be Aware Safety Tips
Back to the Basics By Laura Helmrich-Rhodes
23 Dean of Springs
A Case for Round Wire By Dan Sebastian
SEI MetalTek Celebrates Three Anniversaries By Gary McCoy
67 Book Corner 71 CTE News 73 Inside SMI 75 Committee Connection 77 New Products 79 Advertisers’ Index 80 Snapshot
Ryan Cutter, Fenn LLC
©iStockphoto.com/v-alex
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ELIMINATE SECONDARY OPERATIONS HAX 3D TURRET SERIES FORMERS With the same trusted quality you’ve experienced in smaller Herdon Hybrid formers now you can handle larger wire ranges. The 16-axis all servo former comes with touch screen programming, moveable slides, rotary wire, 3 standard servo spinners along with an optional double servo spinner or looping station you can take on the large wire jobs without those costly secondary operations. Now is the time to move to the next level.
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spring world booth #707
www.rktradingusa.com
847-640-9771 SPRINGS / Fall 2016 / 5
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Announcing the opening of a new wire production facility in San Jose Iturbide, Guanajuato, in the heart of the automotive area of Mexico.
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This expansion continues the SG focus of increasing our global footprint with local production close to our customers to offer greater flexibility and shorter lead times.
Initially this 12,000 sq meter facility will have the capacity to produce 3600 MT, and expand to more than 12,000 MT at full production levels. The prime output will be oil tempered valve quality wire for the high demands of the engine, clutch, and transmission springs industry, but it will also produce high tensile OT wire for other spring applications. Construction of this built-to-suit facility will commence in Q2 of 2016 and production will start in Q1 2017. With the completion of this plant in Mexico, SG will have six wire producing facilities around the world: Garphyttan Sweden, South Bend USA, Suzhou China, Leeds England (KTS), San Jose Iturbide Mexico, and the Suzuki Metals plant in Narashino, Japan.
Suzuki Garphyttan
4404 Nimtz Parkway • South Bend, IN 46628 (574) 232-8800 • Fax (574) 232-2565 • suzuki-garphyttan.com
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©iStockphoto.com/DNY59
The Global Leader in Wire
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Global Highlights
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North America Ace Wire Spring & Form Company, Inc., a manufacturer of custom precision springs, recently announced that Rose George has joined the company as the new engineering sales manager. George brings to the position a diverse background of experience — including engineering, sales, supply chain and customer service — in the manufacturing industry. Previously, she served as a process engineer with All-Clad Metalcrafters and before that, as an engineer at Swagelok Company. She has also worked directly under Bob McCormick, the former engineering sales manager at Ace, as an engineering intern at Global Environmental Management, assisting in creating project proposals, bidding on jobs and performRose George ing sales calls. As a process engineer at All-Clad, George’s responsibilities included providing daily manufacturing support, implementing Quick and Easy Kaizen suggestions, and managing projects to improve manufacturing efficiency and consistency. She also coordinated with quality control to establish quality standards, create a training program designed to enhance comprehension of common defects and their dispositions, and perform employee training. As an engineer at Swagelok, George participated in a leadership development program in which she assumed the roles of a manufacturing engineer, quality engineer and production planner. Throughout her engineering roles, she was responsible for providing daily manufacturing support, financially justifying and leading multiple projects, and developing quality training programs. During her role as a production planner, she was assigned multiple departments in her facility and was responsible for managing production output, improving service levels, monitoring inventory and assisting in projects. Betts Company announced that Jonathan Lee has joined the company in the newly created role of chief technology officer. Reporting to Bill Betts, president of Betts Company and its three divisions, Lee will play a key role in shaping the company’s technology strategy as it embarks on its next phase of growth and leadership in spring manufacturing
and the heavy duty transportation industry. Betts said, “Jonathan’s role is to enhance existing strategies and develop new goto-market plans, by identifying and leveraging innovative technologies to further differentiate the company. He will combine strategy with techJonathan Lee nology to elevate the customer experience and continue our mission of ‘Improving the Way Things Move.’” Regarding his new role, Lee noted, “During my consulting career, Betts Company was one of a select few companies that I worked with that stood out as having an incredible culture, a state of constant innovation and the highest level of dedication to its customers. For these and many other reasons, I am thrilled and honored to transition from being their management consultant to a full-time team member.” Lee has over 21 years of technology consulting industry experience. Before joining Betts, he served as senior principal at Infor, advising Fortune 1000 firms in the area of strategy, revenue enhancement, user experience and customer experience. Lee also has experience as director of strategic services at CMTC, a consulting firm specializing in manufacturing and distribution, and as a vice president at Manex Consulting. He previously worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers, SAP and Grant Thornton/ Hitachi in the areas of strategy and technology for manufacturers and distributors. Lee holds a Master of Business Administration from University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business and a Bachelor of Arts degree from UC Irvine. Danly, a subsidiary of Dayton LaminaT, a leading provider to the tool, die, metal stamping and mold industries, has opened a new die spring distribution center in Torrance, California. This new facility houses an extensive inventory of Danly branded compression springs for immediate shipment to customers and distributors west of the Mississippi River. With extended service hours, faster delivery times and reduced freight costs, this new facility promises better service to Dayton Lamina customers in the western states. For additional information call 800652-6462 or email springs@daytonlamina.com.
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Global Highlights
Fenn has announced the addition of Fran Nicklous as senior control system engineer to their dynamic engineering team. Nicklous has over a decade of experience in electronic and systems control engineering before accepting his position at Fenn. He holds a B.S.E.E degree from Western New England University, and an M.S.E.E from Temple University. Before Fenn, Nicklous held positions at Thomas Faria Corporation, Triumph Group Inc., and most recently at Parker Hannifin, where he served as an engineering supervisor. While at Parker Hannifin, Nicklous led a cross-functional team with day-to-day management of mechanical, rapid prototyping, electronics and firmware team members. Nicklous designed and developed communication protocol standard for products developed by energy systems while utilizing Controller Area Networks (CAN). Nicklous also developed algorithms to operate new products in the safest and most efficient way possible and performed post processing data analysis to create statistical models for the aid in future development. Fran’s education, combined with his knowledgeable experience in electrical engineering, control systems design, instrumentation and power distribution will continuously improve Fenn’s products and processes to better serve their client base. As the senior control system engineer, Fenn looks forward to the added control system experience and knowledge
to better serve customized machinery clientele from purchase to implementation, and the lifetime of the machine. Also at Fenn, the company’s president, Ryan Cutter, has announced that Mike Geiger has joined Fenn as its new sales manager. With more than 28 years of sales experience, Geiger comes to Fenn with a wealth of applications expertise and knowledge within the metals industry. Before Fenn, Geiger most recently worked at AK Steel as an account manager, and at Ulbrich Stainless Steels and Special Metals as a sales engineer before being promoted to sales manager. Geiger has also been a business owner and entrepreneur.
35
Years
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Fran Nicklous
Mike Geiger
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“I am pleased to welcome Mike to Fenn as we continue to grow and offer highly engineered solutions for the metal forming industry,” said Cutter. “Mike’s strong customer service background and technical expertise will complement our current skill set as we continue to position ourselves for growth.” Based in East Berlin, Connecticut, Fenn is a global supplier of customized metal forming machinery that includes rolling mills, wire flattening and shaping lines, turks heads, spring coilers used across a wide variety of industries. To learn more, visit www.fenn-torin.com.
Mark Horstman, host of the award winning business podcast Manager Tools, gave the keynote address. Wire Expo exhibits represented 240 companies that manufacture wire and cable or supply the industry. Displays covered more than 120 product types. The biennial event will be held next in Nashville, Tennessee, May 15–16, 2018. Upcoming details are available at www.wirenet.org and in Wire Journal International.
The Wire Association International (WAI), Inc. hosted its WAI Operations Summit & Wire Expo 2016 at the Mohegan Sun Casino Resort in the heart of the New England wire and cable sector. The conference ran June 7-9, in conjunction with the association’s 86th annual convention, attracting some 1,425 people. The educational program, which was designed to provide practical solutions to wire and cable manufacturing challenges, included workplace organization and workforce management sessions, a health and safety segment, and a capital expansion projects panel. Remarking on the event, WAI’s 2016 president Andy Talbot said, “After the overwhelming success of the 2014 Wire Expo in Indianapolis, our expectations for Wire Expo 2016 were very high. I am happy to report that those expectations were met and exceeded by virtually every measure. Each aspect of the event was outstanding: the quality of the speakers, presentations and the exhibits, as well as the tours and the many social events was top-notch.” Talbot went on to say, “I want to recognize the WAI New England Chapter for its energy, support, and contributions to all that was successful about the show including introducing us to the Mohegan Sun, an amazing facility. It is clear that the Wire Expo format has become a perfect complement to the biennial Interwire show. I am looking forward to Interwire and the next Wire Expo, in Nashville, Tennessee.”
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Global Highlights
The BEST Music & Oil Tempered Wire Is Made Here In The U.S.A.
You a re
e never far from our wir
Call Mount Joy Wire at 1-800-321-2305 with your specific application and let us show you how we can help! www.mjwire.com 1000 East Main Street Mount Joy, PA 17552 Tel. 717-653-1461 Toll Free 800-321-2305 Fax 717-653-6144
ASTM International has fully redesigned its International Laboratory Directory, the only directory in the world dedicated to help manufacturers find the right labs to test their products. Independent laboratories throughout the world rely on thousands of standards and test methods, including many developed by ASTM International. By working with these labs, manufacturers can help ensure that their products meet key safety and performance criteria, which in turn sends a strong message to existing and potential customers. The new International Laboratory Directory lists standards and test methods that each laboratory can perform. It provides locations of laboratories in countries throughout the world, allows labs to improve search ranking by purchasing keywords that highlight industry-specific strengths and services, allows manufacturers and other potential partners to compare laboratories, and offers groupings for multiple laboratories that are part of one company. Notably, the lab directory is the top-ranked result in search engines, including Google. Annual fees start at $150. For more information, contact sales@astm.org or call 610-832-9585. Winamac Coil Spring, Inc. (WCS) planned to host a Manufacturing Day event on Sept. 28, 2016. Guests were invited to attend a plant tour and participate in general activities, operate a robot and see firsthand a variety of machines that use WCS springs. “Manufacturers across the nation participated in Manufacturing Day events, hosted open houses, conducted public tours, career workshops and other events. Winamac Coil Spring, Inc. plans to showcase advanced manufacturing as well as rewarding careers available in manufacturing today,” said Brian Shafer, WCS’s national sales/marketing manager. Area schools were invited to schedule tours, and the public was encouraged to attend. Adam Jacobson joined JN Machinery in September 2015 in the role of general manager. He manages the day-to-day production of JN’s machinery, as well as on-site services. Jacobson will increasingly have more customer contact in the U.S. as JN’s owner, Daniel Pierre III, begins to focus on overAdam Jacobson seas business development. “Although Adam’s background is in the plastics industry, he brings good supplier skills as well as general production knowledge to JN Machinery,” said Pierre. Asahi-Seiki Manufacturing Co., Ltd. has opened a new showroom to display its ICF-26 Coil Former and its T2 Spring Former machines. The showroom is located within
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Global Highlights
Michio Takeda
the Chicago headquarters of Okaya (U.S.A), Inc. at 64 W. Seegers Road in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Michio Takeda, who serves as the North American representative for Asahi-Seiki, says the new showroom allows customers to see demonstrations of the machines by appointment, Monday through Friday during regular business hours. The company sells coil formers, spring formers and spring end grinders to the North American spring market. The company also carries a complete line of transfer press and automatic assembly machines. Toyota has been using several custom-made transfer presses of Asahi-Seiki for the battery cases for their hybrid vehicles. To make an appointment for a machine demonstration, contact Takeda at 630-784-1737 or email michiotakeda@ comcast.net.
International The Japan Society of Spring Engineers (JSSE) held its semiannual Lecture Meeting, including a poster session, and Annual General Meeting at Tokyo Denki University in Tokyo June 9. Eight general lectures and one special topic lecture were presented to 165 attendees in a hall on the Tokyo Senju Campus. The opening speech was presented by Dr. Hiroyuki
Saitoh on behalf of Dr. Motoaki Osawa, a vice-chairperson of JSSE in charge of publication and a professor of Tokyo Denki University. Dr. Saitoh is a member of JSSE and a colleague of Dr. Osawa who was absent from the event to attend the funeral of his father-in-law. Lectures included: Effect of Silicon, Chromium and Molybdenum on Resistance to Temper Softening of High Carbon Martensitic Steel, by Shinya Teramoto of Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation; Hydrogen Entry into High Strength Steels in Tribocorrosion Environment, by Kotaro Doi of National Institute of Materials Science; Development of a Forming Method of Spring with High-rectangle-ratio Cross Section and Small Spring Diameter, by Takashi Kuboki of The University of ElectroCommunications; Evaluating Compressive Residual Stress Depth Distribution by Eddy Current, by Yoshiyasu Makino of Sintokogio, Ltd.; Study on Distinction and Extracting Technique for Fracture Surface Morphology, by Akira Ueno of Ritsumeikan University; Cold Rolling Effect to Stiffness, by Takuro Aiki of Hayamizu Hatsujo Co., Ltd.; Finite Elements for Spiral Springs, by Takuro Matsumoto of Hayamizu Hatsujo Co., Ltd.; Analysis of Nonlinear Large Deformations in Japanese Bows, by Atsumi Ohtsuki of Meijo University. The Special Topic Lecture was Present Status of Aircraft Industry, by Yukio Sawa of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
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Global Highlights
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Left: Dr. Kazumi Tamamura; Center: Five certificates of Spring Technological Heritage were presented to four spring manufacturers to express JSSE’s appreciation for their preservation of springs and machines of historical value. Right: Dr. Masao Hayakawa
Six technical posters were displayed in another hall on the same campus. A brief explanation was given by a representative for each of the posters on the speaker’s platform for the lecture meeting, followed by a question and answer session at the posters. The top two posters were selected based on the participants’ voting. The first place poster was Mechanical Properties and Metallographic Structure of Duplex Stainless Steel, by Shota Yamasaki of Nippon Steel & Sumikin Stainless Steel Corporation, et al. The second place poster was Discovery of Organo-superelasticity, by Satoshi Takamizawa of Yokohama City University, et al. Five certificates of Spring Technological Heritage were presented to four spring manufacturers to express JSSE’s appreciation for their preservation of springs and machines of historical value. The awarded springs and machines are: Three-leaves Leaf Spring for the first-generation Toyota Crown made by NHK Spring Co., Ltd. (NHK Spring Co., Ltd.); Torsion Bar Spring for Subaru 360 made by NHK Spring Co., Ltd. (NHK Spring Co., Ltd.); Torsion Machine TC-B2 made by Tokyo Coiling Machine Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (Miyagawa Spring Industry Co., Ltd.); Compact Material Testing Machine made by Fujii Precision Machine Co., Ltd. (K. K. Taga Co., Ltd.); Multi-forming Machine ZUB-200 made by Teijin Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (Tokuhatsu-Sankyo Co., Ltd.). The annual general meeting was held after the closing speech of the lecture meeting presented by Dr. Yuji Nakasone, JSSE chairperson and a professor of Tokyo University of Science, in a conference room on the same campus. The meeting was led by Mr. Hideo Yamamoto, an adviser to JSSE and a vice president of Horikiri Inc. During the meeting, six proposals, 2015 Annual Business Report, 2015 Settlement of Balance Report, 2016 Annual Business Plan, 2016 Budget, Amendment on JSSE Bylaw and Replacement of Trustees, were approved. A reception was held after the Annual General Meeting in the same hall where the posters were displayed. Dr.
Masao Hayakawa, a vice-chairperson of JSSE in charge of research activities and a head researcher of National Institute of Materials Science, made the opening speech, followed by the guest speech by Mr. Kazumi Tamamura, the chairperson of the Japan Spring Manufacturers Association (JSMA) and the president of NHK Spring Co., Ltd. Dr. Katsuji Tosha, a former JSSE chairperson and an adviser to JSSE, made a toast to the development of the spring industry and the participants’ health. About 1,000 Chinese and foreign exhibitors have reserved 618,900 square feet of net exhibit space for wire China 2016, the 7th all china international wire and cable industry trade fair, at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC). The event will be jointly organized by Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. and the Shanghai Electric Cable Research Institute (SECRI) from Sept. 26–29, 2016. As Asia’s No. 1 trade fair for the wire and cable industry, wire China 2016 will feature renowned domestic companies such as HOSN, Hefei Smarter, Jiangsu Handing, Langfang Xinming, Shanghai Kingstone, Shanghai Originaldow and Tianjin Huayuan, as well as renowned foreign enterprises including Dow Chemical, Borouge and Borealis, EUROLLS, Fiber-line, Wanhua Chemical, DSM, LG CHEM, Lubrizol, Technora, DISA, Polyone, KOS, Dainichiseika, Furukawa Electric, Gauder, Suzuki Garphyttan, NEXTECK and Zumbach. The exhibitors will showcase the latest advancements in wire production and refining machinery, processing equipment, auxiliary processing materials, special wires and cables’ measurement and control technology as well as products, services and solutions in related professional fields. For more information on wire China 2016, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America at 312-781-5180 or email info@mdna.com. Visit the website http://www.mdna.com; subscribe to their blog at http://blog.mdna.com; or follow on Twitter at http://twitter.com/WireTube_MDNA. n
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Global Highlights
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Manufacturing quality, delivering reliability SPRINGS / Fall 2016 / 13
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Regional Spring Association Report
SESMA Holds Second Event at Charlotte Motor Speedway The Southeast Spring Manufacturers Association (SESMA) held its second meeting ever as an organization, August 5 in the board room at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. The event included lunch and a 90-minute meeting. Topics of discussion included 3-D printing in spring manufacturing, and enterprise resource planning software (ERP systems) that included a discussion about system changeover and maximization of functionality. Those in attendance included John Newman, Brad Moore and Patrick Schuler, Southern Spring and Stamping; Patrick Gillum, Gilco Spring; Keith Porter Jr., Newcomb Spring; Kelley Christy and Michael Wright, Diamond Wire Spring; Tom Armstrong, Duer/Carolina Coil;
Joey Downs, Sergio Gallo and Greg Goodall, Interwire; and Don Gibbs and Logan Gibbs, Gibbs. Wright, southeast technical sales manager for Diamond Wire Spring Company, helped organize the event. He said after the meeting and lunch, about half of the group went on a two-hour “over the wall” tour of the Charlotte Motor Speedway. “The tour covered the entire facility, including a trip around
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the track in a van at a top speed of 90 mph,” explained Wright. “Everyone seemed to have a good time and there was a lot of mingling among the companies in attendance. New relationships were started and old ones were strengthened.” Wright said they have tentatively planned a golf outing in the fall on a date to be determined. He says the current cost for membership in SESMA is free with a nominal charge for scheduled events.Wright says SESMA will soon elect officers. For information about SESMA, contact Wright 864-630-1216 or email mhw@diamondwirespring.com.
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NESMA Continues Scholarship Funding
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By Ted White The New England Spring & Metalstamping Association (NESMA) has worked with The Main Street Community Foundation since March 2010 to create and administer a scholarship fund for the benefit of NESMA members. The fund was initially started with $50,000 in seed money with the idea that the income generated from this investment would be distributed in two $1,000 scholarships annually and that the scholarship fund would be perpetual in nature. NESMA decided if there were ever a shortfall the association would make a donation to augment the generated income. Last year, with help from The Main Street Community Foundation, changes to the scholarship program were made. The two scholarships are different in nature and are outlined to the right. The NESMA scholarship program now has a much broader reach and truly reflects that we are a New England association. NESMA scholarships for the 2016-2017 program were awarded earlier this year to Olivia Apergis and Nicole Ledesma. Scholarship applications will be available on the Main Street Community Foundation’s website on January 15, 2017 at http:// www.mainstreetfoundation.org/ scholarships.php. The application deadline for the 2016/2017 academic year was March 14, 2016. The deadline for the 2017/2018 academic year is not set yet, but is always around the middle to end of March. For more information on NESMA, visit www.nesma-usa.com.
Award 1: $1,000 Award #1 to a graduating senior attending high school in a New England state — Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. (These locations were added to include the whole of New England and not just Bristol, Connecticut, as the requirements stated previously.) Eligibility Requirements: • Pursuing post-secondary education in an accredited manufacturing / mechanical skilled trades program or engineering • Evidence of successful completion of courses relevant to your chosen field (changed from needing at least a 3.0 GPA). • Community Service • Financial need is considered Letter of Recommendation Requirements: Two letters of recommendation, one of which must be from a math or science teacher and one from someone who knows you well. Essay Requirement: Write an essay addressing your desire to enter your chosen field and state your career goals. Limit your thoughts to no more than one page.
Award 2: $1,000 Award #2 to a graduating senior, currently enrolled student or student returning to school and who is a child of or grandchild of an employee or owner of a NESMA member company in good standing. Eligibility Requirements: Pursuing post-secondary education Community Service Financial need is considered Letter of Recommendation Requirement: One letter of recommendation which demonstrates work ethic in employment, academics or school / community activities. This can be from a coach, employer, teacher or someone else who know you well. (Changed from two letters of recommendation) Essay Requirement: Write an essay addressing your desire to enter your chosen field and state your career goals. Limit your thoughts to no more than one page.
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Regional Spring Association Report
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CASMI Holds Summer Golf Outing; Looks Forward to SpringWorld 2016 The Chicago Association of Spring Manufacturers, Inc. (CASMI) hosted its annual golf outing on Thursday, June 23, 2016. This year’s event was held for the first time at Seven Bridges Golf Club in Woodridge, Illinois, a 4-star rated golf course by Golf Digest. Nearly 130 CASMI members and SpringWorld exhibitors participated in golf and the evening dinner in near perfect weather conditions. Awards were presented for the first and second place team scores, as well as closest to the pin, longest putt and longest drive. Additionally, the organization collected $555 in donations to support Chicago Veterans, a nonprofit community of military veterans who share a common passion for helping fellow veterans with issues such as veteran homelessness, PTSD awareness, trauma, benefits or camaraderie building. CASMI will return to Seven Bridges in June 2017 for its next annual golf outing with a tentative date of June 22. CASMI’s SpringWorld 2016 takes place Oct. 5-7 in Rosemont, Illinois at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. The event has been held since 1959 and provides a unique opportunity to network with other spring manufacturers and wireformers, including oneon-one discussions with colleagues who share challenges and are ready to discuss solutions, providing new insights for business. On the trade show floor, attendees will see the latest technology available to improve a company’s productivity, quality and service. SpringWorld also offers free educational seminars on the show floor, presented by exhibiting partners.
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Attendance is limited to spring, stamping, fastener, and wireform manufacturers. The pre-registration deadline is September 12 and day-ofshow walk-ins are welcome at $25 per person. Visit www.casmi-springworld.org and select the SpringWorld tab for important details and to register. For more information, contact CASMI at 630-359-4273, or e-mail info@ casmi-springworld.org. n
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SPRINGSCharlotte / Fall 2016 NC / 17
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Be Aware Safety Tips
Back to the Basics By Laura Helmrich-Rhodes, CSP, Ed.D.
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MI recently held a webinar on the 10 most frequently cited Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards in this industry. Data gathered was specific to the springmaking industry versus all of manufacturing using NAICS 332611/Standard Industrial Code 3326. Surprisingly, there are several violations on the list which are quite old, fairly simple to comply with and not costly to fix. These continue to be violated and, frankly, have cost American businesses millions of dollars over the last four decades. It’s time to get back to the basics for employee protection and citation avoidance.
1. & 2. General Machine Guarding and Power Transmission Guarding Some machine guarding is straightforward. For example, guarding of belts and pulleys (power transmission) and guarding power presses and lathes have been on the books, unchanged, since OSHA’s inception in 1970. The guarding of point of operation on specialized equipment, however, is much more complicated. SMI conducted a webinar on the basics of guarding in 2015. Many factors play into managements’ decisions on the exact method of safeguarding the wide variety of equipment in this industry. “Job shop” organizations find it difficult to create guards that can be efficiently changed for short runs. Time is money. Production costs, therefore, are often high-ranking considerations when owners and managers contemplate worker protection. This is not limited to the spring industry. It is a production reality. There are some spring companies who have made great strides in proper safe guarding through engineering controls such as fixed barrier guards, light curtains and radio frequency protection. Some manufacturers are hesitant to share guarding technology in the name of competition. Failure to come together as an industry allows regulatory bodies to create precedents in 50 different states (by those with little or no knowledge of the industry). Sharing the most basic of best practices allows every organization to have an even playing field, with consistent recommendations in every state. Another item that spring manufacturers should share is the number of hours a machine operates without injury. Our industry needs to collect that data to be used as a defense in OSHA interactions.
The use of ANSI B11 machine hazard risk assessment, is the best way to guard any machine. My next “Be Aware” column will focus on this “beyond OSHA” tool. Spring manufacturers need to share their OSHA citations, informal agreements and contest outcomes with other spring companies so that best practices such as machine guarding prevails. Multiple companies that agree to a variety of demands in different states is not in the best interest of the industry as a whole. SMI is working on how to create a repository for such information sharing. For more information on machine guarding, see Helpful Resources at the end of this article.
3. Forklifts Forklift violations are fairly straightforward and have been in place for decades. The most recent changes went into effect in 1999. All operators have to be trained and certified by the employer (It does NOT have to be an outside trainer). This must include a classroom, as well as a practical setting. Some of my own serious concerns focus on the safety of operators entering tractor-trailers, which are not secured. Examples would be a dock locking mechanism or a combination of administrative controls such as chocking wheels, signage and a forklift driver in control of the truck driver’s paperwork. Ultimately, management must oversee and enforce the safe operation of forklifts, a potential source of fatality. Seat belt usage should be 100 percent enforced as well as other well-known safe operating practices.
Laura Helmrich-Rhodes, CSP, Ed.D., is an independent regulations compliance consultant to the Spring Manufacturers Institute (SMI). A former member of PA/OSHA Consultation, she is an associate professor in the Safety Sciences Department at Indiana University of Pennsylvania where she teaches graduate and undergraduate classes on topics such as OSHA standards, safety communications, workers’ compensation and human relations. Rhodes is available for safety advice and information. Contact SMI at 630-4958588 or laurahrhodes@gmail.com.
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4. Respiratory Protection Respiratory protection regulations have been in place since the passage of the OSH Act in 1970. This topic has been addressed in previous issues of Springs. The standard has become more specific since the ‘70s based on expanded understanding of and long-term statistics for occupational disease occurrence. The basics for compliance are these: 1) Assess the hazard. A Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) should first evaluate the materials employees encounter in vapor, dust, oil mist, fumes etc. The CIH can best determine if ventilation will control the hazard or if respiratory protection (PPE), is needed. Certain paper masks fall into the realm of formal protection. If you are merely providing an N95 paper mask, that does not free the company from this standard. 2) If an exposure exists, a formal written program, 3) annual pulmonary function tests and 4) proper training must be given. This is one of the hazards in which you simply have to gather data. Management cannot guess if employees have an exposure. Keep in mind, many occupational illnesses show no signs for many years — some, like Silicosis, for 20 years!
extension cords. These are considered temporary wiring and can only be used for 90 days. Another common error is the use of ordinary wiring in hazardous atmospheres such as flammable vapors; for example, ordinary wiring in spray painting/coating or in dust producing areas. These hazardous atmospheres require assessment and installation based on the quantities found. OSHA considers any electrical hazards “serious.”
5 & 6. General Electric and Electrical Wiring Methods Electrical violations occupy two spots on the top 10. General wiring needs to be to code (NFPA 70/National Electric Code). One common item noted is the use of
8. Control of Hazardous Energy The concept of lockout/tag out (LO/TO) during the service and maintenance of hardwired equipment was discussed as a part of my undergraduate course work in the early 1980s. At that time, LO/TO was only being done by companies with progressive safety programs and by the mining industry. It was not until 1989 that the OSHA Final Rule was promulgated. Since it has been in place, with little revision, it baffles me that many private sector employers (not just spring manufacturers) are still missing the basics; 1) a written program, 2) written zero energy procedures for each piece of hardwired equipment and 3) the means to secure all energy sources (not just electricity), 4) training and enforcement.
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7. Abrasive Wheels A basic hazard, easily spotted, is the improper set up of abrasive wheels (bench grinders). It is my opinion that compliance relies on understanding the magnitude of the hazard. Education goes a long way on this subject. Explaining, in plain language, what is required to literally save an employee’s life will change behavior. Many YouTube videos can be used in training and OSHA has compiled a running list of grinding wheel related deaths in the U.S. Management and supervisors are expected to enforce safe practices required (set up and ring testing on initial installation and after dressing).
9. Hazard Communication OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard (HAZCOM) was first adopted in 1983 with limited scope. In 1987, the scope was expanded to cover all industries where employees are potentially exposed to hazardous chemicals. More recently it was updated to include Globally Harmonized System (GHS) labeling. Compliance focuses on a 1) Written program, 2) Chemical inventory 3) Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and 4) Container labeling (including secondary containers used at individual workstations). A sample written program is easily obtained and tailored to company operations (who gets the Safety Data Sheets as they come in? Where are they accumulated? Who will train employees? etc.). (See Help for Haz Com below.) 10. Floor Openings and Surfaces Guarding floors and openings (walking working surfaces) violations are No. 10 on the list and can be rectified
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mostly with good housekeeping and proper electrical wiring to eliminate trips and falls. Keeping floors clean and aisles clear are duties normally assigned to employees and supervisors. It is my experience that housekeeping can be a strong indicator of culture. Companies using Lean Manufacturing techniques place an emphasis on such things as a part of their product quality program. Inappropriate mezzanine storage or storage above work areas is another easily rectified violation. The cost to the industry shown in the table could be reduced (or perhaps eliminated) by getting back to the basics of holding each individual in the company accountable for the hazards under their control. There is nothing on the list that is new or surprising. Sharing best practice successes in machine guarding among springmakers is the only “new” idea to consider. n
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OSHA Violations for the Spring Industry September 2014 through October 2015 (most current at time of publication)
Standard
Citations
Total
Inspections
213
48
Penalty
$323,357
1
General Machine Guarding
23
19
$81,217
2
Power Transmission Guarding
20
5
$17,625
3 Forklifts
18
12
$26,463
4
Respiratory Protection
12
6
$7,847
5
General Electrical
11
9
$13,308
6
Electrical Wiring Methods
10
7
$8,566
7
Abrasive Wheels
9
5
$5,977
8
Control of Hazardous Energy
8
7
$18,447
9
Hazard Communication
8
7
$400
10
Floor Openings & Surfaces
6
4
$10,214
Helpful Resources US Dept. of Labor OSHA Citations for the Springs industry https://www.osha.gov/pls/imis/citedstandard. naics?p_naics=3326&p_esize=&p_state=FEFederal Sample written programs including Haz Com and Lock out Tag out http://alabamasafestate.ua.edu/safety-consultation/model_safety_and_ health_programs.php Inspection Checklist for Abrasive Wheels https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/machineguarding/new-grinder-checklist. html Lock out/ Tag out Tutorial https://www.osha.gov/dts/osta/lototraining/tutorial/defs.html Ring Test https://youtu.be/52n8_-6cooY Concepts of Machine Guarding (comprehensive guide to guarding any equipment) https://www.osha.gov/Publications/Mach_SafeGuard/chapt5.html OSHA Inspection Fact Sheet https://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/data_General_Facts/factsheet-inspections.pdf Sample forklift inspection checklist https://www.osha.gov/dte/library/pit/daily_pit_checklist.html
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Dean of Springs
A Case for Round Wire By Dan Sebastian
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n the early 1990s, the Japanese reintroduced the concept of springs made from Fuchs/Schwarzbeck Patent Drawing oval shaped wire. The concept is based on a U.S. Patent (2,998,242), ‘Stress Equalization Coil Springs’ by Henry Fuchs and John Schwarzbeck, that introduced the concept that if the wire shape was optimized, the highest stress on a compression spring could be equally distributed around the wire (Patented 1961). The concept initially was unused, first because of possible patent infringement issues, and second because of manufacturing issues with both the wire and the spring construction. The driving reason for the patent was: • The stress on a round wire spring is concentrated on the ID which “for a spring index of 5, there exists about a 30 percent greater peak stress at the inside of the coil.” • The equivalent of a round wire spring will weigh less and retain more energy. failure. In round wire with the highest stress point on • They will have higher resonant frequency (very the ID it is shielded from handling marks and surface important in dynamic high speed cycling). damage. The 30 percent stress advantage is gone, unless • The solid height is reduced compared to round wire, in transporting during processing and shipping there is and does not have the associated stress issues with no spring-to-spring contact. The same is true in assembly; rectangular or square cross sections. you must limit metal to spring contact. • The lower solid height allows for more usable deflecIn many designs the maximum usable stress is used, tion that improves stress spikes that would occur in even though the number of high stress points has gone the equivalent round wire design. from one small plan to the entire surface. Added to the increase in possible failure sites, the After the re-introduction it was given a high-tech image design used the smaller solid heights to increase travel when compared to round wire and marketed as ‘ovate’ material; with all the fundamental advantages it became interesting to many in the leading edge design community. Dan Sebastian is a former SMI president The added cost was considered to be acceptable because and currently serves as a technical consulof the benefits. tant to the association. He holds a degree in metallurgical engineering from Lehigh However, it turned out that all the technical benefits University and his industry career spans that you can achieve with ‘ovate’ designs also produced more than four decades in various technical a number of unintended consequences. and management roles. He may be reached First, evenly distributing the stresses made every eleby contacting SMI at 630-495-8588. ment in the spring equally susceptible to the start of a
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so they operate much closer to solid and the possibility of over stressing. The result was, with the increase in the number of high stress points, failures from simple handling methods will increase. The ‘ovate’ wire springs are also much more likely to fail from corrosion pits, as everywhere on the surface has the same stress. Well-designed round wire compression springs can expect normal life spans with a greater than Six Sigma capability. The first Japanese engineers to use ‘ovate’ wire springs in production engines soon replaced it with conventional round wire springs. In another case, a large diesel engine manufacturer that used ‘ovate’ wire springs saw an increase in the number of long term failures compared to their round wire spring engines.
Summary The use of ‘ovate’ wire springs as proposed by Fuchs and Schwarzbeck has real technical advantages over round wire springs in weight and natural frequencies. The advantages in stress are limited based on the springs exposure to processing, material handling and exposure to possible corrosion. In general, round wire springs used in normal environments and everyday processing have a decreased Six Sigma life expectancy. There is a place for ‘ovate’ wire spring in a controlled environment and limited duality expectations.
The use of ‘ovate’ wire springs as proposed by Fuchs and Schwarzbeck has real technical advantages over round wire springs in weight and natural frequencies. The advantages in stress are limited based on the springs exposure to processing, material handling and exposure to possible corrosion.
The traditional round wire spring remains the most reliable spring alternative in the real world environment. Its inherent limited high stress point exposure makes it the “go to” design alternative when normal processing takes place and the spring is subject to an unpredictable service environment (the world of most springs). n
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Alternative Materials
By Gary McCoy
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> By definition, “alternative” is
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something outside the accepted norm. Dictionary.com gives various definitions for alternative, but one that is helpful in relation to this article is: “Employing or following nontraditional or unconventional ideas, methods, etc.; existing outside the establishment.” In the normal course of business, most springmakers utilize wire and strip materials to make a majority of products for their customers. According to the website for Gibbs, a wire and strip supplier to the spring industry, “The most common spring wire grade is Type 302, or Type 17-7PH. This provides superior strength, heat and corrosion resistance.” In the strip category, the company says Type 301 is the most common stainless steel spring grade. There are also carbon steel strip products to consider. Spring steel is still the most commonly used material to manufacture springs. Spring steel is characterized by low-alloy, medium- or high-carbon steel with a very high yield strength. The primary reason for using spring steel is that springs made of this material are able to return to their original shape despite significant deflection or twisting. As springmakers are presented with various product applications, occasionally they need to step outside the “norm” and make products with different requirements. As a result, engineers may select various alloy grades (stainless steel, precious metal, titanium, tungsten, copper, high-temperature, specialty)
and what some would place under the heading of “exotic metals” to satisfy the needs of the project. Alternative materials have been used by springmakers for many years. On page 30, you can read the Flashback article on titanium. When this article first appeared in the May 1969 issue of Springs, titanium springs were new to the market. In related articles to the “Alternative Metals” theme, we look at Nitinol on page 34 and composite materials being used to produce leaf springs on page 38. In this article, we will look at what’s new in stainless steel and a couple of alternative materials that the industry is now using.
What’s New in Stainless Steel At the inaugural SMI Metal Engineering eXpo, Shawn Chaney, product manager for Fort Wayne Metals Research Corp., made a presentation on stainless steels for medical applications. “More medical devices are made from stainless steel than all other materials combined,” said Chaney in his presentation. “Device designers select stainless steel for its ideal balance of strength, corrosion resistance, mechanical properties and cost.” Chaney said medical device applications for stainless steel include guide wires, catheters, staples, endoscopic devices, tools and a variety of coiled products. The session he conducted was an opportunity to provide attendees
with “an understanding of the materials characteristics that result from various melting methodologies, inclusion distribution and the resulting fatigue endurance limits.” Chaney said while carbon steel does a great job in many applications, its one major weakness is rust, “thus, the advent of stainless steel.” His presentation went on to help attendees assess property selection and such factors as fatigue resistance, formability and corrosion potential, to name just a few. You can access a PDF file of his presentation at http://www.metalengineeringexpo. org/2015-presentations. Since 2002, Gary Carinci has been the president of TMR Stainless in Pittsburgh. He has more than 25 years of experience in the stainless steel industry and provides technical support and market development support to all of his firm’s clients. Before joining TMR Stainless, Carinci was director, technical services at Allegheny Rodney where he had management responsibility for product metallurgy, process metallurgy, laboratory production testing, and quality assurance related to stainless steel, nickel-base alloys and titanium strip products. Carinci has a strong background and extensive experience with cold rolled stainless steel fabrication and formability. His product experience includes stainless steels, nickel-base alloys and titanium. He has a Ph.D. in metallurgy from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Bachelor
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of Science degree in metallurgy from Pennsylvania State University. He has written or co-written 12 technical papers and holds one patent. He is a member of ASM International, NACE International and the American Welding Society. Carinci says about 95 percent of his work is with stainless steel and the product he’s most familiar with is 301 stainless steel. An alternative version of 301 stainless steel is 301Si which Carinci says is known for its high silicon level. “It first started in Europe and it’s now becoming popular here in the U.S,” explained Carinci. “One of the benefits of this material is higher ductility. You can deform this material and it doesn’t crack as easily and still has the high strength of normal 301.” Type 301Si is an austenitic stainless steel capable of attaining very high strengths while maintaining ductility through cold working. According to Carinci, both 301 and 301Si are produced to the
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American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) A666 standard. Carinci says the use of 301Si is “probably the only change that I have seen in materials in this industry for over 20 years.” From a cost standpoint, Carinci says they are basically priced the same.
Haynes 282: High Temperature Resistant Metal Patrick Barr, who serves as division president of Spring Engineers of Houston, says the company regularly works with alternative materials, or what he calls “exotic metals.” One of the newest he’s worked with is HAYNES® 282®. “It’s a new, high-temperature resistant metal. We’ve made springs out of tantalum alloys,” explained Barr. According to Haynes International, Inc., manufacturer of the product: “HAYNES® 282® alloy is a wrought, gamma-prime strengthened super alloy developed for high temperature structural applications, especially those in
aero and land-based gas turbine engines. It possesses a unique combination of creep strength, thermal stability, weldability, and fabricability not found in currently available commercial alloys. The alloy has excellent creep strength in the temperature range of 1200° to 1700°F (649° to 927°C), surpassing that of Waspaloy alloy, and approaching that of R-41 alloy.” The company says suitable uses include critical gas turbine applications, such as sheet fabrications, seamless and flash butt-welded rings, and cases found in compressor, combustor and turbine sections. In augmented aircraft gas turbines, it is useful for exhaust and nozzle components. In land-based gas turbines, HAYNES 282 alloy is a good candidate for transition sections and other hot-gas-path components. In regards to machining this super alloy, the company advises: “HAYNES 282 alloy has similar machining characteristics to other nickel alloys used at high
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> “One of the benefits of [301Si] is higher ductility. You can deform this material and it doesn’t crack as easily and still has the high strength of normal 301.”
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machining should be carried out before age-hardening. Final machining or finish grinding may be done after age-hardening.”
Nitinol: Shape Memory Alloy Nitinol is the common name used for the shape memory alloy Nickel Titanium (NiTi) and derived from its place of discovery (Nickel Titanium Naval Ordinance Laboratory). It is uniquely different from typical wire alloys used for cold forming or coiling wire components. Nitinol is commonly used to make medical devices and components.
It can also be used to make compressions springs, torsion springs, extension springs and wire forms. “Nitinol can act somewhat like a spring because it can change depending on the temperature that is used,” explained Carinci. “The shape memory characteristic means that when it gets to a certain temperature, it can revert back to its original shape or form. A spring is not going to have any memory based on temperature, like a shape memory alloy would.” For more on the super elasticity of Nitinol, see the longer article: “Nitinol: Taming the Magical Metal” on page 34.
Resources The ranks of SMI associate members are filled with companies that specialize in supplying wire and strip products to spring manufacturers. You can peruse a list of suppliers who will be attending SpringWorld 2016 in our special preview section on page 51. Each of these companies have experts who can help you find just the right materials for your applications and possibly some “alternatives” that you may not have considered before. n
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Flashback
Titanium
By Robert A. Budington, District Technical Service Engineer, Titanium Metals Corporation of America (Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the May 1969 issue of Springs when titanium springs were first introduced to the market. The following contains excerpts from the original, much longer article.)
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A New Material for Spring Application
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> The metal titanium is the fourth most abundant structural metal in the earth's crust, and ninth most abundant element. During 20-odd years of the titanium industry’s existence, titanium and its alloys have been noted for having strength/weight characteristics and corrosion resistance superior to most of the usual metallic engineering materials in the temperature range from -423°F to 1000°F. Accompanying these characteristics are excellent toughness, fatigue strength and elevated temperature creep
strength. Because of these and other unique properties, titanium has found increasing applications in airframe, chemical process and marine-oriented applications. Recently, titanium springs have been designed into both aircraft and chemical industry applications. In aircraft applications, users are able to take advantage of titanium’s unique strength/weight
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and modulus characteristics, while the chemical process industry is attracted by the inherent corrosion resistance of the material. Corrosion resistant springs have been produced in commercially pure and Ti-6Al-4V grades of titanium and have seen use principally in sea water and brine-type applications. For aircraft applications, the alloy grades Ti-6Al-4V, Ti-6Al-6V2Sn and Ti-13V-11Cr-3A1 have been used. In general, titanium has found use in the aircraft industry as an inexpensive weight saving device, since, for a given performance, it is often possible to design a titanium spring having a weight of approximately one-third that of an equivalent steel spring.
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This weight saving comes about as follows: The density of titanium is approximately two-thirds that of steel; therefore, a 33 percent weight saving can be achieved on a direct substitution basis. Modulus considerations dictate that the pitch angle of a titanium spring be increased and the number of coils reduced to achieve comparable performance from a spring having similar index wire size and free height. In the case of compression springs, a further advantage may be achieved where solid height is a design factor. It is also possible to design a shorter spring of fixed index and rate when using titanium in place of steel: thus titanium compression springs generally have a more stable spring configuration. Titanium springs should also be considered where space limitations cause a difficult problem when designing with other materials. Applications in oil drilling rigs and again in aircraft are typical. Here again, the unique strength and modulus characteristics of titanium lend themselves to a spring design requiring much less space than the equivalent steel spring. Titanium metal is currently available in well over 20 compositions under development. Those compositions offer a wide variety of strength, elevated temperature properties, toughness, creep and corrosion resistance characteristics. Combinations of these properties can generally be picked from among these various alloys to suit the individual needs of the end user; and, generally speaking, proper selection of the titanium alloy for a given application is quite important to the success of the application.
Heat Treatment of Titanium Titanium can be heat treated in conventional furnaces constructed for annealing steel. These furnaces can be electric, gas fired or oil fired.
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However, because hydrogen contamination can be a problem in titanium, electric furnaces are preferred. Titanium heat treatments fall into two basic categories – annealing and solution treating and aging. Annealing may be a simple, single heating cycle operation or may require several heating and air cooling operations from various temperatures, depending on the alloy involved and the properties desired.
Corrosion Resistance of Titanium Aside from its attractive strength/weigh combination, the corrosion resistance of titanium is perhaps the most important characteristic of the metal for engineering applications. Titanium provides excellent resistance to corrosive attack under most oxidizing, neutral and some inhibited reducing conditions. In addition, titanium retains its corrosion properties even at elevated temperatures in many extremely hostile environments. Some of the more important areas of titanium corrosion service of interest today include nitric acid, some sulphuric acid, hydrochloric acid, phosphoric acid, sulphurous acid, many organic acids, most salt solutions, most organic compounds and a great number of electrolytic solutions. In addition to these, titanium has also found extensive application in the chlorine industries because of its complete immunity to attack by wet chlorine gas. Electrochemically, titanium is a noble metal and, as such, finds application as an anode in certain types of cells. Because of this, certain metals when coupled with titanium corrode, depending on the type of environment surrounding the galvanic couple. Materials such as aluminum, carbon, steel and zinc are examples of metals which will corrode in such a galvanic couple. As it is not possible to discuss all
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the corrosion applications for titanium in an article such as this, it is best to consult one of the principal producers to determine titanium’s immunity in a given environment.
Fabrication of Titanium The fabrication practices used for titanium in many ways parallel those conventionally used for stainless steel, although there are some problems unique to titanium which do arise. Fortunately, these occur principally during the production of mill products and not in the area of secondary deformation processes. Parameters for the fabrication of titanium have been well defined in a great many publications. Material is capable of being break-formed, drawn, spun, drop hammer formed, strength formed, dimpled, joggled, hot sized, roll formed, as well as being machined, and in the case of several alloys, welded. Machining requires careful attention to tool geometry and tool condition; it also requires heavy, very rigid machine setups. Product Availability Titanium products are available in more than 20 different alloy formulations displaying a wide variety of properties. Mill products available include the complete line of flat roll materials, from heavy plate down through foil. Bar products available in all of the alloys and wire products are available in most of the commonly used alloys. Rough extrusions are currently being produced to meet special configuration requirements. Tube and pipe are also produced; pipe as a seamless product is available in the pure grades; tubing is available as a seamless, or as a welded product in a few, pure special alloy grades. n
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Nitinol
Taming the Magic Metal
By Austin Weber Originally published in Assembly Magazine and is reprinted with permission.
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itinol, a nickel-titanium alloy, is used in a variety of medical devices. The material’s thermo-mechanical characteristics and its biocompatibility make it ideal for cardiovascular stents, endoscopic instruments, surgical tools and other products. However, nitinol can be challenging to assemble. The term nitinol comes from its composition and where it was discovered more than 50 years ago: “nickel titanium” and “Naval Ordnance Laboratory.” The metal has magical properties, such as superelasticity and the ability to repeatedly retain its
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preformed shape. It also can change shape or length in response to temperature change or application of an electric current. Nitinol has the potential to recover up to 8 percent strain, which is 16 times that of ordinary stainless steel. In addition, the nonmagnetic material boasts high fatigue strength, high strength-to-weight ratio, corrosion resistance, heat resistance and kink resistance. It is available in wire strips, sheets, tubing and bars. What’s more, the alloy’s properties can vary, depending on the composition.
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> Nitinol has the potential to recover up to 8 percent strain, which is 16 times that of ordinary stainless steel. “[One] myth is that nitinol is just a single material,” says Gerard von Hoffmann, a partner at Knobbe, Martens, Olson and Bear LLP, a law firm in Silicon Valley that works with manufacturers of cardiovascular medical devices. “It is a broad class of alloys having quite distinct physical properties depending on nickel and titanium ratios, among other variables.” Deepak Kapoor, production manager at Johnson Matthey Inc., a leading nitinol supplier, claims that there are a growing number of nitinol applications today in the medical device industry. “The material is becoming more prevalent, as the know-how becomes more widespread,” he points out. “[Engineers] have many successful products under their belt, and this breeds further ingenuity. “Raw materials have shown a modest price increase, but as devices have become more novel and complex, so have the processing costs associated with producing such devices,” notes Kapoor. “The field has become more competitive with more companies melting and fabricating devices from nitinol.” “Nitinol’s unusual ability to accommodate large strain, combined with its compatibility with the human body, have made it one of the most commonly used materials in medical device design,” adds Walter Heitmann, director of engineering at Memry Corp., a leading producer of nitinol alloys.
Diverse Applications The global market for nitinolbased medical devices stood at more than $8 billion in 2012 and
is expected to grow 11 percent annually through the end of this decade. Demographic trends, such as worldwide growth in the geriatric population, are expected to spur future demand for nitinol. In addition, the increasing rate of vascular diseases, such as peripheral arterial diseases and coronary artery diseases, in developing nations is driving growth. Most people associate nitinol with cardiovascular stents. In fact, there are more than 8,000 U.S. patents that use the words stent and nitinol. But, many other medical devices are made from the material, including annuloplasty rings, biopsy needles, bone screws and staples, endoscopes, filters, guide wires, heart valve replacements and stone retrievers. Recent nitinol applications include Boston Scientific Corp.’s Innova vascular self-expanding stent system. The new drug-eluting device is used to treat patients with peripheral artery disease of the lower extremities. It consists of a nitinol bare metal stent with an advanced drug delivery system. Engineers at Veryan Medical Ltd. also turned to nitinol recently when they created a new stent that features a 3-D geometry. The BioMimics 3-D device uses helical center line geometry that mimics natural vascular curvature to promote secondary (swirling) flow and elevated haemodynamic shear stress, which has a protective effect on the endothelium. Another innovative application of nitinol is being developed by engineers at Vanderbilt University. Robert Webster, an associate
professor of mechanical engineering who specializes in surgical robots, recently developed a machine equipped with steerable needles. The new device is designed to provide needlescopic tools with a degree of dexterity that they have previously lacked. This allows the needles to operate in areas of the body that neither manual endoscopic instruments, which are straight rods equipped with a variety of end effectors, nor the da Vinci surgical robot can reach. “Not only will this allow surgeons to perform a number of procedures, such as precise resections and suturing, that haven’t been possible before, but it will also allow the use of needles in places that have been beyond their reach, such as the nose, throat, ears and brain,” explains Webster. The device can be used for operations ranging from lung biopsies to removing brain tumors through the nose. The steerable needle involves a system of telescoping tubes that are made out of nitinol. Each tube has a different intrinsic curvature. By precisely rotating, extending and retracting the tubes, an operator can steer the tip in different directions, allowing it to follow a curving path through the body. “We have two different devices that we refer to as ‘steerable’ needles,” says Webster. “The first, and mechanically simpler of the two, is the bevel tip steerable needle. It consists of a nitinol wire on which we grind a bevel. We also have a version of this we call the flexure tip steerable needle that is the same, except there is a nitinol hinge positioned just behind the bevel tip.
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“The second device is a concentric tube robot that can be used as either a needle or a manipulator,” adds Webster. “A tiny mechanical wrist attaches to the tip of this device when it is used as a manipulator. “To make concentric tube robots, we hook a car battery up to each nitinol tube and run high current through it for a very short time to rapidly heat it,” explains Webster. “This shape-sets the nitinol, but leaves it superelastic. “The main challenge has been in shape setting,” says Webster. “We use nitinol mainly for its superelastic properties. In a low-volume prototyping setting, such as our lab, most companies recommend using air furnaces for setting curved shapes into initially straight tubes and wires. “In our experience, it has been very challenging to obtain desired curvatures using this process,” notes Webster. “Typically, after heat treating in the furnace, the material will either lose its superelastic properties
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at room temperature, or it will take on a shape that is different (significantly lower curvature) than the jig into which it was placed. That is why the electrical shape-setting technique has been highly valuable to us.”
Finicky Material While nitinol offers numerous benefits, it can cause big headaches for engineers. For instance, inadequate processing can lead to premature failure and poor fatigue life. The material is also sensitive to heat treatments and can be difficult to join to stainless steel and other metals. A variety of joining methods can be used to assemble nitinol parts. Each process has pros and cons that engineers must consider. Among mechanical techniques, crimping or swaging is preferred. However, David Zabrosky, sales manager at Schmidt Technology Corp., says there aren’t many applications for those processes.
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“We typically only see nitinol being used in wire and cable flattening operations,” he points out. “In most cases, our customers have their own tooling and only need the press. They are usually trying to flatten the wire to a desired thickness and hard stops in the tooling are used.” Soldering is also an effective means for joining nitinol to itself or dissimilar materials. “The oxide layer must be removed for optimum solder wetting,” says Memry’s Heitmann. “Silver-bearing solders can work effectively if combined with a very aggressive flux. Some companies use plating on nitinol to enhance solderability.” “Soldering is easy, but less preferred by medical device manufacturers, because it is difficult to automate and requires the additional material for the bond,” adds Geoff Shannon, Ph.D., manager of advanced technology at Amada Miyachi America Inc. In addition, both solder and
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> While nitinol offers numerous benefits, it can cause big headaches for engineers. flux suffer from poor biocompatibility and are typically not considered for use in medical implants. Most medical device manufacturers assemble nitinol parts using either adhesive bonding or welding. The most popular adhesives are cyanoacrylate and epoxy. Nitinol welding options include various laser, plasma, resistance and TIG processes. “Adhesive joining is useful in wire-to-tube and tube-to-tube joining applications, and works best when the oxide layer is present,” says Tim Frech, senior engineer at EWI. “One advantage of adhesive bonding is a larger bond area. However, the cure time is long, which increases manufacturing cycle time and work in progress.” “Adhesives offer unique benefits over other methods of joining nitinol,” claims Christine Marotta, market development manager at Henkel Corp. “[Advantages include the] ability to join nitinol to dissimilar materials; flexible bond lines to minimize potential differences caused by varying coefficients of thermal expansion; fluorescent bond lines to allow for adhesive detection (for verification of application, placement and qualitative amount); and low capital investment for implementation of adhesive application and curing.” Cyanoacrylates and epoxies are widely used for nitinol assembly applications due to the opaque nature of the metal and the inability to access a bond joint with light (for light-curing adhesives). In addition, both adhesive technologies offer high bond strengths to a variety of metals, plastics and combinations. “Epoxies, being thermoset materials, offer the benefit of temperature
and chemical resistance—especially for select sterilization exposures,” says Marotta. “They can be two-part and cured at ambient conditions or one-part and heat-cured at temperatures as low as 80°C. “Cyanoacrylates offer the key benefits of rapid fixture and flexible versions,” adds Marotta. “They [also] can be used on other difficult-to-bond materials, such as polyethylene, polypropylene and acetal, should such substrates be used in combination with nitinol. These one-part adhesives cure at ambient conditions and do not require an investment in curing ovens.” When using adhesives to assemble nitinol, clean, dry surfaces are ideal. According to Marotta, the addition of surface roughening can have a significant positive impact on bond strength. A surface roughness of approximately 63 to 125 micro inches is often used as a guideline for assemblies that are to be bonded with adhesives. “Gaps are critical to consider when bonding nitinol with adhesives,” warns Marotta. “While epoxies are typically unlimited in ability to bond and fill gaps, cyanoacrylate adhesive gap filling ranges from a few thousands up to 0.01 inch for gel viscosities. Cyanoacrylates are also ideal when bonding nitinol to hard-to-bond plastics. A surface primer should be applied to the plastic surface and can [greatly] increase adhesion.” Welding is another reliable nitinol joining process that medical engineers should consider. “Nitinol is a very hard material,” says EWI’s Frech. “It has a tough, stable oxide layer, and a high alloying
content of titanium. But, the hardness and oxide layer leads to challenges with solid-state joining processes. “The oxide can be part of the melt pool in a laser beam weld and can affect laser beam absorption or reflectivity,” explains Frech. “The large component of titanium makes it metallurgicaly challenging to fusion weld to nontitanium alloys, because titanium is known to form brittle intermetallic compounds when joined via a fusion process to dissimilar materials.” According to Frech, solid-state resistance welding is ideal when working with an overlap joint to weld nitinol to itself or some dissimilar metal combinations. He says laser welding, a fusion-based process, can be effective in joining nitinol to itself and to some precious metals, such as platinum. However, welding nitinol to stainless steel is much more difficult because of brittle intermetallics that form in the weld zone. It requires a consumable filler material. To solve that problem, engineers at EWI developed and patented a nitinol-to-stainless-steel welding process that involves a consumable filler material. “The filler metal is added to control the fusion zone composition and avoid the formation of brittle intermetallic compounds,” says Frech. “Generally, the high hardness of nitinol makes it a poor candidate for ultrasonic metal welding,” adds Frech. “Brazing and soldering should also be avoided, because the cold working and thermal treatment of the nitinol is adversely affected by the long thermal cycles.” n
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profitability and efficiency. Torin has the precision, speed and reliability to make it happen.
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You need
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Composite Leaf Springs
Saving Weight in Production Suspension Systems By Karen Wood
C
omposite leaf springs are not new to the automotive industry. In fact, the leaf spring itself dates back to the horse-drawn carriage. By design, leaf springs absorb vertical vibrations caused by irregularities in the road. Variations in the spring deflection allow potential energy to be stored as strain energy and then released more gradually over time. Composites are well suited for leaf spring applications due to their high strength-to-weight ratio, fatigue resistance and natural frequency. Internal damping in the composite material leads to better vibration energy absorption within the material, resulting in reduced transmission of vibration noise to neighboring structures. The biggest benefit, however, is mass reduction: Composite leaf springs are up to five times more durable than a steel spring, so when General Motors switched to a glassreinforced epoxy composite transverse leaf spring (supplied by Liteflex LLC, Englewood, Colorado) on the 1981 Chevrolet Corvette C4, a mono-leaf
composite spring, weighing 8 lb./3.7 kg, replaced a ten-leaf steel system that weighed 41 lb./18.6 kg. This reportedly enabled GM to shave 15 kg/33 lb. of unsprung weight from the Corvette, yet maintain the same spring rates. The leaf spring was transversemounted; that is, it ran across the car’s width at each axle. This eliminated the coil springs that sit up high in a spring pocket on the frame. Thus, the car can sit lower to the ground, which improves car handling. Today, GM continues to employ transverse GFRP composite leaf springs on the front and back of its Corvette models. The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Coupe includes a doublewishbone suspension, which, at GM, goes by the name short/long arm (SLA). SLA refers to the fact that the upper control arm is shorter than the lower one. A transverse composite leaf spring presses against the lower arm and spans the width of the car. In fact, the spring is always loaded against the subframe. This design directs shock loads into the frame side, eliminating the
standalone rear antiroll bar that must be incorporated into models with standard suspension packages. The spring’s camber curve also is said to improve tire contact with the road during cornering. Composites also have the potential to replace steel and save weight in longitudinal leaf springs. These run parallel to the length of the vehicle, providing suspension as an integrated part of the wheel guidance system. “Longitudinal leaf springs have a higher safety factor,” claims Frank Fetscher, head of business development, Benteler-SGL, a joint venture of Benteler Automotive and the SGL Group – The Carbon Company. “They can have a linear spring rate or a progressive spring rate — multistage springs — and must perform better with respect to torsion and side stiffness than transversal springs.”
Higher Speed, Greater Volume To date, commercial glass- and carbon-reinforced composite leaf springs have been limited to lowvolume production models. “When
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resins were first being used in the automotive industry, epoxy systems already proven in the aerospace industry were the first to be selected,” explains Scott Simmons, business development specialist for chassis, Henkel Corp. “While these epoxy systems provide a very high-performing part, the prepreg manufacturing process primarily employed with these resin systems is better suited for the low-volume production associated with aerospace.” Epoxy prepreg systems weren’t fast reacting because they didn’t need to be for autoclave processing, which, for purposes of quality assurance to high aerospace standards, necessarily involved slow and carefully controlled applications of temperature and pressure. However, much research has gone into expediting the production process through the use of faster molding processes and the development and use of suitably fast-reacting resin systems. These emerging systems show promise for economical mass production of composite leaf springs.
Polyurethane & HP-RTM “In automotive, RTM [resin transfer molding] is the go-to process,” asserts Simmons, “and maximizing the speed of processing is critical for high-volume manufacturing to become a reality.” To that end, Henkel has developed a polyurethane matrix resin system designed for fast automotive highpressure RTM (HP-RTM) processes. “Our goal was to mimic the performance characteristics of epoxy, while increasing processing speed and flexibility,” explains Simmons, noting that, ultimately, “Automotive OEMs want a composite system that will allow 100,000 to 250,000 parts per year at a relatively low capital investment cost.” Henkel’s Loctite Max 2 matrix resin reportedly provides an answer: A high modulus (2,800 MPa) in combination with an elongation-to-break of 5 to 10 percent, with tensile strength of 80 MPa.
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Due to its specific polymer backbone structure, which combines “soft” polymer segments with strong H-bridging of the urethane moieties, the neat polyurethane resin is said to exhibit intrinsic toughness. According to Henkel, this eliminates the need for additional toughening agents that increase cost and viscosity. The toughness properties of the resin translate, practically, to fatigue resistance. This is critical because automotive leaf springs are subjected to dynamic loading under driving conditions, and are required to pass tests that require 700,000 recurring load cycles. The use of flexible materials with high fatigue tolerance prolongs the life of the leaf spring considerably. Henkel has collaborated with Benteler-SGL to commercialize mass production of a lightweight, fiber-reinforced leaf spring using a polyurethane-based HP-RTM process. The process combines unidirectional (UD) glass fiber preform technology with Henkel’s Max 2 resin system. The result is a leaf spring that, Henkel says, weighs 65 percent less than the conventional steel option — 6 kg versus 15 kg (13 lb. versus 33 lb.). When Henkel approached Benteler-SGL with its polyurethane process, the latter was developing a front-axle composite leaf spring for the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, a lightweight cargo van manufactured by Daimler AG. The Sprinter has sported a composite leaf spring for a number of years. As with previous iterations, the part was designed with glassreinforced epoxy. “Benteler-SGL had already designed the orientation and density of the fabric,” says Simmons, “and we presented an alternative resin that could work with the design already in place.” “Replacing the existing epoxy system with Max 2 polyurethane was appealing to Daimler because polyurethane is tougher and can withstand bending and flexing better than epoxy,” he maintains. “It also offers improved resistance to crack
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propagation, meaning that if a rock pops up and strikes the leaf spring, any chip or crack that might occur is less likely to propagate.” “Benteler’s interest was in regard to speed,” says Simmons. “The existing epoxy resin required a mold time of approximately 30 to 35 minutes. With a program requiring 100,000 to 150,000 parts annually, a 30-minute cycle time would require a large number of molds to meet demand, which then impacts capital investment costs significantly,” he says, noting that “the Max 2 resin system offers a faster injection time — from minutes with the epoxy to seconds with the urethane — and a faster mold time — from 30 to 35 minutes with epoxy down to eight minutes with urethane.” “With HP-RTM, we have an economic[al] process that offers geometric design possibilities,” explains Fetscher. “In the end, the final product has the same properties as it would with an epoxy system.” According to Fetscher, the rheological behavior of the polyurethane matrix resin as a function of temperature and isothermic cure kinetics were evaluated to determine a process window for injection at minimum resin viscosity. The optimum processing window proved to be 70°C to 110°C (158°F to 230°F). “Under optimized processing parameters, it is possible to inject the mixed polyurethane matrix resin at viscosities as low as 30 mPas [30 cps],” claims Fetscher. “Using high-pressure RTM equipment, low matrix resin viscosities enable an ultrafast injection rate of 100g to 300g of resin per second. At the same time, the unique flow behavior of polyurethane matrix resins doesn’t lead to undesirable fiber displacement effects that can be seen with matrix resins of higher viscosities.” Henkel recently introduced its Max 3 polyurethane-based system, which it developed with input from Benteler-SGL. Notably, the new system also includes an internal mold release to enable easier processing. “Typically, some type of mold release
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is required in RTM or compression molding, so we have integrated the internal mold release into the product to eliminate the need for that step,” explains Simmons. Further, optional accelerators can be added to the base isocyanate and polyol to enhance processing speed. Max 3 also offers an increased glass transition temperature, which improves finished-part temperature resistance. “Increasing the temperature resistance continues to be a target for our future polyurethane systems,” Simmons emphasizes, noting that the continued research amounts to an insurance policy of sorts. “In automotive, a temperature resistance between 150°C to 180°C [302°F to 356°F] would allow the parts to go through the e-coat process,” he explains. “Not that the composite parts necessarily need the e-coat process,” he observes, “but our goal is to allow for composite parts that can withstand the same processing temperatures as the other components on the car, to streamline production.”
Epoxy Formulators Respond Over the past several years, substantial progress also has been made in epoxy resin technology and the processes used to mold epoxy composites. Momentive Specialty Chemicals has developed so-called “snap-cure” epoxy resin systems, designed to allow medium- to highvolume production of structural composites, including leaf springs. The new systems retain the properties of traditional epoxy-based composites, according to Momentive, yet process in a matter of minutes when used, like the polyurethanes, in HP-RTM. “The advanced formulations are unique in that they provide a long-enough injection window for a robust impregnation of the reinforcing fibers while still enabling an extremely short cure cycle,” claims Dr. Roman Hillermeier, who, with Momentive research partners Dr. Tareq Hasson, Lars Friedrich and
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Building a Stronger Longitudinal Leaf Spring < Benteler-SGL has identified a carbon fiber hybrid system for production of longitudinal springs. “The longitudinal spring is wheel-guiding, so it is a security-related part, and a breakdown will lead to severe problems,” says Frank Fetscher, Benteler-SGL’s head of business development. “In order to have a much more robust part, we are developing an enhanced manufacturing process within composites in order to combine the advantages of filament winding, prepreg and RTM.” The proprietary process is still in development. “We have achieved first milestones — first positive results — and we have a projected target,” says Fetscher. “We have achieved longitudinal leaf springs with the RTM process as well, but we are seeing physical demands increasing and, therefore, would like to have a second process on hand in order to be more flexible while maintaining the cost benefit of the RTM process.” The longitudinal leaf springs are more exposed to impact from the outside than transverse springs. Because of this, glass fiber-reinforced polymer longitudinal leaf springs are not commonly employed. “There is a level of stiffness that is required in longitudinal leaf springs that is always independent of the width of the spring,” says Fetscher. “You need a flexible width and thickness variation in order to meet the demands of the level of stiffness combined with the main function — the hub stiffness,” he adds. “This is something we hope to achieve with the new process — more flexibility than even with RTM. Filament winding allows flexibility in the width of the spring, and RTM and prepreg allow for alternating thickness change.” Combining these processes and using carbon fiber, he says, could lead to a longitudinal leaf spring design applicable for light commercial trucks and pickup trucks.
Cedric Ball, presented findings at the Society of Plastics Engineers’ 2012 Automotive Composite Conference and Exhibition (see end note). “The entire process requires a short cycle time to be viable for automotive mass production volumes,” said Hillermeier. In practical terms, he said that means less than five minutes. One key to enabling these faster production speeds is the preform binder. “In the case of rapid RTM processing, it is particularly important that there is good compatibility with the resin matrix, the reinforcement’s permeability is not negatively affected, and the binder provides enough strength to prevent distortion of the fibers during injection,” explained Hillermeier. “The higher level of performance was achieved by means of a ‘reactive’ or ‘crosslink-able’ binder.”
At production speeds of five minutes or less, the time required to fill the mold and complete fiber wetout is a challenge with epoxies. Structural composite parts require relatively high fiber volumes of 50 percent or more, Hillermeier noted. “Very low viscosity and having sufficient time for impregnation are the two key characteristics that are needed to achieve quality finished parts. The ideal injection viscosity of an RTM resin should be below 100 mPas [100 cps] for at least 60 seconds at processing temperature.” In answer, Momentive has developed two fast-reacting epoxy systems with enough designed-in thermal latency to allow time for thorough fiber wetout of large or geometrically complex parts. Both systems are designed for HP-RTM processing. The first, EPIKOTE 05475 resin with EPIKURE
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05443 curing agent, reportedly cures within five minutes at 120°C/248°F. The second, EPIKOTE 05475 resin with EPIKURE 05500 curing agent and Heloxy 112 internal mold release agent, reportedly cures within two minutes at 115°C/239°F. Most recently, Momentive introduced its EPIKURE 05500 fast-cure epoxy and EPIKOTE 04695-1 binder/EPIKURE 05490A curing agent for production of Class A composite auto parts using a gapimpregnation RTM process. Momentive also has worked with molders during the development of its new epoxy systems. A noteworthy example is IFC Composites, which has been mass-producing glassreinforced epoxy-based leaf springs since 2005. The company uses a semi-automated prepreg manufacturing system, during which continuous fiber is impregnated with resin. IFC has reportedly supplied more than 1.3 million composite leaf springs for light-duty trucks, including Daimler’s Sprinter cargo van. The Sprinter front axle leaf spring manufactured by IFC measures 1400 mm/55 inches long, 75 mm/3 inches wide, 30 mm/ 1.18 inches thick and weighs 5.5 kg/ 12.1 lb. compared to the 25-kg/55-lb steel front leaf spring it replaces.
Next step: Multilink systems New developments also include changes in the manufacturing approaches to auto suspension systems. “The next step for transverse leaf springs,” predicts Benteler-SGL’s Fetscher, “will be a move away from single component suppliers in the direction of systems suppliers.” “A multilink axle system with a composite leaf spring covering jounce and roll function is the most effective weight optimization for a complete rear-axle module and the next step in weight reduction,” he adds. Development goals for Benteler’s leaf spring rear module include weight reduction through replacement of the coil spring and antiroll bar by a transverse composite leaf spring, with no reduction
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in the vehicle’s handling behavior and an improvement in the suspension system’s acoustic damping. Bump and roll stiffness would be supported by the leaf spring. Benteler believes vehicle dynamics would be improved. Reportedly, weight savings would be 4 kg to 8 kg (8.8 lb. to 17.6 lb.) per system and costs are within an acceptable range in relation to the weight reduction. Currently, Benteler has developed system integration within the axle suspension concept to include the function of the antiroll bar into the leaf spring. The system is fully developed and ready for program integration. ZF Friedrichshafen AG, a global supplier of driveline and chassis technology, is taking it one step further with the development of a wheel-guiding transverse leaf spring. The system is designed to perform spring, antiroll and wheel-control functions. This leaf spring, however, is manufactured via heated compression molding, with an epoxy-based resin system and continuous glass fiber reinforcement. According to ZF, the loading on the spring is complex, making process control, in terms of fiber content and orientation, a key to success. The spring’s design eliminates a number of conventional steel components — an antiroll bar with mounts, two antiroll bar links, two control arms and two conventional coil springs. ZF reports that the composite leaf spring suspension system is approximately 12 percent lighter than a conventional MacPherson strut suspension, approximately 10 percent lighter than a conventional twist-beam suspension, and can be as much as 60 percent lighter than a steel multileaf spring. Key to precise wheel control and desired spring rates is the design of the leaf spring cross-section and the placement of the mounts. ZF’s design is targeted to the compact car class, and the company is expecting first production applications in 2014.
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Moving Forward with Composites Because transverse composite leaf springs are already in use in lightweight trucks and cargo vans as well as high-end sports cars, “the main focus for the future of transverse leaf springs,” says Fetscher, “will be the system integration of bodysuspension (coil springs) and antiroll bar functions into a multilink leaf spring suspension concept.” These will be a key factor in widespread adoption. “This system will target mainly passenger cars in the C- and D-class segments,” he says, referring to mass-production compact cars and large cars, respectively. On the longitudinal leaf spring side, composites are used primarily on higher clearance pickup trucks, large cargo vans and heavy-duty trucks. Here, prospects are a bit less promising. “For longitudinal leaf springs, we expect to see more of a component substitution of steel by FRP rather than system integration,” explains Fetscher. That said, the likelihood that composite leaf springs that debuted in the rarified reaches of high-dollar 1950s-era sports cars will reach commercial production in everyday automobiles has, after 50 years of composites research, never been higher. Dr. Hillermeier and his coauthors published their finding in “Advanced Thermosetting Resin Matrix Technology for Next Generation High Volume Manufacture of Automotive Composite Structures,” Momentive Specialty Chemicals Inc., 2012. n Originally published in the February 2014 issue of CompositesWorld (www.compositesworld.com) and is reprinted with permission.
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New Ideas and Innovations Welcome Here!
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Call for Papers 2017 SMI Metal Engineering eXpo The Spring Manufacturers Institute (SMI) invites authors to submit abstracts for the 2017 SMI Metal Engineering eXpo. As the largest North American event for key decision makers in the spring and metal forming industry, the SMI Metal Engineering eXpo is the best place to expose the industry to your new ideas and innovations. It is preferred that papers are submitted in English with sufficient detail included for the fair evaluation of your proposal. Those submitting abstracts should limit their submission to 75 words and indicate which of the following session(s) the presenter would prefer to participate in: • New and upcoming materials or alloys • Automation/robotics • CNC repair and diagnostics • Spring manufacturing setup practices • Tooling materials selection • Stress relieving best practices for various materials • Coatings science • Future manufacturing processes and rapid prototyping
October 3–5, 2017 Connecticut Convention Center, Hartford
Abstract deadline: June 1, 2017 Acceptance notification: August 1, 2017 Manuscript deadline: September 1, 2017
See submission form on the reverse side. Spring Manufacturers Institute (SMI) 2001 Midwest Road, Suite 106 Oak Brook, Illinois 60523-1335 Phone 630-495-8588 Fax 630-495-8595 www.smihq.org
®
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About SMI Metal Engineering Expo 2017 The eXpo is designed to meet the needs of and advance the industry of springmaking and wireforming. The offerings are meant to provide information and learning opportunities to industry professionals, suppliers, customers, floor managers and machinery operators. The gathering offers a full spectrum of information on the latest business, technology and market trends and developments in the global springmaking and wireforming industry. Focused on the science of all facets of this industry from design to manufacturing, the eXpo brings the latest technology and innovations to improve product quality, productivity and profitability. The eXpo and symposium also provides an excellent forum for expert discussions, continuing education, networking opportunities and more.
Abstract Submission
In order for SMIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Trade Show Committee to fairly assess the scope and content of your proposed technical article please submit a 75 word abstract.
Papers
Accepted speakers for the SMI Metal Engineering eXpo will receive an Authorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Guide with details about the proper presentation of your manuscript and presentation.
Registration Form Check your area of interest:
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Author(s)
n New and upcoming materials or alloys
Contact Author (designate only one)
n Automation/robotics
Company (affiliations for each author)
n CNC repair and diagnostics
Address
n Spring manufacturing setup practices n Tooling materials selection n Stress relieving best practices for various materials
City, State, Postal Code
Country
n Coatings science n Future manufacturing processes and rapid prototyping
Telephone (include country and area code) Fax (include country and area code)
Abstract (75-word maximum)
Please type your abstract in English. If you need additional space, please use a separate page.
Please submit your completed form to:
Lynne Carr, Executive Director, Spring Manufacturers Institute, 2001 Midwest Road, Suite 106, Oak Brook, Illinois 60523-1335 or via email lynne@smihq.org.
The SMI Trade Show Committee reserves the right to screen all abstracts and reject those abstracts deemed unsuitable or inappropriate for presentation or publication. Everyone who submits an abstract will be notified whether the abstract has been accepted.
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ASQ Research: More Organizations View Quality as Strategic Asset, Competitive Differentiator
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hile more organizations in 2016 view quality as a strategic asset and competitive differentiator when compared with 2013, the majority of organizations don’t know or don’t measure the financial impact of quality, according to a new report by the American Society for Quality (ASQ). According to the “Global State of Quality 2 Research: Discoveries 2016” report, 36 percent of survey respondents said their organization views quality as a strategic asset and competitive differentiator, up from 22 percent in the inaugural Global State of Quality Research of 2013. The increase in organizations viewing quality as a competitive differentiator and strategic asset is a positive shift from organizations that simply view quality as a compliance, or check-the-box activity. In 2016, 14 percent of survey participants said their organizations view quality as simply a compliance activity, compared with 22 percent in 2013. The ASQ Global State of Quality 2 Research examines the state of quality and continuous improvement worldwide, providing organizations with insights into gaps and opportunities. The latest research expands upon the 2013 research, which provided the first-ever view of quality and continuous improvement on a global scale.
These characteristics were selected as representative of world-class quality practices, based upon the information collected in this study. They represent a comprehensive approach to quality management with visibility into investment, cost, and resulting performance, not just within the organization, but extended to suppliers. • Understands product/service performance through customer’s eyes • Standard reporting across the organization • Trains suppliers in quality • Comprehensive training offerings available • Trains all employees in quality • Sees quality as a strategic asset and competitive differentiator • Greater than $1 million in net savings from quality • Measures the cost of remediation • Increasing investment from quality • Visible metrics on performance against customer needs New to the 2016 research is the addition of a worldclass profile that allows organizations to benchmark their quality and continuous improvement programs against other high-performing quality organizations. ASQ and its research partner, APQC, analyzed responses from nearly
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Investment in Quality in Last Three Years
Source: Global State of Quality 2 Research: Discoveries 2016
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As more organizations transition their quality function from a compliance activity to a strategic asset and competitive differentiator, more companies rely on quality departments to drive profitability through innovation, new product development and a focus on customer experience.
1,700 participants worldwide, identifying world-class organizations that possessed the strongest end-to-end quality practices. The research also offers 10 steps organizations can take to advance toward world-class quality. According to the research: • One hundred percent of world-class organizations increased investment in quality over the last three years, compared with 54 percent of non-world-class organizations. • Ninety-three percent of world-class organizations’ most visible metrics center on performance against customer needs, compared with 34 percent of nonworld-class organizations. • World-class organizations have half the rate of quality setbacks, like recalls, product defects etc., than non-world-class organizations. • Ninety-six percent see quality as a strategic asset and competitive differentiator — triple the nonworld-class rate. As more organizations transition their quality function from a compliance activity to a strategic asset and competitive differentiator, more companies rely on quality departments to drive profitability through innovation, new product development and a focus on customer experience. According to the research, 39 percent of non-world-class organizations use quality to drive innovation, compared with 75 percent of world-class companies. Furthermore, 43 percent of non-world-class organizations use quality to drive new product development, and 63 percent of nonworld-class companies use quality to drive customers focus. But while organizations use quality to drive innovation, new product development, customer experience and more, few measure the financial impact of quality. According to the report, 60 percent of all respondents say they don’t know or don’t measure the financial impact of quality. Beth Cudney, associate professor at Missouri University of Science and Technology, said the intangible aspects — like lost market share or company reputation due to poor quality — are difficult to measure. “Capturing (the cost of those intangibles) and truly putting a financial number to that is still so difficult, and no one’s doing that well,” Cudney said. “There needs to be
more work in that area to find a better way to capture that number so companies have a good estimate.” The report suggests the lack of measuring the financial impact of quality could be a result of a common method. It also suggests an organization’s culture may discourage tracking remediation costs because it might call unwanted attention to recalls, product defects and more. For more information about the Global State of Quality 2 Research or to download Discoveries 2016 or the accompanying Spotlight Reports on big data, KPIs and supply chain and innovation, visit globalstateofquality.org. n
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Are You Aligning Your Training Goals with Your Business Goals? Four Keys to Establish Congruency By Cordell Riley
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here are really two types of training. The first and most basic centers on teaching employees to improve their performance of required skills and tasks. The second type does that too, but produces far more transformational results, because it also teaches skills and behaviors that align with larger company initiatives and goals. A way to illustrate this point is to envision a golf caddy as a trainer. That caddy can walk the course and hand his golfer one club at a time and say, “This is the best club for this shot.” That might improve the golfer’s game. But what if the caddy added a higher level of information by giving perspective on the overall layout of the hole, the potential hazards in the path and even a strategy for playing the entire course? Similar lessons apply in many settings. Do you want your son or daughter’s piano teacher to only teach the mechanics of pushing down a key, or to give an overview of a piece of music? If you are hiring a landscaper for your yard, do you want to discuss only one plant, or do you want to collaborate on an overall, transformational plan? Given choices like those, of course you prefer the bigger picture. But how do you do that in planning your company’s training process? Here are four important steps to take.
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Define and Keep Your Most Important Objectives in Mind
Are you striving to create a company known for delivering superlative customer satisfaction? That is a great objective, but reaching it means defining specifics that can get you there—what you would like your training to achieve. For example, you could plan to train your phone reps to resolve 90 percent of all complaints during customers’ first calls. Or, you could focus on training those reps to deliver the kind of care that gets 90 percent of callers to report that they are “extremely satisfied” on post-call surveys. When you define goals, you can design training that achieves them. Another way of stating this principle is, “begin with the end in mind.” That means understanding the bigger vision of what you would like your organization to become, then defining specific training steps that can get you there.
2
Break Down the Silo Walls
Trainers are often brought into different company sectors and encouraged to stay in them. They might teach only skills for servicing or installing products, providing customer service, preparing food, or selling on the retail floor. But what if your trainers thought outside the silos and delivered valuable things that result in improvements across your entire organization? One way to reach this objective is to initiate discussions between your training team and the people who create marketing and advertising, manage your supply chain, oversee your online presence, and more. The more disciplines you invite into the process, the more likely your training team will find ways to make the training process more encompassing and effective.
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Don’t Create Training in a Vacuum
Whether your training team works in-house or you use an outside training development company, make sure to engage them in conversations regarding company collateral. This should include everything from company quarterly reports, relevant trade publications, news stories about your organization, press releases, and all other pertinent documents you can provide. Do all those materials suggest any untapped opportunities to align your training specifics with larger trends, goals and initiatives?
4
It is essential to develop a set of clear metrics to measure before and after training. It is the only way to understand what your training has accomplished and how much closer you are to meeting your goals. Here are some suggestions for developing metrics that don’t just gather data, but reveal deeper progress: • If your vision is to become a leader in customer service and retention, you can survey customers before and after your employees have gone through the training program. You should ask them about their overall satisfaction with their last purchase, the likelihood they will recommend you to other customers, and other factors. • If you want to gain maximum value from a limitedtime offer and offer training to support that goal,
your goal could be a certain percentage of sales improvement among employees who took the training. Measure and report on those results after the training has been delivered. • If you are implementing HR training in an effort to increase employee retention and become an “employer of choice” for job-seekers, you can measure retention rates before and after training and survey employees on metrics, like “I see a clear career path if I remain employed here,” or “I understand the criteria that my supervisor and company use to evaluate my performance and progress in the company.”
Keep the Larger Issues in Mind If you ask a group of businesspeople to define what training is, chances are that most of them will say something like, “Training is a process that teaches people the skills they need to do their jobs better.” Of course, that is true. But if you then go on to ask a series of deeper questions like, “Wouldn’t you like your training to build a workforce that builds your brand . . . helps your company achieve its mission . . . and communicates what you stand for to the world?,” many of those business people should enthusiastically reply, “Yes, we would!” As you launch new training initiatives or refine those you already have, keep those larger issues in mind. The better you can align training to your business goals, the more successful you can become. n Cordell Riley is the founder and president of Tortal Training, a leading provider of training solutions in the franchise industry. Cordell is a 20-year franchise veteran and a Certified Franchise Executive. Before joining Tortal, Cordell was with Driven Brands in various operations and training roles with increasing levels of responsibility. He currently serves on the Educational Foundation for the International Franchise Association. For more information on Cordell Riley, visit www.Tortal.net.
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SpringWorld 2016
Show Preview
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SpringWorld 2016 Show Preview
A & D Trading, LLC Booth #420 A&D Trading LLC is proud to exhibit our latest and greatest in wire forming technology, the ZX-250 and ZX-500 Versatile forming machines. These, along with our KHM 5 axis coiling machines and UniBend RB-500 Universal Bending Machine, will be on display. Please be sure to stop by and see them in action! We look forward to your visit!
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Admiral Steel Booth #1330 Premier flat rolled specialty steel service center. Grades include 1008, 1010, 1020, 1035, 1050, 1075, 1095, 4130, 6150, 5160. Tempers include annealed, hard rolled, blue tempered. Processing includes shearing, slitting, edging, gauge correction, saw cutting, cut to length. Quantities 10# to truckload.
Chicago Association of Spring Manufacturers, Inc. (CASMI) Booth #800 CASMI, founded in 1944, is a notfor-profit trade association dedicated to the development of good business practices, and sharing of technical information through ongoing communications among the job-shop spring manufacturers in the Greater Chicago area. Membership now includes spring companies and industry suppliers from the midwest and throughout the U.S. Since 1959, CASMI has sponsored the SpringWorld® Trade Show.
Elgiloy Specialty Metals
Booth #1021 Alloy Wire is the spring manufacturer’s partner of choice, providing spring wire and shaped wire from .001” to .827”. This is available in 50 high performance alloys, including Inconel, Hastelloy, Monel and Phynox. We manufacture to your specification, offer technical support, deliver in just 2 weeks, are DFARS compliant and hold AS 9100 and ISO 9001 approvals.
Booth #1221 Fenn has been a leader in quality metal forming machinery for over 100 years. We take the time to design and build the right machine to fit your specifications and fulfill your production requirements. With specialization in both standard and specialty metals, see how Fenn’s product and service offerings can help increase productivity for your business.
Booth #1114 Gibbs is a leading distributor of metals in North America. We have a strong reputation for superior service and quality metals. We supply both wire and flat rolled precision strip products. We pride ourselves on having a company of engaged diverse individuals of high integrity, who are very focused on the customer.
Gibraltar Booth #601 Gibraltar will feature the newest Delta spring coilers and formers, offering a variety of economically priced models. We will exhibit the Delta D-808, an 8-axis CNC coiler for wire .006-.032”, with arbor up/down and in/out by servo motor; and the Delta D-226, a 2-axis coiler with a wire range of .039-.118”.
HSI
Central Wire Industries Booth #1115 Central Wire is a market leader in the production of specialty wire products, and the largest re-drawer of stainless steel and nickel alloy wire in North America. We provide products used in mission-critical applications that require high tolerances, resistance to corrosion and durability.
Gibbs
Booth #1130 Elgiloy is a manufacturer of standard and custom specialty metals and alloys, including high performance alloy strip and wire. We serve the chemical, aerospace and oil and gas industries.
Fenn Technologies
Alloy Wire International
• SAS Spring Testers • Jaykase Programmable Tabletop Benders • TBE Automated Wire Forming Machines • Whitelegg 2D Wire Formers & Ring Machines
Forming Systems Booth #512 Forming Systems Inc. will demonstrate and answer questions at SpringWorld regarding: • HTC Spring Machines – Coilers, Formers • HSI Production Equipment – Ovens, Payoffs, Parts Collectors • OMD Spring Grinders
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Booth #512 HSI will be exhibiting at this year’s SpringWorld 2016 in booth 512. Key personnel will be there to demonstrate and answer questions regarding: • Conveyor Ovens • Box Ovens • Part Collectors • Payoff Reels • Spring Length Gages • Vision System Gages • Electro-static Air Filters
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Mount Joy Wire Booth #1216 Mount Joy Wire has been a global leader in the specialty wire industry for over 20 years. As a trusted manufacturer of high quality spring and oil-tempered wire, we have brought value to a diverse mix of customers. Mount Joy Wire is proudly made in the USA.
Jaykase
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HTC Booth #512 HTC will be exhibiting at this year’s SpringWorld 2016 show in booth 512. Key personnel will be there to demonstrate and answer questions regarding: • HTC Spring Coilers including the new 30PX 12 axes • HTC Spring Formers including the 20XU 16 axes • HTC Spiral Spring including the new 3 axes SS-3410 spiral spring machine.
Industrial Steel & Wire Booth #926 As one of the world’s largest steel wire stocking distributors, Industrial Steel & Wire offers you the extensive resources your operation needs to manufacture your own world-class products. Music Wire, Hard Drawn Wire, Oil Tempered Wire, Stainless Steel Wire, Cold Heading Quality Wire & Rod, Non-Ferrous Wire, Flat and Shaped Wire. More manufacturers trust ISW for ferrous and non-ferrous wire products.
Booth #512 Jaykase will be represented this year at the SpringWorld 2016. Key personnel will be there to demonstrate and answer questions regarding the Jaykase line of programmable tabletop bending machines. The JK-250 has a maximum mild steel wire size of .250” and the JK625 has a maximum mild steel wire size of .625” inches.
NIMSCO Booth #905 Visit NIMSCO’s booth for the BennettMahler line of machines, including spring grinding machines; OD chamfering machines; presetting machines; rebuilt/used machinery; and auger coiling machines.
OMD JN Machinery Booth #933 JN’s focus at this show is on energy conservation. JN’s low operational costs make our ovens the most cost efficient in the market. See the results of our energy studies to see how you can save money and energy.
Kiswire Booth #733 Kiswire maintains strict quality control, continuous technology renovation and new product development. The world is our workplace, and the future is our biggest market.
Booth #512 OMD will be represented at this year’s SpringWorld 2016 show; key personnel will be there to demonstrate and answer questions regarding all forms of spring grinding, including: • Down-feed Grinders • Wet Grinders • Crush Grinders • ID Chamfering • OD Chamfering • Special Ventilation Air Flow Systems • Automatic Dressing and Wheel Compensation
Oriimec InterWire Booth #1415 InterWire is truly a One Stop Shop. Strategically located throughout the United States and Mexico, InterWire is able to maximize your ability to receive your material “Just-in-Time,” while minimizing your freight cost. All InterWire’s nine locations are ISO 9001:2008 compliant, to ensure customer satisfaction through our quality management system.
35
Years
Larson Systems Inc. Booth #824 Larson Systems Inc. manufactures a full line of spring testing equipment. Manual and automatic testers for compression, extension and torsion testing. We also offer spring gauging equipment for all your needs. See us for the latest in equipment, with innovative design for testing and reporting springs specifications to industry standards.
Booth #1105 Oriimec Corporation of America is a manufacturing leader in providing automation solutions to the stamping and wireforming industries. Used worldwide, the Mec equipment line is well known for high-quality design and performance, and offers a line of springmaking machinery capable of producing a wide variety of springs and wireforms.
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SpringWorld 2016 Show Preview
Proto Manufacturing
SAS Testers
Suzuki Garphyttan
Booth #835 At Proto, we offer an extensive range of residual stress XRD products to ensure that the most suitable equipment is available for your measurement needs. Choose from our high-speed LXRD Laboratory Systems, flexible iXRD Portable Systems or our handheld mXRD Ultra Portable System.
Booth #512 SAS Testers will be exhibiting at this year’s SpringWorld; key personnel will be there to demonstrate and answer questions regarding: • Compression Spring Testers • Tension Spring Testers • Torsion Spring Testers • Dual Load Cell Testers • Fatigue Testers • LVA – Load Vector Analysis Testing • Automated Spring Testing • Pitch Trace Systems • Vision Systems
Booth #1125 Suzuki Garphyttan develops and manufactures advanced spring wire from various alloys for applications where quality and performance requirements are extremely strict. Main applications are valve springs, transmission springs, piston rings, wave springs, die springs, and springs for injection systems. Site locations include Sweden, USA, China, Japan, England and Mexico.
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TBE Shinko Radcliff Wire Booth #1100 Radcliff specializes in stainless steel, copper, beryllium copper, brass, phosphor bronze, nickel-silver, carbon steel, and nickel alloy quality precision shaped wire. 57 years ago, the company began by servicing the spring industry. Today Radcliff Wire, Inc. provides wire for applications in the aerospace, medical, electronics, telecommunications, automotive, computer hardware, and consumer products industries.
RK Trading Booth #707 RK Trading Company, based in Chicago, has been a full line supplier to the spring industry for 20 years. We carry a complete line of Herdon CNC spring formers, coilers and grinders. RK provides first-class, U.S. based after-sales service, parts and tooling for all the machines we sell.
Booth #1213 We will exhibit our machines at SpringWorld. Stop by our booth on the exhibit floor and we will show you the latest updates to the Shinko production line. We look forward to seeing you there!
Simco Spring Machinery Co, Ltd. Booth #505 Simco Spring Machinery will demonstrate our latest innovations in spring and wire forming machinery. At SpringWorld, we go BIG and SMALL to show a broad range of equipment. We’ll feature the world’s largest cold coiler, an EJ-250 8-axis CNC spring coiler with dual computers. We will produce springs from 20mm (.787”) CS wire. On the small end, we’ll feature a 12” automated grinder, the SEG-300-CBN.
Simplex Rapid Booth #1005 Simplex Rapid will feature the following machines at SpringWorld: FX 10; FX 15 (new!); MT 15 R; MC 30; AFC 1 + 2. All wrapping is equipped with the revolutionary patented system for control of preload. The new P series suction line features autoadaptive software.
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Booth #512 TBE (T. Butler Engineering, Ltd.) will be represented at this year’s Spring World as a leader in the production of high volume, high precision wire forming and spring making equipment. TBE has solutions for complex 3D shapes, fast change-over times, and integrating secondary operations for complete automated production of complex wire forms and assemblies.
Tool King Booth #1129 Tool King, Inc. is an ISO 9001: 2008 certified specialty niche metal service center. We supply manufacturers with narrow width flat-rolled carbon, stainless steel, copper based alloys and aluminum. Our value added services include both slit and round edged products that are the highest quality in our industry.
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WAFIOS
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Ulbrich Stainless Steels & Special Metals, Inc. Booth # 925 Ulbrich is a global precision re-roller and distributor of stainless steel and special metals strip, foil, shaped wire, fine wire, sheet, plate, and bar products. Known for their excellent reliability and superior performance, Ulbrich’s ability to maintain precision temper ranges engineered to suite your specific application is second to none.
United Wire Booth #1031 United Wire Company Inc. is a specialist in manufacturing flat, square, and custom-shaped wire. Whether you are looking for ferrous or non-ferrous wire, United Wire can do it all. We provide top quality and precision service to satisfy customers’ needs with competitive pricing and fast delivery.
Booth #1205 WAFIOS will demonstrate the awesome features and benefits of the WPS 3.2 EasyWay control system on the powerful FUL 36 CNC spring coiling machine, the FMU 25 CNC winding-coiling-bending machine, and the versitile BM 30 CNC wire bender for 2-3D parts. Also the economical F Series EcoCoiler will be demonstrated, and much more.
Don't miss the SpringWorld 2016 opening reception!
Zapp Booth #1315 Zapp produces semi-finished products of stainless steel and other metals, nickel, cobalt, titanium and tool steel. Our activities include consulting and the manufacture, finishing and trading of high-performance materials. Zapp products and brands are established worldwide with 14 locations in Germany, the U.S. and China.
October 5th 5–6:00pm co-hosted by CASMI and SMI
Vinston Booth #717 Vinston will showcase two new models this year. Our hybrid bender, which can support spring wires up to 4.0 mm, will be our first tabletop bender with servo slide support. Next, we will have our first 4 axis coiler, able to support up to 1.6 mm spring wire.
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SpringWorld® 2016
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Join thousands of your colleagues this fall in Rosemont.
SpringWorld provides a unique opportunity to network with other spring manufacturers and wire formers: •
The premiere spring show since 1960.
•
A global showcase for suppliers to the spring and wire form industry from 15 countries.
•
See the newest technology available to improve your productivity, quality and service.
•
One-on-one discussions with others who share your concerns offering new insights for your business.
•
Attend free educational seminars offered by exhibitors on the show floor.
We’ll see you at
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October 5-7
Donald E. Stephens Convention Center Rosemont, IL
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Plan now to attend!
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Springmaker Spotlight
SEI MetalTek Celebrates Three Anniversaries By Gary McCoy, Managing Editor
2016MetalTek, a privately owned, Dal-
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is a year of milestones for SEI
las-based holding company which acquires and operates diversified manufacturing and service businesses in the metal fabrication, processing and testing industries. Three of its six companies that specialize in making springs–Hardware Products (150 years), Colonial Spring (70 years) and Spring Engineers of Houston (50 years)–are collectively celebrating anniversaries this year equaling 270 years. “It’s unique that a company would have a 50-, 70- and 150-year anniversary all in the same year,” said Kevin Grace, CEO of SEI MetalTek. “It has been very exciting for us to be able to be part of leading and owning companies that have a history of success behind them.” SEI MetalTek grew out of the vision of Grace’s father, John R. Grace, who started Spring Engineers of Houston back in 1966. Grace said his father studied engineering at Texas A&M University, and after graduation moved to Houston, where he worked for several different oil tool manufacturing companies. “A lot of what he did in the oil tool business was designing springs for downhole tools, valves and things like that,” said Grace. John Grace eventually went to work for the Frank Hollister Company and ran the Houston operation for the company for more than 10 years. “I think (Spring Engineers of Houston) started with the fact that my father always wanted to have his own company,” said Grace.
John R. Grace
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John Grace spun off from Frank Hollister, and in 1966 Spring Engineers of Houston was born as a greenfield startup. “My father used some of his own money and borrowed a little bit to buy a coiler and a lathe,” explained Grace. “He hired a guy to run the shop and started basically doing what came naturally to him, which was marketing, selling and designing for the oil tool companies down there.” Grace said that after the oil embargoes of the early ‘70s, oil prices started to take off and the business boomed along with the oil industry. Not long after starting Spring Engineers of Houston, John Grace teamed up with Hugh A. Purnell, Jr. of the Frank Hollister Company, along with Sam Higginbotham, and they jointly started the Dallas plant of Spring Engineers. “Those two plants really drove the growth and profitability of the company throughout the ‘70s and enabled us to get into several other businesses,” explained Grace. “We were involved in an oil tool company, a production machining company and a trench shoring company. A lot of different ventures were spawned by the original Spring Engineers.” Grace said when the oil bust came along in the ‘80s it gave the Grace family the idea of wanting to stay in the spring business, but to branch out to diversify its markets and customer base.
Of the three anniversaries that SEI MetalTek celebrates this year, Grace said his father would be most proud of the 50-year anniversary for Spring Engineers of Houston. “The company he started is still going and has successfully passed to the second generation and hopefully will continue into the future,” commented Grace. “He loved the spring business in particular, but just business in general.” “That’s when we started acquiring some of the companies up in the northeast that we still have today, including Hardware Products, Colonial Spring and Triple A Spring,” explained Grace. “The John M. Dean Company was our most recent acquisition.” With over 160 employees operating from Texas and the Northeast, SEI MetalTek has achieved consistent growth in sales and profitability from both existing business and selected acquisitions, utilizing a “buy, build and hold” strategy. “We didn’t go into these acquisitions with the idea to invest and then accumulate, and then market for sale within five to seven years,” said Grace. “I think that’s primarily because we’re private, and we’re not managing money. We don’t take capital from outside investors. We’re not required to return money back to people, other than ourselves.” Grace said any assets they have divested were companies outside their primary interest area, such as for tooling, finishing operations and heat treating. “We haven’t sold any of our spring companies, and that’s the area where we want to grow in,” added Grace. Of the three anniversaries that SEI MetalTek celebrates this year, Grace said his father would be most proud of the 50-year anniversary for Spring Engineers of Houston. “The company he started is still going and has successfully passed to the second generation and hopefully will continue into the future,” commented Grace. “He loved the spring business in particular, but just business in general.” John Grace, who died in October 2006, was president of SMI from 1985 to 1987. Grace said his father didn’t have a lot of hobbies. “He played a little golf, but he and mom, a lot of their vacations, if you will, were going to the SMI conventions and his whole deal was working. He traveled a little bit, but for the most part, what he liked to do was to come to work and be involved in the operations of the company.”
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50 Years
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Spring Engineers of Houston at 50 Spring Engineers of Houston manufactures a variety of metal stampings and wire forms. Custom springs products include compression springs, extension springs, torsion springs, custom coil springs, wire spring forms, garter springs, spring washers, retaining rings, bow springs and customer Laser cutting is a relatively new in-house service for Spring Engineers of Houston. spring assemblies. Patrick Barr serves as the division president of Spring Engineers of Houston and has been with SEI MetalTek since “I think [more demanding quality October 2010. Barr, a veteran of the spring industry, began requirements] goes back to the BP his career at Associated Spring more than 30 years ago, after earning a degree in mechanical engineering from Texas Tech. well problem in the Gulf of Mexico a Barr said Spring Engineers of Houston has grown beyond its origins in oilfield-related parts to become a few years ago. That was extremely supplier to the aerospace industry and in general comcostly for BP and as a result they tend mercial work. Though Barr says, “Much of our business is still energy-related.” to be very demanding on the quality Barr says like most industries, the energy sector has requirements of their vendors,” increasingly had more demanding quality requirements. “I think it goes back to the BP well problem in the Gulf explained Barr. “In fact, it’s very similar of Mexico a few years ago. That was extremely costly for to what’s found in the aerospace BP and as a result they tend to be very demanding on the quality requirements of their vendors,” explained Barr. industries. They still want high “In fact, it’s very similar to what’s found in the aerospace industries. They still want high service, competitive pricservice, competitive pricing and ing and high quality requirements. It’s a very demanding high quality requirements.” industry. The materials are different, because they are usually a lot more exotic, but it’s not unlike the automotive Laser cutting is a relatively new in-house service for industry in terms of demands and customers.” Barr says Spring Engineers of Houston sticks to its market Spring Engineers of Houston. “Most of our finishing work niche, “which is low-to-medium volumes, high variety, high is done outside. It could be anything from black oxide to things like Xylan, so fairly exotic coatings. Occasionally quality requirements, unusual parts and exotic metals.” He adds, “And we have been pretty successful with it.” we’ll have gold-plated parts, so we tend to use a wide He says among the SEI MetalTek family of companies, variety of coatings.” Spring Engineers of Houston tends to work with metals With Barr being in the spring industry for over 30 years, that the rest do not use. “We use exotic metals, primarily he said there are things he’s noticed that have changed, due to our work in the energy industry. In many cases including large customer automation systems. there are corrosive agents involved, and as a result, a lot “Instead of customers just faxing or emailing a purchase of applications require corrosion-resistant metal.” order (P.O.), you have to go to their website and download In addition to exotic metals, Barr says Spring Engineers of the P.O.s or do the processing there. I would say most of Houston makes physically larger parts than other SEI divisions. the major customers are doing that now,” explained Barr. “We’ve made springs as large as one-inch diameter bar “Sometimes that works okay and sometimes it’s a big here, and we pretty regularly run parts that are five-eighths headache, just from the standpoint that you have to be to three-quarter-inch-diameter raw material,” he said of familiar with 20 different supplier or customer systems.” the large parts they produce. “We do very small springs Barr says no major celebrations are currently planned down to, say, one-eighth-inch OD (outside diameter) and for the company’s 50th anniversary. “We’ve promoted it fifteen-thousandths of wire. We also do wire forms and on our website and in our marketing materials.” He said stampings. We also have laser cutting in-house.” an open house could be held down the road.
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70 Years
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Colonial Spring Turns 70 Located in the center of the springmaking capital of Bristol, Connecticut, Colonial Spring started in 1946 in nearby Hartford. The company expanded to a larger facility in Bloomfield, Connecticut in 1958 before settling into to its current Bristol location in 1977. The company was originally founded by Stewart Small and initially developed expertise in small compression springs for aerosol applications. “Little pumps, such as what you would see in a Windex bottle,” explained Bill Lathrop, who serves as division president for Colonial Spring. “The aerosol business was a big business for Colonial for a long time.” Lathrop says the market changed when Colonial’s largest aerosol customers was purchased by an Italian company in the early 2000s and all the production moved to Italy. According to the company website, Colonial Spring leveraged its aerosol applications beyond that one type of product. “The company added fourslide equipment, power presses, torsion and wire-forming equipment. Today, Colonial has 45,000 square feet of manufacturing where our associates use multi-axes forming equipment, a greatly expanded fourslide capacity, specialized coiling and torsion spring equipment and sophisticated test equipment. Our tool design and build expertise is supported by the latest CAD software and modern equipment.” Lathrop said that in 1999 Colonial Spring acquired HanDee Spring Co., which increased the size of the company and initiated its entrance to the aerospace market. The name of the company changed to Colonial/Handee Spring in recognition of the acquisition. The penetration into the aerospace market has played a significant role in fostering growth and improvement in the company, explained Lathrop. In 2003, Colonial/ HanDee Spring became registered to ISO 9001:2008 and AS-9100B, a designation for manufacturers whose procedures are deemed robust enough to produce critical, flight-oriented components. In 2004, Colonial/HanDee Spring merged with Triple A Spring. It was at that time that Lathrop was tapped to run the combined company. Lathrop was hired in 1999 by SEI MetalTek to run Triple A Spring, after they had acquired the company in December 1998. Triple A Spring specialized in strip and wire components processed on fourslide equipment. The 2004 merger expanded Colonial’s customer base and brought professional management to the combined company. During the first half of 2006, SEI MetalTek purchased the balance of Colonial/Handee Spring and the company later reverted to its Colonial Spring Company name. As Colonial Spring celebrates 70 years in business in 2016, the company continues to be known for providing
“Everybody talks about the graying of the workforce. We’ve got a number of people who have been here a good amount of years. We also have a young apprentice, and a couple of younger folks coming along,” explained Lathrop. “This group has been together for quite a while. They all know each other pretty well, and the shop is pretty harmonious right now. I’m very pleased with it. We did some reorganization early in the year, and that seems to be panning out really, really well.” a wide array of components to aerospace, automotive, HVAC, lighting, medical, military and mining customers. Lathrop began his career in the spring industry straight out of college in 1978, after graduating from the University of Connecticut with a mechanical engineering degree. He started out as a product engineer for Associated Spring. He later worked for Economy Spring and Connecticut Spring before joining Triple A/SEI MetalTek. He also holds an MBA from the University of Hartford. Colonial Spring remains relatively small, with an employee base of slightly more than 20 employees. “The focus right now is on aircraft, but that doesn’t mean we’ve tossed aside everybody else. You focus where the growth is, so that’s what’s taking up our attention right now,” explained Lathrop. With a company that started out making high volume parts, Lathrop says the focus has shifted to lower volume,
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An assortment of products made by Colonial Spring (l-to-r) for the aerospace, military and security industries.
highly technical type stuff. “Higher volume parts are tough for a small company to be competitive with, because you need a lot of volume, the margins are low and we just didn’t have the equipment that some of our big competitors could afford to go and get.” One new area of growth has been into the medical market. Lathrop describes the company’s culture through the lens of a small, dedicated workforce. “Everybody talks about the graying of the workforce. We’ve got a number of people who have been here a good
amount of years. We also have a young apprentice, and a couple of younger folks coming along,” explained Lathrop. “This group has been together for quite a while. They all know each other pretty well, and the shop is pretty harmonious right now. I’m very pleased with it. We did some reorganization early in the year, and that seems to be panning out really, really well.” Lathrop says Colonial Spring is waiting till its 75th anniversary to have a big celebration. “I’m sure at 75 we’ll kick up our heels a little bit,” he said with a chuckle.
Elgiloy Haynes Hastelloy Inconel C
Incoloy
M
Y
Monel
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
STRETCH YOUR OPTIONS
Your business expands and contracts, which is why Elgiloy Specialty Metals has more than 50 exotic alloys in stock right now. Our ability to deliver exactly what you need, in strip, wire, and bar, rolled and drawn to your specifications, is what has won us the loyalty of manufacturers around the globe. From 2 pounds to 20 tons you can trust Elgiloy to deliver on your high performance alloy requirements.
Titanium MP 35N Nimonic
Call Elgiloy at 888-843-2350 or email wire@elgiloy.com or strip@elgiloy.com Elgiloy is a trademark of Elgiloy Specialty Metals. MP35N is a trademark of SPS Technologies. Haynes 25 is a trademark of Haynes International. Inc. Inconel, Incoloy, Monel are trademarks of Specialty Metals Corp.
www.elgiloy.com
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150 Years
A 150 Year Milestone at Hardware Products Not many spring manufacturers can talk about starting business in 1866 in the historic North End of Boston, a stone’s throw away from Paul Revere’s house. Located now in nearby Chelsea, Massachusetts, HPC can rightfully brag about its 150 anniversary and for having Alexander Graham Bell as an early customer. Bell was known for visiting the company to sample springs to use in his telephonic device. With only three owners during its history, the company has evolved into a leading manufacturer of custom and standard compression extension, flat, and torsion springs specializing in short runs. HPC president Ted White has worked for two of the owners, including its current ownership of SEI MetalTek. White says the company provides springs from one of the oldest spring catalogs in the United States, with many items available through the company’s online catalog. To mark its 150th anniversary, Secretary of Housing and Economic Development for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Jay Ash paid a visit to HPC’s Chelsea facility June 30, 2016. Ash toured the manufacturing facility and witnessed HPC’s production of high-precision suspension components produced for a multitude of applications and markets, including industrial and medical, among others. Ash gave a keynote address at their breakfast buffet event, praising HPC for contributing to the Bay State economy. Ash further noted that HPC exemplifies the economic growth ideals focused on sustaining a skilled workforce, manufacturing and exporting production, while creating U.S. jobs. He congratulated the company for its tenacity of being one of the oldest manufacturers of springs in the country. White said in a news release surrounding the event, “Hardware Products 150th anniversary is a testament to
Not many spring manufacturers can talk about starting business in 1866 in the historic North End of Boston, a stone’s throw away from Paul Revere’s house. Located now in nearby Chelsea, Massachusetts, HPC can rightfully brag about its 150 anniversary and for having Alexander Graham Bell as an early customer. Bell was known for visiting the company to sample springs to use in his telephonic device. the many generations of extremely talented and dedicated employees who have consistently demonstrated their ability through the shifting times to innovate and create quality springs, touted for their fit, finish, reliability—and most importantly—function. It’s our philosophy, which insists upon continuous improvement of our processes, the highest grade of materials, the finest degree of metallurgy, and putting the product and customer over a dollar that has spelled enduring success and longevity for us. “We’ve seen many innovations (been in the forefront of a few) and changes to the methods and scope of the spring industry over the years. We take great pride in bringing to life springs from a segment of spooled wire—ranging in different size and diameter, capable of supporting tens of thousands of pounds of force—for 150 years and beyond,” he concluded. HPC was originally owned by the Goodnow family, a family headed by John Goodnow. The Goodnow family operated the HPC for more than 100 years. But with no family to take over
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Left: Celebrating the 150th anniversary of Hardware Products at a special event on June 30 were (l-to-r): Jay Ash, Ted White and Hap Porter. Center: The production floor at Hardware Products in Chelsea, Mass.
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Right: The coiling operations at Hardware Products are an important part of its commitment to make short run, high precision parts.
the business, the company was sold to George Underwood in 1971 (he served as SMI president from 1979-1981). After successfully running the company for many years, Underwood approached John Grace about buying Hardware Products. John Grace and Underwood had become friends through SMI. Instead of selling directly to Grace, the business was sold to the Catalyst Group, which had 50 percent ownership by the Grace family and 50 percent ownership by investment bankers. Hap Porter, president and COO of SEI MetalTek, was president of Hardware Products at the time of the sale, having run the company for Underwood for many years. He continued to run the company for the Catalyst Group until the Grace family bought out the interests of the investment bankers in 1993 to become sole owners of the company. HPC continued to be run by Porter, with White serving as Porter’s right hand man. White took over running Hardware Products in 1998 when Porter became president/ COO of SEI MetalTek. “I told Hap, ‘We’d like to buy some more companies and I need a president and chief operating officer to help me integrate the operations,’” explained Grace. Grace and Porter have enjoyed a 25-plus year association, with Porter being the only outside family member to own stock in SEI MetalTek. Grace, his brother John and his sister Cindy, all own equal shares in the company, with Porter owning a portion of the holding company as well. Grace said SEI MetalTek is proud to be the third owner of Hardware Products. “Companies like this just have a remarkable capacity to stay in business. I don’t know how many businesses can point to having the same name, and the same sort of markets, and enjoy that sort of longevity,” said Grace. “The company, since the end of the Civil War, has been able to maintain profitability. Hardware Products is kind of unique in that, since we took over ownership in 1991, it has never had a loss in any single month. It’s been a prolific story, and it’s not a sexy company, but it’s just been a really,
really successful company. It’s the same with several of our other divisions, but Hardware Products is unique in that it’s been doing it for 150 years now.” White started at the company straight out of college in 1974, helping Underwood bring computerization into the business. While known initially for its stock spring line, the company now distinguishes itself through its ability to make short run, high precision parts. White describes HPC as “truly a short order job shop.” He says the company serves one of the broadest Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes in the spring industry. White says one thing Hardware Products has specialized in is helping other SMI member companies, who are accustomed to larger runs, satisfy their customer’s R&D needs. “They will frequently come to Hardware Products to make 10 pieces for them,” said White of the practice. “It is more economical than the down time necessary on one of their larger run production machines. “We are small run specialists, and to properly serve these markets we have always been a rapid response company,” said White.
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The SEI MetalTek Family Tree
Hardware Products
Colonial Spring
John M Dean, Co.
Goodnow Family
Small Family
John M Dean Family
George Underwood
Grace Family/ Hap Porter
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Grace Family/ Hap Porter
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Here’s an ownership list of the various companies in the SEI MetalTek family of companies, beginning with the original owners.
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Into The Future Grace says he’s proud that several SEI MetalTek employees serve as volunteers with SMI. White is on the SMI board and serves as chairman of the magazine committee. Lathrop also serves on the board and is the co-chair of the trade show committee, responsible for helping produce the SMI Metal Engineering eXpo in Oct. 2017 in Hartford. Barr is a member of the technical committee, and Porter is the immediate past president of SMI. Grace says it’s a legacy started by his father. “My dad and all the people that he worked with loved SMI. They were all involved in it. I think my dad would tell you that being able to serve as president of SMI was one of the greatest honors that was bestowed upon him and he loved it.” As far as a next generation running SEI MetalTek, Grace said the jury is still out. His brother, John, has retired from the company and has no children to succeed him. His sister, Cindy, has three daughters. One works for Shell Oil as a mechanical engineer, while another is studying to be a medical doctor. “Cindy’s third daughter is studying math at Texas A&M, so the jury is still out on her.” Grace says in his own family, his daughter Emily worked at SEI MetalTek for three years, but recently moved to New York City to work as an HR business partner with a company there. His son, Stephen, earned a math degree and just recently started working in the finance and accounting areas at the company’s Dallas facility. “He’s doing well, but hasn’t celebrated his first anniversary yet. The jury’s still out on his future with the company.” Porter’s daughter, Laurent, works for White at Hardware Products as the company’s accountant and bookkeeper. While Porter’s son, Gordon, recently moved back to the Boston area, he does not work for SEI MetalTek and is involved in the marketing industry. “Everything is running well right now, and as long as we can continue to find experienced and capable people, then it’s a good option for Hap and I to continue to run the company,” explained Grace. “Whether we pass it to a
Spring Engineers of Houston
Grace Family/ Hap Porter
SEI MetalForms
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John R. Grace
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Hugh Purnell
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Grace Family/ Hap Porter
next generation of family, or whether we pass it to a next generation of managers remains to be seen. Right now we have no specific interest in selling or doing anything different, like redeploying resources, or getting outside of the spring industry, or anything like that.” While the future of SEI MetalTek may not be readily apparent at the moment, what is clear is that the company is savoring the opportunity to celebrate its unique triple milestone anniversaries that 2016 presented. n
Leaders in Constant Force Spring technology
springcompany.com • 215.368.7700
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Zapp-Precision-Strip-Springs-Winter-final.pdf
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Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
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everal years ago, a very bright and insightful educator friend of mine recommended that I read “Mindset” by Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck. He said it was a book that was center stage in the educational field but he also felt I would find it useful personally and for work. He was right on the mark. This is a book that changed my own beliefs on growth and development and it has proven to be very helpful in our organization. Dweck came about her insights years ago working with children. She gave them some problems to work on but intentionally gave them examples that were beyond their current skill level. Some children got frustrated and quit working; that was not surprising. What was very surprising were the children who relished the challenge. They were excited to try something new and hard. They were excited to push themselves to learn something new. She and her team found that how a student views their own abilities played an important role in their motivation and their achievement. This led Dweck to develop her theory of fixed and growth mindsets. An individual with a fixed mindset thinks that intelligence is static. You are either born smart or not as smart. Not much you can do about it, so they think. This individual will look for things that affirm this view of their abilities, avoiding things that undercut this view. For example, a person with a fixed mindset is much less likely to take on a challenge. Instead they will look for confirmation of their intelligence, for example, by staying within a comfort zone of activities. An individual who believes that their intelligence is not static but can always develop and improve has a growth mindset. They enjoy challenges and are always on the prowl to learn new things. They are much more interested in learning for the pure joy of it than in proving their abilities to others. They
enjoy building new skills. Her research shows that individuals with a growth mindset may also handle depression better. For example, they are likely to remain productive as a way to work through their depression. “Mindset” was written in 2006. In the ensuing 10 years, we have had the opportunity to follow its application and implementation. Dweck recently revisited what she has seen happen with the approach to mindset. (See Education Week; “Carol Dweck Revisits the ‘Growth Mindset’” published online, Sept. 22, 2015.) While very happy with the spread of this way of looking at abilities, she also reflects on the pitfall and misunderstandings in its application. For example, she points out that “perhaps the most common misconception is simply equating the growth mindset with effort. Certainly, effort is key for students’ achievement, but it’s not the only thing. Students need to try new strategies and seek input from others when they’re stuck. They need this repertoire of approaches, not just sheer effort, to learn and improve.” She also warns against simply praising effort when learning is not taking place. Her greatest fear is that educators and others will use the concept of a growth mindset to counter the “failed self-esteem movement.” She does not want to see the growth mindset concept used to hide achievement gaps. The goal is to look at current achievement levels of all students and figure out how to help them improve. In addition, Dweck is concerned that her work has been misinterpreted and used as a label to apply to students who are not learning. The student is given the label of having a fixed mindset. Professor Dweck points out that most of us are a combination of fixed and growth mindset. It is rare that an individual has either a 100 percent fixed or 100 percent growth mindset. In her more recent
writings, she states the importance of acknowledging to ourselves that we likely possess both mindsets. This acknowledgment will keep us looking to grow and also help lead us away from labeling others. Mindset has become one of the predominant modes of thinking in education. I think it is very likely to have the same general acceptance and prominence in business for several reasons. For example, Mindset is very consistent with Lean. In Lean, one constantly looks to improve and make things better. Each inefficiency is viewed as an opportunity to improve. Mindset is very consistent with the Lean tool of, “Plan, Do, Check and Adjust,” in which the individual looks back at the problem-solving technique and results to see how they can be improved. Equally important, Lean focuses not on the individual but on the problem and provides skills to help all employees work to solve a problem. Mindset’s focus on openly confronting problems as opportunities for growth is exactly what one strives for in Lean. A second factor that will lead to the growth of Mindset in business relates to the millennials that are entering our workforce. It is critically important that
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we work with them in a manner that is consistent with their way of thinking. Since most of them will have been exposed to the growth mindset ideas, we need to be able to relate to them in the same way. Thus, mindset is having a major impact on our approach to hiring. In fact, I found that it was actually instrumental in someone joining the company. After we had hired this talented individual and she got to know me better, she said that one of the reasons she joined Gibbs is that she is a big believer in the idea of a growth mindset and Dweck’s work. She could tell from my initial interview and conversation with her that I also believed in it. Thus, she knew there was a good chance she would be happy at Gibbs. It’s no surprise that she has been an outstanding addition to the team. We are already starting to see the application of Mindset in business research. In the November 2014 Harvard Business Review there is an article titled: “How Business Can Profit from a Growth Mindset.” The article points out that Dweck is now taking her work beyond individuals to see how it can be used by managers and organizations. Dweck and her colleagues are working
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with a consulting firm to explore the idea more closely. They found, through their questioning of employees at seven Fortune 1000 companies that organizations can have fixed or growth mindsets. They learned that in fixed mindset companies there is more of a star system. They found that supervisors “in growth-mindset companies expressed significantly more positive views about their employees than supervisors in fixed mindset companies, rating them as more innovative, collaborative, and committed to learning and growing.” It is still not clear if growth mindset companies outperform a fixed mindset company. But it does look like the growth mindset company has happier employees. At Gibbs, we have taken the mindset concept and modified our employee review process. It is now a feedback process, where we focus on both the company’s needs and the employee’s need to grow. This has led us to do a better job of promoting internally. I also strongly recommend “An Everyone Culture: Becoming a Deliberately Developmental Organization” by Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey. The authors discuss mindset and its applica-
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bility in organizations where everyone is working to overcome their barriers to change and development. I think it is going to be very interesting to see how things play out in the coming years. Will the focus on a growth mindset in education change the expectations of candidates who start coming to our businesses? Will mindset and the deliberately developmental organization move to the forefront the way Lean was a guiding force for so many of us? Will Lean and Mindset and the Deliberately Developmental Organization merge together? The answers to these questions may lie in a story Dweck uses in a TedTalk. She references a school in Scandinavia that does not give failing grades. Instead, they give the grade “not yet!” Maybe that same answer applies to Mindset and business. It has reached acceptance in many areas; in others “not yet.”n Review by Bill Torres, CEO & President, Gibbs.
Have a favorite business book you would like to tell us about? Send your suggestions to Springs managing editor Gary McCoy at gmccoy@ fairwaycommunications.com.
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Global CTE News Highlights
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Nearly 9,000 Students Attend MiCareerQuest
Students wrapped colorful pipe cleaners around dowels to make torsion, compression and extension springs while learning about spring forces. They were challenged to name where they may have seen such springs.
Students gathered around the Itaya machine to spin the manual pulse generator (hand wheel), instructing the machine to produce a spring.
Employers from four industry sectors — advanced manufacturing, construction, health care and information technology — worked together to produce exciting, interactive exhibits for middle and high school students Tuesday, May 10, for MiCareerQuest 2016. The event was held at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Three SMI member companies participated in the advanced manufacturing sector of MiCareerQuest, including Wolverine Coil Spring Co., Michigan Spring and Stamping and A.I. Technology Inc. “I want to thank A.I. Technology for participating with us in this important event and for bringing one of their Itaya machines to wow the students,” said Jay Dunwell, president of Wolverine Coil Spring Co. “I also want to thank Michigan Spring and Stamping for helping support this effort.” The estimated 8,600 students who attended MiCareerQuest 2016 had a half-hour in each industry sector to engage with professionals and experience firsthand some of the activities of the trade. Additionally, representatives from higher education were on-site to help students make the connection between training, education and careers. MiCareerQuest was created in 2015 by Michigan Works! Kent, Allegan and Barry Counties (now West Michigan Works!), Kent ISD and the Construction Workforce Development Alliance in response to employers’ need for future talent. For more information, visit www.micareerquest.org. n
(Editor’s note: Springs introduced a new department in the Winter 2016 issue devoted to news about Career & Technical Education (CTE). Please keep us posted about efforts in your area to attract students to careers in the spring and wire forming industry.)
Students waited in long lines for the opportunity to hand crank a mechanical coiling machine and produce their own slinky-like spring. This area was one of the biggest hits in the entire manufacturing quadrant.
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Inside SMI
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SMI Will Co-Host Opening Reception at SpringWorld 2016 SMI and CASMI will co-host the opening reception October 5 during SpringWorld 2016 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. Show attendees are invited to the event which will be held immediately after the opening day of the show from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The reception will include beverages and light snacks. “We are pleased to announce joint sponsorship of the reception which provides a relaxing atmosphere at the conclusion of the first day of SpringWorld with the opportunity to network with industry peers,” said SMI president Mike Betts. SpringWorld 2016 takes place Oct. 5–7. Visit www.casmi-springworld.org for more information. Right: SMI leaders greet attendees during the opening reception at SpringWorld 2014.
Mark DiVenere Receives Distinguished Service Award Mark DiVenere president of Gemco Manufacturing Company in Southington, Connecticut received the “E. Bartlett Barnes Distinguished Service Award” from the Bristol Chamber of Commerce at the organization’s 127th Annual Dinner June 16, 2016. DiVenere is a current member of the SMI board of directors and serves on the association’s trade show committee. In 2015, DiVenere completed 19 years of service as a board member and past president of the New England Spring and Metalstamping Association (NESMA). A lifelong resident of Bristol, Connecticut, DiVenere is active and engaged in the community with a strong belief that “each of us has to take responsibility for carrying on the traditions of the previous generations.” He has served on numerous boards and chaired a variety of committees over the years. DiVenere says he prefers working with organizations whose primary charge is to offer opportunities to the children of his local community. n
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Simco offers 5-9 axis CNC coiling machines covering 0.80mm-30.0mm (.032-1.2”) wire range. Simco also offers a full range of crush and down feed grinders. Not only do we provide cost-effective solutions and use the latest technology, we also world-class service and support.
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Simco CBN-300-2-CBN grinder with optional flexible autofeeding (not shown)
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Machine Guarding and Safety Issues Discussed at Summer Meeting
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MI’s regulatory compliance committee met in special session this summer at SMI’s office in the Chicago area. Led by chairman Steve Wunder of Duer/Carolina Coil, Inc., the committee discussed ideas to help meet the needs of member companies, especially in the areas of machine guarding and safety support. Participants in the meeting included: Laura HelmrichRhodes, Lynne Carr and Dina Sanchez from SMI and Jim Maronde of Spiros Industries, Inc. In addition, special guests from Rockford Systems and the National Safety Council participated to share their expertise. “This meeting was convened by the regulatory compliance committee to develop a steering committee to identify the needs of members and included information from a survey that Laura conducted when she started working with SMI as our regulatory compliance consultant,” explained Wunder. “Among the top items in the survey was the need to develop basic machine guarding guidelines and principles, and information on the fundamentals of organizing a safety program.” Wunder says as SMI’s consultant, “It is not possible for Laura to be in all places at the same time to help our members. This meeting was a recognition that we need to develop resource mechanisms to help SMI members be in compliance, regardless of where they are located.” Representatives from Rockford Systems, known as “the machine guarding people,” advised the committee that the use of ANSI B11 machine hazard risk assessment is the best way to guard any machine. The standard helps provide a risk scoring system. The committee is waiting for a proposal from Rockford Systems on how SMI could use the ANSI standard. “It would be more of a guideline than a standard,” explained Wunder. Wunder says this could eventually develop into a pilot program for machine guarding. The National Safety Council reviewed the vast amounts of information available through the Council that could be made available to SMI members. In addition to a proposal from Rockford Systems, the regulatory compliance committee is waiting for a proposal from the National Safety Council. After receiving these
proposals, the committee will make recommendations to SMI’s executive committee of how to proceed. With the redesign of the SMI website underway, Wunder says many of the resources discussed during the meeting could eventually be available to members in the “SMImember only” section of the website. “This repository of information would be a great resource, specific to our industry, that would provide even more incentives for manufacturers of springs and wireforms to be members of SMI,” said Wunder. For more information or to provide feedback about SMI’s committees, contact SMI’s executive director, Lynne Carr, at lynne@smihq.org or 630-495-8588. n
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New Products
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Alloy Wire International Introduces New Technical Brochure Alloy Wire International used its recent appearance at wire 2016 to showcase its new brochure for round, shaped profile, wire rope and electrical resistance wire. The 84-page publication lists more than 60 different types of exotic nickel alloys, including Inconel®, Nimonic®, Hastelloy and Ni-Span C902®. The brochure provides specification data sheets on each alloy, detailing useful information on post heat treatment guidance and mechanical properties, both useful to customers when designing wire forms. More than 300 copies have been picked up or sent out to existing and potential customers from the automotive, aerospace, defense, oil and gas, medical and nuclear sectors. The glossy A4 publication is heading across the world too, with destinations ranging from Istanbul, Nairobi, Sydney and Shanghai. “The Alloy Wire Technical Brochure is always very well received, but this year it has surpassed our expectations,” explained Mark Venables, managing director of Alloy Wire International. “A number of customers have been waiting for the brochure to be produced as it gives them such a definitive range of information on all of the alloys we supply in one place.” The company has recently added high performance alloys Nitronic 50 (0.025 to 5.50mm) and Super Duplex (0.025 to 6.50mm) to its extended range and can now draw from 21mm in a lot of different alloys. Venables concluded, “In addition to all the technical information, we wanted to give people a flavor of Alloy Wire International and the special culture that makes us different from our competitors. The front of our brochure looks at the sectors we serve, our global reach and our commitment to investing in the latest technology and our people.” To request a copy of the technical brochure, visit www.alloywire.com or follow @alloywire on Twitter.
Alco Springs Industries Launches Updated Website Alco Springs Industries, a global provider of hot wound springs for a wide range of industrial applications, has launched its newly redesigned website at www.alcospring.com. “It’s important to have a site that’s easy to navigate and delivers what today’s users expect from an online experience,” said Clayton Baker, vice president and general manager. “Customers want to find essential information quickly and easily.” The new site features a responsive design that adapts to the type of device being used – mobile, tablet or desktop. Brief, bullet-point summaries of Alco’s products and services are provided, with greater detail available with a simple click. “Research has shown that business-to-business websites often rank
significantly lower in terms of usability than other types of sites,” said Baker. “We focused on blending a fresh, appealing design with compelling content to deliver a hassle-free online experience that is tailored to customers’ interests and immediate needs.” More information about Alco Spring Industries and its products is available by calling 708-755-0438 or by visiting www.alcospring.com.
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New Products
3D Printing and Custom Molded Grit Blast Protection in Shot Peening Applications
| Steve | 2016/09/14 16:42:55 | CyanMagentaYellowBlack | GRACoL2013_CRPC6 | 3 | 2406 | 100# House Gloss Enamel
Guysonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Model RXS-400 (Rotary Indexing Spindle) system is designed to accommodate specific shot peening specifications. The system is equipped with a Model 75-12 Cyclone Reclaimer Classifier for size control, Spiral Separator for shot shape control and D-2000 Dust Collector. Shot peening requires precision Almen test strip fixtures to ensure accuracy on the final part. Many parts such as gears, turbine blades, and engine casings require test strips to be located at obscure angles to provide accurate results. A higher level of accuracy can be achieved for Almen test strip placement by using a 3D printed alignment structure during the fabrication process. This accuracy is required for compliance to such specifications as AMS-2430,AMS2432,Mil-S-13165 and BAC-5730. Almen test strip mounting plates are strategically placed within a 3D CAD model to locate the areas of the part, requiring specific peening intensities. Once the locations are set, a structure is designed to hold each test strip mounting plate during the welding process.
The structure is then 3D printed in thermoplastic using a FDM process. The 3D printed structure is sent to the weld shop to be used as a fabrication jig. The welder can quickly and accurately place and tack weld each test strip mounting plate without deforming the thermoplastic. Once all positions are set, stronger welds are added and the thermoplastic structure melts and is removed. The finished fixture can now be used to precisely mount Almen test strips for accurate testing of saturation, peening intensity and gun alignment. Many parts require precise masking and protection for certain zones directly adjacent to areas requiring blasting. Durable molded blast resistant materials are utilized to accurately define these zones. The areas and surfaces needing protection are identified within a 3D CAD model of the part. Masking is designed with several parameters in mind: blast media, pressure and angle. Molds can be made of fiberglass, silicone or urethane depending on size, shape and final mask material. Different materials will deteriorate at various rates depending on the blast angle. For
example, a molded urethane will survive longer in direct blast than it will at sharp angles. Among other considerations, the designer must take into account how often the operator will remove the mask, and the ease of mask removal.
HSF Series Strip â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Link Belt Ovens HSI and Forming Systems, Inc. announce the new additions of the HSF265 and HSF325 models to the HSF series of Strip-Link furnaces. The HSF series furnaces are suitable for torsion springs, extension springs and wire formed parts with protruding ends. These ovens are ideal for parts with wire diameters smaller than 1mm and preventing part distortion caused by part ends getting caught in the standard mesh type belts. The HSF ovens are also available with the optional AIAG CQI9 or the aerospace AMS2750E configurations. For additional information, contact Forming Systems, Inc. at info@formingsystemsinc.com or call 269-679-3557.
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59986 | New Products
| Steve | 2016/09/14 16:42:55 | CyanMagentaYellowBlack | GRACoL2013_CRPC6 | 3 | 2406 | 100# House Gloss Enamel
DelZero Ink for Spring Identification DelZero Ink from Dell Marking System was recently formulated with no use of volatile organic compounds (VOC) or solvents, to provide a safer and more environmentally acceptable spring identification method. This new product has been successfully tested on phosphated and unphosphated, clean and oily spring surfaces. DelZero cuts cost and time of production with its capability to air dry in seconds without the use of a heat drying system. This product is capable of being integrated into any spring production process, and has vast ability to be used in several different marking methods. The innovative ink is permanent on the surface when dried. Dell offers an unlimited color selection, and has the ability to customize in order to meet specialized marking needs. For more information, contact Dell at 248547-7750 or customerservice@dellid.com. n
Advertiser's Index A & D Trading (440) 563-5227. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Admiral Steel (800) 323-7055. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Alloy Wire International (866) 482-5569. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 CASMI (630) 369-3466. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Central Wire (800) 435-8317. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Century Spring, Division of MW Industries (800) 237-5225. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Diamond Wire Spring Co. (800) 424-0500. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Elgiloy Specialty Metals (847) 695-1900. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Fenn/Torin (860) 594-4300. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Forming Systems Inc. (877) 594-4300. . inside front cover, back cover Gibbs Wire (800) 800-4422. . . inside back cover Gibraltar Corporation (847) 769-2099. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Industrial Steel & Wire (800) 767-0408. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
InterWire Products Inc. (914) 273-6633. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 JN Machinery (224) 699-9161. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 John Evansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Sons (215) 368-7700. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 KB Delta (800) 632-3994. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Kiswire (201) 461-8895. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Larson Systems (763)780-2131. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Lucky-Winsun Enterprise 866-4-23374938. . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Mapes Piano String Co. (423) 543-3195. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Mount Joy Wire (717) 653-1461. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 NIMSCO (563) 391-0400 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 North American Spring Tool (860) 583-1693 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Orimec (859) 746-3318. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Proto Manufacturing (800) 965-8378. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Radcliff Wire (860) 583-1305. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
RK Trading (847) 640-9371. . . . . . . . . . . . 5, 65 Shinko 81-6-6794-6610. . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Simplex Rapid (563) 391-0400. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Spring Manufacturers Institute (630) 495-8588 . . . . . . . . . . . 43, 69 Suzuki Garphyttan (574) 232-8800. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Tool King (800) 338-1318. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Ulbrich Stainless Steels (203) 239-4481. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 United Wire Co. (800) 840-9481. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Vinston (847) 972-1098. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Vulcan Spring & Manufacturing Co. (215) 721-1721. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 WAFIOS (203) 481-5555. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Zapp Precision Strip (203) 386-0038. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
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Snapshot ©iStockphoto.com/Tryfonov Ievgenii, nicholas belton
Ryan Cutter Fenn LLC
Name: Ryan Cutter
| Steve | 2016/09/14 16:42:55 | CyanMagentaYellowBlack | GRACoL2013_CRPC6 | 3 | 2406 | 100# House Gloss Enamel
Company name: Fenn LLC, East Berlin, Connecticut. Brief history of your company: Founded in 1900, Fenn has been in the business of making high quality metal forming equipment in the U.S. Although Fenn is best known for its Torin spring coiler line in the spring industry, Fenn makes a wide variety of metalforming machines that include rolling mills up to 1.5 Kgf separating force, wire flattening and shaping lines, turks heads, swagers and drawbenches with up to 890 kn pull. Job title: President.
Ryan Cutter and family
Spring industry affiliations: SMI, CASMI and NESMA. Birthplace: Athol, Massachusetts. Current home: Farmington, Connecticut. Family: My wife Rebecca, my three children, Hannah,15, Julia, 13 and Nathan, 10. Family pets include our golden retriever, Misty. What I like most about being in the spring industry: Although I am not a springmaker myself, I enjoy collaborating with people who are skilled in the trade and working to help solve their problems. Favorite food: Smoked ribs. Favorite song/musician: Brad Paisley. Hobbies: Camping with the family, playing golf and brewing beer.
Favorite places: White Mountains of New Hampshire.
If I weren’t working at FENN, I would like to: Open my own craft brewery.
Best times of my life: The current!
The most difficult business decision I ever had to make was: Any decision that negatively impacted employees.
A really great evening to me is: Playing golf with great friends, or cooking dinner over a campfire with my family. The one thing I can’t stand is: Mediocrity. My most outstanding quality is: Perseverance. People who knew me in school thought I was: Thoughtful and studious, but also loved to joke around. I knew I was an “adult” when: I purchased our home and our first born arrived.
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Role models: My father. In addition, I have been blessed to work with many skilled engineers and business people who have taught me a lot along the way. I would like to be remembered in the spring industry for: Being an honest and fair person who focuses on continuous improvement and always delivers on promises. But people will probably remember me for: Being a jokester around the office.
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| 2016/09/12 12:16:30
Internal memo to Gibbsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Sales Department:
Photo courtesy of Abigail Keenan / Unsplash
When planning our next gathering of customers who told us they love our service, please remember to budget for crowd control.
gibbswire.com Connecticut | Indiana | Texas | California | North Carolina | Ontario | Mexico
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| 2016/09/12 12:16:31
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