Industry News for 02/2014

Absolute Machine Tools Inc. is hosting a "Discovery Day" at its new Midwest Technical Center in Elgin, Ill., on April 9 from 10:00 am until 7:00 pm. New machine tool technologies from Nexturn, Precihole, Accutex EDM, Tongtai, Johnford and Fanuc Automation, among others, will be introduced. A complimentary lunch will be served courtesy of Elgin's Portillo's Hot Dogs Inc.

A mobile digital edition app to view Cutting Tool Engineering magazine on smartphones and tablets is now available.

German clamping and gripping specialist SCHUNK has partnered with goalkeeper Jens Lehmann as the company's new brand ambassador. Managing Partner Henrik A. Schunk, an enthusiastic soccer fan, personally picked the athlete, citing "dynamics, precision, reliability and continuous top performance in the team." As a brand ambassador, Lehmann is able to communicate SCHUNK's credibly due to his proven competence in both soccer and society.

CNC machine tool manufacturer Rollomatic Inc., Mundelein, Ill., is exhibiting several new products during the GrindTec show in Augsburg, Germany, to be held March 19-22, 2014. One product on display is the GrindSmart 6-axis CNC grinder that is furnished with a traveling work head that can produce drills with a flute length up to 12". In addition, other solid-carbide drills and high-performance endmills can be manufactured. Features include a camera to locate coolant holes and a 6-station wheel and nozzle changer. 

The new Metal Loss Monitor (MLM) from Erie, Pa.-based separation technology provider Eriez enables operators to determine the quantities of valuable metals that are passing through their scrap yards unrecovered. It accomplishes this by continually scanning the residue stream for metal that has escaped the process, according to the company.

The National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS), Fairfax, Va., announced that it awarded a record number of credentials last year to individuals seeking to enter into or advance in jobs in the metalworking industry. In 2013, NIMS issued 13,888 industry-recognized credentials, representing a 58.8 percent increase from 2012.

Owners of 3-year-old vehicles (2011 model year) report more problems than did owners of 3-year-old vehicles last year, according to the 2014 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study^SM (VDS) released by market information services firm J.D. Power and Associates, Westlake Village, Calif.

Minneapolis machine shop NTM Inc. was named a partner in the KOMET SERVICE network and will provide localized tool regrinding and refurbishment services for tools from KOMET and other toolmakers, as well as sell standard and special KOMET solid-carbide tools.  

Manufacturing software provider CGTech has announced 22 North American VERICUT Users Exchange (VUE) events scheduled in 2014, with the first to be held on March 10th in Irvine, Calif., near the company headquarters.

Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in January for the eighth consecutive month, and the overall economy grew for the 56th consecutive month, say the nation's supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business. Yet, the January PMI registered 51.3 percent, a decrease of 5.2 percentage points from December's seasonally adjusted reading of 56.5 percent.

Seco Tools, Troy, Mich., was recognized for participating in the John Deere Cost Reduction Opportunities Process (JD CROP), part of Deere & Company's Achieving Excellence program. The toolmaker received the honor for the quality of its cost-reduction ideas and for demonstrating its commitment to continuous improvement, according to Seco.