Lyndex-Nikken, manufacturer and provider of high-performance machine tool accessories and machine tending solutions, announces the appointment of Michael Ricketts as Product Manager - Automation, and Dwayne Perkins as Service Manager - Rotary Tables.
With more than 25 years of experience in industrial automation, Michael Ricketts brings extensive expertise in linear systems, automation distribution, and capital projects. His career has spanned multiple industries, including automotive, aerospace, commercial trailer manufacturing, and metal fabrication, giving him a broad perspective on the unique challenges faced by today’s manufacturers.
Known for identifying customer pain points and delivering measurable improvements, Ricketts has helped manufacturers increase production efficiency and units per shift, optimize labor allocation to key bottleneck areas, and achieve greater efficiency. At Lyndex-Nikken, he will lead efforts to advance the company’s workholding and machine tending product lines, ensuring customers gain access to cutting-edge automation solutions. Ricketts holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.
Dwayne Perkins joins the company with extensive global experience in CNC equipment, having installed, serviced, and trained teams on Swiss screw machines, vertical and horizontal mills, and grinders. His career spans automotive, medical, and aerospace manufacturing, where his passion for emerging technologies and dedication to knowledge sharing have left a lasting impact.
Starting his journey in machining at just 14 years old at the Edison Technical and Occupational Center, Perkins built a solid foundation in turning, milling, and grinding through formal training and a four-year apprenticeship in Swiss screw machining before advancing to leadership roles at premier manufacturing companies. At Lyndex-Nikken, he will oversee rotary table service operations, helping customers maximize performance, reliability, and uptime.
“The addition of Michael Ricketts and Dwayne Perkins underscore Lyndex-Nikken's strategic investment in top-tier talent to drive innovation and enhance customer service,” said Osmar Takeuchi, Ppresident of Lyndex-Nikken. “Michael's expertise in automation and Dwayne's background in CNC equipment and rotary tables reflect our commitment to building a team of industry experts to help manufacturers improve their productivity, reduce downtime, and strengthen their bottom line.”
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Related Glossary Terms
- computer numerical control ( CNC)
computer numerical control ( CNC)
Microprocessor-based controller dedicated to a machine tool that permits the creation or modification of parts. Programmed numerical control activates the machine’s servos and spindle drives and controls the various machining operations. See DNC, direct numerical control; NC, numerical control.
- gang cutting ( milling)
gang cutting ( milling)
Machining with several cutters mounted on a single arbor, generally for simultaneous cutting.
- grinding
grinding
Machining operation in which material is removed from the workpiece by a powered abrasive wheel, stone, belt, paste, sheet, compound, slurry, etc. Takes various forms: surface grinding (creates flat and/or squared surfaces); cylindrical grinding (for external cylindrical and tapered shapes, fillets, undercuts, etc.); centerless grinding; chamfering; thread and form grinding; tool and cutter grinding; offhand grinding; lapping and polishing (grinding with extremely fine grits to create ultrasmooth surfaces); honing; and disc grinding.
- milling
milling
Machining operation in which metal or other material is removed by applying power to a rotating cutter. In vertical milling, the cutting tool is mounted vertically on the spindle. In horizontal milling, the cutting tool is mounted horizontally, either directly on the spindle or on an arbor. Horizontal milling is further broken down into conventional milling, where the cutter rotates opposite the direction of feed, or “up” into the workpiece; and climb milling, where the cutter rotates in the direction of feed, or “down” into the workpiece. Milling operations include plane or surface milling, endmilling, facemilling, angle milling, form milling and profiling.
- turning
turning
Workpiece is held in a chuck, mounted on a face plate or secured between centers and rotated while a cutting tool, normally a single-point tool, is fed into it along its periphery or across its end or face. Takes the form of straight turning (cutting along the periphery of the workpiece); taper turning (creating a taper); step turning (turning different-size diameters on the same work); chamfering (beveling an edge or shoulder); facing (cutting on an end); turning threads (usually external but can be internal); roughing (high-volume metal removal); and finishing (final light cuts). Performed on lathes, turning centers, chucking machines, automatic screw machines and similar machines.
