You’ll also see other new Haas machines, including our totally redesigned VMCs and all-new ST-series turning centers that can fulfill every shop’s need for improved production. While you’re there, grab a limited-edition Haas CNC T-shirt (while supplies last) – only available at your local HFO on DD 17.

For more information, visit the Demo Day Site to find a participating HFO near you!

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With most other 5 axis table stops we’ve seen most suffer from instability from flex due to poor engineering or manufacturing.  The Pro-Stop is a solid table stop that made setups quick and easy. The body is made from 6061-T6 and pivot components are made from stainless steel to prevent rusting and to insure rigidity. The manufacturer claims the friction o-rings provide smooth, precise adjustments, but out of the box they seemed a bit sticky.  We easily open the body by loosening two screws and lubricated them with an o-ring compatible grease.  Now that’s smooth!  The spring loaded Tee-nuts definitely helped the unit slide around during positioning.  The 1/4″ stop rod can be modified, replaced or extended with longer piece of bar stock, but we opted to turn one end into a sharp point to pick up small part edges.

• Locking lever can be positioned 360º to avoid interference.
• T-nuts fit 5/8″ table studs. Unit is anodized red with a black cast aluminum handle.
• Made in the U.S.A.

Overall, a solid, well-built product.

Contact Rovi Products at (800) 423-5145 or visit them online at www.roviproducts.com for more info.

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Pierson Workholding recently released the SmartVac II Vacuum Workholding System.  The system contains many second-generation enhancements over the previous design and is modular in nature.  A complete system includes a Vacuum Base, a Vacuum Control Unit (VCU) and a Connection Kit which includes all components necessary to have the system running within minutes of opening the box. One glance at the SmartVac II and you’ll quickly appreciate the quality engineering and manufacturing that goes into a product that has certainly caused the industry to sit up and take notice.

The Vacuum Base has a surface area of 14″ x 9.5″ and provides the ability to independently hold up to 9 parts due to the multiple inlet design.  Simply gasket off a section of the grid and remove the vacuum plug for that section.  The Base is held to a machine table using the toe clamps included in the Connection Kit. The Base is precision ground flat and parallel to an accuracy of ±0.oo1″.

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The system now uses a stand-alone Vacuum Control Unit (VCU) which is unique in the fact that it uses compressed air to generate a powerful vacuum that meets or exceeds vacuums created by electric pumps.  The design is also efficient by using only 0.8 CFM to create a vacuum power of 26″ of mercury without requiring any filters or coolant traps.  The system allows users to link and operate multiple vacuum chucks from one control.  The VCU has an integrated vacuum indicator to show when a full vacuum is reached.

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Interchangeable Top Plates can be used if a part shape cannot be easily held with the grid pattern of the Base.  The Top Plates also precision ground flat and parallel and are precisely located and attached to the Base using custom locating bolts.

The system can be easily purchased as the SmartVac II Starter Package which includes one Base, one VCU and a Connection Kit all at a discounted price of $995.  Everything is manufactured in the U.S. and is backed by Pierson Workholding’s lifetime application support which advises customers on any workholding questions. The system can be purchased by contacting Pierson Workholding.

A short while back we introduced the cold air nozzle from Silvent.  This technology involves converting compressed air into a stream of cold air 40 degrees colder than what entered using no moving parts.  Intrigued?  Absolutely!  But the real question remained… How would this fascinating technology help us solve real world problems.

We first found the perfect application; Machining Class 30 cast iron dry with a compressed air stream from a simple nozzle using coated inserts which are designed to be run dry.  In previous runs the inserts would last 5 parts for a total run time of 75 minutes before the edge became so worn that the spindle load was getting too high and part finish diminished.  The worn edge was also generating cutting friction that would heat parts enough to cause dimensional changes due to part expansion.  In a nutshell, one problem was leading to another. We turned to the F1 Cold Air Nozzle from Silvent. The company carries a line of magnetic mounting bases and flexible hoses, however we opted to install and position the nozzle in our machining center using existing modular hoses and connected it to our filtered and dried air source. The installation was simple and took less than a minute.

Initially, the nozzle’s separate controls for air flow (volume) and temperature seemed unnecessary as long as it produced a cold stream of air.  However, we quickly realized the benefits of having the ability to precisely control both air flow and temperature.  Out of the box, the nozzle is factory set to the optimum balance of cooling temperature and air consumption efficiency.  On the first run we found we needed to increase air flow in order to clear chips.  A turn of the “Flow” knob allowed us to greatly increase the output CFM for a more powerful stream. At this point we ran a few parts and took measurements to check our thermal expansion as well as our tool and part temperature. Expansion was within tolerance and parts were still slightly warm to the touch.  We wanted to bring our numbers down to a more centered tolerance range and the only way to do this was to decrease the temperature of the air exiting the nozzle.  Using the included temperature chart as a guide we gave the “Temperature” knob about 5 turns until we reached a cooling temperature of nearly 30 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than what was entering the nozzle.  With this combination of airflow and cooling, parts were finishing consistently within tolerance.

Though part measurements were our biggest concern, we did find that we were able to extend tool life from 5 parts to 8 before changing inserts.  At first we couldn’t quite explain why this unexpected result was occurring however our tooling supplier reminded us that heat is one of the main enemies of tool life. Any decrease in temperature, whether it be the part or the cutter, can show positive gains in tool performance.

The F1 Cold Air Nozzle from Silvent turned out to be the perfect solution for this machining application.  Overall, our experience was extremely positive since the product is simple, effective and easy to install and adjust. We anticipate shops will benefit from other uses such as cooling heat shrink tool holders for faster tool setups and cooling welding beads to reduce the size of the heat affected zone (HAZ).

The F1 Cold Air Nozzle sells for $447 US and can be purchased directly from Silvent.  For more information on the F1 visit the product page at http://www.silvent.com/www/live/product/productview.aspx?treeid=48&groupId=1617&productId=2540.

The time saving element is almost obvious: If you currently use a small engine lathe to deburr / polish you will cut your start-stop cycle time in half. If you spend 10 seconds processing a part, your operator is spending 4 hours a day waiting for your machine to start and stop. The machines start and stop up to 31 times a minute, less than half the time needed for a small tool room lathe! Plus, because of its benchtop footprint, the Twister requires less movement by an operator which leads to faster part throughput.

The Twister shines when it comes to lower utility bills. Using single phase 110V, its energy consumption is less than 20% of the energy needed for a tool room lathe. A Twister uses about .8 KWH during an eight-hour workday. A tool room lathe uses about 4 KWH during the same time.

Finally, the twister is the perfect alternate solution for secondary operations that would typically be done on a toolroom lathe. The smaller model (LT-1BR) needs only 1 sq. ft. of workbench space, while an average toolroom lathe requires a minimum of 12 sq. ft.

It’s a no-brainer when it comes to operations such as polishing, deburring and light turning. Its use of 5C collets allow for instant shop integration. For ordering information, visit www.RoviProducts.com for more details.

The global aerospace industry has witnessed impressive growth over the past few years, with major contribution from the civil aviation segment. The US and European countries have been the prominent markets acting as catalyst for the overall market growth. Despite tough phase of economic recession, the aerospace industry has shown uptrend in line with strong market developments in the US. According to RNCOS new research report “Aerospace Industry Forecast to 2013”, the aerospace industry has emerged as the high potential market worldwide despite the negative impact of financial crisis. Significant increase in military budget and growth in air traffic have given the necessary impetus to the industry in tough times. (www.bharatbook.com )

The US represents the biggest aerospace market, with total estimated sales of US$ 214 Billion for 2009, followed by EU, Canada and Japan. However, developing economies such as China, India, Mexico and Brazil are expected to emerge as big marketplace for aerospace products in future. In fact, with 36% of the backlog of large commercial aircraft, Asia Pacific is quickly becoming the largest market for new orders.

China has witnessed massive government and private spending in the aerospace sector which ranks among the fastest growing industries worldwide. In addition, domestic aerospace majors have made their presence on the global front. It is forecasted that the country will buy above 3,700 airplanes by 2028 with an estimated value of US$ 390 Billion.

Moreover, the air traffic market is expected to 4.9% on an annual basis over the next 20 years, considerably higher than the global GDP growth rate. This will transform in the fast development of civil aerospace segment which is expected to grow at faster pace than the defense segment. It is estimated that by the end of 2029, the world’s airlines will take delivery of 29,000 commercial aircrafts with total value of US$ 3.2 Trillion to keep pace with the growing demand for air travel.

RNCOS report provides an extensive research and objective analysis of the global aerospace market and its various segments, including civil aviation and defense. It investigates both the past and current trends in the aerospace market and outlines future trends to give cutting edge market intelligence. The report has briefly studied the competitive landscape and provides unbiased SWOT analysis of key players.

To know more and to buy a copy of your report feel free to visit : http://www.bharatbook.com/detail.asp?id=87087&rt=Aerospace-Industry-Forecast-to-2013.html

Here is Lynn Tilton, CEO of Patriarch Partners, a private equity firm dedicated to strengthening manufacturers, explaining why the President’s plan is more of a sound bite than a sound plan.

CNC Software, Inc. has introduced Mastercam X4 for SolidWorks, a fully integrated CAM application that runs seamlessly in SolidWorks. SolidWorks users can now program their parts directly within SolidWorks using Mastercam’s industry-leading toolpaths and machining strategies.

Mastercam for SolidWorks provides a full suite of cutting strategies, including Feature Based Machining (FBM) and 3D High Speed Machining (HSM) toolpaths. Mastercam for SolidWorks also delivers a powerful set of automated cleanup toolpaths, letting you get parts off the machine faster and with little or no handwork.

Mastercam for SolidWorks offers many benefits to both the Mastercam and SolidWorks communities alike. It relies on familiar, shop-tested parameter screens and processes, and presents a machining tree that provides quick access to any point in the machining process.

In addition to conventional 2D programming such as pocketing and contouring, Mastercam for SolidWorks offers a range of high power machining functions:

• Dynamic Milling creates a constantly adapting toolpath that delivers more consistent cutting conditions and allows use of the entire tool flute length.
• High Speed Machining can deliver a faster turnaround and a superior finish.
• Peel Milling assures efficient constant climb milling between two selected contours or along a single contour. When cutting hardened material, the peel mill toolpath allows you to use the full flute depth of the cutter and avoid taking many shallow cuts.

There are many more toolpaths in Mastercam for SolidWorks. For more information, please visit www.mastercamforsolidworks.com.

Chalk up another casualty to the decline in the US economy and another hit towards manufacturing in this country. The December 2009 edition of American Machinist Magazine was its last printed edition. Although it wasn’t a big surprise since we reported Modern Applications News Magazine’s demise back in June ‘09, we never expected we could fly cut the thickness of AM’s last issue with a 1/16 endmill.

Before we go spraying doom and gloom because another trade magazine is gone, consider that AM is owned by a larger publishing company, Penton Media. Penton currently offers over 150 publications ranging from agriculture to electronics. When one publication isn’t bringing in their fair share of revenue, cuts are soon to follow. Consider it more of a corporate business move rather than a statement on the health of US manufacturing. It is a sentimental shame however that AM has turned its last page after 132 years of history.

Attention American Machinist advertisers: CNCReport.com is alive and well! (Shameless plug… absolutely tasteless)