As an owner of a company that buys a lot of machined parts I often receive solicitations in the form of brochures.  I appreciate the time fellow business people take in putting together marketing materials to pursue sales, but correctly pursuing a customer starts well before the stamp hits the envelope.  I received a brochure lately that reminded me of the basic principles of good visual communication: grammar, spelling, content, layout and second opinions.

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How Not to do a Brochure
The brochure I’ve used to illustrate these basics of visual communication is from a real company that is actually using this brochure to attract customers.  What they may not realize is that they may be causing customers to avoid them like the plague.  I’ve graciously hidden their name.  Though not everything they did was wrong, our English teacher here would have definitely issued an F-.  My favorite quote, “excellence in Precision manufacturing is everything we do”, might actually be true… because we sure know that basic writing isn’t.

Grammar and Spelling
Most of us in manufacturing were not top students in English, but that does not excuse us from knowing the basics of punctuation, sentence structure and capitalization that are needed to correctly communicate.  The aim of this section is not to teach these basics, but to emphasize their importance.  Even if we don’t have the skills, or don’t want to learn them, we at least have some people in our lives that can help.  Even in the worst case scenario we could make a call to the local high school to ask the English teacher to refer an AP English student.  $25-$50 to proofread or help rewrite copy would have that student thrilled.

Content
The most important aspect to a good brochure is the content. There are two sides to content – visual (photos and graphics) and copy (text).  Let’s cover the copy with two lists – Basic Copy and Optional Copy:

Basic Copy

• Company Name
• Phone number
• Address
• Website address (if any)
• Types of manufacturing processes offered
• Types of materials worked with
• Certifications and/or quality standards
• Markets served

Optional Copy

• Machinery list
• Customer list
• Size of company
• Brief company history
• Simple map showing the company location
• Contacts of key company individuals or departments

Layout

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Creating a good brochure layout is definitely a stretch for most shop owners.  Our definition of what looks good is usually defined as what type of finish it has.  Needless to say we may not even possess the talent and tools to even know where to begin to create any marketing material.  It looks like the creator of our example brochure used a company that I too have used for quite some time – VistaPrint.

VistaPrint is an online digital printing company that offers a wide range of products at excellent prices.  Whether you’re a professional graphic designer or a first time user, VistaPrint has all the tools needed to create and produce everything from shirts and mugs to business cards and brochures.  They have an extensive set of templates ready to customize with logos, photos and copy.  When choosing a layout be sure you are able to include the copy elements listed above as well as the following visual content:

• Company logo
• Current photos of your facility
• Text in a size and color that is legible
• Photos of sample parts
• Photos of key individuals or company products

Our example brochure has what is called “stock photography” on the front.  This is a no-no.  Don’t waste precious photo space with something that isn’t authentically from your company.  Make sure all photos are well lit and in focus.  Always uploading the highest resolution available or else you’ll run the risk of your photos looking pixelated.

Second Opinions

One of the more satisfying events I ever experienced was when an arrogant, know-it-all boss only trusted himself and his brown-nosing secretary to proofread his work.  It all came crashing down when a print order of nearly $6,000 was tossed in the dumpster due to a simple (and obvious) key word that was misspelled.  The rule-of-thumb is always get as many eyes on your work before production… pass around the rough draft at lunch and listen for feedback.  Good inspection is a key factor to a shop’s ongoing success so why should it be any different with marketing.  Plus, what does a poorly written brochure say about your company’s quality control?

By following these key principles of grammar, spelling, content, layout and second opinions you and your team will be equipped to create a brochure worth holding on to and not adding to the round file.

- Jay Pierson

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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.

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.

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)

The new DT-1 from Haas Automation, Inc., is a compact, high-speed drill and tap machine with full milling capabilities. The machine features a generouse 20″ x 16″ x 15.5″ work cube and 26″ x 15″ T-slot table, while maintaining a very small footprint. A powerful BT-30 taper spindle spins to 15,000 rpm, and allows tapping at speeds to 5000 rpm. The spindle is coupled directly to the motor for smooth, quiet operation and extreme thermal stability. A 15-hp vector drive system provides 46 ft-lb of continuous torque for milling and boring operations.

The DT-1 is equipped with a frighteningly fast high-speed, 20-pocket, servo-driven tool changer that swaps tools in 0.8 seconds. High-speed 2400 ipm rapids combine with 1G acceleration rates to shorten cycle times and reduce non-cutting time. The maximum cutting feedrate is 1200 ipm.

For efficient chip removal, the DT-1 features steeply sloped internal sheet metal. Optional twin chip augers transport chips to the rear of the machine for discharge. A 48-gallon flood coolant system is standard, with options for a programmable coolant nozzle and high-pressure through-tool coolant systems.

Back in March we announced a new product from Pierson Workholding – the Speed Hammer. The Speed Hammer is a combination speed handle and hammer/mallet. Most of us are familiar with their proven Pallet Retention System, but we greeted their new arrival with some skepticism. As we reported, the Speed Hammer is primarily constructed from 6061 Aluminum with UHMW faces (also known as unbreakable plastic). Was this tool a brilliant design or a design dud? We received the product and immediately put it to the test.

With any new product that the industry has never seen, widespread acceptance takes years to gain. For example, it took Haas Automation over a decade of producing vertical machining centers until they gained the unanimous stamp of approval by the manufacturing industry. They were often badmouthed by others swearing by older, slower and less advanced machines. Haas has since had the last laugh by becoming the largest domestic machine tool manufacturer.

But let’s get back to the review…

One of our first concerns that the industry might balk at was the choice of using aluminum as a vise handle. Would it endure the wear and tear of torquing down a vise? This was quickly dispelled because all speed handles are made out of aluminum and none of us think twice about that. Plus the handle is short enough where you couldn’t put enough stress on the handle to break or bend it. The beefy design allowed us to put extra “two-handed” torque on the vise when needed… something the thin spokes of a traditional speed handle couldn’t tolerate.

Pierson also reminded us that the Speed Hammer isn’t designed to replace a cast iron vise handle for all applications… just 90% of them. That’s because 90% of most parts manufactured today are small enough to fit in a 6″ vise – sometimes two parts per vise. This is where the Speed Hammer shines. The Speed Hammer is best on aluminum, plastic, brass and other small parts. It is the perfect weight and balance for tapping down this genre of parts. The entire handle has a shotpeen textured grip for a secure hold even when wet with coolant. We had no problems with the UHMW faces in any way. After a few good whacks on some sharp corners we did manage to get the faces to dent. But honestly we can’t think of any soft material that wouldn’t have a few dings after our punishing blows.

Another concern was the fact that the Speed Handle is not a dead-blow mallet. Dead-blow hammers contain lead, sand or other weighted materials to dampen the rebound from a strike and transfer the striking energy completely to the object being struck. Yes the Speed Hammer will bounce on hard strikes, but again that is not what it is designed for. Smaller parts do not require strikes that would crush the skull of idiotic drivers on L.A. freeways. Instead, to properly seat small parts only requires a few taps with finesse. If your idea of tapping down parts brings up images of Bubba the Neanderthal clubbing his dinner to death, just stick to your regular tools.

Overall performance was superb. The broached hex properly sized and is “easy-on, easy-off” with all makes of 6 and 8 inch vises. The faces are durable and soft enough to not blemish parts. It’s design is comfortable and balanced in the hand. The Speed Hammer is a product that we are not sending back to Pierson. This one stays in the shop. Using a vise just wouldn’t be the same without it… believe us, we’ve tried. Whenever we switched to machines without a Speed Hammer we caught ourselves nearly starting to tap down parts with the old cast iron handle that came with the vise!

The Speed Hammer should be in every machinist’s tool tray. As mentioned at the beginning, this product has overwhelmingly proven it’s worth to us. But as we’ve seen with other brilliant products, we predict that the industry may not embrace it as fast as it should. Shame on all those sheep-like followers in the industry! How many years will people waste monkeying around with clunky vise handles and heavy mallets? Do yourself a favor… be an industry leader and buy a couple TODAY! Plus, as of this review it is currently on sale for $39.95 directly through the Pierson Workholding website.