Contact us today:
(847) 934-4500
tdaro@bernardandcompany.com
Contact us today:
(847) 934-4500
tdaro@bernardandcompany.com
MC726/MT-2C machining center from Stama America; 30% smaller footprint than conventional mill/turn centers
Allows six-sided processing of parts in two independent operations in five axes on single machine; twice the speed of conventional MT centers with 30% less footprint
Stama America, Itasca, Illinois announces the introduction of its MC 726/MT-2C mill/turn, twin spindle machining centers for the automotive, fluid power, tooling, medical and other industries, where parts needs to be milled and turned in production operations. This new machining center is the latest iteration of the popular TANDEM concept mill/turn centers, introduced by Stama in 2007.
Independent spindles simultaneously turn and mill in sequenced ops, often doubling productivity.
Two independent spindles are onboard, each on a traveling column assembly and each supporting an independent swivel table, one of which acts with a bar feeder mechanism. Workpieces are introduced to the turning spindle, then transitioned by a conveyorized gripper assembly to the milling indexer and fed to the milling spindle, before finally exiting the work area.
Complete six-sided machining is possible between the two cutting operations, all on one machine with approximately twice the speed of a conventional m/t center in 30% less footprint. Since the first part is being milled simultaneously to the next part being turned, the overall production operation is greatly enhanced, nearly doubling in many applications.
For more information on this new machining center, please visit our website or contact:
STAMA AMERICA
Each of the spindles is served by a swivel unit, one acting with a bar feed mechanism.
1063 Hawthorne
Itasca, IL 60143
Phone: 630-233-8101
Fax: 630-773-1660
Web: www.stama-america.com
Attention: Simon Knecht, Sales Engineer
Simon.knecht@stama-america.com
No. 863 is an electrically-heated 1400°F(~760°C) box furnace from Grieve, currently used for preheating molds. 52 KW are installed in nickel chrome wire coils supported by a stainless steel frame. A
heat resisting alloy recirculating blower is powered by a 7½ HP motor with a V-belt drive. The blower provides upward airflow to the oven. Workspace dimensions are 30” wide x 48” deep x 30” high.
The unit has 7” thick insulated walls with stainless steel covers. The oven was specially built with inert atmosphere construction. This consists of a continuously welded outer shell, high temperature door gasket, sealed heater terminal boxes, inert atmosphere inlet and inert atmosphere outlet.
Controls onboard No. 863 include a motor-operated vertical lift door and a 4-point strip chart recorder.
For more information, please contact: THE GRIEVE CORPORATION, 500 Hart Road, Round Lake, Illinois 60073-2835 USA. Phone: (847) 546-8225. Fax: (847) 546-9210. Web:www.grievecorp.com. Email: sales@grievecorp.com. Attention: Frank Calabrese.
Continue readingNo. 983 is an electrically-heated 550°F(~287.78°C) bench oven from Grieve, currently used for curing medical instruments. 3KW are installed in Incoloy sheathed tubular heating elements. 
Workspace dimensions are 26” wide x 22” deep x 16” high.
The oven has 3” insulated walls, a Type 304, 2B finish stainless steel interior and a #4 brushed finish stainless steel exterior. Two 13” x 4” access slots are equipped with insulated covers on the rear wall of the oven. An 8” x 10” double-pane Pyrex window is used for viewing the oven chamber. An interior oven light is also provided.
Controls onboard No. 983 include recording and programming temperature controllers and a recirculating blower for this oven.
For more information, please contact: THE GRIEVE CORPORATION, 500 Hart
Road, Round Lake, Illinois 60073-2835 USA. Phone: (847) 546-8225. Fax: (847) 546-
9210. Web: www.grievecorp.com. Email: sales@grievecorp.com. Attention: Frank
Calabrese.
-0-
Photo enclosed
Global leader in carbide sawing systems acquired by leading machine tool component and carbide saw machine manufacturer
Advanced Machine & Engineering (AME), the Rockford, Illinois-based manufacturer of various machine tool components and auxiliary equipment, today announced the asset purchase of the Metalcut Carbide Saw Division of Centro-Metalcut, also of Rockford and a longtime global industry leader in the design and manufacture of heavy-duty carbide sawing systems for the metalcutting industries.
AME is also a leading global manufacturer of carbide sawing systems, under its popular AMSAW® brand name. AMSAW systems are found in forge, metalcasting, service center and primary producer operations, anywhere large or continuous sawing is performed. The acquisition of the Metalcut carbide saw line represents a substantial expansion of the company’s capabilities in the world market.
This purchase will transfer the complete sawing machine technologies, engineering data, inventory, spare parts and service operations for all Metalcut carbide saws to AME. Steve Swanson, the business unit manager for the carbide saw machine division of AME, will assume oversight responsibility for the Metalcut product line, allowing a seamless transition for all existing customers and immediate access to the Metalcut carbide saw line for all new AME accounts. AME has worldwide sales and service locations already in place to accommodate all customer requirements, according to Greg Champion, vice president of sales & marketing for the company.
Centro-Metalcut will continue to manufacture and market all other product lines in its offering, including hot and cold abrasive saws, conditioning grinders and materials handling equipment.
Dietmar Goellner, AME president and CEO, and Danny Pearse, CEO of Centro-Metalcut, agreed to the purchase terms on September 24, 2010.
For more information, please contact:
Tim Waterman
ADVANCED MACHINE & ENGINEERING CO.
2500 Latham St.
Rockford, IL 61103
Phone: 815-316-5277
Fax: 815-962-6483
E-mail: info@ame.com
Connect with AME online: 
Advanced Machine & Engineering Co., is a manufacturer located in Rockford, Ill., serving the Machine Tool Industry with precision components and accessories, including spindle interface components, workholding devices, and, through our sister company, Hennig, machine enclosures, chip removal and filtration systems. The Fluid Power – Safety markets are served with cylinder rod locks and safety catcher devices; and the Production Saw market with our AmSaw carbide saw machines and Speedcut blade products. AME has manufacturing partners and customers around the world and across the U.S. To learn more, visit www.ame.com.
Hennig, Inc. designs and produces custom machine protection and chip/coolant management products for state-of-the-art machine tools. Hennig products are designed to protect against corrosion, debris and common workplace contaminants. Manufacturing facilities are located in the U.S., Germany, France, Czech Republic, Brazil, India, Japan, China and South Korea. Repair centers are located in Machesney Park, IL; Chandler, OK; Livonia, MI; Blue Ash, OH; Mexico City, Mexico; and Saltillo, Mexico. To learn more, visit www.hennigworldwide.com.
Continue reading
Seeing is believing at IMTS
Sinumerik MDynamics Milling Roadshow is coming to IMTS 2010.
If your company is looking for the way to more efficiently cut parts for aerospace, automotive or medical, one thing is certain — the demand for five-axis CNC machining has risen dramatically. And now there’s MDynamics: using one solid CAD/CAM/CNC process chain will get you to market faster than your five-axis competitors who will be lagging under a less integrated approach.
What is Sinumerik MDynamics?
“For users, it is extremely important to get from the blueprint to the finished part quickly, precisely and cost-effectively,” says John Meyer, marketing communications manager, Siemens Industry, Inc. “Sinumerik MDynamics combines our milling expertise together with our powerful Sinumerik CNC hardware platform, intelligent CNC functions, and our unique CAD/CAM/CNC process chain to form integrated technology packages for three- and five-axis milling.”
Seeing is believing.
According to Robert Scholz, international business development manager, Siemens Industry, Inc., Motion Control Business, “Together with leading machine tool OEMs, Siemens will demonstrate how users can benefit from accurate, high-speed machining and perfect workpiece surfaces. Every roadshow event will demonstrate part programming and simulation with NX CAM, followed by five-axis part manufacturing using MDynamics functions and Sinumerik CNC. With real applications for the automotive, aerospace and medical industry, we will prove to our customers that we are the perfect fit for every industry.”
From A-Z and everything in between, Siemens has you covered.
By providing a uniform and integrated system that ranges from programming directly at the CNC for simple parts, to a CAD/CAM system for complex workpieces, Siemens has the right solution for all CNC machining needs. With NX CAM, Siemens provides manufacturing engineers with an open and flexible 3D system that applies not only to the development of part models and drawings, but also to full NC programming and machining simulation. NX enables 3D and 2D construction in a full-, partial- and non-paramaterized form. The fully-integrated NX CAD/CAM system supports a complete part model to CNC program process and even offers 3D quality inspection programming in the same system. NX CAM provides optimized output for Siemens-controlled machines with additional programming commands and automated post-processor functions. During planning and into production, special focus is placed on the process related to the workpiece.
This process chain includes:
Product and process development using advanced CAD/CAM software
Part program generation for the most advanced machine tools
Optimized part program and post-processor output for maximum machining performance
Integrated and offline simulation for checking and optimization of manufacturing process on the PC
Optimized and highly-efficient manufacturing on the machine
See what Sinumerik MDynamics can do for your business!
Attend the Siemens Sinumerik MDynamics Milling Roadshow.
Roadshow schedule
20-minute demonstrations every day
during IMTS, September 13–18, 2010
12:30 p.m. — Milling for Medical
DMG/ Mori Seiki, booth S-8900
1:30 p.m. — Milling for Automotive
Grob Systems, booth S-9066
2:30 p.m. — Milling for Aerospace
MAG, booth S-8519
www.usa.siemens.com/cncroadshow
Continue reading
No. 898 is an electrically-heated 650°F(~343.3°C) universal oven from Grieve, currently used for heat depyrogenation. 12 KW are installed in Incoloy sheathed tubular heating elements. Workspace dimensions are 36” wide x 36” deep x 36” high. The unit has 6” insulated walls and a type 304, 2B finish stainless steel interior and an aluminized steel exterior.
A 600 CFM, 1/2-HP recirculating blower provides universal airflow to the oven. The oven is also equipped with positive latching door hardware, a solenoid operated door lock and an integral leg stand. Safety equipment is included for handling flammable solvents and the floor of the oven contains an explosion venting panel.
Controls onboard No. 898 include a digital indicating temperature controller, motor control push buttons and an on-off heat switch.
For more information, please contact: THE GRIEVE CORPORATION, 500 HartRoad, Round Lake, Illinois 60073-2835 USA. Phone: (847) 546-8225. Fax: (847) 546-9210. Web: www.grievecorp.com. Email: sales@grievecorp.com. Attention: Frank Calabrese.
Continue reading
60” x 120” workpiece capacity complements state-of-the-industry laser and machine control technology
Han-Kwang USA announces immediate availability of its new Series PL, specifically Model PL 3015, a long bed, 2D flying optic laser system capable of handling 60” wide x 120” long workpieces. With a long bed gantry arrangement, less motion is required on the machine, providing greater working stability and reduced maintenance requirements.
Model PL 3015 features rapid single axis speed of 4724 ipm, simultaneous X-Y axis speed of 7900 ipm and maximum cutting speed of 1181 ipm, all with positioning accuracies better than +/- 0.004” per 118” of travel and repeatability to 0.001”. A dual shuttle pallet system is onboard to maintain optimum productivity in processing.
This Han-Kwang laser system features a powerful Panasonic CO2 laser resonator in 2, 2.5, 4 and 6 KW versions, as well as the builder’s patented beam radius control, which optimizes the beam 
diameter for various material substrates and thickness variations, resulting in improved part quality. Additionally, the constant beam delivery system on the Han-Kwang laser provides better consistency in the beam quality at the focal point. These features and benefits to the user are delivered in the S5 high-speed cutting head found on the machine. The advanced Han-Kwang sensing board and head design improve cutting speed for all sheet metals, according to the manufacturer.
A plasma monitoring unit constantly tracks cut errors to further reduce out-of-tolerance conditions in the cutting cycle, while a built-in lens crack sensor monitors the state of lens contamination, with instant alerts through the onboard Siemens CNC to provide operators and maintenance personnel useful and immediate alarm notifications.
All machine mechanical movements and laser cutting operations are controlled by the powerful Siemens SINUMERIK 840D CNC. With its open architecture, 10GM hard drive and plain language commands, the CNC enables faster start-up and reduced time to first part for the programmers and operators alike. Further, a remote service support feature allows online communication to the CNC manufacturer for troubleshooting assistance. 
An optional rotary axis is available for tube cutting up to 12” OD with this Han-Kwang laser system. Fully automated materials handling systems, pallet towers and other equipment for production improvement are also offered by the company.
For more information, the name of a local Han-Kwang dealer or to arrange a demonstration, please contact:
HAN-KWANG USA INC. 1120 Garfield Street Lombard, IL 60148 Phone: 630-916-0200 Fax: 630-916-0300 Web: www.hankwangus.com Email: salesusa@hankwang.co.kr Attention: Robert Won or Erik Kim
Siemens CNC controls all machine movements, allows remote service support
Editor note: Robert Won, director for North American operations, is available for interviews to discuss the company, its laser technology and other aspects of the industry. Han-Kwang is Korea’s largest laser builder and the company has embarked on an aggressive marketing effort in North America.
Agency contact: Tim Daro Bernard & Company tdaro@bernardandcompany.com 847-934-4500
Continue reading
60” x 120” workpiece capacity complements state-of-the-industry laser and machine control technology
Han-Kwang USA announces immediate availability of its new Series PS, specifically Model PS 3015, a short gantry, 2D flying optic laser system capable of handling 60” wide x 120” long workpieces. With the short gantry arrangement, operator vision is enhanced on the machine, plus the more compact design facilitates a high degree of regulation in the cutting process.
Model PS 3015 features rapid single axis speed of 4724 ipm, simultaneous X-Y axis speed of 7900 ipm, driven by twin servos on the gantry and maximum cutting speed of 1181 ipm, all with positioning accuracies better than +/- 0.004” per 118” of travel and repeatability to 0.001”. A dual shuttle pallet system is onboard to maintain optimum productivity in processing.
This Han-Kwang laser system features a powerful Panasonic CO2 laser resonator in 2.5, 4 and 6 KW versions, as well as the builder’s patented beam radius control, which optimizes the beam diameter for various material substrates and thickness variations, 
resulting in improved part quality. Additionally, the constant beam delivery system on the Han-Kwang laser provides better consistency in the beam quality at the focal point. These features and benefits to the user are delivered in the S5 high-speed cutting head found on the machine. The advanced Han-Kwang sensing board and head design improve cutting speed for all sheet metals, according to the manufacturer.
A plasma monitoring unit constantly tracks cut errors to further reduce out-of-tolerance conditions in the cutting cycle, while a built-in lens crack sensor monitors the state of lens contamination, with instant alerts through the onboard Siemens CNC to provide operators and maintenance personnel useful and immediate alarm notifications.
All machine mechanical movements and laser cutting operations are controlled by the powerful Siemens SINUMERIK 840D CNC. With its open architecture, 10GB hard drive and plain language commands, the CNC enables faster start-up and reduced time to first part for the programmers and operators alike. Further, a remote service support feature allows online communication to the CNC manufacturer for troubleshooting assistance.
An optional rotary axis is available for tube cutting up to 12” OD with this Han-Kwang laser system. Fully automated materials handling systems, pallet towers and other equipment for production improvement are also offered by the company.
For more information, the name of a local Han-Kwang dealer or to arrange a demonstration, please contact:
HAN-KWANG USA INC. 1120 Garfield Street Lombard, IL 60148 Phone: 630-916-0200 Fax: 630-916-0300 Web: www.hankwangus.com Email: salesusa@hankwang.co.kr Attention: Robert Won or Erik Kim
Editor note: Robert Won, director for North American operations, is available for interviews to discuss the company, its laser technology and other aspects of the industry. Han-Kwang is Korea’s largest laser builder and the company has embarked on an aggressive marketing effort in North America.
Continue reading
A practical alternative to mechanical braking and non-regen drives systems in the converting, packaging, wireforming and printing industries
by William Gilbert, Industry Business Development Manager, Converting and Cranes, Motion Control Solutions
During the operation of any converting machine, whether for film, foil, wire, paper or board, plus most large printing presses, rolls of materials are handled by unwinds, often still driven by pneumatically operated braking systems. The traditional tension control system for an unwind stand is a simple mechanical brake. In principal, the unwind brake mechanically operates much like the braking system on your car, with a disk, caliper and pads, but is controlled by a tension sensor linked to a setpoint controller. As the roll unwinds, the tension is maintained by the brake for smooth passage of the material through the dies or rollers, resulting in better package alignment, less wrinkling, better print registration, even more consistent wire dimensioning and other production positives. These mechanical brake unwinds are effective in controlling the tension, but have inherent problems of heat and power loss, plus mechanical wear and constant maintenance needs, substantially impacting machine uptime.
The typical mechanical brake is pneumatically controlled and may utilize several sets of friction pads to control the web tension as the roll dimension decreases. Plus, a reasonable pressure range in many applications might be from 15-90psi or a 6:1 drop, a range significantly less than the core to full roll ratio for most jobs, an obvious inefficiency in operation.
To affect good tension control on the brake, these friction pad sets need to be manually changed in an out of the brake assembly, depending on the desired operating tension and the roll diameter changes involved. Often, the adjustments are several per roll during this manual changeover. Because the mechanical brake creates the unwind tension through friction, it generates substantial heat and often requires a separately powered fan for cooling to operate effectively. This friction also means the pads are subject to rapid wear, requiring frequent and time-consuming changes or maintenance checks.
For almost a decade now, this old technology has been gradually replaced, though usually in the lower power ranges, by newer precision technology, involving AC motors, drives and electronic loadcells. On converting lines today, a further leap forward is being made with the onset of 
active front end technology.
With such technology, the operating principle is as follows.
Since the unwind application is regenerative (regen) in nature, a driven unwind needs to return the energy that the mechanical the brake produced as heat back to the AC line. In the past, regen DC drives have been successfully applied as driven unwinds, but DC drive systems are no longer common and even during their prime were very costly. Early in the AC drive technology for these applications, the drives did not have the capability to regenerate the power back to the AC line and, when applied as unwind brakes, required regen resistors to dissipate the tension energy. This was wasteful and costly.
Today’s AC drive systems now have the technology to regenerate the energy back to the AC line just as the DC drive did, but with added benefits to the user and machine designer alike. Sending the tension energy back to the line means power that once was wasted can now be retained, instead of the system producing heat and worn parts. When the drive is equipped with active front end technology, it will return the previously wasted energy with near unity power factors, something not possible for any DC drive system.
Even an open loop AC drive motor combination offers a tension control range far beyond the limits of a pneumatic braking system. Synchronous AC motors can offer precision open loop torque control without a tension sensor, thereby saving further cost and inventory. Today’s highly accurate tension control systems can be designed with high resolution (sin/cos) feedback encoders on both the unwind motor and dancer position feedback. Additionally, in more advanced active front end designs, the regen capability of the drive can actually assist in the increase of stopping times and tension control regulation, owing to the four quadrant control, i.e., the motor can sink or supply current to the motor in both directions.
AC regen drive systems can also offer today’s machine designer software configurations with a wider range of control flexibility. They can be configured to operate in the most basic mode with no motor encoder or with tension feedback to system configurations, utilizing either dancer position sensors or loadcells. Alternatively, they can function as a programmable logic controller (PLC), controlling the machine functions on the unwind, while also connecting directly to a human-machine interface (HMI) panel. In most converting, packaging and printing applications, the dancer position sensor can be used to calculate the starting diameter of a roll, eliminating additional diameter sensors and the possibility of operator error in the roll diameter input. Further enhancements for unwind spindle motion such as jog for threading have also emerged for operator convenience through active front end technology.
Beyond the obvious cost savings of pad replacements on mechanical braking systems, AC motors are virtually maintenance free by comparison to DC motors, as AC motors have no brushes, do not require controller contactors to reverse direction of motor rotation or have commutators. Fewer moving parts invariably means less motor maintenance, for additional cost and time savings.
In the most advanced systems, common DC bus regulation, energy-monitoring devices for near unity power and, through the use of mechatronic services often provided by the manufacturers, “turn off” parameters in vector drives are possible. Mechatronic services can also be utilized for the proper tuning of these drives onsite or during machine build. For designers, such services further assist in the proper sizing of motors, based on the mechanical and electrical forces generated by machine operation or computerized simulation of it.
This combination of improved operation, reduced maintenance, motor power savings and conservation of nearly all energy within the system make AC regen drives with active front end technology a decided advantage for machine designers and end users of converting, packaging, printing, wireforming and other roll-fed machinery, where driven unwinds can be implemented.
For more information on regenerative drive motors and systems, please contact:
Siemens Industry, Inc. Drive Technologies — Motion Control
390 Kent Avenue Elk Grove Village, IL 60007 Phone: 847-640-1595 Fax: 847-437-0784 Web: www.usa.siemens.com/motioncontrol Email: SiemensMTBUMarCom.sea@siemens.com
Attention: John Meyer, Manager, Marketing Communications
Editor Note: Siemens will make the author as well as various other product and market specialists available to you for interviews on the many aspects of regenerative drive motors detailed in this article, as they apply to the particular nature of your audience. Please contact the agency to arrange. Thanks!
PR agency contact: Tim Daro Bernard & Company 847-934-4500 tdaro@bernardandcompany.com
Continue reading
No. 862 is a gas-heated 2000°F(~1093.3°C) furnace from Grieve, currently used for preheating molds. 750,000 BTU/HR are installed in four modulating natural gas burners with a floor- mounted combustion air blower. Workspace dimensions are 36” wide x 48” deep x 36” high.
The unit has 7” thick insulated walls, comprising 5” of 2300°F ceramic fiber and 2” of block insulation. The 7” floor insulation contains 4 1/2” of 2300°F firebrick and 2-1/2” of block insulation.
Controls onboard No. 862 include an automatic door switch to drive burners to low fire when the door is opened and an air-operated vertical lift door. All safety equipment required by the IRI, FM and the National Fire Protection Association Standard 86 for gas-heated furnaces is also included.
For more information, please contact:
THE GRIEVE CORPORATION
500 Hart Road
Round Lake, IL 60073-2898
Phone: (847) 546-8225
Fax: (847) 546-9210
Web: www.grievecorp.com
Email: sales@grievecorp.com
Attention: Frank Calabrese, VP