Author Archives: Bernard and Company

500°F Cleanroom Cabinet Oven

No. 796 is an electrically-heated 500°F(~260°C) Class 100 cleanroom cabinet oven from Grieve, currently used for drying water from stainless steel and Teflon filter assemblies. 10 KW are installed in Incoloy sheathed tubular heating elements. Workspace dimensions are 24” wide x 36” deep x 27” high.

The unit has 4” insulated walls and a Type 304, 2B finish stainless steel interior with continuously welded seams. The exterior is finished in white epoxy paint and has a #4 brushed finish stainless steel door cover and control panel face.

A 600 CFM, 3/4-HP recirculating blower provides horizontal airflow to the oven and a 24” x 24” x 6” thick stainless steel high temperature HEPA recirculating filter helps to purify the air to the Class 100 standard. The oven is also equipped with a 12” x 12” x 6” thick HEPA fresh air filter with 2” prefilter. Safety equipment is included for handling flammable solvents, including explosion venting door hardware.

Controls onboard this Grieve cleanroom oven include a digital programming temperature controller and SCR power controller.

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.

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HAN-KWANG INTRODUCES SERIES PS FULLY AUTOMATIC 2D SHORT GANTRY FLYING OPTIC LASER SYSTEM

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.

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THE CASE FOR REGENERATIVE AC DRIVE MOTORS

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

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Drilling Technical Services Cuts Engineering Time on 
Narrow and Mid-Width Web Label Machine Builds, 
While Giving Customer Green Options

Company saves up to 80 percent in engineering time, plus helps leading label and filmic product maker create easily converted lower cost material offerings 

Joe Drilling has a pride in his company that’s classic American entrepreneur.  After years at a leading label machine builder, he founded Drilling Technical Services (DTS) in Milford, Ohio, a virtual engineering company specializing in the mechanical, electrical and process engineering of mid-width and narrow web printing, drying, converting, RFID and digital print equipment.   DTS has a particular emphasis on web transportation, die-cutting and laminating solutions.  As the installed base grew and responding to current market conditions, Joe founded a second company, Pre-Owned Press & Parts Solution LLC (POPPS), also in Milford, specializing in the evaluation, reconfiguration, remanufacturing, sale, commissioning and servicing of pre-owned presses.  Another vital component of the business models at both DTS and POPPS is the engineering of energy recovery systems for containment of utility costs, an ongoing challenge in the printing industry.

The two companies primarily serve the needs of the flexible packaging, folding carton, tag and label, health and beauty, wine and beer, plus other label segments.

During a recent project for one global leader in label and filmic product solutions, DTS was commissioned to develop a mid-width web roll-to-roll die cutter with various unique substrate manipulation functions.  The substrate’s physical parameters, especially the desire to reduce material thickness, represented particular challenges to the DTS team.
DTS utilized its “QC Mod Cut Series” modular web transport system and quick change die cassette technology as the design platform.

Every aspect of the work was to be done to the customer’s strict system specifications for equipment criteria, including die cutting accuracy, line speed accuracy, tension control and wound roll precision. These process functions were to be controlled by the machine’s Human Machine Interface (HMI).  The first machine was required from DTS on a short time schedule for the customer’s showroom, and then the customer was providing a second machine along with its branded substrate materials to the initial end user.  Long-range plans call for this machine to be implemented into a worldwide marketing effort by the DTS customer.

Based on previous experience with Siemens, the DTS engineering team looked to integrate electronic line shafting and process control functions that could be achieved with standard component architecture.  Having a local and experienced distributor of Siemens components, Richard Equipment Company (RECO) in Cincinnati, the investigation into a process solution began.  As Joe Drilling further noted, “The worldwide support of Siemens was an additional factor in our decision and really gave us that comfort zone in selecting them for this project.  Our customer is itself a world player and so we felt confident in Siemens’ ability to provide components and service, wherever needed.”

To achieve the desired accuracies in every machine function, DTS utilized the Siemens Simotion D435 motion controller, a compact, drive-based platform that incorporates motion control, logic control and drive control in a single hardware unit for drive mounting.  In this manner, the drive became the control for the entire machine’s functionality.  Feeding off this platform are the multi-axis control drives of the Siemens Sinamics family, as well as Simatic I/O components and runtime software, plus the related HMI hardware, as supplied by RECO.

Components were selected by the DTS engineers using the unique Siemens Converting Toolbox, a suite of product specifications and application software that allows an engineer the flexibility to customize portions of a machine build, then recall and reuse them or make modifications for subsequent builds.  The reduction in subsequent machine design engineering time, according to Joe Drilling, reached approximately 80 percent on the second machine and he anticipates a repeat of that scenario, every time.

These factors were found most satisfying for DTS and especially their customer, who had previously used a vendor for machine upgrades who typically took months, even years, to research, develop and implement design changes in the customer’s machine lines, according to Drilling.  “With our more simplified layout of components and the flexibility we enjoyed with the Converting Toolbox, the learning curve shortened tremendously. Product and Matrix winder modules were able to be configured to allow the diverse web tension ranges and accuracy required. And, most of all, the shaftless drive system we implemented allowed our web transport roll design on the individual machine sections to become much easier, faster and completely repeatable.” The end result is very accurate web control and re registration capability.

Joe Drilling concludes, “The marriage of Siemens motion control technology, their overall expertise in the converting industry, plus our engineering and build talents really worked to benefit our customer, who has been quite satisfied with machine performance to date.”

Siemens system training and project development took place on-site at DTS.
Other recent projects accomplished by DTS engineers include an air-to-air heat exchanger for dryer efficiency, a dryer system upgrade for water-based inks, a unique accumulator stacker specially designed for thin substrate processing, a near-zero defect RFID system and various anilox system upgrades to integrate more advanced motion control technology.  The company also performs considerable process layout and process improvement consulting to its customers throughout the industry.

For more information on this story, please contact:

DRILLING TECHNICAL SERVICES INC.
6062 Kells Lane
Milford, OH 45150
Phone:  513-831-2952
Fax:  513-831-4825
Web:  www.drillingtechservices.com
Email:  jdrilling@drillingtechservices.com
Attention:  Joe Drilling, President

Or

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.industry@siemens.com
Attention:  John Meyer, Manager, Marketing Communications

—

Drilling Technical Services Inc. in Milford, Ohio is machine builder specializing in the mid-width and narrow web press market.  Its sister company, Pre-Owned Press & Parts Solutions, offers full reconfiguration engineering and remanufacturing services, plus full installation and commissioning on pre-owned presses.

Through the use of the Siemens Converting Toolbox and Simotion selection of drive/control technologies, all the motion control drive-based components and logic software were selected from a suite of available options.  A reduction of over 80 percent in engineering time has been reported by the machine builder.

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New High-Inertia 1FK7-HI Servomotors Added to Siemens Offering

ATLANTA — Siemens Industry, Inc. announced today that it is expanding its popular 1FK7 servomotor family, with the introduction of a new high-inertia style.  The higher rotor inertia of this design makes the control response of the new 1FK7-HI servomotors highly robust and suitable for high- and variable-load inertia applications, including the feed and auxiliary axes on machine tools, as well as winders and unwinders on converting, packaging and printing equipment.

These self-cooled 1FK7-HI servomotors provide stall torque in the 3 Nm to 20 Nm range and are offered in IP64 or IP65 with IP67 flange degree of protection, with selectable options for plain or keyed shaft, holding brake, 22-bit incremental or absolute encoders, as well as 18 color options.

A mechanical decoupler between the motor and encoder shaft protects the encoder from mechanical vibrations, providing a long service life. In cases where the encoder needs to be exchanged, the device automatically aligns the encoder signal to the rotor pole position, enabling feedbacks to be changed in the field in less than five minutes.

These new Siemens 1FK7-HI servomotors also feature the unique Drive-Cliq® serial bus and electronic nameplate recognition, allowing virtual plug-n-play operation when paired to the Sinamics® S drive platform.  All servomotors in this new line are also configured to interface with Siemens Sinumerik® CNC technology for machine tool applications and the motion controller Simotion® for general motion control use.

Selecting the proper motor to suit the application is facilitated by the Siemens Sizer® toolbox and compatible 3D CAD model-generating CAD-Creator package.  For more information, visit www.usa.siemens.com/motioncontrol.

For specific product information and inquiries, call (800) 879-8079 ext. Marketing Communications or send an e-mail to: SiemensMTBUMarCom.industry@siemens.com.

 

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The Case for Hollow Shaft Torque Motors

Permanent magnet synchronous torque motors offer significant advantages on high energy consuming and high dynamic applications
by Harald Poesch, Product Marketing Manager, Servomotors

Today’s machine designer must evaluate more factors than ever in approaching a new project.  Likewise, the integrator and retrofit engineer has expanded options, not only as a result of new technologies, but also because of critical areas of focus such as reduced energy consumption, faster assembly time, vendor reduction and smaller footprint achievement.

In the realm of motion control, one type of motor with a relatively short history has made significant advancements that necessitate a new look at its potential in many application areas.  These applications range from machine tool rotary tables to various packaging, printing, converting, extruding, papermaking, plastic film and materials handling machinery, anywhere direction must be reversed with a very high degree of accuracy, no backlash (hysteresis) and the maintaining of motion control, contrasting the necessary decoupling of a conventional motor and gearbox.

Enter the often-overlooked permanent magnet, synchronous torque motor.

Torque motors are direct drives built for rotary axes where high torque and high precision are required at relatively low speeds.  With significantly lower installation time, maintenance requirements, component part count and space allowance, these motor types are frequently viable alternatives to geared motors.

Two popular varieties of torque motors exist today.  They are the complete torque motor, requiring only direct flange-mounting to the machine and connection of the rotor to the machine shaft, and the built-in torque motor, where the stator and rotor are supplied as individual components that are directly integrated into the machine mechanics.

Complete torque motors are often found on extruder main drives, feed heads on injection molding machines, roller drives on papermaking machines, wire drawing devices, textile machine web stretching and winders/cross cutters on packaging equipment.

Built-in torque motors are typically used on machine tool rotary tables, swivel axes, dynamic tool turrets and turning spindles, as well as printing press cylinders, chill rolls in cast film and foil stretching machines, indexing tables in metalforming presses and all other types of high-dynamic, high-precision path and speed control applications.

Both types of torque motors feature a hollow shaft, which allows media or mechanical components to be guided through the rotor cavity.

Torque motors are multiple pair pole synchronous motors, similar in operation to rotary synchronous servo motors.  The rotor is equipped with permanent magnets, while the stator contains the motor windings.  The high number of pole pairs leads to a design generating high maximum torque at low speeds.  In the past, since eddy current losses increase with the number of pole pairs and the running speed of the motor, torque motors were considered applicable only at relatively low speeds.  New water-cooled designs have countered this principle, allowing a high power density.  Today’s torque motors can accommodate speeds of 1000 rpm or higher.

As a result of these higher pole pair designs and because many mechanical power transmission components that generate backlash, heat, friction and noise are eliminated, torque motors offer these benefits to designers:

• small footprint due to high torque density
• excellent rotational accuracy and repeatability due to direct load control
• space-saving machine designs, due to the elimination of gear units and belt transmissions
• low maintenance a direct result of having fewer mechanical parts in the drive train
• high energy efficiency because mechanical losses in the drive train are eliminated

While higher in cost than geared motors, it is currently estimated that torque motors offer the designer a payback of three to four years in energy savings alone, which does not include the immediate increased performance and upfront cost savings, both in installation and maintenance.  Obvious vendor reduction and inventory advantages are also realized through the use of these motors.

On a typical multi-layer blown film line, for example, the use of torque motors can reduce the footprint of the extrusion section by half and the consumed production space decreases accordingly, leading to an increase in production rates per square foot.  

Torque motors were also long thought to be susceptible to chemical and other ambient atmospheric contamination, but new designs have been adapted to withstand corrosive atmospheres such as a paper mill dry hood and, being water-cooled, are performing satisfactorily in many harsh environments without heat damage.  Enclosures are available up to an IP54 rating with overload capability up to 2.5 times the rated torque.

Torque motors reduce mechanical efficiency losses to an absolute minimum because they eliminate mechanical transmission in the drive train.  Compared to geared motor solutions, the efficiency gain is typically in the range of 10 percent, while the gain is closer to 70 percent when hydraulic motors are replaced in applications such as injection molding machines.  Further, due to the direct and constant control of the load shaft on torque motors, with no backlash or decoupling occurring, a significantly higher precision in motion is achieved, which is not possible in a geared or belt-driven solution.

For example, in the production of stretched film, the application of torque motors on chill rolls, pull rolls, stretch rolls and winders has resulted in a dramatic improvement in production quality.  The more accurate speed control of the direct driven rolls results in faster start-ups during the changeover from one film product to another, because the likelihood of cracks in the web is minimized.  In addition, the higher control accuracy enables the production of a thinner film that is 10 times more consistent in its thickness. Likewise, the stiff drive train configuration achieved with torque motors allows faster ramping up and down in cyclic applications, leading to shorter cycles and increased product output in the same time period.  In many applications with very short cyclic times, such as indexing tables or injection molding machines, the changeover from conventional drives to direct driven solutions has resulted in production increases of 25-30 percent typically.  These results indicate that a lower component count now means a lower product lifecycle cost, as well as reduced potential failure rates in the field.

Other features on today’s torque motors that make them more appealing for the machine designer include:

• absolute value or incremental encoders or resolvers for enhanced 
motion control
• electronic nameplate for faster commissioning
• horizontal or vertical mounting options
• bearing options for axial thrust applications
• PTC resistors in each phase, in addition to standard KTY thermistors for optimum temp monitoring

The emerging science of mechatronics is also critical for direct drives such as  torque and linear motors in the integration process because the electronic machine control protocols are so crucial in monitoring and executing the electromechanical motions.  A keen knowledge of three disciplines (mechanical, electrical and electronic engineering) is fundamental in determining the proper unit to suit the load.  Mechatronics addresses such topics for the machine builder as proper encoder location, reaction vs. dynamic force calculations and how best to integrate a high dynamic direct drive mechanically into the machine.

Additionally, through various advanced computerized simulation techniques, mechatronic performance can be validated and troubleshooting on the design can be accomplished before the first machine is ever built.  Even in the field, before and after a retrofit or rebuild, the mechatronic services currently available can be used for product application determination, full performance analysis and controls compatibility.  While the performance of a new motor or drive might be deemed satisfactory by mechatronic analysis, other mechanical, electrical or electronic components might be found lacking.  It is precisely this comprehensive, integrated approach that is fast earning mechatronics its place in the overall scheme of machine development and utilization.

In conclusion, with today’s emphasis on cost containment, energy efficiency and higher productivity on every type of machine design, it is imperative that all viable options be explored.  In designing the drive train on many machines, the advantages of torque motors described in this paper will have a positive impact on the overall project results.  Torque motors can offer great flexibility in design, retrofit and rebuild applications, plus they have expanded capabilities that lobby for their implementation on more types of machines.

For further information on torque motors, 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.industry@siemens.com
Attention:  John Meyer, Manager, Marketing Communications

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FOREST CITY GEAR ACHIEVES ITAR REGISTRATION

Gear manufacturer supplying various defense sector customers completed registration process on March 31, 2010

Roscoe, IL-Forest City Gear supplies some of the world’s leading companies with high-precision gear work.  These include products for various defense sector contractors, which would be subject to the strict guidelines of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).  This standard is designed to “establish and maintain a procedure for identifying and complying with export authorization requirements for the sale and shipment of defense articles, the performance of defense services and the transfer of technical data” by the companies involved, pursuant to the Arms Export Control Act.  Applicable products include those on the United States Munitions List (USML).

Specifically, ITAR requires that Forest City Gear maintain a strict record of all manufacturing procedures and defense articles produced, as well as visitor records and the tracking of all potentially sensitive documents such as engineering data and shipping logs.  Under the guidelines, only U.S. citizens may visit the facility, where no cameras or laptops are permitted and only citizens may work for the company, during the design, engineering, manufacture, production and handling of products and all relevant data related to defense projects.  Exchange of data, especially via the Internet, is highly restricted, plus no non-citizen may access data in any way, without authorization from the State Department or a specially issued exemption.  A non-citizen may also visit the plant, but only with a previously completed letter of authorization, stating they understand and comply with all relevant ITAR standards.  And any non-citizen must be accompanied by a company official at all times.

The registration process was completed on March 31, 2010, after over a year’s effort to comply with all applicable standards, procedures and paperwork.

Overseeing the registration process and executing all documents for Forest City Gear was the company’s CEO, Fred Young.  Quality Manager Joe Luy will oversee the internal process and procedure.

Forest City Gear supplies gears and gearwork for all types of military ordnance, as well as numerous military aircraft, vehicles, instrumentation and other defense devices.  The company has also supplied gears on Jeep’s for decades, long before they became consumer items.

The company recently celebrated its 55^th anniversary.  Forest City Gear was founded in 1955 by Fred Young’s parents, Stetler and Evelyn Young, in Rockford, Illinois, near the company’s current facility in Roscoe.

ITAR is managed by the Department of Homeland Security, the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls and other government agencies, at this time.  Only vendors listed on the Approved ITAR Vendor List are sent quote requests on ITAR-restricted materials and products.

For more information on the company, please contact: FOREST CITY GEAR CO., INC. 11715 Main Street Roscoe, IL 61073-0080 Phone:  815-623-2168 Fax:  815-623-6620 Web:  www.forestcitygear.com Email:  sales@forestcitygear.com Attention:  Fred Young or Joe Luy

PR agency contact for Forest City Gear: Tim Daro Bernard & Company 847-934-4500 tdaro@bernardandcompany.com

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FOREST CITY GEAR HIRES AND PROMOTES SIX EMPLOYEES

Gear manufacturer on the grow, says President Wendy Young

Roscoe, IL-Forest City Gear (FCG), a precision gear manufacturer here, today announces the hiring of four new employees and the promotion of two longtime employees.  “We’ve been growing steadily in the last two years, despite the economic conditions, and this news reflects that situation,” comments company President Wendy Young, who runs the business alongside her husband, CEO Fred Young.

Effective immediately, the following new individuals have been retained in the roles indicated:

Joe Luy-Quality Manager
Bruce Haxton-Gear Processing Engineer
Paul Lindquist-Process Engineer
Jim Cagle-Cost Estimator

Also, these longtime employees have been promoted:

Krista King-Order Processing
Andrea Bagwell-Estimating/Quoting Assistant

Briefly, Joe’s role will be the supervision of the company’s quality lab, acknowledged as one of the finest metrology centers in the gear industry.  Over a third of Forest City Gear’s current customers are other gear companies around the world, who bring FCG work they cannot do themselves, either on tolerance or consistency.  Joe will also manage the company’s ISO and ITAR registered programs, the latter having been secured this past March.

Bruce will be responsible for the transitions from design to manufacturing protocols at FCG.  He brings an impressive background in gearmaking to the task.

Paul oversees the utilization of the companies 80+ machine tools to streamline production workflow through the shop, again considered one of the world’s leading gearmaking facilities.

Jim will help keep pace with the hundreds of RFQ’s received each week at FCG, a daunting task, to say the least.

Krista moves into an expanded role in purchasing, working with numerous vendors and the strict guidelines of the many government, aerospace and defense contractors served by FCG.  Her primary role will be processing purchase orders for the company.

Andrea will be responsible for the preparation of quotes, serving the now larger department of inside sales engineers and others, including Fred Young, who continues in his longtime role of reviewing and estimating particularly challenging gearmaking jobs at the company.

The company recently celebrated its 55th anniversary.  Forest City Gear was founded in 1955 by Fred Young’s parents, Stetler and Evelyn Young, in Rockford, Illinois, near the company’s current facility in Roscoe, approximately 90 miles northwest of Chicago.

For more information on the company, please contact:

FOREST CITY GEAR CO., INC. 11715 Main Street Roscoe, IL 61073-0080 Phone:  815-623-2168 Fax:  815-623-6620 Web:  www.forestcitygear.com Email:  sales@forestcitygear.com

Attention:  Wendy Young or Fred Young

PR agency contact for Forest City Gear:
Tim Daro
Bernard & Company
847-934-4500
tdaro@bernardandcompany.com

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Fred Young from Forest City Gear at IMTS 2010

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2000°F Gas-Heated Furnace from Grieve

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

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