Contact us today:
(847) 934-4500
tdaro@bernardandcompany.com
Contact us today:
(847) 934-4500
tdaro@bernardandcompany.com
Integrated Sawing and Machining Center Sets New Industry Standard
Rattunde Corporation introduces the ACS + CFMcurve integrated sawing and machining center, an exciting new technology, at the IMTS show, McCormick Place in Chicago, from September 10-15, in the North Hall Booth #6737. A fully operational system will be producing a variety of parts, demonstrating the fully automated flexibility of this manufacturing center.
The ACS Sawing Machine is the new industry standard for cold saws. It utilizes a proprietary sawing algorithm with servo motor controlled feed to continuously adjust critical sawing parameters during each cut. The results are the fastest sawing times, best surface finish and longest blade life available on the market.
The CFMcurve machining center is a patented Rattunde process that
simultaneously machines each workpiece end, using 12 independent servo-controlled axes. Machining options include: threading, boring, profile turning, grooving, radius edges and angled chamfering. Programming screens guide operators for quick setup on even the most complex part geometry. No special programming is required.
Precision parts are made in one continuous process with no operator intervention. Bundles of mill length stock, up to 16.5 meters (54’) long, are placed in an automatic loader, individually separated and fed to the sawing process. Cut parts are then transferred to the CFMcurve machine for precise finishing. Utilizing advanced CNC controls, linear ball screws and servo motors, all mechanical motion is seamlessly integrated into the machine design for full process control.
The technology incorporated on this manufacturing center delivers production rates and quality unmatched by the competition. For example, a tubular component of 70mm diameter, wall thickness of 5mm, material type ST52-3 BK, with a length of 150mm, machined with a 30 degree chamfer on the ID & OD with a faced end has a saw time of .96 seconds, a machined time of 1.86 seconds and the machine can produce 1,820 parts per hour, inspected for length and automatically packaged. Cut length tolerance of +/- 0.15mm at 1.67 CPK and a machined length tolerance of +/- 0.05mm at 1.67 CPK are maintained with consistency.
The operator interface saves part files for instant recall when changing parts. Servo motors move all cutting and machining tools to their exact positions and implement saved parameters. No tooling change is required in the ACS Saw within a diameter range of 10mm; there is a 5mm diameter range in the CFMcurve. Tooling change for the complete system takes less than 20 minutes, when necessary.
All critical sawing and machining parameters are monitored and controlled. Clamping forces and position, saw blade torque and vibration, plus machining insert torque are continuously displayed and monitored. Operating limits are set and machine functions stop when they are not met. Saw blade and tooling insert wear is predictable and consistent. Key data for each part produced are stored in memory for statistical evaluation. All guesswork is removed for the operator.
Rattunde sets a new industry standard for manufacturing with this machine, replacing slow and unreliable processes with a complete manufacturing center. Bar feeding lathe machines rely on a slow cutoff process, restrict the length of incoming stock and are not always capable of finishing both part ends simultaneously. Cutting in a conventional saw, dropping parts in a bin and eventually loading them
to a conventional machining center is time consuming, labor intensive and creates excess inventory with a loss of process control.
Additional processes, engineered and manufactured by Rattunde, are easily integrated with the ACS + CFMcurve, including: part inspection stations, washing and drying, automatic packaging and automatic container changing, all available to further automate customer manufacturing. The system being exhibited at IMTS will include part inspection and automatic packaging.
The ACS + CFMcurve is available in three models with diameter ranges from 10mm to 102mm, 10mm to 136mm and 10mm to 169mm, with finished part lengths from 10mm to 3500 mm. All material types can be processed.
You can watch the machine in action at:
http://www.rattunde-corp.com/tube-sawing-video.htm
For further information, please contact:
Rattunde Corporation
4980 Kendrick St. SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49512
616-940-3340
Alec Banish
IMTS PRE-SHOW NEWS…BOOTH N-6737
No. 1022 is a 550ºF, electrically-heated, two-zone, dual belt conveyor oven from Grieve, currently used for encapsulation curing of large electrical coils in fixtures at the customer’s facility. Workspace dimensions of this oven measure 8’ W x 40’ D x 18” H. 480KW (240KW per zone) are installed in Incoloy-sheathed tubular elements to heat the oven chambers, while two 20-HP recirculating blowers provide a 49,000 CFM vertical downward airflow to the workload.
This Grieve conveyor oven comprises a 2’ long open belt loading zone and 3’ long insulated, unheated entrance vestibule, two 20’ long insulated heat zones with independent recirculated airflow and temperature control, 3’ long insulated unheated exit vestibule and finally a 2’ long open unloading zone for the workpieces.
No. 1022 has 6” insulated walls throughout, aluminized steel interior/exterior and is split into two sections for shipping. Side doors along the length of the oven permit access to the workload and heating chambers. This Grieve conveyor oven is built with all safety equipment required for handling flammable solvents and is constructed to NFPA 79/NEMA 12 electrical standards.
The oven further features two 3’ wide, 1-3/16” diameter cross bar conveyor belts with 1-HP motor drive, variable from 0.5 to 9 ipm. The conveyor belt drive is used in either index or continuous mode. Removable drip pans are provided below the conveyor assembly.
Controls on the oven include separate power and control panels, plus photo eyes at the unload station to signal an alarm, if the workpiece unloading is not cleared before conveyor indexing, SCR power controller for each zone and a tower light to indicate oven status. All control functions are accessed through a touch screen HMI connected to the onboard PLC.
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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New name to better reflect the scope of the machinery now represented throughout North America by the company
Ann Arbor, Michigan –Effective June 11, 2012, American Wera is now officially renamed German Machine Tools Of America (GMTA) and continues to represent various top-quality German metalworking machine builders, including Profilator, Pittler, Praewema, WMZ and MAE. These machines are sold for gear and spline production, vertical turning, flexible machining solutions (blank to finish part solutions), as well as bar, pipe and tube straightening plus wheelset pressing. The company’s target markets include automotive, off-highway, OCTG, rail, wind energy, aerospace and other heavy equipment manufacturing.
This announcement was made jointly by GMTA President Walter Friedrich and Vice President of Sales Scott Knoy.
“The reason for the name change is simply that the parent company wished to use a name that is more representative of all the lines we handle in North America,” said Knoy.
Originally formed as the North American subsidiary for Wera in Germany, GMTA today provides application engineering, sales and service for a broad range of machine tools and metal fabricating equipment. GMTA has representatives throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Other key company individuals include Claudia Hambleton, Treasurer; Doug VanDeven, Service/Parts Manager and Shawn Wilkin, Senior Service Engineer. Joseph Kemple remains the dedicated Product Manager for the MAE line of straightening and wheelset presses.
For more information on this announcement, please contact:
GMTA (German Machine Tools of America)
4630 Freedom Drive
Ann Arbor, MI 48108
Phone: 734-973-7800
Fax: 734-973-3053
Web: www.gmtamerica.com
Email: sales@gmtamerica.com
Attention: Scott Knoy, VP
Facebook: GMTA
Twitter: @GMTA_US
Fourth annual event to include Banner and Pioneer executives, presenting how to effectively address FDA supplier control concerns through strategic OEM/Supplier partnerships
Carol Stream, Illinois – Banner Medical executives Vince Adams, Vice-President of Sales, Marketing & Strategic Planning, and Bob Khin, Quality Assurance Director, along with Peter Johns, Supplier Quality Manager for Pioneer Surgical, will participate on a faculty panel at the upcoming Supplier Quality Management Congress sponsored by FDAnews, to be held at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center in Bethesda, Maryland from July 31-August 2, 2012. The Banner Medical / Pioneer Surgical alliance has long been recognized in the industry as a successful strategic OEM / Supplier partnership formed to address the challenging supplier and raw material control issues which has been a focus of the FDA and of the Industry itself for the past decade. The partnership model, which the two companies have developed together, has produced positive results and yielded best practices that have been recognized by many and already adopted by some within the Medical Device industry.
This year’s Supplier Management Congress mark’s the fourth annual event and is designed to bring together suppliers, producers, top regulators / policy makers, legal and advisory consultants to the industry, for the purpose of assuring the integrity of Device raw materials and supply chains. FDA representatives as well a dozen other OEM and Supplier executives will participate as the faculty for this three-day event.
Attendees will include various manufacturers and suppliers to the industry, who will learn about risk management, recalls, liability issues and the new regulations recently instituted by FDA to better control the international drug and device supply chain to the medical markets.
Banner supplies medical and orthopedic device manufacturers with medical-grade materials to meet the highest quality standards. It operates two ISO 13485 and ISO 9001 certified, FDA CFR part 820 compliant facilities in Carol Stream, Illinois and Charlotte, North Carolina. The company provides its GuardiaNTM customer support solution program for supply chain management and medical materials stocking, plus its AssuraNce® protocol that assures all products made for the medical market are produced on equipment validated per the FDA requirements. Banner’s EsseNtial Quality SystemsTM is a patent-pending IT-based quality program that manages the company’s materials selection and production processes to deliver medical-grade bar and plate stock.
Banner Medical is a strategic business unit of Banner Services Corporation, a provider of precision ground bar as well as centerless grinding, turning and straightening, among other machining services.
For more information on this development, please contact:
BANNER MEDICAL 494 East Lies Road,Carol Stream, IL 60188-9425
Phone: 800-323-9732
Fax: 630-653-7555
Web: www.banner-medical.com
Email: getinfo@banner-medical.com
Agency contact:
Tim Daro or Wendy McCormick
Bernard & Company
847-934-4500
tdaro@bernardandcompany.com
wendy@bernardandcompany.com
No. 951 is a 650ºF, electrically-heated, walk-in oven from Grieve, currently used for preheating large steel molds at the customer’s facility. Workspace dimensions of this oven measure 72” W x 42” D x 72” H. 60KW are installed in Incoloy-sheathed tubular elements to heat the oven chamber, while a 4200 CFM, 3-HP recirculating blower provides a combination airflow to the workload.
This Grieve walk-in oven features 5” insulated walls, top-mounted heat chamber, aluminized interior and exterior plus a free-standing oven rack with two 6000 lb. capacity shelves for the workpieces.
Controls on No. 951 include a digital indicating temperature controller, manual reset excess temperature controller with separate contactors and recirculating blower airflow safety switch.
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 readingBill Hunter assumes 100% ownership of pioneering company in automatic matchplate molding machinery for sand casting
Bill Hunter signs agreement to obtain 100% ownership of the company
Schaumburg, Illinois (USA)-Hunter Automated Machinery today announced the completion of an asset buyout of the company and all its foreign subsidiaries by current President Bill Hunter. In his words, “We have successfully crossed the bridge of generational transition with this arrangement.” Mr. Hunter bought the assets of the company held by his three sisters, Dianne, Linda and Heather. All were the children of Al Hunter, the late founder of the company that began building the automatic matchplate molding machine Al invented, in 1964. Today, Hunter machines and mold handling lines are operating in foundries worldwide. Hunter operates plants in the USA, Brazil and China. The company has European headquarters in Italy and regional offices in India.
Karen Hunter, corporate secretary, Bill Hunter, president and John Purtill, corporate attorney at signing
Bill Hunter noted, “I am very thankful to my sisters, who worked closely with me on this agreement, allowing us to keep the company in the family. Likewise, I will always honor the memory of my father, who taught me much about this business and left a legacy of innovation and achievement in the global foundry market. We fully intend to continue and build on the company’s long-standing traditions of technology, quality and service to the industry.”
The agreement was finalized on June 27, 2012.
For further information on this announcement, interested parties may contact:
HUNTER AUTOMATED MACHINERY CORPORATION
2222 Hammond Drive Schaumburg, IL 60196
Phone: (847) 397-5110
Fax: (847) 397-8254
Email: info@hunterfoundry.com
Attention: Bill Hunter, CEO
Web: www.hunterfoundry.com
Connect with Hunter Foundry online: 
Texas foundry buys new equipment, including Hunter XL matchplate molding machine, to respond to customer needs with fast pattern changes, shorter runs and on-the-fly flexibility in job scheduling, deliveries
Schaumburg, Illinois (USA)-In the heart of Limestone County sits Coolidge, Texas, halfway between Dallas and Houston. This classic American small town is home to another classic, Frazier & Frazier Industries, a ductile and gray iron foundry, established in 1972 by C.W. Frazier as a traditional cope-and-drag sandcasting operation with two squeezers and run today as a formidable shop by Plant Manager Will Frazier. An ISO 9002 Certified process operation, F&F combines the best of the old ways with the newest casting technologies and equipment in the market. As Will Frazier points out, “This is one of the biggest reasons we’ve continued to prosper, while so many other foundries have disappeared. We recognize what works and what doesn’t, to best suit our current business and market conditions.”
Once a heavy production shop, F&F today continues to support their large batch customers, but has reshaped the business model in many ways, according to Frazier. “We have traditionally worked in pieces from a few ounces up to 150 pounds or more. The large runs were more typical in days past, while we saw a new business environment emerging, several years ago, when the market began to decline overall.” He continued to explain how many of the company’s traditional customers began to reduce their inventories and thus placed shorter run orders with much tighter lead times. In something of a “perfect storm” scenario, this combination of increased job numbers and more urgent shipping requirements literally changed the pace of business at F&F. Frazier notes, “It’s not unusual for us to come in on a Sunday to finish a job for a customer who really needs it…and we rarely charge a premium, because we know how tough things are, for most of our accounts.”
While the oil & gas market applications are prominent here, as they are with most foundries in the region, F&F currently sells to end product manufacturers for the automotive, agricultural, wind energy, municipal water works and other market segments, a strategy that has helped to maintain a better balance in this shop’s workload. With its own sales force plus several manufacturers’ rep organizations in the field, Frazier & Frazier boasts customers in a wide variety of markets and as far away as Indiana, a relatively rare achievement in the foundry business, especially when larger, heavier workpieces are involved.
With over 8000 patterns in-house, F&F today experiences as many as 15 pattern changes per day per machine on the floor. This further complicated the job scheduling and work flow. Will Frazier and his team of Bob Pranger, general manager and Harlon Easton, vice president of sales, quickly saw the need for more automation in the machinery lineup.
F&F still does hand-rammed oil and air set cores, but over the years they’ve acquired automatic coresetting equipment, as well as automated molding machines, including the most recent purchase, a Hunter XL2024 automatic matchplate molding machine, which is used with the already in-place Hunter mold handling turntable system at F&F, as are other molding machines here. Three melting units feed the certified chemically correct iron to the molding stations. Currently, this shop does approximately 70% of its work in ASTM Class 60-100 ductile and 30% in Class 15-50 gray iron.
The XL2024 is a fully automated matchplate molding system, using gravity-fill technology pioneered by Hunter. It produces sand molds up to 20” x 24” with shallow 6-1/2” cope and 5-1/2” drag (165mm/140mm) at 180 cycles per hour, using 400 lbs. (181kg) of sand. Variable squeeze surface pressures to 142 psi (10kg/cm2) can be achieved in production.
This latest Hunter machine continued the tradition of leading-edge sandcasting technology used at Frazier & Frazier. Although several generations of Hunter and other brands of machines have been used here, when a new machine was planned, Will Frazier notes there were some key criteria to be met. “We’d been having critical problems with another machine builder, getting parts and service. We always knew the Hunter folks were excellent in those areas based on past experience, plus they were willing to provide considerable application engineering assistance and set-up help with the new machine. Coupling that with their stability as a company and great reputation in the world foundry market, we looked at all our options and settled on the XL2024.” Frazier further cites his long relationship with Hunter’s Mike Hughes as a factor. “Mike came down here several times to help us and, since the machine has been up and running, he’s stayed in close touch with us, even though we’ve had no performance issues with the machine.”
Will Frazier also points out that, currently, over 20% of the orders at F&F are rush and the quick changeover time of the Hunter machine makes it a highly productive piece of equipment and a definable competitive advantage in the market for his shop.
Frazier & Frazier provides its customers with metal castings as well as CNC machining, heat treating and galvanizing services, when needed. The shop has a fully equipped quality inspection department, highlighted by CMM and other state-of-the-art lab apparatus.
For further information on this story, interested parties may contact:
FRAZIER & FRAZIER INDUSTRIES, INC.
817 South First Street P.O. Box 279
Coolidge, Texas 76635 USA
Phone: 254-786-2293
Fax: 254-786-2284
Web: www.ffcastings.com
Email: willfrazier@ffcastings.com
Attention: Will Frazier, Plant Manager
Or
HUNTER AUTOMATED MACHINERY CORPORATION
2222 Hammond Drive Schaumburg, IL 60196
Phone: (847) 397-5110
Fax: (847) 397-8254
Email: info@hunterfoundry.com
Attention: Bill Hunter, CEO
Web: www.hunterfoundry.com
Connect with Hunter Foundry online:
Wisconsin foundry adding value to parts produced
Watry Industries LLC, a large permanent mold aluminum foundry located in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, takes pride in working closely with its customers to co-develop and optimize casting design. In addition to offering casting design assistance and permanent mold casting production in its 172,000 square foot facility, Watry also performs heat treating, precision machining, powder coating and assembly operations in-house.
Watry worked closely with its customer to assist in the design process for this part, as well as two other castings used on the same program, from concept through tooling and into production. Several other production processes were considered for making this part, including injection molded plastic, structural foam, plastic cowling over steel fabrication and several casting processes including sand cast, permanent mold and high pressure die cast. After investigation, mechanical strength concerns eliminated some of the plastic construction methods and a thorough cost analysis eliminated the fabrication options as being too expensive. Aluminum castings had a proven track record in similar applications, and a cost analysis was done to compare the various cast processes. Based on the combination of part cost and tooling cost (total cost of ownership) the result of all these studies was that permanent mold was selected as the best process for the application.
Dale Christel
Sales Manager
Watry Industries LLC
3312 Lakeshore Drive
Sheboygan, WI 53081
Office: 1-920-457-4886
www.watry.com
dchristel@watry.com
Connect with Watry Industries online: 
Sheboygan, WI –Watry Industries, LLC, a permanent mold aluminum foundry announces that, due to an increase in line capacity, it is now able to welcome additional merchant business for its powder coating operation. Effective immediately, Watry opens its doors to other foundries, metal stampers, metal fabricators and any other business whose products they can powder coat on a contract basis. General Manager Jason Dannenberg states, “Watry management is committed to broadening our customer base and value-added competence with the addition of more contract powder coating and related finishing services, moving forward.”
Experts at the nuances of powder coating parts produced in all metalcasting processes, as well as powder application on stampings, extrusions, weldments and assemblies, Watry is able to provide their services on castings made by other processes as well as steel, iron and various alloys.
With an overhead, conveyorized, powder coating operation beginning with a seven-stage wash system, Watry is able to process parts up to 36 by 54 by 54 inches with weights up to 100 pounds or more. The all-stainless steel washer includes a DI rinse and DI halo in the final stages to achieve the highest level of cleanliness. Watry believes pre-treatment of the product is the key to proper paint adhesion and maintains washer chemical stages within strict limits, monitoring them on a daily basis.
Watry is capable of masking features before painting as well as blowing off un-cured powder in areas where masking is not practical. The Nordson Cyclo-Kinetic reclaim booth, utilizing both manual and automatic guns, is capable of applying the most demanding and high temperature powders, reaching the most difficult areas on any workpiece. In addition, reclaiming the powder that does not adhere to the part during the application process helps control overall costs.
Watry’s roof mounted cure oven, encompassing over 250 feet of conveyor track and operating at temperatures up to 500º F, can cure powder on the largest and heaviest parts at very high line speeds, providing another cost-controlling feature.
Strict quality control systems and procedures include film thickness checks, adhesion testing, color verification and paint hardness testing to ensure compliance to customers’ most demanding requirements.
In addition to powder coating services, Watry offers further value-adding capabilities such as in-house machining, bar coding, special marking, pad print logos, symbols and text over the powder coated finish, silk screening of larger details and light assembly.
To watch a video on the Watry powder coating operation, please visit http://www.watry.com/video_library.html
For more information on this release, please contact:
Dale Christel
Sales Manager
Watry Industries LLC
3312 Lakeshore Drive
Sheboygan, WI 53081
Office: 1-920-457-4886
www.watry.com
dchristel@watry.com
Connect with Watry Industries online: 
No. 858 is an 850ºF (454ºC) electrically-heated cabinet oven from Grieve, currently used for annealing plastics at the customer’s facility. Workspace dimensions of this oven measure 20” W x 20” D x 20” H. 10KW are installed in Incoloy-sheathed tubular elements to heat the oven chamber, while a 600 CFM, 1/2-HP recirculating blower provides horizontal airflow to the workload.
This Grieve cabinet oven features 6” insulated walls and Type 430 stainless steel interior, all-welded construction plus explosion-venting latches on the heavy-duty door.
Controls on No. 858 include a digital programming and recording temperature controller, manual reset excess temperature controller with separate contactors and recirculating blower air flow safety switch.
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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