Fort Washington, PA – Starting in May 2013, PartMaker Inc., a division of Delcam Plc, has launched a new, monthly webinar series for manufacturing professionals focusing a number of advanced manufacturing techniques. Each webinar will focus on an important area of education in advanced manufacturing. Each webinar will be conducted by a member of the PartMaker applications team with extensive knowledge and hands-on experience in advanced manufacturing principals and methodologies.

The idea behind this webinar series is to educate manufacturing professionals on some of the technological trends in CNC machining which allow manufacturers to make parts more productively. This webinar series will be purely educational in nature and is not intended to promote any particular PartMaker application or other technology vendor. The goal of this webinar series is to provide the manufacturing community and on-demand resource to learn about the latest trends in the industry and perhaps provide individuals a forum to pose the questions they were always afraid to ask. The Advanced Manufacturing Educational series webinars an always be found at http://www.partmaker.com/webinars/.

“The CNC machining industry is at a real crossroads,” says Delcam’s PartMaker Inc. Division President Hanan Fishman. “Even while the employment market continues to struggle, our customers are finding it difficult to find the individuals with the knowledge and experience to take advantage of today cutting edge manufacturing technology. A big part of the reason for this is because neither our primary nor higher education systems has made a commitment to teaching advanced manufacturing principles. We have a number of excellent vocational schools with committed instructors teaching the basics of machining and a number of colleges and universities doing an outstanding job developing the engineers of tomorrow, but instruction in advanced manufacturing principals seems to be falling through cracks of our traditional educational system.”

“With this new educational webinar series it is our intent to help bring more awareness of advanced manufacturing methods to our industry, so CNC manufacturers can remain more competitive and take better advantage of the latest manufacturing technology available to them.”

More on PartMaker

PartMaker is a Knowledge Based Machining system, allowing it to provide a substantial gain in programming efficiency by remembering the tools, material and process information necessary to machine individual part features. It thus relieves the user from reentering the same features information for subsequent parts. It also improves productivity by placing the emphasis on tool management functions.

PartMaker pioneered the field of CAM software for Turn-Mills and Swiss-type lathes with its patented Visual Programming Approach for programming multi-axis lathes with live tooling. It assures quicker learning and easier use. It makes an extensive use of pictures to help the user describe tools, part features and machining data. Synchronization of tools working on multiple spindles is achieved by a few mouse clicks.

PartMaker Inc. is a subsidiary of Delcam Plc, the world’s leading developer and supplier of complete CAD/CAM software solutions. Delcam Plc is publicly traded on the AIM exchange in London. While PartMaker is sold direct in North America by PartMaker Inc. PartMaker is sold overseas through a network of sales partner offices operating in over 120 countries.

Viking Blast & Wash Systems 1200 Rubber Belt Blaster

Viking Blast & Wash Systems announces the release of their newly redesigned tumble belt blast machine in the fleet of Industrial Blast machines. The 12 cubic foot, model 1200. The latest version incorporates changes to the loader and discharge belt options that make it more durable heavy duty and foundry operations. The increased options lineup make the 1200 a more versatile machine providing wider applications to the many industries served.

This new 1200 has a smaller footprint by the integration of the media lift system and the elimination of the auger which lowers overall maintenance cost and improving component accessibility. The unique repositioning of the 25-HP VKPowerMax series blast wheel optimizes the blast pattern to make most efficient use of wheel performance. The drum heads and side liners are manganese alloy as standard and easily serviced. Other optional features are, rotary scalping drum for removing debris from blast media, loader, take away belt, and auxiliary abrasive hopper. Front bucket loaders and custom unloading conveyors are common options for the 1200.

Peening requirements are satisfied with optional variable speed blast wheel control, electro magnetic abrasive control valve and classifier as well as optional PLC and touch screen for pre-programmed, recorded, part specific recipes.

All Viking cartridge style dust collectors are sold with NFPA required deflagration panels as standard.

Viking Blast & Wash Systems offers industrial cleaning solutions for all sizes and shapes of metal parts. To receive a copy of the new brochure or for information on any of the shot blast, wash, or vibratory equipment offered by Viking, please call 1-800-835-1096, email sales@vikingcorporation.com or visit their website at www.vikingcorporation.com.

Delcam will show it’s completely integrated solution for the design, machining and inspection of electrodes for the first time in the US at the Amerimold exhibition to be held in Rosemont, Illinois, on 12th and 13th June. The complete solution combines Delcam’s PowerSHAPE CAD software, PowerMILL CAM system and PowerINSPECT inspection software to enable electrodes to be produced more efficiently and to higher levels of accuracy. Full details are available on the website – www.delcam-electrode.com.

The production of electrodes is a key stage in the manufacture of many types of tooling, especially moulds, so the availability of a faster, more automated method for their development will increase efficiency and reduce lead times across a number of industries.

At the heart of the novel Delcam solution for electrode manufacture is a new file format – the .Trode file. This contains all the information for each electrode project, including not only the electrode design but also the machining and inspection information, plus the set-up sheets for its manufacture and use. Having all the required information in a single file simplifies data management as well as increasing overall efficiency.

The initial design stage of the process has been made both easier and faster thanks to the increased range of direct modelling tools available within PowerSHAPE. Users can now quickly and easily define the region where the electrode will be used, extract the shape needed to produce the required feature in the part, and then edit the design to provide clearance from the main surface of the tool and to blend it into the blank size needed to fix the electrode into its holder.

Analysis tools are available to check that the draft angles and minimum radii used in the design will not cause downstream problems, while the ability to simulate the action of the electrode ensures that it will operate as expected. To speed the design process further, catalogues of blanks and holders are included from Erowa, Hirschman and System 3R. Users can add their own standard sizes to these databases.

If a series of similar electrodes is required, the design process can be fully automated. Once the first electrode design has been produced, users need only to select the geometry from the next area and click “Finish” in the electrode design wizard. The wizard will then produce the new design automatically by applying all the settings used for the previous electrode.

Once the design has been finalised, the necessary spark gaps can be specified to provide the machining offsets required in PowerMILL to cut the roughing and finishing electrodes. Inspection points can also be added so that the measurement of the electrode in PowerINSPECT can be automated to a large extent. Then, set-up sheets for the electrode’s manufacture and use can be produced automatically, either to a standard format or to a user-defined template.

Companies that produce multiple electrodes of similar sizes from the same material can develop templates within PowerMILL to machine them in a standardised way. Burn, clearance and blank faces of the electrode are automatically colour-coded within PowerSHAPE so that they can be recognised within PowerMILL. The size of the material block and the spark gaps for the electrode family are also read from the .Trode file and applied to the toolpaths automatically. Once the templates have been created, generating the machining toolpaths becomes a fully-automated process.

Specifying the inspection points within PowerSHAPE means that the probe path in PowerINSPECT and the production of the inspection report can also be automated, including undertaking a best-fit analysis of the machined electrode. However, all of PowerINSPECT’s flexibility is available if extra measurements are needed from any areas of the part that are causing concern. The results of the inspection are added to the .Trode file for quality control records.

The automated generation of set-up sheets for both the machining and application of the electrodes ensures that all the data needed at each stage is readily available. A documentation pack, including the GA and detail sheets, can be issued as drawings, HTML files or Microsoft Excel spread sheets.

Finally, Delcam Electrode can provide scripts, the EDM equivalent of CAM programs for machine tools, for equipment from all the leading manufacturers, including AgieCharmilles (Agievision and CT Millennium controls), Makino EDM, Mitsubishi Electric, ONA EDM, OPS-Ingersoll, Sodick and Zimmer & Kreim. These scripts provide an automated process for the programming of the machine, instead of users having to program manually from a set-up sheet.

Horst Engineering and Manufacturing Co. today announced it has acquired the assets of Sterling Machine Company, Inc. of Lynn, Mass., a manufacturer of precision machined components primarily for the aerospace industry.

Sterling had been a family-owned company, manufacturing components for the aerospace industry since 1966. The firm employs 33 people. The purchase price was not disclosed.

“We are very excited about this acquisition as there is very little overlap in the customers we serve,” said Scott Livingston, president and chief executive officer of Horst Engineering. “Like Horst, Sterling specializes in producing close tolerance high precision aerospace components from a wide range of high strength metals and polymers.”

Sterling, located at 23 Farrar St., Lynn, Mass., has focused on providing parts for both commercial and military jet engines, and supplies some of the world’s leading aerospace companies. “We intend to continue Sterling’s operations in Lynn with the same work force,” Livingston said. Sterling’s president, Robert Struzziero, will remain with the company.

“I have enjoyed a close relationship with Bob for many years and I know that his team makes high quality products,” Livingston said. He noted that Horst Engineering’s sister company, Thread Rolling Inc., has been a Sterling supplier for more than 25 years.

“We will continue to operate Sterling as an independent company, and we welcome them to the Horst Engineering Family of Companies,” Livingston said.

Horst Engineering, a third generation family business founded in 1946, is a contract manufacturer of precision machined components and assemblies for aerospace, medical, and other high technology industries. The company has an ISO9001:2008/AS9100 registered quality management system.

Its core processes include Swiss screw machining, turning, milling, thread rolling, centerless grinding, and assembly. The company has operations in Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico, employing 35 people; and at its East Hartford, Connecticut, headquarters, with 85 employees. Learn more at www.horstengineering.com

Outokumpu High Performance Stainless Bar announces the investment in a new bar heat treating facility
at the producer’s Richburg, S.C. mill. The $7 million investment, approved last year, includes the purchase
of two furnaces for high and low temperature work. The expansion will also include specialty straightening,
cutting, and testing capabilities.

“Our customers should benefit from shorter and more reliable lead times and better quality as a result
of the in-house heat treating capabilities,” explained Lou Kern, Outokumpu’s Senior Vice President for
Bar in the Americas. Demand for high performance stainless steel, particularly 17-4, has been good and
demand for Outokumpu’s specialty duplex alloys is also growing. Stainless bar products from Richburg are
used in valves, fittings, flanges, and other machine components found in chemical processing, oil exploration,
food & beverage, pulp & paper, aerospace, and many other industrial applications.

Currently the heat treating of bar for the Richburg facility is performed by outside processors. “This investment
will allow us to offer our customers a significant increase in capacity, long length capability, and the ability for
specialized treatment,” noted Kern.

Kern added that the heat treat furnaces will be housed in a new building on the 11+ acre Outokumpu site in
Richburg. He expects to break ground on the heat treat building in late spring with start-up anticipated in the
fall of this year