This high-speed press brake compliments the most demanding of part volumes generated by today’s high-speed laser cutting machines, such as fiber lasers.

Bystronic Inc. (Elgin, IL) introduces the Xcite 80 E, a new and innovative press brake that exemplifies both speed and ease of operation. The machine is powered by dual electric motors, enabling high acceleration and seamless speed transitions without lag times.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

The Xcite 80 E is 2.5 times faster than a hydraulic press brake in completing comparable bends. Using the Fast Bend+ safety system, the upper tool can be quickly positioned very close to the metal sheet without placing the operator in any danger. Only when ready to process does the machine seamlessly switch over to bending speed.

This high-speed press brake capable of complimenting the most demanding of part volumes generated by today’s high-speed laser cutting machines, such as fiber lasers. With its 88 tons of bending force capability, this electric press brake is also powerful enough to meet the full range of sheet metal applications across the entire table length.

The Xcite is highly accurate, thanks to the proprietary Force Dynamic Drive, which provides speed, power and constant pressure along the entire bending length. This ensures that minimal deflections occur in both the upper and lower beam, enabling the electric press brake to bend within a top-of-class tolerance of ±25 arc minutes, and with a simply incredible repeatability of ±0.000098 in.

The user-friendly Xcite 80E electric press brake takes advantage of the advanced ByVision control package already used with laser-cutting and waterjet-cutting machines. This gives every user the ability to obtain excellent results with only a few entries on the Xcite’s 22 in-touch screen control panel.

Prior training requirements are minimal: beginners are guided safely through the programming operation and supported with a high level of automated features. Designed for flexibility and high performance, ByVision also provides more experienced professionals with the ability to apply their knowledge and skills, and define their own limits for the bending technology.

Check out Bystronic ByVision Bending Control on this video:

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

For additional Xcite features, benefits and other technical data, click here.

Bystronic Inc. has offered customers single source service expertise for over 30 years, providing innovative laser cutting, waterjet cutting and press brake systems, system software and comprehensive customer training and support. The company’s North American headquarters is located in Elgin, with offices are also located in Toronto, Canada and Guadalajara, Mexico. www.bystronicusa.com, sales.us@bystronic.com

With vehicle sales and housing starts on the upswing, AMT anticipates that gains in the consumer economy will also mean buoyancy for the industrial economy, and manufacturing will remain steady for the foreseeable future.

March U.S. manufacturing technology orders totaled $507.91 million according to AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology (McLean, VA). This total, as reported by companies participating in the USMTO program, was up 30.4 percent from February and up 3.2 percent when compared with the total of $491.96 million reported for March 2012. With a year-to-date total of $1,278.05 million, 2013 is down 5.0 percent compared with 2012.

These numbers and all data in this report are based on the totals of actual data reported by companies participating in the USMTO program.

“When making a year-over-year comparison with these figures, it’s important to take into account just how strong 2012 was for our industry. Our members are doing much better than analysts projected in January,” said Douglas K. Woods, the president of AMT. “With vehicle sales and housing starts on the upswing, we can anticipate that gains in the consumer economy will also mean buoyancy for the industrial economy, and manufacturing will remain steady for the foreseeable future.”

The United States Manufacturing Technology Orders (USMTO) report, compiled by the trade association representing the production and distribution of manufacturing technology, provides regional and national U.S. orders data of domestic and imported machine tools and related equipment. Analysis of manufacturing technology orders provides a reliable leading economic indicator as manufacturing industries invest in capital metalworking equipment to increase capacity and improve productivity.

U.S. manufacturing technology orders are also reported on a regional basis for six geographic breakdowns of the United States:

Northeast Region
Manufacturing technology orders in the Northeast Region in March totaled $71.99 million, up 31.8 percent from February’s $54.61 million but down 3.2 percent when compared with the March 2012 figure. At $177.37 million, 2013 year-to-date is down 6.5 percent when compared with 2012 at the same time.

Southeast Region
Southeast Region manufacturing technology orders totaled $36.07 million in March, up 20.2 percent from the $30.02 million total for February but 38.7 percent lower than the total for March 2012. The year-to-date total of $103.65 million is 21.1 percent lower than the comparable figure for 2012.

North Central-East Region
At $145.53 million, March manufacturing technology orders in the North Central-East Region were up 29.4 percent when compared with the $112.49 million total for February and up 19.1 percent when compared with March a year ago. With a year-to-date total of $363.91 million, 2013 is up 7.5 percent when compared with 2012 at the same time.

North Central-West Region
March manufacturing technology orders in the North Central-West Region totaled $105.93 million, 30.1 percent higher than February’s $81.43 million and up 21.4 percent when compared with the March 2012 figure. At $259.46 million, the 2013 year-to-date total is 6.5 percent higher than the comparable figure for 2012.

South Central Region
March manufacturing technology orders in the South Central Region totaled $66.04 million, 15.0 percent higher than February’s $57.41 million but down 18.4 percent when compared with the March 2012 figure. At $197.00 million, the 2013 year-to-date total is 27.9 percent less than the comparable figure for 2012.

West Region
West Region manufacturing technology orders in March stood at $82.36 million, up 54.2 percent from the February total of $53.41 million and 20.5 percent higher than the figure for March 2012. The $176.65 million year-to-date total is 4.6 percent above the total for the same period in 2012.

AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology represents and promotes U.S.-based manufacturing technology and its members — those who design, build, sell, and service the continuously evolving technology that lies at the heart of manufacturing.

Founded in 1902 and based in Virginia, the association specializes in providing targeted business assistance, extensive global support, and business intelligence systems and analysis. AMT is the voice that communicates the importance of policies and programs that encourage research and innovation, and the development of educational initiatives to create tomorrow’s Smartforce.

AMT owns and manages IMTS – The International Manufacturing Technology Show, which is the premier manufacturing technology event in North America. The USMTO report is compiled by AMT and all data in the report is based on the totals of actual data reported by companies participating in the USMTO program. www.AMTonline.org

Press brake automation is moving toward the eventual outcome of a system where piece cost is the same, no matter how large the batch size, and setup up time is effectively eliminated.

The focus for press brake manufacturers and press brake users continues to be centered on how to effectively address the need for smaller lot sizes. Emerging trends in press brake automation are responding to this requirement and offering solutions that are cost-efficient and easy to use.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Conventional automation, both hard and flexible, can be applied to any forming process. The justification has been in the quantity and, more recently, in the “life cycle” of the product. High volume and its inherent large batch sizes, ideal for hard automation, are in decline around the world.

In fact, in markets with high labor rates, large batch sizes have virtually disappeared. This leaves flexible press brake automation as the most viable option for most applications.

However, because of the complexity of applying flexible automation to many different part shapes, long product life cycles are needed for amortization of cost. This is the primary reason few robot press brakes are in use today. Consequently, press brake automation is trending in a different direction.

Individual system components are being optimized to effectively address current market demands. The machine operator is still handling the parts, but, using current press brake technology, setup times are reduced and can average three minutes or less.

Machine interfaces, such as touch screen controls, are more user friendly than ever before and are beginning to look and function like cell phones. This is probably the most significant paradigm shift from the conventional proprietary machine control language that only a highly skilled operator could understand. Today, an entire generation feels at home in front of an icon-driven touch screen.

Powerful applications are also evolving, including automatic tool shape selection, bend allowance databases, bend order calculations, interference identification, ram cycle optimization, and others. The press brake operator no longer has to address application issues.

For example, to bend a one inch flange at 90 deg on an edge that is 30 in long, the operator simply keys in the information and the machine configuration to produce that result is calculated and automatically created.

Mechanical features are also becoming a more important part of automating the bending process. Because press brakes are becoming so easy to program, many are programmed off-line, so mechanical features such as quick change tooling, power tool clamping, plate pushers and plate lifters not only contribute to overall throughput but aid with lifting and pushing tasks performed by the operator.

Automatic angle measurement and automatic angle correction are also taking center stage. Many press brake manufacturers now offer some type of adaptive forming system. These systems make in-process angle corrections and also ensure the first part is a good part. The adaptive forming feature is critical for “kit” or one-piece-flow applications.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

The final frontier in press brake automation is press brake tool changing. Small quantity part runs usually mean more tool setups per day. An automated press brake tool changing system reduces tool setup time and improves manufacturing efficiency.

Trends in press brake automation are moving toward the eventual outcome of a system where piece cost is the same, no matter the batch size, and setup up time is effectively eliminated.

Thoughts and Observations On Borrowing from Banks: How the “Five Cs of Credit” can help shops improve their relationship with bankers by increasing their “bankability.”

Back in 1981, with the prime borrowing rate at an all-time high level of 21 percent, most bank customers felt that those cameras they have in banks to photograph robbers should, in all fairness, be pointed at the “real” crooks: the lending officers. At such rates most companies found it difficult, if not impossible, to borrow money. Actually, it wasn’t so hard to borrow money, it’s just that no one could repay it.

Those days of exorbitant interest rates are gone now, at least for the time being. In fact, interest rates are at all-time lows. However, the problems of finding capital and repaying loans remain. Many business owners have feelings of animosity and bitterness toward banks and bankers as a result of their bad experiences. For just a moment, let’s redefine the Golden Rule: those who have the gold, make the rules.

Let’s also take a look at the recent past. The economic firestorm of the last several years has changed the credit landscape going forward. First, let’s look at the primary components of the recent financial meltdown: 1) a lax regulatory environment that created the conditions for abuse, 2) sub-standard credit policies and documentation, 3) economic over-optimism, and 4) borrowers’ lack of financial acumen.

In the bank regulatory arena, lax enforcement has been replaced by an overly restrictive review process that is being applied in an arbitrary manner that is actually hindering the recovery. Banks are scrambling to refocus on credit training and loan documentation.

Finally, there’s the issue of business owners’ and operations managers’ lack of financial acumen. For decades, everyone has known, and accepted, the classic profile: “Most business owners know how to ‘make it’ and ‘sell it’ . . . while the financial side of the business remains somewhat of a ‘mystery’.” This “folklore profile” will no longer cut it in today’s over-zealous documentation environment. Business owners will be expected to “up their game” with regard to financial acumen and business performance, and this entails moving from “Profit Mystery to “Profit Mastery.”

Keep in mind that borrowing and lending represent two sides of the same coin. No business relationship — or any relationship, for that matter — works out unless you have a win-win situation. This includes banking. In fact, most bad experiences and loan rejections are the result of poor communication and lack of education: the banker’s lack of education about your business and your lack of education about the bank’s procedures, policies, and constraints.

This mutual lack of education breeds misunderstanding, mistrust, and frustration. Ted Frost, in his book Where Have All the Woolly Mammoths Gone? puts it this way: “I’ve often thought if I could collect all the nation’s bankers in a big gunny sack out in the middle of the ocean, that I would jump overboard with the sack and sacrifice myself just to rid the world of them.”

It doesn’t need to be that way. Let us share some thoughts, from the perspective of someone who’s been both a banker and a business owner. Since it usually aids in understanding to view any situation through the other person’s eyes, let’s examine where your banker is coming from.

The best way for banks (and bankers) to be successful is to loan money to businesses that pay them back. But 80 percent of all businesses fail. So bankers tend to be very cautious because they have a four out of five chance of guessing wrong. And that 80 percent statistic was in good times.

By taking time to review old processes, tooling libraries and programming methods, a shop can implement simple tooling changes that positively impact production, minimize costs, reduce space or downtime, and maximize the return.

When a company invests in a new punching or punch-laser combination machine, there are expectations on how the new technology will increase productivity. However, once the research is done and the machine is purchased, there is more to consider.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Many fabricators ignore the opportunity to critique how their established ways of manufacturing will match the capabilities of the new machine. Often overlooked, the plant misses out on the full potential of the technology and is never the wiser.

By taking time to review old processes, tooling libraries and programming methods, a shop can implement simple tooling changes to positively impact production, minimize costs, reduce space or downtime, and maximize the return.

REDEFINE DIE CLEARANCE
We begin by assessing die clearance needed for proper shear as the material is punched. Existing standards may no longer be optimized for the current materials or processing capabilities. Therefore, it is important to redefine die standards to match the current processing capabilities and potentially reduce the tooling library.

First, list all materials processed and identify the primary ones. The rigidity of the tool holding on a new machine and the centricity of the punch and die should allow greater flexibility in die clearance. To ensure maximum tool life, we recommend maintaining a gap range between 10 percent to 25 percent of the material thickness (Figure 1).

Calculate the optimal die clearance for your selection of primary materials. It is best to round to the nearest .004 in increment to help standardize the new tool library. After calculating the range for each of your primary materials, the gaps should be clear. Consider these and your secondary materials to determine which additional sizes you need to complete your tooling library.

RETHINK THE TOOLING LIBRARY
Once the die clearances are defined, you can begin to rethink the standard tools you need in your library. Since the tool library develops over time, it may contain an excessive range of tool lengths for the same tool width. Especially if the shop was running older equipment, bad tool alignment and poor tool rigidity would have required additional tool lengths.

In addition, previous programming rules for nibbling or stepping may have limited the overlaps to at least one-half of the tool’s length. As a shop moves to more modern punching machines, new developments such as “hydrostatic bearings” will easily allow for overlaps as low as one-half of the material thickness. Simply put, more work is achieved with fewer tooling sizes.

For example, a company might own eleven rectangular tools all .125 in wide (Figure 2) yet the new punching machine allows tool lengths to be increased in larger increments. The shop is now able to achieve the same range of results with only four tools instead of eleven. Review all the current standard tools: circles, squares, rectangles and oblongs, and consolidate based on current needs and future expectations.

Once the standard tools are established, address your specially designed tools. Often, the original designs are less practical, oversized or limited in flexibility due to machine technology developments. The best way to identify improvement opportunities for special shapes is to work closely with your OEM tool supplier.

Implementing tool rotation, for example, may reduce scrap and increase flexibility. To illustrate this point, let’s consider the tool shown in Figure 3. The original design was developed for an older machine without tool rotation.

The large tool with single corners demands wide spacing between parts and along the border. A substantial amount of the material is wasted. By using the tool rotation technology available on a new high-quality punching machine, the design can be improved. The tool is now half the size and designed for a common edge. There is less scrap and runtime has been reduced.

Taking the redesign a step further, we can capture the full benefits of the tool rotation technology. Part and border scrap is further reduced and the flexibility of the tool has increased. The tool is also only a quarter of its original size. In addition, we were able to slightly adjust the design to accommodate larger arc lengths and ability to integrate micro-tabs.

REVIEW THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS
Once the tools are defined, review new nesting opportunities and advanced processing methods in an effort to increase part yield, reduce scrap and minimize handling cost. New developments, such as common edge nesting which punches two adjacent parts with a single hit of the tool, will eliminate the skeleton between the parts.

By combining nesting algorithms and innovative tool technology, skeleton free processing with up to 15 percent higher material utilization can be achieved. Active die technology lowers the die during positioning for scratch-free punching and forming and broadens the range of forming options. The technology on a new punch or combination machine will vary and it is essential that you understand what is possible before attempting to rethink the process.

RESEARCH NEW TOOLING TECHNOLOGIES
After reviewing your tooling needs and the manufacturing process, research new tooling developments. Roller technology increases processing speeds in forming and slitting operations. Deburring tools and the MultiBend tool eliminate a processing step, while new tapping tools form threads within a single punch cycle.

The MultiShear achieves the quality of laser-cut edges with a tool and die and a foil slitting tool can be especially useful when processing coated stainless steel. The MultiTool integrates up to ten different punches and dies into a single tool. Adaptive stroke technology determines the thickness of the sheet and precisely calibrates the ram stroke.

There are also new possibilities for scribing and high speed marking (dot matrices) on the punch or combination machine, such as the MultiTool and EasyType. Adding specialty tools might prove an easy way to increase productivity.

Finally, consider your tooling setup, maintenance and storage equipment. A fully automated sharpening system, such as QuickSharp, improves the regrinding process while a tool setting device insures alignment, measurement and accurate data output.

Temporary tool storage, tool storage cabinets and more efficient ways of transporting tools may prove simple ways to reduce downtime and increase space.

Avoid the temptation to duplicate old processes, tooling libraries and programming methods. Work closely with the OEM tool supplier, review standards and solutions with your work plans involved to realize all the advantages the latest technology affords. It will prove well worth your time.

As regulators change their view on the relationship of worker safety to contractors and their customers, more companies are using a prospective supplier’s safety record as a criteria for awarding business. some shops have lost profitable contracts to competitors with better safety records. And that’s not all.

A growing number of business owners are waking up to the fact that keeping workers safe isn’t just a matter of being a good corporate citizen or an astute executive, it’s becoming a matter of survival.

This isn’t just your typical safety engineer playing chicken little, melodramatically insisting that the sky is falling; far from it. The number of companies that use a prospective supplier’s safety record as a criteria for awarding their business is rising and manufacturers who have long considered worker injuries a “normal” – albeit undesirable and repugnant – cost of doing business are finding themselves losing profitable contracts to competitors with better safety records.

The business world hasn’t suddenly found religion. Companies have practical and pragmatic reasons for their sudden interest in the safety performance of their subcontractors. Government safety regulators are changing the way they view the relationship of contractors and their customers when it comes to worker safety and, much to the chagrin of business owners, governments are tightening the enforcement of grey areas and closing perceived loopholes in the law.

In the U.S., I have seen an increase in OSHA levying fines and issuing citations to companies who turn a blind eye on the infractions of their key suppliers (reference “When Did OSHA Start Doing PR?” (Voices) on p. xx). The dark truth is that there was a time when original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) could outsource the most dangerous jobs to suppliers and forget the liability. This had the practical effect of lowering their Incident Rates and DART Rates so they could gain all of the associated benefits from the lowered rates.

Increasingly, however, OSHA has been stepping up enforcement of a little known exception to the co-employment law that holds that both the employer of record and the customer to a shared responsibility for safety. What this translates to for suppliers and customers is that neither party can no longer shrug their shoulders and plead ignorance when confronted with workers who haven’t received required safety training.

The U.S. is far from alone in tightening it’s requirements and/or enforcement of safety requirements among suppliers. It is worth noting that the Labour Minister in Canada has long held suppliers accountable for safety. Australia recently passed legislation that changed the wording of its safety statutes to move away from the traditional view of “employer” and “employee” and these changes make it easier to hold both the customer and suppler accountable for safety.

The customer’s interest isn’t just driven by self-preservation. Many companies use the potential supplier’s safety record as a key indicator of the efficiency of the supplier and a decisive tell of the robustness of its processes.

In other words, a company with a poor safety performance is likely to be unreliable in other ways as well.

In some countries a serious safety violation can cause operations to grind to a halt. Supply chain managers want to reduce this risk of disruption of operations caused by worker injuries.

Companies are also more cognizant of the impact a high profile supplier injury can have on their public image. When a part fails, it is seldom just the reputation of the part manufacturer that is at risk, but also that of the company that sold the part to the injured party. In fact, most headlines concern the seller, not their supplier. Companies now recognize these risks apply even more so to worker injuries and are more judicious when selecting a supplier with which they partner.

Question: I need to weld out of position with a mild-steel, flux-cored wire and want to do it as fast as possible. Therefore, I am thinking of a 5/64 in (2.0 mm) or larger diameter wire. Which size and type of wire would you recommend?

Answer: First, keep in mind that there is a limit to how big of a weld puddle you can carry out of position. Always think of welding in terms of liquid metal and gravity.

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When welding “in position” (i.e., flat and horizontal positions) you are welding with gravity. The weld metal is resting on the plate, and you can carry a much bigger puddle while it is in the liquid state. This is especially true in the flat position. Even in the horizontal position, gravity pulls the weld metal to the bottom side of the joint. This means the maximum-size, uniform, single-pass horizontal weld that can be made is smaller than a uniform, single-pass flat weld.

When welding “out of position” (i.e., vertical and overhead positions), you are welding against gravity. Now you are much more limited as to the size of the molten puddle you can carry. How fast the weld metal solidifies and the support of a fast freezing slag system, if present, are keys to successful out-of-position welding.

Just like with stick electrodes, the key to a flux-cored wire’s ability to weld out of position or not is dependent on its slag system. Some wires have a fast-freezing slag that helps support the weld puddle and allows you to weld out of position or against gravity. Other wires have a slower freezing slag system and, therefore, are used for flat and horizontal welding positions only.

The American Welding Society (AWS) classification number for a particular flux-cored electrode will tell you, among other things, its intended welding position. Figure 1 shows the key to the AWS classification nomenclature. The second or third digit in the number (depending on wire’s minimum tensile strength) indicates welding position. A “0” means flat and horizontal-only positions, and a “1” means all position.

Flux-cored wires are of two basic types: self-shielded (FCAW-S process) and gas-shielded (FCAW-G process). All-position, flux-cored wires generally are made in smaller diameters. Regarding self-shielded flux-cored wires, while a few are available in 0.045 in (1.1 mm) size or smaller, most range in size from 1/16 in (1.6 mm), 0.068 in (1.8 mm), 0.072 in (1.8 mm) and 5/64 in (2.0 mm). The largest all position-classified FCAW-S electrode that can successfully run out of position is 5/64 in (2.0 mm).

Gas-shielded flux-cored wires are primarily available in 0.045 in (1.1 mm), 0.052 in (1.3 mm) and 1/16 in (1.6 mm) diameters. Therefore, the largest all position-classified FCAW-G electrode that can successfully run out of position is 1/16 in (1.6 mm).

On the other hand, in position wires for flat and horizontal welding are made in larger diameters. Typical in position wire size for the FCAW-S process are 5/64 in (2.0 mm), 3/32 in (2.4 mm), 7/64 in (2.8 m) and 0.120 in (3.0 mm) and for the FCAW-G process are 1/16 in (1.6 mm), 5/64 in (2.0 mm) and 3/32 in (2.4 mm).

Referring back to your question, it sounds like you want to run a larger diameter wire to get maximum deposition rates and thus maximum productivity. However, bigger is not always better. True, if you were welding in the flat position where you could run at the upper current limits of a given wire, the larger diameter wire would have higher deposition rate capabilities over a smaller wire size.

However, out-of-position welding has to be done at lower current levels. It is difficult to weld at more than 250 amps to 300 amps before there is just too much liquid metal to handle against the force of gravity. So at lower and equal current levels, a smaller diameter wire can often have a higher deposition rate than a larger diameter wire. This is because the smaller diameter wire has a smaller cross-sectional area and, thus, higher current density.

The smaller wire will melt at a faster rate, allowing you to run much faster wire feed speeds than the larger wire. Often the much faster wire feed speeds with the smaller wire results in a higher deposition rate than the larger wire; again with both wires at the same current level.

Look at consumable literature of various flux-cored wires and compare two sizes at equal currents. You will often find the smaller diameter has a higher wire-feed speed and corresponding deposition rate. This point is illustrated in Figure 2, which shows typical operating procedures for an all-position E71T-1M/ E71T-9M gas-shielded flux-cored wire.

In addition, a smaller diameter wire can be a little easier for the welder to handle. A 5/64 in (2.0 mm) self-shielded flux-cored wire or a 1/16 in (1.6 mm) gas-shielded flux-cored wire can be challenging to handle out of position, especially for less experienced welders. Instead, the 0.068 in (1.8 mm) or 0.072 in (1.8 mm) sizes for FCAW-S wires and 0.045 in (1.1 mm) or 0.052 in (1.3 mm) size for FCAW-G wires can be easier to handle.

Now a 5/64 in (2.0 mm) FCAW-S wire or a 1/16 in (1.6 mm) FCAW-G wire size often works best for applications where you need one wire size for both out-of-position welding and in-position welding. This allows you to achieve good deposition rates for out-of-position welding, and then for in-position welding turn up the procedures to the wire’s upper wire feed speed and resulting current levels and take advantage of its higher deposition rates.

Dual schedule guns and dual schedule wire feeders are ideal for taking advantage of this scenario.

Shop owners and major machining departments are discovering the untapped and potential enhancements for worker skill sets.

Shop owners and production department supervisors: Have you ever thought of sending your CNC machine operators, programmers and maintenance personnel back to school? Sure, it would be a boost to productivity, but is it worth the cost, which you’ve heard is pretty substantial? If this is your thinking, keep reading!

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

The facts of the matter are these: First, in today’s competitive environment, you can’t afford not to keep pace with every other shop in town, maybe the world, because so many countries have initiated worker training and re-training programs with their local community colleges and vocational-technical schools.

Here in America, especially in the heavy manufacturing states like the one in which I reside, funds are now being made available to the local colleges and votech schools to partner with machine tool builders and CNC suppliers, when those parties are education-friendly, to install more machine shops or, at the least, training classrooms with simulators on them, so parts can programmed and virtually cut on a CNC machine.

This move is in response to various factors including world market conditions, plus the states are seeking to keep and attract more metalworking manufacturing. As the old adage goes, nothing gets built until somebody makes the parts.

Dollars in my state are currently being channeled to over 50 schools, many of whom have approached machine tool builders and CNC suppliers like us. Funds are often being repurposed to buy machines, software, CNC seat licenses for training purposes and programming tools, as well as maintenance training programs and support.

In approaching us as CNC suppliers, we’ve opened discussions with our machine builder customers to help facilitate this process. The results are two-fold: Not only are more qualified young personnel entering the market and more experienced people getting re-trained on the newest equipment and technologies, but another group is emerging from this initiative.

Namely, we are seeing a growing number of “solution partner” companies taking the training so that they can become qualified retrofitters and integrators. In Europe, these are called contractors, who gain their certification from a machine builder or control supplier, enabling them to enter a national data base of support personnel in the field.

In this way, we see industry, schools and machine builders cooperating in a spirit that doesn’t say, “What can you do for me?” but rather, “What can we do together to make our shops better and improve our overall economic conditions?”
This sheds an entirely new light on continuing education and the enhancement of worker skill sets in today’s competitive environment.

As a sidebar to this process, we also see another trend emerging. That is the number of women in the manufacturing arena, especially in the metalworking world. Long a bastion of male dominance, the modern machine shop is now open to workers of all types, who bring both mechanical and computer skills, programming and hands-on interests, even an interest in the maintenance of sophisticated hardware and software devices to an industrial setting.

To which I say, “vive la différence!”

From our perspective as a CNC supplier, then, this exciting development will signal a new day in machining, with more skilled workers entering the market, more of us old dogs learning new tricks and perhaps, best of all, a better economic outlook and a better looking shop team!

This new website is one of the best resources on OSHA and ANSI Regulations and Standards in fall protection, with a glossary of commonly used terms, FAQs, and industry specific fall protection solutions that meets the needs of any worksite.

Rigid Lifelines™ (Morgantown, PA), a leading provider and manufacturer of engineered fall protection systems and accessories, has launched a new fall protection website at www.rigidlifelines.com.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

The new site provides a comprehensive view of the Rigid Lifelines product line, including engineered fall protection systems and a complete line of soft goods and system accessories. Links to the newest products and innovations, such as XSPlatforms rooftop fall protection systems, the Griffin™, and the Anchor Trolley™ can be found on the homepage.

And now, accessing information is easier than ever thanks to the Rigid Lifelines mobile site which is compatible with: iOS5, Android 2.3x and 3x, and Blackberry OS7+. The site can now be accessed at any time, from any Internet connected laptop, desktop, smart phone, or tablet.

This website is also one of the best resources for anyone who needs to learn about fall protection in industrial and construction settings. On the Resources page, users will find: OSHA and ANSI Regulations and Standards, downloadable versions of all Rigid Lifelines literature, a glossary of commonly used terms, and frequently asked questions regarding fall protection.

Industry specific fall protection solutions are offered to make it easier to find a system that meets the needs of any worksite. And, visitors can browse the only weekly fall protection blog in the industry (“Rigid Ramblings”) or listen to our weekly podcast.

Rigid Lifelines™ is headquartered in Morgantown and is a preferred provider of rigid horizontal fall protection systems, rooftop fall protection systems, and accessories. The company has over a decade of experience engineering, designing, and testing engineered fall protection systems. Visit our website and learn why Rigid Lifelines is the Future of Fall Protection™. rmamola@spanco.com, www.rigidlifelines.com

This NC vise is easy to maintain, has a repeatability of 0.0004 in and comes with a clamp force indicating gauge for enhanced precision and repeatability.

NC-series vises from Hilma/Carr Lane Roemheld (Ellisville, MO) are superior to most standard vises, due to built-in hydraulics and a clamp force gauge. With a few cranks of the handle, hydraulic pressure can be built up to 11,000 lb of clamping force (on the largest size).

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Switch from clamping small to large parts quickly simply by pulling the pin on the NC vise, sliding the power unit back, and reinserting the pin. In three sizes, the NC vise is easy to maintain, has a repeatability of 0.0004 in and comes with a clamp force indicating gauge for enhanced precision and repeatability.

Carr Lane Roemheld Mfg. Co., 16345 Westwoods Business Park Drive, Ellisville, MO 63021, 636-386-8022, engr@clrh.com, www.clrh.com.