January/February 2011 Volume 7 Issue 1 WHO READS

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January/February 2011 volume 7 issue 1 WHO READS

Driven folks like Scott Livingston, president of Horst Engineering & Manufacturing Co. in East Hartford, CT.

“I live my life at warp speed, but I make time to read Today’s Machining World. I look to the magazine for best practices and ideas, and not just about business. I have a mentor who is always pushing me to evaluate my time/energy portfolio. Friends often wonder why I pile so much on an already full plate. I’m a husband, father, CEO of a precision machining company, runner, cyclist, kayaker, hiker, board member, photographer, writer, and environmental advo- cate. I can’t see past the pile of books next to my bed and my Amazon.com “wish list” will break me. I’m a Gen-X’er with eclectic interests. Today’s Machining World delivers the mix I like.” Today’s Machining World? FAST COMPANY.

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in this issue January/February 2011 volume 7 issue 1 Departments Best of Section: 7 Editor’s Note Features 10 Forum VIII Twenty-four Hours in the Life of Curtis Screw by Lloyd Graff X Finding a Brand in Your Machine Shop by Lloyd Graff 12 Swarf XXVI Rock Valley Revisited by Lloyd Graff XXX Czech Mate by Noah Graff 18 Book Review WAR Interviews by Jerry Levine XIV View from the Border Patrol An Interview with T.J. Bonner 20 Is It Good XX State of the Unions An Interview with James Hoffa William Schaffer XXII The Wizard of Haas An Interview with Gene Haas Conicity Technologies XXVIII Tony’s Magnificent American Dream An Interview with Tony Maglica of Mag Instrument, Inc. 22 Fresh Stuff Departments 24 Origins I Next Predictions on the Future of the Border Fence Scott Crump II Swarf Ebay, GM, Fantasy Baseball and Interview with an Acme VI Shop Doc Part Length Issues 32 One on One Pawn Stars VII Book Review The Real Inconvenient Truth by Jerry Levine Rick Harrison XII Show me Your Ride Happy Hunting with Troy Schultz XIII One on One Mike Rowe 34 Shop Doc Push Back Problems XVI How it Works Metal Injection Molding with Barbara Donohue XVIII One on One Dan Arieli 35 Product Focus XIX One on One Mad Mike Parts Cleaners XXIV Next Predictions on Robots 42 Swarfblog XXV Book Review Born on a Blue Day by Jerry Levine XXXII Miscellaneous Machines’ Personal Ads and an Ode to TMW 44 Think Tank in this issue 50 Afterthought The Next Decade

26 Milling Dollars Baby 45 Ad Index Manufacturing Filmmaking Accessories by Noah Graff 46 Classifieds 36 How it Works Machining Plastics by Barbara Donohue

January/February 2011 5 WHO READS

Driven folks like Scott Volk,vice-president of MetalQuest Unlimited in Hebron, Nebraska.

Since I could crawl I’ve loved hot cars. I’ve transferred my passion for mechanical things to our shop of 19 CNC machines making product for energy distribution, hydraulics, and transportation. I read car magazines like Hot Rod and National Dragster. The only manufacturing magazine I read cover to cover is Today’s Machining World.

Today’s Machining World?

adindex_0708.indd 1 6/23/08 10:51:27 AM or email:[email protected] Station APOBox54,Windsor, ONN9A6J5 World DistributionService, email: [email protected] P.O. Box54,Windsor, ONN9A6J5 World DistributionServices,StationA, C CPC PublicationAgreementNumber40048288 email [email protected] Today’s MachiningWorld, P.O.Box802,Skokie,IL60076or Send addresschangesand/orsubscriptioninquiriesto: rate: US$40fordomestic/US$55international. Subscription/Change ofAddress:Basicsubscription ©2011 Today’s MachiningWorld , Inc.Allrightsreserved. Canadian ReturnAddress: CPC PublicationAgreementNumber40048288 and additionalmailingoffices. Periodical postagepaidatSkokie,IL [email protected] Subscribers mayalsoe-mailaddresschangesto PO Box802,Skokie,IL60076. Send addresschangestoToday’s MachiningWorld, POSTMASTER: Street, OakForest, Ill.60452. December byScrewMachineWorld, Inc.,4235 w 166th May, June,July/August,September, October andNovember/ is publishedninetimesayear;January/February, March,April, Today’s MachiningWorld (USPS024-909)(ISSN1945-4643) Tel: 630-715-4318 [email protected] Dan Hummell On Hold [email protected] Sue Ravenscraft/RSMediaServices Circulation Director [email protected] Todd Toborg /toddtdesigns,inc. I’m Not [email protected] Noah Graff The RealDeal [email protected] Emily Aniakou Mother ofReason (708) 535-2237 [email protected] Lloyd Graff Oligarch (708) 535-2237 Oak Forest, IL60452 4235 W. 166thStreet A ScrewMachineWorld Inc.Publication www.todaysmachiningworld.com ddress: anadian ReturnAddress:

January/February 2011 Corny Hybrid Nash Rambler Kerry Wood, ChopWater Offensive Coordinator Touching theLloyd H.V. Kaltenborn One-Eyed Jock One-Eyed Jack Getting itRight Swarfaholic The DJLloyd 3-Point Shooter Drummer Bid Your BrainsOut Brother WhereArtThou Listener Chief Schmoozer Story Teller Mr. Conflict ofInterest Pusher oftheEnvelope Provider ofPassion Chief SpaceFiller Lloyd’s titlesoverthepast10years. masthead, onyourresumé,oreveninobituary. it forthenextissue.I’dlovetoknowwhatyouwouldcallyourselfonyourcompany’s in atitle?No.Butwecanusewordtoapproximate,setthetone. my role?Doesanybodyreallyreadthemasthead?Can Isynthesizemyuniquecontribution energy, apointofview, asenseofjoy, orIdon’tevenwantmynameonthemasthead.” I wenton.“ScrewMachineWorld can’tbeyourgrandmother’spublication.Ithastohave content. Don’tdoitonthemasthead,it’samistake,”Dansaid. little goofy, too.” of sayingwearerisktakers,thatseriousaboutwhatdoing,butwe’realsoa fun, andwewantthemtohavefunwhentheyreadthemagazine,”Ireplied.“It’saway and askingyoutosupporthisindulgences.’” ‘Look attheirmasthead,theyaren’tseriouspeople.ThisisjustLloydGraffplayingaround moneymaking, ink-and-paperentityinweeks. for atradepublicationfromtheinitialmusingstagesandturningitintoprofessional, announced aproposedtitleformyself.“Call me‘ChiefSpaceFiller,’” Isaid. were toogeneric.Theywhitebread,Chevrolet.Ithoughtforawhile,andthen blankly atthewhiteboardonwalllookingforaclue.Noneofthosetitlesfeltright.They magazine andhowIdefinemyself. D Orginally printedintheveryfirstissueofScrewMachine World, Nov/Dec 2000. The Great Masthead Debate So, myofficialtitleforthisissueonlyis“ChiefSpaceFiller.” Ireservetherighttochange The meetingwasover, butofcoursetheconversationinmyheadwasraging.Whatis “Dan, ifI’mgoingtodoanothertypicaltradepublication,it’snotworthdoingforme,” “Lloyd, Iimploreyou,don’tdothis.You cansendthismessageinyour choiceof “You haveapoint,butthisiswayofexpressingtoourreadersthat we wanttohave This hurt,becauseDaniscorrectinaway. “Lloyd, ifyoudothis,they’duseitagainstyou.Your competitorswill telladvertisers, Dan lookedatmewithanguishandannoyance.Heseeshisroleasshepherdinganidea “Would youcallyourselfaneditor, apublisherorwriter?”heaskedinnocently. Istared He setoffadayofheavywrestlingwiththeissuebecause,forme,itwascrucialto under yourname,Lloyd?” asking asimplequestionyesterday, “Whattitleshouldweputonthemasthead an, PelsourpublishingguruforScrewMachineWorld magazine,thoughthewas editor’s note editor’s Radical Blogger Your Guide Unhirable Yellow Card Taffy Emojono Intelligence Hobgoblin ofLittleMinds General MotorsMouth Glove ofMyLife Boracle ofDelphi Hybrid Untapped Potential Journalist Adora Fedora Writes ofPassage Artiste Showing Up Sixty Snow Stepper Ted Mack Raconteur Lemon Squeezer Juggled The Accountant One OutofTwo April Showers Blow Hard Juiced Adding Machine Grinch The Loonie The UnNatural The AppleofHerEye Get To Tin Ear Man ofSteel Switch Pitcher Hot Water Themester Kite Runner Lug Nut Powder Puff Pundit Editor/Owner Oligarch Revisionist Student Editor Rent-an-Editor Face to Face, Belly to Belly Black andWhite The Independent Unleavened Fat Chance Salad Dresser Keeper oftheFaith Knit OnePearlTwo Center Brain Captain Video Neighbor Drill Sergeant Virologist And One Krusty Swish Bypassed Changing Tides Lloyd Graff 7 editor’s note - full-time Today’s Machining World Machining Today’s since its inception and always . via Craigslist. year A 10 Army veteran and lifelong “The Engineer Who started Writes,” her literary career as came to TMW contributors For a used machinery dealer a first deal is supposed to be like a first dealer a first deal is supposed to be like a used machinery For Barbara Donohue, editor of a small-town weekly newspaper. On occasion there would be a patch of unsightly white space that needed to be filled, writeso she’d up a recipe and a story to go with it. Over time, she developed a following. The police chief in town told “I her, don’t cook, but I always read your recipe.” After stepping down as editor, she continued for years 10 to write her weekly recipe column and also covered food topics for trade magazines. These days, she writes “HowIt Works” and the new“Is It Good?” features for TMW Dan Hummell Lloyd Graff. ers. It was running with regular oil. The operator said it was good. Lloyd consulted withers. It was running with regular oil. The operator offered $2,500 and hoped A-B his father and uncle long-distance (reverse charges), during the school year. would accept. They did. The machine sold for $7500 kiss. Lloyd can’t remember the kiss, but the deal was buying a 9/16” RA6 National the kiss, but the deal was buying a 9/16” RA6 kiss. Lloyd can’t remember he was in Milwaukee when he was 17. One week before Acme from Allen Bradley $125 a up the Acme in Wisconsin. He was pulling down headed to college he dug drove up to not earning it if he couldn’t land a big fish. He week and felt like he was the story fortress in downtown Milwaukee and inspected Allen Bradley’s old multi threading, collets and push piece. With limited knowledge he detected six spindles, manufacturing fan, Dan cut his first metal on a Bridgeport endmill1976. in By that time, his father, a maintenance mechanic, had already educated him in the use of micrometers, calipers and metric and fraction conversion—a good thing, since CNC and AutoCad were quite a few years Employed away. at various facilities over the years, Dan has worked as a machinist, automotive mechanic, and sales person, before finally using his military intelligence background to apply good intel practices within the business community as a consultant. Hired by TMW as their Sales Manager, Dan looks forward to the magazine’s next years. 10 Jerry Levine has been writing book reviews forTMW gets great pleasure out of learning something new each time. For the past 20 years he has been an active volunteer in a homeless shelter projectChicago’s in south suburbs. Currently, he very is much involved with the shelter’s building of a 100 unit permanent housing facility. Groundbreaking scheduled is for 2011. May, January/February talent pool talent January/February 8 contributors January/February 2011 away from: Red delicious apples most definitely trump honey crisp. honey trump definitely most apples delicious Red from: away stays he debate only is only There sports. Chicago about conversations consuming time into getting when especially co-workers, TMW his with home at right feels TMW with relationship his continuing to forward is looking he date, to belt his 11 under issues With 2009. of Today’s for Machining World director creative been has Toborg Todd and radar systems and is a licensed amateur radio operator. operator. radio amateur is alicensed and systems radar and missile on writer atechnical as worked also has He activities. manufacturing other and processes machining of knowledge first-hand gaining inindustry, positions manufacturing of inanumber worked Alan career, writing his beginning to Prior Tech High of Age the of Birth the and 128 Route Arsenal, Watertown including, history technology about books several of co-author or author is the he and publications, specialty and periodicals consumer newspapers, in daily published been have His articles means. it what and occurs change how illuminate that back-stories technology the of fond is particularly He engineer. amechanical father, his from gizmos for apassion acquired Earls R. Alan Emily Aniakou sweeping through the community. the through sweeping are law immigration Arizona-like an of rumors and quit won’t just cold and snow the where Indiana, inMunster, son foster ateenage and beagle untrainable an husband, her with lives Emily Lanka. Sri and India through traveling and inBangladesh living ayear spent she that, York before and New inupstate center ameditation at lived she that Before volunteer. Corps aPeace as Africa West Benin, from returning after –Albert Einstein –Albert new. anything tried never has mistake a made never has who Aperson month: this quote Favorite creating. and dancing, salsa food, Italian include inlife things favorite his of photo). (see Afew Off Day Ferris Bueller’s movie, favorite his of locations Chicago the about documentary new a editing be). to is presently He aWeb empire(soon building and editing writing, into transitioned gradually and videographer of title the with started He 2005. Noah Graff Noah Screw Machine World/Today’s Screw joined Machining World

joined joined Today’s Machining World . With a life that revolves around design and sports, he he sports, and design around revolves that alife . With Raytheon Company: The First 60 Years 60 First The Company: Raytheon , and in June of 2008, just three months months three just 2008, of inJune way back in back way since August August since . 9 contributors forum

From the American Precision Museum The Way to Go On behalf of the America Precision Museum I am writing to In response to your “Swarf” in the Nov/Dec issue about older thank you for the wonderful article Alan Earls wrote about the machines coming onto the market, I think that National Acmes museum in your November/December 2010 issue. His article are the way to go. We currently are running 40 and doubling our not only captured the essence of the museum but also the state floor space with an expansion in the spring. You can do anything of today’s machine tool industry. His photographer did a great with an Acme now. We’ve already rebuilt several of our 6 and 8 job with the additional photographs and his research was impec- spindle Acmes and they are like brand new machines when we cable. Merritt Roe Smith from MIT is a huge supporter of the get them back. Plus, they are adding CNC slides and lots of other museum and did an internship with Ed Battison, our founder, technology that we never thought possible on a screw machine. when he was working on his PhD many years ago. We were I believe that the screw machine industry is going to keep ex- pleased he was included in the article. It is a great story—in fact, panding, especially with all of the new features that are available it is one of the very best articles written about the museum in on rebuilds now. some time. Jason Orbin I sincerely hope that if you are in the area, you will let us know. Submitted on www.todaysmachiningworld.com We would love to give you a personal tour of the museum and share our story with you. Thank you for the important attention you have given to the story of the American machine tool indus- A Distaste for Politicians try and this museum. In response to your “Swarf” in the Nov/Dec issue about the 2010 Nancy Hoggson political advertising season, I want to say that I care about my Development and Communications Manager country, but it is getting harder all the time to find a candidate for Windsor, Vermont any government office to feel good about. Listening to the exag- gerations and partial truths/lies I am reminded of professional Telepathy with the Readers wrestling. In wrestling, opponents show no respect for each other Last week, I finally got around to reading a book you recom- in the ring and then eat, sleep and travel together to the next mended, The American Machine Tool Industry Its History, Growth venue. Our national politicians are divided by party to the point & Decline, by Albert Albrecht. In the book the author mentions that there is no real debate on the issues. They seem to spend so the American Precision Museum. I recall thinking that I’d need much time on party issues and props for themselves that there is to look into the details of the museum. On Monday, your No- no time for the real work anyway. But fill the trough and they will vember/December issue arrived and there it was, a cover story be shoulder to shoulder to eat their share. devoted to the museum. So, Lloyd you can add “telepathy” to Bill your many skills. Submitted on www.todaysmachiningworld.com forum Thomas C. Scanlan Surplus Record Inc. Chicago, Ill.

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A woodworking planer,y Smithmade between 1900 and 1930 b , N.H. Machine Co., Sunapee Photo courtesy of Bob Eddy Celebrating America’s LOVE AFFAIR A Night By Alan R. Earls with Machining ] s headquartered in a former armory at the[Machining November/December 2010 he American Precision Museum i f interchangeable parts. Its that helped perfect the manufacture o American machining ingenuity.

gworld.com collections showcase two centuriesidea of manufacturing based on precision measurement, T tooling, machinery and repeatable processes was pioneered. Museum The Beginning of Machining in America There may not be any single place that can properly claim to Companies at the Forefront of Machining be the origin of the modern machine tool industry, but this In Windsor, inventors and entrepreneurs took those ideas place certainly merits top mention. At first glance, Windsor, to an even higher state of development, launching the likes Vermont, is not the kind of locale one would associate with of Robbins & Lawrence, whose original armory building,

precision museum advanced machining technology, nor with industry in any form. complete with overhead shafts and belts and the remains of volume 6 issue 9 It is a picture perfect model for a quiet, old New England a waterwheel, now houses the museum. Nearby was Jones town; its most obvious attractions being the Cornish-Windsor & Lamson Machine Tool, Bryant Chucking Grinder Compa- Covered Bridge (the second longest in the U.S.) and the Old ny, Lovejoy Tool, Cone Automatic Machine Company (later

www.todaysmachinin Constitution House, in the past a tavern where the Republic known as Cone-Blanchard), and The Fellows Gear Shaper precision museum precision of Vermont, which lasted 14 years, was born in 1777. Company. In fact, so great was the concentration of impor- But Windsor is also home to an unusual institution—The tant machine tool companies in the region, that the valley American Precision Museum. was reportedly ranked among the top 10 potential targets for Windsor, it turns out, is one of the key communities in an enemy attack during World War II. During the Cold War the area long known as Precision Valley because it was home valley was a site for a massive nuclear civil defense evacua- to a once vast machine tool industry. Dig a little deeper and tion exercise. you discover that the name of the town and its neighbors, But you would never know it today. The demise of ma- Hartford and Springfield, were borrowed by early settlers chining in the region didn’t take a nuclear attack or enemy who came up the Connecticut River Valley from communi- sabotage—just a combination of rapid technical change ties with those same names in the Nutmeg State (Connecti- and shifting economic sands. Today, even the church at the cut) and Massachusetts. According to Merritt Roe Smith, a historian of technology at MIT, it was in Windsor that the 27 M 11/30/10 2:07 P

November/December 2010 Today’s Machining World

1 NOV_Cover.indd Something on your mind? We’d love to hear it. Send your comments to: TMW Magazine 4235 W. 166th Street, Oak Forest, IL 60452 Or email us at: [email protected] or [email protected]

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Taking the Plunge swarf The key question facing American manufacturers, pand for fear of the next bubble burst, a la 2001 and especially contract machining shops in the next two 2008. The dilemma so many of us are faced with is years is, how do you expand? Or, the interesting corol- that we cut back so deeply to weather the recession lary question, is this the time to cash in? that it is hard both financially and psychologically to Let’s be real, American manufacturing has always put it all on the line again. But some people will make been cyclical and still is. We are a little past a year into the big bets and a portion of that group will win big. the current upturn. With low interest rates, the 2012 This is the moment to ask yourself which camp you presidential election run-up beginning, the depletion are in. Visibility of the future is always iffy, but I think of domestic players and the competitiveness of North the odds are strong that we have at least two fat years American industry, these should be two excellent ahead. If you consider yourself a player who is in the years. game for the long term this is the time to plunge. If There is always a strong tendency to fight the last you can’t take the volatility of the manufacturing game, war, so a lot of folks are going to be reluctant to ex- sell out in 12 to 18 months.

12 Today’s Machining World The train from Beijing to Shanghai goes Mike Jackson, the CEO of AutoNation, the 200 miles per hour. Amtrak’s Acela Express train from Washing- big publicly held consortium of car dealers, says pickup trucks ton D.C. to New York goes half that on a good day. But our erst- are flying out of his stores. He sees this activity as a reflection of while stimulus package of 2009 has a lot of money designated to the confidence of small business around the U.S. make us slightly better than mediocre in rail. Jackson is predicting a two or three year ramp-up to the 16 They are upgrading the service between Chicago and St. Louis, million car build rate, which has traditionally been the standard Los Angeles and San Francisco, Miami to Orlando and Tampa, of automotive well-being. With GM and Ford solidly in the black and that hot rail market between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, at 11.5 million units they will be coining money at 16. My question New Mexico. is whether the auto infrastructure can quickly accommodate 16 Train travel is fun. Security is not as annoying as at airports million. From a precision machining standpoint we are beginning and fares are pretty reasonable. My question is whether we can to push the comfortable limits of production now in place. A 40 afford the cost of upgrading a third rate passenger rail system to to 50 percent increase in build rate will strain everybody to meet a second rate one. Our interstate highway system is excellent and requirements. air transportation is still high caliber, so do we need to spend I talked to Kevin Meehan of Hydromat recently about the abil- billions on passenger rail? ity of his clients to expand production. He’s seeing some activity, Anyone for buses? but he thinks the big Tier Ones in Europe, particularly those in

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January/February 2011 13 - - Today’s Machining World Machining Today’s beginning I wanted see to The pieces were well done, ity young of workers findlivable to wage work southern in Europe. takes over in Albany, and thetakes inabil Albany, over in but the editorial judgment The of financial financial woes as AndrewCuomo Times was indicative what of I see as Year

the disconnect the of public and busi ness environment moment. at this New

workers’ pensions under attack, state’s New York the montage and orneriness pessimism of about public

The politicians and elites (journalistic, academic and swarf Meanwhile the Dow 80 up is percent from the 2009 low What am I missing here? Are brethren, you of What any machining I missing am The growth Facebook of has been stunning, and Zuckerberg Readers, bloggers, actual friends, please tell me about your financial) are financial) fixated on aproblematic worldeconomy while the people who weathered have the past three years rearing are to see the in this stock market, You money. make where the Gotham hedge funds and mutual funds generally have fought the tape expecting a double recession, dip deflationand more recently stagflation withcommodities rapidlyin price.rising and Christmas sales were twice up as much as the consensus predicted. what Times, the New Sunday the York reflectionof the Eastern liberal elites, would be writing about. The front section was a fast or if a high school acquaintance just had a prostate biopsy. not particularlyI’m social, but I do love media. I know Facebook success and his Mark ZuckerbergCEO the of Man Time’s Year is legendary,is but for a 60-something me, guy Facebook like Internetseems an like toy. tinker machinery media mavens, types, etc. actually Facebook using either personally it Or or just the professionally? is province of children, teenagers, and Generation Zers? X, Y, vows connect to the world. Every vodka Bolivian miner, lithium stained reindeer Finnish and rancher, Polynesian pearl diver supposedly will be clutching their iPhone waiting connect to with a sopping lobsterman from degrees Six Maine. separation of between Laden Osama Bin and General Stanley McChrystal. Facebook divorces, your Facebook reunions, or better yet, your Facebook sales. With - - - Facebook at cable series cur series cable valuing

Sachs

I get a kick out these of shows and their genteel predecessor, not onlyBut a purveyor I’m wreaking junktiques oily, of from Somebody want may my crusty flotsamand Once I almost Frankly, I don’t care what my third cousin’s niece had for I don’t break care what cousin’s my third Frankly, The opportunity get to fat and happy during the impending rently chronicling the life pawn of business shops. What the is fascination with people borrowing against baubles or selling their professional peddlers to junk for rent money? Antiques because Show, Road the used machine tool racket that I practice dealing a bastard in the of is pawn shop. I’m cousin esoteric machinery which could be fodder for the furnace, or somebody’s stake a fortune or Topeka. to Turkey in the basements defunct of car my mausoleums. making I have own collections metal of skeletons no that logical have home. Who wants a stock reel for a 4-spindle Conomatic? Who covets orphan bearings for random spindles for who-knows-what machine that used be to made a now in demolished factory in Vermont? Jetsam, but who buys the pawnbrokers’ crap? If the supposedI’m authority on machine tool bones,dinosaur my who’s pawnbroker? traded Acme an for a yellow Mercedes convertible. Should have done it. Dumb just iron, dumb is iron control.unless a Fanuc it’s got $50 billon$50 and still I am calling on my kids the phone and texting only a magnifying got if I’ve glass available. Goldman There are at least three three least at are There Germany, will be theGermany, in catbird provide seat to the sophisticated assemblies that will be short in The supply. Germans maintained their automotive infrastructure, while North in America we al lowed the market gut to part the of supply chain. U.S. car tick up be may more a bonanza for the Germans than for companies the in New World. 14 swarf The recent Purchasing Managers’ Chicago survey showed a I predict—The Boston Celtics will win the NBA Championship stunning burst of industrial activity and almost everybody I talk to and Philadelphia will win the World Series. The surprise team in in manufacturing is bullish. baseball will be Washington, but they are two years away from a A few straws in the wind—I recently heard of two companies pennant. The Cubs will finish a close second behind Cincinnati in that flew heavy machine tools to the U.S. from Europe to get their division. them on the floor in 2010. Also, with demand strong in China, Here’s hoping you don’t agree entirely and contribute your own machine tool firms in Japan are rationing supply because they do fearless forecasts. not want to shut out customers from around the world. As I look at my Graff-Pinkert used machinery business I am wondering where we are going to find the skills we may well be needing in 2011. Maybe if you are living under a rock you haven’t The N.Y. Times is still looking at a 2009 world. Fortunately, we heard of GROUPON™. But this two-year-old company allegedly are living in 2011. had the chutzpa to reject Google’s $6 billion offer to acquire it. So what do they do? They sell coupons for goods and services on the Internet with good writing, a sense of humor, and a cool concept—the deals As Charles Barkley so elo- quently stated in his first memoir, “I may be wrong, but I doubt it.” The Service You Expect Today I’ll put on my Carnac turban and The Quality You Deserve peer into 2011. AMSCO has been servicing the screw machine I predict—the industry for over 60 years. We represent top of the economy will grow much faster than line products with competitive prices. Our immense most economists are inventory of repair parts & tooling includes parts for forecasting. My number Brown & Sharpe, Davenports, National Acmes, is 5.2 percent for the year. New Britains, Lipe Bar Feeds & Traubs. The manufacturing economy is taking off. Auto sales could reach the 14 million rate. Employ- ment will improve with the tax issue settled for the moment Parts, Tooling & Accessories: and Congress writing the rules on Obamacare. Housing will Spindle Assemblies New or Rebuilt Bearings - Belting - Cam Blanks - Multi Spindle Cam sets still be tough, but the big problem children of housing—Flor- Chains - Chasers - Chip Carts - Collets/Pads - Collet Tubes ida and California—have both stabilized. Deflation will be off Cut off Blades - Die Heads/Blocks - Drill Bushings - Gears the table as will the dreaded double dip recession. Congress Knurls - Motors - Pulleys - Pumps - Pushers/Pads - Pusher will actually start to seriously discuss the deficit because the Tubes - Shafts - Tap Bushings - Tool Holders for Single Tea Party folk will balk at raising the debt ceiling in April. & Multi Spindle Machines - Used Machinery I predict—Hilary Clinton will discuss running against Barack in 2012 but decide against it. Sarah Palin will travel IF YOU NEED IT TOMORROW, CALL US TODAY to Iowa and decide to run. Mike Bloomberg of New York will look at the field on both sides and decide whether to run for 800-832-6726 President. I predict—he will decide to run as a Republican uto atic crew Machine Tool & Supply and will win the nomination and the Presidency in 2012. A M S CO. Bloomberg never loses. If he wants it bad enough and opts 6775 Brandt Rd. Romulus MI 48174 to run, he will become the first Jewish President. 734-728-8500 Fax 734-728-8020 www.autoscrewamsco.com E-Mail: [email protected]

January/February 2011 15 swarf

have a limited time frame and a minimum number of people mediately, because as great an idea as GROUPON™ was, it was need to take them before they kick in. eminently copyable. Noah Graff and I heard Andrew Mason, the 29-year-old Since Noah and I heard Mason speak we have been working on founder of GROUPON™, at a Wall Street Journal forum on our own version of GROUPON™ for the industrial world, which growing your business. We were fascinated by his story and we call “The Real Deal.” The folks at Trusty-Cook Inc., a manufac- self-effacing demeanor. As he told it, the GROUPON™ idea was turer of wonderful and unique non-marring hammers that replace not his brainstorm. He was interested in social media and had the primitive lead and bronze hammers, immediately loved the developed a Web site to attract young people to political meet- idea and did their first Real Deal email blast in December. They ings. A venture capitalist liked what he was doing and invited him have been very happy with the results and are signed up to do to use the concept of attracting a minimum threshold group for a two more in the coming months. commercial purpose—i.e. selling discounted goods and services. If you think you don’t do discounts, think again. The possibili- As Mason recounted it, “he didn’t have anything better to do,” ties are tremendous. If you want to do one give our Sales Man- and “somebody was dangling a lot of cash in front of him.” So ager, Dan Hummell, a call at (630) 715-4318, send him an email at he went to work on the site with gusto. It caught on like wildfire, [email protected], or email Noah Graff at noah@ and he and his founders realized they had a monster by the tail. todaysmachiningworld.com. Mason started hiring salesmen and building infrastructure im- See how the Real Deal can grow your business.

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16 Today’s Machining World

I’ve been asked many times over the last 2.5 about happiness. The thrust of the article was that we are years since I almost died of congestive heart failure, if I am a programmed for happiness by our upbringing and biology, changed man because of the experience. but on the margins we can decide to be happier if we The answer is yes and no. commit to it. I got back into my magazine work This has been the case with me. within days of getting home from the Since my heart surgery and a laundry list of ail- hospital. I was more passionate than ever ments I actually feel happier and more content that to write my stories. The machinery busi- at any other time in my life. At least partially, being ness was harder to get into because in happy is an exercise. I have made it a habit to make 2008 and 2009 business was so awful it a mental note of things I’m grateful for every day. seemed like anything I tried failed. I prob- This is a regimen and I do it more regularly than ably would have given it up if I could have walking on the treadmill. I believe it has made a dif- financially, but after fighting so hard to live, ference in my personal happiness quotient. I didn’t want to give in to financial duress. I can honestly say I feel happier and more con- Recently, I read a piece in Spirit Maga- tent today, 2.5 years after my Armageddon. Not zine, the publication of Southwest Airlines, that I would recommend it.

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January/February 2011 17 By Jerry Levine book review

WAR For 15 months, reporter Sebastian Junger followed a platoon based in a remote mountain outpost in eastern Afghanistan. His objective was to convey war as soldiers really live it. WAR illuminates the lives of men and women who fight for us, how they feel, how they live and learn, and how they survive and die all too randomly. Junger asked to be assigned to the point platoon based in Later that night a column of U.S. soldiers was ambushed the toughest position in Afghanistan. This was the second along a mountain trail. The enemy’s objective was to cut off platoon at Camp Restrepo in the Korengal Valley. Junger the first few lead men (officers) from the rest of the column commented that even though he had been imbedded with and capture them, probably for propaganda purposes. The fighting groups previously, he was totally unprepared for the point man, Sgt. Josh Brennan, was hit eight times from a level of violence he was about to experience. distance of 20 to 30 feet, while the rest of the column was Firefights were an almost daily occurrence. Enemy fighters taking heavy fire. Specialist Sal Giunta, a fire team leader, might be 300 or 400 yards away shooting bullets that cover quickly assessed the situation, “Everything kind of slowed the distance in about half of a second. The first down, and I did everything I thought warning might be the light from the tracers, the I could do,” he said. He saw enemy next is the distinctive snapping sound as the fighters dragging Brennan down the bullet breaks the sound barrier just inches from hillside. He emptied his M4, killing one’s head. Finally, a second later, the soldier one and scaring off the others. He hears the initial gunshot. Hopefully, by then he recovered Brennan and while wounded has long since dove for cover. in two places, carried his friend back There is no time for fear. In combat, a soldier’s to the remains of the column which fear actually recedes and a rapid response action was still desperately fighting for its life. takes over. Pulse, blood pressure and adrenaline For his bravery Giunta was awarded levels go through the roof. But at the same time the Medal of Honor last November— book review the soldier’s training takes over and concentration about six months after this book was and control reach a peak. Unfortunately, the published. adrenaline rush can become addictive, which can On a deeper level, Junger asks, Why? lead to psychiatric problems later. Junger points What makes otherwise normal men out that by the time the tour was over, half the fight and kill? Junger concludes that it’s platoon was on psychiatric meds. frequently love that makes men fight Junger covered an ill-fated mission to recover and gives them uncommon courage. weapons caches hidden in one village. As the Courage is a love that won’t let a soldiers moved in, there was considerable fighting and five comrade down. In Sal Giunta’s case he raced through heavy young civilians were killed. The senior U.S. commander, Col. enemy fire to kill an enemy soldier who was carrying away a Ostlund (who Junger thought was excellent) met with village wounded buddy and brought him back to safety. elders to discuss the deaths. Ostland condemned the enemy At the Medal of Honor ceremony Giunta said, “It was who had paid young Afghan kids five dollars to go out and nothing, anyone would have done it.” What he meant was shoot at the U.S. soldiers. The soldiers ended up killing the anyone in the unit would have done it. It’s the desire to never young kids. After the Americans left, the elders met to consider let their buddies down that sustains these soldiers under Ostlund’s plea. They decided to reject it and declared a jihad such tremendous pressure and makes them fight. That is the against every American in the valley. One final upshot of this ultimate of love. There is no greater love. attack was that even civilian deaths committed by the Taliban (Junger and photojournalist Tim Hetherington also directed (which far outstripped those by the Americans) were then the documentary film Restrepo based on this same experience. blamed on the Americans. The film won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 2010.)

Comments? You can email Jerry Levine at [email protected].

18 Today’s Machining World 2 011

APRIL 19-21, 2011 — COLUMBUS, OH, USA

Registration is now open for the industry’s only event dedicated to precision machining in North America – the Precision Machining Technology Show. On the PMTS show floor you’ll find more than 150 exhibitors displaying everything from bar feeders and multi-spindle machines to software and cleaning solutions. Included in your registration are technical sessions on the show floor that will teach you about specific products and processes. You can register for free for a limited time at www.pmts.com.

Sponsored by Co-Sponsored by

20 64 Today’s Machining World January/February 2011 finish andtheformationofburrs. overall toollifeandmetalcuttingefficiency, butalsosurface geometry ofthecuttingedgenotonlyhassignificanteffectson ing therubbingthatgeneratesheat.Controlling themicro- where thechipisthinner, strengtheningthecornerandreduc- profiles thecuttingedgesoedge-preppedareaisthinner Cutting toolsliveanddiebasedoncornerstrength.EMG do? EMG does What technology W preparation machine addresses tool failure issues with an automated brush honing process. interviewing the people who developed them. In this interview, William Shaffer describes how his edge Today’s Machining World’s new feature “Is it Good” investigates how new or unique products work by automotive heads lasted80,000heads.Thefailure modewas In oneapplication,thePCDtools usedforhigh-speedmilling canyourWhat preparation edge machine do? edge profile. sion, automatedbrushhoningprocess toproducethecorrect systems suitableforuseontheshopfloor. Theyuseapreci- in 2006.We nowofferinsert,roundtoolanddrillpreparation late 1999andthemetalcuttingtestingbegan. The edgepreparationprocessparametersweredevelopedin prep—keeping theedgeprepinratiowithchipbeingcut. bing, thenextstepwastocontroldistributionofedge of thetoolwouldstillbeintactafterbothcornershadfailed. being “burned.”Typically, thecenterregionofcuttingedge 90 percentofthetimeduetoheat,withcornerstool tern: theplunge-stylegroovingtool.Thistoolfailsmorethan made anextensivestudyoftoolfailures,startingin1999. curiosity aboutwhycertaintoolsfailspecificallyduetoheat.I The ideaofvaryingtheedgepreparationstartedoutwithmy forEMG?How did you technology the develop precision Conicity honingprocess. a manufactureroftheabrasivebrushesusedin in associationwithWeiler Corporation, Cresco, Pa., (EMG). Hiscompany, Conicity, wasformedin1999 and efficiency. HecalleditEngineeredMicroGeometry precisely formingacuttingedgetomaximizetoollife and developedanedgepreparationmachinefor 1990s hebecamecuriousabouttoolfailuremodes Our firstedgepreparationmachinewasintroducedatIMTS Once Iidentifiedthetoolfailuremodeasedgepreprub- The studybeganwithatoolthathastrademarkfailurepat- machine designerformanyyears.Inthe Technologies, Latrobe,Pa.,workedasa illiam Shaffer, vicepresidentofConicity is it goodis for theindustry. to allowdrycuttingbecomeamoreeconomicalproposition different toolgeometries,andhighperformancecoatings, Geometry edgeprepcanbecombinedwithcorrectsubstrates, heat isessentiallycontrolled,thentheadvantageofMicro- are lowerandheatgenerationisreduced.Oncethesourceof main atahighlevel.Whenmetalcuttingefficiencyisup,forces EMG allowstheefficiencyofmetalcuttingprocesstore- practical? more Can preparation edge machining help make dry You bet. Game-on. Is it good? same, whichhelpsthedrilltrack straight. 100 toolsperhour. Themachinemakesboth cuttingedgesthe program torun,basedontoolandprocessparameters. you simplyloadthetoolandconsultachartthattellswhich material includingcarbide,cermet,PCDandCBN.To operate, is amodelspecificallyforinserts.Themachineswilldoany side-cutting tools(endmills,taps,stepsonstepdrills).There for forward-cuttingtools(reamers,drills,gundrills)and Shops canleaseorbuyourmachines.Modelsareavailable How canamachine shop use EMG technology? these areas. more important.EMGisalreadyeffectivelyfunctioningin reinforced plastics,andcarbonfiberwillbecomemore machines thatexist.Highspeedmachiningofcomposites, port globalaerospaceproductionwillexceedthenumberof few shortyears,thenumberofmachinesrequiredtosup- materials willsoonneedtobeatamuchhigherrate,too.In EMG isalreadyakeyfactorinthatprocess. effective drymachiningtohelpreducepollutantswillgrow. The manufacturingsectorandtheenvironment’sdemandfor What’s in store future forthe of EMG? facturer. Theyraneighttimeslonger. We edge-prepped2”broachesforawashingmachinemanu- broaches, reamers,highspeedsteeltools,andothermaterials. heads onatool. batch andedgepreppedthem.Theshopthengot280,000 burr generation.We hadtheengineertake18toolsoutof With Barbara Donohue With Barbara On thedrilledgeprepmachine,forexample,youcanrun Efficient machiningofbothnewandexistingaerospace There isn’tatoolyoucannamethatwehaven’timproved: 21

is it good t Doosan Infracore Doosan Infracore introduces the DNM 400A vertical machining center, designed for high productivity with precision tolerances, and built to fit the most crowded shop floors. The DNM 400A’s rugged, one-piece casting is strategically ribbed to prevent distortion during heavy or interrupted cuts. Fine grain Meehanite is selected for its superior dampening characteristics and ability to dissipate heat. Widely spaced linear guideways give excellent support to the saddle in all locations, regardless of the table’s load distribution. Each guideway is induction hardened and precision ground. Rapid traverses are 1181 ipm along all three axes.

For more information, please contact Doosan Infracore at 973-618-2500 or visit www.usa.doosaninfracore.co.kr/.

t EXAIR EXAIR’s new High Temperature Air Amplifier offers a simple, low cost way to move high volumes of hot air to surfaces requiring uniform heating while in a furnace or oven. There are no impellers or moving parts to wear out. The High Temperature Air Amplifier amplifies airflow up to 18:1 at outlet. Its design is rated for environments up to 700 degrees Farenheit and its surface is protected from heat stress by a mil-spec coating process (developed for the aircraft industry), allowing easy disassembly for changing shims or cleaning. Efficiency is high and the sound level is low at only 72 dBA. Prices start at $359.

fresh stuff For more information, please contact Exair Corporation at 800-903-9247 or visit www.exair.com.

t Hardinge It may have a small footprint, but the Hardinge GD5C2 rotary indexer packs a big punch. It weighs only 55 pounds so that you can place it without a hoist. The Hardinge-engineered mechanical components have proven to be all that you would expect from a company known for their precision and reliability. For Hardinge it began in 1901 when they manufactured their first 5C collet. The Hardinge 5C threaded-nose spindle followed along in 1940. The Hardinge collet closer designed for their manual indexer back in the 1960’s was so sturdy, efficient and on-target for industry needs, that it is still an option for this CNC indexer design today.

For more information please contact Hardinge at 800-843-8801 or visit www.shophardinge.com.

22 Today’s Machining World

fresh stuff

t INDEX TRAUB INDEX TRAUB announced the new TNL18 sliding headstock automatic lathe and its variant, the TNL18P production machine. The TNL18 can be changed over in minutes to produce precision parts with or without a guide bush for long or short parts from bar up to 20 mm diameter. Up to three tools can be on the part at once. The machines are ideal for medical component machining, delivering precision and qualified surface finish in a single operation. The tool capacity of the TNL18 can be increased to as many as 54 tool places through dual- and multi-holders, extending productive times.

For more information, please contact INDEX TRAUB at 317-770-6300 or visit www.index-usa.com.

t Methods Machine Tools Methods Machine Tools, Inc., a leading supplier of innovative machine tools, automation, and machine tool accessories now offers the VisionGauge® Digital Optical Comparator (Patent Pending) in a vertical configuration. Parts are mounted flat on the system’s XY stage and the optical axis is vertical (the lens is looking down on the parts). The most appropriate VisionGauge® configuration for a given application (either horizontal or vertical) is typically dictated by fixturing and mounting considerations. Another application appropriate for the vertical VisionGauge® is the inspection of craniomaxillofacial implants in the orthopedics industry—also difficult to fixture in a horizontal system.

For more information please contact Methods Machine Tools, Inc. at 978-443-5388 or visit www.methodsmachine.com.

t ZPS America ZPS America announces the new 8-spindle ZPS 867 CNC multi-spindle production center. The 867 can accommodate stock to 72 mm diameter. Provided with a double Siemens 840 D CNC control, the European-built machine offers up to 72 CNC axes and can perform nearly any metal stufffresh cutting operation on precision parts from drilling and tapping to milling, spline gears, broaching and hobbing. With a cast iron base and total weight of more than 20 tons, the 867 is extremely rigid. Combined with the highest spindle torque in the industry (191 NM), the stable 867 can handle difficult materials with great precision.

For more information, please contact ZPS America LLC at 317-452-4030 or visit www.zpsamerica.com.

January/February 2011 23 With Alan Earls origins

Today’s Machining World’s new feature “Orgins” tells us the stories of how successful technologies, companies and people got their start. This month we interview a pioneer of rapid prototyping technology, Scott Crump, the founder and CEO of Stratasys Inc. A 3D Vision Spawns Stratasys, Inc.

ack in the mid-1980s PCs were just starting to take over the workplace and CAD/CAM was a bleeding B edge technology that only large companies could afford. The idea of a machine that could create 3D parts automatically was pure science fiction. That changed between 1987 and 1988 when Scott Crump had a vision of an easier way to create prototype components, which resulted in the invention of a technique called Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM). (Generically, FDM can also be referred to as “additive” technology.) As it turns out, others were thinking along the same lines, notably

origins 3D Systems, which actually brought its own prototyping system to market in 1987, two years before Stratasys. Although the development of 3D prototyping technology generated considerable excitement, initially it was too expensive for any but the largest companies. But there were enough customers looking for a competitive edge, particularly those in aerospace, medicine and automotive, to make Stratasys viable. It wasn’t long before these early adopters discovered that they could use Stratasys products not only for prototyping but for making production items, too. In fact, the ability to produce in small quantities began to seem like a competitive advantage. Since the first machines, dimen- sional tolerances and surface finish have improved. Costs for the machines have also dropped dramatically from the six figure range to the low five figures. Additive technology has proven so successful that it is often used for small and medium-size production runs and, for manufacturing concerns, has proven to be a cost- effective method of producing custom tools and fixtures. Above: CEO of Stratasys Inc., Scott Crump.

24 64 Today’s Machining World January/February 2011 entire downtowntopromotetourism. items forconsumers,orthatcitieswouldbuildmodelsoftheir imagine thebusinessofShapeways.com,whichbuildscustomized make pursesandclothingwiththistechnology. AndIdidn’t manufacturing. Ineverimaginedthatfashiondesignerswould unique applicationsmanufacturerscontinuetofindforadditive in unitsales.Somethingthatneverceasestoamazemearethe become arealityinthelastfewyears,whichhasdrivengrowth able byanydesignormanufacturingorganization.Thishasreally would fitonthedesktopofdesignengineerandbeafford- CRUMP: ThevisionIhadwastoprovideasmallmachinethat applied? and way the ofopment thisit has been technology Have and devel surprised at growth you the been tooling coststhatnaturallyfollow. The secondpartofthatvisionwasthewindfall—thesavingsin of adesigniftheychoose,andthegetsbettereachtime. turing equipment,in-houseengineerscanmakeadozeniterations number ofprototypesavailabletothem.Withadditivemanufac- to improveproducts,becausetheywouldn’tbesolimitedinthe ment departmentsmuchmoreefficientandenabledesigners thought thatifthiswerepossibleitcouldmakeproductdevelop- engineer getprototypesquicklyandwithoutthehugeexpense.I CRUMP: Idreamedofamachinethatcouldhelpthedesign might do? Did you have vision aspecific what forthe technology ing abetterway. manufacturer facedthesameproblemIdid.imaginedtherebe- traditional manufacturingprocessesallowed.Irealizedthatevery the needtogetprototypesquickerandlessexpensivelythan CRUMP: WhilerunninganothercompanyIexperiencedfirsthand inspiredWhat you to this develop technology? also beingusedfor lowvolumemanufacturingof parts. tools likejigs,fixtures,assembly aids, guidesandgauges.Theyare are alreadybeingusedfrequently for producingmanufacturing CRUMP: Thevariousadditivemanufacturing processesavailable enterprises? manufacturing within evolving and fitting technology you do the see Where training. TheyjustfollowpromptsonanLCDmenu. area. Severalofourmachinescanberunbybeginnerswithno machines verysimpletooperate.We havecomealongwayinthis challenge wastocreateabetteruserexperiencebymakingthe these areongoingchallengesthatwillneverend.Anothermajor and repeatability, andhavegreatlyreducedmachinesize.But machine. We’ve comealongwayimprovingmachineaccuracy bringing themachinequalityupandreducingfootprintof CRUMP: It’sacontinuingchallengetodrivethecostdownwhile and improving technology? the biggest challenges have the What in developing been - machining equipment. manufacturing equipmentwillresideineveryshopnexttothe it becomesmainstream.Inthenottoodistantfutureadditive tive thantraditionalprocesses,it’sjustamatteroftimebefore Additive manufacturingissomuchmoreefficientandcosteffec- materials andeaseofuse. 36” by24”36”.Therearealsosomedifferencesintherangeof maximum buildsize.Ourlargestmachinescancreatepartsupto and rangeuptoaround$450,000.Themaindifferenceisthe in thetechnologyyourself.Ourproductsstartataround$15,000 we haveourownbuttherearemanyothers—oryoucaninvest already assembled,requiringnohumanstodoit. the CADfile.Themachinecanevenproducecomplexassemblies, manufacturing systembuildthecomponentsusingnothingbut machining orofmakinginjectionmoldtoolingandlettheadditive of money. You caneliminatethehighcostsofindividualpart additive manufacturingcouldsaveyouanenormousamount sand ofanygivenproductmodelperyear, there’sagoodchance for massproduction,ifyoumakeonly10’s,100’s,orafewthou- can alsohelpmakeshortrunproductionparts.Althoughit’snot under adayandyoucansavefrom50–95percentofthecosts.It tools. Withadditivemanufacturing,youcanhavethattoolin and assemblytools.Every manufacturerneedsavarietyofcustom is toquicklyandinexpensivelyproducecustommanufacturing fixtures. Oneofthebiggestbenefitstoanysizemanufacturer customer becausetheyareusedtowaitingforweeksseeapart. give themimmediatefeedback.You willpleasantlysurprisethe night, youcanproduceaphysicalmodelofthecustomer’sjobto CRUMP: Theycanusethistechnologytohelpwinbids.Over- in their shops today? similar manufacturinguse fields additive technology How could precision machine shops andin others Getting startediseasy. You caninitiallyuseaservicebureau— It isalsoagreatwaytomakemanufacturingaids,likejigsand 25

origins Today’s Machining World Machining Today’s Photo courtesy of Zacuto USA Photo courtesy of co-founders and owners of Zacuto USA and owners of Zacuto co-founders Left to rt.: Steve Weiss and Jens Bogehegn, and Jens Bogehegn, Weiss Left to rt.: Steve 26 zacuto usa Milling Dollars Baby Manufacturing Filmmaking Accessories By Noah Graff

Ten minutes into my interview with Jens Bogehegn and Before the Machining Business Steve Weiss, the co-founders and owners of Zacuto USA, a Jens met Steve in the mid-’80s while looking for a place filmmaking accessories manufacturer in downtown Chicago, to do video editing. Soon after, Jens worked as a freelance they break off on a tangent, excitedly brainstorming and cameraman almost exclusively with Steve through two for- debating production decisions for the upcoming season mer businesses. In 2000, they started a production house of their Emmy Award winning Web video series, The Great together called Zacuto Films and in 2001 formed Zacuto Camera Shootout. On the show, Jens and Steve, veterans of Rentals, a camera rental division of the company. In 2005, the film and video production industry, scientifically review they created Zacuto USA, the manufacturing branch of their every current HDDSLR company. camera, pitting the quality of the video footage from The High-def those cameras against the Revolution images of traditional film Around 2001, High-Defini- cameras. Both individuals tion video cameras struck are intense, driven busi- the professional video nessmen, who take great production world when pride in the filmmaking Panasonic introduced the zacuto usa accessory products they VariCam line. The VariCam build. They like being in the revolutionized the filmmak- manufacturing business, ing world because it could but they will be the first to shoot in 24p (“p” stands tell you that their first love for “frames per second”), is filmmaking. “If you had the same frame rate as talked to us seven years film cameras, rather than ago and said, ‘one day you guys will be manufacturers,’ Left: Z-cage kit we would have laughed at with DSLR camera you,” Steve says. Photo by Zacuto Inc.

January/February 2011 27 being limited to 30p, the speed which video has traditionally been shot on in the U.S. The VariCam’s images, when shot on the 24p setting, produced an image similar to that of film. This was a dream come true for filmmakers everywhere because the camera still had the ease of use and economic advantages of video cameras. Shooting film has always been extremely expensive, time consuming and labor intensive. The light sensitivity of film allows less leeway for shooting in natural light compared to some of the latest HD video cameras, so shooting it requires more extensive lighting equipment and often a crew. Also, a bargain on 35 mm film stock could be $30 for a minute of footage, while videotapes cost a tiny fraction of that. After shooting, the film has to be sent to a lab for processing, which creates more time and expense. Then, converting film footage to a digital format to the HVX 200. Suddenly almost anyone could buy a video edit it on a computer is a much more involved process than camera that shot 24p HD video for $5000, and its images transferring digital footage into a computer. looked pretty good. Although the quality of the images was If you can’t picture the difference between film and video not quite as good as that of the $100,000 cameras, it was footage, think about images from a Hollywood movie or TV good enough that footage shot on both cameras could be show shot on film and compare them to the images from a seamlessly intercut. newscast or sporting event shot on video. It’s not that 30p Steve and Jens were blindsided by this game-changing video looks bad, but the look of film is what many people technology. They knew that the video camera rental business consciously or unconsciously believe a beautiful, profes- would never be the same. Until then, normal people didn’t sional image should look like. buy professional video cameras, they rented them because quality cameras were far too expensive. Now, most profes- High-def for the Masses sional and avid amateur video/filmmakers were going to buy Soon after the VariCams came out, Jens and Steve bought their own relatively high quality video cameras. two or three of them for their rental business for about $100,000 each. The cameras were always checked out, be- A New Opportunity cause according to them, at the time there were only about “We were quite upset, but that was the greatest thing that 100 VariCams in existence worldwide. But in 2004, the video could have happened to us as a company,” Steve says. Steve production world again was turned on its head when Pana- and Jens knew that the only way they could stay in business sonic came out with its prosumer High-definition camera, was to find a way to serve the needs of video makers who zacuto usa zacuto

Above: Jens Bogehegn testing a 35 mm film camera for The Great Camera Shootout Universal baseplate Photo by Zacuto Inc. Left: Panasonic HPX 170 Zacuto Handheld DOF Filmmaker Kit Photo by Zacuto Inc.

28 Today’s Machining World would be using these new prosumer cameras. After trying in place with clamp mechanisms, as opposed to threaded out the new technology for themselves they realized that screws. This system gives the pieces flexibility to slide and although the video from these cameras looked pretty good, turn at different angles, so the camera person can custom- the physical design of the cameras was poor for shooting in ize the rig to their preference. a professional manner. The cameras were small, and often not ergonomic, so they were awkward to hold steadily while How It Works a cameraman walked with them. The expensive old school The foundation of Zacuto’s rig system is the Universal cameras were much larger and heavier, but they had been Baseplate. They call it universal because it is designed so well designed in many respects—they balanced naturally on that any camera can be secured to it. When the camera is the shoulder of the camera person and had an electronic secured to the baseplate it has the ability to slide vertically, viewfinder designed to fit conveniently against the camera horizontally and be raised in height. The Universal Baseplate person’s eye. is used to secure the camera to a shoulder mount, tripod or On walls throughout Zacuto’s other Zacuto designed devices to headquarters, large ancient video hold up the camera. The baseplate cameras are mounted like animal is mounted on 15 mm aluminum trophies. During my visit, Steve rods. The rods are made to con- pointed to one of the trophy cam- nect to other components which eras and with both conviction and clamp on as arms. The arms hold sentimentality exclaimed, “That features such as handles, micro- was a great design, ENG—Elec- phones, mat boxes, monitors and tronic News Gathering style.” mechanisms that enable a camera person to smoothly focus or zoom. Inventing the Rigs As much as Jens and Steve loved the old cameras, they The DSLR Revolution knew what they had to do for their business to survive. Today, Zacuto’s rigs are more valuable to filmmakers than They had to make the new prosumer cameras practical for ever because of the proliferation of DSLRs (digital single- shooting video in a professional manner. So they dove into lense reflex cameras) which can shoot extremely high quality the manufacturing business, building kits of parts primarily 24p 1080i High-definition video. Since HD video capability made from aluminum and plastic, which connect with one was introduced to DSLRs in 2008, millions of filmmak- another to form camera rigs. Steve refers to this concept as ers worldwide have fallen in love with them for they same the “tinker toy” system. The majority of parts are secured reason they loved the VariCam and its prosumer offspring, to one another with rods that fit into holes. They are held these cameras have the ability to deliver high quality images

Above: Z-Finder jr., One of Zacuto’s optical viewfinders Photo by Zacuto Inc. Left: Components for the Z-Finder Photo by Noah Graff Below: BEM CNC, Schaumburg, Ill. Photo by Noah Graff zacuto usa

January/February 2011 29 Above: Peacemaker DSLR tripod kit. Right: Part of the DSLR Z-Cage kit. Opposite: Looking through Zacuto’s electronic viewfinder prototype. All photos by Zacuto Inc.

resembling those of film for a relatively cheap price. For it on the market in six weeks. readers unfamiliar with the terminology, DSLR cameras are When Steve and Jens come up with a new product idea the modern digital version of the large still photography they first talk to their engineer Bob Zajeski of ZETA Engineer- cameras traditionally used by professional photographers ing Company, Homer Glen, Ill. He creates an e-drawing and (SLR cameras are the original analogue version). Photogra- on the same day they analyze it, tweak it and send it back phers and filmmakers like these cameras because they have to him. A prototype is then made which gets sent back and interchangeable lenses and large image sensors which allow fourth for further adjustments. When they come up with a similar depths of field and picture angles to film formats. prototype they are satisfied with they test it by using it to Prices of today’s DSLRs without lenses can range from shoot a video. Zajeski, who has designed 280 products for as low as $500 up to $3000, which can sound wonderful to Zacuto over the last five years, explained that with the intro- an indy filmmaker on a tight budget. However, despite the duction of the lightweight DSLRs, they have had to adapt the potential of these cameras to produce beautiful images, the kits. Recently they have reduced the weight of the parts by zacuto usa zacuto reality is that they have not been engineered for shooting using carbon fiber and thinning out the walls. professional video. A huge advantage for Steve and Jens in developing new DSLRs are awkward to hold steady for long periods of products is that they have over 50 years of filmmaking expe- time, their viewfinders do not work when shooting video, rience between them and they are constantly producing new their built-in microphones are lousy, and it is difficult to videos. They use the video equipment they need to build adjust the cameras’ focus or zoom smoothly on the fly while accessories for, while their competitors just observe the tech- shooting. Zacuto makes products to solve these problems, nology from the sidelines. For example, one recent trend in costing as low as under $100 for small accessories to several video production that Zacuto has addressed is the growing thousand dollars for rig-building kits. popularity of shooting video with the iPhone. Jens and Steve have designed rigs specifically for the different models of The Production Process iPhones, consisting of a handgrip attached to a cradle which Steve and Jens decided from the start that they wanted to the phone locks into. They also sell a viewfinder, their pat- manufacture the parts for their Zacuto kits locally as op- ented Z-Finder, that attaches to the iPhone’s screen to give posed to overseas. One reason for this decision was their the shooter more stability and a better view of the image. concern for quality control, but mainly they needed to have easy and fast communication with their engineers and Manufacturing the Kits contract manufacturers because almost every week they are The bulk of Zacuto’s parts are machined at BEM CNC, coming up with new ideas for products. With their current Schaumburg, Ill., a job shop that makes parts for an array of workflow routine they can think up a new product and have different industries.

30 Today’s Machining World

The parts are machined primarily on milling centers. Fast Presently, Zacuto manufactures its Z-Finder, which is a changeover is a priority rather than fast cycle times because viewfinder that attaches directly onto the LCD panel on the new products are constantly introduced. Volumes range back of the DSLR camera. It helps to steady the camera, anywhere from 10 to 500 parts. BEM CNC uses several block out light, and focus, but a camera person must have Mori Seiki horizontal machining centers and Brother pallet their face pushed right up against the camera at all times, machines because the pallets enable quick changeover. which limits the ways it can be rigged and positioned. Bogdan Falat, one of BEM CNC’s owners, said that the The new electronic viewfinder will enable a camera person tolerances for Zacuto’s parts range in tightness. The parts to look through a viewfinder that isn’t pressed up against the aren’t going into airplanes, but Falat said that some of them back of the body of the camera. The camera body connects are relatively intricate. He also said that Zacuto puts a high to the viewfinder with a standard HDMI cable, the same ca- priority on the aesthetics of the parts. BEM CNC constantly ble one would use to connect a computer or HD camcorder watches over the parts to make sure their red color is consis- to an HD TV. All the parts for the monitor will be assembled tent when they come back after being anodized. and manufactured in the United States apart from the panel for the screen. Jens and Steve say there is no other company Zacuto’s Next Challenge they know of today that manufactures an electronic monitor Steve and Jens have recently embarked on their first foray of that type in the United States. into electronics by engineering the very first electronic viewfinder (EVF) specifically designed for DSLR cameras (see Their First Love photo below). In essence, it is a 3.2” monitor that one will When Steve and Jens went into the manufacturing business put in front of the viewfinder Zacuto currently makes. in 2004, they made a vow to themselves that the only way One of the current drawbacks of shooting video with they were going to do it was if they could fulfill their per- DSLRs is that although the cameras have viewfinders for sonal passions to make films too. Jens and Steve produce taking still photos, a camera person can only see their three ongoing Web series, Critics, Film Fellas, and The Great video images on an LCD screen on the back of the camera. Camera Shootout. This is the trend for most consumer and prosumer video On Critics Steve and co-host Philip Bloom review films cre- cameras today—to see an image the camera person has to ated specifically for the Web. OnThe Great Camera Shootout look at a flip-out LCD screen. LCD screens can be difficult Steve and Jens Compare the latest DSLRs with traditional to see when you’re around a lot of sunlight, they are not as film cameras. OnFilm Fellas they record veterans of the film accurate for focusing on an image, and they take away an industry discussing the world of filmmaking over dinner. important method for holding a camera steady—pushing it In addition to those series, Steve and Jens are constantly firmly against the eye. making videos demonstrating and educating current and potential customers about their products. All of the videos have a great energy, and Steve and Jens glow as they have fun with their products and discuss filmmaking. The videos speak to the heart and soul of the two manufacturing filmmakers, who approach their lives’ work with a refreshing zeal. “If you were to ask me … first and foremost, I’m a filmmaker. And that’s what I want to do. I’m a manufacturer and I love zacuto usa doing it, but I started as a filmmaker and I’m going to end as a filmmaker,” says Steve. Jens follows, “It’s still weird to think that we’re manufacturing. It’s another creative outlet, just … I’d rather make films than make the products. But at the core, it all comes from probably the same part of your brain—the creative part. You’ve got to be creative with anything you do.”

For more information or to watch the videos mentioned in the article visit Zacuto at www.zacuto.com.

January/February 2011 31 Left to Right: Cory Harrison, Rick Harrison, and “The Old Man” one on one on one

32 64 Today’s Machining World January/February 2011 “Give memylicense.” minutes laterIwasdownatthebusinesslicenseplacesaying, ‘88, loandbehold,thecitypopulationreached250,000.Five law. I started calling the city statistician once a week. In April of happen. In‘87,Iwentdowntothecityandcheckedout 25,000, sotheyobviouslyassumeditwasnevergoingto pawn license.Thecitypopulationatthetimewasrightaround city populationgotto250,000,theywouldissueonemore So theyhadthecitycouncilpassalawsayingthatwhen they wantedtohavealittlemonopolyonthepawnshops. In 1955,thegoodoldboysgottogetherandtheydecidedthat in LasVegas. Ittookusyears tofigureoutawaygetone. pawn shop.It’simpossiblebasicallytogetanewlicense the coinshoptoanoldsecondhandandthen RH: First[mydad]hadalittlecoinshop.We graduatedfrom How did your pawn shop begin? much moneygambling. I getextremelywell-off,successful peoplewhohavelosttoo they’ve runshortonmoneyforrent thatmonth.Alotoftimes desperate; sometimesthey’rejustalittleembarrassedthat world toknowthey’rebroke.It’snotnecessarilythat RH: That’sbecausepeopleborrowingmoneydon’twantthe sells their stuff. show onBut the everybody sort oflikeasubculturelotpeopledon’tknowabout. shops. Theyborrowmoneyfrommeandtheyshophere.It’s card isnevergoingtohappenforthem,sotheycomepawn does nothaveabankaccountandcannotgetone.Acredit this, but20percentoftheadultpopulationinthiscountry than itisasecondhandlicense.Alotofpeopledon’trealize to getloansonit,andit’sjustaloteasierwithpawnlicense because noonewantstoselltheirstuff.Alotofpeoplewant RH: Theymadealotmoremoneythansecondhandshops it in to particularyou? appealed didWhy you want to have apawn shop? about What Rick Harrison, the History Channel’s hitrealityshowPawn Stars. Bridgeport mills.Today, hestarswithhisfather, “OldMan” andson,Corey, on diverse andvaluableasSuper Bowlrings, Picasso paintings,goldbars,even is oneofthemostsuccessfulpawnshopsincountry, dealinginitemsas Shop ontheoutskirtsofLasVegas withhisfather, Richard,in1988.Theshop one on one on one $30-$40-$50,000. the averageis,Ithink,120bucks.Buthaveloansashigh $15. Actually, ofthemaybe9,000loansIhaveoutrightnow, and youwanttogetyouritemsbackamonthlater, itcomesto have a$5ticketcharge,soifyouborrow100bucksfromme expensive, butmyaverageloanisrightaround100bucks.I RH: Icharge10percentamonth,whichsoundsreally kindWhat of interest you do change on items? at www.history.com/shows/pawn-stars. For moreinformationyoucanvisitthePawnStarswebsite diamond shewantstopawnoff. second, Ihatetocutitshort,but alady’sgot10carat don’t carryguns,sotheyrobthem, notme...holdonone carrying agun.Criminals knowthatthe otherpawnshops their shirt.Almosteveryoneworkingatthepawncounteris employees thatworksforme,there’salittlebulgeunderneath RH: Ifyoulookcloselyontelevisionateveryoneofthe in store? the How you do security deal with called Shunga.It’sonscrollsandallthepartsareexaggerated. me. [Asfarasweird]—Ihadsome200-year-oldJapaneseporn $40,000. Theverynextdaypolicecameinandtookthemfrom RH: AguycameinandIboughtapairofearringsoffhimfor ever dealt with? wrong? what’s oneof And weirdest items the you’ve wasWhat oneof your biggest deals that went off. Theoppositeappliesifyou’rehonestwithpeople. and everybodyintheworld’sgoingtoknowthatyourippeople start rippingpeopleoff,youhavethatsixdegreesofseparation is themostimportantthinginbusiness,becausedayyou right totheirfacewhatI’mgoingsellitfor. Ithink[honesty] I justdobusinessdifferentlythanotherpeople.willtellthem most successfulpawnshopsoutthere,andIthinkit’sbecause billionaires thatshopinmystore.I’mprobablyoneofthe RH: Mostpeoplecometomenowadays.Iliterallyhave How you do customers? find Interviewed byNoahGraff started theGold andSilver Pawn 33

one on one With Noah Graff shop doc

Today’s Machining World’s “Shop Doc” column taps into our contact base of machining experts to help you find solutions to your problems. We invite our readers to contribute suggestions and comments on the Shop Doc’s advice. If you consider yourself a Shop Doc or know a potential Shop Doc, please let us know. You can also check out the Shop Doc Blog at www.todaysmachiningworld.com.

Dear Shop Doc, On our CNC lathes we occasionally have trouble with push back when using collets on bar jobs. Our collets have smooth bores and I am wondering if a serrated collet would help or if it will just create more problems. Chuck Force

Dear Chuck Force, If the collet closes with 1,000 pounds of force, that force is Serrated collets will probably help, but first let’s consider all of distributed over the 5.5 in² surface area of the bore, resulting the variables. in a contact pressure of 181.8 psi. If you decrease the surface 1) Bar whip—Bar whip can cause the bar to act as a lever area of the collet bore by machining in serrations, you increase against the collet, prying it open. You should always use a the contact pressure by a corresponding amount. This doesn’t spindle liner and/or a properly sized liner set in your bar feeder multiply the holding force in any way; you are still applying the to minimize bar whip. same 1,000 pounds of force to the task of holding the work. 2) Collet bore—Most collet systems have some gripping By applying the force to a smaller area with greater pressure, range, but the bore of the collet can only be machined to one the collet can dig into (deform) the work. Whether or not the given nominal diameter, and that diameter fits the bar the best. collet permanently marks the work (plastic deformation), or the Avoid using a collet that’s “close enough.” work bounces back (elastic deformation) depends on the force shop doc shop 3) Chucking pressure—The hydraulic pressure to the rotary applied. actuator can be adjusted. Follow the manufacturer’s recommen- Another option is to have the collet coated with a textured dation for the operating range and adjust accordingly. In general, carbide alloy coating like Carbinite (go to www.carbinite.com for you need higher pressure for larger diameter bar and less pres- more info). The principle is the same as serrations, but instead sure for small diameters. of grooves cut into the collet bore, the bore is coated with a 4) Maintenance—Make sure that the sliding components of crystalline like carbide alloy. The coating has a texture similar to your collet chuck are clean, lubricated and slide easily. Make sure sandpaper, which provides tremendous grip. your hydraulic oil is in good condition, the level is adequate, and the system is operating in the proper temperature range. Dan Murphy Serrated collets work by reducing the surface area of the collet REM Sales LLC bore, thereby increasing the pressure that the contact area of the collet exerts against the work. You can calculate the surface area Dan Murphy is a regional sales manager for REM Sales LLC., of the collet bore using the formula: 2 π r2 + 2 π r h. Ignoring the a U.S. Tsugami distributor. He can be reached area removed by the slots in the collet, a 1.0” diameter collet at [email protected]. with a 1-1/4” land has 5.5 in² of gripping surface.

Have a technical issue you’d like addressed? Please email [email protected]. We’ll help solve your problem, then publish both the problem and solution in the next issue of the magazine.

34 Today’s Machining World ployers whofailtocomplywiththelaw. mandatory employeeverificationandsignificantsanctionsfor em- robust interior enforcement regime at the workplace. There must be of jobs;so,[fencing/barriers]mustbejoinedbyaconsistentand net forillegalimmigrationintotheU.S.iswidespreadavailability dressing ourcurrentillegalimmigrationcrisisintheU.S.Themag- border with Mexico is only one ofseveralneeded remedies for ad- and doservevitalsecurityinterests.However, suchawallonthe long willitbe?AsseenmostrecentlyinIsrael,fortifiedborderscan years—the lonequestionremainingin2006regardingitis:how There will be a wall between the United States and Mexico in five who ignoreordisobeythelaw. swiftly imposeharshandsurepenaltiesagainstthoseemployers determine whoisauthorizedtoworkhere,and,atthesametime, would betoimplementasystemthatenablesemployerseasily more effectiveandsensiblesolutiontotheillegalimmigrationcrisis crossing theborderillegally, thisstrategyisdoomedtofail.Afar as well asthe political willto incarcerate everyonewhois caught rent increases in thesize of theBorder Patrol and detentioncapacity, types ofphysicalbarriersthatarebuilt.Withoutenormousconcur- ate peoplewillfindawaytogoover, under, aroundorthroughany from violatingourimmigrationlawsannually. Impoverished,desper- egy thatprimarilyfocusesontheborderwilldetermillionsofpeople ployment intheUnitedStates,nofenceorotherenforcementstrat- those indevelopingnationsandillegalalienscanreadilyobtainem- As longaswagesintheUnitedStatesaresignificantlyhigherthan States thateffectivelyhaltsillegalimmigration? In fiveyears,willtherebeafencebetweenMexicoandtheUnited Center forImmigrationStudies,Washington, D.C. National BorderPatrolCouncil, Campo, Cal. John BEST OF TODAY’S MACHINING WORLD •2001 -2011

Keeley best of best , DirectorofCommunications next T.J. Bonner , President of Today’s MachiningWorld intheOctober2006issuePrinted By NoahGraff longer havelarge-scaleIrishorItalianmigrationtotheUnitedStates. with MexicotoraiseMexicans’standardofliving.Thisiswhyweno legally andoverstayvisas.Thebestlongtermsolutionistowork undocumented migrantsintheUnitedStatesenteredcountry tion budgetsofArizonaandNewMexico.Asitis,20-40percent between $3 and $10 billion dollars—more than the entire educa- of fencingtheentireU.S.-Mexicoborderisprohibitive—somewhere ing tootherpartsoftheborder. Thiswillcontinuesincethecost No. Puttingupfenceshasonlypushedclandestinebordercross- er thannative-bornAmericans. 94% ofthemeninworkforce–significantlyhigh- illegal immigration. Mexicans wereaddedtotheU.S.workforcethrough San Diego,Calif., August2, 2006 Field HearingonImmigration Testimony preparedfortheHouseJudiciaryCommittee University ofCalifornia-San Diego Director, Center forComparative ImmigrationStudies Wayne A.Cornelius Illegal immigrants [in the U.S.] are the most fully employed, with Last year, more than$6billionannuallytothatcause. migration fromMexico,anditcontinuestocommit $20 billiontoreducetheflowofunauthorizedim- Since 1993, The borderbetweentheU.S.andMexicospans1,951miles. December 15,2005, greatest numberofillegalcrossings. (which containbarriers)havebeenthelocationof ban areasofSanDiego,California andElPaso,Texas sued toMexicans, miles oftheMexicanborder. bill 4437, callingformandatory fencing along 698 the facts: only 3,200employment-basedvisaswereis- the U.S.Governmenthasspentmorethan

The HouseofRepresentativespassed in ayearwhen Irene Bloemraad University ofCalifornia, Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal.

more than400,000 , AssistantProfessor, Sociology www.wikipedia.org The ur-

I best of book review best of By Lloyd Graff swarf

April, 2005 You draft a team of Major League ballplayers and then match I have written quite a lot about eBay over the them, statistically, with another person’s selection of players. In last three years, because I see the eBay phenomenon—the trans- my league we compete in 10 different categories such as home parent connection between buyer and seller, unlocking the value runs, stolen bases and relief pitching saves. Stats are kept in real for both parties—as one of the most important developments I time on Yahoo!. I am co-managing a team with my son-in-law have ever seen in business. eBay sent a large contingent of people Scott, who is a computer scientist in Palo Alto. We have spent un- to National Manufacturing Week, a recent show in Chicago. It told hours on the phone plotting lineups and personnel changes, was an excellent opportunity to observe the company as it tries to to the glazed eyes of my wife and daughter. weather a period of significant challenge. eBay is being attacked I am indifferent about computers and technology, but I am on one front by the scam artists who try to victimize unsuspect- addicted to the goofy Fantasy Baseball stuff—as are millions of ing bidders. A common ruse currently employed is an e-mail to others. Online sports is a huge business, well into the billions of a person who was the second bidder on an item, offering that dollars as an industry, with fifteen million players. item again, by stating that the high bidder reneged. An unwitting As I look at the Fantasy Sports business as I head into Fantasy bidder who sends money to the scammer may lose his funds in Football season, I see a suggestive snapshot of an important slice the ether. eBay has a phalanx of investigators in Hungary, where of business that will affect us all, whether we publish magazines a band of hackers are trying this ploy. Many of the bad guys or machine fuel injectors. Data, information; meaningful, inter- have been jailed, buy trying to beat the crooks is like cooking up preted, timely, tailored, predictive information, is valuable in the the next flu vaccine—it’s hard to anticipate the latest strain of marketplace. People will gladly pay for it. the bug. Another threat to eBay is Wall Street expectation. The For me the joy of Fantasy Baseball is finding an undervalued incredible success of the company has given investors reason to hitter who punishes left-handed pitchers on Saturday afternoon push the price of the stock higher and higher. To keep the stock games, televised by Fox, when Tim McCarver is doing color price up, the company must meet the Wall Street analysts’ “ex- commentary. In other words, finding the obscure intersection of pectations.” One little slip could send the stock price tumbling. data points that seem to give me an edge. (Is this how men joust My fear, as both an investor in the company and a user of the today?) Then I have to judge whether Jason Bay’s (Pittsburgh platform, is that eBay management will make decisions to meet outfielder) slugging is more valuable to me than Ichiro’s (Seattle the short-term desires of “the Street,” which will harm the firm in outfielder) singles and stolen bases.

best of swarf the longer term. The recent price increases have brought a folding In the world of Fantasy Baseball, winners are decided in statisti- of stores and a reduction of items being offered. Graff-Pinkert has cal categories. Not all that different from bidding by machining cut its listings in half, because the $20 minimum fee makes many jobs who then document the manufacturing process under SPC potential listings uneconomic. eBay, in trying to copy the success dictates. Winning the machining game today means winning the of its eBay motors category, is stumbling in Business and Indus- data game. trial. But to eBay’s credit, they are determined to get it right. Pat- In the magazine business, advertisers are focused on data, rick Jabal has just been brought back to run the entire category. which is defined as a representation of facts when real facts are I think we will know by May if the company is still nimble, and if obscure. Advertisers are interested in circulation and readership the platform is still customer-driven, or whether the short-term of a publication to glean insights into the publication’s usefulness targets will dictate. It is also a bit unnerving to see that President in persuading an audience to buy something. In both the machin- Meg Whitman considered leaving the company for Disney. This ing and publishing analogies, statistics are critical in a purchase was a bad signal. A lot of “hot” money has left eBay’s stock. We’ll decision. In fantasy sports, reams of data are available. I recently soon know if they were correct, at least in the short run. combed through some of the Fantasy Football magazines, which hit the market in July. They all interpret the same data, but they focus on different issues to make their draft recommendations. August/September, 2004 Daunte Culpepper of Minnesota is on the cover of more than a This has been a great baseball summer for couple of guides, but others see Peyton Manning of Indianapolis me, though my beloved Chicago Cubs have been inconsistent, as “the man” at quarterback. I liken this to some folks who are and my softball playing has been limited by my eye woes. Why? focused on cycle time for a part on a particular machine, while Because I am loving Fantasy Baseball. others are obsessed with tool life, and others are anal about Fantasy Baseball is statistical combat with dueling box scores. downtime. Judgments are made on past experience, states, and

II BEST OF TODAY’S MACHINING WORLD • 2001 - 2011 hunches, like fantasy sports. The old LaSalle Steel Machining to spend billions on hydrogen distribution infrastructure. This is Handbook is akin to the Sporting News guide to Fantasy Football. a real longshot when hybrid technology will be improving with The Sporting News guide offers judgments and pictures, while greater volume. the old handbook just throws a lot of numbers at us that are sup- And then there is the question of how we are going to produce posed to be facts. all this hydrogen we will need for the cars. Hydrogen would be I am sure that people in the manufacturing community would extracted from seawater. The process would require vast invest- pay readily for interpretive and predictive data on a myriad of top- ments in electricity. The only financially viable approach for ics. Independent evaluation of metals from different mills would producing such electricity would be to build nuclear power plants make useful statistical material. Comparisons of cutting tools and near the ocean shore. We are talking about a lot of nuclear plants. coatings, lubricants and attachments would have value. Walter Since we have not built one of these in the United States since Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal makes a half-million bucks a 1976 because of the politics of nuclear waste and current fear year because he make thumbs-up and thumbs-down judgments of terrorism, I have a bit of doubt we will witness a radical shift on electronic gizmos that a lot of readers care about. Peter Gam- toward nuclear. mons of ESPN is one of the network’s most valued commenta- So General Motors tries to fool the public by advertising its tors because he doesn’t just read the baseball news; he evaluates supposed push into cutting-edge hydrogen to mask its slide it and makes accurate judgments. behind Toyota as the world’s biggest car company, which will hap- Increasingly in today’s marketplace it is the data, the stats, but pen very soon. even more, the interpretation of the info that is valued. Study Rick Waggoner, the head of GM, inherited a lousy situation, but fantasy sports to understand which way our business world is he shows few signs of improving the company’s competitive posi- headed and how you can beat the game. tion, compared with Carlos Ghosn, who transformed an ailing If you look at the trade press in manufacturing, you rarely see Nissan almost overnight. independent analysis of data because publishers are afraid that Meanwhile Toyota, which leads the world in hybrid, will be an advertiser might not like the interpretation. What you get are bringing out a Lexus SUV hybrid, will be bringing a Prius plant to mostly puff pieces, like you would get if the P.R. man for the China to ramp-up volume and become the first auto manufac- Chicago Bears wrote analysis of his team for a fantasy guide. The turer with a hybrid in that market. This is a bold gambit because readers would scoff at it, because it would be inherently suspect. of the Chinese disregard of intellectual property. Either Toyota In my opinion, we are headed more towards a Fantasy World in believes the Chinese are incapable of successfully copying their manufacturing, because it will bring us closer to reality. hybrid technology or, what some in the industry speculate, that Toyota is betting the Chinese copycats will show them how to lower their hybrid costs. This investment will help them widen their world lead in this technology. February, 2005 This is the time to sell GM stock short. This company is headed The outlook for General Motors looks grim. GM is down. forecasting production of 1.188 million vehicles in the first quarter, down from 1.315 million in the 2004 comparable period. The company has the overhang of 1.1 million insured former employees’ health care to cover. GM has no viable hybrid car plan to compete An Interview with an Acme machine, May/June, 2002 with Toyota, Honda, and even Ford. Their big public relations Lloyd: Mr. 22414, it’s an honor to interview you swarf of best push at the recent Detroit auto show was about the Sequel car, a on your 60th birthday. A real milestone for an Acme of any size. hydrogen fuel-cell-powered vehicle. May I call you by your last 3 digits? The hydrogen car is a phony ploy. GM says they will have a 22414: Sure, just call me 414. All my friends do, at least those that viable production car by 2010. The environmentalists at the Sierra haven’t been cannibalized or crushed and melted. Tragic, humilia- Club laugh at this. They see hydrogen as a smokescreen because tion endings for those poor multis. they understand the hurdles of this project. Lloyd: Tell me a little about your youth. What is your earliest First of all, developing the hardware is daunting. But even if memory? GM developed an elegant solution for all of the engineering 22414: Ah, yes. I remember Cleveland in April. Snow on the difficulties, they still have to convince the Exxons and the Shells ground. The National Acme plant in 1942 was crazy. They were

BEST OF TODAY’S MACHINING WORLD • 2001 - 2011 III best of swarf

cranking out 15 to 20 screw machines a day. Most of my fellow dude, but he couldn’t have cared less about my lubrication and 9/16” RA6’s were destined for ammunition work. That was my soon I was choking on chips. The boss canned him, but his re- first job—bullet cores. Twenty-four hours a day. Bullet cores and placement was not only a slob, he was abusive. Oh, did he hit me more bullet cores. I was proud to be part of the war effort, but let with that damn steel hammer. Punished my cross slides. Mauled me tell you, that was work. No vacations. Just all bullets, all day, my end-tool slide. I cringed when I saw him every morning. He every day. drank a lot. Many mornings he had a hangover. I heard he ended Lloyd: ‘Til 1945? up at Alcoholics Anonymous, but that was long after the boss 22414: A good year. They shut me off one day, put me on a skid, fired him for falling asleep on the job. and told me to take the day off. It ended up as a very long holiday. Lloyd: How long were you in Los Angeles, 414? They sent me to the caves, near Atchison, Kansas, sprayed me 22414: I was there until 1974. Remember the oil embargo? Bad with cosmoline, and told me to relax. Spent five years there, un- times on the Coast. A dealer in L.A. picked me up for $4500. He derground. Borrrrrring. Fortunately, there were 125 other Acmes sold me for $7500 six months later to a small shop in Arkansas. and a few New Britains and Cones in my cave. Made some nice Owner was a good old boy. Did mostly plumbing work, brass friendships. Started a singing group, The Acme Brothers. I was a fittings. Whew, did he run me fast. I ran so hot I thought I was tenor. Great climate. Dry, 57 degrees all the time. Wonderful if you going to catch fire. The shop was filthy, like a skating rink. If I were a wheel of Roquefort cheese, but I longed for the action of wasn’t bolted to the floor I would have slid around the joint. And wartime. the oil mist was as thick as soup. I saw the boss slip a bottle of Lloyd: Then came Korea. booze to the local fire inspector. That turned out to be a mistake 22414: Yeah. I’m Rip Van Acme and then suddenly, it’s that 24- because we had a major fire two weeks later. Burned my paint off hour grind again. They sent me to the Joliet Arsenal along with 82 and scared me to death, but somehow, I survived it. After the fire of the other Acmes at Atchison. Three more years of go, go, go, I ended up being sold to a dealer in St. Louis. He cleaned me up making those bullet cores. It’s sad to think of the bloodshed that and gave me a new paint job, a crummy paint job. The painter those millions of bullet cores I made probably caused. didn’t strip and prime me. Just sprayed everything. Gummed up Lloyd: After the war, they sent you back to caves? the slides, infiltrated the gear case. Yuck. 22414: Yeah, feast or famine in those days. Lloyd: We’ve all had hard times, 414. Did life get any better for Lloyd: What were your operators like in those days, 414? you? Marriage, children, passions?

best of swarf 22414: Mostly white guys. Scandinavian ancestry. A fellow named 22414: I met a gorgeous 52 New Britain back in L.A., but the peer Carlson, another named Olson. Olson really treated me well. pressure on me was awful. Acmes and New Britains were like Made sure the oil was pure. Cleaned out the chips and sludge rival gangs then, Romeo and Juliet, Crips and Bloods. We kept every two weeks. He respected me. I heard he started a screw our relationship hidden. Then I got shipped out. We wrote, but, machine shop in Chicago in the 1950’s. His son came into the you know. Finally, in the early 1980’s I went to upstate New York. business in the late 60’s. Lost track of him since then. He used to Shop was all Davenports and me. I was a novelty, sort of like a send me a Christmas card every year. duck in the hen house. Those Davenports could fly, but they were Lloyd: How long were you in hibernation the second time around? always self-destructing. They put a steel automotive job on me 22414: Would you believe the Government kept me underground and just ran me every two months for two weeks at a time. That until 1968? was a great gig. I was the odd man out, but I did my work and Lloyd: There were lots of changes in the country those 15 years. they respected me for my sturdiness. I was proud to be an Acme. 22414: In 1968 the Government sold me at an auction. A dealer in Davenports are nice. But for steel, day-in, day-out, an Acme is the Chicago bought me for $6000 and sold me a couple of months gold standard. later for $9250 to a shop in Los Angeles. Lloyd: How long were you in New York? Lloyd: How was it different than being at a U.S. Government 22414: I stayed for 15 years. Then the boss had a heart attack. arsenal? He sold the shop to an accountant. The bean counter thought 22414: Variety. I ran some bullet jobs, then they put me on air- he could run the business without ever venturing into the fac- craft fasteners. I got my first threading attachment and diehead— tory. Everybody started getting sloppy. Quality suffered. Orders a NAMCO 9/16 DR head. The operators were a mixed bag. Had lagged. The owner tried to suck the cash out of the business, cut a nice one, Jackson, then he left for a quarter per hour more in every corner. The bank shut him down after 16 months. Then you Long Beach. The next guy smoked pot on his break—a laid-back bought me, Lloyd.

IV BEST OF TODAY’S MACHINING WORLD • 2001 - 2011 Lloyd: Welcome to Chicago, old-timer. 22414: I feel like I’m a living piece of Post-War American Indus- trial history. Lloyd: 414, to what can you attribute your longevity? 22414: If there is one thing I have learned it is that preventa- tive maintenance is the key to my longevity. Change my oil every two months and I will sing like a tenor. Use good quality cutting oil. Absolutely do not use soluble oil—it triggers my asthma every time, eats my seals, rusts my bearings. Clean out my oil lines frequently, put good grease in the grease fittings. Throw some automatic transmission fluid in my tank every two months—50/50 concentration. It’s like Lipitor for me. And clean me up. A clean machine runs better. That sludge in my bottom is like extra fat. Get rid of it. Another thing. My collets and pushers must be cleaned frequently. Compacted chips drive me nuts. It’s like slivers in your fingers. Those chips under the tool holders are a killer, too. Lloyd: You’ve had numerous repairs and spindle bearing jobs over 60 years, 414. What is your opinion of repairs and spare parts? 22414: They talk about the good old days. They weren’t so good. The rawhide seals we used to have were crude compared to what we use today. The old spindle bearings were inferior to those of today. Today’s commercial grade bearings are probably as good as Class 3’s of yesteryear. The spare parts from National Acme are still good but the gray market spares generally work as well. Today’s cutting tools are far superior to the old days. The sound enclosures for the stock reel and tooling area are a major improvement. You think we machines enjoy that in- cessant clatter? I personally do not have Cyclo-Index and Logan clutches, but my buddies tell me that they feel like bionic Acmes with them. Today’s motors are extremely efficient and weigh 1/3 as much as my original. Lighting on the machines is easy on the eyes today, and those mist collectors have saved my lungs. Lloyd: How many years do you realistically think you have left, 414? 22414: I really believe I can make a comeback as a collet chucker. There is still a lot of high volume second-op work that has not migrated to those beasts, the Hydromats. And there is always the possibility of Mexico—ah, yes, Puerto Vallarta, maybe even the Far East. I’m not ready to retire. Cannibalizing is a last resort, but frankly, I know I can still cut it. Give me a good operator, a bundle of sweet-leaded steel, and some well designed tooling, and I can run 10 to 20 more years right here in America. Lloyd: I’ll see what I can find, 414. Meanwhile, I’ve planned a surprise birthday party for you. Happy 60th birthday 414—and many, many more. By Noah Graff best of Printed in the Ocotber 2010 issue shop doc of Today’s Machining World

Dear Shop Doc, I’ve been struggling with part length issues on one of my Brown & Sharpe #2 Ultramatics. The variance does not appear to be related to tool movement or collet tension as the length varies, sometimes it’s long and sometimes it’s short. The tolerance is reasonable (+/- .005). I’ve checked the regular stuff; rolls, pins, feed finger tension. Do I need to design every job to feed long and face off? Coming up short (and long)

Dear Short and Long, The Brown & Sharpe Ultramatic should be able to hold clear of chips should be a regular maintenance item. I have seen +/- .0025 when working properly. So no, you should not need machines where the rack teeth look like needle points. to face every part to hold .010 total. Length variance can be The withdrawal cam on the adjustment plate in the back of the particularly difficult to troubleshoot. Check one item at a time. machine must be kept adjusted. The proper adjustment is .002 best of shop doc Let’s start with the most obvious but common problems. max clearance. Brown & Sharpe recommends .001. I’ve seen The feed stroke should be set to over travel by .250 maximum. machines at .015 and have often wondered how they made any If not set correctly, it cannot only exacerbate other problems, it good parts on them. can cause variance as the bar weight changes from a full bar to The last thing to check is the spindle. The only thing you need two feet of bar. to look at here are the thrust bearings. There should be little or Check your trip dogs next. Make sure the feed is finished no endplay on the spindle. Check this with an indicator on the before the stop is moving. This sounds basic, but if the stop spindle end and then manipulate the clutches back and forth (you indexes away just as the collet is closing there can be variation, might as well check and adjust the clutch tension while you’re and it can look like the feed operation is done when it’s not. at it). There should be little or no movement in the spindle. The Next, check the items involved in the lead cam actuating thrust bearings can be adjusted with the nut near the back end of mechanism for the turret. First, check the lead cam shaft. If the spindle. there’s any perceptible movement when you take the weight off There are several models of upgrades for Brownies available the lead cam shaft you may have worn bearings or a bad shaft. commercially, all of which eliminate any variance issues resulting This can cause variation because the weight of the bar changes from the lead cam shaft, the lever and rack, or the withdrawal cam. over time as the bar gets shorter. Next, check the linkage in the The withdrawal cam adjustment should be a maintenance item lead lever mechanism. There are several fulcrum points to this checked regularly along with keeping chips from the rack area. lever and wear here can cause variation. Finally, check the turret rack and lever. These teeth can become worn and cause length Greg Knight and George Morris variation. This area can also become full of chips (brass and AMT Machine Systems aluminum are especially pervasive), and the chip movement can cause variation. The abrasive nature of the chips can wear the Greg Knight is the Vice President of Machine Tool Automation teeth away and cause huge variations. Keeping this area and George Morris is an Application Engineering Manager with AMT Machine Systems in Columbus, Ohio.

VI BEST OF TODAY’S MACHINING WORLD • 2001 - 2011 The RealInconvenientTruth by a smaller group of scientists/politicians from around the world. by asmallergroup ofscientists/politiciansfromaround theworld. conclusions, onecancherry-pickto fitone’sbias. from manycountries.Thereissomuch informationwithconflicting roughly everyfiveyears.It’scompiled byseveralhundredscientists Climate Change(IPCC),whichpublishes ascientificsummary compendium istheUnitedNations’IntergovernmentalPanelon reviewed scienceonthesubjectofglobalwarming.Thebest million yearsago. years, buttheywereappreciablyhigherafew they havebeenatanytimeinthepast650,000 man’s impact,CO2levelsarehighernowthan later, around1900.Gorecountersthatdueto the “LittleIceAge.”CO2beganrising250years warming beganatabout1650C.E.theendof the oceantogiveoffdissolvedCO2.Thepresent 1000 years,becausehighertemperaturescause CO2 changeslagtemperatureby200to times inthepast.Singerwritesthatdatashows of thecycle,butithasbeenexceededseveral (because welikeitasistoday). ice ages;thehighsarecalledclimateoptima of approximately100,000years.Thelowsare about 20degreesFfromlowtohighincycles 650,000 years.Thetemperaturevariesby and lowerthantodayseveraltimesinthepast with it. a roughly1500yearcycleandCO2haslittletodo the warmingiscausedmainlybysolaractivityin caused byman’suseoffossilfuels.Singersays claims Earth’scurrenttemperatureincreaseis warming andCO2levelsareincreasing.Gore to gainareasonableunderstanding. what isprintedinthepress.Oneneedstoreadbothofthesebooks by highlypoliticizedpartisans,makingitdifficulttotrustmuchof conclusions thatvary. Globalwarmingsciencehasbeenobscured surprisingly muchofthebasicdataissame–it’sjust for an ever expanding library on climate change. Fred Singer Warming and Global Dennis Avery’s Unstoppable If you want the cold on science’s facts hottest topic, you might warm to Al Gore’s Truth Inconvenient The IPCCalsodevelopsashorter Executive Summary, written There isatremendousamountofpeer- Earth’s currenttemperatureisnearthetop Earth’s temperaturehasbeenbothhigher Both GoreandSingeragreetheearthis While thestyleandtargetaudienceofeachbookisdifferent, book review best of best BEST OF TODAY’S MACHINING WORLD •2001 -2011 of Today’s MachiningWorld inthemay 2007issueprinted By JerryLevine mitigate whatwe canandadapttotherest. fear itwillhampereffortsatmitigation. Theansweristodoboth– without thesophisticatedtechnology nowavailable. successfully adaptedtorapidtemperature swingsinthepast,all Canada (Kyoto’s greatestscofflaw)intoaction. press China,India,BrazilandRussia(noKyoto requirements)and being tooconservative. for beingtooalarmist,whilethemainscientifictextisattacked political positionadvanced.TheExecutiveSummaryisattacked A fairamountofnegotiationgoesintothewordingtogetone’s Many environmental advocates avoid talking about coping, for Many environmentaladvocatesavoid talkingaboutcoping,for Adapting toglobalwarmingsounds defeatist.Buthumanshave Singer’s book draws heavily on peer-reviewed science with Singer’s bookdrawsheavilyonpeer-reviewedsciencewith . These two volumes. These two provide the bookends hundreds of footnotes and citations. Gore’s hundreds offootnotesandcitations.Gore’s emissions by 60 percent would require cutting back emissions by60percentwouldrequirecuttingback Fareed ZakariaofNewsweekwrites“slashingCO2 ran intothehundredsofbillionsdollarsyearly. for theUStomeetKyoto treaty. Theestimates of therecentIPCCscientificreportagreesmore need forfurtherevidence.Singercountersthatmost with whateverpointheismaking,sothere’sno He frequentlysaysthescientificconsensusagrees references includeseveralnon-technicalwebsites. discussion of global warming. If the effort leads to discussion ofglobalwarming.Iftheeffortleadsto small.” that wouldmaketheGreatDepressionlookvery on industrialactivityacrosstheglobeascale sun’s activityistheproblemandmoneyspent few significantpracticalsolutions.Singersaysthe out ofstepwiththescientificconsensus. closely withhim,sohecallsoutGoreastheone needs to provide world leadership in order to needs toprovideworldleadershipinorder elsewhere, thatwouldbegreat.TheUnitedStates meaningful fossilfuelconservationintheU.S.and Vice-President Goreinthelate1990stostudyways a globalwarmingcommissionconvenedbythen percent bytheyear2050. U.S. needstoreduceCO2emissionsby6080 on mitigationofCO2isawaste.Goresaysthe Mr. Goreistobepraisedforbringingforwarda The realinconvenienttruthistherearevery But the costs are exorbitant. I was a member of But thecostsareexorbitant.Iwasamemberof

and and VII

best of book review 58 best of By Lloyd Graff Printed in the January 2005 issue features of Today’s Machining World twenty four hours in the life of Curtis Screw Gary Pletscher hopped out of his Ford pickup at 5:55 a.m. on their machines to Thielman daily. Pletscher’s task is to ensure November 10, 2005 and marched across the Thielman Drive that production will never be interrupted long enough to cause asphalt, anticipating a 13-hour siege of problem-solving amidst a product shortfall to a customer. The job requires limitless en- the whispering of new CNC Schüttes, stalling steel swarf, and ergy, an encompassing knowledge of the big picture at Curtis, the twang of dimes and quarters being won and lost every sec- and a microscopic eye for the details that make jobs run and, ond on gear blanks and fittings soon to be trucked to Detroit. sometimes, not run. Welcome to a day in the life of Curtis Screw Co. of Buffalo, Moments after entering the new plant, Robin Johnson, the N.Y., now in its hundredth year of cutting metal. Pletscher is night supervisor, briefs Pletscher on issues he encountered one of 300 guys and 29 women in Buffalo who make Curtis during the last 12 hours. Pletscher checks the paperwork that make money in the relentlessly demanding world of zero-de- documents the evening production. He looks for shortfalls fect, give back the gains, just-in-time automotive sub-contract- and problems to report at the 8:00 a.m. production meeting. ing. Curtis’ hourly struggle for perfection of product extracted He walks down the line of multi-spindles already installed at from sometimes balky machines and overstretched people is Thielman, talking to operators, listening for the alien growl of both heroic and mundane — the boring daily grind of grind- a National Acme with indigestion. An old 8-spindle is suffering tools, checking prints and fighting the tides of surging ing a high-low clutch malfunction that has slowed production material costs in battered Buffalo, a factory town annealed by on part #3394 from 9.5 seconds to 11 seconds. Have to get that the competition for profit in the ruthless world car market. fixed today. A part from Jelenic Machinery is due in later via Through the tenure of only four owners since 1905, and 50 UPS to fix another flagging Acme, running component #4167. years of co-existence with the United Auto Workers Union, Pletscher walks over to the two brand new Schütte CNC Curtis survives, even thrives — family owned — because of multis that were installed in September. They are a big part of best of features best the flat-out commitment of employees such as Pletscher, 32 the $9 million bet that the owning Hoskins family, president years with the company and planning to make it to 42 in Buf- Paul Hojnacki, Ed LeClair, their banker, HSBC, and the whole falo, his home since birth. Curtis clan have placed on their future in the metal-cutting Pletscher, like many of Curtis’ people, has deep roots in the business in North America. The Schüttes cost $1 million each, company. His father-in-law started with the firm in 1954. He and they are dedicated to making transmission gear blanks became a Davenport lead man and set-up man. His brother- that are not terribly sophisticated but are one of the core prod- in-law works on Acmes and Schüttes. His nephew started in ucts that Curtis makes for automotive. They run some of those the plant a year ago. Pletscher was in the union for 26 years jobs that go on and on and on, year after year, with big volume. setting up multis, rising to lead-man and trainer. In 1998 The management team decided that the gear blanks were parts Ed LeClair, Curtis Screw’s vice president of operations, ap- that they absolutely could not afford to lose, and they were go- proached him to join management as an estimator. “Our esti- ing to buy the best machines in the world to produce the parts mator at the time was retiring, so I went there for six months, fast and flawlessly. and because it was crazy on the floor, they asked me to go into Both Hojnaki and LeClair told me privately that they pre- project engineering. After that, our maintenance foreman was ferred to buy Euroturns, the Czech machine sold by Maxim of retiring, so they asked me to head up that department. I did Dayton, Ohio, but the key engineers at Curtis preferred Schüt- that for a few years. Almost three years ago they asked me to tes, which were considerably more expensive than Euroturns. go to production supervisor on multis,” Pletcher recounts. In the end, they yielded to the engineers because they were going to make the machines succeed, if they staked their repu- Line of Fire tation on the decision. Now at 5:55 a.m. on a bitter, slate morning, Pletscher Pletscher checked the numbers on the new Schüttes. He walks into Curtis Screw’s $9 million dollar gamble, the has some of his best operators on these machines. The CPK 150,000-sq.-ft. plant on Thielman Dr. The old Niagara Street numbers were extraordinary in Germany, over 5. Jeff Kiepp, an and Roberts Avenue factories are systematically disgorging engineer, went over to Cologne, Germany, for training. Schütte

VIII BEST OF TODAY’S MACHINING WORLD • 2001 - 2011 but wouldhavebeen$75,000eachtobuyfromasupplier. Kenny Carmichael. TheycostCurtis$46,000eachtomake, were designedandbuiltbyCurtisengineersP.J.Allen veyors intotheinspectionmachines.Themachines blank comingoff oftheCNCmultis.Theblanksrolldowncon- own dedicatedpart-checkingmachinestoinspecteachgear failures onthe$1millionSchüttes,socompanybuiltits are machines,andtheyfailoccasionally. Curtiscanafford no days, andTim Kuta, whoknowshisstuff, isonnights,butthey Ron Greco, a27-yearveteran,isrunningthemachineson had servicepeopleonhandforweekstoqualifythemachines. Niagara Street.There isaproblemwithanoperator withabad and telleachother abouteveryjobinplayatThielman and supervision. Theygooverwhich machinesarebeingmoved speaker phone,thengivetheir own updateontheirareasof table listeningtoPletscher’s jobandmachinestatusreport on who retiredbutcamebacktohelp withthemove,sitata supervisors plusMarty Schwarz,a40-yearveteranofCurtis meeting atthebigconferencetablenearkitchen.The who notices. Niagara emitsthearomaofcutting oil,butafter threeseconds, late newplant.ThielmansomehowsmellslikeOreocookies. oil initscementporesandtheepoxy-floored,almostimmacu- story downtownplantthathasabsorbedcountlessgallonsof seven milesfromThielman,butacenturyseparatesthemulti- River, overlookingthePeace BridgeandOntario, Canada. Itis Street, the100-yearoldheadquartersplantonNiagara disastrous. That’s whythe8:00a.m.meetingiscrucial. an eyeoneverypartnumbertomakesurethatnoscrewupis $1.5 millionataminimum.PletscherandNuara havetokeep ambitious. With 200majorpieces,themovewillprobablycost and Roberts Avenue tothenewfactory. Thatfigurewaswaytoo number was$3,000permachinetomovefromNiagara Street the movingprocessishugelyexpensive.Theoriginalworking steps inherentinmovingmachinerytoanewlocation.But haven’t missedadeliveryschedule,despitetheinevitablemis- up extrainventorytocushionthemoveThielman.They because ithasdepthoftalentandequipment.Theyhavebuilt the product.Curtisisabletojuggleitscustomerrequirements match therighttalenttoappropriatemachinesgetout are ailing,whatoperatorsavailable,everythinghecanto the newplant. Street plantmanager, whowillrunthecombinedoperationat 8:00 a.m.productionmeetingledbyMarty Nuara, theNiagara Pletscher needsthedataoneverymachineatThielmanfor More ThanaMeeting Gary Pletscherisonaspeakerphone. Nuara runsthe At 8:00a.m.Marty Nuara convenesthemeetingatNiagara Pletscher wantstoknowwhatjobsarehot,machines BEST OF TODAY’S MACHINING WORLD •2001 -2011 in thecompany. For aguylikeAugugliaro, thisiscomforting. family livesinBuffalo, and John Hoskins, Jr. isworkingdaily They areUpstateNew York guys,notHarvard MBA’s. TheHoskins engineers donotwearties,generally. workers. Management wearsoxfordshirtsandties,though but youdoseeclearboundaries betweenunionandsalaried mick PlaceinChicago. rigidities youseeataFord orGMplantor, worstofall,McCor the topgrade.ThoughCurtisisunion,ithasveryfewof 32 years.Curtishas11paygradesforunionworkers.He isin union chairatCurtis,apositionhehasheldforsixyears. Frank Augugliaro handledthejob.Frank isalsotheUAW it hadbeendisconnectedfromitselectricityandplumbing. on toaflatbedforthetrekThielman.Afewhoursearlier, St., theriggersareloadinga42-millimeter6-spindleSchütte jewelry, worthyofbeingfrequentlytouched,evencaressed. hexagon flotsam,buttoarealscrewmachineguytheyarehis izes hislife’s labor. To hiswifeorsecretarytheyareshiny, brass andaluminumobjectsinadishordrawerthatsymbol- the turnedpartsbusinesshasatreasuredassortmentofsteel, machine partsthathehascollaboratedon.Ithinkeveryguyin fice inthenewbuilding,aswillhiscollectionoffavoritescrew the wallphotoofapristinegolfgreenwillfinditswaytohis this day. Afewcardboardboxesproveadequateforhisstuff; issues todealwith. at Curtis,especiallyduringamove,therearealwaysplentyof problems, hewouldinventonetotackle.Fortunately, for him, impression isthatifNuara everhadacoupleofhourswithno grabs holdofproblemsliketheyareLindtchocolates.My moved upquicklyatCurtis.He seemstoliveforthisjob.He Nuara isayoungbutseasoned37-yearoldengineerwhohas Setting aTone Nuara thatsamedayforareview. They donotfester. ThisparticularoperatormetwithMarty such sessions.Curtisdoesnotmessaroundwithproblems. for adisciplinaryprocedure.Therearecontractguidelines absentee record.Nuara makesanotetobringtheoperatorin Both Hojnacki andLeClairhadfatherswhowereunionmen. Augugliaro hasagoodworkingrelationshipwithLeClair, Augugliaro isapragmaticguy. He hasworkedatCurtisfor Underneath thesecond-floorconferenceroomat Niagara Nuara ismovinghisoffice from Niagara St.toThielmanon - -

best of features best of By Lloyd Graff Printed in the November/December 2009 issue features of Today’s Machining World Finding a

BRANDin your MACHINE SHOP Cathy Bothe was knitting a sweater for her grandson Jack in her Kenosha, Wisconsin, home on a Sunday night in 2006, and in her words, “bitching about these crappy Chinese needles,” she was using. Her husband, Kent, who had been cutting metal chips in the family machine shop for 40 years retorted, “So why don’t you do something about it?”

At that time, there was no high-end knitting needle, only the Think of the hypothetical “housewife in Duluth,” who generic Wal-Mart needle. Cathy and Kent often talked about thinks about, and maybe even pencils out, what a spectacular folks who restored cars. Did they go to the dollar store to buy needle would look like. She’d likely have no clue about ma- their sockets? No, they would invest in a Craftsman or Snap- chining a point on a stringy piece of aluminum barstock. She on because they understood they were buying a tool to last a probably never would have heard of anodizing or CAD/CAM. lifetime. She might consider sending a product sketch to a Chinese That night, Cathy and Kent drove over to their machining company (that would honor the intellectual property, of course) best of features best facility to make the needles Cathy always wanted but could and wait for a prototype to be mailed back to her in a week. never find in yarn shops. The Bothes were able to compress the learning curve on After running some aluminum barstock through a production but were novices at bringing a top of the line Mori Seiki AL-2 lathe, they suspected that they had the unique consumer product to buyers who didn’t know they had always product every job shop owner dreams of, but most never find. wanted it. Cathy, the president of Bothe and Associates, a 59-year-old Meanwhile, business in the machining world was evaporat- shop started by Kent’s father in a humble garage, enlisted her ing, and the pie in the sky knitting needle effort was starved daughter Laura and son Paul to work in the needle company for marketing money. they named, Signature Needle Arts. Bothe and Associates was Cathy and Laura Bothe decided to bring 75 pairs of their already busy serving a broad range of industrial and medical machined needles to a needle arts trade show in Chicago in customers, but the Bothes thought that a product that offered a August 2007, hoping to elicit a little buzz, and if lucky, sell superior tactile experience even at 10 times the price of generic some product. needles from China would find buyers among knitting enthusiasts. To their amazement, customers lined up 10 deep to see the A business consultant could have given Cathy a dozen needles of their dreams. Kent had stayed home, but was on reasons why making a utilitarian commodity product into a pins and needles waiting for a phone call from Cathy to report piece of useful jewelry was a stretch for the machinists from customer reaction. The call seemed to never come because Kenosha. But probably because she didn’t know what she Cathy and Laura were just trying to cope with the throng of didn’t know, she threw herself into the project with the naïveté buyers. This was the moment they knew they had a business, of a zealot. not just a sideline to the machining company. It turned out that even without a detailed business plan, They also discovered that a key to developing the brand possessing a plant full of CNC lathes and a million man-hours was reaching the online knitting community. Most knitters of manufacturing know-how gave the Bothes an advantage in are women and many of them read blogs on the Web related bringing their unique idea to life. to their hobby. The Bothes gained tremendous exposure on a

X BEST OF TODAY’S MACHINING WORLD • 2001 - 2011 making. Here, buy it.”Signature says,“Tell us what youwant.” company hasa different attitude.Theysay, “This iswhatwe’re She saysshewillbebuyingalot moreinthefuture. next morningtotrythemoutand immediatelylovedthem. double pointsformyfriend,Janet. Shewokeupat6a.m.the (US 1-US5)and$32apairforlargediametersizes6-US10). and youcanpickadecorativecap. done. Theyalsohavethreelengthsavailable;7”,10”and14”, profiles; Stiletto, Middy and Blunt, whichnooneelsehasever steel Signature Needles becauseofthe$45retailpricepoint. the triggeronasetoffourbeautifuldouble-tippedstainless ford theSignature Needles, yetshetoldmecouldnotpull ting world.Janet isafanaticalsock knitterwhocouldeasilyaf my friendJanet Herbstman, whofirstexposedmetotheknit- off theteewitha40-year-old Sam Sneadpersimmondriver. anybody whocaresabouttheirgolfgamewouldwhacktheball for $200oraCalloway driverfor$300.He rhetoricallyasksif can achievewiththeirqualitymaterialsandprocesses. just can’t gettheaccuracyorradiusontipthatSignature whatever youcanthinkoftomaketheneedlespointy, butyou tubes. Shesaysyoucankeepformingitandit,trying But Cathy saysyou cannevergetqualitypointswithhollow also allowstheirneedlestobepolishedabeautifulfinish. amethyst purpleandsapphireblue.Thehigh-gradealuminum them tocreatefivelushcolors—emeraldgreen,rubyred,gold, stitch size.TheyanodizeintheUnitedStates,whichenables inch total,whichisimportantsoknitterscanmakeanaccurate grinders thatgetthediameterstowithinathousandthofan big difference forus.”Signature Needles useshighquality aluminum, allAmerican-madealuminum.That’s madea must [havethebest]ingredients,sowebuyveryhighgrade less likelytoskimponyarn. spend moneyoneleganttoolsforthemselves,thoughtheyare that hurdleistheguiltfactor. Women areoften reluctantto ence significantlymorepleasurableandefficient. Stitchedto people thatusingSignature Needles makestheknittingexperi- gained salesandcredibilityinthefiberartsworld. blog mentionsanddisplayingatshows,theBothesquickly istered usersfromallovertheworld.ThroughInternetbuzz, munity called,Ravelry.com. Thesitenowhasover513,800reg- massive Web sitedevotedtotheknittingandcrochetingcom- Cathy saysthat peoplelovetohavechoices,yetatypicalbig After ourinterviewwiththeBothesIbroughtbackaset of Single pointneedlessellfor$28a pair forthesmallersizes Signature’s singlepointneedleshavethree different point I observedareluctancetosplurgeonthistypeofproductin Kent Botheusesthecomparisonofbuyingafancygolfputter Chinese needlesaremadefromhollowtubesofaluminum. Cathy said,“Ifyou’re goingtomakeagourmetmeal,you They realizedthattheirbiggestchallengeisconvincing BEST OF TODAY’S MACHINING WORLD •2001 -2011 -

found aneedleinhaystack. ness. Intheclutteredworldofprecisionmachining,theyhave shop. In30monthstheyhavebuiltabusinesswithinbusi- chine theirneedlesanditisnowthebusiestmachinein cats willeventuallystrike. as fasttheycantobuildtheirbrand,knowingthatthecopy- lengths, everything.” Web sitetotellusexactlywhatthey’d liketosee—newcaps, long,” saidCathy. “We alsohavepeopleemailingusfromour at consumertradeshows.“People cometoourboothallday ers,” saidCathy. Theygatherfeedbackfromthoseandexhibit knitting blogstogainafollowing. implant. TheyhavealsoutilizedsocialmedialikeTwitter and product withtheprecisionandfinishrequiredofamedical capitalized ontheirmachiningknowledgetomakeaconsumer the energy, gutsandsmartstopursueitinabigway. Theyhave companies searchforawayoutofdisastrousdownturn. all seasons,buthasparticularmeaningnowasmachining makes. This iswhytheynowhavea7”needle,whichnooneelse They boughtanewTsugami CNCSwiss-typelathetoma- The Bothesareworriedaboutknockoffs, sotheyarerunning “We doemailsurveysandhavealargelistofcustom- The Botheshadagoodidea—thesuperiorneedle.They The Bothefamily’s Signature Needle Artsstoryisonefor XI

best of features best of

Printed in the April 2005 issue show us your ride of Today’s Machining World

Happy Hunting by Troy Schultz, Dynamic Tool, El Paso, Texas

have been elk hunting in Colorado with my horse, Rader, Iand mule, Elle, for seven years. In Colorado, when you go to the national forest and even when hunting on private lands, all motorized vehicles are restricted from going off-road. Even snowmobiles and quads are outlawed. That’s where Rader and Elle come in. When hunting, it is possible to go on foot to the campsite. But if you are lucky enough to shoot an elk, you cannot get it

best of show us your ride out without the help of a horse — or better yet a mule. My mule, Elle is larger than an average mule. To breed a large mule you need to mate a large donkey called a mammoth jack with a large mare. It looks kind of goofy riding a small, “standard- sized” mule so I got a large one that basically looks like a horse with floppy ears. Mules are actually more intelligent than horses. When I only had horses I used to shut my gates with a latch mechanism that you fold down onto a post. In two weeks Elle figured out how to open them; now I chain all my gates with pad locks. The best thing about having a mule when hunting in the mountains is that they are more sure-footed and they have much better endurance than a horse. A mule can also carry a When hunting, it is possible to lot more weight, perhaps twice as much as a horse, which is a premium when you’re going long distances carrying heavy “go on foot to the campsite. But if you objects. Once I was on my cousin’s horse and wandered into quick- are lucky enough to shoot an elk, you sand. The mud was up to the horse’s neck and up to my waist. cannot get it out without the help of a My cousin threw a rope around the horse and our two mules pulled us out. horse—or better yet a mule Two other guys and I attempted to carry one elk leg a half a mile, but that was too much for even the three of us. Elle and ” Rader make elk hunting possible. I couldn’t take back anything I shot without them.

XII BEST OF TODAY’S MACHINING WORLD • 2001 - 2011 Mike Rowe MR: life? your NG: In what job have mostendangered for you felt MR: show? the off NG: What’s strangest job the you’ve –on done or MR: NG: job you’ve is What “dirtiest” the ever had to do? MR: akid?were NG: jobs What did you aspire you to when do gusting, dangerousorstrenuousthejob,Rowe continuestoapproachitwithenthusiasm. Shark Suit Tester, Copper Foundry worker, andRoad KillRemoval Specialist.No matterhowdis- He’s leaptintoamultitudeofblue-collaroccupationsincludingsomeoff-the-beaten-path jobs: golf ballrecycler –innoparticularorder. A greatplacetomeetgirlswhile dressedlikeaViking. Network forthreeyears.Ialsosangintheoperaafew gettably bad. waste, climbtothetopofpump,andtieoffacable.Unfor- enter theshaftfrombottom,swimthroughtonsofhuman ment facilityhastobenearthetopoflist.Someonemust doing anyoneparticularthingfortherestofmylife. recall. Imainlyrememberfeelingpanickedbytheideaof Sharksuittester, lumberjack, coalminer, alligatorfarmer, IworkedthemidnightshiftatQVCCable Shopping Removingabrokenliftpumpfromwastewatertreat- Ihonestlyhadnoaspirations,atleastnonethatcan BEST OF TODAY’S MACHINING WORLD •2001 -2011 hoststheDiscoveryChannel’s hitprogramDirtyJobs. of Today’s MachiningWorld 2007issue intheApril Printed By NoahGraff MR: had to do? NG: What’sjob mostphysically the you’ve difficult MR: foroneday,dead would that who be? NG: If you could alongside work living anybody or MR: NG: How you do so stay and upbeat positive? MR: lifelong occupation, whichwould you choose? NG: If forced to choose onejob from show the as your MR: from all of jobs the you’ve had? NG: thing you’ve What’s mostimportant the learned MR: theirabout jobs? NG: you are working How people feel the do with I believeI’dlike to splitsomelogswithmygrandfather. like toseeifhereally diedwithahammerinhis hand.Mostly, Mark Twain, ormaybedrive somespikeswithJohnHenry. I’d poi, butfarmingthetaroisgoodfun. Farming taroinHawaiiwasalsogratifying. Iwouldn’teatthe The magnet,theclaw, theshredder;theyareallverysatisfying. experiences, andit’simportant. is somethingalotofthewhite-collarworkforcenolonger whatever. Seeingafinishedproductorthefruitsofyourlabor actually donesomething.Bricklaying,road-killremoval, of workingonajobthatallowsyouthesatisfactionhaving visual cuesinourdailyworklives,andtheforgottenbenefits typical professionaldoesn’tget. Most ofthemseemtobeinonsomesortjokethatyour white-collar jobs.Theygenuinelyseemtolovewhattheydo. balanced, andbetteradjustedthanmostofmyfriendswith leave animpression. swinging asledgehammerfor12hoursinrowisgoingto deconstruction fromblacksmithing.Anythingthatinvolves agonies ofrailroadworkfromhot-tarroofing,orindoor Intermsofphysicalabuse,it’shardtoseparatethe That’satoughone.I’dliketonavigate ariverboatwith Igettoleaveattheendofday. IthinkI’dliketorunthemachinesatascrapmetalyard. Oneofmyfavoritelessonsistheimportancehaving ThepeopleImeet,byandlarge,appearhappier, more

XIII

best of one on one 58 best of By Noah Graff Printed in the November 2006 issue interviews of Today’s Machining World

ViewFrom the Border Patrol

Noah Graff talked with T.J. Bonner, president of the National Border Patrol Council, about his dual role in thwarting illegal immigration while best of interviews best advocating as a labor leader.

NG: T.J. Can you begin by talking about what your job other areas you have the freedom to patrol around and engage entails as a border patroller and as the president of in what’s called sign cutting, which is looking for footprints or the National Border Patrol Council? others signs of disturbances that indicate people have crossed TB: As a Border Patrol agent I’m responsible for securing the the border. It’s not always something as simple as a footprint. In border, stopping everything that comes across the border. Obvi- many cases people will get very clever when they cross the bor- ously we’re not successful in that. We have millions of people in der. They’ll put boots on their feet so that it’s just a scuff mark, the country illegally, although it’s estimated that at least a third of or they’ll lay a board across and have people walk across like on a the people or perhaps 40 percent of the illegal alien population in balance beam. the United States are overstays. They come to this country legally but overstay their welcome. NG: What are the ups and downs of a job like yours? TB: I love the challenge of tracking down someone who knows NG: How many officers do you have on the Mexican they’re being followed and they’re trying to throw you off the border? trail. It’s a very satisfying aspect when you outwit and capture TB: We have about 10,600 to 10,700 patrolling 2,000 miles of them. The most difficult part is working in some of the extreme border. temperatures. I work out in the mountains of San Diego, and in the wintertime we will get snow out there. In the summertime NG: What is the daily routine for Border Patrollers? we will get triple-digit heat. Working in the extreme temperatures TB: It depends on where you’re stationed. In some areas the exposes the agents to as much danger as it does the people who daily routine is about as boring as boring can be, because they sit are out walking. you in one spot and tell you to watch that piece of the border. In

XIV BEST OF TODAY’S MACHINING WORLD • 2001 - 2011 more palmstobegreased. from Canada andChina,themoreitcosts,becausethereare for someonefromMexico.ThefartheryougetMexico,like $300 crossingisnowintherangeof$1,500to$3,000,andthat’s rately, abouttenfoldinthelast15years.Sowhatusedtobe$150- And thecostofbeingsmuggledacrosshasgrowncommensu- crosses thatborderillegallyisaidedbyprofessionalsmugglers. estimated thatperhapsasmuch90percentofthetraffic been anincreasedrelianceonprofessionalsmugglers.It’snow by theBorderPatrol.Oneofresultsthisnewstrategyhas and turnaroundgohome.Buttheyfigureoutwaystoget ing $5adaywillcomeuptotheborderandseealloftheseagents profile positionsrightalongtheborder. Thepeoplewhoaremak- strategy ofdeterrenceistohaveagentsinhighvisibility, high rence, whichcameaboutinthemid1990s.Thetheoryof TB: Thebigchangewastheadoptionofstrategydeter- since youstarted? NG: HowhasthejobofBorderPatrolagentschanged year lookingfor work. TheBorderPatrolcatches an averageof1.2 dealing withthe millions ofpeoplewhoarecoming acrossevery apprehend thatsmallergroupif your weren’tconsumedwith and ahandfulofterrorists.Itwould bemucheasiertospotand come, whichwillleaveyouwitha smallergroupofcriminals cally. Iftheycan’tfindworkintheUnitedStates theysimplywon’t the borderillegally;they’reseeking tobettertheirliveseconomi- is theworkplace.We knowwhymostpeoplearecomingacross TB: Thebestsolutionistoaddresstheproblematitsroot,which from enteringthecountryillegally? NG: Whatisthebestsolutiontopreventforeigners have sometypeofcriminalrecord. ties. Abouteightpercentofthepeopleborderpatrolcatches for theexpresspurposeofpreyinguponpeopleinourcommuni - whether theybedrugdealers,smugglersorjustcomingin TB: ItwouldbethelargegroupingofpeopleIcallcriminals, NG: Whatgroupofpeopledoyoutargetnext? knows you’reinthecountry. terrorist attack.Ifyouslipacrosstheborderunknowingly, noone nect thosedotsandtrackyoudownbeforecancarryoutyour leave atrail.Thereisthendangerthatsomeonegoingtocon- across throughlegalmeans,albeitfraudulentyou for sneakingacross.Thereasonisveryobvious;whenyoucome keen interestinexploitingtheweaknessofoursouthwestborder front oftheSenateIntelligenceCommittee thatal-Qaedahada Secretary oftheDepartmentHomelandSecurity, testifiedin TB: Obviouslytheterrorists.InFebruary 2005,JamesLoy, Deputy are focusingon? NG: Whatisthemostimportantgroupofpeopleyou BEST OF TODAY’S MACHINING WORLD •2001 -2011 be lookingforyou.” it, onceyourunthegauntletyou’rehomefree.Noone’sgoingto looking forthem.Sothewordgetsoutthat,“Hey, onceyoumake areas, butoncetheygetbytheimmediateborderarea,nooneis der,” andwehaveBorderPatrolagentstherefencesinsome come across,becauseononehandwesay, “Don’tcrossthebor- laws. You havetoblameoursystemwhichencouragespeople blame themforcomingacrossandbreakingourimmigration their family’sbestinterestwouldmakethatjourney. You can’t TB: Ithinkthatanypersonwhoislookingoutforthemselvesand cross theborder? NG: IfyouwereapoorMexican,wouldn’ttryto NG: Thanks,T.J. the jobskillsthatweneed. skilled workerscominginrather than solicitingpeoplewhohave you need.We’re gettingthepoorestofpoorandmost un- in andwhenyouarenotselecting peoplewhohaveskillsthat The problemcomeswhenyouhaveasurplusofpeoplecoming historically inUnitedStatestofilljobswheretherewasaneed. means immigrantsareimportant.Immigrantshavebeenused to doorthatyoudon’thaveenoughofalaborpool,thenbyall TB: To theextentthatyouhavejobsAmericansdonotwant zens don’twanttodo? NG: Aren’timmigrantsdoingjobsthatAmericanciti- enforcement agentscouldcomparetherecords. information wouldalsobounceintoamasterdatabasesothat “Yes, thisisagenuinecard,feelfreeto hirethisperson.”That they wouldgetananswerbackinatmatterofminutessaying, gorithm, sowhentheemployerswipescardthroughareader It wouldalsobebiometricsencodedinaverysophisticatedal- a number, butitwouldalsohaveadigitalphotographencoded. information thanwhatthecurrentcardcontains,likeanameand to establishisasmartSocialSecuritycardthatcontainsnomore that requirementhastoapplyeveryone.Thelogicaldocument to verifythatanindividualhasarightworkinthiscountry, and TB: Employersneedtobegivenasimple,foolproofmechanism or newpolicy, whatwoulditbe? ernment foronedayandyoucouldmakechange NG: IfyouwerethesupremeleaderofU.S.Gov- of peoplefourtimesinoneeighthourshift. you’re catchingarerepeatoffenders.I’vecaughtthesamegroup year. Nowsomeofthemgobackhome,sothepeople cessful, whichmeansthatseveralmillionpeoplegetbyusevery on thegroundestimateweareonlyabout25to33percentsuc- million yearly, mostlypeoplesimplylookingforwork.Ouragents XV

best of interviews 58 best of By Barbara Donohue printed in the August 2007 issue how it works of Today’s Machining World

injection best of how it works Metal molding Can manufacturing complex metal parts in high volume really be as easy as filling a mold? Read on.

To make a complex part in metal, you can cast it, or machine MIM can make complex parts economically in structural it — or injection mold it. The process is called metal injec- metals. MIM can also allow you to replace an assembly of two tion molding (MIM), or sometimes powder injection molding or more parts with a single MIM part, further reducing costs. (PIM). It can produce intricate parts in a wide range of metals, including steel, stainless steel, and even high-temperature From Powder to Part alloys. MIM has been around for decades, but only in the last MIM metal powder is very fine, with particles 20 microns twenty years has it found widespread commercial application. (about 0.0008) in size or smaller. “It feels like talcum pow- Aerospace, medical, electronics, firearms and consumer prod- der,” said David Smith, senior sales manager at PCC Advanced ucts industries now use MIM. Forming Technology (AFT), Longmont, Colo. These very fine You may be familiar with powdered metal (PM) parts, powders are made by a number of processes, including atom- especially as bearings, bushings or small gears. PM parts izing molten metal with a high-velocity stream of gas. are formed of metal powder compressed in a die and then The MIM process starts with mixing the feedstock, a combi- sintered. MIM uses much finer powder than PM, and a com- nation of metal powder and binder. The binder is a mixture of pletely different manufacturing process. materials such as plastic and wax materials that melt and hold The worldwide market for custom MIM parts is more than the metal particles in suspension while the stock flows into the $500 million, according to James Dale, vice president of mem- mold cavities. A typical feedstock might be 60 percent metal ber and industry relations, Metal Powder Industries Federa- powder and 40 percent binder by volume. tion (MPIF), Princeton, N.J. This does not include parts that The feedstock is heated and forced into the mold cavities. companies manufacture for their own use in house. The parts are removed from the mold. The newly molded parts

XVI BEST OF TODAY’S MACHINING WORLD • 2001 - 2011 screw machine part, astamping,orpowdered metalpart, Smith. Ifacustomer needsapartthatcouldbe a“straight said McCabe. this case,“youcouldmoldinone holeanddrilltheotherone,” long parts,feature-to-featuretolerances canbechallenging.In run inthe0.003”range,withcloser tolerancespossible.On shrinkage ofthepart.Tolerances oncompletedpartsnormally you canmakeMIMpartsaboutthesizeofyourthumb. ounces) orless.OneMIMmanufacturergivesa“ruleofthumb”: 200 grams(3.5to7ounces),butrecommend50(1.8 for MIM.Various MIMshopscanhandle parts upto100 dreds ofthousandsorevenmillions. 10,000,” saidMcCabe, andtypicalquantitiescanruntohun- higher volumes.At hiscompany, “‘lowvolume’ islessthan cost overallthepartsmade.So MIM isusuallyusedonlyfor cavity moldforsmallprecisionparts. of thousandsdollarswouldnotbeunusualforamultiple- cost ofmakinginjectionmoldsvariestremendously, buttens tolerances tendtobetighterforMIMparts,McCabe said.The the propertiesofbindercompounds.Also,ingeneral,part The MIMmoldsneedtofittogethermoretightlybecauseof ogy developmentmanager, KineticsInc.,Wilsonville, Ore. equivalent plasticmold,accordingtoTim McCabe, technol- A MIMmoldwilllikelycostabout20percentmorethanan Complex PartsinHighVolumes Economical forSmall, process isused. percent densityisrequired,ahotisostaticpressing(HIP) heat treatorplatethemasneeded.Inapplicationswhere100 percent offulldensity. together. After sintering, mostMIMpartsendupat95to98 percent oftheirmeltingtemperature,atwhichpointtheyjoin remaining binderisgoneandthemetalparticlesapproach90 furnace toremovethelastofbinderandsinterparts. “brown” partandisabout40percentporous. remains tohelpthepartholditsshape.Theisnowa with solventsorchemicalsthatreactthebinder. be donewithheat(thermally)orbyachemicalprocess,either most, butnotall,ofthebinderfrompart.Debindingcan called “green” parts. are theshapeoffinalpart,butlarger. At thisstagetheyare “MIMdoesnotcompetewithpure manufacturing,”said The moldisdesignedover-sized toallowfortheexpected Small, complicated,highvolumepartsareidealcandidates To makeMIMeconomical, youneedtoamortizethetooling MIM partsareoften usedas-sintered,butyoucanmachine, In thesinteringfurnace,temperaturerisesuntil Finally, thepartsaresetonceramictraysandplacedina After firststagedebinding,asmallamountofbinder The nextstepiscalledfirststagedebinding.Thisremoves BEST OF TODAY’S MACHINING WORLD •2001 -2011

same propertiesinthetransversedirection. properties inthedirectionofrollingcanbedifferent fromthe in ane-mailinterview. For wroughtmetals,themechanical Products DivisionofRemington ArmsCompany, Ilion,N.Y., Maryann Wright, engineeringsupervisoratthePowder Metal rial isthelackoftextureordirectionalityproperties,”said and fatiguestrength. ed MIMpartsmayimpairdynamicpropertiessuchasimpact However, thesmallamountofporosityremainingincomplet- tensile strengthcanbeclosetothoseofwroughtmaterials. The mechanicalpropertiesofMIMmaterialssuchasultimate Material Mystery may notbeeconomicallyviablewithoutMIM. we’re notgoingtocompete.”But somepartscan’t bemadeor ways notpossiblewithothermanufacturing technologies. MIM cansolvedesignproblemsorsaveassemblycostsin every application.For somehigh-volumeproducts,however, technique, itisnottheidealmethodformakingeverypartin come awaywithadeeperunderstandingofwhatMIMcando. perience first-handhowtomold,debindandsinterparts, to theplantandspendtwodayslearningaboutMIM.Theyex- year. Interestedengineers,andafewpurchasingpeople, come Technology conductsa“hands-onMIMschool” fourtimesa day thatthedesignengineerhasneverhadtoconsider.” considered,” saidDale.“A MIMengineerseesproblemsevery better]. Theymaycomeupwithsolutionsyounothave machined part. part maynotbethesameoneyoumightspecifyforacastor select therightmaterial.ThealloyyouendupusingforaMIM support it,orthepartcanbestraightenedafterward. support itselfduringsintering.Ifnot,specialfixturingcan prevent saggingorotherdeformation.Ideally, thepartwill will behaveduringsintering,andincludedesignfeaturesto ing. For MIMparts,youalsoneedtothinkabouthowthepart apply foruniformwallthicknessesandribsstrengthen- for injection-moldedplasticparts.Thesamerecommendations Most ofthedesignguidelinesforMIMpartsaresameas Learning toMIM “One advantagethatMIMmaterialhasversusforgedmate- Though metalinjectionmoldingisapowerfulparts-making To helpremedythislackofexposure,Advanced Forming “ThesooneryougettheMIMdesignersinvolved,[the Experienced MIMengineerscanhelpfinetuneadesignand www.remingtonpmpd.com Remington ArmsCompany, PowderMetalProductsDivision: PCC AdvancedForming Technology: www.pcc-aft.com Metal PowderIndustriesFederation (MPIF):www.mpif.org Kinetics Inc.:www.kinetics.com Contributors tothisarticle: XVII

best of how it works best of By Noah Graff Printed in the October 2007 issue one on one of Today’s Machining World

Mad Mikeis the head car customizer on the MTV show Pimp My Ride, a reality show where people get to have their ugly, old beaters restored and “tricked out” with ridiculous, incredible features such as a 42 inch plasma TV, a microwave, and a purple paint job. He’s been working on cars for over 20 years and has customized cars for several celebrities.

Noah: When did you start working on cars? Mad Mike: I was 14 or 15 years old. I learned from reading car audio magazines as a kid, and then I had a couple guys in the neighborhood who [taught me]—a guy named Uzi, and Corn- ball, who was one of the [stereo] installers for basketball players and the high profile people in Compton [L.A.]

NG: Who comes up with most of the ideas for Pimp My Ride? MM: It’s a group effort—we all come up with the ideas. I just organize it and make sure it happens correctly.

NG: What kind of cars do you have in your driveway? MM: My ’76 International Scout, my Tahoe, my Honda, my Pacifica, and my motor home. They’re conservative but unique. Like the one I’m in right now—I have three cell phones, my laptop with high speed Internet, Direct TV, and the windows smoked out black. It’s pretty fast too. best of one on one on one of best NG: If you could have coffee with anybody living or NG: What are you doing in your car right now? dead, who would that be? MM: I’m checking my emails. I just got an iPhone. I’m watch- MM: Albert Einstein or Thomas Edison. Einstein discovered ing Direct TV, and I’m also drinking tea and eating my cookie. I something that nobody’s ever been able to figure out, and do it every day, and I don’t have my seatbelt on. I’m going about Thomas Edison discovered something that we still use today. 85 miles an hour. All that people are doing now is redesigning the things people have already thought of. NG: What’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever done to a car? NG: Have you done cars for a lot of celebrities? MM: Put a TV in the steering wheel—which we got a $15,000 MM: I’ve built like 70 cars for Shaquille O’Neal. The seat al- fine for. ways has to be moved back about two feet, and then right above his head has to be a set of tweeters in every car—he loves NG: Tell me about an idea that simply went bad. crystal clear music. We also did the “I’m Sorry Car” for Kobe MM: Every idea goes bad. Everything wonderful goes bad. We [Bryant] when he had sex with that young lady. It was some put a waterfall in one of the first cars I worked on, and I couldn’t weird car like a big ’46. She always wanted an old car restored get it filled because the car vibrated and the waterfall just fell and it had diamonds all in a [crazy] cluster. apart. When you get water in your electronics it’s pretty crazy. NG: Have you been carjacked before? NG: One of my favorite episodes on the show was MM: Kind of, but not really. People have tried to steel this truck when you put the ping pong table in the bed of a truck. I’m driving—I think three times already, but they couldn’t get it. MM: The ping pong table was one of the worst nightmares I’ve had one car stolen in my life and it blew up on the freeway. ever, because you had to saw it down. You couldn’t have it I have the ultimate anti-theft security system in my car, and if regulation size because the bed of a truck is not square, it’s like you’re dumb enough to steal my car, whatever happens to you a trapezoid – but a ping pong table is square. happens. May God have mercy on your soul.

XVIII BEST OF TODAY’S MACHINING WORLD • 2001 - 2011 behave ratherthanusingtraditionaleconomicsmethodssuchascost-benefitanalysis. by notassumingthathumansalwaysactrationally. Theresearchreliesonobservinghowpeople Behavioral economicsexaminesmarkettrendsliketraditionaleconomics,butdistinguishesitself everything. Thefreemarketisnottherightapproach. make mistakes,andasaconsequencetheycan’tbeletlooseon is thecase.We thinkthatthere’salotofreasonswhypeople works verywell.Inbehavioraleconomicswedon’tthinkthis and theydoonlywhat’sbestforthemselves,thewholesystem run loose,andbecausepeoplecanoptimizeberational behavioral economics.Instandardeconomicsyouletpeople a goodexampleofthedifferencesbetweenstandardand DA: You can thinkabouttherecentstockmarketcrashas recent market stock crash? What is of behavioral the the economics perspective Dan Ariely doing cost-benefit analysis I would say that if you took my donkey doing cost-benefit analysisIwouldsaythatifyou tookmydonkey police andnolaw, andonedayyoustolemy donkey. IfIwasjust DA: Yes. ImagineyouandIlived4,000years ago.Therewasno oneconomics?impact human the Does impulse to obtain revenge have abig people gotatonofmoneytosee theworldinacertainperspective. spective it’sveryhardforyounottodoit.Whathappenedwasthat team. Ifyouhaveanincentivetoviewtheworldfromacertainper - our teamasmorecorrectthansomeonewhopreferstheother when thecallisonedgewealwayshavetendencytoview from theperspectiveofwhatisgoodforthemfinancially. In sports people, withthebestintentionsinworldtendtosee done alotofresearchshowingthatevengoodpeople,fantastic DA: Itwouldbecorrectforsomereasonableregulation.We’ve rational, regulations? for thereis certain aneed youDo believe that because humans are not always which isclearlynotthecase,wegetintotrouble. people wouldworkinthebestinterestoftheircompanies, said whenhetestifiedinfrontofcongressthatthought them totakeoutthat’saproblem.IfwethinklikeGreenspan people cancomputewhatistherightamountofmortgagefor tempted tobuycertainthings,that’saproblem.Ifwethinkthat trouble. IfIthinkthatwillsaveforalongtimebutthenget but whenIgetarouseddon’t,it’sanopportunitytointo trouble. IfIthinkthatwillhavesafesexwhenthetimecomes This mattersbecauseitgivesusanopportunitytogetinto DA: Whenweactinwaysthatdon’tunderstandorpredict. “irrational.” Define BEST OF TODAY’S MACHINING WORLD •2001 -2011

is professorofBehavioralEconomicsatDukeUniversity.

of Today’s MachiningWorld intheJanuary2009issuePrinted By NoahGraff but it’snotenough. Itdoesn’thelpwhenthere’s notrust. liquidity isnotreally helping.Liquidityisnotabad thingtodo, —lets injectmoreliquidityintothe market.Aswecansee,the things willactuallygetbetter. Economistswillsayit’sjustliquidity trust inthestockmarket,andunless wefixthattrustIdon’tthink lose moneytogettheseSOBs losemore,wehavelostadeep trust. Andnow, oncethistrust islost,notonlyarewewillingto retirement plans,andinaverydeepwaytheybetrayedoursocial Street. We hadasocialtrust. We gavethemourmortgagesor DA: For example,thefeelingofrevengepeoplehaveagainstWall so? How venge modeltothemodernworlditcanbecomelessproductive. structure, butithelpstomaintainorder. Yet ifyoubringthisre- to takemydonkeystartwith.It’snotapartoftheeconomic your kid’sdonkey. Notethereislesschancethatyouwould want to getbackthedonkey. Iwillnotonlytakebackmydonkey, but was thevengefultype,Iwouldchaseyoutoendofworld less timeIcouldmakeenoughmoneytobuyanewdonkey. ButifI would takeaweekformetochaseyouandfindmydonkey, butin and ranfaraway, itwouldnotbeworthwhileformetochaseyou.It

XIX

best of one on one best of By Lloyd & Noah Graff Printed in the March 2007 issue interviews of Today’s Machining World

An interview with James P. Hoffa, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Union. Stateof the With Unions Lloyd and Noah Graff

LG: I’m curious about growing up in Detroit in a NG: We certainly see it. union family. What memories do you have about din- JH: You see it every day, whether it was NAFTA or whether it was ner table conversations? WTO, which Clinton did. To ship auto parts into China you face JH: I had a wonderful childhood. I had a wonderful father, a won- a 30 percent tariff. You can’t ship auto parts into South Korea. derful mother, great sister. My sister is a circuit judge in St. Louis. They have completely protected economies, but they have com- best of interviews best My early memories are talking union over the table, but also I plete access to our economy. They ship stuff over by boatloads. remember in the ‘50s the whole family getting in the car, going Hyundai ships from South Korea, they put ramps down and drive to eat dinner somewhere and then going for a Sunday drive. thousands of cars off a ship in Baltimore. Now there’s no ship UAW used to have a radio program, and we’d listen to it in the of Ford Focuses going over to Seoul, Korea, because they won’t car. Invariably we’d end up on a picket line where my dad would allow it. Because of the trade bills they’ve been able to sucker us say, “How’s the picket line going?” We’d end up pulling our car into, and we’ve been stupid enough to do, these companies have up and visiting with the pickets. I remember going to union meet- created an atmosphere where American manufacturing is at a ings at an early age, sitting in these smoke filled meetings back in disadvantage. the late ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s. LG: What would you do? LG: I’m interested in how you see the intersection be- JH: I would completely change the way we trade. It’s very simple. tween the interests of the Teamsters and manufacturing. The first thing you do is scrap NAFTA. There’s a 60-day termina- JH: I think there’s tremendous intersection, because the Team- tion. You write a letter and end it and negotiate it all over again. sters Union is one of the most outspoken unions with regard to the unfair trade practices going on. The fact is that American LG: What would be fair? manufacturing is being eliminated by unfair trade deals where JH: The answer is equal access. Let’s take South Korea and you have exports from China and Japan, South Korea, the Far equality; you trade with me; I trade with you. If you have access East, India—driving the American manufacturers out of this to my economy, I have access to your economy. The trade deficit market. That’s because of the trade policies being pursued by this is crazy, and it’s getting worse because we have the wrong trade administration and the Clinton administration. policy. And the answer is: Anytime we have a trading partner Both have one thing in common—basically unfair trade. Open that’s getting out of line, we basically cut him off. Right now Chi- the markets to everybody in the world and let them have trade na’s great idea is to flood our markets with a cheap car. It’ll prob- barriers where they can create export economies that basically ably be a pretty good quality car called the Chery, and they’re go- attack American industry with unfair exports into this country. ing to start shipping these in. Thousands of these cars will come

XX BEST OF TODAY’S MACHINING WORLD • 2001 - 2011 How doesthatbenefitoureconomy? win? Whataretheygoingtoget,asmallpieceofeverycarsold? great. Greatforthem.Whowonthatbattle?DidGeneralMotors to workandthenthey’regoinghaveaBuickCentury. Ohthat’s factory.” GMhastobuildafactoryandputalltheChinesepeople and say, “Oh,youwanttodobusinessinthiscountry?Builda country. They’resmarterthanweare.TheygotoGeneralMotors over ourproducts.Numberone,theywon’tletcarsintotheir it shouldgofor$10,000sotheydon’thaveanunfairadvantage should bea$4,000tariffonthosecars.You’ve gota$6,000car; and they’lldevastateouralreadyhurtingautoindustry. There here andthey’llsellthemfor$6,000.Americanswillbuy JH: by beingpartoftheTeamsters?” would youaskhim?”Andhesaid,“WhatIgain him, “IfyougotachancetotalkMr. Hoffa,what tor truckdriverwhoownshisowntruck.We asked NG: Iinterviewedanon-Teamster, independentopera- JH: and say, “Oh, we’rethrilledtogetthat$6,000car.” NG: Alotofpeopletaketheconsumerpointview hours andImade arelativelysmallamountofmoney.” the tires,payforoil,workman’s comp,Iworked70 ing muchmoney. AfterIpayformytruck, formyfuel,pay the costofmytruck,amount ofhoursIspend,I’mnotmak- for mebecauseit’sjusttoomuch downtime.WhenIcompute tive whostarteddrivingatruckthat waywhofinallysaid,“It’snot have onethinggowrong,theyarereallyintrouble.Iarela- truck drivers.Buttheirlifeisfraughtwithperilbecauseifthey Teamsters. Ihavetheultimateamountofrespectforindependent for me.”We certainlyseethemasbrothersoftheroadwithour paid bythemilewhenhe’srunning. 8:00 atnight.He’sgottowait.Hedoesn’tgetpaid.onlygets gets thereandhearstheload’snotwon’tbeuntil pick upahotloadat6:00a.m.inRichmond,Virginia.Thenhe A driverwillbecalledat2:00inthemorning,driveallnightto the realityistheyhaveatremendousdislikeofbeingdictatedto. there’s acertaintypeofpeoplethatthinklifeisromantic.But It’s atremendousburden.Iknowindependenttruckdrivers,and payments? Doeshepayworkman’scompensationonhimself? payments, hiscartruckinsurance dent andcan’tworkfortwoyears?Whathappenstohismortgage has atruckpayment?Disaster. Whatifhegetsinaterribleacci- or thetruckbreaksdown,whathappenstohim?Whatifhestill unpaid downtime.Ifheownshisowntruckandgetsinawreck wouldn’t havetobeworking60-70hoursaweekwithallkindsof Now there’sacowboy-typeofpersonwhosays,“Thatisthelife Well verysimply, hewouldhaveanorganizedlife.He That’stheWal-Mart theory. BEST OF TODAY’S MACHINING WORLD •2001 -2011 unbelievable. ThosearethegreatmemoriesIhave. I thinkaboutit,theseguysdidn’tknowhowtofly. Itwas airplane togofishing. We’d catchhugerainbowtrout.When so onourdayoffeverybodyputin$50andwewouldflythis days aweek,54hoursweek.Theyhadanairplanethere, in Alaskathesummer, soweworkedninehoursaday, six the greatestjobIeverhad.We had24hoursofdaylightup horizon. Thejobwasinthemiddleofnowhere,butit football field,andwecouldseethemissilescomingover there –theyhadthreegiantscreens,eachonethesizeofa a ballisticmissilesystemFord Philcohadjustputin.It’sstill JH: IworkedatamilitarybaseinAlaskabackthe‘60son LG: Tell meaboutgettingyourfirstunioncard. then yourunmileage. non-union butworkingforSwift.Theygiveyouthetruck, truck, andyoudoeverything.Theothervariationisare truck. Oryou’recompletelyindependent,whereyouownthe are variations;youcanownyourtruckorjustleasethe the highway, butthetruckisownedbycompany. There companies rollingdownthehighway. You’re workingon JB Hunts,theSwifts,Werners, thosereallybig JH: Well it’sjustderegulation.Butyoudoseethe business hasgonevirtuallyalltotheowner/operator? LG: Whydoyouthinktheover-the-roadtrucking XXI

best of interviews best of By Lloyd & Noah Graff Printed in the January 2006 issue interviews of Today’s Machining World

Gene Haas, the 52-year old owner and founder of Haas Automation, does not do interviews, but he made an exception for Today’s Machining World. Lloyd and Noah Graff talked shop with him at his Oxnard, California, headquarters on October 21, 2005.

Gene, how did you get into this business? parts were made. I was probably in my 20s doing all this and go- GH: When I was in high school I worked in a machine shop. ing to college and found it wasn’t easy to get a job. Around 1976 I best of interviews best I started out sweeping floors. This is before child labor laws I decided to get a job using numerical controls. guess; I was only 13 or 14 years old. That was the tipping point? Did you take engineering in college? GH: I went to Seaton & Wilson as a programmer, and they had GH: I went into engineering when I first got to California State a TBI, Tomlinson Brother’s chucker with 5T controls and an LED University of Northridge. I was in engineering for two years until display. I had two or three years making things manually on a 1972, around the time Lockheed almost went bankrupt. It seemed Hardinge chucker, and I started working on this TBI chucker, like maybe engineering wasn’t the degree to be in, so I switched which was an experience and pretty primitive by today’s stan- over to business. dards, but I caught on real quick. “Let’s see, if I put these parts in a collet and do it one at a time, I can sit there at $6.50 an hour, Where did you go from there? which was the shop rate at that time, and make $20 an hour.” I GH: They did job placements at college, and after I got my started working on the NC and thought, “Shit, parts that would degree they found me a job. It was going to pay something like take me maybe 20 minutes to make, I could make in a minute.” $720 a month. I was making $300 or $400 a week as a machin- It didn’t take very long to do the math there. I sold my Porsche ist, so I just went back to working at a machine shop. and bought a TBI chucker in 1978 for around $50,000. I started I actually had a job for six months as a programmer at Seaton making parts and was competing against all these manual-type Wilson, and I was programming the old fashion way—this is machines. The shop rate at that time was probably $20 an hour. even before computer systems came along. It was at one of I got a TBI chucker, and suddenly that $20 an hour shop rate those fundamental turning points in the whole industry. When turned into $60, $70 an hour. I started learning how to make parts in the machine shop, I ran a Hardinge Chucker and a Logan lathe, which were manual So all of sudden you were coining money. machines, and I was making parts one at a time. You put stock GH: It was very lucrative. I will be honest with you; in 1980 or so I in the collet, and you feed the thing; you turn that diameter and was probably lucky if my whole business, Pro Turn, did $100,000 then go to another dimension and put a groove in—that’s how a year, which doesn’t sound like a lot to run a whole business

XXII BEST OF TODAY’S MACHINING WORLD • 2001 - 2011 on sales. That wasabigthing too;mostsalesorganizations onlyfocused a hamburgerthere.We madedealershaveservicetechnicians. way tosellstuff.IfMcDonalds’were filthydirtynobodywouldbuy house. IthinkbasicBusiness101 tellsyouthatisjustnotthe and anotherwheretheguyisworking outofthebackaware- we weregettingweren’trealistictowhatpeoplewanted. month downtolike200,wecutprices.We realizedthattheprices that timetheFMS’sstartedtobecomeverypopular. pallet changers.Buttheywerereallyexpensiveones,andaround really startedcomingout.TherewereFMS’sbeforethatwiththe if wehadanorder, wehadtobeableshipsomethingin30days. didn’t payalotofattentiontothedetails.Theadvantageforuswas very fastpaced.We were always growing,movingforward,really are; they’realwaystryingtoundermineyou. tion. TheJapanesecopiedus,andyouknowhowthe looked back.We hadalot ofcompeti- just startedmakingthemandInever was programmable.Itdifferent.We liked thewayitlooked.Itwassmall. and gotaprettygoodresponse.People made. We wenttoWestec around1983 smaller, abetterone,andthat’swhatI to makesomethingthatwasalittle ers, andtheywereadisaster. Iwanted ing theoldEricksonpneumaticindex- parts onamillIhadbought.wasus- needed wasanindexertoindexsome coming along.OneofthethingsthatI whole newwaveofNCmachineswas GH: And then? machine shopwasprettygood. regular job,making$50,000ayearat have beenmaking$20,000ayearat on, butforakidwhoprobablywould GH: Tell metheconceptbehindHaasFactory Outlet. GH: Did youtakeabiggulpafterthebubbleburstin2001? GH: Plant? When didyoufeelhadoutgrowntheChatsworth GH: I heardVF1standsforVery FirstOne. You can walkintoonedealerwhohasaveryniceshowroom When ourbusinessdroppedfromselling300machinesa Back around1992,thefirstFlexibleMachiningSystems That’s exactlywhatitstandsfor, theVery FirstOne.Itwas Well, Iwasmakingpartsandthis BEST OF TODAY’S MACHINING WORLD •2001 -2011

your friendsisabout thebestyoucanget. it isgoingtochangetoomuchin thenextfiveyears. what we’vebeendoinginthemachine toolbusiness.Idon’tthink machines toolsare;youjustripthe stuffoff.For 150yearsthatis against asoftmaterialandrippingitapart,thatiswhat you fiveyearsfromnow, peoplewillstillbeputtingahardtool a TVwithtube.Butyouwanttoknowsomething?Iguarantee Remember TVs withtubes?Five yearsfromnow, nobodywillbuy a SonyWalkman toputyourlittlecassettein.Well, thatisgone. member theWalkman 10or15yearsago?Everybody hadtohave business isdoingwell.WhenyoulookbackatthingslikeSony;re - thing interesting. ears. Theydon’twanttodoho-humwork;theysome- of the‘60swhereyouhaveAcme-Gridleysthatjustdeafenyour hand intheair. Nobodywantstoworkintheoldmachineshops a machineshop?”Idon’tthinkyouwouldhaveanybodyputhis high schooltodayandsay, “Howmanypeoplewanttoworkin like 25percentofthepopulationinvolvedinmanufacturing. GH: If youcouldbeanymachine whatwouldyoube? GH: to behappyaboutyourprogress? happen foryoupersonallyandprofessionally back overthepastthreeyears.Whatwouldhaveto Let’s sayitisOctober21,2008,andyouarelooking GH: Today youwillfinditislessthan15percent. You can’tgotoa I’d beabeerdispenser. Sitting aroundhavingabeerwith Nothing, actually. I’mhappynow. Ithinkthemachining Oh Idon’tthinkso.Backinthe1970s,therewassomething you canfixamachinetool. If youcanfixawashingmachine, to comeoutandfixthemforyou. them yourself.You needsomeone are socomplextodayyoucan’tfix service attitude.Themachines tors havejustmissedthatwhole stuff. Ithinkalotofourcompeti- to machinetoolsisservicingthe GH: technicians. sales peoplebecomeyour your salespeopleand So yourtechniciansbecome debunks thatmyth. done overthelast20years Everything thatyouhave American manufacturing. about the“demise”of So muchhasbeensaid I thinkoneofthesecrets XXIII

best of interviews By Noah Graff best of Printed in the February 2006 issue next of Today’s Machining World

Ten years from now, will robots replace half of today’s American workforce, leading to massive unemployment?

My answer: No way. It is estimated that about 250,000 industrial Today we see more and more robots entering the American economy. robots (manipulators) are deployed in the U.S. industry manufactur- Automatic checkout lines are eliminating cashiers. ATMs eliminate ing and service, and even if this number doubles in 10 years, it will tellers. The Web eliminates travel agents. Airport kiosks eliminate still be a relatively small percentage of the domestic workforce. If ticket agents. These simple robots are the tip of the iceberg. We can we add to the consideration “bots,” intelligent software agents that say for certain that robots will replace the remaining sixteen million automate many knowledge tasks, then we realize that what really manufacturing jobs, a majority of the fifteen million jobs in retail, happens is a shift in what our workforce is being asked to do. That most of the six million construction workers, most of the three mil- means retraining the current workforce and educating our future lion people working in fast food, most of the three million teachers, workers to do different tasks. The same happened when computers most of the one million truck drivers, and so on. Will it happen in 10 entered industry, and people said, “Wow, no more need for paper.” years? That may be a tad aggressive, but we will be seeing impact. It turns out with all the virtual information, we need more printers Will it happen in twenty? Absolutely. Here is the important question: and more paper for printouts, not less. In other words, don’t blame What new jobs will pop up to replace the fifty million jobs that are a good new technology for economics cycles; enjoy all the new op- lost? America has been creating service-sector jobs, but these jobs portunities it offers. are ripe for robotic replacement. You have to hypothesize a whole Shimon Y. Nof, Director-PRISM Center, (Production, Robotics, and new category of employment that will absorb tens of millions of dis- Integration Software for Manufacturing and Management), placed workers AND that robots cannot handle. I don’t see that new Professor, School of Industrial Engineering at Purdue University job category arising, so I think massive unemployment is inevitable. Marshall Brain, Author of Manna and The question is fatally flawed and shows a lack of understanding Robotic Nation essays, www.howstuffworks.com about the real threats to manufacturing employment in the United States today. The top threat is: Will manufacturing companies in the U.S. remain competitive with their global counterparts? If robots and the facts: The word “robotics” was coined in 1941, in a science fiction context other automated technologies can help companies boost productiv- by Isaac Asimov. Later he proposed the “Three Laws of Robotics” in ity, improve product quality, and get new products to market faster, best of next best 1968, in his book i Robot. not only will U.S. jobs be saved, but new manufacturing jobs will be created. If, on the other hand, U.S. companies can no longer com- “Azimov’s 3 laws of Robotics” pete, the majority of manufacturing jobs will be sent offshore, and Law One: A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inac- we will have massive unemployment in U.S. manufacturing. tion, allow a human being to come to harm, unless this would violate Jeff Burnstein, Vice President, Marketing & PR a higher order law. Robotic Industries Association, www.roboticsonline.com Law Two: A robot must obey orders given it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with a higher order law.

Etymology: Law Three: A robot must protect its own existence as long as such (1890-1938), from Czech protection does not conflict with a higher order law. robotnik “slave,” from robo- ta “forced labor, drudgery.” Typically, hydraulic or pneumatic pistons move robot legs back and forth. The pistons attach to different leg segments Online Etymology Dictionary just like muscles www.etymonline.com attach to different bones. www.howstuffworks.com

An industrial robot the size of a person can easily carry a load over one hundred pounds and move it very quickly with a repeatability of +/-0.006 inches. Furthermore these robots can do that 24 hours a day for years on end with no failures whatsoever. www.learnaboutrobots.com

XXIV BEST OF TODAY’S MACHINING WORLD • 2001 - 2011 Born OnABlue Day socially challenged. socially to function independently in the world. Even uniquely skilled “savants” with special are gifts severely thread is an inability to relate to others and express feelings. Severely autistic people have limited ability Aspergers Syndrome, characterized by above average intelligence but limited social skills. The common communicative and may even violent be to themselves and others. At its bestare those diagnosed with Across the world, people are suffering from an autism epidemic. At its worst, victims are non- he hadnoresponse,butthenrarely respondsanyway. somehow relatingdatestocolors. IaskedSamhowhedidit,and is onetraitSamshareswithTammet. Tammet doesthisby responded “Wednesday,” thecorrectanswer. This calendarization what dayoftheweekJanuary31,1979was,andhequickly Wednesday.” SoIrecently askedmygrandson,Sam,ifheknew me connectwithotherpeopleinadulthood.” me apartfrommypeersasachildandadolescent,actuallyhelped strangest thing:theverysameabilitiesthatset points outneartheendofbook,“Itwas for Tammet, buthiscaseisveryunusual.Ashe shapes andcolors. were hisfriends,andtheycameinvarioussizes, totally unabletodoso.Asasubstitutenumbers as achildandwantedtobeaccepted,butwas to play. Herecognizedthathewasdifferent was almostneveraskedtosomeone’shouse and thelastonepickedinschoolyard, them. Atschoolhewasthefirstonetaunted and manysiblingsbuthadnorelationshipwith abilities. Hegrewupwithwarm,caringparents savant autisticpersonwithveryuniquemental a beautifulstoryofveryhighfunctioning to thesnub,butitpainedmydaughtergreatly. classmates cametohispartyearlierthisyear. Samwasoblivious and todate,onlybirthdaypartythisyear, eventhoughall17ofhis holds forthem.Mygrandsonwasrecentlyinvitedtohisfirst, and herhusbandstruggledaytowonderwhatthefuture opens, “I was born on January 31, 1979—a Born anaBlueDayopens,“IwasbornonJanuary31,1979—a Because ofhisuniquemind,therewashope Born anaBlueDay, byDanielTammet, is I haveanautisticnine-year-oldgrandson,Sam.Mydaughter book review best of best BEST OF TODAY’S MACHINING WORLD •2001 -2011 of Today’s MachiningWorld intheAugust2007issuePrinted By JerryLevine loved. Hisstorygivesthisgrandfather hope. become afeelinghumanbeingwith theabilitytoloveandbe the greatestoftheseislove.” things, andenduresallthings.Sofaith,hopeloveabide…but “Love ispatient,lovekind…Lovebelievesallthings,hopes The bookcloseswiththebeautifulpassagefrom1Corinthians: learned toappreciatehisloveforfamilyandtheirhim. in aforeigncountry. Inspiteofbeingaloner, hedidmakeafew impossible foranautisticperson;helivedayearonhisown he volunteeredtoteachEnglishinLithuaniaanddidthenear difficult transitionintoindependentliving.Afterhighschool Tammet provedthatitispossibleforanautisticchildto Tammet eventuallyfellinlove,convertedtoChristianity, and Tammet, whoisBritish,writes ofhiscomingageand of Pi and made a public recitation for a of Piandmadeapublicrecitationfor notoriety bymemorizingthefirst22,500digits his giftforlanguagesandnumbers.Hegained friends andlearnedtospeakfluentLithuanian. for the movie Rain Man, and he made an for themovieRainMan,andhemadean his life.HemetKimPeek,theinspiration channel todoaone-hourdocumentaryon charitable fundraiser. complex language,Icelandic.Amazingly, their cameras.Theychosetheextraordinarily language fromscratchinoneweekfrontof producers challengedTammet tolearnanew appearance onDavidLetterman.TheTV interviews onIcelandicTV. comfortable enoughtoappearonseveral Tammet becamefluentinIcelandicandwas After returningtotheU.K.,Tammet realized This led to an offer from a major U.K. TV This ledtoanofferfromamajorU.K.TV

XXV

best of book review best of By Lloyd Graff Printed in the October 2005 issue features of Today’s Machining World Rock Valley Revisited

Greetings From Rock Valley, Iowa Greetings From Rock Valley, Iowa Mainstreet of American Machining Mainstreet of American Machining

The heavy smell of manure envelops the town of Rock Valley, turn more barstock per capita in Rock Valley than in any other Iowa, a hamlet of 3000 people, more than half of them directly town in the country. involved in precision machining. In early September, Rex Magagnotti, Noah Graff and I flew best of features best Rock Valley thrives while other farming towns in the corn to Omaha on Southwest Airlines, and shlepped three hours in and soybean belt of the upper Midwest wither. As crop prices a rented Hyundai to Rock Valley to find out why they buy so stay low, small farms fall uncompetitive, and growing towns many machines there. like Sioux Falls, South Dakota, pull the young people into the We met Jim VanderVelde at the Dollar Store in a new strip big financial firms and health facilities, while Minneapolis mall on the outskirts of town. Jim is the head of Economic lures others with the Vikings, Twins, 3M and Medtronic. Development for Rock Valley. He has a doctorate, knows every- Rock Valley, Iowa is a little enclave of mostly people of body, and can arrange an interview on a dime. We came to learn Dutch ancestry, where many of the folks have last names that he is one of the people who make Rock Valley so successful. starting with Van. There are thirteen churches in the town, the Jim gave us the background story on the founder of the private Christian schools have more students than the public businesses of Rock Valley, Charles Kooima. Kooima started a schools, and cars are left unlocked with keys in the ignition. job shop in Grand Rapids, then moved back to his hometown John Kerry didn’t even visit while campaigning in the Iowa pri- of Rock Valley in the late 1940s. His machine shop grew in fits mary, because essentially, there are no Democrats in the town. and starts, and he ultimately sold out to the Van Zantens, John The mayor teaches Government in the public high school, and Cornie, who worked with him. The Van Zantens built there is one police car in town, no Wal-Mart, McDonalds or Kooima into a sizable machining firm before selling out in 1983 Starbucks, and most folks eat dinner with their children at 5:30 to Hayes-Albion Corporation, a Tier One automotive supplier. in the afternoon. The Kooimas and Van Zantens have a connection in one Rock Valley is unlike other successful Iowa towns nearby: way or another with the many successor businesses in the Le Mars, which is dominated by the Wells Dairy, which makes town. The grandson of Charles Kooima runs a big laser cut- ice cream for Häagen Daz and sells its own Blue Bunny brand; ting operation. John Van Zanten took an interest in a small and Ida Grove, which is dominated by one family who makes local bank, The Peoples Bank, and helped propel its growth Gomaco concrete paving equipment for the world. Rock Valley from $20 million to $175 million. Through the bank and Jim is a town of small companies in metalworking. They probably VanderVelde’s government connections, Van Zanten and

XXVI BEST OF TODAY’S MACHINING WORLD • 2001 - 2011 Kooima. Zanten helpedthemgetgoingtoo,whentheoriginatorsleft is 60feetfromMidwest Pro,now employs 100people.Van until theybuilttheirnewfacility. Valley Machining, which the premises,runningNew Britains, Acmes andWickmans Rock andQualityhadthebuilding, Valley Machine occupied Machine Products,anothersmallscrew machinehouse.Before Bank helpedthemgetstarted,andfinancedtheexpansion. as wellscrewmachinejobs.John Van Zanten andPeoples in a60,000squarefootplant,anddothetown’s heat-treating with somecheapNew BritainsandBSAAcmes. Theyarenow began. Rock startedinanoldbuildingdowntownRock Valley Industries, afirmstarted12yearsago,muchthesamewaytheirs lands ChristianHigh SchoolofRock Valley foreleven years. student ofPaul’s. Paul taughtIndustrialArts attheNether and theyarenowhiringanewemployee.Thehireisformer busy 16hoursaday. Theirwivesallworkinthebusinesstoo, in morework.Theynowhave20accounts,whichkeepthem Paul Van Ginkel hittheroadtobuildrelationshipsandbring Daewoo CNClathes. the countythroughVanderVelde, andboughtthreebrandnew guaranteed bytheSBA,pulledinadevelopmentgrantfrom equity, borrowedmoneyfromThePeoples Bank,80percent it rightnow. Thetriorentedthebuilding,putup15percent and amachiningcenter, butdidn’t havetheinclinationtouse on theirownterms.Alocalcementcontractorownedashop felt thwartedatTCSandwantedtotrythejobshopbusiness pinga areskilledprogrammersandCNClatheoperators.They company withover$20millioninsales. old Kooima shop,nowknownasTotal Component Solutions, a start upinRock Valley. Itisdirectlyacrossthestreetfrom Midwest ProEngineeringisthelatestmachiningcompanyto Building aHistory incarnations. ing expertswholearnedthebusinessatKooima anditslater associates haveprovidedseedmoneyformanyofthemachin- market isthetoughest partofdoingbusinessin Rock Valley. same jobs.What theydocompeteforareemployees. Thejob the sametruck,buttheysaythat theyseldomcompeteforthe and gaugesfromoneanother. Theirsteeloften comes inon a lotofdifferent owners.People areconstantlyborrowingtools gether. ItisalmostRock Valley Incorporated, exceptforhaving Rock Valley isatownofindependentDutchmen whoworkto- In theMarket The buildingthatRock startedinis nowthehomeofQuality The guysatMidwest Prohavetheirheat-treatingdoneatRock They wenttolocalshopslookingforlowvolumejobs,and Owners Evan Van Ginkel, Paul Van Ginkel andDuaneEp- BEST OF TODAY’S MACHINING WORLD •2001 -2011 -

wore onhispsyche. the Rock Valley lifeforanIndianmotelownerfromNew Jersey town, issellingitandleavingforKansasCity. Iinferredthat Mel Patel, owner oftheSuper 8Motel, theonlylodgingin space andpreferstobeoutsidethelensofmicroscope. He livesoutoftowninSouth Dakotabecauseheneedshis Angeles withhisdivorcedfather, andthenreturnedtothe area. up inRock Valley, left fortheMarine Corps, spenttimeinLos owner/managers atemployee-ownedValley Machine, grew four of Tonyone Rau,it. take can’t some and microscope,” catalyst forsometoleave.Thelocalscallit“beingunderthe lies arethenorminRock Valley. and siblingsclusteredaroundthefamilyhomestead.Big fami- families gettogether. Itiscommontoseetencarswithfriends familiarity, andchurch-centeredlife.OnSundays, extended munity, commitmenttofamily, afeelingofuttersafetyand in thetown. does notseemtobethecareerofchoiceforbrightestkids coolant isthelifebloodofRock Valley’s economy, cuttingmetal excitement oftheMilitary orthelureofanewlifestyle.Though can continuetogrow, becausethelocalkidsoften longforthe ing Mexican workersmaybetheonlywaythatRock Valley a communitywithinthecommunity. Itappearsthatattract- downtown Rock Valley. TheHispanic newcomersarebuilding parents. Thefirst Mexican grocerystoreispreparingtoopenin on theschoolfootballteamandactasinterpretersfortheir Dutch kids,isnow9percentHispanic. TheHispanic kidsare school system,whichusedtohaveonlywhite,primarilyethnic local meatpackingplants,switchtometalworking.Thepublic Hispanic workers,whowereattractedtotheareaworkin that overcomestheimpediments,or, inRock Valley’s case, something usuallyhappenstofillthevoid. Wages risetoalevel In theAmericaneconomy, whenthereisalaborshortage, Community Ties change, butnever changes. don’t gothereforthefood.Let’s hopeRock Valley continuesto Capital ofthe World.” Rock Valley cutsmetalbeautifully, but the cornfieldstoLe Mars, whichbillsitselfasthe“Ice Cream When weleft Rock Valley, wedecidedtotakeadetourthrough Rock Solid they couldfindthem. He figureslocalfirmscouldhire40machinistsorweldersif chining life.Jim VanderVelde isorganizing anotherJob Fair. for help,hopingtocoaxasalesmanorfarmertrythema- There isvirtuallynounemployment.Everybody isadvertising The tightnessofthetownisitsstrengthbutalso What doesholdpeopleinRock Valley isthesenseofcom- I’ll bebacktosee. XXVII

best of features best of By Lloyd Graff Printed in the June/July 2004 issue features of Today’s Machining World Tony’s Magnificent American Dream The man who redefined the flashlight sits down with Lloyd Graff for an illuminating chat about his life and business

TM: I was born in 1930. The depression was in 1929 over here. work for A.O. Smith. They had a lot of overtime, so that was a My father had a difficult time; there were no jobs, and they lost good company to work for. They gave me an opportunity to learn everything they had. They had a little savings, but they couldn’t everything I didn’t know, because basically I was a mill and lathe best of features best get it out of the bank. Everybody lost everything. My mother was operator. This guy said, “Look, you are going to run this turret forced to go back to the island on the Croatian coast. lathe, this Warner & Swasey.” But I had never run it. He said, “Why don’t you try it?” I did a good job, and I became the highest LG: What island? paid guy there. TM: Zlarin, right next to Sibenik in the Adriatic Sea between Italy But then I said, “For what I make, I am never going to really and Greece. It was a little island, with a population of about 2,500 save anything.” One of the foremen over there had a little Crafts- people; now it is like 250. I was raised there during World War II. man Lathe by Sears in the garage, and he was doing little jobs, We were coming back to the United States in 1936 or 1937; my fittings. I said, “If he can do it, certainly I can do it.” And so I father got a job, and things had gotten better over here. We were went, bought a little lathe, a Logan lathe, belt driven. I think it ready to leave and everybody said, “Don’t go now. The sea is not was $1,200. I bought it from a used dealer. I went home, and safe to travel. With the war there is unrest, and the Germans sank my wife said, “You’re crazy you are not going to do that.” I said, some ships.” I don’t know how much of that was true, but that “Look, I have to do something.” I bought this lathe and set it up was the rumor. So we said, “We’ll stay another year.” In 1939, in our garage. the war had started, and we couldn’t go, so I was trapped there The first job I took I made some Inconel fittings. I bid like I lived on the island during World War II. Hunger, people don’t $0.30 a piece. You don’t put on Inconel threads with a Logan know what hunger is. That is why today you don’t see me dressed lathe. But I didn’t care; I just wanted to make a little extra money. up in a suit. I have never been in a suit. I’m only in a suit if I go to Washington, or if I am going to somebody’s wedding. LG: Tony, when did you decide that you wanted to have a product? LG: You came back to the United States in 1950? TM: I think the dream of everybody in the screw machine busi- TM: I came back in 1950 after the war. I got a job at the Pacific ness, or in any business, is to have your own product. I was doing Valve Company down in Long Beach. I worked there a very short business on all different kinds of component parts. I did business time. I knew I had to make more money. From there I went to for Kellite Manufacturing. They made a flashlight.

XXVIII BEST OF TODAY’S MACHINING WORLD • 2001 - 2011 my reps.Hesaid, “Tony, you know, people he becameourdistributor. father tooktheliterature,andthey left.Later kid insistedhewantedtheflashlight.So he isstillourdistributorinNewYork. The was; Ishouldreallyknowbecausethink those.” Idon’tknowwhatthedad’sname the momsaid,“Come on,wehaveoneof told hismomtolookattheflashlight.And the hellisthat?”Thiskidwalkedinthereand people cameandlookedsaid,“What was doing what nobody else’s spot flood did, because Idemonstratedthatmyflashlight ber akidwalkedovertomydisplay, and sporting goodshowsinChicago.Iremem- it wasawinnerimmediately. Iwenttoashow. Icouldn’tbelieveit. my ownproducttothemarketplace.Isentliteratureout,and marketing. SoIquitdoingworkforhim,andin1979introduced “I gotaproductthatreallywillsell.”ButIknewnothingabout do anything.Allyoucanmake,thisguywillhave.” Bianchi’s arenotgoodenough.”Hesaid,“Well, youdon’thaveto have beendesigningdamnflashlightsmyselfforquiteawhileand you doit?”Isaid,“Idon’tknow. Actually, totellyouthetruth,I going forBianchi.Whydon’tyoutakethisjobcompletelyand you know, youareinthescrewmachinebusiness.Igotthisjob some springsfor, hewasdoingslidebusinessandsaid,“Tony, Somebody toldmeaboutoneofthesespringguysthatImade light similartoKellite’sflashlight,sameway, withaslideswitch, Then therewasBianchi,aleathercompany. Theymadeaflash- their bills,andIstruggledtogetthemoney. all onalathe.Isaid,“Iwilldoyourparts....ButKellitedidn’tpay you.” Theywereformingpartsbecausetheycouldn’tdothe It isnotlegalanymore.Itoldthem,“Letmemakethepartsfor fence tubing,andhestuffedaflashlightinsidetherewithrags. would fallapart.Hecutapieceoftubingoutfencingmaterial, flashlight. Thecopsusedit,butwithdailyhandlingtheflashlight of Don’sfriendslivedinSanDiego,andhemadethisplastic and hisfather-in-lawhadsomekindofwoodworkingshop.One TM: LG: Tell meaboutKellite. TM: come about? LG: Howdidtoday’ssmaller Maglite TM: LG: Whatshowwasthis? They workedtogetherandthentheybrokeup.Isaidtomyself, Six monthswentby, andIstoppeddoingbusinesswiththem. Actually, Ishouldgivecredit tooneof Itwasoneofthehardwareshowsor Mybestrecollectionis,theyhadthislittleshop.DonKeller BEST OF TODAY’S MACHINING WORLD •2001 -2011 not. IfeellikewillcommitacrimeifgotoChina. somebody. Butthesearetheguysthatmadeithappen,soIcan- their 60s.Whowantsa60-yearoldman?Heisonlyliabilityto people puttheirlifeintoithere.Imean,someoftheseguysarein captain, maybeIwassteeringtheship,butthereisalotofsweat, them, becauseIdidn’tdoallofthisbymyself.Maybewasthe I don’tneedmoneyformyself,buthavetobethinkingabout almost 1,000employeeshere.Wherearetheseguysgoingtogo? they canmakeitforafractionofwhatIhere.have and notmanufacturehere,becausethey’llgotoChina,where machines orbuildingsanything.Theyjustwanttobuyaname virtually whatevernumbersIwanted.Theydon’tevenwantmy the nameissowellknown.Icouldhavesoldthiscompanyfor TM: LG: Iwasjustcurious. TM: LG: Howmanylightsdoyousellinayear? of amillion,evenbeforewelefttheshow. ably sellabout15,000ayear. AndthefirstsaleIhadwasaquarter went toahardwareshowinChicago.We thoughtwewouldprob- build abuilding,andIhadrhythmproblemwithmyheart….We that stuff.”In1980or1981,Iwasinthehospital.goingto cannot putthatinapurse.Therearelotofwomenwhowillbuy Itisalotofthem,believeme.Andyouknowwhatitis, Icannottellyouthat. XXIX

best of features best of By Noah Graff Printed in the January 2006 issue features of Today’s Machining World best of features best

Noah Graff reports on business and pleasure in the Czech Republic

Line of Fire it is probably not what you expect. I had always pictured this On October 5, 2004, I drove 12 hours with my friend Michi Eastern European nation, part of the former Czechoslovakia, Tajariol from his home in Milan, Italy, to the town of Zlin in as I had seen it in one of my favorite ‘80s movies, Stripes. The the Czech Republic. The primary purpose of my trip was to movie’s images of ugly white buildings guarded by intimidat- visit ZPS, a huge manufacturer of machine tools, where my ing Russian soldiers had been ingrained in my mind since I 28-year-old friend Michi is the director. I am a filmmaker, first saw the film when I was 7 years old. I knew the trip would and am presently making a documentary/promotional film be an adventure. on Wickman multi-spindle machines for Graff-Pinkert & Co. The following is a personal account of my experiences Because Wickmans are manufactured at ZPS, it was essential during the two weeks on the trip. Everything I write is true; that I travel to the Czech Republic to document the machine’s however, some specific details of my experiences have been production process. Fortunately, I live in Florence, Italy, so it omitted because well, they might be a bit too adult for the was a relatively easy journey through Austria to reach the allur- editor-in-chief of Screw Machine World. ing Czech Republic. I don’t know what images come to mind to the majority of Getting Started Screw Machine World readers when they think of the Czech My story begins in the quaint industrial town of Zlin, where Republic, but if you have not been there in the last decade, I took a tour of ZPS and cruised the hot nightspots with

XXX BEST OF TODAY’S MACHINING WORLD • 2001 - 2011 persists today, 15yearsafter thefallofCommunism. than withwhattheyproduced.Thispreoccupationstatus were often moreconcernedwiththeirstatusandappearance people madethesameamountofmoney. Asaresult,people were notrewardedforthequalityoftheirwork,becausemost munism. He explainedtomethatunderCommunism people employees whosemindshavebeeninculcatedwithCom- obstacle comparedtohavingdealwiththementalityofolder But Michi toldmethathislanguagehandicapisaminor is aheadachebecauseverbs,aswellnouns,areconjugated. are thewordshardtorememberandpronounce;grammar “de kuji” and“you’re welcome,”whichis“prosim.”Not only is which you,” “thank pronounce to how learning trouble ately learnedhowdifficult speakingCzechis.Ihadenough ing Englishtointerpreterswhotranslateforhim.Iimmedi- language. Often hecommunicateswithhisemployeesspeak- after threeyearsinZlinhestillhasdifficulty withtheCzech is only28yearsold,youngerthanmostofhisemployees,and in 70to80hoursaweek,additionconstanttravel.But he global machine-toolbusiness.He workshisbuttoff, putting owns. Michi isanastuteguywhoknowsagreatdealaboutthe in runningZPS,acompanythathisfatherAndreaTajariol, sessing thesequalities. attractive. AsIwastofindoutlater, theywerenotaloneinpos- friendly, spokeEnglishand/orItalianwellandwerequite assist meinthefilming.Iwaspleasedthatallwereextremely different femaleemployeestoshowmearoundthefacilityand men, Michi’s charmingpersonalassistantHanna foundthree among others.AlthoughmostoftheemployeesatZPSare for Wickman, Mori-Say/Euroturn, Okuma(undercontract), Michi. ZPSisafactoryofimmensesize,producingmachines mind whenIthink ofPragueisthearchitecture. Ifyouwalk in Stripes?Interestingly, oneofthefirstthingsthat comesto call itinCzesky, anddidthe buildingsturnouttobelikethose further detailsthanthat. ing. We stillfoundtimetopartytogether. Iregretcannot give while theyweresleeping,andat nightwhiletheywerework- 7:00 p.m.until5:00a.m.,soIwasonmyownduringtheday ent club.Theyweregracioushosts,buttheybothworkedfrom strip clubthere.Her roommateTeressa isastripperatdiffer friend ofmine,hadanapartmentinPragueandbartendsata find somelocalstostaywith. Jana, anex-girlfriendofItalian bus ridetoPrague.WhileinPrague,Iwasluckyenough Three daysafter IarrivedinZlin,tookafour-and-a-half hour Road Trip I quicklybecameawareofthegreatchallengesMichi faces So what issointerestingaboutPrague,or“Praha” asthey BEST OF TODAY’S MACHINING WORLD •2001 -2011 - the onlyonethere whohadnotabeer. Maybe. Ithinkwas person inthisbar analyzingthisstuff?” for morethan40years?”Then Iaskedmyself,“Am Itheonly and economicideologywhichwas forcedupontheirparents tion viewtheircountry’s history?Arethey affected bythesocial nist suppression.Iaskedmyself, “How doesthisnewgenera- club werenotoldenoughtoremember alifeunderCommu- world, andifsomeofthemweregood.Alotthekidsat dered whatvaluesfromCommunism hadseepedintothisnew the uniquenessofthiscountryIwasenjoyingsomuch.won - cocktails orwine.AsIstoodonthedancefloor, Ireflected on wearing jeansandt-shirts.Most people drankbeer, notfancy Land.” Therewerealotofbeautifulwomenthere,mostjust to goout.Oneeveningwewentalocaldiscocalled“Music Italian friendsfromMilan werejust arrivingandwereready Zlin. WhenIgotbacktoMichi’s apartment,someofhisold After fiveexhilaratingnightsinPrague,Itookthebusbackto Back toZlin Brits. told methatPraguestripclubsareacommondestinationfor There weremanyBritishpeopletheretoo.Jana andTeressa old guyfromBelgiumanda19-year-old studentfromFinland. were stillveryattractive.Whileintheclub,Isatwitha37-year- charge anddrinksfor10ock(about$4.00),butthewomen one ofmyhosts’ clubs.Theplace wasabargainwithnocover somehow wanderedintoastripclub.Unfortunately, itwasnot performance ofVivaldi worksforaroundeightdollars,and I stillwentout.salsadancedataCubanbar, sawaclassical want tothinkabout,oraresimplyignorantof. Czech people,itisasubjecttheydonotcareabout, after beingthereIhavecometotheconclusionthat,formost things thatIwasmostinterestedinlearningabout.However, came toPrague,thecity’s Communist historywasoneofthe the moneyitcouldgettobuilditscapitalisteconomy. WhenI that after Communism fellin1989,thecountryneededall ist commercialization,butanativejustifieditformebysaying fore seeingaKFC,McDonald’s oracasino. atop theclassicalhistoricbuildings.Onecannotwalkfarbe- such asSamsung, Konica andCastrol arefoundeverywhere city suchasChicago.Billboards ofmulti-nationalcorporations building fullofglasswindows,whichwouldbeathomeina next intheboxy, sterile,Communist style,andthenamodern might beinthebrightcolored17thcenturyBaroquestyle, buildings inarowwithentirelydifferent styles.Onebuilding down thelivelystreetsofdowntownyoumayseethree Though myhostsJana andTeressa werebusy, mostnights I wasbothfascinatedandrevoltedbyalltheblatantcapital- XXXI

best of features bestmiscellaneous of

SMW Personals That’s Today’s Machining World Tools and machines looking for attention. • Cuddly Empire shavetool seeks relationship with new owner. I will be your faithful slave with the right oils and cents. • I’m your Jones if you’re my Lamson. I’m a perfect 23. I’m easy. A $10 Starbucks coupon and I’ll chase you forever. • I’m a perfect spool Cam. I lust for my guard. I fit a 2 5/8 RB6. Will you be my mate? • Divorced, white, Jewish collet. I am your Cone. Please be my Levi. • Hot. If your Davenport gears run hot, I’ll keep your temperature just right. I’m the lubricant of your dreams. • I’m a Japanese model. A Citizen of the world. I have an Iemca boss who’s very demanding, but I have 100 hours a month for you. • I’m German. I’m rigid. I’m Schutte. You’re really not good enough for me. Call me if you dare. • I’m a bundle. 4000 pounds of solid-ground steel bars. Just the Howie Damron, AKA the Singing Lubricator, who we interviewed diameter you’ve been looking for. And I’ve been sitting around in the November/December issue, was recently inspired to write for years, just waiting for you. a song dedicated to Today’s Machining World. Here are the lyrics. • I’ve got the manuals. Mr. Wickman’s best work. Every part, every process, every screw, every size. Excellent reproduction. Chorus As many as you need. A vision turned to mission • I’m in the media. I can shake with the best. I’m so fine. Back many years ago You’ll find me in the bag. To present great information • Don’t blow taps for me. My threads are the coolest around. And help all industry to know best of miscellaneous How about a caper with my taper? About the greatest in technologies • Not heavy. Call me robust. Ruggedly built. Four inches all the With facts that are uncurled way around. They don’t get any tougher than me. A magazine full of value • She’s a chaser. She’s so versotool. She does the Cleveland “That’s Today’s Machining World” twist. Let Chubby Check her out. • I’m a real knee-turner. Solid steel. Mount me on your turret. Verse 1 In a world of advertising We’re all hit by many things To decipher what is real And what their values truly means A talent from the pen Of Mr. Graff through words of care Began touching hearts in industry And it started reaching everywhere

Everyone began to notice Their commitment to the cause Spreading knowledge and many listened And now they’re read by one and all Now with Internet and Twitter They blog the news out everywhere Many benefits from their labors For they’re a magazine that cares

Chorus

XXXII BEST OF TODAY’S MACHINING WORLD • 2001 - 2011 The following companies have product focus provided information on Parts Cleaners

ince the 1970s there have been many developments in parts cleaning to improve safety and Senvironmental standards. Early on, kerosene, stoddard solvent, gasoline and diesel fuel were used to clean and degrease parts. Then, chlorinated solvents in vapor degreasers became the industry standard. Now aqueous-based systems that use heat, water and detergent are the most popular choice. The companies below have submitted information on their parts cleaning equipment.

t Amsonic The Amsonic 4000 is a compact single-chamber cleaning unit developed for small to large businesses with a decentralised cleaning. It is usable for cleaning turned parts, precision cleaning prior to PVD or CVD coating, cleaning prior to plating or laser welding and for precision tools. It uses hydrocarbons at high temperature under vacuum. The unit cleans, vapor degreases, dries and distills automatically in a closed circuit. The vacuum technology increases the cleaning effect and guarantees the machine’s safe operation. The cleaning quality is improved with help of ultrasonics and microfiltration.

For more information, please visit Amsonic at www.amsonic.ch.

t Cleaning Technologies Group The LeanJet RB-2 immersion cleaning system processes two baskets of parts per cycle, up to 20 baskets per hour. The RB-2 carriage can be easily modified to accommodate much larger parts. Designed to fit into your work

cell area or a smaller production environment, the Lean-Jet RB-2 immersion parts cleaners cleaning system cleans using our patented washing and rinsing process of agitation, spray impingement, rotation, hydraulic purging through immersion, and heated blow-off drying. Their patented “triple action” batch cleaning process was developed specifically to process a broad range of challenging parts, especially those with internal bores and passages.

For more information, please contact Cleaning Technologies Group at 513-870-0100 or visit www.ransohoff.com.

January/February 2011 35

Today’s Machining World Machining Today’s

t Dürr Ecoclean has a proven cleaning method The Ecoclean 36W SFI washing using a linear flooding based on injection flood water jet deburring function with system. A high-pressure solves additional burr and subsequent spray treatment A vacuum dryer system ensures a 100 flash removal tasks. from all workpiece surfaces. percent removal of moisture dries and cleans the circulating A vapor absorber system back to the process. The result air and leads heat content is operations that are free of exhaust air. information, please contact Dürr Ecoclean at 248-745-8500 or more For visit www.durr-ecoclean.com. product focus product

For more information, please contact Exair Corp. at 800-903-9247 at 800-903-9247 more information, please contact Exair Corp. For or visit www.exair.com. t Exair Exair’s new precision safety air gun is extremely lightweight and comfortable to operate during periods of extended use. The highly focused, forceful blast of airflow provides excellent cleaning ability and is suited to a wide range of industrial applications. This safety air gun has a small diameter nozzle and extension that will fit into tight spaces while packing the punch of strong blowing force. The sleek profile is a perfect fit for small and large hands alike. t or visit www.ebbcoinc.com. For more information, please contact Ebbco Inc. at 586-716-5151 more information, please contact Ebbco Inc. at 586-716-5151 For Ebbco designed for part Ebbco’s bag vessel filtration systems are a carbon washer or rinse applications. By incorporating can reduce steel bag vessel (stainless steel optional) you efficient maintenance costs by running a cleaner more system. These systems are designed for continuous the wash operation. An eductor package is placed inside in suspension tank, which allows the particles to be kept pump pulls and pushed toward pump suction. The filter and the the fluids though a strainer basket for protection fluid is then fluid is pumped through a bag vessel. Clean returned to the washer via the eductor package. Ecoclean 36W SFI Ecoclean 36W 36 parts cleaners We will continue* to supply Bechler automatics, attachments, parts, tooling, manuals, service and training.

Our shelves and drawers are overflowing with new and used parts. We also reverse engineer and reproduce out-of-stock components in cooperationBECHLER with Swiss and local firms.

*According to various Swiss sources Tornos, Switzerland is no longer supporting Bechler and Petermann products as of May 1, 2009.

t Grieve Grieve Corporation introduces number 818, a 1000 degree high-temperature universal oven, currently in use for cleaning and heat-treating fuel nozzles at a customer’s facility. Workspace dimensions inside this unit measure 24” wide x 36” deep x 24” high. 24kW power is installed in Incoloy sheathed tubular heating elements. A 1000 CFM, 3/4 HP recirculating blower provides a front-to-back horizontal “universal” airflow to completely surround the workload.

For more information, please contact Grieve Corporation at 847-546-8225.

t Omegasonics Omegasonics ultrasonic cleaning tanks reduce cleaning time and costs by eliminating the need for hand cleaning and soak- ing in costly solvents. Using OmegaClean, a safe water-based solution or OmegaZyme, an oil-eating enzyme, these ultrasonic machines create microscopic vacuum bubbles that remove residue from surfaces that are not reachable by brushes, picks or rags. A built-in filtration system removes oils and coolants from the solution to avoid recontamination.

For more information, please contact Omegasonics at 805-583-0875 or visit www.omegasonics.com.

January/February 2011 Today’s Machining World Machining Today’s Photo courtesy of Curbell Plastics, Inc. Clockwise from top left: Radel R is resistant to hot water and steam and can withstand repeated cycles in a steam autoclave. Acetal is a high strength, low friction engineering plastic that has excellent wear properties in both wet and dry environments. Polyurethanes are extremely tough, resilient and abrasion resistant. 38 machining plastics “

how it works By Barbara Donohue Machining Plastics Plastics can behave in mysterious ways, but a lot of shops machine them successfully.

Machining plastic is another technology often regarded reaches its destination where the temperature is 100 degrees. as a black art by those who don’t do it. Imagine trying to Though it would make sense to specify the temperature machine a part to print in a material that changes size and at which a plastic part is inspected on the drawing, Keith shape as you work it (and sometimes afterward), chips or Hechtel, director of business development, Curbell Plas- melts as you cut it, and cracks when you squirt it with your tics, Inc., Orchard Park, N.Y., said he has never seen such a usual degreaser. No wonder many shops accustomed to temperature spec. cutting metal don’t want to deal with the wide range of mechanical properties and the sometimes strange behavior Moisture absorption of plastics. Some plastics absorb moisture from the air, which causes O’Brien Consolidated Industries, Inc. started out machin- them to grow larger. Nylons are known for this. “If you ma- ing metal, said Jeff Parisi, a manufacturing engineer at the chine a part in New Orleans and put it on the shelf in a non- Lewiston, Maine, shop, but when one of their biggest cus- climate-controlled area, it will be out of spec after a while,” tomers asked if they could make some insulators from Tef- Hechtel said. If you’re working with a moisture-absorbing lon, they gave it a try. After that they quoted jobs in plastic. material, keep it in an air conditioned room, or seal it in a “Now we do 13 different kinds,” Parisi said. At trade shows, plastic bag that allows little moisture transfer. people see the plastic parts on display in the company’s booth and they stop to ask what plastics they have worked Below: PAI is a very dimensionally stable plastic with an extremely on, Parisi said. “A lot of it is our being willing to try out the low coefficient of thermal expansion, making it an excellent choice different plastics.” for applications that require machining to tight tolerances. You have to deal with each plastic on its own terms. Photo courtesy of Curbell Plastics, Inc. “Some like to be climb milled, some conventionally,” he said. “Some, like the acrylics and polycarbonates, are very brittle and crack easily. Some cut just like metal.” Here is a brief tour of some things you need to consider when working with plastics.

Thermal Expansion Just about any material “grows” as it gets warmer. When you’re machining metals, this is not usually an issue. How- ever, some plastic materials expand at five times the rate machining plastics machining of metals, or more. Over the same temperature rise, a part made of UHMW (ultra high molecular weight polyethylene) will expand 10 times as much as a similar part made from aluminum. So if you machine UHMW in your cool shop in Minnesota and send it to your customer in sunny Phoenix, it’s likely to get rejected. A foot-long UHMW part machined and inspected at 65 degrees will measure about 0.046” longer when it

January/February 2011 39

Today’s Machining World Machining Today’s how it works it how “Keep trying to speed it up until something happens you “Keep trying to speed it up until something can use roughing end mills—the geometry of the “You With plastics you do have a lot of flexibility with feeds and Phenolics and glass-filled plastics produce a lot of dust With workpieces that have a flat surface, you can use a With workpieces that have a flat surface, you don’t have the cutting forces you have “Remember, Photo courtesy of American Plastic Fab. Photo courtesy of American Plastic Feeds and speeds Feeds speeds in plastic mach- can’t talk generally about feeds and You plastics with dis- ining because there are so many different with the combinations. have to play parate characteristics. You machining is like don’t like. Then back it off just a notch. All thing. If you’re not this,” Morris said. “It’s a problem solving out what to do to getting what you want, you have to figure fix it.” Chip handling Morris materials have horrendous chip problems,” “Certain said. “Nylon is bad—long stringy chips. UHMW is worse.” cutter breaks up the chip,” Morris said. speeds. “With different feed and speed, you can generate any kind of chip you want. Make a big chip that throws right off the tool. If you’re drilling at 1000 rpm and five inches per minute, try slowing down to 500 rpm and increase the feed rate to 10 inches per minute,” said Morris. “That will give you a chip that fills the flute, and when [the drill] pecks, the chip flies across the shop.” need to provide dust collection or that can be irritating. You cut with coolant to keep the dust down. Soft jaws machined to hold a plastic Left: Soft jaws machined to it. workpiece without damaging Workholding the in workholding, as “obviously, have to be careful You and more delicate than metal,” said material is much softer Brookneal, Va. American Plastic Fab, Mike Morris, president, down on it too hard. But you can It deforms if you clamp from a plastic material such as Raku- easily make soft jaws mill the shape modeling and tooling board, he said. You Tool nest the part right of the workpiece into the jaws, so you can Then, because the soft-jaw material is machin- into the jaw. needed. able, you can mill down into the jaws if you can pull the va- vacuum chuck. The advantage of this is cuum and profile the whole part—all four sides and the top. method doesn’t with steel,” Morris said, so the workholding with how you have to clamp as hard and you can get creative secure the workpiece. “The material may resist chemicals at room temperature,” “The material may resist chemicals at room Acrylic or polycarbonate plastics, widely used as transpar- In one case, a bullet-resistant polycarbonate window had Be very careful what chemicals you use with plastics. gradual heating and cooling) relaxes and Annealing (gradual heating and cooling) relaxes and said Hechtel, “but raise the temperature a little and you can said Hechtel, “but raise the temperature get cracking and crazing.” ent windows and covers, tend to have poor chemical resis- tance. Hechtel told of a “beautiful acrylic greeting card rack to ship when It was ready made for our biggest customer.” someone wiped it down with acetone to clean it, causing the acrylic to craze. long cracks growing up from the bottom. It turned out that the person who had cleaned the window every night used Windex, and the cleaner pooled at the bottom in the u- channel that supported the window. “Some using clean compressed air as your coolant. Consider water-based coolants are pretty benign,” Hechtel said, but best to consult your plastic and coolant suppliers to determine whether the materials are compatible. Reaction to chemicals Residual stress stock tend to The processes used to form your plastic Extrusion leaves produce residual stresses in the material. process—the stress in plastic, and so does the cooling a lot of residual outside cools faster than the inside, leaving you machine the stress in the surface, Hechtel said. When workpiece deform plastic, the residual stress can make the as you remove material. purchase annealed, can often removes residual stress. You in your own anneal- stress-relieved plastic stock. If you invest then anneal them ing oven, you could rough out blanks and before finish machining. 40 machining plastics January/February 2011 from itsmanufacturing processwillmakethe partmove. material,” Morrissaid.Stresses thatremaininthematerial tolerance.” out oftolerancebecauseweknow itwillrelaxandgointo iables, Morrissaid.“Sometimes we’llhavetomachineit wasn’t contaminatedwithsuchideas.” way youwouldinmetal.“Igrewupaplasticsshop,soI said, isbecauseyoucan’tdothingsthe“normalway,” the One ofthereasonsmetalshopsdon’tlikeplastics,Morris Plastic isnotmetal Inc., Placerville,Cal. pany, Inc.,CliftonN.J.,andPlexiPointdrillbitsfromFTM, as No-MeltsawbladesfromForrest ManufacturingCom- required. for plasticmachiningapplicationswhereapolishedfinishis same. Hiscompanyoffersalineofendmillsandreamers Distributor, Suwanee,Ga.Otherwise,thetoolsaremuch Miranda, president,AmericanWoodworking Equipment actually therakeorangletoolissharpened,”saidVictor get thatnicesmoothsurface.” “but youdohavetobuythestandardgood-qualityinserts get awaywithlesserqualityfortoolssuchasdrills,hesaid, filled materials,whichareabrasive.”Inmostcases,hecan “Generally toolsdon’tfail,”saidMorris,“exceptonglass- Tools Photo courtesyofCurbellPlastics,Inc. outdoor signs,architecturalglazing,andfaceshields. Polycarbonate isoftenusedformachineguards,indoorand strength andstiffnessoutstandingimpactresistance. Right: Polycarbonateisatransparentthermoplasticwithgood Photo courtesyofCurbellPlastics,Inc. using thermoplasticweldingequipment. Left: RigidPVCisastrong,stiff,lowcostplasticthateasytoweld “Say I’mdoingaUHMWbushing, hoggingoutallthis Plastics canbesochallenging—therearemanyvar- Look fortoolsspeciallydesignedcuttingplastic,such “The differencebetweenplastic,metalandwoodtoolsis possible tocutaluminumandplasticonthesamemachine. the machinebetweenjobs,hesaid,butthat’swhatmakesit Parisi said.Somedon’tlikechangingoverandcleaningout may beslightlydifferent. material willbefairlyconsistent,hesaid,butthenextbatch “Make oneandsetitaside”toseewhatdoes.Onelotof can takealotofthemysteryoutit. ence andtheadviceofplasticsuppliersotherexperts so manyvariablesyouhavetodealwith.However, experi- part],” hesaid. times does.“For justafewpenniesmorewecanmake[the You canrecommendadifferentmaterial,asParisisome- because it’sinexpensive.Butitmaynotbesomachinable. the material].” functional part.You havetodesignaroundthequalities[of Morris said.“Insteadofholeswemadeslots;itwasstilla of course,wasn’tgoingtowork.“You can’tchangephysics,” thousandths tolerancefromthefirstholetolast,which, long UHMWpartoneofhiscustomerswantedtoholdeight them it’snotpossibleinplastic,”Morrissaid.Ona10-foot- plastic thatwerereallydesignedformetal.You havetotell “A very commonsituationisengineerswhowantthingsin Help yourcustomers For moreinformation: Guide to Plastics Machining: Plastics to Guide www.obrienconsolidated.com Inc.: Industries, Consolidated O’Brien www.curbellplastics.com Inc.: Plastics, Curbell www.americanwoodworkingequipment.com Distributor: Equipment Woodworking American Fab: Plastic www.americanplasticfab.com American “We’re amachineshopwillingto dodifferentmaterials,” In someways,machiningplasticisablackart—thereare Sometimes customerswillwanttouseaparticularplastic www.boedeker.com/fabtip.htm 41

machining plastics swarfblog.com

If you’re only reading “Swarf” in the magazine you’re missing out! Every week, thousands of people log on to our Web site to read and comment on new articles on current thought-provoking topics. Below are some recent comments from our “Swarfblog” readers at www.todaysmachiningworld.com.

Is Facebook For Adults? Jerry Johnson December 22, 2010 at 12:51 p.m. After Goldman Sachs valued Facebook at $50 billion Lloyd Graff Gosh, this story sounds eerily familiar. reflected on the success of the social networking giant, which puzzles There was this guy who owned a machine tool distributor- him. He asked readers to share their experiences using Facebook. ship and owed a lot of money to the bank and employed a substantial number of people. His business’s cash flow was R. W. Hron January 6, 2011 at 10:06 a.m. destroyed when the evil Obama minions created “the Crisis” Facebook gives those afflicted with narcissism a real big high. to get Obama elected, and the economy crashed late in 2008, right after the best IMTS ever!!! William Mackay (Retired) January 6, 2011 at 10:23 a.m. Now, while he is not suicidal, he is waiting for his friends This morning I read on Facebook that my granddaughter-in- and customers that he so eagerly assisted in so many ways law was admitted to the hospital in Virginia for surgery to over the years to put some Christmas Love in his stocking. repair a tear in her trachea. This was posted by my daughter in Vermont—she has six brothers and sisters. I got the message Let’s Make A Deal in my son’s coffee shop in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Why do I use Lloyd Graff wrote a blog comparing his role in the used machinery Facebook? It is a way for me to keep connected with my large business to that of a pawn broker. Once upon a time he almost family all over the country. I find it even faster than e-mail in traded an Acme for a yellow Mercedes convertible. He asked readers most cases. if they would have chosen the Mercedes. swarfblog.com Do you like the ending to It’s a Wonderful Life? Matt January 11, 2011 at 1:06 p.m. Right before Christmas, Noah Graff blogged about how the end- I’d take the ACME, unless the convertible came with a tall ing of It’s a Wonderful Life seems strange because everyone do- green-eyed blond. nates money to George, while the moral of the film is that money means nothing compared to the value of the people in one’s life. Buelldog January 11, 2011 at 12:24 p.m. Give a man a Mercedes, and he’ll have a single Mercedes. Jerry Bayless December 22, 2010 at 11:06 a.m. Give a man an ACME, and he’ll sell so many parts and make It’s hard to suggest changes to a masterpiece, but maybe it so much money that he can buy as many Mercedes as he would have been better if Potter had been exposed. The friends wants. I’d take the ACME. However, if the Mercedes was silver, coming to George’s aid would still be good, but instead of I might have a more difficult decision. the telegram from Sam Wainwright at the end, maybe an an- nouncement from the bank examiner that Potter had been ex- Bill Hopcraft posed by his trusted assistant. By not focusing on the donated January 11, 2011 at 4:42 p.m. money but instead the generosity of the common people, the I’ve got a ’91 Porsche Turbo, and a few years ago I almost sold message would stay the same and also suggest that good it in order to buy my first CNC mill. Sanity then prevailed and I trumps evil in the end. found another way to finance the machine.

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In or Out? The black line forms one continuous loop. Can you determine which dots are inside the loop and which are outside? There’s an easier way than simply following the loop around. think tank Who took and conquered the tough Sodoku challenge? Chris Morgan of U&M Precision Products in Dexter, Mass.; Jared Miller of Quality Concepts in Goshen, Ind.; Tim Handley of E.H. Lynn Industries in Romeoville, Ill.; Kathy Niemann of Quality Machining & Fabricating in Springfield, Minn.;David P. Smith of Electroswitch Puzzle found in the Nov/Dec issue. Electronic Products in Raleigh, N.C.; John Paul Koehn of Edward Koehn Co., Inc. in Berkeley, Cal.; Robert W. Richmond in Mequon, Wis.; Dan Cibulskis of Aurora Air Products, Inc. 4 6 9 1 7 2 5 8 3 in Aurora, Ill.; Le Baron O. Ferguson of COMPUTECH in Riverside Cal.; John Schmitz of Orscheln Products; Christine Brown of Apogee Machining Services, Inc. in Salem, Mass.; 7 8 3 6 7 5 1 2 4 Casey Wittekind of The Tooling Support Group in North Canton, Ohio; Mary Fasano of 1 5 2 8 4 3 6 7 9 Fasano Corporation, Inc. in Cranston, R.I.; Tanner Mayhew of VEKTEK, Inc. in St. Joseph, Mo.; Nicholas Fanning of Manheim Township High School in Lititz, Pa.; Greg Drew of R.W. 2 3 4 5 1 9 7 6 8 Screw Products in Massillon, Ohio; Patricia Rueb of Northrock Industries Inc. in Medford, 6 7 5 2 3 8 4 9 1 N.Y.; Al Grella of National Distribution, Inc. in Farmingdale, N.Y.; Donald W. Mast of Federal Broach & Machine Co.; Adam C. Doughty of Worthington Armstrong Venture; 8 9 1 4 6 7 2 3 5 Roselea A. Smith of Smith Consulting in Burlington, Iowa; Jim May of dgs Marketing 5 4 8 9 2 6 3 1 7 Engineers in Chicago, Ill.; Sheldon Wheaton of Garmin International in Olathe, Kan.; Tamara Hawn of Sunnen Products Co. in St. Louis Mo.; David R. Weitz Sr. of Davlan 9 2 7 3 5 1 8 4 6 Engineering, Inc.; Casey Wittekind of The Tooling Support Group in North Canton, Ohio; David Lorenz of Cross Match Technologies, Inc. in Palm Beach Gardens, Flor. 3 1 6 7 8 4 9 5 2

44 Today’s Machining World

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http://stores.ebay.com/graff-pinkert-screw-machines current inventory Serviceman available with machine purchase. All machines can be equipped with threading, pickoff or thread chasing. As you want it.

WICKMAN HYDROMATS & ROTARY TRANSFER ESCOMATICS 5/8" 6-spindle, thdg., pickoff, 1981 HW 25-12 chucker 1998 D9 (2), 1995 1" 6-spindle, 1966-82 (6), rebuilt HW 25-12, 1994, 2001, 1989 D6SR (2) 1” 8-spindle, 1980 HB45-16, 1997, bar and chuck (2) D-2, D-4, 1975 1-3/8" 6-spindle, 1978 (4) Pro-20, 1998 1-3/4" 6-spindle, 1965, 1984 (4) HB 45-12, 1991 MISCELLANEOUS 1-3/4” 6-spindle 1984 HB 45-12 chucker, 1996 5 1/4” RAC Nat. Acme spindle bearings 2-1/4" 6-spindle, 1962, 1973-79 (3) HB 4516, 1988 3-1/2 RB6 thdg. attachment IMG recess 1-5/8" RB6 ACME SCHUTTE & GILDEMEISTER Hydromat recess unit and flange 36-100 7/16” RA6, 1975 & 1964 SF51, 1985-79 (3) Siemens varispeed motor off Wickman 3/4” RA8, 1974 Wickman thread chasing 5/8" – 3 1/4" 1-1/4” RA6 1978-61 (9) - some SWISS Every Wickman spare part w/threading pickoff Tornos Deco 20 mm, 2000 Hartford 190 threader 1-1/4” RA6, thrdg. pick-off 1987 Tsugami BS20B, 2002 Sweco 48” rotary finish 1-5/8” RB8 CNC slide Citizen L-20, 2004 Agathon 175 grinders (3) 1-5/8” RBN8 CNC slide, 1997 Ganesh Cyclone 32, 2007 Barrett 1100E centrifuge, 1989hjh 1-1/4" RB8, 1981, thdg., pickoff (2) Tsugami BS26B, 1998 Intersource chip system 1-5/8" RBN8, 1968 1-5/8" RB8 thdg., pickup ‘68-72 (5) NEW BRITAIN 2" RB6, 1967 & 1980 Model 627, 2 5/8” 1980 2” RB8, 1966 (2) Model 630, 3” 1980 3-1/2” RB6, 1970 812, 1 1/4” 8 sp., 1981 2 5/8” RB8, 1960 CNC slide 2 5/8” RB6, 1980 CNC Lathes 1 1/4” RB8, locked spindle, ‘68 (2) Mori-Seiki ZL153, 2002 Murata, MW120, 2004

WICKMAN AND INDEX—ASK FOR OUR IN-HOUSE PARTS EXPERT afterthought

The Next Decade

his magazine has lived 10 beautiful years and we rebuilding of skills in the workforce, but I detect a change Tcelebrate with this special anniversary issue. I think in attitudes about work. Community colleges and an array a decade in publication years is a turtle’s age. In machine of private colleges like Apollo’s University of Phoenix are terms it’s a 50-year-old National Acme’s age or a 30-year-old changing American education. Kids want to work, become Cincinnati centerless. And like those old warrior machines, independent, buy homes and cars, and have children. it’s about time to change bearings. Give them work and training and they will grow. The I’ll use the word bearings not in the tinkerer’s lingo but Boomers were good, but their replacements are going to in the more metaphorical sense. It’s time to reorient and be excellent if we help them progress. And eventually they look away from a decade of manufacturing despair in North will buy the homes that are now finally being priced to the America to one of confidence and optimism. market. The last 10 years have been a siege interrupted by We have lived through a brutal decade. Thousands of kids’ occasional respites from war. The structural changes lives have been wasted or devastated in Iraq and Afghanistan. started in the 1990s but were masked by the tech boom. But that’s ending soon, I believe. This new decade is going to The bursting of the Internet bubble in 2000, the shock be a good one in America, and it could be a great one for the of September 11th, which killed the myth of American men and women who can make things well. invulnerability, the folly of initiating two Middle Eastern I did a piece for TMW last year about the Bothe family in wars while we failed to Kenosha, Wisconsin. They address the enormous drain had a languishing 50-year- of buying imported oil, and old family business—a allowing unfettered derivative The Boomers were good, but their machine shop with dead speculation on Wall Street set replacements are going to be excellent customers. They had an afterthought us up for the bust of 2008. “ idea to make beautiful, What a dirty decade. if we help them progress. tactilely luscious knitting But it’s over now. needles out of machined The country has changed ” aluminum in their own enormously. Andrew Cuomo, the new Governor of New plant on a CNC Swiss lathe. The business took off and now York, is talking like he’s been invited to a Tea Party. So is they are doubling sales every few months. Jerry Brown in California. These SODs (Sons of Democrats) Their story is similar to Tony Maglica’s flashlight business, are realistic enough to see that New York and California will Mag Instrument, which began 40 years ago. At 80, Tony become the next Detroit or Gary if they don’t shape up fast. is still making millions of perfect lights in his Ontario, The world is different now. California, factory. The U.S. is not Japan—it can change relatively fast. I see The joy of doing TMW is writing about the creative, it happening, and I am really optimistic. If GM can change industrious and inspirational people who get to make good itself in two years, what else is possible? If a black man can stuff on sweet machines and who keep getting better at it. become the U.S. President, what else is possible? If Apple Hopefully, we’ll keep getting better at writing about surpasses Microsoft in market cap, what else is possible? If them. I’m really looking forward to a new decade of Today’s Facebook touches 500 million people, what else is possible? Machining World, and to writing it for you. If stent procedures are almost commonplace, what else is possible? What I think is quite possible is a resurgence of manufacturing in North America. It will require a Lloyd Graff

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