Optimized for use on smart cameras and other systems using TI's TMS320C6400 DSPs, InstantVision Integrated Software Environment v2.2 utilizes C++ programming language running on TI's Code Composer Studio. Multitarget Tracking Library tracks multiple objects moving at high speeds with pinpoint accuracy, even in cluttered environments. Other libraries include complex classification methods as well as optimized processing of images and video stream.
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Budapest, Hungary and Berkeley, CA - February 2, 2006 - AnaLogic Computers and Eutecus, Inc. are pleased to announce the release of the InstantVision Integrated Software Environment (ISE) 2.2 for the development of a wide range of machine vision applications. InstantVision ISE makes available all of AnaLogic/Eutecus' award-winning software tools in a comprehensive and easy-to-use package. New features in version 2.2 include improved performance, enhanced interfaces, and better support for rapid application development using Microsoft's .NET platform.
Dr. Csaba Rekeczky, CTO of Eutecus says, "InstantVision enables commercial users to rapidly and cost-effectively develop machine vision, security/surveillance, and other vision applications using the powerful Cellular Visual Technology (CVT) that Eutecus and AnaLogic developed to closely mimic human vision InstantVision ISE's image processing libraries include speed-enhanced versions of the standard vision tools offered by other vision software providers, as well as groundbreaking advanced tools unavailable elsewhere.
Most unique is the Multitarget Tracking Library (MTT Lib), developed in part with funding from several U.S. government agencies. The MTT Lib tracks multiple objects moving at very high speeds with pinpoint accuracy, even in cluttered environments containing a great deal of other visual activity.
The other libraries include complex classification methods (FC Lib) as well as optimized processing of images and video streams (SI Lib and SIF Lib). They run seamlessly with each other and with the MTT Lib to significantly reduce the cost of developing machine vision applications.
Dr. Gusztav Bartfai, CEO of AnaLogic Computers, states, "AnaLogic's multitarget tracking capabilities in concert with the advanced features of the other libraries enable us to enter markets that have not yet embraced advanced vision technology. We have identified applications for our software in science and medicine, the entertainment industry, and traffic management, to name a few examples.
"With the release of InstantVision, AnaLogic and Eutecus have reaffirmed their commitment to solving the most difficult image processing problems, while at the same time raising the bar for speed and accuracy for the industry as a whole."
Optimized for use on Eutecus/AnaLogic's Bi-i family of smart cameras and other systems using Texas Instruments' leading TMS320C6400 series of DSPs, InstantVision takes advantage of the versatile C++ programming language running on Texas Instruments Code Composer Studio. For quick profiling and less complicated tasks, AnaLogic provides an easy-to-learn proprietary programming tool. The InstantVision libraries can also be ported to a wide variety of other platforms and vision systems.
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Injection Molding Tool enables zero defect production
Como Injection can optimize, monitor, and document up to 8 channels of cavity pressure or 4 channels of cavity pressure and 4 channels of machine signals. Available with optional touch screen for curve visualization, compact device is machine-mounted and compatible with coaxial and single-wire Kistler sensors. It can also be used to separate non-conforming parts to questionable parts bin. Collected data can be stored to server and accessed remotely via Internet.
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Amherst, NY (May 15, 2006) - Kistler Instrument will introduce at NPE 2006 a new system for zero defect production in the injection molding industry. This device will optimize, monitor, and document up to 8 channels of cavity pressure, or 4 channels of cavity pressure and 4 channels of machine signals (typically voltage signals). This new product is available with in a compact device that is machine mounted and with an optional touch screen for curve visualization.
The new Kistler unit is compatible with coaxial and single wire Kistler sensors. New cabling concept is offered with the Como Injection that offers one cable that combines up to 8 cavity pressure signals. The new cable offering allows for quicker set up time and protects users from confusing plug connections during machine and mold setups. Como Injection can be also used to separate non-conforming parts to be separated to questionable parts bin. Parts are continuously monitored and diverted if parts are not produced to optimum standards.
The data collected from the Como Injection system can be stored for use in production analysis and quality assurance, via an Ethernet connection to a server. Data can be accessed remotely from any location via the Internet.
Kistler is a global supplier of precision instrumentation for the Plastics market as well as the Research and Development, Industrial, Aerospace, Engine, and Bio-Mechanical marketplace.
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Amherst, NY (May 15, 2006) - Kistler Instrument will introduce at NPE 2006 a new system for zero defect production in the injection molding industry. This device will optimize, monitor, and document up to 8 channels of cavity pressure, or 4 channels of cavity pressure and 4 channels of machine signals (typically voltage signals). This new product is available with in a compact device that is machine mounted and with an optional touch screen for curve visualization.
The new Kistler unit is compatible with coaxial and single wire Kistler sensors. New cabling concept is offered with the Como Injection that offers one cable that combines up to 8 cavity pressure signals. The new cable offering allows for quicker set up time and protects users from confusing plug connections during machine and mold setups. Como Injection can be also used to separate non-conforming parts to be separated to questionable parts bin. Parts are continuously monitored and diverted if parts are not produced to optimum standards.
The data collected from the Como Injection system can be stored for use in production analysis and quality assurance, via an Ethernet connection to a server. Data can be accessed remotely from any location via the Internet.
Kistler is a global supplier of precision instrumentation for the Plastics market as well as the Research and Development, Industrial, Aerospace, Engine, and Bio-Mechanical marketplace.
Friday, December 08, 2006
Protecting machine tool spindle bearings
The most critical components of a machine tool spindle are its bearings. Bearings support the shaft and provide accurate. smooth rotation. Foreign particles and fluids damage bearings, and ultimately shorten spindle life.
Seals placed between the shaft and stationary parts protect the spindle bearings. There are many seal designs, but none are perfect for every application. The main challenge is interfacing with a shaft that can spin, while still providing a good seal. Other factors, such as size constraints, temperature, humidity, environmental air pressure fluctuations, chemical exposure, and particle geometry, influence seal selection.
Historically, machine tool spindles employ rubbing-type lip seals for slower applications, and labyrinth-type gap seals for high-speed applications. In instances where environments are extreme, air purge is added to the labyrinth seals to continuously purge contaminants from the sealing area. In the mid1990s, safety concerns prompted machine tool builders to more completely shroud the working area of machine tools. This change, in conjunction with dramatically increased coolant flow rates and pressures, creates a situation where traditional seals are inadequate. Bearing contamination occurs within a relatively short time.
In 1996, Setco constructed a test apparatus that would enable the replication of in-service seal failures. A further objective was to build a foundation on which seal performance could be assessed. Among the features were:
Seals placed between the shaft and stationary parts protect the spindle bearings. There are many seal designs, but none are perfect for every application. The main challenge is interfacing with a shaft that can spin, while still providing a good seal. Other factors, such as size constraints, temperature, humidity, environmental air pressure fluctuations, chemical exposure, and particle geometry, influence seal selection.
Historically, machine tool spindles employ rubbing-type lip seals for slower applications, and labyrinth-type gap seals for high-speed applications. In instances where environments are extreme, air purge is added to the labyrinth seals to continuously purge contaminants from the sealing area. In the mid1990s, safety concerns prompted machine tool builders to more completely shroud the working area of machine tools. This change, in conjunction with dramatically increased coolant flow rates and pressures, creates a situation where traditional seals are inadequate. Bearing contamination occurs within a relatively short time.
In 1996, Setco constructed a test apparatus that would enable the replication of in-service seal failures. A further objective was to build a foundation on which seal performance could be assessed. Among the features were:
MINIMIZING TOOL BREAKAGE COST
It's possible to minimize unexpected tool failure by adhering to best practices, error proofing, and other automation strategies
When a tool breaks during a machining operation, the part being processed is often destroyed, and sometimes the machine is damaged. Aerospace parts are often complex shapes, manufactured from exotic materials that require prolonged machining cycle times. Therefore, a scrapped part is a significant loss in raw materials and value-added machining.
Because single-piece lot sizes are not uncommon in the aerospace industry, the loss of a single part is a real hit to production yield. An aircraft part failure can have catastrophic results, consequently compliance controls and risk mitigation makes reworking damaged parts more complicated than in other industries. The loss of a part or a machine due to tool breakage can have a significant impact on profitability and customer satisfaction.
Many of the specialized machine tools used in the industry perform mission-critical machining. Due to the cost and the long lead times for these machines, they are most likely bottleneck assets, and a crash can have a significant impact on production capacityThere are many reasons for tool breakage during machining, and there is not one solution that can ensure 100% detection or protection. Purpose-built tool-breakage recovery cycles can also save parts and lost production. Given the cost of the machines, material, and value-added work-in-progress that are characteristic of the aerospace tdindustry, several levels of preventive and detection strategies are justified to protect the company's investment.
The value of the parts and types of materials machined in the aerospace industry demands that the highest quality tooling be used for most applications. But even the best tools will fail if the processing parameters in the part program are wrong for the particular tooling or application, or if the operator makes a mistake during setup or adjustment.
Aerospace parts are machined from forgings, castings, bars, and sheet stock, and from materials with generally poor machinability. Variations in material composition, surface conditions, and depths and widths of cut make it very difficult to specify optimum cutting parameters throughout the part program, and for every part produced.
Engine parts are manufactured from heat-resistant superalloys (HRSA), such as Inconel, Hastelloy, and Waspaloy. Titanium is also used for many aircraft parts. The machinability of these alloys is generally poor because of the very nature of the material structure that is required for the application. Cast or forged components typically have a rough, uneven surface.
High cutting forces and high temperatures are generated when these tough materials are processed. Carbide in the structures of HRSA materials is abrasive, and a tendency for work-surface hardening can cause tool notching. Other tool failure modes such as cratering, thermal cracking, chipping, edge buildup, and deformation can occur, as well as a machine crash, if the feeds, speeds, and depths of cut are not specified correctly for the application.
So the very nature of aerospace part machining is likely to cause uneven tool wear and high stresses, which are prescriptions for premature tool failure. These problems can be avoided, however, by optimizing process parameters.
Even if the process parameters are perfect, tool-setup tasks and tool-wear offset adjustments are error-prone. Measurement, calculation, and data entry mistakes are common causes for tool breakage and machine damage.
Given the high machinery and work-in-process values typical in aerospace manufacturing, it makes sense to implement several levels of safeguards to protect these investments. Some potential solutions are well documented, such as sonic or vibration monitoring, and the use of inspection and tool-setting probes to error-proof the tool setup and adjustment processes. Data collection and Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) techniques can provide valuable insight into the root causes of tooling failures and related machine crashes. This analysis can help select the most effective strategies for a particular business operation.
When a tool breaks during a machining operation, the part being processed is often destroyed, and sometimes the machine is damaged. Aerospace parts are often complex shapes, manufactured from exotic materials that require prolonged machining cycle times. Therefore, a scrapped part is a significant loss in raw materials and value-added machining.
Because single-piece lot sizes are not uncommon in the aerospace industry, the loss of a single part is a real hit to production yield. An aircraft part failure can have catastrophic results, consequently compliance controls and risk mitigation makes reworking damaged parts more complicated than in other industries. The loss of a part or a machine due to tool breakage can have a significant impact on profitability and customer satisfaction.
Many of the specialized machine tools used in the industry perform mission-critical machining. Due to the cost and the long lead times for these machines, they are most likely bottleneck assets, and a crash can have a significant impact on production capacityThere are many reasons for tool breakage during machining, and there is not one solution that can ensure 100% detection or protection. Purpose-built tool-breakage recovery cycles can also save parts and lost production. Given the cost of the machines, material, and value-added work-in-progress that are characteristic of the aerospace tdindustry, several levels of preventive and detection strategies are justified to protect the company's investment.
The value of the parts and types of materials machined in the aerospace industry demands that the highest quality tooling be used for most applications. But even the best tools will fail if the processing parameters in the part program are wrong for the particular tooling or application, or if the operator makes a mistake during setup or adjustment.
Aerospace parts are machined from forgings, castings, bars, and sheet stock, and from materials with generally poor machinability. Variations in material composition, surface conditions, and depths and widths of cut make it very difficult to specify optimum cutting parameters throughout the part program, and for every part produced.
Engine parts are manufactured from heat-resistant superalloys (HRSA), such as Inconel, Hastelloy, and Waspaloy. Titanium is also used for many aircraft parts. The machinability of these alloys is generally poor because of the very nature of the material structure that is required for the application. Cast or forged components typically have a rough, uneven surface.
High cutting forces and high temperatures are generated when these tough materials are processed. Carbide in the structures of HRSA materials is abrasive, and a tendency for work-surface hardening can cause tool notching. Other tool failure modes such as cratering, thermal cracking, chipping, edge buildup, and deformation can occur, as well as a machine crash, if the feeds, speeds, and depths of cut are not specified correctly for the application.
So the very nature of aerospace part machining is likely to cause uneven tool wear and high stresses, which are prescriptions for premature tool failure. These problems can be avoided, however, by optimizing process parameters.
Even if the process parameters are perfect, tool-setup tasks and tool-wear offset adjustments are error-prone. Measurement, calculation, and data entry mistakes are common causes for tool breakage and machine damage.
Given the high machinery and work-in-process values typical in aerospace manufacturing, it makes sense to implement several levels of safeguards to protect these investments. Some potential solutions are well documented, such as sonic or vibration monitoring, and the use of inspection and tool-setting probes to error-proof the tool setup and adjustment processes. Data collection and Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) techniques can provide valuable insight into the root causes of tooling failures and related machine crashes. This analysis can help select the most effective strategies for a particular business operation.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Who's afraid to cut to zero? Most U.S. mold shops still leave extra stock on the cores and cavities of the molds they machine. This practice is unnece
To go from milling machine to mold press to perfect molded part with the first shot is the dream of many mold shops.
"There's no reason a mold shop can't achieve that goal," says Keith Kauzlarich, vice president of Single Source Technologies (SST) in Auburn Hills, Michigan. "The process to machine molds that need no benching or spotting exists today. Most mold shops in the United States simply haven't embraced the technology that this process requires," he says.
A high percentage of mold shops habitually leave at least 0.001 to 0.003 inch of extra material on cavities and cores. This practice ensures the shop that there is sufficient stock to allow for hand grinding, polishing and other adjustments without exceeding the dimensional tolerances on the mold. It also allows for a safety factor to compensate for the margin of error in parts of the customary moldmaking technology, To go from milling machine to mold press to perfect molded part with the first shot is the dream of many mold shops.
"There's no reason a mold shop can't achieve that goal," says Keith Kauzlarich, vice president of Single Source Technologies (SST) in Auburn Hills, Michigan. "The process to machine molds that need no benching or spotting exists today. Most mold shops in the United States simply haven't embraced the technology that this process requires," he says.
A high percentage of mold shops habitually leave at least 0.001 to 0.003 inch of extra material on cavities and cores. This practice ensures the shop that there is sufficient stock to allow for hand grinding, polishing and other adjustments without exceeding the dimensional tolerances on the mold. It also allows for a safety factor to compensate for the margin of error in parts of the customary moldmaking technology,
"There's no reason a mold shop can't achieve that goal," says Keith Kauzlarich, vice president of Single Source Technologies (SST) in Auburn Hills, Michigan. "The process to machine molds that need no benching or spotting exists today. Most mold shops in the United States simply haven't embraced the technology that this process requires," he says.
A high percentage of mold shops habitually leave at least 0.001 to 0.003 inch of extra material on cavities and cores. This practice ensures the shop that there is sufficient stock to allow for hand grinding, polishing and other adjustments without exceeding the dimensional tolerances on the mold. It also allows for a safety factor to compensate for the margin of error in parts of the customary moldmaking technology, To go from milling machine to mold press to perfect molded part with the first shot is the dream of many mold shops.
"There's no reason a mold shop can't achieve that goal," says Keith Kauzlarich, vice president of Single Source Technologies (SST) in Auburn Hills, Michigan. "The process to machine molds that need no benching or spotting exists today. Most mold shops in the United States simply haven't embraced the technology that this process requires," he says.
A high percentage of mold shops habitually leave at least 0.001 to 0.003 inch of extra material on cavities and cores. This practice ensures the shop that there is sufficient stock to allow for hand grinding, polishing and other adjustments without exceeding the dimensional tolerances on the mold. It also allows for a safety factor to compensate for the margin of error in parts of the customary moldmaking technology,
Research Notes
At the Machining Research Centre of the School of Engineering Systems and Design at London South Bank University (London, England, UK), researchers are is running a project designated Machining of Hardened Aerospace Steel (Super CMV) and Nimonic C-263 Alloys with Cubic Boron Nitride (CBN) Tools. The production of aerospace parts with conventional tools such as coated carbides usually involves cutting-hardening-grinding practices. Replacing these tools with CBN leads to improvements in part fatigue strength and productivity, and reduced energy consumption. This project evaluates CBN tools when machining at cutting conditions two to four-times higher than those achieved with coated carbide. Detailed study of the interaction at the tool-chip and tool-workpiece interfaces, as well as tool-failure modes, will help researchers understand mechanisms responsible for wear and failure modes from the work material and cutting-tool standpoints. A speedfeed chart will be established for each tool-workpiece combination. project called A Parallel Kinematics High-Speed Machine Tool has resulted in the development of a high-speed three-axis machine tool based on a novel parallel kinematics XY table (PKXYT). It offers low inertia, dynamically matched axes, trivial kinematics, and high accuracy, according to researchers at the Center for Machine Tool Systems Research (CMTSR) of the Department of Mechanical Industrial Engineering at the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign. They are now developing planning and control strategies to maximize performance objectives while operating within the feasible region of the hardware. The machine's capabilities are being evaluated in applications such as machining graphite electrodes, biomédical implants, and aerospace components.
For more information go to: www.mie.uiuc.edu/content/asp/researc h/research_projects/manufacturing_sy stems_1. asp.
Sandia National Laboratory (Sandia, NM) has quite a number of manufacturing research programs underway. One such project is called Advanced Machine Processes for Micro fabrication. It's a three-year R&D project that seeks to fabricate subminiature parts with non-planar surfaces from materials such as steels, plastics, and ceramics. Focused ion beams and ion accelerators are being used to make micron-sized features and tools in various metals.
For more information, go to mfgshop. sandia.gov/1400_ext__RDPro jects.htm.
At the NSF Engineering Research Center for Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems of the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI), a project conducted under the name Testbed/Machining Systems is underway. Its goal is to demonstrate the technology base of reconfigurable systems that are upgradeable, changeable, and quickly diagnosable. Some objectives include strategically planning for industrial collaboration and technology transfer, and evaluating new machine tools, sensors, controls, design methods for systems and machines, manufacturing network software, and other enabling technologies.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
VMC Design Turned Upside Down - YCI Supermax breaks from convention with new machine tool design - Brief Article
Is there room for improvement in the fundamental design of a vertical machining center? At least one machine tool builder thinks the answer is yes. For its larger-travel VMCs, YCI Supermax (Santa Fe Springs, California) has broken from design convention to place the Y axis on top of the X axis. Improved precision is the reason for the change.
A conventional VMC has X atop Y. This means that support for the work remains near the middle of the machine no matter where the work is located in X. As the work moves toward extreme positions in X, overhang increases. Some machine tool builders address this problem with non-integral supports located on either side of the base. By contrast, placing the X axis on the bottom of the machine results in a one-piece base providing consistent support along the machine's travel.
There are tradeoffs. According to company executive vice president Bryan Chen, the design's one-piece, T-shaped base results in a machine that is more expensive both to manufacture and to ship. However, for large, heavy jobs, the improved precision may justify the added cost. The one-piece design not only counters overhang, it also improves leveling accuracy.
It may also improve floorspace requirements. The footprint for one of these machines is 20 to 30 percent smaller than the footprint for comparable machines with the same travels, YCI says. This design is available for machines featuring X-axis travels of 59 or 82 inches.
A conventional VMC has X atop Y. This means that support for the work remains near the middle of the machine no matter where the work is located in X. As the work moves toward extreme positions in X, overhang increases. Some machine tool builders address this problem with non-integral supports located on either side of the base. By contrast, placing the X axis on the bottom of the machine results in a one-piece base providing consistent support along the machine's travel.
There are tradeoffs. According to company executive vice president Bryan Chen, the design's one-piece, T-shaped base results in a machine that is more expensive both to manufacture and to ship. However, for large, heavy jobs, the improved precision may justify the added cost. The one-piece design not only counters overhang, it also improves leveling accuracy.
It may also improve floorspace requirements. The footprint for one of these machines is 20 to 30 percent smaller than the footprint for comparable machines with the same travels, YCI says. This design is available for machines featuring X-axis travels of 59 or 82 inches.
Release the potential of your machine tool: probing can improve OEE in many different ways throughout the machining cycle
Probing has long been used for setup. With an inspection probe in its spindle, the machining center can touch a workpiece to quickly establish its location. Many manufacturers understand this, and many shops use the probe in this way. However, most of those shops fail to realize the many additional ways that on-machine probing can improve process efficiency. By using the probe strategically, a manufacturer can make 100% good parts--right the first time--in the lowest possible production time. The probe can even make it possible to do away with off line inspection as a regular part of production. Given all that the probe can do, calling it an "automation tool" is not enough. A probe is actually many automation tools in one The most effective machining processes use probing for different purposes throughout the cycle. Manufacturers that use probing only at the start, to locate parts and set tools, miss out on much of what probing can accomplish. Adaptive process control and part verification are where probing can deliver the greatest gains.
Here is how probing improves efficiency and accuracy at many stages throughout the machining cycle:
* Setup. Used to locate the part automatically and establish a work coordinate system, probing cuts setup time, increases spindle availability, lowers fixture costs and eliminates non-productive machining passes. On complex parts, 45 minutes of fixture alignment can be replaced by 45 seconds of probing, which is performed automatically by the CNC.
* Fail-Safe Operation. Through probing macro cycles, a CNC can quickly check for changes to work coordinates, tool dimensions or part dimensions, and input the revised values automatically. This eliminates costly errors resulting from incorrect manual calculations or miskeyed information.
* Part Identification. Probing can determine that the correct part has been loaded before the CNC calls up the program. This procedure protects the machine against wrecks that might result from an accidental mismatch between the program and the loaded part.
* Tool Setting. A tool setting probe is an economical solution for on-machine verification of tool geometry and tool condition. The tool setting probe can automatically set length and diameter and identify broken tools, performing these functions while the tool is in motion.
* In-Process Control. Probing can be used to monitor the size and position of machined features during the cutting process. The information can be used to automatically apply cutter compensation or adjust the work coordinates. Correcting the program in-process in this way can eliminate scrap, reprogramming or rework
Here is how probing improves efficiency and accuracy at many stages throughout the machining cycle:
* Setup. Used to locate the part automatically and establish a work coordinate system, probing cuts setup time, increases spindle availability, lowers fixture costs and eliminates non-productive machining passes. On complex parts, 45 minutes of fixture alignment can be replaced by 45 seconds of probing, which is performed automatically by the CNC.
* Fail-Safe Operation. Through probing macro cycles, a CNC can quickly check for changes to work coordinates, tool dimensions or part dimensions, and input the revised values automatically. This eliminates costly errors resulting from incorrect manual calculations or miskeyed information.
* Part Identification. Probing can determine that the correct part has been loaded before the CNC calls up the program. This procedure protects the machine against wrecks that might result from an accidental mismatch between the program and the loaded part.
* Tool Setting. A tool setting probe is an economical solution for on-machine verification of tool geometry and tool condition. The tool setting probe can automatically set length and diameter and identify broken tools, performing these functions while the tool is in motion.
* In-Process Control. Probing can be used to monitor the size and position of machined features during the cutting process. The information can be used to automatically apply cutter compensation or adjust the work coordinates. Correcting the program in-process in this way can eliminate scrap, reprogramming or rework
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Versatile Tools Speed Turning
Established in 1999 by Josef and Susan Kaltenegger, their two sons Hans and Jeff, and son-in-law Nico Morowat, Kaltech Mfg. (Delta, British Columbia) specializes in whiteiron machining and other tough, quick-turnaround jobs for local pulpand-paper industries and other applications.
One of the shop's most difficult jobs involves threading of large bolts used to secure heavy cables on hydroelectric dams. The operation requires removal of a lot of material to produce the 460 × 14-mm trapezoidal threads.
For turning, the shop was searching for a tool that could handle roughing of the entire workpiece, then finishing the thread root. "We were ordering an insert from Sweden, and it just wasn't convenient or cost-effective," operations manager Hans Kaltenegger recalls. "We didn't think there were any inserts in North America that could do the job."
Then a tooling rep introduced Kaltech to the A4 groove and turn tooling system from Kennametal Inc. (Latrobe, PA). Designed for high productivity on machines with limited tool positions, the system is rigid enough to provide stable cutting even with high machining pressures and relatively long overhangs. Secure clamping and bottom-V seating of the insert enable higher feed rates and depths-of-cuAlthough the A4 system was engineered for turn, face, profile, OD and ID groove, bore, and cutoff applications, Kaltech uses it in 95% of its production of large external square threads. Used for primary roughing, the system cuts finishing time by removing the bulk of the material before finish passes are made with a threading insert. "The tooling enables our machinists to precut the coarse thread on very large bolts," Hans Kaltenegger says.
According to Kaltenegger, Kaltech was able to push the tool to accommodate a thread feed rate of 50 ipm (1.3 m/min) at 88 rpm. Machinists are now threading eight pieces per A4 edge, helping to reduce production time by 70%.
"The bolts are machined from large amounts of material, and we often have a lot of overhang, which usually causes chatter," Kaltene
One of the shop's most difficult jobs involves threading of large bolts used to secure heavy cables on hydroelectric dams. The operation requires removal of a lot of material to produce the 460 × 14-mm trapezoidal threads.
For turning, the shop was searching for a tool that could handle roughing of the entire workpiece, then finishing the thread root. "We were ordering an insert from Sweden, and it just wasn't convenient or cost-effective," operations manager Hans Kaltenegger recalls. "We didn't think there were any inserts in North America that could do the job."
Then a tooling rep introduced Kaltech to the A4 groove and turn tooling system from Kennametal Inc. (Latrobe, PA). Designed for high productivity on machines with limited tool positions, the system is rigid enough to provide stable cutting even with high machining pressures and relatively long overhangs. Secure clamping and bottom-V seating of the insert enable higher feed rates and depths-of-cuAlthough the A4 system was engineered for turn, face, profile, OD and ID groove, bore, and cutoff applications, Kaltech uses it in 95% of its production of large external square threads. Used for primary roughing, the system cuts finishing time by removing the bulk of the material before finish passes are made with a threading insert. "The tooling enables our machinists to precut the coarse thread on very large bolts," Hans Kaltenegger says.
According to Kaltenegger, Kaltech was able to push the tool to accommodate a thread feed rate of 50 ipm (1.3 m/min) at 88 rpm. Machinists are now threading eight pieces per A4 edge, helping to reduce production time by 70%.
"The bolts are machined from large amounts of material, and we often have a lot of overhang, which usually causes chatter," Kaltene
Versatile Tools Speed Turning
Established in 1999 by Josef and Susan Kaltenegger, their two sons Hans and Jeff, and son-in-law Nico Morowat, Kaltech Mfg. (Delta, British Columbia) specializes in whiteiron machining and other tough, quick-turnaround jobs for local pulpand-paper industries and other applications.
One of the shop's most difficult jobs involves threading of large bolts used to secure heavy cables on hydroelectric dams. The operation requires removal of a lot of material to produce the 460 × 14-mm trapezoidal threads.
For turning, the shop was searching for a tool that could handle roughing of the entire workpiece, then finishing the thread root. "We were ordering an insert from Sweden, and it just wasn't convenient or cost-effective," operations manager Hans Kaltenegger recalls. "We didn't think there were any inserts in North America that could do the job."
Then a tooling rep introduced Kaltech to the A4 groove and turn tooling system from Kennametal Inc. (Latrobe, PA). Designed for high productivity on machines with limited tool positions, the system is rigid enough to provide stable cutting even with high machining pressures and relatively long overhangs. Secure clamping and bottom-V seating of the insert enable higher feed rates and depths-of-cuAlthough the A4 system was engineered for turn, face, profile, OD and ID groove, bore, and cutoff applications, Kaltech uses it in 95% of its production of large external square threads. Used for primary roughing, the system cuts finishing time by removing the bulk of the material before finish passes are made with a threading insert. "The tooling enables our machinists to precut the coarse thread on very large bolts," Hans Kaltenegger says.
According to Kaltenegger, Kaltech was able to push the tool to accommodate a thread feed rate of 50 ipm (1.3 m/min) at 88 rpm. Machinists are now threading eight pieces per A4 edge, helping to reduce production time by 70%.
"The bolts are machined from large amounts of material, and we often have a lot of overhang, which usually causes chatter," Kaltene
One of the shop's most difficult jobs involves threading of large bolts used to secure heavy cables on hydroelectric dams. The operation requires removal of a lot of material to produce the 460 × 14-mm trapezoidal threads.
For turning, the shop was searching for a tool that could handle roughing of the entire workpiece, then finishing the thread root. "We were ordering an insert from Sweden, and it just wasn't convenient or cost-effective," operations manager Hans Kaltenegger recalls. "We didn't think there were any inserts in North America that could do the job."
Then a tooling rep introduced Kaltech to the A4 groove and turn tooling system from Kennametal Inc. (Latrobe, PA). Designed for high productivity on machines with limited tool positions, the system is rigid enough to provide stable cutting even with high machining pressures and relatively long overhangs. Secure clamping and bottom-V seating of the insert enable higher feed rates and depths-of-cuAlthough the A4 system was engineered for turn, face, profile, OD and ID groove, bore, and cutoff applications, Kaltech uses it in 95% of its production of large external square threads. Used for primary roughing, the system cuts finishing time by removing the bulk of the material before finish passes are made with a threading insert. "The tooling enables our machinists to precut the coarse thread on very large bolts," Hans Kaltenegger says.
According to Kaltenegger, Kaltech was able to push the tool to accommodate a thread feed rate of 50 ipm (1.3 m/min) at 88 rpm. Machinists are now threading eight pieces per A4 edge, helping to reduce production time by 70%.
"The bolts are machined from large amounts of material, and we often have a lot of overhang, which usually causes chatter," Kaltene
Monday, December 04, 2006
Plugged in: to maintain a warm connection with customers, you need to master the use of cold information technology tools
Everyone knows that it is much easier to keep an existing customer than it is to gain a new one. Thus, an emerging trend among many pro dealers is to focus on developing customer relationship management programs. In this quest to strengthen customer relationships, many people believe the most important step is establishing deeper personal contact. An important key to building long-term business relationships is your company's ability to implement sound database management strategies behind the scenes.
Amazingly, many salespeople and sales managers today still are not utilizing computer programs to better manage basic information about their clients. This resistance reminds me of a legendary cartoon that depicts a salesperson at the back of a tepee waiting to meet the chief of a warring tribe who is in the midst of a battle being fought with bows and arrows. While the salesperson waited for an appointment to sell the chief a machine gun, the chief exclaimed, "I don't have time to see a salesperson. I am in the middle of a war!" Similarly, an organization that manages information about its customers without the use of modern technology is fighting a machine gun war with bows and arrows.
There are numerous database software programs on the market--such as ACT!, Goldmine, and Microsoft Outlook--that provide simple methods to manage vast amounts of complex information. All of these programs extend far beyond the mere management of names, addresses, and phone numbers. For example, they allow a salesperson to track appointments, conversations, correspondence, and more. They provide simple methods to send newsletters, merge mail, and track secondary information about clients. The use of a structured database system results in stronger long-term relationships with customers. Use caution, however, as some programs generate complex management reports, which can pose implementation problems if your information technology (IT) department is eager to help you implement every available software feature. These problems can occur when your database methods are lumped into the general category of IT. A sales manager's simple request to the IT department for a database software solution can spoke out into a number of issues such as order entry, linking customer data with back-end systems, inventory management, information feedback to the sales force, and more. In the end, a simple IT request to log names and phone numbers turns into a multi-department initiative that threatens to cost tens of thousands of dollars! When this potential information overload arises, the key ingredient to a program's success--buy-in from the sales team--often is destroyed.
Many companies that I have worked with enthusiastically embrace the idea of a new software strategy to retain important customer information. However, managers quickly become distressed when they discover the difficulties of overcoming sales resistance. Moreover, they fail to realize that their approach is creating the very resistance they want to avoid.
Salespeople are rugged individualists. Rather than accepting the use of a modern technology as a personal productivity tool, some salespeople view a database software initiative as a way for the boss to keep an eye on them, a concept that smacks of George Orwell's "Big Brother" in the novel 1984. In addition, many salespeople are technically challenged and, thus, are resistant to investing in and learning new computer software.
Great sales managers have learned that in order to successfully lead they must continually focus on the needs of their employees. When it comes time to implement a new database strategy (or any initiative for that matter) they recognize that salespeople should be treated like customers and be sold on the "What's in it for me?" idea. Of course not every salesperson will happily embrace your new ideas. even after you explain the benefits, and at some point, coercive measures may be required to successfully implement a new software strategy. Still, it is easier to gain voluntary acceptance than enforced obedience, and the value of information that an organization can obtain will be much better when salespeople are happily on board with the program. Therefore, sales managers should focus on the following keys to improve database implementation within their organizations:
1. Treat salespeople like customers. It is important to show them the value they receive by implementing a data-management process. Salespeople already know that when they quit or get fired, they can walk away with a lot of valuable information about your organization and its customers and that a database program helps companies keep that information in house. Therefore, be open and honest about the value that successful database management creates in their careers. Remind them that the information they obtain will help them personally in the form of increased compensation and stronger personal business relationships. Salespeople often are critical of customer relationship management campaigns, in part because they are the ones that must gather the information that enables the organization to strengthen business relationships. Until your salespeople see the personal value in retaining important information, your database management program will be challenged. Sell them on the idea that the management of customer and prospect information will help build their careers.
Amazingly, many salespeople and sales managers today still are not utilizing computer programs to better manage basic information about their clients. This resistance reminds me of a legendary cartoon that depicts a salesperson at the back of a tepee waiting to meet the chief of a warring tribe who is in the midst of a battle being fought with bows and arrows. While the salesperson waited for an appointment to sell the chief a machine gun, the chief exclaimed, "I don't have time to see a salesperson. I am in the middle of a war!" Similarly, an organization that manages information about its customers without the use of modern technology is fighting a machine gun war with bows and arrows.
There are numerous database software programs on the market--such as ACT!, Goldmine, and Microsoft Outlook--that provide simple methods to manage vast amounts of complex information. All of these programs extend far beyond the mere management of names, addresses, and phone numbers. For example, they allow a salesperson to track appointments, conversations, correspondence, and more. They provide simple methods to send newsletters, merge mail, and track secondary information about clients. The use of a structured database system results in stronger long-term relationships with customers. Use caution, however, as some programs generate complex management reports, which can pose implementation problems if your information technology (IT) department is eager to help you implement every available software feature. These problems can occur when your database methods are lumped into the general category of IT. A sales manager's simple request to the IT department for a database software solution can spoke out into a number of issues such as order entry, linking customer data with back-end systems, inventory management, information feedback to the sales force, and more. In the end, a simple IT request to log names and phone numbers turns into a multi-department initiative that threatens to cost tens of thousands of dollars! When this potential information overload arises, the key ingredient to a program's success--buy-in from the sales team--often is destroyed.
Many companies that I have worked with enthusiastically embrace the idea of a new software strategy to retain important customer information. However, managers quickly become distressed when they discover the difficulties of overcoming sales resistance. Moreover, they fail to realize that their approach is creating the very resistance they want to avoid.
Salespeople are rugged individualists. Rather than accepting the use of a modern technology as a personal productivity tool, some salespeople view a database software initiative as a way for the boss to keep an eye on them, a concept that smacks of George Orwell's "Big Brother" in the novel 1984. In addition, many salespeople are technically challenged and, thus, are resistant to investing in and learning new computer software.
Great sales managers have learned that in order to successfully lead they must continually focus on the needs of their employees. When it comes time to implement a new database strategy (or any initiative for that matter) they recognize that salespeople should be treated like customers and be sold on the "What's in it for me?" idea. Of course not every salesperson will happily embrace your new ideas. even after you explain the benefits, and at some point, coercive measures may be required to successfully implement a new software strategy. Still, it is easier to gain voluntary acceptance than enforced obedience, and the value of information that an organization can obtain will be much better when salespeople are happily on board with the program. Therefore, sales managers should focus on the following keys to improve database implementation within their organizations:
1. Treat salespeople like customers. It is important to show them the value they receive by implementing a data-management process. Salespeople already know that when they quit or get fired, they can walk away with a lot of valuable information about your organization and its customers and that a database program helps companies keep that information in house. Therefore, be open and honest about the value that successful database management creates in their careers. Remind them that the information they obtain will help them personally in the form of increased compensation and stronger personal business relationships. Salespeople often are critical of customer relationship management campaigns, in part because they are the ones that must gather the information that enables the organization to strengthen business relationships. Until your salespeople see the personal value in retaining important information, your database management program will be challenged. Sell them on the idea that the management of customer and prospect information will help build their careers.
ArchiCAD 9: 3D for architects: building modeler delivers drawings with easy to use modeling tools
ArchiCAD 9 arrived with what at first I thought were minor improvements. But they add up to quite a lot, especially for 3D work, visualization, and working on a laptop with a cramped screen (figure 1). The latter situation may occur often now that ArchiCAD supports terminal server technology that makes it possible to work over the Internet from a remote location.
[FIGURE 1 OMITTED]
This new release also benefits from improvements in DWG compatibility and an improved library search system that enables symbols to be found by name (figure 2). About 2,600 symbols are included in the libraries that ship with the software All of this is particularly important to ArchiCAD's market of architects, builders, planners and facilities managers (there's a special ArchiCAD version for FM). Among major, full-featured (and, need we say, expensive) CAD packages, only ArchiCAD and Nemetschek's Allplan are specifically aimed at the builder market. Bentley and Autodesk add an architectural interface to their products. ArchiCAD can't match Allplan for structural design calculations, although it does feature a built-in truss designer and column designer. ArchiCAD provides a lot more power than the typical architectural design software package, but is still easy, nimble and intuitive to use.
As with v8.1, ArchiCAD runs on Macintosh and Windows 2000/XP machines. Graphisoft's minimum memory requirement for both platforms is 512MB. I found v9 usable on a Windows XP machine, but slow and crash-prone on an OS X Macintosh G4. I suggest that you spring for a gigabyte of memory for either platform. The new version is faster than v8.1, and I suspect it's faster than v7 (I benchmarked the older version on a slower machine, so I'm not absolutely sure). Crash recovery is better now--all the project files seem to survive.
Moving to 3D
I've been an ArchiCAD fan for well over a decade, since the days when it was Macintosh-only. Because I started early on with slower machines, I still tend to draw in 2D plan or elevation, knowing that a 3D object is being created at the same time (figure 4).
[FIGURE 4 OMITTED]
I've started to adapt, editing directly in 3D and then defining objects in greater detail later, as necessary. Younger architects usually draw in 3D from the start. ArchiCAD works well both ways, but this version makes 3D easier to use. This is not a true modeling package ranking with products such as form*Z. With it users can draw creatively, although this means that the model may look fine but won't give accurate results with programs that handle, for example, energy and weight analyses. But ArchiCAD is getting closer to that capability, and in the meantime, separate model-checking packages are available. Until the CAD vendors get this right, the structural and construction folks will continue to redo the model.
Look and Feel
Keeping its commitment to cross-platform compatibility between the Macintosh and Windows forced Graphisoft to make some compromises over the years in regard to look-and-feel. As the interface has evolved and software functionality has increased, the interface has tended toward telescoping palettes, multiple toolboxes, context-sensitive palettes that pop up with the windows they refer to and all the other tricks software designers use to keep as many command icons as possible close at hand while still leaving screen space for the drawing.
This version is the best yet. It clears up some of the icon clutter (mainly with more context-sensitive palettes that show all options for an element, no matter what tool is being used) while keeping everything handy. Suddenly, the screen looks 10-20% larger. There's a setting that provides up to 50% more space, but running that way forced me to open too many toolboxes on my own. A Classic setting puts an extra line of old favorites back on the screen. Of course, users can customize the interface any way they want.
Although I've become quite comfortable with ArchiCAD over the years, the new interface didn't cause much uncertainty. This is an upgrade that will require an absolute minimum of user reorientation and training, with good productivity benefits.
[FIGURE 1 OMITTED]
This new release also benefits from improvements in DWG compatibility and an improved library search system that enables symbols to be found by name (figure 2). About 2,600 symbols are included in the libraries that ship with the software All of this is particularly important to ArchiCAD's market of architects, builders, planners and facilities managers (there's a special ArchiCAD version for FM). Among major, full-featured (and, need we say, expensive) CAD packages, only ArchiCAD and Nemetschek's Allplan are specifically aimed at the builder market. Bentley and Autodesk add an architectural interface to their products. ArchiCAD can't match Allplan for structural design calculations, although it does feature a built-in truss designer and column designer. ArchiCAD provides a lot more power than the typical architectural design software package, but is still easy, nimble and intuitive to use.
As with v8.1, ArchiCAD runs on Macintosh and Windows 2000/XP machines. Graphisoft's minimum memory requirement for both platforms is 512MB. I found v9 usable on a Windows XP machine, but slow and crash-prone on an OS X Macintosh G4. I suggest that you spring for a gigabyte of memory for either platform. The new version is faster than v8.1, and I suspect it's faster than v7 (I benchmarked the older version on a slower machine, so I'm not absolutely sure). Crash recovery is better now--all the project files seem to survive.
Moving to 3D
I've been an ArchiCAD fan for well over a decade, since the days when it was Macintosh-only. Because I started early on with slower machines, I still tend to draw in 2D plan or elevation, knowing that a 3D object is being created at the same time (figure 4).
[FIGURE 4 OMITTED]
I've started to adapt, editing directly in 3D and then defining objects in greater detail later, as necessary. Younger architects usually draw in 3D from the start. ArchiCAD works well both ways, but this version makes 3D easier to use. This is not a true modeling package ranking with products such as form*Z. With it users can draw creatively, although this means that the model may look fine but won't give accurate results with programs that handle, for example, energy and weight analyses. But ArchiCAD is getting closer to that capability, and in the meantime, separate model-checking packages are available. Until the CAD vendors get this right, the structural and construction folks will continue to redo the model.
Look and Feel
Keeping its commitment to cross-platform compatibility between the Macintosh and Windows forced Graphisoft to make some compromises over the years in regard to look-and-feel. As the interface has evolved and software functionality has increased, the interface has tended toward telescoping palettes, multiple toolboxes, context-sensitive palettes that pop up with the windows they refer to and all the other tricks software designers use to keep as many command icons as possible close at hand while still leaving screen space for the drawing.
This version is the best yet. It clears up some of the icon clutter (mainly with more context-sensitive palettes that show all options for an element, no matter what tool is being used) while keeping everything handy. Suddenly, the screen looks 10-20% larger. There's a setting that provides up to 50% more space, but running that way forced me to open too many toolboxes on my own. A Classic setting puts an extra line of old favorites back on the screen. Of course, users can customize the interface any way they want.
Although I've become quite comfortable with ArchiCAD over the years, the new interface didn't cause much uncertainty. This is an upgrade that will require an absolute minimum of user reorientation and training, with good productivity benefits.
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Under one roof - Bulletin Board - Detroit Precision Tool Co. and Hommelwerke form Detroit Precision Hommel - Brief Article
Detroit Precision Tool Company (Rochester Hills, Michigan) and Hommelwerke (Germany) have formed a global partnership called Detroit Precision Hommel, which will be headquartered in Rochester Hills. The new partnership is said to combine the strengths of the two companies in the measuring field. It is said to put under one roof all the metrology technology a manufacturer requires to assure the quality of its production, from surface finish and form measuring instruments to automated gaging and assembly systems, plus high level metrology services.
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