More tools, faster changes - Westec 2002 - Turretgang machine tool from U.S. Shop Tools

The company introduces Turretgang, a tool that increases the number of tools on CNC lathe turrets and provides rapid tool change.

The Turretgang holds up to three round tools and is mounted in OD tool locations on the turret. It speeds up machining due to the gang-style spacing of tools. Rapid movement from tool to tool permits turret lathes to compete with screw or slide machines. X-axis programming allows the operator to take advantage of the reduced machining cycle benefits of slide-type lathes.

The product is available in several standard models, all in coolant through design, for both channel and tool block style turrets and holds up to three tools. The additional tools on the lathe that are made possible will often eliminate secondary operations, said to result in improved quality and reduce machining time and cost. Turretgang can be special ordered per customer specific sizes and tool pockets.

CNC Control System is suited for machine tool builders

Able to control up to 5 axes and a spindle, Advantage 400 includes 32 digital inputs, 2 analog inputs, 16 digital outputs, and variety of programming features. Product also includes ability to send torque or step and direction command formats. Dual-processor control utilizes dedicated DSP based CPU to service motion control tasks, and Pentium-based PC is at heart of user interface. Unit comes with 8.4 in. color LCD and can include Ethernet and USB utilities.
Chatsworth, Ca. - Delta Tau Data Systems, Inc. has released the Advantage 400 CNC control system. Created for the machine tool builder and retrofitter who require a powerful, feature packed control, which sets up quickly and whose price does not limit performance, capability, or flexibility.
The Advantage 400 will control 5 axes, a spindle, includes 32 digital inputs, 2 analog inputs, 16 digital outputs, and all the programming features customers would expect from a high-performance control package, all in a standard configuration and at a very reasonable price. The Advantage 400 includes the ability to send torque or step and direction command formats.
The Advantage 400 is a dual-processor control utilizing a dedicated DSP based CPU to service the motion control tasks. A Pentium based PC is the heart of the user interface. The DSP motion control CPU ensures the machine is accurate at any speed. The Pentium based interface allows Delta Tau to include utilities such as Ethernet and USB at no additional cost to the user. The control comes standard with an 8.4" color LCD.
The Advantage 400 is a perfect example of how intelligent design and technology is bridging the gap between software and hardware and bringing unprecedented levels of performance and value to the shop floor.
About Delta Tau Data Systems
Delta Tau Data Systems is the global leader in high-performance machine control products. By developing and manufacturing a full range of motion control products, software, and accessories, Delta Tau delivers motion control solutions that solve the simplest to the most complex positioning applications. Products are marketed through a worldwide distribution network and application engineers are located globally to provide timely customer support.

Vertical turning debut boosts productivity in aerospace application - Better Production Spotlight: Turning - Thomson Machine and Tool installs Webster

Thomson Machine & Tool (Somerset, England) required a large-capacity turning center for machining aerospace components with diameters of up to 2,000mm, in a range of materials including titanium and nimonic alloys. Although this operation had previously been performed using a traditional horizontal lathe, the nature of the application suggested that a switch to vertical turning would provide advantages leading to significant improvements in productivity.
"After considering a number of options, we decided that a vertical turning center offered the right combination of capacity, rigidity and versatility for this application," explains Thomson Machine & Tool's managing director, Allan Thomson. "We chose a Webster & Bennett (Coventry, England) machine because of the company's expertise in vertical turning, coupled with the unrivalled reputation for performance and build quality enjoyed by its products."
Webster & Bennett supplied Thomson Machine & Tool with a two-axis vertical turning center with 72-inch table and 8-inch square ram, suited to machining large cylindrical components thanks to a maximum height under the cross rail of 57.5 inches, a ram stroke of 48 inches and maximum swing of 84 inches. The machine incorporates a range of features designed to maximize productivity while maintaining the quality of the components being machined.
With a maximum load capacity of 11,363 kg, large and heavy components can be supported on the machine's table and held in place using Webster & Bennett's four-jaw independent chuck, a setup that eliminates inaccuracies associated with the effect of gravity on horizontally clamped components. This inherent advantage of vertical turning, complemented by the inclusion of a Timken table bearing and ballscrews on the X and Z axis, has enabled Thomson Machine & Tool to achieve levels of machining accuracy and consistency that they could not match using horizontal lathes. Operators at the company have also noticed a significant improvement in the surface finish of components manufactured on the Webster & Bennett machine.
"Every aspect of the vertical turning center's design and construction contributes to its overall rigidity, resulting in a superior machining performance, which is reflected in the quality of the components we produce," says Mr. Thomson.
The machine's 18-station automatic tool changer enables multiple machining operations to be performed in a single setup. This is crucial in the manufacture of large and awkward components at Thomson Machine & Tool, and this benefit has contributed to a typical reduction in product cycle times of 20 percent. Another significant benefit of this versatility is the scope for product diversification it has provided. "The machine's ability to perform a wide range of machining operations quickly and efficiently has helped us to reduce throughput times while increasing our scope for diversification into new products and markets," Mr. Thomson explains.
Optimum metal removal is assured by the machine's wide speed range of 5-167 rpm, provided by a two-speed gearbox and 37.5 kw main drive motor, specified by the customer in order to provide the low-speed, high-torque machining required for the successful production of aero engine components. CNC controlled servodrives add to the machine's operational speed and ease of use and contribute to the consistency of its machining accuracy.
Another factor in the vertical turning center's overall appeal has been its trouble-free integration into manufacturing operations at Thomson, made possible by a combination of the machine's easy-to-learn Fanuc l8Ti CNC control system and integral swarf conveyor with coolant system. Mr. Thomson also drew attention to the high level of technical support provided by Webster & Bennett, which enabled the installation of the machine with minimal disruption to Thomson Machine & Tool's manufacturing operations.
Full working area guarding and ease of use have also played a part in the machine's popularity among operators at Thomson Machine & Tool, Mr. Thomson explains. "Those operating the machine have been amazed by the ease with which it can perform a number of high precision machining operations quickly, safely and with a minimal amount of setup, helping to streamline this particular manufacturing process in a way that traditional horizontal turning couldn't match."
"Making the switch to vertical turning with a Webster & Bennett has proved a major success for this demanding application, providing significant improvements in productivity and component quality, while simultaneously creating considerable scope for us to enter into new markets."

Spain's big splash - Scanning the Horizon - Spanish machine tool industry and BIEMH 2002 - Industry Overview

In the worldwide arena of manufacturing, Spain isn't widely known as a top contender. But the numbers from Gardner Publications' 2002 World Machine Tool Output & Consumption Survey tell a different story. Spain's population is less than one-seventh that of the United States, but Spanish machine tool builders annually produce a number of machine tools equal to nearly one-third the total volume produced by American builders. Furthermore, at the same time that production has declined in the United States, the Spanish machine tool industry has experienced gradual but continuous growth since 1995. For example, in 2001, Spain's machine tool production increased more than 6 percent from the previous year.
The heartland of this dynamic industry is the beautiful and rugged Basque section of northern Spain near the Atlantic coast and the French border. As the commercial center of the industrious Bizkaia region, Bilbao is the host city for one of Europe's largest machine tool shows, the biennial BIEMH. In the past, Bilbao was known primarily as a gritty center of heavy industry. But after undergoing an impressive renaissance, this city of 400,000 residents has emerged as a place of alluring charm.
When the 22nd BIEMH exhibition opened at Bilbao's International Trade Fair on March 11, the Spanish machine tool industry had some important accomplishments to celebrate. For example, Spanish builders currently manufacture more than 2,000 different machine models. Many of these products feature innovative technology that was developed in Spain.
The rapid improvement of Spanish technology in recent years is primarily the result of strong investment in research and development. On the average, Spanish machine tool builders allocate 5 percent of their annual turnover to R&D. For the country's largest builders, this investment may represent 10 percent or more. The success of this industry has been greatly facilitated by inter-company alliances in the areas of process development, marketing, distribution and supply chain management. Many of these cooperative efforts have been coordinated through the Machine Tool Manufacturers' Association of Spain (AFM) and its sister organization, the Export Trade Association of Spanish Manufacturers of Accessories, Component Parts and Tools for Machine Tools (AMT).
Strong investment and effective cooperation enable Spanish machine tool manufacturers to compete aggressively in global markets. Spain's principal machine tool builders offer products for high speed milling, turning, grinding and EDM that incorporate advanced capabilities. As a reflection of the growing reputation of Spanish technology, Germany was the largest customer in 2001 for Spanish machine tools, purchasing more than 18 percent of all the country's exports.
The defining characteristic of the most prominent Spanish machine tools is flexibility in meeting specific user requirements. Thus, many of the large machining centers exhibited at BIEMH 2002 are designed to suit the production systems of important automotive and aerospace clients. At the same time, however, Spanish builders offer a wide range of conventional and CNC machine tools that are suitable for typical job shop applications.
Spanish-American Market
While Spain's largest machine tool builders have established solid marketing networks in the United States, economic conditions during the past 12 months have created a slump in the market for Spanish exports. Because the United States currently accounts for less than 8 percent of Spain's total export trade, however, this doesn't represent a serious problem by itself. Because the appetites of American consumers continue to drive manufacturing activity around the globe, however, many Spanish builders are experiencing the impact of a softer American economy on their customers in Europe and Asia. As a result, AFM predicts that the steady growth its members have enjoyed since 1995 may be interrupted when the final figures for 2002 are recorded.
In this vein, AMT president Ramon Cenar-ruzabeitia recently discussed some of the difficulties that his member companies face in penetrating the American market. AMT recently attempted to put together a consortium of firms to market products in the United States. The combination of a weak machine tool industry, firmly entrenched competitors and unresolved inventory/delivery issues, however, have frustrated this effort. Unlike Spain's larger machine tool builders, the relatively small firms of AMT are still searching for an effective strategy to tap the American market.
Show Highlights
BIEMH 2002 featured the sixth edition of Spain's National Machine Tool Design competition. This year, the award was shared by Kondia Urbano Conde S.A. (Elgoibar, Spain)--in recognition of its P60-V2 high speed precision machining center-and ONA Electroerosion S.A. (Durango, Spain and Dayton, Ohio)--for overall product design strategy. Kondia manufactures a complete line of conventional, CNC-operated and high speed milling machines. ONA is the world's oldest manufacturer of EDM equipment and also the leading EDM builder in the European Union. ONA ram- and wire-EDM machines feature advanced spark-control and automatic programming technologies.

2004 machine tool consumption

According to AMT--The Association For Manufacturing Technology and the American Machine Tool Distributors' Association (AMTDA), June U.S. machine tool consumption totaled $236.93 million. This total, as reported by companies participating in the USMTC program, was up 19.5 percent from May and up 0.9 percent from the total of $234.79 million reported for June 2003. With a first-half total of $1,249.68 million, 2004 is up 31.9 percent compared with 2003.
U.S. machine tool consumption is also reported on a regional basis for five geographical breakdowns: Northeast, Southern, Midwestern, Central and Western. For more information on these regions, as well as other USMTC data

Spain steps it up: the country is now home to the world's fourth largest machine tool show. That fact, combined with Spain's long metalworking history

This year's Spanish machine tool show was big in many respects. Known as BIEMH, the 2004 edition of this biennial show was its largest in terms of number of attendees and exhibitors. In fact, BIEMH now ranks as the world's fourth largest machine tool show, behind EMO, IMTS and BI-MU.

Show organizers and Spain's association of machine tool manufacturers, known as AFM, have made strides to generate greater interest from the international metalworking community. It seems this effort has paid off, because this year's show drew visitors from 54 countries and featured 1,894 exhibitors from 34 countries. Of course, these numbers would not have been attainable were it not for a new, larger exhibition center. The show's new home is the Bilbao Exhibition Center (BEC), which offers 60,000 square meters of exhibition space (41 percent more than the previous venue) and a layout that features six column-free exhibition halls.

US machine tool sales soar in June - Materials Outlook - Brief Article

U.S. machine tool consumption totaled an estimated $244.6 million in June, up a whopping 67.1 percent from a revised $146.4 million the previous month but just 3.3 percent higher than $236.8 million in June 2002, according to a joint report by the American Machine Tool Distributors' Association (AMTDA), Rockville, Md., and the Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT), McLean, Va. Noting the first monthly year-on-year increase since November 2000, AMT president Albert W. Moore said that "a single instance does not constitute a trend, but a trend must have a starting point." Machine tool consumption in the first half totaled $952.9 million, down 17.9 percent from $1.2 billion in the same period last year.

CAM software for probing: software for creating probing routines off-line promises to make machine tool probing easier to use. As a few examples show,

Shops and plants that are thinking of investing to realize a more automated process may be overlooking an automation tool that already waits in the machining center.

Through the use of a machining center's spindle-mounted probe, a shop can save time and effort in a variety of ways. Prior to machining, probing can be used to automatically confirm that the correct part has been loaded to match the program. Probing can also locate that part, wherever it sits on the table, so time-consuming setup might be eliminated. During machining, probing can check the semi-finished part to see how much of a finishing pass is needed. And after machining is done, probing can be used to perform certain inspections right at the machine tool, before the part is unclamped and taken away.

In fact, because probing can improve efficiency in so many different ways, it is probably sate to say that the probe is underused in almost every shop that owns one.

The shops themselves are not entirely to blame for this. Part of the reason probing is underused is the awkwardness that often comes with adding probing to the process. Shops generate milling and drilling tool paths with ease, using any of a variety of CAM systems. But probing calls for macros that are often either added to the NC code through manual editing, or else entered right at the CNC.

Some recently introduced software tools attempt to address this shortcoming. The systems described in the following pages make it more practical to program probing operations off-line. They could all be thought of as "CAM for probing," in that they generate machine-independent probing routines that can be postprocessed for individual machining centers. However, the three examples of probing software included here also represent three different ways of thinking about the way that probing is used.

One of the systems recognizes the probe-equipped machine tool as a metrology device. This system allows programs to be shared seamlessly between CMM and machine tool, and it allows the same analysis that is applied to CMM data to be applied to data captured with a machine tool probe.

Another system emphasizes the role of probing in specialized machining challenges, seeking to coordinate probing with the machining moves in cases where an important part of the job is unpredictable.

A third approach, and the first one described below, is intended simply to make probing in general a more natural part of the typical machining process. By operating as a plug-in within the CAM software that is used for tool paths, this utility expands the reach of the shop's primary CAM system to include probing moves.

Probing As A Plug-In

Productivity+, pronounced "productivity plus," is a CAM software plug-in from Renishaw (Hoffman Estates, Illinois), the maker of probes and probe accessories. Currently, the plug-in is available with GibbsCAM software from Gibbs & Associates (Moorpark, California).

The point of this plug-in is to allow the CAM software that uses it to call upon the probe as easily as it might call up any cutting tool in its library. That means probing no longer has to be a separate programming consideration apart from the tool paths. In addition to the convenience this provides, improved confidence is another benefit. Like the tool paths, the probing moves can be verified using the CAM software's own verification capability.

This utility supports probing for part setup, identification and inspection. It can also be used with the stationary tool setting probe to automate tool length and diameter measurements.

There is another version of the utility that is not a plug-in. Productivity+ Active Editor is a stand-alone software product. For existing CAM systems that do not include functionality for probing, this software lets the programmer import and modify NC programs, so the programmer can add probing moves as a follow-up step.

Probing The Unknown

PS-Fixture from Delcam (Windsor, Ontario) is part of the company's Power Solution family of integrated CAD/CAM products. That same family includes PowerMill software for generating NC part programs, and also PowerInspect software, which is capable of equipping these programs with probing routines. The focus of PS-Fixture lies between these modules. Its purpose has to do with putting probing to work in ways that overcome unknown variables in the machining of certain complex parts.

Exactly what variables are addressed can vary, depending on the application and the shop. For an ordinary part program, three things can be treated as known. They are: the precise position of the workpiece, the precise shape of the stock before machining and the precise shape that the machining program is supposed to create. When any one of these three aspects of the job cannot be known, PS-Fixture can potentially fill in the gaps.

Here are examples:

* Unknown work position. Plenty of production applications use dedicated, customized fixturing to lock a part in place precisely where the NC program expects to find it. But as the part size gets bigger, setting up the work that precisely becomes more difficult to do. Shifting and rotating a large workpiece can be time-consuming, not to mention fraught with error. It would be easier just to move the program instead--and that is what PS-Fixture attempts to do. After probing a complex workpiece in numerous locations, the software can use best-fit calculations in conjunction with a CAD model to determine the part's location and orientation in space. The software then sends a variety of offsets to the CNC that both shift and rotate the program's coordinate axes so that the program aligns with the part.

Mittler Brothers Machine & Tool Moves into Larger Facility & Adds New Equipment

Mittler Brothers Machine & Tool has recently moved to a new facility in Wright City, Missouri Oust west of St. Louis) and installed new CNC equipment and expanded its capabilities.

The 25-year-old firm produces, tools, dies and special machines as well as offering custom CNC machining and fabrication. The company also produces its own lines of products for the racing industry.

The Mittler brothers (Mike and Paul) started their business with the two of them as the only employees in a 2,500-sq.-ft. facility. They eventually grew into 30,500sq.-ft. of space across three adjacent buildings in Foristell, Missouri.

The current and planned growth of the company led the brothers to move to a 3year-old facility with 50,400-sq.-ft. in neighboring Wright City.

"The opportunity to consolidate our operations under one roof with room for expansion is tremendous," stated Mike Mittler.

Since the facility had been designed for manufacturing it has been a great fit for us," commented Paul

Mittler. "We haven't found anything that we would change in the layout or design."

With the larger space and growing business, the company quickly started adding new equipment. Two major pieces of CNC equipment have been added since the move took place.

One is an Okuma MA-40H horizontal machining center with a 10-pallet Fastems automatic loader. It features a 100-tool changer, a 40-taper 15,000-rpm spindle, and a table capacity of 24" x 28" up to 880 pounds.

Another new piece is a Haas SL20 CNC lathe with a magazine-style barfeeder. It features a 5hp motor with 3,000-rpm; a full C-axis on the spindle; a capacity of 24" between centers and live tooling.

"This equipment, with all the advanced technology, will allow us to improve our efficiency and expand our 'lights out' production," stated Mike Mittler.

Other new capabilities at the company include wet painting and shot blasting. Both booths were already in the facility. "The booths will enable us to improve our turnaround time and finish quality," noted Paul Mittler.

Mittler Brothers works with steel, tool steel, aluminum, stainless steel, brass, bronze, titanium and other exotic metals.

It serves such industries as automotive, medical, heavy transportation and automation.

Other equipment at the company includes: four CNC vertical machining centers; a 4-axis horizontal machining center; four CNC turning centers; an Okuma lathe with a Westech gantry loader (for unattended operation) and a CNC high definition plasma cutter.

CAD is used on all software and Virtual Gibbs CAM software is used for programming.

Machine Tool Consumption Up 38.4%

In August, US machine tool consumption amounted to $225.52 million, according to AMT-The Association For Manufacturing Technology (McLean, VA), and the American Machine Tool Distributors' Association (AMTDA, Rockville, MD). This number, reported by companies that participate in the US Machine Tool Consumption program, was up 6.4% from July and up 54.2% from the total of $146.27 million reported for August 2003. With a year-to-date total of $1778.59 million, 2004 is up 38.4% compared with 2003.

Jointly compiled by the two trade associations, the USMTC report provides regional and national consumption data on domestic and imported machine tools and related equipment. Machine tool consumption in the US is also reported on a regional basis for five geographic breakdowns.

August machine tool consumption in the Northeast Region totaled $31.39 million, up 5.0% when compared to July's $29.89 million, and 20.6% ahead of August 2003. At $259.45 million, year-to-date machine tool consumption has increased 48.0%.

In the Southern Region, machine tool consumption in August was $32.62 million, 17.6% less than July's $39.59 million, but up 34.8% when compared to last August. Year-to-date, the total consumption of $270.92 million is a 5.4% drop when compared to the same time last year.

At $80.96 million, the August machine tool consumption in the Midwestern Region was 1.6% higher than July's $79.72 million, and 58.9% higher than the total for August 2003. With a year-to-date total of $710.59 million in consumption, the year 2004 is running 46.5% ahead of 2003 at the same time.

Central Region machine tool consumption in August, at $44.06 million, was 20.8% ahead of July's $36.49 million, and up 67.3% from the August 2003 report. Totaling $309.22 million, year-to-date 2004 machine-tool consumption was 47.3% higher than the comparable figure for 2003.

In the Western region, August machine tool consumption reached $36.48 million, up 39.1% compared to the $26.22 million total for July, and 94.4% higher than the August 2003 total. At $228.40 million, year-to-date 2004 is an impressive 77.9% ahead of the same period in 2003.

Ceramic balls—Saint Gobain Advanced Ceramics, booth D-427 - Machine Tool Components and Accessories

According to the manufacturer, Cerbec ceramic balls for bearing applications last longer and provide better performance than steel bearings because of their inherently lower thermal expansion; smoother surface; increased hardness and stiffness; lighter weight; and corrosion/electricalresistant properties. These attributes recommend the use of these ceramic balls for bearings, linear guideways and machine tool spindles.

Autonomous robot cell—Motoman, booth B-6000 - Machine Tool Components and Accessories

In the A.R.C., autonomous robotic cell, one Motoman robot positions parts for one or more additional process robots, eliminating the need for complex part fixtures and positionsers. According to the company, multiple-station processing allows parts to be completed within one workcell, and speeds throughput by eliminating transfer time.
Also on display will be the inverted-mount U50 robot from a servo-controlled overhead rail that is said to save floor space and improve access to two lathes durng tool changes, and the UP20 robot wall-mounted from a servo gallows to provide the extended reach needed to tend three boring and tapping machine tools.

Fully hydrostatic tool grinding machine—Rollomatic, booth B-6838 - Grinding/Abrasive Machining Equipment

The GrindSmart 6000XL is a fully hydrostatic grinding machine. Hydrostatic functions allow friction-free linear and rotary movements for all six axes, including grinding spindle, to enhance the accuracy, speed, rigidity and perpetual repeatability of the machine in production, according to the company.
The machine is a fully automated, CNC super-precision grinding center with six hydrostatic machine axis and three axis for the integrated robot load/unload station. It is designed for the complete manufacture of small-to large-diameter carbide and HSS cutting tools in one clamping with a range of 0.1 mm (0.008") to 32.0 mm (1.250") in diameter.
Also on display will be the GrindSmart 620XS universal tool grinding machine for production grinding of rotary cutting tools in the size range of 0.2 to 16 mm (0.008" to 0.625").

Balanceable toolholder system—Rego-Fix Tool, booth E-2623 - Machine Tool Components and Accessories - Brief Article

The new Hi-Q ring system can be added to any standard holder that has the necessary mounting surface. According to the company, its new balancing ring system will help manufacturers and machine shops meet these balancing requirements. For smooth operation at higher speeds, holders must be balanced to meet the specifications set by machine and tooling manufacturers.
Most holders currently being manufactured by the company will accept the new rings. While the design of the new holders has changed, the end user will get the same high quality with added features as holders purchased in the past, the company says.
The company will also be displaying a new tabletop balancing machine that allows users to balance the Hi-Q balancing ring system using the angular method, or to balance existing holders by material subtraction, material addition or fixed position.

Machine tool economics

The 2004-2005 Economic Handbook of the Machine Tool Industry is now available from AMT--The Association for Manufacturing Technology. This annual guide offers the latest information about the domestic and international machine tool industries, as well as their respective economies. It was compiled from hundreds of domestic and foreign sources, and both product- and company-specific machine tool data are included. Information about capital equipment purchases is outlined for several major consuming industries. The domestic data cover areas such as employment, machine tool shipments, machine tools in use, and the financial condition of the industry. The handbook also provides a range of international facts for almost two dozen foreign countries, typically including production, imports and exports by type of machine tool. The handbook is free to AMT members, or $295 plus $5 postage and handling for non-members.

Machine Tool Sales Hit Four-Year High

Manufacturing industry optimism continued to pay dividends for equipment builders as sales of US machine tools in September reached the highest level in four years. With September sales totaling $389.20 million, machine tool builders saw an increase in sales of 74.6% over $222.86 million reported for September 2003, according to the latest figures of the US Machine Tool Consumption (USMTC) report released by the American Machine Tool Distributors' Association (AMTDA, Rockville, MD) and AMT-The Association For Manufacturing Technology (McLean, VA).
The latest report showed sales rose 89.8% in September compared to August sales of $205.01 million, and the 2004 year-to-date total of $2146.95 million rose 42.2% versus 2003 sales of $1509.41 million through September. The figures are based on the totals of actual data reported by companies participating in the USMTC program.
"Manufacturing in the US continues to show signs of a strong comeback," according to AMTDA President Ralph J. Nappi. "Machine tool orders in September hit their highest level in four years with all regions of the country showing growth."
Regional sales showed strong overall gains paced by robust improvements in the West Region, which totaled September sales of $56.07 million, an increase of 72.1% over $32.59 million in August sales and a 196.1% leap over the September 2003 total of $18.94 million. The West Region's year-to-date total of $279.39 million rose 89.6% over September 2003 sales of $147.33 million.
In the Midwest, September sales of $162.77 million rose 156.5% over the prior month's $63.47 million in sales and increased 46.6% compared with sales of $111.03 million during September 2003. With a year-to-date total of $853.66 million, the Midwest region is 43.2% ahead of $595.99 in sales through September 2003.
With September sales of $72.47 million, the Central Region machine tool consumption increased 50.6% compared to $48.13 million in August and sales were up 115.4% over September 2003 sales of $33.64 million. With a year-to-date total of $386.50 million, the Central Region sales are up 58.7% compared to the YTD 2003 sales of $243.58 million.
Northeast Region sales of $55.03 million rose 102.3% compared to August's $27.21 million and 98.0% compared to $27.79 million last September. At $312.64 million, year-to-date machine tool consumption in the Northeast ran 52.7% higher than $204.71 million through September 2003.
In the South Region, September machine tool consumpdon totaled $42.85 million, 27.5% higher than the $33.62 million in August and 36.2% higher than $31.46 million for September a year ago. The year-to-date South Region total of $314.77 million fell 1.0% compared to $317.80 million through September 2003.

Getting to submicron accuracy: as machine tool builders introduce models designed for submicron accuracies and subminiature workpieces, a variety of d

In nature, scientists are sometimes able to distinguish one species from another only by examining DNA, the unique genetic code in every living cell. In these cases, external appearances do not offer reliable clues. This is much the case with a new breed of vertical machining centers designed for submicron accuracy. These machines do not look strikingly different from other precision machine tools. Yet the submicron model has hidden features and subtle attributes that prove it to be a very different creature, one that has evolved to function in an environment where microns and nanometers (millionths and billionths of a meter) are critical.

Some of the ways in which these machines are likely to deviate from normal expectations for a VMC can be observed in the Hyper2J from Makino (U.S. headquarters in Mason, Ohio). Comparable models from other builders may represent further radical departures from the norm, but looking at this machine helps us understand the design factors that tend to define the "nature of the beast." The chief factors are vibration, heat, rigidity and control unit capability.

* The four-point leveling mounts underneath the Hyper2J rest on a base made of metrology-grade granite that is 250 mm (almost 10 inches) thick. This granite "foundation" isolates the machine structure from vibration in the floor. Granite has 1/10 to 1/20 the thermal conductivity of cast iron, so it resists the effects of ambient temperature changes.

* The spindle is designed to reduce vibration and counter thermal growth. It has a direct tool clamping system that does not require a toolholder or collet. A mechanism inside the spindle uses hydraulic pressure to collapse around the tool shank, much the way the individual hydraulic toolholder would. According to the designers, this feature minimizes rotational vibration inevitably introduced by imperfections in a separate toolholder. Minimizing vibration is a priority because super small cutting tools (end mills with a diameter of 0.03 mm are typical) are susceptible to breakage when subjected to minute vibrations.

* The internal temperature of the spindle is maintained by automatically cooling the lubricant that circulates through it. The work light inside the machine uses LEDs because they are much cooler than other types of lights.

Spindle speeds range from 3,000 to 40,000 rpm (a 170,000-rpm spindle is available.)

* There are no linear motors. Makino has opted for ballscrews and slideways for axis drives, citing the company's ability to achieve the necessary straightness and smoothness in its production techniques. Maximum feed rates and rapid traverse rates are 12 m/min. (472 ipm).

* The machine has provisions for measuring the position of the tool tip to less than 1 micron. An "ultra-low pressure" contact-type measuring device determines tool length. A proximity-style non-contact spindle positioning device allows the position of the tool tip to be corrected in all three (X, Y and Z) axes. After a tool change, the level of machining surfaces will be higher or lower by less than 1 micron. To detect broken tool tips, an electrical current is transmitted through the cutting tool. If the tool breaks, the disrupted circuit triggers an alarm.

Interestingly, Makino says it has the most experience determining appropriate speeds and feeds for a 0.03-mm diameter carbide end mill. Machine settings for other tools are established on an application-by-application basis.

* The axis position feedback system uses a 0.5-nanometer scale to reliably track axis motion commands programmable in steps as small as 10 nanometers. Makino's stated positioning accuracy for this machine is [+ or -]0.3 micron, with a repeatability accuracy of [+ or -]0.2 micron.

* The control unit, which combines Fanuc hardware for CNC processing with a Windows CE graphical user interface, supports nanometer interpolation and millisecond block processing time. A proprietary "Super Geometry Intelligence" servo control system provides smooth machined surfaces. This kind of smoothing feature grows in importance as cutting tools and programmed steps become so small that workpiece features and tool marks approach the same size range.

Makinng Submicron Machining Practical Makino stresses that the Hyper2J is an attempt to make submicron machining in three axes practical for shops intent on moving to this level of accuracy. The company says that the machine is intended for the real world, not the laboratory. The Hyper2J does require a temperature-controlled room. Another version, the Hyper2, incorporates a thermal chamber for controlling its own temperature in ordinary shop environments to achieve submicron accuracy.

Enhancing machine tool productivity

In addition to quickly responding to customer demands, job shops can also reduce programming, tooling and production times with ShopMill version 6.4, says manufacturer Siemens.

Featuring step-by-step, onscreen programming, the software includes 3D views with simulation, including real-time simulation: an engraving cycle; an enhanced tooling list with angle head cutter definition, tap definition and Pace mill geometry; and enhanced workpiece measurements in manual mode.

Users are provided with a 3D view of the part to be cut while in simulation or real-time mode. As a result, possible machining errors can be detected relatively early, says the company.

The new engraving cycle offers the capability of engraving complex text on a radius. This single-button feature can be useful when engraving serial numbers, company names, and dates and times on cut parts.

Additionally, the software can be used in conjunction with the Sinumerik 810D or 840D while running Windows XP.

Fast and flexible - EMO, machine tool show

This year's EMO - he premier European machine tool show - saw that continent's builders once again focused on innovative, but practical, product development.

When EMO was last held in Hannover, Germany, four years ago, the show was in a word, depressing. The mighty German machine tool industry, as well as the rest of Europe, was mired in the worst slump in a generation. And the news from this normally technologically elite exhibition had more to do with corporate realignments and cost reduction than with anything else, as so many European companies were moving into a survival mode reminiscent of the American machine tool industry of the mid 1980s.

This time around, however, the story was very different. While the general European economy is still in recession, conditions are far better for the machine tool builders. For one thing, the builders as a group are on stronger financial footing, having cut much of the fat out of their organizations and having established more viable business alignments - we'd call them mergers and acquisitions - where individual companies were in serious trouble going it alone. And equally important, European manufacturing in general is stepping up its investment again, cognizant of the need to cut costs through the development of more efficient production processes.

This situation, thankfully, has many European machine tool builders returning to more aggressive product development strategies of their own. While, like usual, many builders are pursuing a range of approaches to solving the manufacturing puzzle, there were some strong themes that played consistently throughout the halls of EMO. Most apparent were the notions of achieving greater speed and flexibility. By speed, we mean machines that move faster both in and out of the cut. And by flexibility, we mean machines that set up faster or otherwise move more deftly from one workpiece to the next. Here are some of the ways those ideas were on display at EMO.

Simply Fast

Perhaps the most striking presence at EMO is how commonplace high speed machining has become. Most of the leading European machining center builders had high speed models on display, and not just machines with fast spindles, but with significant other machine features that support accurate contouring at high feed rates as well.

High speed spindle makers are looking both to push the speed-and-power combination higher and to make their designs more dependable. Urged on largely by the aerospace industry, some builders are actively pursuing the technological goal of building a 100/100 (100,000 rpm/100 kW) spindle. But more are focused on addressing some lingering practical concerns in the 20,000 to 40,000 rpm range, which is growing common. Once such concern is service life. Currently a good life for a high speed spindle is 3,000 to 6,000 hours. That translates to just about two years.

High speed spindle failure is generally not catastrophic, says Siegfried Weiss, president of the German high speed spindle builder Weiss GmbH (Dyna Drive, Inc., Mentor, Ohio). "We've found that spindles are subjected to numerous little wrecks that over time that add up to a failure." According to Bill Popoli, president of the U.S. arm of Swiss spindle maker Ibag (Milford, Connecticut), there is a need for shops to understand that high speed spindles are not as "tough" as spindles found on standard machine tools. Still, it is a goal for Ibag and other spindle builders to get average service life up to five years.

As for control capabilities, it seems like the whole industry has upgraded to high speed CNCs capable of executing extraordinarily accurate cutter paths at very high feed rates - an enabling technology that has machining centers cutting everything from hardened tool steels (as hard as 62 Rc) to cast iron and aluminum auto and aerospace parts. For die/ mold machining, the newest capability now in the spotlight is curve interpolation, which a number of machine tool builders were touting - mainly those with Siemens and GE Fanuc controls. This feature allows complex curves such as non-uniform rational B-splines (NURBS) to be imported directly into the CNC rather than having to approximate those curves with point-to-point moves as is done in conventional contouring. The CNC interpolator then references the true curve math to contour more accurately, smoothly and, by most accounts, much faster too.

However, not everyone believes that curve interpolation is yet the total answer for high performance contouring. German control builder Heidenhain, Schaumburg, Illinois, for instance, thinks that curve interpolation makes sense only where data points in a conventional part program are clustered too close together to maintain a desirable feed rate. The far larger issue, they contend, is to apply look-ahead capabilities for the sake of real time "jerk control" - that is, to soften abrupt moments of axis acceleration and deceleration in order to create a smoother execution of conventional point-to-point contouring cuts. And that is a feature the builder was emphasizing, though they have introduced a curve interpolator as well.

KMG Tool & Machine Co. adds more CNC equipment

KMG Tool & Machine Co., Wichita, Kansas, has recently added more CNC equipment.

The 22-year-old firm, which specializes in tooling, precision machining, welding and fabrication, is adding the equipment to handle larger-sized jobs.

Two pieces of equipment were recently installed. The first is a Mazak AN 60/120 3-axis vertical machining center with a 124"X, 58"Y and 23"Z.

The other piece is a Mazak SV-25 4-axis vertical machining center, which features an 80-tool changer.

"This equipment was needed to handle the larger parts and will also help us expand our customer base," stated KMG Tool & Machine's Mike Coffey.

Other equipment in the company's 24,000-sq.-ft. facility includes: a Flow waterjet (6.5' x 24'); a Mazak CNC lathe, four CNC mills; numerous vertical and horizontal mills; grinding equipment; and an 8,000-sq.-ft welding shop (AWS certified) with aluminum-Heli-Arc, steel-MIG, Tig and Arc welding.

KMG works with CATIA version 4 and 5 CAD software and SMARTCAM software with full 3D surfacing, 411 axis and 5th axis indexing.The company also has a QC lab with a CMM (48" x 78") and meets the requirements for DI-9000A, MIL-I-45208A and is a delegated source inspector.

"Our employees have an average of 25 years experience building quality tooling and production parts," stated KMG's Ken Coffey.

He noted that KMG has built long-term relationships with several suppliers and can provide such services as: heat treating; plating; broaching; precision grinding; sandblasting and painting.

Millions of components machined to millionths - Street Smarts - machine tool tolerances

"Inch worm, inch worm. Measuring the marigolds. Seems to me you'd stop and see how beautiful they are."

Let me tell you something about inch worms. We couldn't live without them.

In 1958 a U.S. Air Force contract was let to MIT and Giddings & Lewis Machine Tool to retrofit a standard boring mill for completely automatic operation. The result was the first numerically controlled machine tool, at least in North America. Kearney & Trecker came up with the automatic tool changer and it was off to the races. The advent of PLCs and microprocessors accelerated the manufacturing revolution.

I used to argue with my father that this was clearly the greatest advance in manufacturing in the second half of the 1900s. As he was chief of metrology for the U.S. Army Signal Corps in the early 1970s, his perspective was a little different. He insisted the coordinate measuring machine (CMM) and laser alignment were more important because they provided the foundation for accuracy and interchangeability on a repeatable basis. It really made plants interchangeable as well as parts.

A story told to me many years ago said that it was Henry Ford who brought back the first set of Johansson gauge blocks from Europe to the U.S. to put a sound metrology backbone into his flourishing enterprise. Jo blocks became standard throughout industry but they had limitations. They were ground to an accuracy of 1/100,000th of an inch. The accuracy of anything aligned with Jo blocks would thus be somewhat less than that. And the farther away you got from the master blocks, the looser the assured accuracy would be.

All this came to mind recently as I was visiting the Indianapolis diesel engine plant of International Truck and Engine and later the Sharonville transmission plant of Ford Motor Co. These are the respective homes of the new 6.0 L Power Stroke Diesel and the new R5 TorqShift automatic transmission. The Sharonville plant has recently received the highest score for quality among all Ford powertrain plants.

It is remarkable that both the engines and the transmissions have parts that are machined to the micron level, one millionth of an inch. That means that such parts are actually 10 times more accurate than yesterday's Jo blocks. Just think about that.

The superior shifting characteristics and durability of the new R5 are grounded in the ability to machine to the micron level. The new Siemens G-2 fuel injectors could not approach the level of performance required without micron level accuracy.

It's one thing to achieve micron level accuracy with a couple of parts, but now we're doing it with millions of parts and while it isn't exactly SOP at this point, it is not unusual either. When necessary, it is an advanced weapon available in today's arsenal of mass production manufacturing technology.

Not so long ago, injector parts were often sorted into undersize and oversize classes after machining was complete and then selectively assembled with other components that were broken down the same way Well, that just doesn't cut it anymore. And tell me that isn't an extremely expensive proposition.

Imagine producing over 8000 injectors per day in Carolina and getting them to Indianapolis JIT for tomorrow's 6.0 L production. You sure want to keep selective assembly to a minimum. High precision machining does have an economic payoff. Can you image the havoc that could be wrought by a bad batch of injectors?

There is an extreme need for consistency in order to meet performance and emission standards now and even more so in the future. When we are getting into pilot injection and rate shaping, playing with post injection, when we are peeling a second like an onion, when we need a very precise amount of fuel delivered with an exact atomization pattern, our dependence on micron level accuracy in parts production will only become greater.

It is only with the more accurate metrology base that we have been able to field the new generation of powertrain components and systems. And this is the base on which future progress depends. In short, only the inch worms can help us build a better marigold.

A great new tool for all machine shops

Subtitled The Basic Information You Need to Know in Order to Design and Form Good Parts, no other book about press brakes comes close to equaling the wide breath of information contained in this comprehensive text. Ben Rapien uses his 45 years of experience with press brake tooling applications to provide a thorough understanding of the variables that must be considered in selecting proper tooling, determining minimum machine requirements, using blank size calculations, and arriving at an acceptable bend sequence. Although the information presented is based on a solid engineering background, the technical descriptions have been simplified to allow press brake users to fully comprehend the many complex concepts and techniques used in forming operations. All of the principles and applications provided in the text are derived from "real world" experiences based on the actual parameters that have to be considered in order to produce quality parts. In addition, hundreds of well chosen illustrations, charts, and tables allow the reader to thoroughly comprehend how to get the most out of their press brake.

Contents: Review of the Press Brake. Press Brake Tooling (Normally Called Dies). The Basic 90[degrees] Bend. Air Bend Tonnage. Fundamental Information. Forming Other Types of Material. Gaging. Bend Allowance (What Size Should I Cut My Blank?). Safe Use of a Press Brake. Minimizing Die Marks on the Material. Offsets, Joggles, and "Z" Bends. Simple Channels. Hems and Seams. Radius Dies. Rib shapes. Corrugations. Box Forming. Beads or Curls. Wiping Dies. Plate Forming. European-Style Press Brake Tooling. Punching. Multiple Dies in the Press Brake. Other Important Information Needed for Making Good Tooling Decisions. Determining How to Make a Good Part. Understanding Words Used in the Context of Press Brake Tooling. Index.

Taiwan aspires to a leadership role: finding itself in the forefront of machine tool production, the island gets ready to step forward with its innova

Taiwan has clearly moved into the top ranks of machine tool building countries. It ranks fifth in the world in the dollar value of machine tools produced and fourth in the world in the dollar value of machine tools it exports.

Collectively and individually, Taipei builders are preparing for a leadership role in metalworking technology. This expectation was quite apparent at the most recent Taiwan International Machine Tool Show (TIMTOS) in Taipei. TIMTOS is Taiwan's premier biennial machine tool exhibition (see the box on the next page). The machines on display there would be hard to distinguish in performance or appearance from the best models coming from anywhere in the world.

The only thing lagging a bit is innovative homegrown technology. That is likely to change, however. In a few more years, TIMTOS may well be the show where the world gets its first glimpses of technology developed in Taiwan that is not available anywhere else. The country's current effort to coordinate and enhance R&D initiatives is definitely moving in that direction.

In the meantime, Taiwan builders are working together to change their image. For years, Taiwan presented itself as the source of low-cost machine tools. Today, the country wants the world to see it as the prime source of quality machines at a reasonable price.

Taiwan is especially eager to establish a firm foothold in emerging industrial countries such as Turkey, Russia, Brazil, India and mainland China. These markets are expected to grow rapidly in the short term. Moreover, these markets are not yet dominated by long-entrenched machine tool builders from Japan, Europe or the United States.

A number of Taiwan builders have a strong presence in the U.S. market, but it has taken these companies many years and a relatively large investment to get established. These companies remain deeply committed to the United States, but other builders are showing less patience and resolve in following this path. Their machines are more likely to reach the United States as privately labeled models marketed by U.S.-based importers who understand the U.S. buyer.

Machine tool builders in Taiwan tend to be relatively small, family-owned enterprises. However, all of the builders are well-supported by the national government in the sense that machine tool building is recognized as a key industry essential to the growth and development of high-tech Taiwanese industries. Thus, it is not surprising that the president of Taiwan, Chen Shui-bian, paid a personal visit to TIMTOS, speaking at a press conference and touring the exhibit areas. In his remarks, Mr. Chen characterized machine tools as "the mother of all industries," and reiterated his administration's support for building up central Taiwan as the hub of R&D facilities to promote machine tool building and related activities.

The results of this ongoing national support were evident at the show, especially in two area--the adoption of linear motors and the development of reliable, low-vibration high speed spindles. Compared to leading builders around the world, many Taiwan builders were not able to keep pace with implementing these technologies. With national sponsorship, builders were invited to work together to facilitate the transition to linear motors and advanced spindles. These initiatives made it possible for builders who otherwise lacked the engineering resources to make the transition on their own to do so in a timely and cost-effective manner.

Builders in Taiwan are remarkably realistic and candid about their strengths and about the challenges they face. They see strength in the relatively low wages that prevail on the island. Taiwan is located close to mainland China and India, two of the markets that Taiwan builders have targeted. Finally, Taiwan enjoys a well-developed social infrastructure and strong skills base, making "people power" a key asset.

Challenges are imposing, too. For labor-intensive activities, there is a shortage of job seekers. Companies are restricted from hiring quest workers from overseas above a certain percentage of their workforce. Land for industrial development is limited and facing growing demand. Proponents are seeking a government-backed "machinery industrial park" to be constructed in the central region of the country to solve this problem.

As effective as government funding for shared R&D efforts has been recently, this funding is threatened by spending cutbacks. The cost of steel and iron, the basic raw" materials for building machines, has risen markedly in the last 2 years and is expected to keep rising. On the mainland, the central government has enacted policies to protect and favor state-owned machinery builders, making it more difficult for Taiwan to achieve its goals there. Finally, fluctuations in currency exchange rates are not trending favorably for machine builders.

Machine tool buyers in the United States will do well to keep an eye on machine tool technology from Taiwan. U.S. plants have many options for filling their needs for low- and high-end machine tools. But between these extremes, Taiwan machines will be very well represented and are likely to offer reliable and capable machines at attractive prices.

Welding End Prep Tool works with hard-to-machine materials

Prepzilla MILLHOG[R] pipe milling end prep tool features one mandrel and 8 sets of interchangeable clamps to cover 11/2 in. ID to 8 5/8 in. OD operating range. Designed for materials such as stainless steel and P-91, tool has 23/4 hp pneumatic motor, generates 1,500 lb-ft of torque at cutter blade, and pulls thick chip without cutting fluids. It uses EscoLock(TM) blade lock system and TiN coated cutter blades and is capable of beveling and facing or boring in one operation.

An I.D. clamping pipe milling welding end prep tool that covers a broad range of tube and pipe with one mandrel and eight sets of easily inter-changeable clamps is available from ESCO Tool of Medfield, Massachusetts.

The Esco Prepzilla MILLHOG[R] pipe milling end prep tool features one mandrel and eight sets of easily interchangeable clamps to cover the full 11/2" I.D. to 8 5/8" O.D. operating range of the tool. Designed for hard-to-machine materials such as stainless steel and P-91, this tool has a 23/4 HP pneumatic motor, a rugged gear head design, generates 1,500 ft.-lbs. of torque at the cutter blade and pulls a thick chip without cutting fluids.

Capable of beveling and facing or beveling and boring in one operation, the Esco Prepzilla MILLHOG[R] pipe milling end prep tool uses the EscoLock(TM) blade lock system and TiN coated cutter blades. An optional cross-feed attachment that advances another blade in .003" increments to sever the heat affected zone (HAZ) and permits flange facing and grooving for couplings is offered.

The Esco Prepzilla MILLHOG[R] is priced at $7,995.00 and the optional cross- feed attachment is $2,400. This tool is also available for rent in the continental U.S. Literature is provide upon request.

VMC Design Turned Upside Down - YCI Supermax breaks from convention with new machine tool design

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.

Flexible Cable withstands rigors of machine tool use

Resistant to oils as well as cooling and cutting fluids found on machine tools, Chainflex[R] CF170 is designed as continuously flexing cable for use in cable carriers. Product, available from stock from 20-8 AWG and up to 30 conductors, is PVC- and halogen-free and conforms to DESINA standards.

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. - August 25,2005 - Igus[R] Inc., the industry-leading developer of Energy Chain[R] cable carriers, Chainflex[R] cables and iglide[R] plastic bearings, offers Chainflex CF170, a low-cost continuous-flex cable for machine tools. Chainflex CF170 is resistant to oils, cooling and cutting fluids found on machine tools. Like all Chainflex cables, it is designed specifically as a continuously flexing cable for use in cable carriers.

CF170 is available from stock from 20 AWG to 8 AWG and up to 30 conductors with no minimum purchase quantity. It is PVC-free, halogen-free and conforms to DESINA standards.

About igus

Igus Inc., founded in 1985 and based in East Providence, R.I., develops and manufactures industry-leading plastic cable carriers, continuous-flex cables, plastic bearings and linear guide systems. With more than 28,000 products available from stock, the company meets the motion control and machinery component needs of customers worldwide. Product lines include Energy Chain Systems[R] to protect and house moving cables, Chainflex continuous-flex cables, iglide self-lubricating, oil-free, plastic bearings, DryLin[R] linear guide systems and igubal[R] spherical bearings. For more information, contact igus at (800) 521-2747 or visit www.igus.com.

igus, Energy Chain, Chainflex iglide, Energy Chain Systems, DryLin and igubal are registered trademarks of igus Inc. All other company names and products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

Today's Options for Machine Tool Financing

How to pay for o new machine tool con be as complex on issue as deciding which machine tool to buy.

Do you remember what financing a machine tool was like in the mid-1980s? In those days, financing was a very slow and cumbersome process! Overnight deliveries and fax machines were hard to come by. Not only did it take days for the preparation and mailing of financial data, but it took even longer for an answer from the finance source in most cases. Once you received an approval and you agreed with the terms, even more days were lost while waiting for documents to be prepared. In addition, the basic products that were provided 15 years ago were usually a $1.00 purchase option, a 10-percent purchase option and the "dreaded" Fair Market purchase option. There simply were not the same financing options available then that there are today.

Imagine your company has decided to finance a piece of manufacturing equipment. It could be a five-axis machining center, a turn-mill machine or a creepfeed grinder. Do you lease it, buy it or rent it? Are there tax implications? Does it really make a difference how you finance it?

The answer to these questions can only be determined after analyzing your company's particular circumstances. Let me illustrate how your company can acquire the same piece of equipment using several different finance structures and at the same time have the "cost" to you be identical.

(Assume an equipment cost of $250,000 with a 10-percent yield (APR) over 60 months with no up-front payments or money down.)

Structure #1: A loan or $1.00 purchase option lease. Payment amount is $5,311.76. Total of payments equals $318,705.60.

Structure #2: A finance lease with a 10-percent purchase option. Payment Amount is $4,988.92. Residual due at end of lease is $25,000. Total of payments is $324,335.20.

Structure #3: A finance lease with a 20-percent purchase option. Payment amount is $4,666.08. Residual due at end of lease is $50,000. Total of payments is $329,964.80

Structure #4: A true lease (Fair Market Value purchase option). Payment Amount is $4,002.03. Total of payments is $240,121.80 The equipment is owned by the lender, and your company would expense the payments on the Profit and Loss statement. The purchase option is the Fair Market Value of the equipment at the end of the lease. You could purchase or return the equipment at the end of the lease term.

As you can see, the structures are all different in terms of the actual dollars paid by your company. However in terms of actual cost (yield), structures 1-3 above are identical! This is because of the timing of the payments made to the lender. Another factor that potentially impacts the true economic cost to your company is the accounting treatment given to the transaction. Your accountant may choose to "expense" the payments on the lease and not account for the depreciation and interest under a purchase scenario. This option will likely affect your tax rate.

Given the above, I would like to further illustrate and explain how many services and structures are available when purchasing equipment today. This will help your company decide what your best options are when it comes to financing an asset in the future.

What is A Lease?

A lease is a contract in which one party conveys the right to use an asset to another party for a specified period in exchange for a specified stream of payments. At the end of the lease term, the lessee usually either purchases the asset (by exercising the Purchase Option) or returns it to the lessor.

Leases can be structured in several different ways.

$1.00 Buyout Lease. This is the most commonly used leasing structure. It provides the rights of ownership to the lessee. The asset(s) will be capitalized on the lessee's books, allowing the lessee to expense the depreciation and interest on his or her profit-and-loss statement. This structure requires the highest monthly payment over the term, and the customer then "buys" the asset for $1.00.

Fixed Price Purchase Option (Finance Lease). This structure allows the lessee to purchase the equipment for a preset percentage of the original equipment cost (such as 10 percent, 15 percent and so on). Fixed price options are usually structured to give the lessee lower monthly payments (compared to a $1.00 buyout lease, for example) while still retaining the rights of ownership. At the end of term, the lessee can return the equipment, buy it for the preset amount or finance the option. The lessee depreciates the equipment and deducts interest payments in the same manner as the $1.00 buyout lease. It is generally believed that less than a 20-percent Fixed Price purchase option would allow for the lessee to retain ownership. However, you should always consult your tax advisor concerning the tax consequences of a lease with a Fixed Price purchase option.

Fair Market Value Lease (FMV or True Lease). Typically, an FMV lease product allows for the lowest monthly payment among the leases offered. The payments are usually fully tax-deductible (same as a rental). At the end of the term, the lessee would buy the equipment for its current Fair Market Value, return the equipment or renew the lease. Many companies utilize this structure to their advantage.

Machine Tool Status

A recent Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT) (McLean, VA) publication shows that the US manufacturing technology industry is experiencing renewed growth in major markets, but continues to face tough global competition. Highlights include:

* The US machine-tool market finished 2004 with orders more than 40% above 2003 levels and shipments up 25%. But, consumption fell more than 60% from its peaks in 1998.

* While growth has been strong over the past two years, our manufacturing technology market is less than 60% of its peak in 1998.

* Optimists forecast double-digit growth in 2005, while forecasts for the following years diverge. Some sectors in the manufacturing technology markets will begin to slow as early as 2006.

* Consumer demand has slowed in recent months in key markets-such as autos, off-road and highway construction equipment, and appliances.

* Continuation of the capitalspending boom will depend upon the export markets for US-built capital goods and nontraditional, but expanding, domestic markets such as the medical equipment industry.

* The weakened dollar has made US products more attractive in Western Europe. Exports of both manufactured products and manufacturing technology equipment illustrate the temporary competitive advantages provided by exchange rate shifts. The weakened dollar, relative to Asian currencies, is likely to also lead to increased exports of US manufacturing technology.

* The US continues to excel in important categories, including: composite tape-laying machines; transfer lines and systems; small, medium, and large-size CNC machining centers; spar and skin mills for aircraft components; abrasive flow machining for difficult finishing problems, CNC turning centers, small assembly robots, and open-architecture controls.

Wringing Extra Life From Inserts - R and J Tool Inc., machine part reconditioning

Throwing away worn carbide inserts? Then you may be interested in a service that not only resharpens those inserts for added use, but also guarantees that the reclaimed inserts will perform at least as well as brand new ones.

"Most companies do throw away their worn inserts," explains Bob Laflamme, president of R & J Tool Inc. (Laconia, New Hampshire). "That's a waste, because the insert's usefulness has not been exhausted. We can resharpen it as many as three or four times before it is no longer usable."

Insert resharpening is hardly a new idea, but the process has had some definite drawbacks. "The traditional insert-resharpening process has been a downsizing process that retains the original shape of the insert but grinds it to the next smaller standard size," Mr. Laflamme continues. "The user must then go out of the way to accommodate the smaller size, resorting to such things as shimming the insert, going to a different tool body, and so on."

R & J Tool has developed an insert-resharpening process that overcomes most of the shortcomings of the traditional process. The firm's process sharpens the worn insert without changing its inscribed circle (IC) size or clamping height. As a result, the resharpened insert can be installed in the tool as if it were a brand new insert; no adjustments are required because the overall size of the insert is unchanged.

Worn inserts are ground using one or more of four grinding patterns that can be used for virtually any carbide insert. Grinding of the worn insert is confined to the cutting edges. "For example, on a square milling insert, we generally just grind the top of the insert on its outer edge; we don't grind the full thickness of the insert, so the IC size of the insert remains unchanged," explains R & J Tool sales manager Michael King. "And when grinding the top of the insert, we avoid the area where the insert is clamped, so that the reground insert fits the holder just like a new insert."

Better Than New

However, grinding is only a part of R & J Tool's insert-reconditioning process. The process begins with analyzing the user's particular application to modify cutting edge geometry of the insert for optimum cutting performance, grinding and honing the insert, and then applying a coating (which can be one of several proprietary coatings).

"The worn inserts are the starting point for our analysis, but we also ask for enough information to enable us to engineer a cutting edge for the customer's particular application," Mr. King elaborates. "We guarantee that our reconditioned inserts will provide 100 percent of the performance of new inserts, however they typically deliver 125 to 150 percent, and in some cases as much as 300 percent of new insert performance.

"Our analysis also includes the cost to recondition the insert so that the customer can calculate the savings compared to new-insert costs," Mr. King continues. "New carbide inserts range in price from $2 to $32. We can recondition inserts for about half of the cost of new, so as the price of the insert increases, sharpening becomes an increasingly attractive alternative."

R & J Tool's insert-recycling program is geared primarily to users of inserts in large quantities. "Our customers typically spend many thousands of dollars annually for new inserts, and we can offer them significant cost savings," Mr. Laflamme adds. "Our process also addresses environmental concerns. We can reclaim inserts for only 5 to 10 percent of the energy required to produce them originally. And our automotive and aircraft/aerospace customers are pleased that we can offer them a recycling process that reduces their waste stream, addressing ISO 14,000 concerns, at the same time that it reduces production costs."

Smaller firms can also take advantage of the insert-recycling program, however. Mr. King cites as an example a small shop that uses basically one insert type for machining aluminum. The shop placed an order with R & J Tool to recondition 250 inserts, which represented a year's supply. The shop paid $6 per insert for the reconditioning as opposed to $12 apiece for new inserts. The savings more than justified stocking a year's supply of reconditioned inserts.

Making a flexible machine tool more flexible: cutting tools that can perform more than one machining operation can help realize more of a multitasking

Anyone with the resources and the inclination can buy a machine tool. But not everyone can wring out the same amount of production from the same machine. Multitasking machines loaded with multiple turrets and/or spindles offer a great deal of production potential, as they can often completely machine a part on its own. Granted, these machines are more costly than their straightforward lathe and milling machine brethren. However, it's clear that shops battling just-in-time delivery schedules and shrinking batch sizes recognize the moneymaking potential of such machines, as their sales increase every year. It's the classic case of biting the bullet and choosing equipment that initially is more expensive, but offers greater payback down the road.

But the multitasking machine can't do it alone. The choices made in combining various machining elements and strategies into an efficient process ultimately separate the great shops from the average Joes. CAM programming continues to be a challenge for multitasking machines, which isn't surprising considering it involves simultaneous machining operations and orchestrated movement of a number of machine components.

Tooling can also play a make-or-break role. It's logical to think that a multitasking machine designed with flexibility in mind would use tooling that was also flexible. Such tooling would provide the capability to perform a variety of different machining operations with just one tool. A universal spindle interface that can accommodate both turning and milling operations can also augment process versatility. There are a few reasons for this.

First, space can be saved--turret space, to be more specific. The multiple turrets and spindles located within a multitasking machine not only limit space within the machining zone, but also place limits on tool magazine capacity. A single tool that offers five different cutting operations, for example, could free up four tool pockets. Those extra pockets could then be used to hold different tools for parts that require many machining operations or sister tooling to allow extended, unattended operation.

Second, cycle times can be quicker through the elimination of non-value-adding tool change time. A multitasking tool might just require spindle indexing to bring a different turning insert into position, for example.

Third, a universal, modular spindle interface that is effective for milling, turning and drilling operations allows for one common tooling platform for the shop's entire operation. This concept of standardization falls in line with the strategies of lean manufacturing.

During a recent visit to its international headquarters in Sandviken, Sweden, Sandvik Coromant (Fair Lawn, New Jersey) demonstrated the value that a multitasking tool platform, such as its Coroplex line, can provide for multitasking machines. The visit included a tour through the production facility for its mining and construction division, which heeds the advice of its sister tooling company by using robot-tended cells that combine multitasking machines with multitasking tools to produce various mining drill bit components (see "Multitasking Application").

Tooling Versatility

There are a few different approaches in terms of multitasking tool design. One is the combination of turning and milling inserts on a single tool body. That one tool could perform shoulder milling, turn-milling or circular interpolation, for example, as well as face and longitudinal turning, profiling or internal turning. To combine turning and milling capability on one tool requires a design in which the turning inserts don't contact the workpiece while the tool is milling. To avoid this, the milling inserts are located just ahead of the turning inserts axially and radially so that the turning inserts are not in cut when the tool is milling.

Another technique combines two turning inserts located on opposite sides of a tool body. The tool can perform a rough turning operation, then be indexed 180 degrees in the spindle to allow finish turning.

Yet another concept uses a modular mini turret unit that can combine four different cutting modules to allow four turning operations on one tool. This would enable a single tool to rough turn, finish turn, cut a groove and turn a thread, for example. The combination of cutting modules is user-selectable, and it would depend on the type of part and the required machining operations.

Maintaining tool center line accuracy is especially important for multitasking machines to make sure that the tool is precisely positioned to perform a turning operation. This is where it is helpful to have a modular, universal spindle/tool interface. Such an interface is effective for multitasking machines, as their spindle(s) could be called on to mill or lock into position for a turning operation.

Software Links Presetters To Machine Controls

Designed to maximize efficiency, the new Gamma Tool software passes presetter information to machine tool controls. This Windows-based software eliminates the manual input of data and does away with data entry errors, the company says. Integration into Lyndex/Elbo Controlli presetters is said to be easy.

Using a serial connection (cable included with Gamma software) between a PC and a presetter, an operator can acquire tool measurements and then organize them into tooling tables. Tables can then be translated into the desired CNC language (G-codes). After creating and measuring the tooling table, offset data can be directly sent to the CNC. Data storage is limitless.

An easy and powerful programming module (GUPP) allows for editing and the creation of post processor templates by the operator/programmer. GUPP makes customization of any postprocessor possible for adaptation into a CNC. More than 50 post-processor templates, all pre-tested, are included.

Status Quo Rules - predictions for the coming year in the machine tool industry and metalworking business

In January it's customary to look into our respective crystal balls and try to divine what fortune or misfortune is likely to befall us. One interesting aspect of this exercise is that in spite of our confidence that some of our guesses will be right or close to right--and indeed some will--experience tells us the completely unanticipated blind-sides are lurking as well. The following are some of the things that I think will happen as we cruise through 2001, officially the first year of the new millennium.

Call me a wide-eyed dreamer, but I do think we will inaugurate a new president of the United States on January 20. Obviously, half of us will be happy with the new guy, and half of us won't be. But, I see we the people coming together, as is our custom, to support our new leader--at least until he screws up, which I also predict will happen.

I think that some consolidation of the machine tool industry will continue, as too many builders chase too few customers. Moreover the increasing demands of globalization require companies to join together to create a competitive level of critical mass (read size) to play the global chess game.

On the other side of the coin, I think some builders are going to look hard at some of their product offerings and lop off non-viable machines in an effort to define and focus more resources on their core competencies.

As far as processing technology, I see a continuation of the trend of more operations performed on a single machine tool platform. Better programming tools and increased performance of the metalcutting modules will represent continued refinement of this multiple process class of machine tool.

I see the market drivers for these developments coming from shops looking to increase the performance of each spindle in the shop. The shortage of qualified workers will continue to plague the nation's shop floors in 2001, making the need for process automation, reduced setup times and reduced workpiece handling even more acute.

Everyone is interested in what business levels will be in the upcoming year. Most guesses seem to indicate a flat to moderately up year for metalworking overall. One way to keep tabs on metalworking's health is to monitor the plant capacity utilization index. It reflects a percentage of the theoretical metalworking capacity of the nation. If the number is 80 percent or above, it indicates growth. It's a helpful index. Now, let's sit back and see what happens.

Okuma named official machine tool of NHRA

Okuma America, a world-class leader in machine-tool technology and manufacturing, has been named the official machine tool of NHRA.

The official marketing partnership is the first for Okuma in NHRA POWERade Drag Racing and increases Okuma's presence in NHRA. The company also is the primary sponsor of Bill Miller's Top Fuel team and an active sponsor of a NASCAR race team.

"We believe the lessons learned from the application of advanced machining technology to the production of highendurance, high-reliability racing engines give Okuma machine tools a competitive edge in the market," said Okuma President Larry Schwartz. "That's why we're very excited about our partnership with NHRA."

As part of the exclusive multiyear agreement, NHRA is providing Okuma with multiple exposure opportunities through a variety of marketing platforms, including NHRA-produced publications and track signage at each NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series event. In addition, Okuma will have the opportunity to use the NHRA mark in its advertising and promotional campaigns.

"We are pleased to welcome Okuma America as a valued official sponsor of NHRA," said NHRA Vice President-Sales & Business Development John Covarrubias. "We are looking forward to providing Okuma with optimum marketing value by helping them identify more potential customers through their association with NHRA."

Monitoring Service Platform suits machine tool industry

Internet-based ePS Network Services supports maintenance processes while simultaneously forming platform for cross-company service and support between OEMs and machine operators. Service provides detailed information for localization of machine faults and can send service personnel notifications by email or text message if fault occurs. Direct connection to Internet with web browser allows data to be analyzed via servers as well as remote machine control.

CHICAGO, August 11, 2005 - ePS Network Services from Siemens is offering the machine tool market powerful IT infrastructures and service packages that build on each other to provide simpler, safer and more efficient methods for performing service and maintenance.

ePS Network Services is an Internet-based service from Siemens that supports maintenance processes while simultaneously forming a platform for cross-company service and support between OEMs and machine operators.

Any machine tool equipped with Siemens SINUMERIK 810D, 840D or 840Di CNCs, along with the Siemens PCU 50 industrial PC, Internet access and a standard web browser, can operate within this system.

By using ePS Network Services, customers will have detailed information much faster for the localization of machine faults, thus allowing for a faster analysis without needing direct access to the machine or influencing the production process. Service personnel can be notified by e-mail or text message, should a fault occur. A direct connection to the Internet with a web browser will allow data to be analyzed via the servers and even allow remote machine control.

Unplanned downtimes and maintenance costs are reduced when ePS is used for preventative maintenance. Standardized testing procedures can help machine operators and maintenance technicians to quickly determine a machine's condition. Continuous evaluation of the machine tool also makes it possible to identify trends and plan measures in advance.

Data security is guaranteed by restricting data to the servers that ePS provides and, in turn, are protected by firewall and virus scanners. Communication is only established from the machine and/or the PC server to the ePS servers and is protected from unauthorized access by 128-bit SSL encoding.

Korea Shows Its Machine Tool Muscle

Spurred chiefly by its growing auto industry, Korea is now on its way to becoming a major manufacturer of machine tools. Currently, that country ranks seventh among the world's producers. According to a report from the US Chamber of Commerce, the auto industry, combined with new interest in electronics and constructions, has ignited rapid growth in much of Korea's economy. The report further notes that: "Korea's market demand has changed from standard, cost-effective or general products to high-precision, high-speed, and high-powered machine tools. In line with this trend, market demand for computerized numerically controlled (CNC) machine tools has rapidly increased.

"The Korean machine tool industry has gradually upgraded levels of technology, and Korean-made products are considered compatible in the world market in terms of functional technologies such as machining and assembly processes," the report continues.

"There are currently 128 machine tool manufacturers in Korea, most of which are medium and small-sized companies. In particular, Korea's production of numerically controlled (NC) machine tools grew constantly at a 2% annual rate. The Korean machine tool industry aims at increasing the NC production ratio to 70%," the US Commerce report concludes.

The best of Korea's machine tool production will be shown at the Seoul International Machine Tool Show (SIMTOS2006) April 12-17, which promises to be the largest machine tool show ever held in Korea. Held at the Korea International Exhibition Center, SIMTOS2006 will be three times larger than the previous SIMTOS2004.

Sponsored by MOCIE (Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy) and organized by KOMMA (Korea Machine Tool Manufacturers' Association), the show will include more than 3300 booths representing over 400 machine tool companies from 30 countries including Japan, Italy, UK, Switzerland, Spain, Turkey, USA, and Russia. They predict at least 60,000 trade professionals will attend.

Exhibition categories will include metalcutting machines (CNC lathes, multipurpose machining centers, grinding machines, and EDM). Metalforming machines (hydraulic presses, servocontrolled presses, CNC shearing machines, bending machines, lasercutting machines, and robots). The exhibition halls will be divided into five sections: Metalcutting Machines, Metalforming Machines, Industrial Robots and Automation, Cutting Tools/Measuring Equipment, and Machine Tool Parts.

American factories continue to increase equipment investment: competitors in Asia also increased their consumption of machine tools in 2005

Last year, metalworking factories in the United States consumed $5.8 billion in new machine tools. That represents a 14 percent increase over American consumption of $5.1 billion in 2004, which in turn was a whopping 30 percent improvement over the spending level in 2003.

Clearly, there has been a turnaround in the worrisome slump in American capital spending, which saw double-digit negative percentage changes in the opening years of the new millennium. In a ranking of countries by their machine tool consumption, the United States moves ahead of Germany into third place.

That's the good news. The not-so-great news is that competitive goods-producing economies--particularly those in Asia--also increased their investment in machine tools.

China, the world's largest consuming country for the last 4 years, saw a 15 percent boost in 2005. Japan, number two in the world, broadened its investment by nearly 30 percent. Among other Asian consumers, South Korea increased consumption by 20 percent. Taiwan, which had posted an unsustainable near-doubling of consumption a year ago, declined in consumption by 19 percent but nevertheless managed to hold on to the number-seven position. Suddenly booming India showed a 73 percent increase in machine tool installations compared to 2004.

The international statistics come from the 41st World Machine Tool Output & Consumption Survey, conducted annually by Gardner Publications, Inc., publisher of this magazine. The study measures output, trade and consumption from major industrialized nations.

Of the 28 countries in this year's survey, three-quarters showed an increase in consumption. The term "consumption" is a derived statistic. It's what economists call "apparent consumption," and it's calculated by taking a country's production, adding in the value of its imports, then subtracting its exports. The figure of $5.8 billion in machine tools consumed by the United States comes from taking $3.2 billion in American output, adding $3.8 billion in imports and reducing the sum by the value of American exports, $1.2 billion.

As noted, the $5.8 billion in American consumption represents a 14 percent increase over the $5.1 billion figure a year ago. (However, the figure is still well below the all-time high of $8.7 billion in 1998.)

Spain continues to focus abroad: this year's BIEMH show proved that Spain's machine tool builders, as well as its tooling and accessory manufacturers,

My second time attending Spain's biennial BIEMH machine tool show reinforced the notion that this E.U. country is drawing greater attention from the global metalworking marketplace. The 2006 show was the second edition held at the Bilbao Exhibition Center (BEC), which co-organizes the event along with AFM, Spain's association of machine tool manufacturers. The rain that fell in Spain during the 24th edition of this event didn't seem to dampen the spirit or interest of international attendees. While overall attendance and exhibitor numbers were down slightly compared to 2004 (although still much higher than previous shows that were not held at BEC), the numbers of international visitors and represented countries were both higher. This seems to indicate that there is a growing interest in Spanish machine tool technology abroad.

According to Gardner Publications' 2005 World Machine Tool Output and Consumption study, Spain ranks ninth in the world in machine tool production and tenth in machine tool consumption. AFM representatives note that the automotive and die/mold industries remain big targets for its member companies, but many would like a greater share of the burgeoning aerospace market. Some companies do have a healthy aerospace presence, such as Danobat (one of seven companies within the Danobat Group) with its line of turbine blade grinders
The U.S. market is one that AMT, Spain's association for machine tool accessories, components and cutting tools, would like to see its member companies penetrate. Most of the AMT companies are small to mid-sized manufacturers that export approximately 40 percent of their sales. Carlos Pulana, president of AMT and director of the Izar cutting tool company, believes that the key to success in the U.S. market hinges on identifying niche applications that the Spanish manufacturers can fill. In order to gain exposure in the United States, ten AMT member companies plan to attend IMTS 2006 in Chicago, Illinois. Mr. Pulana notes that their largest U.S. distributor is American Quality Tools, located in Riverside, California.

Live Center is suited for American machine tool industry

Available in 5 models and sizes 1-6 Morse taper, Perfetta(TM) is designed for turning on CNC lathe or for use on CNC grinding machine. Product, manufactured from Chromium-molybdenum alloy, heat-treated to 62 RC surface hardness, and precisely ground, features double-row of angular contact ball bearings and precision thrust bearing that optimize speed and concentricity while minimizing friction. Other components include precision taper roller bearing and needle bearing.

The evolution never ends,

Dorian Tool International introduces the Perfetta(TM) Live Center. These live centers, which have already been recognized throughout the rest of the industrial world as the most precise live centers ever built, are now available to the American machine tool industry. Designed for turning on a CNC lathe or for use on a CNC grinding machine, the Perfetta(TM) live center has over 50 years of proven workmanship. Where speed, precision and dependability are the requirements, these tools guarantee quality and performance.

The Perfetta(TM) Live Center is manufactured from a Chromium-molybdenum alloy which has been heat-treated to 62 RC surface hardness and precisely ground to yield high strength and a long working life. The precise double-row of angular contact ball bearings and precision thrust bearing maximize speed, concentricity and minimize friction. A precision taper roller bearing is used for the heavy-duty Perfetta(TM) Live centers to support a heavy workload and radial thrust. A precision needle bearing located on the rear of the center shaft minimizes any spindle deflection and maximizes weight support and neutralizes any turning vibrations.

To protect and extend the life of the Perfetta(TM) Live Center, the bearings are permanently lubricated with a special light weight oil, and hermetically sealed with a press fit brass shield and a neoprene seal.

The Perfetta(TM) Live Center has been engineered with the most precise workmanship and passed through a very strict quality control process and is continuously improving to meet the more ever demanding needs of today's industry standards.

The Perfetta(TM) Live Center is available in five models and in sizes 1 to 6 Morse taper.

1) General-purpose

2) Heavy-duty

3) CNC

4) High Speed

5) Bull Nose

Enduring EMO - machine tool trade show

All of the Americans who took part in EMO 2001, the huge machine tool fair in Hanover, Germany, will remember it as the show that took place right after the terrorist attacks on September 11. Although the terrible events in the United States did not disrupt the show, they left a mark.

Many would-be attendees from the United States had to cancel their visits because of disruptions in flight schedules. (This year 1,300 U.S. metalworking professionals attended compared to 4,000 in 1997, the most recent year the show was held in Hanover.) Those Americans who had already arrived had to deal with the stress and apprehension that comes from being far away from home when terror and tragedy strike in one's own land.

The day of the attack found the team from MODERN MACHINE SHOP scattered in different parts of Europe. Senior Editor Chris Koepfer was en route to Germany from the Czech Republic. Publisher Dan Luciano and company president Rick Kline were in Germany. I was in Switzerland. All of us had the same experience, however. Wherever we were, our overseas hosts shared our shock and pain over the incidents. Their expressions of sympathy and support were heartfelt and genuine.

We all managed to convene for the show in Hanover as planned. There we found a growing sense of solidarity and resolve directed toward America and its citizens. This was evident both in many private comments from individuals and in public expressions such as the minute of silence observed on the second day of the show in memory of the victims. By then, it was clear that the events on September 11 would have repercussions around the world, although the nature and scope of the effects could only be surmised.

There was never a question that the show should proceed as normally as possible. And so it did. Total attendance ultimately hit the 200,000 range as expected. More important, the new products on display showed that metalworking technology is advancing around the world, including in Europe and in Germany in particular. (A broad summary of our observations from the show begins on page 162, but selected highlights will be featured throughout our upcoming issues.)

For the short term, business conditions will be rocky in many parts of the world. For the long term, a spirit of optimism and good will must prevail. There can be no retreat from the commitment to improving quality, boosting efficiency and reducing costs. In this, nothing has hanged.

America's appetite for equipment falters - The World Machine Tool Output & Consumption Survey - Germany surpasses United States as world's largest mac

For the first time since 1993, the United States falls from the top rank among the world's machine tool consumers, slipping behind Germany. Fall-off in the domestic market clobber American builders, whose already-depressed output falls another 17 percent in 2001.

America's metalworking shops and factories acquired only $5.36 billion worth of machine tools during 2001 .That's 21 percent behind the $6.77 billion consumed during 2000, which was 5 percent below the 1999 level, which in turn was 18 percent below that of 1998.

And while Congress plays politics with needed economic-stimulus packages, other countries expand their investment in productive equipment.

Last year Germany boosted its purchases of lathes, presses, machining centers, and so on around 8 percent to $5.58 billion, putting it into the top slot among the world's machine tool consumers. (See Top Consumers table.) The last time that the United States was not the world's leading consumer was in 1993, when China's rapid industrialization made it surge ahead for a year before falling back to its third-place position.

This time, too, China made a substantial gain, as did Italy and France. Even Japan, which has been troubled with three recessions over the past decade, managed to boost its investment 9 percent in 2001, following a 6 percent gain the year before. Among the large consumers, South Korea and Taiwan showed significant declines last year.

The international statistics come from the World Machine Tool Output & Consumption Survey (WMTO&CS), conducted annually by Gardner Publications, Inc., publisher of this magazine. The study measures output, trade and consumption from major industrialized nations.

For all its slipping consumption, the United States isn't going to see a quick rebound. New orders, which predate consumption deliveries by anywhere from a week to many months, keep slipping, too. Orders for new machines, tracked by a separate series of monthly reports from the two machine-tool trade groups, fared very poorly last year. The latest US. Machine Tool Consumption (USMTC) survey of participating member companies shows December orders down 46 percent compared to December 2000. That put the total orders for the year 2001 at 34 percent below the previous year. Or, as Ralph J. Nappi, president of the American Machine Tool Distributors' Association, puts it, "December orders were indicative ofa year that the industry is happy to close."