April 2011 Industry Watch: Business

“There is a perfect synergy between Focus: HOPE, the Gene Haas Machining Scholarship Fund and the SME Education Foundation,” says Bart A. Aslin, the chief operating officer of the SME Education Foundation. “Our rhythm of cooperation serves the community, benefits students and their families, and in the long-term, supports our mutual goal for building a well-educated, technically skilled workforce. It’s a win-win situation all around.” www.focushope.edu

JETCAM INTERNATIONAL S.A.R.L. (MONACO) . . .
celebrates its 25th anniversary in the sheet metal CADCAM and nesting market, with over 7000 licenses spanning 70 countries. The company was founded in Australia, relocating to Germany in 1990. With several machine tool manufacturers selecting to bundle the product with their machines, the company grew rapidly and subsequently relocated to the South of France in 1993. In 1999 the firm floated on the London AIM Stock Exchange and acquired UK software developers Camtek Ltd. However, the .com bubble burst the following year and affected all technology stocks, regardless of individual company performance.

Jetcam became a privately-owned company again in 2005 and sold Camtek the following year to Vero Software Ltd. (Gloucestershire, England) to invest in further internal growth. It has concentrated ever since on its core products in CADCAM, nesting, DNC and a new comprehensive orders, materials and nest management suite serving the aerospace and sheet metal fabrications industries. The firm’s products have been nominated and commended several times for the MITCON and The Manufacturer awards due to the demonstrable return on investment the customers saw. Despite the recession, 2010 saw significant growth in the dealer network, with new locations in Lebanon, Syria, Japan, and Korea while the recently opened Jetcam Italia s.r.l. office has become one of the company’s strongest selling distributors. www.jetcam.com

MACHINERY SYSTEMS INC. (SCHAUMBURG, IL) . . .
acquired a Mazak Quick Turn Nexus 250-II MY and a Mazak Integrex j-200 that are ready for customer demonstrations of the Done-In-One capability of these multi-tasking machine tools. “These particular models represent two distinct levels within the five levels of multi-tasking technology that will allow customers to better match machine tool capabilities to their specific part manufacturing requirements,” said Eric Hilliard, the sales manager of MSI.

The machines incorporate a new MX Hybrid Roller Guide System that delivers extreme levels of durability and reliability, resulting in long-term accuracy. With this system, customers gain increased machine vibration dampening to extend tool life and be able to run at higher load capacities, accelerate and decelerate quicker to shorten cycle times, consume less oil for “greener” operations, and operate the machines longer between required maintenance intervals.

The QTN 250-II MY headstock uses a 10 in chuck mounted on a 35 hp, 4000 rpm integrated motor main turning spindle for heavy-duty metal removal. The spindle is also used as a C-axis, capable of being indexed at 0.0001 deg increments to accurately position the part for square facing and slotting cuts and precisely drilled holes. The C-axis spindle is a full-function CNC controlled axis for milling. A fully programmable NC servo-driven tailstock enables automated processes, driving the W-axis on its own AC servomotor and ball screw.  Through the part program, the tailstock retracts to a known position and its center makes contact with the part with consistent holding pressure.  Further, because of its positive independent drive system, the tailstock can drill holes on a shaft centerline, adding versatility to the jobs it can process.

Unlike multi-tasking machines with a drum turret type, the Integrex j-200 uses a standard 20-tool magazine to increase versatility in part production. The main turning spindle with C-axis control features an 8 in chuck mounted on a 15 hp, 5000 rpm integral spindle motor that generates 119 ft-lb of torque. A 7.5 hp 12,000 rpm milling spindle can indexed in 5 deg (or optional 1 deg) increments from minus 30 deg to 190 deg (B-axis control) to perform outer diameter machining, as well as turning, facing, grooving and threading with the same flash tool. Incline machining and all other conventional machining processes are easy to perform. The milling spindle can be radially indexed and clamped, enabling the same tool to be used for turning in both forward and reverse directions. www.machsys.com

NN, INC. (JOHNSON CITY, TN) . . .
ceased manufacturing operations at Kugelfertigung Eltmann GmbH, its German manufacturing facility, because the operation filed for bankruptcy at a local court earlier this year. Eltmann manufactures precision steel balls for industrial and aerospace applications. Due to the insolvency of Eltmann, NN, Inc. adjusted the value of its property, plant and equipment to fair market value, which was not expected to result in a significant change from the current book value of $1.9 million. All other assets and liabilities were written off and charges taken to record any contingent liabilities.

Roderick R. Baty, the chairman and chief executive officer of NN, commented, “Although this bankruptcy does not have a negative impact on our consolidated profitability of NN, Inc., we are saddened. Management and employees worked diligently to improve the operating results and profitability, however, economic factors over the last two years – coupled with the high cost of manufacturing our products in Germany – eroded the financial status of Eltmann. We are working closely with our customers and suppliers to ensure product supply and services from our other global manufacturing units in Europe, Asia and the U.S. We have sufficient capacity in our remaining worldwide facilities to adequately meet the supply requirements of our customers who have been serviced historically from our Eltmann facility.” NN has 12 manufacturing plants in the U.S., Western Europe, Eastern Europe and China. The company had total sales of $259 million in 2009. www.nnbr.com

OKUMA AMERICA CORPORATION (CHARLOTTE, NC) . . .
announced that Command Tooling Systems LLC (Ramsey MN) and QualiChem, Inc. (Salem, VA) joined Partners in THINC. Command is an American manufacturer of tooling systems and the global partner of EWS Germany. The partnership also includes EWS Korea, which builds turrets and tooling for the Asian market. Nick Martin, the president of Command, who is very familiar with the Okuma organization, is excited to work with Okuma again through Partners in THINC. “We can provide innovative tooling solutions for milling centers, lathes and multipurpose machines,” he said. “We know driven and static tools. If customers require specials, we design and make them within 6-8 weeks. This partnership is great since it comes in a year where we celebrate our 30^th anniversary and it will reinforce American and German ingenuity in the tooling solutions available for our industry.”

QualiChem manufactures cutting and grinding fluids, metal cleaners, corrosion preventatives, metal forming fluids, and offers the latest technology in water-based cutting and grinding fluids, covering the complete range of fluid requirements from light duty grinding to the most difficult cutting operations. John Wiley, the business development manager for QualiChem, stated, “We partner with companies to find the best fluid solutions for their particular use and needs. Joining this helps us take that a step further by allowing us to work with them from the beginning of their machine tool purchase decision. We look forward to the opportunities this relationship affords us.” www.partnersinthinc.com

MECSOFT CORPORATION (IRVINE, CA) . . .
announced a VAR partnership with Baltic firm ECCOM OÜ (Tartu, Estonia), a value added reseller for Raptor and High-Z CNC equipment for manufacturing, that permits them to resell VisualMILL, a standalone CAM solution that fits well in their target markets. www.mecsoft.com