Industry Watch: Business

Recent activities and events going on in the business of fabricating and metalworking.

DRAKE MANUFACTURING SERVICES CO. (WARREN, OH) . . .
is enjoying a surge in exports to Chinese manufacturers, with orders in hand for more than 25 machines. The latest equipment shipped out was a GS:TI-LM 200, a 4-axis Internal Thread Grinder with a 200 mm maximum grinding length and 350 mm swing over the table that was tooled and programmed to grind recirculating ball nuts used in the power steering systems of heavy-duty commercial trucks. This was the second machine delivered to this specific Chinese customer, and more than doubles their production capacity.

The steering nut weighs over 9 kg and is manually loaded into a custom workholding fixture in this unit, although robot loading is also available. Cycle time for the internal thread grinding process is approximately two minutes. The GS:TI-LM 200 uses linear motors for maintenance-free operation. No ballscrews and 0.05 micron scales mean accurate leads and helical path. A CNC rotary diamond dressing unit mounted on the workhead can generate wheel forms either by contouring or plunge dressing with a form roll. The wheel spindle is equipped with a power helix that can grind lead angles of ±12 deg. The machine also uses a safe shutdown feature to prevent crashes in the event of a plant power loss.

Each machine is delivered with Part Smart™ programs. All of the software required to make good parts from day one is provided with the equipment. The operator needs only to input part specific variables into the control to run parts. No customer programming is required and the operator can change from one part to another in minutes. An entire range of machines, software and grinding processes has been developed for manufacturers of power and e-steering components (ball screws, ball nuts, steering racks, and worms), including a variety of internal and external grinders and rack milling machines to produce each major component in modern steering systems. Special grinding processes have been developed for licensees of Drake proprietary internal return ball nut technology. The patented Drake Internal Return Ball Nut, in use in EPS systems currently, is available for license. www.drakemfg.com

HAAS AUTOMATION, INC. (OXNARD, CA) . . .
has a newly expanded online Build-A-Quote system that takes open pricing a step further by allowing customers to select and configure a machine, add options and accessories, and then generate a detailed custom quotation. Now part of the company website, Build-A-Quote is easy to navigate and accessible from practically anywhere via computer, tablet, or smartphone. With just a few mouse clicks, the easy, step-by-step process allows the customer to generate an accurate price quote for a new turning center, vertical machining center, or horizontal machining center. The completed quote can then be printed, or sent electronically to the local Haas Factory Outlet for follow-up.

To help customers make informed selections, the website offers easy access to machine specifications, descriptions, and images, as well as links to cutting videos and the company information blog. Potential buyers can compare specs side-by-side to help choose the right machine for practically any job, and then select the perfect combination of available options and accessories. Build-A-Quote keeps a running tally of the total, and produces an accurate quote – conveniently, and without hassle. Customers can create quotes from the comfort of their home or office – or from a train, aircraft, or local café, using this new mobile site. www.haascnc.com

DELCAM INTERNATIONAL INC. (WINDSOR, ONTARIO) . . .
formally announced an agreement with AICON 3D Systems GmbH, the developer of the MoveInspect HR optical measuring system, at the Control exhibition held in Stuttgart in May. Under this agreement, AICON will supply PowerINSPECT inspection software from Delcam with its metrology system. AICON is a leading provider of optical camera-based 3D measurement systems that was founded in 1990 by Dr.-Ing. Carl-Thomas Schneider and Dr.-Ing. Werner Bösemann as a spin-off of the Braunschweig Technical University and the VW Group R&D unit. Today it has 60 employees and a customer base that includes automotive manufacturers and suppliers, plus companies from the aerospace, shipbuilding and renewable-energy industries.

MoveInspect HR is a portable coordinate-measurement machine, consisting of high-resolution digital cameras and the hand-operated MI.Probe. Data are collected by sampling defined measuring points with the probe. The software allows for total freedom of movement around the object being measured. The only requirement is a line of sight between the probe and the camera system. As a result, the system can be used for a wide variety of applications, from the geometric inspection of small components to the measurement of wind-turbine rotor blades. Before starting to collect any data, an inspection plan can be created in the Delcam software that details the measurements to be taken. Once this has been done, even inexperienced users will be guided smoothly through the measurement process.

During data collection, the MI.Probe acts as a central control unit. By pressing different buttons on the probe, the measuring process can be started, measurements taken or deleted, and the completion of the project signaled to the software. Each measurement is displayed by the software immediately, allowing extra measurements to be taken in any areas of concern. Once the data collection is completed, various analyses can be run in PowerINSPECT to compare the results with part models from all major CAD formats. PowerINSPECT is able to manage alignment and positioning tasks as well. The software creates user-defined test reports, including graphical presentations of the results and highlighted deviations, that are easy to understand by all engineers, not just metrology specialists. www.delcam.com

CENTERLINE (WINDSOR) LIMITED (WINDSOR, CANADA) . . .
re-launched its Supersonic Spray Technologies (SST™) website that provides an up-to-date overview of SST Cold Spray products and services and contains a number of new features, including video and literature downloads, enhanced navigation features and detailed overviews of its capabilities. The SST Division supplies patented low-pressure cold gas dynamic spray (cold spray) metal coating systems to the aerospace, defense, glass and automotive industries.

The SST cold spray process is cost effective and practical, resulting in very low oxidation, high density applications with little to no effect on temperature sensitive materials. The coatings are extremely machine-able with thin or thick build characteristics. The SST family of products range from portable spray systems to fully automated turnkey production systems to a variety of powder blends and peripheral equipment. Additionally, SST supplies an extensive range of process development, integration and R&D support services and job shop services for short run cold spray production needs. www.supersonicspray.com

MAG IAS, LLC (ERLANGER, KY) . . .
is expanding its solar panel manufacturing systems business with the establishment of U.S.-based operations to build and distribute crystalline silicon (c-Si) module production lines with capacities up to 130 MW. In addition, the company’s European operation continues its success in the market with receipt of an order for a 30 MW solar module production line from Solar-Energy sp. z o.o. in Poland, which will be built at the MAG facility in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. “Solar installations in 2010 were up 100 percent over the previous year, despite the state of the overall economy,” said Joe Jones, the U.S. general manager for the company’s renewable energy business unit. “Over the past five years, we have supplied more than 30 automated production lines for solar panels throughout the world, and our systems have reduced manufacturing costs for solar panels to record lows. Establishing manufacturing in the U.S. allows us to better serve the needs of the industry as it continues to expand.”

MAG provides solar manufacturing solutions ranging from semiautomatic modules to complete turnkey factories for panels that utilize a variety of materials technology. The turnkey c-Si lines are available fully automated or with manual-assisted solutions for lower output operations. As a robot-free solution, the lines are highly reliable and carry a low total cost of ownership (TCO), with cycle times as low as 40 seconds. Modular design allows for configuration of load/unload solutions, conveyance, storage and pack-out, as well as accommodating non-MAG equipment and turnkey controls integration. Backend solutions include trimming, taping, sealing, framing and junction box assembly. Testing and special solutions, such as interconnection soldering, are also available.

The new 30 MW manufacturing line for Solar-Energy Sp. z o.o. in Poland will include all production steps for manufacturing photovoltaic modules, including glass loading, connecting cells and lamination, assembly of frames and junction box, testing and sorting. The manufacturing line will be located at the Solar-Energy facilities in Bozepole Wielkie, Poland, about 40 miles from Gdansk, and should be in operation as early as summer 2011. The company will market the PV modules in Eastern and Western Europe, and they will be appropriately certified. “Their comprehensive expertise in design and development of automated production systems, coupled with their global support, played a great role in our selection of the company,” said Zbigniew Kulik, the president of Solar-Energy. He added that the system’s high degree of automation would ensure highest production quality.

In other news, MAG acquired French machine tool and composites processing leader Forest Liné Industries Group (FLI), which specializes in manufacturing systems for aerospace applications, dies/molds, large parts, titanium and composites processing. The company is a technology leader in composite wing and wing box applications and employs about 300 in operating sites in France, Germany, China and Canada. Jean Bertrand Prot will continue as the president and CEO of FLI and join the MAG Executive Board. “This acquisition gives us another significant point of access to aerospace composites technology, manufacturing resources and demonstration facilities, as well as additional market and customer segments,” said Dan Janka, the president of MAG Global Industrial Systems. “Liné has always been an innovator, and their technology portfolio is highly complementary with our own, so we anticipate a wide range of new opportunities to result from this acquisition.”

Like MAG, Liné is a supplier of both automated tape laying and fiber placement systems. Lightweight and rigid composites are widely used throughout the aerospace industry and in renewable energy systems, such as wind turbines. “We enthusiastically look forward to increasing demand in the wind industry over the next few years, and we have strongly positioned ourselves for growth in all segments of renewable energy, as well as the automotive sector, for which we have developed new composites production technology,” added Janka. Through its European business, MAG Europe GmbH (Göppingen, Germany), the company acquired 100 percent of the shares in the Forest Liné Group. www.mag-ias.com