Industry Watch: Business

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

COE PRESS EQUIPMENT (STERLING HEIGHTS, MI) . . .
shipped its first press feeding line to Spartanburg Steel Products (Spartanburg, SC) to be used for the manufacture of stampings and welded sub-assemblies for the automotive and other industries. The new coil feed line can handle coil width up to 30 in, coil weight capability up to 10,000 lb, and can process steel up to .250 in thick x 10 in wide at 50,000 psi yield strength. The servo roll feed can attain a roll speed of 317 fpm.

The line features a ServoMaster Series 4 in diameter roll feed with two rolls, motorized passline height adjustment, self centering and independent hand crank entrance guides and a standard-duty cabinet base with a +4 in height adjustment. The system also has a 350 Series power straightener with 20 hp AC variable speed drive and digital control, digital upper straightener roll height indicators, non-marking chrome package and a Trabon automatic lubrication system.

The system uses the unique “Alligator” peeler de-kinker station that enables hands-free threading of the steel coil. The double-ended coil reel has a maximum OD of 72 in, automatic drag brake compensation, fail-safe drag brake to prevent coil over-run, coil hold-down arm with motorized endwheel and a hydraulic traveling coil car for effective coil staging and loading. COE also supplied turnkey installation, startup and training for the equipment launch. www.cpec.com

PENN STAINLESS PRODUCTS, INC. (QUAKERTOWN, PA) . . .
recently installed a Tanaka LMX VII 6kW TF6000 plate laser system with its latest stainless steel nitrogen cutting system, one of only two such systems in operation in North America. The TF6000, supplied by Metal Processing Systems, Inc. (MPS; Elk Grove Village, IL), features Tanaka gas-flow technology to achieve high-quality finish and edge condition after cutting. It can cut stainless steel up to 28 mm (1-1/8 in) thick, with a cutting envelope of 13 ft wide x 62 ft long.

Penn Stainless is a full line supplier and processor of stainless steel sheet, plate, bar, structural, pipe and tubular products for stainless, high-temperature, corrosion, Duplex and PH alloys applications. Besides leveling, its shop offers extensive plate shearing, sheet shearing, plasma, HQ plasma, laser, dynamic waterjet, machine, saw and Amada production cutting.

The TF6000 plate laser system cuts to a tolerance of ±0.10 in depending on size and gauge, with a 0.020 in beam and within less than 1 deg taper. The system can also cut a hole that is less than half the thickness of the material being cut, a feature that is unique to the TF6000. This cutting technology also results in a very small heat-affected zone (0.012 in), making it possible to tap a laser-cut hole without secondary operations typically required to avoid breaking the tap in the process.

According to Jim Seward, the president of Penn Stainless, “This new system perfectly complements our other processing services. With its precision performance and massive cutting envelope, we can produce high-quality, large-scale jobs with fast turnaround. Coupled with our new cut-to-length line, we can laser-cut product in excess of 40 ft.”

Mark Eckard, the North American sales manager for MPS, stated, “Besides offering best-in-class cutting performance, the TF6000 is incredibly efficient, allowing for extended maintenance cycles and greatly reduced labor and operating costs.” Its improved beam delivery containment and longer lens cleaning intervals will cut downtime. Automated set-up procedures and long-term unattended plate processing will free-up operators to perform other tasks. Electricity consumption is reduced by 10 percent while laser gas consumption was cut by 50 percent. www.pennstainless.com

MORI SEIKI (UK) LTD. (BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND) . . .
is helping to promote vocational careers for engineers at the WorldSkills 2011 machining competition being held from October 5-8, where five UK finalists from across the country will be competing with the best young engineers from around the globe. Aimed at promoting vocational skills, the competition brings together over 1000 young people from 50 countries, competing in 45 categories. As a Silver sponsor, Mori Seiki is supplying 24 of its latest X-Class CNC machines for use in the CNC Turning, CNC Milling, and the Manufacturing Team Challenge categories.

This is the third time that Mori Seiki has supported the WorldSkills event. It sees it as a showcase for what can be achieved by young people with the correct encouragement and support. Sam Andrews who, with Rachael Carr and Kai Burkitt, is part of the three-person Manufacturing Team Challenge, all employed by BAE Systems (London, England), says, “A vocational career is a fantastic opportunity as it gives you the skills and knowledge, not only within your role at work, but also with your life. For instance, with our company we undertake voluntary work, charity work and other things to help with our community.”

She continues, “Being involved with international competitions raises my profile around my company and within the industry. Also going to international competitions means that I can see how other companies work within other countries. It will enhance my experience and may inspire me to work abroad within my field.”   Nigel Whitehead, the group managing director at BAE Systems, notes that “Engineering is the life blood of BAE Systems. Our future growth is reliant on us ensuring we have the right skills to meet our customers’ and our nation’s needs. We are delighted to support World Skills this year and are fully committed to working with our key industry partners to support skills development in education and the community.”

Mori Seiki understands the importance of training and development to achieve the highest standards in human resources, and has implemented educational activities for its own staff to improve communication around the world. Its exchange and training programs are geared towards developing language skills, building an appreciation of the roles of other departments, understanding cultural differences and instigating technology transfer programs to share know-how amongst the company’s engineers. Steve Finn, the vice president of Mori Seiki UK, says that “Skill shortages are a worldwide problem and we need to get young people back into apprenticeship and graduate schemes. WorldSkills is a great platform for encouraging people to take up vocational training.”

David Nicholl from Northern Ireland is competing in the CNC Milling category. Employed by Schlumberger, he was convinced by his college lecturer that he had the potential to go far. He says, “Pursuing a vocational career involves hard work, but the rewards are great. WorldSkills will help me to develop my skills and it will be a good stepping stone for furthering my career.” Nicholl, Andrews and Ian Thompson, a training manager and WorldSkills expert, spent time at Nikken Kosakusho (Osaka, Japan) preparing for the event. Nikken is the official supplier of the tooling on the Mori Seiki machines.

Nikken Group managing director Tony Bowkett says, “For more than 50 years we have understood the importance of workplace training and skills. The opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to ensuring future generations have the outstanding engineering skills required for the UK to compete globally is one we could not pass over.” Thompson adds, “It is fantastic to have such prestigious companies supporting the young UK engineers, giving them the best possible chance to compete on a world stage.”

As a technical partner to Mori Seiki for WorldSkills, Jemtech (Long Lake, MN) will be supplying cutting fluids for the machines and technical support for its products. Managing director Steve Coull says, “WorldSkills is an opportunity for us to give something back to young apprentices, as they will be the engineers of tomorrow.” Philip Sopwart, who is competing in the CNC Turning category, is employed by Rolls-Royce PLC (London, England) and believes that competing in international competitions will help him with whatever career move he wants to make. www.moriseiki.co.uk