Activity at EMO 2003, held in Milan, Italy from October 21 to 28, supports the views of those who believe manufacturing is headed for a rebound in 2004. Approximately 155,000 visitors from 104 countries came to the Milan Fairgrounds to see products from 1648 exhibitors. In total, the show reportedly occupied 1,370,000 ft^sup 2^ (127,275 m^sup 2^) of floor space, and some 6500 machines of all types were on display. EMO makes it a point to admit students to the exhibition, and about 10,000 students came to the fairgrounds during the eight days of the show.

Sponsored by CECIMO (Committee for European Cooperation of the Machine Tool Industries), EMO has been held alternately in Hannover, Germany; Paris; and Milan. During a press conference, officials announced that the new sequence would see the show held in Hannover in 2005, 2007, 2011 and 2013, and in Milan in 2009 and 2015. Paris is no longer in the schedule. One reason for the change is the prominence of the Italian machine tool industry. Looking at the world machine tool industry, Germany and Japan are first and second in producing equipment, while Italy is in third position. China is now in fourth place, and the US in fifth.

Out in the exhibition halls, EMO seemed to be a busy show. As is usual at such a big event, some exhibits were crowded, while in others personnel were sometimes reduced to conversing among themselves and drinking coffee. On the whole, however, EMO 2003 looked to this observer like a success.

For the most part, exhibits at the show indicated steady improvement in the performance of manufacturing technology of all types. The following descriptions are typical of the innovations on display in Milan’s halls.

Builders brought a range of new metalcutting machines to EMO. At the Mori Seiki (Irving, TX) booth (or stand, if you use the Euro term), there were 26 machines on display, five of them new. Prominent among the new Mori machining centers was the NV4000 VMC (described in this issue’s Tech Front). The machine was shown without guards, and the unusual arch-shaped column drew crowds of observers throughout the show. Also on display was the new NH4000 HMC, which delivers 1.1-g feed acceleration on all axes and a 50 m/min rapid traverse. Employing box-in-box construction and the concept of driving through the center of gravity on the X axis, the NH4000 offers improved surface quality and a footprint of 90.6 × 147.8″ (2.3 × 3.75 m). The new NH6300 employs the same design approach as the NH4000, but offers a 630-mm pallet.

Mori has been adding smaller Japanese builders to its portfolio of equipment in recent years. In addition to Mori’s latest designs, vertical-grinding systems from Taiyo Koki, precision automatic lathes from Tsugami-Mori, and a small machining center from Roku Roku were shown. Mori Seiki’s Digital Technology Laboratory (West Sacramento, CA) was also represented, and put the company’s new Tool Management System (TMS) on display. This system constantly updates tool life using the CNC, and makes tool life information available at a machine’s control. Mori personnel say the company’s goal is to be able to go from machine tool concept to first production item in three months. Mori Seiki’s exhibit was the largest at the show, and it was consistently busy.

Across the aisle from Mori Seiki was the only slightly smaller space occupied by Deckel Maho Gildemeister. (Schaumburg, IL). The company had 30 machines at the show, of which six were shown for the first time. The new DMC 75 V Linear is a VMC that employs linear drives on all axes. Options can expand the DMC 75 V to a simultaneous five-axis machining center. Linear drives provide 2-g acceleration on all axes and maximum rapid traverse speeds of 90 m/min. Five-axis performance is achieved by a swivel axis in the spindle head in conjunction with a CNC rotary table. These two axes have direct drives. DMG uses the Heidenhain iTNC 530 controller on the new machining center, and a software tool called the application tuning cycle (ATC) automatically optimizes machining parameters to the surfaces, speed, and precision required, and integrates them into the workpiece program.

Other equipment exhibited by DMG includes the DMC 100 U universal machining center, which has traverses of 1000 mm on all axes. It uses the patented duoBlock concept, which combines a rigid machine bed with three-point support, and a solid rear wall with threefold guide for the X carriage. Rapid traverse in all axes is 60 m/min.

EMO attendees kept the DMG exhibit well crowded. It seemed that visitors to Mori Seiki and DMG were rolling back and forth, looking at equipment on both sides of the aisle. And the two companies provided plenty for them to see.

At Chiron’s (Charlotte, NC) exhibit, visitors gathered around the Chiron Vision machining center. The Vision’s axes achieve rapid traverse speeds to 120 m/min, acceleration to 3 g, and what Chiron calls vectorial axis acceleration of 5.2 g. With a chip-to-chip time of 1.2 s, Vision is equipped with parallel kinematics and linear motors for X and Y movements. Both axes move independently of each other, and control the movement of the main spindle with their interaction. Spindle speeds range to 40,000 rpm.

CJS industries, Inc. held an Open House September 25 to officially dedicate its new 28,000-square-foot precision metal fabricating facility in the North Topeka Industrial Park. Founded in 1993, by Steve Overbey, Jim Lee and Jeff Berke. CJS has steadily increased its customer base and continually added state-of-the art equipment to keep ahead of the competition.

Not only is the company now settled in its spacious new plant, but it has also just installed two more major pieces of equipment. A new Amada 2,000-watt CNC laser cutting machine is adding another dimension to the firm’s capacity to produce precision parts of various materials for quick turnaround. The laser system has a five foot by eight foot table, and with repositioning can handle 1/4 inch material up to 16 feet in length.

The other newly installed machine is a Salvagnini CNC panel bender. This unit automatically bends 14 gage steel up to 74 inches in length. CJS Industries also has three Amada CNC hydraulic press brakes ranging from 38 to 138 tons, and two Finn-Power, 33-ton, CNC turret punch presses. These units can punch sheets of metal with 60 inch by 100 inch dimensions, or 60 inch by 200 inches with repositioning.

CJS Industries works with mild steel, stainless, aluminum, copper and brass. In some cases it can shear. punch and bend certain plastic materials.

A sampling of parts produced by CJS Industries covers a wide range and includes metal truck parts, vending machine parts, panels and doors for metal cabinets, brackets, intricate parts for computers, etc.

Steve Overbey said the company’s strong point is customer service. “When you have state-of-the-art equipment and experienced employees, you’ve pretty well taken care of the ‘quality’ issues. We add the extra service. That means quick turnaround. Getting the parts or assemblies to our customers when they need them. Not just when it fits our schedule. We try to work with our customers as partners in producing a quality product”

Since more customers are looking for a single source, CJS added machining and welding capabilities about two years ago. The 2,500-square-foot machine shop is at 817 Northeast Monroe.

CJS industries, Inc. held an Open House September 25 to officially dedicate its new 28,000-square-foot precision metal fabricating facility in the North Topeka Industrial Park. Founded in 1993, by Steve Overbey, Jim Lee and Jeff Berke. CJS has steadily increased its customer base and continually added state-of-the art equipment to keep ahead of the competition.

Not only is the company now settled in its spacious new plant, but it has also just installed two more major pieces of equipment. A new Amada 2,000-watt CNC laser cutting machine is adding another dimension to the firm’s capacity to produce precision parts of various materials for quick turnaround. The laser system has a five foot by eight foot table, and with repositioning can handle 1/4 inch material up to 16 feet in length.

The other newly installed machine is a Salvagnini CNC panel bender. This unit automatically bends 14 gage steel up to 74 inches in length. CJS Industries also has three Amada CNC hydraulic press brakes ranging from 38 to 138 tons, and two Finn-Power, 33-ton, CNC turret punch presses. These units can punch sheets of metal with 60 inch by 100 inch dimensions, or 60 inch by 200 inches with repositioning.

CJS Industries works with mild steel, stainless, aluminum, copper and brass. In some cases it can shear. punch and bend certain plastic materials.

A sampling of parts produced by CJS Industries covers a wide range and includes metal truck parts, vending machine parts, panels and doors for metal cabinets, brackets, intricate parts for computers.

Steve Overbey said the company’s strong point is customer service. “When you have state-of-the-art equipment and experienced employees, you’ve pretty well taken care of the ‘quality’ issues. We add the extra service. That means quick turnaround. Getting the parts or assemblies to our customers when they need them. Not just when it fits our schedule. We try to work with our customers as partners in producing a quality product”

Since more customers are looking for a single source, CJS added machining and welding capabilities about two years ago. The 2,500-square-foot machine shop is at 817 Northeast Monroe.

Mid-America Precision Products (MAPP), Joplin, Missouri, continues to add equipment and has updated its ISO certification to 9001:2000.

The company, founded in 1960 (previously Eagle-Picher Precision Products), offers precision machining, sheet metal fabrication, finishing (plating, powder coating and silk-screening) and integration assembly. MAPP is also certified to MIL-Q-9858.

Equipment recently installed includes an Amada Gemini Flying Optic 4,000-watt laser cutting system, an Amada Vipros 358 King II and a Virtek Laser QC.

The company also made substantial capital improvements in one of its facilities to dedicate resources specifically for valueadded contract assembly and integration production.

“Our highest priority is our commitment to quality,” stated MAPP’s President and CEO Doug Wright. “We a so try to employ and retain the best employees we possibly can.”

MAPP has grown to 200 employees working in almost 200,000-sq.-ft. of space in four separate facilities in the area.

The facilities house an extensive range of equipment including: 2 laser cutting systems; 6 CNC turret punches; 7 shears; 21 punch presses; 21 press brakes (five CNC); 25 MIG welders; 2 arc welders; 15 spot welders; 5 welding booths; 19 TIG welders; 19 milling machines (8 CNC); 26 lathes (5 CNC); 2 wire EDMs; 14 pieces of grinding equipment; 6 paint booths; 4 ovens; I powder coating booth; 5 heat treat ovens; 3 plating lines (48″ x 96″ x 84″); 4 screw machines; a full range of inspection equipment; various hardware insertion equipment; drilling & tapping equipment; broaching & boring equipment; as well as honing and tumbling machines.

“One of our strengths is the diversity of our capabilties,” noted MAPP’s Randy Lepper, Executive VP. “If it’s made out of metal, chances are we can make it!” Lepper pointed out that the wide range of value-added services enable the company to be a “one-stop” facility for its customers. “Our engineers team with our customers and assist with design for efficient manufacturing and cost reduction.”

MAPP serves an impressive range of industries throughout the world including: aerospace; agriculture; government; medical; computer; telecommunications; banking, electronic and recreation.

The company regularly works with aluminum, stainless steel, steel, copper, brass, titanium, inconel and magnesium.

The challenge for today’s production shop is to be versatile enough to manufacture everything from limited quantities of a variety of intricate specialized parts to high volumes of the same part.

For one contract manufacturer, Iowa Metal Spinners (IMS: Cedar Falls, IA), its metal-spinning capability has provided the agility to consistently meet the changing needs of the market and exceed its customers’ expectations.

Founded in 1980 by President Kevin Herberts, the company is a manufacturer of spun-metal components used by assemblers and fabricators throughout the US. The company fabricates a variety of products from ferrous and nonferrous metals, aluminum alloys, precious metals, common steels, copper, brass, stainless, and specialty and coated steels.

Metals come in many forms from cold-rolled steel to aluminized or galvanized steel, ranging in thickness from 0.010 to 0.250″ (0.25-6.35 mm), depending on the alloy and part configuration. In the course of one year, for example, the company will process more than 1.5 million lb (680,388 kg) of aluminum for use in HVAC, fan housings, and products for the lighting industry.

In 2000, Iowa Metal Spinners moved into a new facility located in an industrial park in Cedar Falls, IA. It was designed to provide a workflow that allowed IMS to meet production requirements more quickly and with more efficiency than most companies of similar size and range of products.

During facility planning, Harberts recognized that remaining competitive required IMS to commit to a program of long-term improvement through adopting advanced automation systems.

“Our industry is totally changing,” says Harberts. “Ten years ago, everything was spun by hand. Now forming is computerized. And the processes are being continually upgraded so that manufacturing is more transparent and more automated. Customers can place their orders and the follow them right through to delivery by going online to check job status and the stage of production,” Harberts points out.

“Our customers dictate our designs. Projects turn around in as little as a few weeks depending upon the complexity of the parts we’re making. The more complex parts may take up to six months,” he says.

In his search for the expertise to enhance and automate his metal-spinning operations, Harberts turned to MJC Engineering and Technology Inc. (Huntington Beach, CA). MJC manufactures high-tech metal-spinning equipment, and specializes in CNC retrofit, machine rebuilding, and support for leading manufacturers worldwide.

“Our relationship with MJC goes back over 20 years,” Harberts explains. “About 15 years ago, we bought four retrofit specialty machines from MJC. They came in and set everything up. It was painless,” he says.

IMS retrofit the older machines, including a spinning lathe and a specialty machine for venturi panels, which are special frames used in HVAC applications. “MJC helped us do what we wanted to do with the specialty machine. They figured it out. It was a risk we took together,” Harberts says.

Avoiding downtime is critical to the company’s operational efficiency. “We had a problem once with one of the retrofit machines,” he explains. “MJC knew the machine was down and that we couldn’t fix it, so they jumped on a plane the next day and were here on site to solve the problem. For them, it was maybe a 10-min fix. They never charged us for a ‘house call.’

“In our fabrication process, we take a sheet of steel and laser-cut blanks, which go into the spin machine. They are formed on a lathe and then undergo secondary operations, such as drilling, welding, trimming, beading, rolling, and finishing,” Harberts explains.

“To stay competitive and profitable, we purchased a new SP-3230 two-axis CNC metal-spinning machine about a year and a half ago. The machine allows us to be more efficient and hold quality better. We’ve experienced an overall improvement in quality of 25%. The machine takes a circular blank piece of metal, spins it, cuts the part, and it’s done. It’s diat simple,” he says.

The only learning curve with the new CNC machine was the training, which took about a month. As far as operating the machine, IMS moved one person from the shop to program the CNC.

MJC standard, custom-built, and retrofitted spinning machines are shipped with the Siemens 840D CNC control and proprietary SpinCAD software.

Harberts says, “We change the oil every so often. That’s about it.”

Harberts credits MJC’s engineering with improving machining processes and reducing programming, setup, and cycle times. “The specialty machines allow us to produce more precision stainless steel work, and that has opened up a variety of new markets for us, such as aerospace, medical technology products, among others. Plus, it has an added bonus that I like. MJC’s equipment and parts are made in the US.” Circle 230

TCI Fabrication, Neodesha, Kansas, has recently installed a robotic arm (in its polishing area), a CNC mill, a CNC lathe and is working on another expansion.

The custom fabricating firm offers laser cutting; waterjet cutting; AWS certified welding; machining/polishing; sheet metal fabrication and specializes in tube and pipe bending.

“The additional equipment enables us to shorten lead times,” stated Brandon Tindle, TCI’s president. “The robot in the polishing area has dramatically reduced the time needed for polishing, while the CNC mill and lathe help us with other projects such as fixtures and dies.”

The SNK CNC lathe has the capacity of 3″ through the chuck or 16″ between centers, while the AR-Tron CNC mill has a 60″ x 30″ x 15″ travel capacity.

Renovations are underway in a 22,000-sq.-ft. expansion in nearby Fredonia.

“The expansion will allow us to keep up with our growth,” noted John Newland, sales manager and 21year industry veteran. “Our wide range of services enables us to tackle projects that many companies won’t touch.”

The company offers delivery services within a 150-mile radius and serves a wide range of industries including: marine; medical equipment; food; trucking; transportation; construction; recreational; military and lawn & garden.

The firm has an AWS-certified welding inspector/trainer on staff and has been designated as an AWS-certified weld test facility.