Market Trends

Partners in THINC Welcomes Two New Partners
The two latest members to join Partners in THINC are Blum and Command Tooling Systems. partnersinthinc.com

Blum-Novotest GmbH is a leading manufacturer of high-quality measuring and test devices for the international machine tool, aerospace, and automotive industries, providing tool and workpiece setting solutions. blum-novotest.com

Command Tooling Systems LLC/EWS combines global resources to present new and innovative tooling ideas to the market. The company designs and manufactures tooling systems at its facility in Ramsey, MN, as well as interacts with its global partners in Germany and Korea to constantly expand its horizons. commandtool.com
 

Mazak Plans Technology Center Expansion
The continued upswing in business in the Midwest has spurred plans for expansion at Mazak’s Midwest Headquarters and Technology Center located in Schaumburg, IL.

The expansion represents Mazak’s continuous investment in American manufacturing and coincides with other recent investments, including a new facility in Houston, TX and production expansion at its manufacturing campus in Florence, KY, to meet customer demand.

Mazak plans to move quickly on the Midwest expansion project, with a grand opening targeted for April 2012. The expanded facility will feature a new auditorium space, more room for seminars, and a spacious area for customer turnkey projects and test cuts, as well as expanded machine tool technology demonstration facilities. mazakusa.com

Anniversary Open House for The Robert E. Morris Co.
The Robert E. Morris Co. plans to celebrate its 70th anniversary by paying tribute to American innovation. The event will be at the Windsor, CT, headquarters, June 15-17, 2011.

Attendees will have the opportunity to see a wide selection of machine tools from Okuma, Tsugami, Hardinge, Bridgeport, Kellenberger, and more; inspection and measurement equipment from Brown & Sharpe and Romer; laser marking machines from Trumpf Laser Marking Systems, and productivity enhancing tooling and accessories from leading vendors.

“We are privileged to be a witness to the ingenuity and innovation of our customers,” says Aaron Hornyak, president of The Robert E. Morris Co.  “Without question, this event is a tribute to their accomplishments and contributions to American manufacturing over the past 70 years.” robertemorris.com

Software and Services total $500,000+ in grants
Gibbs and Associates has granted Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) a network license of 25 seats of GibbsCAM software and post processor library, which, when combined with first year maintenance, that was also granted, is valued at almost $510,000. The software includes functionality to open CAD models from their native format file, modify and prepare CAD models for machining, and generate, verify, simulate, and post-process CNC toolpaths for up to 4-axis milling, rotary milling, and multi-axis turning. It will be used for CAD/CAM, CNC programming, and machinist apprenticeship and training classes of the NAIT School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Technology, and for its periodic GibbsCAM-only training classes.

The NAIT Machinist program, one of the largest in North America, is conducted within the 31,000ft2, NAIT Sandvik Coromant Centre for Machinist Technology, which houses three machine shops, a CNC lab, two computer labs, five smart classrooms, and a metrology/inspection lab. It employs nearly 200 machine tools, including 24 conventional milling machines and 83 conventional lathes, and has capacity to train 1,820 students annually. The facility offers a four-year apprenticeship program (responsible for approximately 70% of Alberta’s machinist apprenticeship training); a full-time, one-year CNC certificate program; and two pre-employment machinist programs. At the core of its CNC machining programs are 36 CNCs, all made by Haas Automation. These include lathes, turning centers, dual-spindle turning centers, and vertical and horizontal machining centers. gibbscam.com; haascnc.com