Mms Shop Talk

Modern Machine Shop, June, 2001 by Katherine A. Kelley

Drawings Rescued. In 1989, John P. Sullivan, a tool and die maker in Ohio, happened upon a large set of old drawings. They had been boxed up and stored at a fabricating company that has since closed its doors. The drawings turned put to be the engineering drawings for the Portage Horizontal Boring Mill. Portage had gone out of business years earlier, but many of its machines were still in use around the country. Mr. Sullivan realized that those drawings would be very valuable to the machine owners, who had no other access to information about spare parts for these machines. Unless rescued, these drawings were likely to be discarded and lost forever.

Mr. Sullivan acted quickly. His offer to buy the drawings was accepted and shortly thereafter, he formed a company, TPS Engineering (Total Portage Supply) to make these drawings available to owners of these machines. Not only would these drawings help owners replace worn or broken parts, but the drawings also would enhance the resale value of the machine. No customer list accompanied the drawings, so the new company used classifieds and other advertising to collect names of owners.

Unfortunately, Mr. Sullivan passed away before his original goal could be met. Now his family is acting to fulfill this industry service by offering digital scans of the drawings, which have been compiled on compact discs. From June through September 2001, buyers can acquire spare parts drawings corresponding to the serial number of their particular machines. A complete parts inventory for each model is also available, as are drawings of Portage rotary tables and right angle heads. For more information, call TPS Engineering at (330) 793-0320 or fax (330) 965-7064.

The Opposite Of "No Trade Backs." Remember elementary school, when your mom used to pack you a bologna sandwich and you'd try to trade it to some kid for a Twinkie? Whenever you managed to get rid of that sandwich, you thought you'd pulled a fast one. Well, Bridgeport Machines and Star Asset Management Group have got an even better deal for you now. In this partnership, Bridgeport will consider any machine in trade to purchase a new one. According to the companies, this is rather unique in the industry. Star Asset points out that since distributors normally can't take a trade-in, that can hamper sales. This new program, though, may help companies put newer machinery on their floors.

Can It Clean My House? Probably everyone at some time has wished they had a "Rosie the Robot" like the one belonging to the cartoon family the Jetsons. That fantasy may not seem like such a stretch to those who attended a recent competition. Robert Morris College in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, hosted the RI/SME Student Robotic Engineering Challenge. Sixty-four schools--middle school through university level--participated. Students designed robots to specifications--a main requirement was that the robot be portable and easy to operate. This year's Judges' Choice Award went to Newberg (Oregon) High School for "Jack-in-the-Box." Robots were entered in contests including a block scramble, where the robots moved blocks from one spindle to another; a Sumo robot contest, where one Sumo robot tried to force another Sumo robot outside of an 8-foot circle; and up and down the staircase, which involved robots climbing up and down three stair risers. Unfortunately none of the contests involved housecleaning. Visit www.m anufacturingiscool.com for more information.

Believe It Or Not. If a typical screw is an inch long, and a typical screwdriver is about 6 inches long, can you imagine what size screw driver would be needed for a 32-foot-long screw? Fortunately, a pair of new screws built at Wedin International are not the kind that need screwdrivers to work. The company built these 32-foot-long screws to operate the world's largest swage auto frettage, a machine that bores out the barrels of large guns incorporated in military equipment. The technology is said to extend the accurate firing life of gun barrels. Each screw is 6 inches in diameter, weights 2,500 pounds and is equipped with two nuts that are 42 inches in diameter.

Help For Free. The latest issue of Manufacturing Insight is now available to those who qualify. This Bourton Group publication overs four topics that are important to many in the field. Included are articles about positioning your organization to withstand downturns in the marketplace; developing and implementing a strategic business plan; remedies to improve businesses; and the relationship between the implementation of lean manufacturing and significant inventory reduction. To receive a copy of the issue, call (815) 395-6445.

Cutting Costs. It's fairly well known in the industry that finding qualified workers is becoming more difficult. One possible way to improve the odds of finding skilled new hires is to make sure that future workers have the opportunity to gain necessary skills. Pathtrace and its Canadian distributor, Ambo Technologies, are doing their part to expose students to up-to-date technology. The companies donated EdgeCAM Version 5.5 to Ecole Polytechnique Montreal. About 300 students will now have access to this program. It will also prove, beneficial to the industries nearby, because many of the school's graduates go to work in Canada's aerospace industry.