Suited for cellular or lean manufacturing, Profimat MC traveling column machine provides multi-axis grinding and is available with integrated automatic tool changer that can switch wheels in 8 sec. Four production profile models feature grinding range/table clamping area of 700 x 400 mm to 1,000 x 600 mm. Rated at 60 kW, variable-speed main spindle achieves speeds to 8,000 rpm. Maximum cutting speed of 170 m/sec is suitable for CD or IPD as well as CBN applications.


MIAMISBURG, OH - The Blohm Profimat MC, a production profile grinding system from United Grinding Technologies, Inc. (UGT), for creepfeed applications, is a powerful traveling-column machine capable of multi-axis grinding in a tight space-saving 2,000 mm-wide footprint. Available with an integrated automatic toolchanger, the Profimat MC allows for added flexibility.

According to Larry Marchand, Aerospace Accounts Manager, the Profimat MC is increasingly the choice of manufacturers employing or implementing cellular or lean manufacturing. He notes, for example, an aerospace customer who has 38 Profimat MCs arranged in multiple lines producing turbine components. Driving the lines is a strict adherence to "takt" time, a central principle of lean processes which dictates that a specific number of finished parts must come off the lines within a set time - less than a few minutes. This is accomplished by simplifying and breaking down operations according to takt time, grouping machines tightly together in cellular fashion and limiting operator involvement. "In this case," Marchand says, "the Profimats replaced a battery of dedicated, largely inflexible grinding centers and resulted in significantly slashing lead and changeover times and reducing floor space by 75 percent."

The new Profimat MC is available with an integrated automatic tool changer that can switch wheels in eight seconds using a swing arm configuration. Maximum tool dimensions are 300 mm x 60 mm x 76.2 mm, and changer capacity is tools is 20 - 10 for wheel diameters smaller than 190 mm, and six for wheel diameters up to 280 mm. A reliable HSK-80 wheel flange system offers rigidity and precision needed for close tolerance parts with high surface finish requirements. Tool options include vitrified CBN, plated CBN, conventional grinding wheels and various other metal cutting options.

Access for machine maintenance is from the front and back, allowing the machines to be set virtually side by side, which facilitates swift production flow from machine to machine. Also, side-by-side stacking permits a single operator to oversee several machines, while the low-profile table eliminates the need for platforms and aides ease of operator movement.

The Profimat MC is designed from the ground up around a modular platform concept common to all Blohm machines. The machines are assembled from base modules, including the machine bed, column, wheelhead and machine table. These modules are manufactured in batches to assure absolute quality and consistency in machine construction. Specific guideways, drives, and controls are then added to the assembled base to meet customer-specific requirements. High-precision linear guideways in all axes consist of 6-row ball and 4-row roller bearing systems and provide stick-slip free, highly accurate positioning with minimal maintenance. The Profimat MC work area is entirely enclosed to fully contain high-pressure coolant.

Specifications

The four MC models feature a grinding range/table clamping area of 700 mm x 400 mm to 1,000 mm x 600 mm Grinding wheel size is 400 mm x 100 mm x 127 mm (smaller for CBN). Optional wheel size is 500 x 220 x 127.

The 60 kW variable speed main spindle achieves speeds up to 8,000 rpm, standard. Maximum cutting speed of 170 m/sec is suitable for conventional CD or IPD as well as CBN grinding applications.

Axes travels: X-axis travel is 700 mm (optional 1,000 mm) with a rapid traverse of 30 mm/min to 25,000 mm/min. Y-axis travel is 550 mm with a rapid traverse of 4 mm/min to 3,750 mm/min. Z-axis travel is 320 mm, 520 mm or 550 mm with a rapid traverse of 4 mm/min to 4,000 mm/min.

Dressing

Dressing options include continuous path controlled from the machine table and wheelhead mounted diamond roll dressing for continuous dressing (CD) and in-process dressing (IPD). With IPD, wheel dressing is simultaneous with the grinding process, resulting in significant reductions in grinding time and a perfect grinding wheel topography over an increased grinding length. Fast initial dressing with specific roughing tools reduces cost due to reduced wear on precision diamond tools.

Additional features, such as Auto wheel balancing, compensating coolant spouts and HSK clamping spindles, are optionally available. Flexible front table design allows different table configurations for varying specific solutions - a conventional fixed table or a two-station table with simultaneous loading/grinding for high volume production. Double CNC indexer permits up to six-axis processing for complex, precision parts (i.e., turbine vanes or vane segments requiring angles, radial cuts and shoulders).

The Quick Vision Apex series CNC vision measuring systems from Mitutoyo America Corporation provide accuracy (1.5+3L/1.000) and speed (1,000mm/[s.sup.2]). The systems accomplish non-contact measurement of items such as IC chips, IC packages, hybrid chassis, lead frames and various types of precision-machined and molded parts.

The platform is driven by QVPAK software, offering a selection of accuracy levels, optical/oblique illumination systems and measuring ranges.

The measuring systems are said to provide flexible illumination options, including programmable ring lights with choices of halogen ring-fiber or white or RGB LED.

A pattern-focusing function provides a focused edge, even on mirror finishes, according to the company. Additionally, the programmable power turret tube lens (or programmable power zoom lens) provides automatic zooming to extend the field of view at high levels of image detail.

Other features of the software include extended 3 D data processing functions and support of touch-probe measurement with video/TP calibration.

The software displays measurement results in 2D/3D graphics. Other standard features include single mouse-click edge-detection; abnormal data elimination; noise filters; data fit; the SmartEditor part program; and a variety of editing and control tools.

Mimatic-driven tools are machined from solid blocks of aluminum alloy to produce lighter, stronger and more accurate tools, says Zettl Mimatic. According to the company, these tools include spindle bearings and offer smooth, quiet operation and concentricity.

Tools are available for CNC lathes, machining centers and mills in standard, modular and customized single or multi-spindle tool versions.

All CNC programs must be verified. While new programs present more challenges than proven programs, operators must be careful and alert during every step of a program's verification.

Step 1: Verify the correctness of the CNC program. This step is required for new programs or for programs that have been modified since the last time they were run (possibly because of engineering changes). It is also necessary to do this step if there is any doubt as to whether you are working with the current version of the program (after making changes at the machine the last time the job was run, perhaps the setup person forgot to save the program).

The objective of Step 1 is solely to confirm the correctness of motions commanded in the program. Other potential problems will require further verification at the machine; however, when Step 1 is successfully completed, the setup person will have confidence in the motions made by the program.

Some operators perform this step on the CNC machine during setup, which requires time. Many current model CNC machine tools have built-in toolpath displays, and as long as you verify the new program while the machine is running, you won't interfere with production. Not all CNC machines allow you to view one program's toolpath while another program is running. In this case, Step 1 will add to the setup time. If mistakes are found, the time it takes to correct them will also add to setup time.

Not all CNC machines provide toolpath display, and it is difficult to see a program's true motions by watching a CNC machine run a program. You may not be able to achieve the objective of Step 1 in this case because there might be serious mistakes to be found and corrected in Steps 2 and 3.

With the affordable off-line G-code level toolpath verification systems available, Step 1 can be performed for upcoming jobs, while the machine is running production shortly after a CNC program is created or modified. With these desktop computer-based systems, users can gain a better view of the program's movements than they could by watching the machine move.

If using an off-line system, the programmer is usually responsible for this step. They will perform this step shortly after the program is created. While most CAM systems have toolpath verification that is done as the CNC program is created, if changes are made to the G-code level program, many CAM systems cannot display the changes.

Even if changes are not made to the G-code level program, I recommend using a G-code level off-line program verification system to check the program's motions. If nothing else, this gives the programmer another way to see the motions a program is going to make before it is run on the CNC machine.

It takes a watchful eye to catch mistakes with an off-line system. Because the job is not currently on the machine, there is no real urgency, so mistakes can slip by. It might help to have someone else perform this step (another programmer or a setup person). Because the original programmer is so familiar with the job, he or she might not catch obvious mistakes. A setup person can be the best bet, since he or she will be responsible for actually running the program at the machine.

Many off-line systems don't show the location of clamps and other obstructions, so the person verifying the program must be able to visualize the placement of workholding components around the workpiece. The more problems they catch, the fewer problems there will be for the setup person to find and correct.

There may still be problems with the program's motions alter Step 1 is completed, but these problems should not be severe. Even with a toolpath display, it can be difficult to catch small motion mistakes. Some solid model-type program verification systems allow performing measurements on the virtual workpiece machined in the system; however, you must suspect that a problem exists before taking a measurement. For instance, with a mistake of less than 0.01 inch, it is likely that you may not suspect that anything is wrong.

With 3 modular marking head options, DPS marking machine can perform dot peen, scribe, and laser marking. Design utilizes x-y slide arrangement driven through bellows-protected, linear ballscrews. Standard machine is all-electric, and air-operated units for deep marks are also available. Machine, offered in 4 models, can use servo or stepper motor drive for respective marking rates to 10 or 5 characters/sec with 0.005 mm or 0.02 mm repeatability.


For the first time, one machine can perform dot peen, scribe and laser marking. Now, the cost of three different types of marking processes in one machine, including laser, cost less than most basic laser systems.

There continues to be advancing technology in the way parts and components are being marked, and Columbia Marking Tools, Inc. is right at the forefront. The newest development is a compact 3 in 1 CNC marking machine that has the versatility, with a choice of three modular marking head options, to dot peen fast and deep, scribe mark quickly and silently, or laser mark fragile or very hard materials. Part numbers, lot numbers, QC marks, company logos, trademarks, date or shift codes, 2D Matrix codes or even QS9000 and ISO compliance indications can be made with this one marking system, no matter what material or surface is being marked.

The 3 in 1 machine is an extension of the standard Columbia DPS (Dot-Peen-Scribe) programmable marking machine with the addition of laser marking capability. The basic design of the machine utilizes an x-y slide arrangement that is driven through precise linear ballscrews that are bellows-protected. The standard machine is all-electric but air operated units for extra deep marks are also available. The various marking head modules are mounted to the slide arrangement by two easily removable bolts. The design permits the user to have either a quiet-running, servo motor drive that provides high-speed marking capability up to 10 characters per second with 0.005mm positioning accuracy, or a high-performance stepper motor drive that gives 0.02mm repeatability at 5 characters per second. The machine can operate as a stand-alone unit or, because of its compact size, can be easily integrated into an automated production system.

The various marking heads include a peen/scribe marking unit that uses an impact stylus for peen marking or a diamond tip for the quiet scribe marking of text or graphics into hard or soft surfaces producing fully formed lines and curves. The marking force can be actuated either electrically or by air. Switching from dot peen to scribe marking can be performed by merely flipping a switch and changing the stylus. Also available is a multi-faceted diamond tool for extended tool life.

The laser-marking unit utilizes a compact, low-cost 50-watt adjustable diode laser with variable power from 0 to 50 watts. The laser module takes less than five minutes to retrofit to the DPS unit.

The machine is available in a family of four different models depending on the marking window required. The DPS60 has a 1.6 x 2.3-inch (40 x 60mm) window. The DPS 150, a 4 x 6-inch (100 x 150mm) window. The DPS300, an 8 x 12-inch (200 x 300mm) window, and the DPS500, a 13.12 x 19.68-inch (300 x 500mm) window. Custom marking windows, rotating fixtures and powered, extended Z-axis sizes for hard-to-reach part applications, are also available.

The Columbia 3 in 1 DPS marking system comes complete with a keyboard and controller that features use-friendly prompts for quick navigation thru programming. The standard unit interfaces with existing Windows[R] 95, 98, XP or NT systems using the included Columbia SIGNUMERIC software (Pat. Pending). This software allows the user to create intricate logos, special graphics and 2D Matrix codes with enhanced functionality. Data entered by the keyboard can be viewed and edited on the LCD display before any marking is performed. The test can be fixed or variable, numbering can be sequential, and date coding can be set up to be automatic and character size can vary in 0.1 mm steps.

Some of the recent applications for the Columbia DPS system include marking automotive exhaust and intake manifold systems, fuel rails, seat frames, input shafts, door and hood panels, gears and housings as well as hydraulic fittings, hand tools and appliance parts. Columbia Marking Tools is a leading designer and manufacturer of metal and plastic marking equipment including stamps, roll marking dies, roll marking and impact marking machines, fully programmable peen/scribe marking and UID/2DMatrix(TM) machines, numbering heads and special marking machines. Columbia also has manufacturing facilities in Germany thru a joint venture with Richter Systems and Machines.

Designed to improve milling, drilling, and tapping capabilities for CNC lathes in turning operations, live tools feature lifetime-lubricated bearings and optimized gears for smooth operation. Precise, rigid tools also offer internal coolant up to 70 bar and length adjustment. Series includes high-speed tooling as well as coolant feed thru, axial, radial, dual output radial, and universal tools. Straight and offset units as well as modular quick-change systems are also available.

Mundelein, IL - (August 30, 2006) Designed to enhance the performance of a CNC lathe, Lyndex-Nikken offers a wide variety of live tools. These highly precise and rigid tools effectively improve milling, drilling and tapping capabilities in turning operations.

Lyndex-Nikken stocks a range of standardized live tools for CNC turning centers from Okuma, Mazak, Mori Seiki, Nakamura, Sauter and all other major builders.

Lyndex-Nikken's live tool offering includes high-speed tooling, coolant feed thru tools, axial tools, radial tools, dual output radial tools and universal tools. Straight and offset units, modular quick-change systems and tapping quick-change holders are also available. Many models are lightweight and compact.

Lyndex-Nikken live tools include optimized gears for ultra smooth operation. Other advantages include lifetime lubrication of bearings, high torque transmission, internal coolant up to 70 bar and length adjustment.

Extensive parts inventory, maintenance and repair, and rebuild services are available through Lyndex-Nikken.

Producing exact copies of custom race engine cylinder heads is difficult. Engine builders know that recreating a winning combustion chamber with a hand die grinder is time consuming and doesn't always produce a 100 percent accurate copy.

With racing of all types growing in popularity and the after market street rodders demanding high performance products, the ability to produce custom cylinder heads in quantity is a necessity.

This is the situation encountered by Tom's Auto (Clarksburg, Pennsylvania). Tom's Auto is a full-service race engine shop, building and repairing custom cylinder heads for drag racing, circle track, hot rod an(l street rod cars. Increased customer orders and the schedule demands of racing made it necessary for Tom Hemphill, the shop's owner, to find a way to get more high quality engines "out the door." He needed to find an alternative to hand porting and grinding.

Tom's Auto creates custom race engine cylinder heads and offers a repair service for damaged heads. New heads are prototyped by starting with an existing casting and drastically modifying the combustion chamber shape and the intake/exhaust ports by using a combination of hand shaping and CNC machining. Once the new head design has proven itself on the dyno and has performed well at the track, CNC copies of the head are made. "To be competitive, we need to make around 2,100 hp," Mr. Hemphill says. The CNC copies are machined from a solid block of 6061 aluminum. The CNC has made itpossible for Tom's Auto to create new billet CNC heads that will produce the same horsepower of the proven prototype head design.

At the Performance Racing Industrial Show, Mr. Hemphill saw a demonstration of the "copy and cut" digitizing feature on a Centroid (Howard, Pennsylvania) CNC-equipped Millport Rhino 40B bed mill from Millsite Engineering (Ravenswood, West Virginia). Mr. Hemphill knew it was just what he needed.

"It's cylinder head porting that got me into CNC," he says. "The porting work we were doing was very time consuming. You have eight intake and eight exhaust ports in a head. The closer you can come to making them the same, the more power you can make. And. . . it's real labor intensive doing it by hand. We were getting to the point that we were doing more extensive porting. Originally, we started removing 0.06 inch to 0.1 inch of material. Then we got to the point where we were working on heads that we actually had to remove 0.25 inch of material in some places."

The CNC machine has given Tom's Auto the ability to produce custom race engine cylinder heads that will exactly match a proven head design in horsepower and performance. Through CNC digitizing and machining, customers are assured that they will receive an exact reproduction of a proven head design.

The shop performs both digitizing and machining with the Millport bed mill. The Millport CNC eliminated the need to buy a dedicated digitizing machine, reducing Mr. Hemphill's initial investment and reducing the learning curve with only one system to learn. The digitizing interface is in conversational format and integrates with the rest of the control software.

New business the Centroid CNC machine has brought to Tom's Auto is the ability to do repair work on any brand of high performance cylinder heads. Rather than scrap a favorite cylinder head, a race team can now choose to have the head repaired to the original shape. When an engine blows up, very seldom does the whole head get destroyed.

Mr. Hemphill ordered the Millport CNC machine equipped with the Centroid digitizing package. The Centroid "DP-4 all surface touch probe" is equipped with a standard M3 thread that has allowed Tom's Auto to create its own custom-shaped probe stylus to match the special "lollypop" carbide cutters used in machining the combustion chambers and ports. These lollypop-shaped styli and cutters allow undercut digitizing and machining. The CNC also came with a built-in hard drive for onboard digitized part G-code storage, which eliminates the need for an extra computer to be hooked up to the control, further simplifying the digitizing process.

Mr. Hemphill uses the same probe to locate part positions that he uses for digitizing. He uses the conversational probing cycles to automatically find centers, edges, corners, part zeros and heights. To locate a new head for machining or digitizing, he selects the probing cycles graphically, follows the instructions on the screen, presses the cycle start button and the part location is automatically set. Mr. Hemphill is constantly tearing down and setting up new jobs, so the amount of time it takes to set up a new fixture or vise is an important factor.

Tom's Auto used to send lightening work out of the shop until it acquired the new Rhino 40B CNC bed mill. "It would take about 2 weeks just to get a set of pistons lightened," Mr. Hemphill says. "Now we'll have a set done in 2 days." This is significant--by keeping the work in house, the company is able to reduce the cost, increase the quality and decrease the time it takes. "The piston manufacturers only have four or five forgings for a large range of sizes," Mr. Hemphill says, "so a large diameter piston will have a thick wall that adds weight." He uses Centroid's conversational programming, Intercon, to program the lightening operations. He makes use of Intercon's Teach mode to swing three-point arcs inside the piston so he doesn't have to calculate any arc endpoints. Once he has swung the arc for the one side, he just mirrors the same arc to machine the other side. "From the underside of the piston, we have written programs and go in there with long end mills with radius corners and lighten the piston any where from 70 to 90 grams," Mr. Hemphill says.

Every chip is precious at Regeneration Technologies, Inc. Rather than billets of metal alloy, the material RTI uses to produce its precision machined grafts is retrieved from donated human tissue. Located in Alachua, Florida, RTI processes bone, cartilage, tendons and ligaments to make implants used to repair and promote the healing of a variety of bone and tissue defects, for procedures including musculoskeletal reconstructions, mending bone fractures and repairing spinal vertebrae. These implants of human tissue from one person to another are called "allografts."

RTI aims to reduce surgery time and improve convenience for surgeons. These aims are best accomplished by using human tissue (and soon, bovine tissue) that is shaped appropriately for the surgical procedure. The shaping is accomplished through CNC machining.

RTI applies CNC machining primarily to spinal allografts, including blocks, wedges, threaded dowels and rings used in cervical and lumbar procedures. The company's Cornerstone ASR Cortical-Cancellous Block provides an example. This "engineered allograft" is multilayer part made up of two cortical bone wedges (the outer hard part of bones) around a central, faster-healing cancellous bone section (the inner spongy part of bones). The three pieces are held together using press-fit bone pins.

While the material and products are unusual, RTI's machine shop is similar in many ways to more traditional shops. The company meets production deadlines, accommodates design changes, solves fixturing problems, provides prototypes and addresses a host of other concerns common to production.

Many of the differences that do exist are a mailer of degree. For example, every machine shop is familiar with the importance of process work flow, the need for work area cleanliness and the challenges posed by batch-to-batch material variations. RTI machinists face these same issues. However, their machining environment makes the difficulties associated with these issues unusual indeed.

Work Flow

After the donor material arrives, it undergoes a rigorous screening process. The tissue is removed from the bone using a wire brush wheel or scalpel. The bone (such as a femur) is then sectioned into allograft blanks using a band saw. This process requires a fair amount of skill, with the experienced band saw operator planning the cuts in order to maximize the yield from a given bone.

The blanks are then machined using CNC lathes and mills. Pins are turned and sized using OmniTurn GT-Jr lathes, while milling is performed on Fadal 904-1L machining centers using dedicated fixturing and high speed steel or carbide tools. After any required assembly steps, the bone is sterilized using RTI's "BioCleanse" process, which eliminates any bacteria, fungi, spores and viruses (and also leaves the bone appearing perfectly white). The bone is now able to serve as an inert scaffold that is absorbed into the body over time. In fact, once the surrounding bone has had a chance to grow into the grafted bone (many months after surgery), the implant is nearly impossible to detect in an X-ray. Lyophilization (similar to freeze drying) follows BioCleanse, and this process allows the final parts to be stored at the hospital without refrigeration. Packaging and inspection complete the production process.

Work Area Cleanliness

Protective clothing and related precautions also take on a different dimension for RTI machinists. Employees wear personal protection equipment, protecting both the bone from the machinist and (potentially) the machinist from the bone. Also, neither personnel nor equipment enter or leave the controlled production area "core" without cleaning or sterilization. All tooling is first treated with disinfectant, then it is wiped with isopropyl alcohol and dried before it can be taken into the clean area. For cutting fluid, RTI uses only isopropyl alcohol, a choice that is able to serve as a disinfectant, a lubricant assisting in chip removal and a drying agent.

Finally, for safety purposes, machinists are instructed to treat all tissue as though it were infected. If an injury were to occur in the core, then the machinist would be escorted out for medical care and tested for infection.

Batch-To-Batch Material Variations

For a more conventional shop, variations in metallic stock can include differences in machinability and mechanical properties, as well as machined part distortions related to residual stresses.

In a similar manner, RTI's donors differ in age and sex, leading to variations in density, elastic modulus and yield strength. Even for one bone from a single donor, the properties can vary from one point to another. RTI addresses this problem by weighing the tissue prior to machining. This gives an indication of the bone density, which has been shown to be closely related to the material strength. If a minimum weight is not met, then the tissue is rejected.

Brian Vickers pushed Mike Bliss into a spin within sight of the chequered flag of Saturday's Nextel Open at Lowe's Motor Speedway, beating Bliss' broadside machine to the line by a matter of inches.

In a dramatic finish to what had been an enthralling two-segment 30-lap sprint, the right front of Vickers' #25 Hendrick Motorsport Chevrolet made contact with the left rear of Bliss' #0 Haas CNC Racing Chevrolet as the two raced through the tri-oval for the final time.

As Bliss, who had led the majority of the way, fought to keep control of his spinning machine, Vickers jinked by on the outside to win in front of a shocked Charlotte crowd.

For any company that designs new products, communicating its designs outside of its walls is always a source of anxiety. Outsiders who get proprietary information can use it to become a competitor.

This is the main reason why Jeff Smith, president of Triad Solutions LLC (Moorpark, California), decided to do some of his own machining in-house. The company made this transition without hiring a machinist, without making a large capital investment and without undergoing a big learning curve. Even though the shop had no machining experience, it has been able to machine its own parts quickly and efficiently, thanks, in large part, to the intuitiveness and accessibility of CNC technology today.

"We realized the most important thing for us to do is maintain complete control of certain critical parts that have earned us a lot of business," Mr. Smith explains. "We didn't want to reveal the details to competitors or vendors."

Triad is a developer of cryogenic test dewars, which are metal containers made like a vacuum bottle that allow infrared sensors and arrays to be tested at very cold temperatures. The shop machines the dewars' vacuum interfaces for electrical circuits, as well as internal components such as cold pedestals, heat-switch components, light baffles, device sockets and heater enclosures. It also prototypes parts for new designs. The company's customer base includes high-tech aerospace companies that work with infrared sensors and universities that require these devices to research materials.

Mr. Smith knew that he would have to find a CAM software program that would allow direct-to-NC-programming from 3D designs. At the time, the company was happy using TurboCAD, a program developed by IMSI (Novato, California) that allows the user to manipulate AutoCAD drawings. So when the time came, Mr. Smith inquired about the company's CAM capability.

With this new CAM capability, the shop uses a benchtop three-axis CNC milling machine from Taig (Chandler, Arizona).

After implementing TurboCADCAM, the company started producing parts within a couple of weeks. During that time, employees had to learn the specifics about formatting the software to work with the CNC machine. Then they had to optimize the machining steps to produce quality parts, which Mr. Smith says took time to perfect. "We produced many a scrap part in the process because of our ignorance in several areas, mainly with machine setup and proper settings for the material being machined," he says.

The company is now capable of machining 20 percent of its own parts that it couldn't machine without the CAM application. The company did not have to hire any more people to add to its five-person staff, nor did it have to purchase more than one CNC machine.

Although it didn't take the staff long to get up to speed with the new software, Mr. Smith explains that the company isn't working with complex parts, exotic materials or tight tolerances. The shop mainly machines aluminum, and tolerances are normally in the range of 0.005 inch.

Every job at the shop begins with the design of a product requested by a customer, typically in the form of written specifications. The shop translates the specifications into a 3D model that it reviews with the customer prior to fabrication.

Now that Triad has been machining parts for a while, it has discovered a range of benefits that go beyond protecting its own designs. Not only does the software aid in keeping company costs down, it also has improved Triad's customer service. For example, job turnaround time has improved because instead of sending a design out to be machined, it's possible to machine a part in one day. "We have literally talked about the design of a part with a customer and delivered the finished part all in the same day," Mr. Smith explains. "It takes maybe half an hour to set up the material on the machine, and then it's ready to go."

While superheroes may have captivated the mainstream public in multi-million-dollar summer blockbusters, superfoods--powerfully healthful foods and supplements that can bring nutritional balance to anyone in need--are of more interest to the natural health consumer.

One of the most highly touted properties of green superfoods is their nutritional content. "Superfoods can be described as enzymatically alive whole foods that are powerhouses of vitamins, minerals, cell alts, antioxidants and phytochemicals," says Diane Kingsley, of Veto Beach, Florida-based Orange Peel Enterprises, the makers of Greens+. Superfoods help to protect the body from free radical damage, and hey provide key nutrients for optimum health."

Choosing Chlorella

One green superfood that is a virtual paragon of nutrition is chlorella, which is believed to contain the most chlorophyll of any plant. Chlorella also contains numerous vitamins, carotenoids, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids, beta-glucans, protein, fiber and chlorella growth factor (CGF).

"The polysaccharides in chlorella stimulate the production of interferon, file fuel your body's immune system needs to work at its full capacity," says Janis Van Tine of Sun Chlorella in Torrance, California.

"The powerful CGF may help revitalize and rejuvenate the entire body by maintaining and repairing cells, increasing energy levels, stimulating the growth of new cells and supporting the immune system."

Indeed, recent research has supported chlorella's role as an ummunomodulator.

A 2002 in vitro study conducted at Oklahoma State University showed chlorella's capacity to suppress histamine release, thereby reducing the body's inflammatory response. Comparatively, animal research showed oral treatment with chlorella (Chlorella vulgaris) increased file release of certain pathogen-fighting immune cells, but only in the presence of infection, according to a report in the August 2002 issue of Immunopharmacology and Immunotoxicology. Interestingly, a human study reported in the July 2003 issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal did not show the same benefit from Chlorella pyrenoidosa in increasing the body's antibody response to a flu vaccination.

Disease Fighter

in terms of chronic disease, chlorella was first shown to decrease the side effects of chemotherapy and arrest the growth of some cancer cell lines in the 1960s, according to the American Cancer Society. And a human study published in the Fall 2002 Journal of Medicinal Food showed that chlorella supplementation improved blood pressure.

Moreover, a Japanese report in February 2004's Phytotherapy Research indicated that chlorella reduced serum total cholesterol and suppressed weight gain in an animal model of menopause. And a combination of liquid and tablet chlorella supplements reduced the tenderness experienced by fibromyalgia patients by 22 percent, according to researchers working at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine in Richmond.

Super Spirulina

Another water-derived superfood that has potent effects in human health is spirulina. Like chlorella, spirulina is well known for its chlorophyll and protein content in addition to its high concentrations of vitamins, minerals and amino acids.

Spirulina was studied side by side with chlorella at Ege University in Izmir, Turkey, and both were deemed "likely t0, benefit human health and enhance performance," according to findings that were published in the November-December 2001 issue of the Journal of AOAC International. Researchers further noted that the algae contain high levels of whole food nutrients, with spirulina being a particularly exceptional source of gammalinolenic acid.

Immune Boost

Also similar to chlorella, spirulina is a known immunostimulant and may be useful in helping the body ward off pathogens. "Until such time that cures or effective treatments are Found for [antibioticresistant] diseases, the best strategy is to boost the immune system and make it ready to defend us," says Amha Belay, PhD, scientific director at Irvine, California-based Earthrise Nutritionals, Inc. "One such strategy is the nutritional and therapeutic supplementation of our diet with foods and nutraceuticals that are known to strengthen our immune system. Such a product is found in spirulina."

Because of its effects in bolstering natural killer cell function, spirulina may suppress cancer and viral infection, as noted by investigators at the Osaka Medical Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases in Japan.

Similarly, University of South Carolina researchers conjectured in a 2004 issue of Medical Hypotheses that algae and spirulina consumption may be part of the reason why HIV/AIDS rates are dramatically lower in Japan and Korea compared to Africa. Additional support for the authors' conclusions is the fact that the Kanemba (a major tribal group in Chad, which has consistently lower rates of HIV/AIDS compared to the rest of Africa) eat spirulina on a daily basis.

Circle the fall race at Richmond on the schedule. That's where the field for the Chase for the Championship will become final and all but the teams in the top 10--and those within 400 points of the leader--will start planning for next year.

Crew chiefs and team managers started plotting strategy before the season to prevent a shutout from the shootout. When to test, when not to test? Teams off to slow starts must use tests early because there probably won't be any point to using them during Chase races.

Ganassi Racing team manager Andy Graves says it Hill be easier to take chances once a team is locked into the top 10. But for now teams are racing with what they know. This isn't the time to test research and development cars on the track.

Currently, there are 18 teams within 400 points of first, and the top 10 is separated by 203 points. As the Richmond race, scheduled for the second Saturday in September, draws near, teams that have fallen behind Hill be desperate to close the gap.

Teams will try to make adjustments on and off the track, but nothing that surprising. When one veteran manager from a multicar organization was asked what his strategy would be if his team were just outside the bubble at Richmond, his answer was simple: "Wreck anyone else in the top 10 or at least hold them up from getting there with another teammate."

He added, "This is a whole different set of circumstances than we've ever had before, and it becomes a question of whoever adapts the fastest."

Survival of the fittest. But in the garage, winning has more to do with supply and demand than natural selection. Right now, the demand for fabricators and athletes going over the wall is higher than it ever has been. Managers have to prove to the sponsor that every effort was made to build the best cars and best possible squads for pit road.

If you think Nextel Cup teams spent an outrageous amount of money for personnel in the past, hold on to your checkbook. The price for pit crews and fabricators is going up. The top 20 cars and drivers are fairly equal, so the staff will make the difference.

This season, many organizations have tried out anyone they thought could upgrade a pit position in their search for perfect chemistry. Changes among teams in the top 10 in the last week include former N.C. State linebacker Britt Goodrich moving from the No. 01 (Joe Nemechek) to the No. 12 team to be the jackman for Ryan Newman. Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 team added Shane Parsnow as its temporary rear tire changer until a full-time replacement is found.

The pit crew scramble is far from over.

"Wait until you see the recruitment phase through the garage before the final 10 (races)," Graves says. "There's nothing they (NASCAR) can do to control it"

NASCAR doesn't address hiring crews in its rulebook. There's nothing about one team borrowing another team's player. If a crew member wants to leave, it's usually better to let him go instead of hanging on to a disgruntled employee. Crew chiefs and engineers, who usually have contracts, can buy them out and move on. So personnel can jump to another team at almost any point of the season.

That doesn't happen in other sports. In baseball, for example, the non-waiver trade deadline is July 31. After that date, a club can add players only through its minor league system or in deals in which the players have been made available to all other teams on waivers. In addition, players must be on the big-league roster by August 31 to be eligible for the playoffs, though some exceptions are made for injuries.

But NASCAR teams are sure to make a run on pit crew personnel because of the Chase, and the parameters on how they do that have not been addressed by NASCAR. There never has been mention of salary caps or injured reserve. And what's to stop a large organization from putting together an in-house all-star team, drawing from all of its teams, for a driver who has secured a spot in the Chase?

"Nothing," says Dale Earnhardt Inc. technical director Steve Hmiel. "Who are the best tire guys? Who is the best jackman? You have to put all your eggs together because at that point there's only one basket."

Others in management see merit in a different approach, the idea that any change would bring dissension and spoil the team's cohesiveness. As Don Miller, a co-owner at Penske South, says: "You stick with the girl you brought to the dance."

Certainly, team members can move about within many scenarios throughout a season. NASCAR needs to set guidelines on personnel, or the bidding for bodies will lead to the demise of some teams.

KC Machine, Excelsior Springs, Missouri, is observing its 35th anniversary.

The firm, which specializes in mobile and on-site servicing, repairing, rebuilding and calibrating of CNC and manual equipment, was founded as KC Rebuilding in 1968 by Bob Phillips in a 2-car garage.

Today the company is owned by Roger Wade and Keith Diebold (Phillips still pitches in when of two needed) and operates out of two facilities with almost 4,000-sq.-ft. of space.

Equipment in the facilities includes: welding equipment, mills, lathes and grinders.

"Having shop facilities gives us a real advantage in providing quality service for our customers," stated Wade.

Wade and Diebold are industry veterans. Both started in the NTMA apprenticeship program. Wade, Diebold and Phillips have over 80 years of industrial experience between them.

KC Machine services all kinds and brands of equipment. The crew has worked on equipment made in the 1920's to brand new CNC equipment. Examples include: mills, lathes, shears, presses, brakes and special equipment.

"We provide mechanical, hydraulic and electric service on equipment," noted Diebold. "We also have a strategic alliance with a local company that services electronics."

The company offers some unique services including: emergency repairs, way scraping, repairing cracked castings, Turcite(R) way replacement and maintenance programs.

"We treat our customers right," noted Wade. "We have lots of repeat business."

KC Machine serves lots of different industries in the Kansas City metro area and across Mid-America.

As the trio discussed the company's 35-year history, they did note that about 90% of equipment breakdowns are caused by improper or contaminated lubrication. The firm belongs to The Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers which helps them stay current on lubrication issues.

Repairing steam turbines is all about efficiency, quality, and precision. Customers in the petrochemical, oil and gas, and power-generation businesses may be losing hundreds of thousands of dollars a day if a key piece of turbomachinery is down. And, for equipment that may weigh several tons, rotate at high speeds, and run at high temperatures, quality is an absolute requirement.

To add to the challenge, there are almost never original drawings to go by, at least not for independent repair companies such as Hickham Industries (La Porte, TX). A unit of Sulzer Turbomachinery Services, Hickham claims to be the largest and most diverse such facility in North America.

More often than not, drawings have been lost over the years. Even when available, they may not be very helpful. Because of modifications made during manufacturing, no two pieces of turbomachinery are ever exactly the same-even if they have identical model numbers. Problems are multiplied by the effects of wear and corrosion; overheating and crashes that leave key components bent, cracked, or broken; and multiple rebuilds.

In light of these challenges, Hickham personnel have become experts in reverse engineering. Work at La Porte always starts with careful measurement using portable coordinate measurement machines (CMMs) to establish nominal dimensions.

"The first step is to establish what we have, where we are, what we know and do not know, and what we have to do," project engineer Jaime Valdez explains. "For that, the portable arms are essential."

Hickham has conventional CMMs, but most of the machinery it refurbishes is too big to be dimensioned anywhere but out on the shop floor. For that task, the company uses portable arm CMMs from Romer/ CimCore (Farmington Hills, MI). Hickham purchased four of the company's 3000i arms in early 2002-three with a 9' (2.7-m) measuring envelope, and one with a 12' (3.7-m) envelope. Hickham is now looking at adding accessories such as Romer's Linear Rail and GridLok systems to further expand measuring envelope and versatility.

"These are close-tolerance, high-speed, high-horsepower, high-temperature machines that generate high revenues for our clients," explains project manager Dave Dixon. "With equipment like this, the margin for any type of error is very small and the price of an error is extremely high. The Romer arm is one of Hickham's key tools to verify our efforts in maximizing the machine's output and minimizing the chance for error."

The portable arms are used to measure casings, shafts, shaft supports, disks, diaphragms, and bladed turbine rotors, plus impellers for centrifugal compressors. "Data from our reverse engineering efforts supports all the key decisions on what repairs are needed, how they will be done, how long it will take, and which parts must be replaced," Valdez explains. "Also very important is getting measurements quickly."

Speed is a factor in Hickham's success. Turbomachinery repair is a competitive business, and jobs are taken on fixed-price bids with demanding delivery times. "On one rush job, we had just 27 days to disassemble the entire turbine, dimension it, weld the case and repair cracks, fix the rotors, repair a lot of the blades, and fix the stationary parts," Valdez recalls.

"With the portable CMMs we can get axial and linear measurements-bearing areas, rings, stators, and vanes-all at the same time with just a few quick changes in the setups," explains operator Jesse Haver. "We do it all with just one man rather than two or even three. It will take eight man-hours rather than 32."

According to Haver, the device's reverse engineering software aids data collection. "One thing about the arm's software, PowerInspect, is the ease with which reference planes can be changed even after points have been gathered," he points out. "Often, we need to be able to relocate geometry planes and move points between them. With PowerInspect, there's no need to go back and remeasure. We know the data was good." All dimensional measurements are checked at least three times by Hickham personnel in various departments, he adds.

Accurate measurements made with the portable CMMs mean Hickham machinists no longer do trial-and-error machining.

Surfaces measured range from simple flats and arcs to volute surfaces of centrifugal pump impellers. "Our machinists then cut these parts to our numbers," Haver says. "The accurate measurements mean they no longer have to do trial-and-error machining. We can now do in two days what sometimes took weeks."

Rotating stages of turbines are often up to 52'' (1.3 m) diam, and the full assemblies may be 35' (10.7 m) long. "But, we are often working in confined spaces, and the arm's almost unlimited rotation is a big help," Valdez says. "It always takes a while to get the measuring setup oriented and maneuvered into just the right position and locked down.

"If you are using a less-sophisticated type of arm, eventually you may get stuck up against a stop. Then you have to back out, unwind it and go back in again," he continues. "In the process you may lose the setup's reference points, and if that happens you have to start all over again. The Romer arms make our work faster, easier, and more accurate."