Everybody-well, almost everybody-knows that the full-scale Ultimate Pitts is an all-out airshow machine. Now, what people need to know is that Lanier RC makes a high-quality line of all-wood kits that are reasonably priced and that a 1.20-size Ultimate Pitts has joined that line. The new kit features laser- and CNC router-cut parts, simple bolt-on wings for fast setup at the field, interlocking lite-ply fuselage, balsa stringer turtle deck, ABS cowl and wheel pants, aluminum landing gear and a photoillustrated instruction book. Specifications: wingspan-60 inches; wing area-1,112 square inches; length-58 inches; weight-10 to 14 pounds; recommended engine size-.91 to 1.20 2-stroke, 1.20 to 1.60 4-stroke, or 2.2 gas ignition. Requires at least a 4-channel radio.

One way to make a living in the job shop area is to keep adding new equipment and use it on difficult materials and difficult parts. A firm that follows this strategy, Tapemation Machining Inc. (Scotts Valley, CA) has been updating its CNC equipment for more than a decade. Two of the company's newer pieces of equipment are a five-axis 1995-model Mazak H/V 800 machining center and a five-axis 1997-model Anayak HM 7000 universal machining center.

The Mazak features 48 X 46 X 42"(1.2 X 1.2 x 1.1 m) X,Y, and Z axes, 90 deg A, 360 deg B, 50-hp (37-kW), 4000-rpm Cat 50 spindle, 80-tool ATC, dual 32" (0.8 m) pallet changer, through-spindle coolant, M32 control, and an all-angle head that machines horizontally, vertically, and any angle in between. The Anayak features 244 X 60 X 48-(6.2 X 1.5 X 1.2m) X, Y and Z axes, a 48" diameter tilting rotary table, 360 X 90o, all angle 30hp (22-kW) head, 60-tool ATC, and Fanuc 16 control.

"We handle a wide variety of materials," says Tapemation's general manager Bruce Erickson, "including titanium, aluminum, ultra-high-strength steels, and all of the common metals. We are also an approved source for fracture-critical, level 1/submarinesafe, high-strength components." "We do full-contouring five-axis machining," says Erickson, "and we have the latest computer software to program machine tools. These software packages undergo regular maintenance by software companies, which periodically provide product updates. We've always had the latest in CNC support. Our main software is SurfCAM [Surfware Inc.] in the fiveaxis package, which is easy to use and has low maintenance. We are in the process of trying to get more efficient in the shop by getting jobs up and running sooner. This efficiency push involves going right from our programming department into the tool crib to have everything set for the machinist when the job hits the floor."'
Tapemation's QC program is ISO 9000 certified, and inspection equipment includes a laser-calibrated 157" (4 m) long CMM, which had its software upgraded twice. "We have full volumetric service on the CMM," says Erickson. Tapemation has, in addition to its modem machine shop, fabrication facilities with welders certified to MIL STD 248D, 278F,1595A, and 2219.

A classic niche for a job shop is to work in very small lot sizes on difficult parts. That approach works well for Preferred Machining Corp. (Englewood, CO). Ray Flaharty, general manager of Preferred Machining points out: "We are on the leading edge of machining technology, but we're not on the leading edge of production work because we're not a production shop-we only run short jobs. We do best with one or two of a kind."

Almost all of Preferred's work runs on CNC equipment. Other than two engine lathes and three conventional mills, all the company's machines are CNC. Two full-time programmers keep the equipment going. "Our machines are relatively new and constantly updated," says Flaharty. "We mostly do four-axis machining, and sometimes five axis. The five-axis jobs are more specialized, and we don't have five-axis tilting-head machines." A horizontal boring mill with a tilting rotary table under CNC control allows Preferred to do six-axis machining, but they don't do much work of that sort. Part sizes range from very small to apiece 90 X 119" (2.3 X 3 m) that runs on a big horizontal boring mill. The company handles stainless steel, Hastelloy, aluminum, titanium, and just about anything the customer has.

At Preferred, the work keeps three CMMs busy. "The largest," says Flaharty, "accommodates a piece 84 X 104 X 36" (2.1 X 2.6 X 0.9 m) deep. We comply with MIL STD 45208A because of all the government work we do."

Another way to make a company stand out in the market is to do work others can't or won't handle. A job shop known for its ability to machine difficult metals can probably find a place in the sun. Certainly Godwin Machine Works Inc. (Houston) sees its ability to handle complex machining of exotic materials as a big plus. Michael Corliss, vice president operations and general manager, says: "We specialize in the exotic stuff, such as nickel-base alloys, titanium, and beryllium copper, that most people don't touch." And how does a job shop acquire that kind of capability? "We learned to handle these materials by working closely with cuttingtool and machine tool manufacturers who have us demo and test prototype products," says Corliss. "So we're always on the leading edge of cutting tool technology."

New Machines, New Capabilities

Mori Seiki and Okuma Howa VMCs, Okuma Howa and Toyoda HMCs, and Mori Seiki lathes are among the machines at Godwin. "We're continually buying new equipment to stay up to date," says Corliss. "All of our machining centers have four-axis rotary tables, which gives us simultaneous four-axis capability. We have some five-axis capability, and we can do some positioning with the fiveaxis head and cut five axes, but can't cut five of them simultaneously. We also have controllers capable of hooking up 15 axes at one time."

In 1985, we were a typical job shop in many ways. We existed with no visual growth over the previous three years. We were frustrated and we knew we had to do something about it. Our order system was not much better than a yellow legal pad with order entry done manually and sometimes by typewriter.

We did not know where the jobs were in our plant. When someone phoned and asked about delivery, we were unable to tell them without going to the shop and looking for the job. We would have to guess how long it might take to complete it. Sometimes, two "hot" jobs were scheduled for the same machine at the same time. If a router sheet was lost, it was a real problem. We had no way of quickly retrieving the processing and production data.

Jim Vancalbergh, our president, recognized a year earlier that without better organization there could be no expansion for our company. He purchased a Commodore computer and started to develop production sheets. These sheets were filled out manually by the shop personnel and turned in every day. At the end of each day we recorded the information and figured out production averages. Lost production sheets or routing sheets could be reproduced easily because they were now stored in the computer.

The Solution

About six months later, while at a Detroit-area tool show, one of our managers reported that he had seen a real-time job tracking system that looked promising. A real-time system, being a dynamic control process, responds to events as they occur. This control technique has worked well in the process industries. The question was whether such an approach could work in the batch-type processing environment typically used by the metalworking job shop industry. Neither Jim nor I had a chance to see the system that was displayed, so we asked the company for a demonstration.

Steve Ingraham, then president and co-founder of Mindbridge Systems, Inc., of Beaumont, Texas, made a quick trip to our plant to demonstrate his firm's Realtrac system. We were intrigued by the fact that he was also the owner of a job shop.

His shop had scheduling and job tracking problems similar to ours, but one of his solutions was different. Where we tried to employ the power of a small computer, he called in two process control engineer friends and, together, they devised a real-time management control system for a job shop.

Ordering The System

We had already decided a change was necessary. Also, the ideas of what we wanted to do were clear, so we ordered a system the next day.

When we first received the system, we had 20 employees and a 5,000 square foot production facility. Today, we have 48 employees and 15,000 square feet, with one person monitoring the real-time system. At one point, we had two plants six miles apart. Both were monitored by one person.

Our company serves the automotive, hydraulic cylinder, and industrial shock absorber markets, and performs saw work for other job shops serving the same industries. In 1985, sales were $1.2 million. In 1989, sales were over $3 million, and we project an increase of 15 to 20 percent for 1990. We attribute much of our growth to the real-time job tracking and scheduling system because it enabled us to exercise better shop floor control.

Our shop specializes in production sawing and machining operations. We have eight CNC turning centers, four CNC machining centers, and four production cutoff saws, including one cold saw and three band saws.

Last year, we ran approximately 2700 jobs through our shop, in quantities ranging between one and thousands of pieces per job. The average lot was between 100 and 200 pieces. At any time, there are between 350 and 400 jobs going through the system, with an average of ten operations per job.

We can track each job from the time it is entered until it is shipped out the door, and we know, within seconds, the location and status of any job. This is possible because the real-time system captures and processes information so quickly.

The basic system network consists of a personal computer master console, a dedicated special-events printer, communication boxes that can access up to 64 micro-terminals, and software. We installed five micro-terminals throughout our shop at machines or workcenters where the shop personnel enter data into the system manually or by bar code reader. We have four IBM-compatible personal computers networked with the host computer. The PC.

The system's data collection clock is always running. The importance of this feature becomes evident when viewing a computer or monitor screen that is displaying estimated production time versus actual production time. The estimated time remains the same, but the job time display is updated every minute, and the system's monitor display is refreshed every 15 seconds, 24 hours a day.

As a machine operator logs on at a workstation micro-terminal to do a job, the entry information is recorded almost instantly at the master terminal. As each operator logs on and logs off, a database is created for determining where the production bottlenecks are, if there are problems at particular machines, who is doing each job, and where each job is being done.

GREM USA (OTCBB:GRMU) announced today that the Company has completed the design and programming of the Company's CNC router for the FT-101 model and has started production of FT-101 guitar bodies.

Edward Miers, President/CEO of GREM USA, stated, "The Company is now working to complete the CNC design programming for the 'GREM Standard' model and the company intends to have all five models and cases programmed for automated production by year's end. As the Company continues to progress in the setup of automated production, we are also progressing towards the closing of the previously announced agreement to purchase of a 40,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Attorneys are working to complete the necessary closing documents and we hope to be in the position to close within the coming weeks."

"My current primary focus as CEO of GREM USA is to get our Company's automated manufacturing equipment operating and producing guitars. I believe that the downfall of many development stage companies is that their CEO's are overly intent and focused on their company's daily stock price, rather than focusing efforts on the growth and operations of their business," stated Mr. Miers. "It is my firm belief that by focusing our time and efforts on the actual business of manufacturing quality guitars that the Company's stock price will take care of itself."

Additionally, Mr. Miers stated, "On behalf of the Company and all fellow shareholders, I would like to invite any interested parties to visit our current manufacturing facility in Spencerville, Indiana. We will be proud to provide a tour of our current manufacturing operations and we look forward to being able to showcase the new facility in Fort Wayne sometime in the mid part of 2006. I look forward to providing additional updates about the Company as material events take place."

The Company presently has five original designs in its line of guitars. The Company's present guitar line includes the following designs: the "Uppercut", the "GREM Reaper", the "Free Radical", the "FT-101" and the "GREM Standard". Collectors and music enthusiasts interested in purchasing one of the Company's custom handmade guitars are encouraged to phone the Company directly at 260-238-2000 for more details.

About GREM USA

GREM USA is a development stage company focusing on design and manufacture of custom handmade and mass-produced electric and acoustic guitars, amplifiers and accessories. For more information, please contact Edward Miers, Chief Executive Officer, phone 260-238-2000. http://www.gremusa.com and additional designs can be viewed on the Greg Reszel website at http://www.gmreszel.com

This press release contains certain "forward-looking" statements, as defined in the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Statements, which are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements. The Company, through its management, makes forward-looking public statements concerning its expected future operations, performance and other developments. Such forward-looking statements are necessarily estimates reflecting the Company's best judgment based upon current information and involve a number of risks and uncertainties, and there can be no assurance that other factors will not affect the accuracy of such forward-looking statements. It is impossible to identify all such factors, factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those estimated by the Company. They include, but are not limited to, the Company's ability to execute its business strategy, the Company's ability to consummate and complete operations, the Company's access to future capital, government regulation, managing and maintaining growth, the effect of adverse publicity, litigation, competition and other factors that may be identified from time to time in the Company's public announcements. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update such statements to reflect current events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

RoboTrim(TM) RT-400 provides portable, pre-engineered router trimming and knife deflashing solution that can be used by thermoformers, injection molders, blow molders, and rotational molders. Mounted on single base, modular system accommodates part sizes to 45 x 45 x 36 in. and is designed to use FANUC-based RPT R-44A 6-axis robot. Auxiliary-axis, servo-controlled rotating table offers 60[degrees]/sec motion for rotating part as robot is trimming.
AUBURN HILLS, Mich., September 8, 2005 - Robotic Production Technology (RPT) today introduced a new portable, pre-engineered router trimming and knife deflashing solution designed specifically for the plastics industry. The RoboTrimTM RT-400 system is a portable trimming system that can be used by thermoformers, injection molders, blow molders and rotational molders. The flexible RoboTrimTM RT-400 features a servo-controlled table that has the ability to rotate the part as the robot is trimming. This allows each side of the part to be trimmed in a very compact work cell. This modular system is mounted on a single base and can be easily moved to various locations around a manufacturing facility with quick set-up.
"Robotic Production Technology continues to grow in the plastics market by introducing new products in the routing area which has historically been dominated by CNC machines," said Kevin McManus, president of Robotic Production Technology. "Manufacturers are finding the flexibility and reliability of robotics are key reasons to move away from industrial CNC machines."

The key benefits to the RoboTrim RT-400 system are portability, part height capability of 36", increased throughput, more uptime due to high reliability, improved flexibility and enhanced safety. These features combine with RPT's legendary 24/7 customer support to provide end users with outstanding quality and productivity.

"We're excited to introduce yet another standard RPT system for the router trimming and deflashing markets. The RoboTrim RT-400 system features the increased productivity and flexibility that our customers have benefited from with the RoboTrim RT-1000," said Chuck Russo, CEO of Robotic Production Technology. "The new RoboTrim RT-400 addresses the needs of manufacturers with small parts and portable needs."

Standard

The RPT RoboTrimTM RT-400 is designed to use the FANUC-based RPT R-44A 6-axis robot and an auxiliary-axis, servo-controlled rotating table, featuring a 60-degree per second motion on the servo table with a maximum part and fixture weight of 250 lbs. The system can accommodate part sizes of 45" W x 45" D x 36" H. The RPT RoboTrimTM RT-400 features RPT RouterWareTM application software to make the system easy to use and comes equipped with the FANUC Robotics color screen iPendant. Its single-base construction makes it easy to install and move within a manufacturing facility. The system is ready to run once it is leveled and power and air are connected, with no need to lag it to the floor. With proper advanced planning the user can relocate and start-up the system in minutes, dependent upon how far the system is being moved.

Options

Options include automatic tool change that enables a six-second tool change time, alternative spindles in single- and dual-ended configuration, patent-pending RPT Compliant Knife, and part fixtures designed and built by RPT. Manufacturers can also add RPT/FANUC Accuracy Enhancement software tools and RPT TrimProTM offline programming software.

RPT's Standard Systems

RPT introduced the RoboTrimTM RT-1000, designed for trimming of 3"x 5" parts, in late 2004 and has had great success in the plastics market, shipping more than 20 systems to date. More information on this product can be found at www.rpt.net. A DVD and a technical datasheet on RPT's routing products are available by visiting www.rpt.net or calling 248.829.2800. Manufacturers are also invited to visit RPT to see a demonstration of the new system.

Robotic Production Technology is a turnkey robotic systems solutions provider to the plastics industry for 20 years. Industries served include aerospace, appliance, automotive, composites, construction, consumer goods, marine and plastics industries. The company specializes in high path accurate trimming applications such as router trimming, deflashing, laser cutting and scoring and waterjet cutting. RPT also has process expertise in material dispensing, assembly, joining, material handling and welding. Capabilities include project management, engineering, simulation services, fabricating and machining, system integration and certification, software, training, service and support. Since 1985, RPT has been a leading manufacturer of flexible manufacturing systems utilizing multi-axis robots, with an installed base of more than 2,400 robots. Robotic Production Technology can be found on the Internet

The company announces thc release of WebDNC. This new DNC communication software sets a new standard for case of use, while adding new powerful features never seen before in modern DNC systems. These features virtually eliminate manual data entry of the production process, and in turn provide control, monitoring and scheduling of machine activities in real-time.

With WebDNC, simplicity is the key. The system consists of three distinct modules: DNCAssist, DNCView and RemoteDNC. Each one manages its own set of tasks providing flexibility that translates into even greater functionality.

DNCAssist manages all NC files. Working in the background, the system gathers information and inputs the data into a choice of databases including ORACLE, MS SQL and X-Base.

web View provides instant access to tape definition information such as program revision, part number, tool list, job info, machine activity and more using a standard Web browser. Also provided for viewing is a standard Windows-based application for those companies that do not operate in an intranet environment.
RemoteDNC is the full featured, LAN-based, 32-bit DNC server that supports up to 256 machines per PC. RemoteDNC uses an interactive command language that allows personnel to request programs, display program lists, check tape definition information, display tool lists, request tool offset blocks, download individual tool offsets, record part counts, cycle times and send e-mail notes and comments from the CNC control.

WebDNC takes care of all the details, including program ID management, tool list generation, tool offset file generation, program revision control, job tracking, machine tool data collection, alarm monitoring, part router linking, automated information logging and information distribution via the Web. When details are hard to manage, WebDNC provides time for those tasks that seem more important.

The sales picture for cells and systems seems to be improving. Driven by a strong automotive market, investment in new machine tools is increasing both to replace aging equipment and to obtain improved machines that are needed to meet new production and accuracy requirements. "Many are afraid they won't get their next contract if they have dated equipment," according to Carl Barthelson, vice president, Giddings & Lewis (Fond du Lac, WI).

On the negative side is this evaluation from Mike Cassell, Okuma America Corp. (Charlotte, NC), "Although we see business in general as bounding back, we don't see much action in the job-shop market. Some suppliers that in the past were sending their work out to smaller shops are now only sending work to Tier one and two operations, no further."

As formally defined, a cell is a group of machine tools linked by both control and part handling facilities. But frequently, the cell configuration is less formal and based more on equipment needed for a specific function. "What the customers buy depends on the parts to be made and the tolerances to be held. Also, it seems that the days of big machining centers are waning," says Barthelson of G & L.

"Production volumes that approached that of a transfer line are now handled by HMCs set up in cells with one operator. We see a trend to the agility and flexibility the HMC provides."

Whatever the design, modern cells and systems generally show these trends:

Individual machines or cells can perform more than one function so there are fewer machines per cell and less floor space is used. At the same time, the pressure to save time by minimizing setup has increased acceptance of the multifunction machine.

Not everyone sees multifunction machines as essential. Mark Atkins of Cincinnati Machine (Cincinnati) notes, "We do not see much of a demand for multifunction machine tools in our customer base. It's tough to justify the expense of putting multiple functions in one machine when we have optimized grinding, turning, and machining centers. We give them a lot of flexibility, rapid tool changing, and three to five-axis capability."

Cincinnati Machine will be showing a lot of fiveaxis equipment in their booth. They will share the booth with other Unova companies: Lamb Technicon, Landis Gardner, and DS Technologies Gmbh (Germany).

The hexapod, which has been around in many configurations from many companies, may finally have found a practical application. Cincinnati Machine will show a parallel-link, horizontal-tripod, five-axis machining system, a machine available due to the recent strategic alliance between Cincinnati Machine and DS Technologies GmbH.

Instead of using three linear motions for XYZ travel, they use Z, A, and C motion. This production unit does horizontal machining of aircraft parts. Also in the booth is a Hypermach milling machine that uses "pancake" linear motors in five axes, including A and C.

"Five-sided machining is a strong trend because it minimizes setup," explains Atkins. "We will offer the U5 universal machining center. This design features the user-friendly A2 100 control."

Products from the Sumikin Bussan International Corp. (Schaumburg, IL) offer more examples of diversity. "Much of our demand is driven by the auto industry and their requirements for faster, lowercost productivity," says manager Tak Yamamoto. "We try to meet this need with greater speed, less idle time, and the ability to handle both high volume of parts and short runs in the same machine. In addition, we have flexible automation so the changeover time between different parts in the same family is short and requires minimal readjustment. Usually it's just a programming shift and a change in grippers."

Their Kitako brand offers four-spindle CNC lathes with parts loading and live tooling. The turning machines are four-spindle units: two work while the other two are loaded. Chucks are up to 10" (254 mm) on the horizontal machine and 22" (559 mm) on the vertical configuration.

Nomura Co. has a series of CNC horizontal boring mills for large parts, chiefly for die and mold shops. The standard spindle is 3200 rpm with an optional 10,000 rpm unit. The HBA-110T-R3 has a standard spindle of 4.3" (110 mm) with a 30-hp (22.5-kW) motor. Travels are 79 x 60 x 55" (2000 x 1524 x 1400 mm). Maximum table load is 15,400 lb (7000 kg). "It's no longer a matter of buying one machine for one application," says Bryan Chen, executive vice president, YCI Inc. (Santa Fe Springs, CA). "Machines must be multifunctional. A shop working on aluminum parts may have to cut steel later. With that in mind, for years we've been developing new series of machines that fit this market. For example. we have a compact VMC with only a 25 x 16 x 17" (635 x 406 x 432 mm) work envelope, but it has a spindle with a top speed of 30,000 rpm that is driven by a 25-hp (18.8-kW), two-speed motor. There is another unit with a 20,000-rpm spindle that has a 40-hp (30-kW) motor. This means one machine can do a lot of work."

For this shop, world-class machining performed in a world-class CIM environment isn't enough. What really sets this shop apart is its world-class welding capability.

Almost every job shop is being asked to give its customers more than just expert machining. Customers are looking for extra value--along with precise and consistent machining, they want inspection, testing, finishing, assembly, special packaging, or delivery on a JIT schedule. And in most cases, they are looking for shops that offer these value-added services at a very reasonable cost.

So successful job shops have been scrambling to add new capabilities that will set them apart when it comes to what they can offer their customers.

An Outstanding Machine Shop

One job shop that recognized years ago that it had to develop not one but an array of job shop services in order to grow and prosper is Major Tool & Machine, located on the near northeast side of Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1946, Major Tool & Machine began as a custom job shop specializing in the production of aircraft ground support equipment. It soon expanded into other fields and is now well-known for the design, engineering, and fabrication of components for the defense, aerospace and power generation industries.

Among its three main facilities, Major Tool & Machine has about 50 machine tools that you might find in the typical job shop--horizontal and vertical machining centers of various sizes, turning centers, boring mills and so on, 95 percent of them CNC. However, the shop also has some of the biggest machine tools you'll find anywhere, and this capacity to machine very large components makes Major Tool & Machine a very unusual job shop. Two of the most notable of these machines are spotlighted in Figures 1 and 2. Along with these Berthiez and Froriep machines, the shop owns large horizontal boring mills from Mitsubishi and Lucas, as well as vertical boring mills from Farrel and Berthiez.

Another outstanding feature of Major Tool & Machine is its computerized fiber-optics communications network. Virtually every workstation throughout the company is linked to a PC-based LAN (local area network) that integrates voice messages and electronic mail. In production, a bar-coded router system tracks all material through the shop. By scanning the bar code on the router and the bar code on his employee badge, an operator automatically logs in and the computer identifies where the job is in production. Information about the last operation performed and full instructions for the next operation are transmitted instantly. When the work is completed, the operator signals the computer to update production records, and a new bar code and router are printed on the spot, and the cycle continues.

Of course, all NC programs are downloaded via this communications network. All cutting tools for NC work are preset in the tool room, where a tool list with all preset lengths is recorded as a computer file to be attached with the corresponding NC program. NC programs are created in the company's CAD/CAM Department using Catia, Unigraphics, or Anvil 5000 software. There are no dry runs on the shop floor--tool paths are routinely verified using CGTech's Vericut before being released to the shop floor.

Yet most of the precisely formed and machined components that the shop produces, no matter how big or small they are, will be assembled into larger fabricated products.

This is where Major Tool & Machine's welding capability makes a major difference. And welding is not like CAD/CAM, CIM, or CNC. Welding is still largely an art requiring the talents of highly trained and gifted craftsmen. Although the company has several computerized welding stations featuring multi-axis programmable robots, most welding is done by hand.

As Jim Flanagan, Major Tool & Machine's executive vice president, points out, much of the company's sophisticated machining capability is off-the-shelf, although very few job shops have invested as heavily in this technology or put it together so comprehensively in a computer-integrated manufacturing environment. "The big machines are really impressive, but being able to weld is the real selling point," he says. And Major Tool & Machine is good at welding. Very good.

World-Class Welding

Major Tool & Machine's formula for being very good at welding could be applied to any technology. It's actually a good lesson in sound management principles. Essentially, the formula is a combination of having good people, giving them good equipment, and doing your own research and development.

Major Tool & Machine has about 80 certified welders on its payroll (roughly the same number of machinists). They do the whole alphabet soup of welding:

GTAW (gas tungsten arc welding) uses a non-consumable electrode and filler metal weld wire and is appropriate for all metals. At Major, it is primarily used for materials less than 3/16 inch thick.

In 1985, we were a typical job shop in many ways. We existed with no visual growth over the previous three years. We were frustrated and we knew we had to do something about it. Our order system was not much better than a yellow legal pad with order entry done manually and sometimes by typewriter.

We did not know where the jobs were in our plant. When someone phoned and asked about delivery, we were unable to tell them without going to the shop and looking for the job. We would have to guess how long it might take to complete it. Sometimes, two "hot" jobs were scheduled for the same machine at the same time. If a router sheet was lost, it was a real problem. We had no way of quickly retrieving the processing and production data.

Jim Vancalbergh, our president, recognized a year earlier that without better organization there could be no expansion for our company. He purchased a Commodore computer and started to develop production sheets. These sheets were filled out manually by the shop personnel and turned in every day. At the end of each day we recorded the information and figured out production averages. Lost production sheets or routing sheets could be reproduced easily because they were now stored in the computer.

The Solution

About six months later, while at a Detroit-area tool show, one of our managers reported that he had seen a real-time job tracking system that looked promising. A real-time system, being a dynamic control process, responds to events as they occur. This control technique has worked well in the process industries. The question was whether such an approach could work in the batch-type processing environment typically used by the metalworking job shop industry. Neither Jim nor I had a chance to see the system that was displayed, so we asked the company for a demonstration.

Steve Ingraham, then president and co-founder of Mindbridge Systems, Inc., of Beaumont, Texas, made a quick trip to our plant to demonstrate his firm's Realtrac system. We were intrigued by the fact that he was also the owner of a job shop.

His shop had scheduling and job tracking problems similar to ours, but one of his solutions was different. Where we tried to employ the power of a small computer, he called in two process control engineer friends and, together, they devised a real-time management control system for a job shop.

Ordering The System

We had already decided a change was necessary. Also, the ideas of what we wanted to do were clear, so we ordered a system the next day.

When we first received the system, we had 20 employees and a 5,000 square foot production facility. Today, we have 48 employees and 15,000 square feet, with one person monitoring the real-time system. At one point, we had two plants six miles apart. Both were monitored by one person.

Our company serves the automotive, hydraulic cylinder, and industrial shock absorber markets, and performs saw work for other job shops serving the same industries. In 1985, sales were $1.2 million. In 1989, sales were over $3 million, and we project an increase of 15 to 20 percent for 1990. We attribute much of our growth to the real-time job tracking and scheduling system because it enabled us to exercise better shop floor control.

Our shop specializes in production sawing and machining operations. We have eight CNC turning centers, four CNC machining centers, and four production cutoff saws, including one cold saw and three band saws.

Last year, we ran approximately 2700 jobs through our shop, in quantities ranging between one and thousands of pieces per job. The average lot was between 100 and 200 pieces. At any time, there are between 350 and 400 jobs going through the system, with an average of ten operations per job.

We can track each job from the time it is entered until it is shipped out the door, and we know, within seconds, the location and status of any job. This is possible because the real-time system captures and processes information so quickly.

The basic system network consists of a personal computer master console, a dedicated special-events printer, communication boxes that can access up to 64 micro-terminals, and software. We installed five micro-terminals throughout our shop at machines or workcenters where the shop personnel enter data into the system manually or by bar code reader. We have four IBM-compatible personal computers networked with the host computer. The PC.

The system's data collection clock is always running. The importance of this feature becomes evident when viewing a computer or monitor screen that is displaying estimated production time versus actual production time. The estimated time remains the same, but the job time display is updated every minute, and the system's monitor display is refreshed every 15 seconds, 24 hours a day.

As a machine operator logs on at a workstation micro-terminal to do a job, the entry information is recorded almost instantly at the master terminal. As each operator logs on and logs off, a database is created for determining where the production bottlenecks are, if there are problems at particular machines, who is doing each job, and where each job is being done.

Architectural woodworkers are a special breed. They work to paper-thin tolerances on the biggest, smartest machines ever built for machining lumber. They produce work with such exacting precision and beauty that it will make your best trim guy wince with envy. And the mega tools they use to do it are so surgically precise, wildly expensive, and starkly beautiful that you'd buy tickets to use them. There's only one way to describe work of this caliber and complexity: Perfect. The same goes for the tools.

Woodworkers Mark Richey and Greg Porfido of Mark Richey Woodworking in Essex, Mass., engineer and build some of the most exciting custom interiors you're likely to see in any restaurant, courthouse, or office. We toured their shop (by "shop" picture an 85,000-square-foot building) and the heavy iron they use to dial-in furniture-grade finishes that make you think anything is possible.

The mega-tool woodworking world splits roughly into two main categories: sheet-good processors and solid-sawn stock processors. While there are large woodworking shops nationwide--production outfits that build the interiors of your favorite coffee shop franchise, for instance, or cabinet factories that crank out truckloads of kitchen, bath, and built-in parts you find at your cabinet supplier--companies at the apex of this field are building architectural millwork packages that are hard to describe. These firms work both solid and sheet stock and, like highly skilled custom builders or niche tradesmen, these shops produce one-off work with production speed. And jaw dropping precision.
LAYOUT

Design and Engineering. Stare-of-the-art CAD programs begin the process of turning an architect's dreamy vision into a buildable reality. Richey's shop uses Autodesk Inventor, a cutting-edge design software that creates a precise 3-D view of 2-D drawings. It can then explode the "drawing" to show every detail and dado illustrating how all large and small parts fit together. For example, for the lecture hall Richey is designing, the software shows the engineers how each section of vertical wall paneling intersects with the stair risers. The software can then accept design alterations--which requires talent on the engineer's part to lay out proportionally--so the panels break where they look best.

Engineers also can flip the drawing around on screen and can freeze it in any position to check a connection detail or view how shelf pins look in a bookcase. Autodesk Inventor even counts and sizes the screws required for each assembly. The result: Richey's team does more work in less time--and with greater accuracy--than ever before. It makes them nearly fearless, ton, and they work knowing they can tackle almost anything, says Porfido.

Prints. Autodesk's capabilities extend far beyond the engineer's office. While it takes the art and science of planning to new levels of sophistication, its impact also has greatly influenced work flow and quality on the shop floor.

Next time you're snapping lines on a deck imagine being able to take a full scale print of the floor plan and roll it out like housewrap on the sub-floor. Line up the corners of the paper to the deck edge and layout is done. No chalk no transferring measurements from paper to plywood, just good-to-go layout. Those are the kinds of plans Richey's woodworkers get: 3-foot-wide rolls of paper where 1 inch equals 1 inch. In fact, to help eliminate problems in the field, Richey's engineers do a full-size framing plan to help the framer lay out the walls--months before his craftspeople show up to install the interior.

TOOL STEEL

There's a fork in the road when a load of lumber shows up at Richey's shop. Generally speaking, the solid-sawn stock goes in one direction through a series of machines that most woodworkers might recognize and the sheet goods go in another. The sheet goods typically get processed by the T-rexes of mega tools: computer-driven monsters that are bigger, heavier, and way more expensive than your pickup truck But on Richey's football field-sized shop floor where machinery is planted shoulder-to-shoulder, there are some units that do double duty.

SHEET GOODS

Beam Saw. You can cut plywood or Melamine accurately on a table saw, but when there are hundreds or even thousands of pieces in a project, say an office suite or a chain of retail stores, your crew needs something bigger or they won't get much sleep. Richey's shop has a Schelling FMH beam saw. This $150,000 machine does what it would take an army of skilled woodworkers to do, but with computer-controlled accuracy and in a fraction of the time.

The Schelling not only cuts stock, but also, when the operator enters a cut list from the design software, the machine's computer calculates the optimum way to cut each sheet, reducing waste, and (if it has one) determines which way the grain should run. The operator enters cut list information and, when prompted by the computer, loads material and positions it for cross-cuts or rips.

Three years after starting his own company, A & F Machining and Manufacturing (Englewood, Colorado), Alex Farkas was faced with a dilemma. His CNC machine shop, which produces parts for customers in the high-tech, automotive, agricultural, food and entertainment industries, had grown from one employee in 1997 to 13 in 2000. Mr. Farkas thought that having more manpower was going to make his business successful, yet adding more employees was causing the company to lose money. "I had to stop the bleeding without hiring more employees," he says.

One possible solution was to hire a shop supervisor to manage the scheduling of jobs, machines and employees. However, Mr. Farkas realized that the investment would not be cost effective at the time. It was suggested that shop management software might help his situation, so he started to explore what was available. He looked into several different software packages, but he noticed that many of them were either too expensive or too complicated for a small machine shop.

After considerable exploration, he decided to try Realtrac (Irvine, California). "It appeared to be cut and dry, yet it provided the essential shopfloor control capabilities I was looking for," Mr. Farkas explains. "Moreover, the initial investment required was reasonable."

He soon found out that although using shop software required learning many new concepts, it was clear that the unproductive time of shop employees was diminishing. By the end of the third week, Mr. Farkas realized that the software was more powerful than he anticipated, and that it had the potential to help provide the control of shop operations that the company so badly needed. He soon was able to extract himself from the daily production picture so that jobs could run smoothly without his help.

Since implementing the software, productivity and efficiency at the company have increased substantially. For example, it used to take Mr. Farkas 2 to 4 hours to prepare an estimate. Using Realtrac, the average time to prepare an estimate is about 30 minutes. Once a job is accepted, an estimate can be turned into a job with a router/process plan in less than a minute. As an alternative, a router for a previous job can be duplicated in seconds.

Also, communications with shop employees have improved. Without being told, a machine operator can quickly see what has to be done next. The operator is also able to determine similarities in machine setups and suggest alternative schedules in order to minimize downtime. As a result, employees are becoming more involved in the day-to-day operations, and they feel they are contributing to the success of the company.

The software's employee time summary reports have also helped the company identify critical areas for improvements in a straightforward manner.

After implementing the software, the company's volume of business started to increase, and employees began to believe in the system as they saw the potential for an increase in their personal earnings. Mr. Farkas says that before implementing Realtrac, he was trying to solve problems after they occurred. Now he can anticipate problems and be a proactive manager.

Windows[R]-based CAD/CAM software, Mastercam X Mill includes Surface Finish Pencil Toolpath, which divides part into logical machining segments, then automatically finishes and cleans up part in single toolpath. Machine Definition stores knowledge of user's machine and control while only allowing user to perform functions that are applicable to that machine. Backplot function offers visual simulation of toolpath before actual code is created.

CNC Software unveils the next generation of its leading CAD/CAM software

Tolland, CT - CNC Software announces the release of Mastercam X Mill, the next generation of its powerful and successful milling software. Mastercam X Mill introduces significant new capabilities, including many 3D toolpath additions and enhancements, improved backplot capabilities, a new surface finish pencil toolpath, new high speed machining, machine and control definition, and much more.

Traditional "pencil trace" machining offers an efficient method of final cleanup machining, removing material that previous finish passes missed. Mastercam X's new "finish pencil" strategy extends this efficient technique to the whole part, delivering a remarkably clean piece. This new technique divides the part into logical machining segments, then automatically finishes and "cleans up" the part in a single toolpath.

Machine and Control Definition

Mastercam's Machine Definition stores knowledge of your machine and control. You can now create toolpaths for all your machine types (Mill, Lathe, Router, and Wire) in one session of Mastercam, and the interface will change based on the type of machining. Based on the selected machine definition, Mastercam allows you to perform functions that are applicable only to that machine. Mastercam automatically checks toolpath compatibility if you have to move your work from one machine to another.

Backplot

Mastercam's backplot function has been rewritten for the new release, making it faster than ever before. Backplot is a visual simulation of your toolpath before actual code is created. This allows you to verify that your toolpath is correct before investing the time and money actually cutting your part. A slider bar is now present which allows you to view any area of concern, without having to watch the entire backplotting process from start to finish. Also, tools are now available for verifying toolpath information, time of cut, feeds and speeds, and more.

Additional Milling Enhancements

- Mastercam X Mill now offers support for tapered tools, including flat, bull, and ball, for all toolpaths.

- Mastercam now gives you unlimited negative stock to leave on your part.

- STL machining has been improved. It is now faster then ever before and requires less memory.

- Mastercam provides gouge-free handling of surfaces with sharp internal corners. If you receive inaccurate models, Mastercam will automatically adjust the toolpath to prevent gouges.

- Rough Pocket facing automatically recognizes the flat areas in your part and performs a facing operation for increased efficiency.

- Safety zones have been improved and give your toolpath a safe move in 3D space, not just to the clearance plane, ensuring your part stays gouge-free.

- Zip2Go utility allows you to take your files and libraries and package them up to send to other people.

About Mastercam

Developed by CNC Software, Inc., Mastercam is Windows[R]-based CAD/CAM software for 2- through 5-axis milling and turning; 2- and 4-axis wire EDM; 2D and 3D design, surface, and solid modeling; artistic relief cutting, and 2D and 3D routing. CNC Software is a privately owned corporation founded in 1984. The U.S.-based company provides Mastercam CAD/CAM solutions to more than 85,000 installations in 75 countries in industries including mold-making, prototyping, automotive, medical, aerospace, and consumer products. Mastercam runs under Windows 2000 and Windows XP and is compatible with all other CAD/CAM systems.