Page 10 - MetalForming September 2011

News Fronts
Letter to Editor
I’ve just read Michael Bleau’s article, Co-ops and Apprenticeships: Bring Them Back (June 2011), for the second time, and I agree with him as far as our government’s ability to manage apprenticeship programs. It really shouldn’t be their area of concern.
However, as a retired secondary education teacher and current fabrication-shop owner, I believe there is one area that requires addressing: Our school systems do not give our stu- dents the incentive to begin trade opportunities at an early age. I’ve seen our education sys- tem attempt to cram academics down the throats of teens when instead they should be encouraged to find their “gifts” as far as the trade that most excites them. Some of our stu- dents will never attend college because, believe it or not, college and academics aren’t for everyone.
Instead, we should indentify the young people who have a gift for working with their hands and place them in trade programs early, while also providing them with the necessary basic academic and daily living skills. In this way, we can once again develop a workforce with a pas- sion for a job well done.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Miller
Miller Mechanical Services, Inc.
Internet
QDC Solutions Offered on Updated Website Serapid, Inc., Sterling
Heights, MI, has updated its website to make it easier for visitors to find the products and solutions they need to meet requirements for quick- die-change applications. Included are new standard specifications for the firm’s telescopic mast, and prod- uct-demonstration animation files for its heavy-duty mechanical linear actuators, telescopic push-pull systems and lifting columns. Visit the site at www.serapid.com.
Website a Resource for Those Sourcing Etched Metal Parts
PhotoFabrication Engi- neering, Inc. (PEI), Milford, MA, a manufacturer of cus- tom and standard pho- toetched metal parts, has launched a new website com- plete with process diagrams and technical etching guide- lines. Also, the firm says that the site—www.photofabrica- tion.com—includes an indus- try first: an interactive tem- plate that allows users to design their own seam- sealed microelectronic pack- age lids online. PEI etches most metal alloys, including stainless steels, copper, brass, silver, titanium and specialty alloys.
Stamper Launches Multilingual Website
Waukesha Metal Prod- ucts, Sussex, WI, has trans- lated its website—equip- ment lists, capability content, photograph descrip- tions, RFQ form, and news— into Spanish, German and Japanese. The firm supplies
stamped and fabricated sheetmetal parts and assemblies, and performs tool design and build; www.waukeshametal.com.
Awards
Hypertherm Placed on a Pedestal
Business New Hampshire Magazine selected Hyper- therm as one of nine busi- nesses earning 2011 Busi- ness of the Year recognition. The award recognizes out- standing business and civic contributions. Hypertherm, Hanover, NH, manufactures manual and automated plas- ma-arc and laser-beam cut- ting systems.
Agreements
Oberg Strategic Partnership Bolsters Laser-Processing Capabilities
Precision metalforming company Oberg Industries, Freeport, PA, has bolstered
its welding-support services through a strategic alliance with Industrial Laser Sys- tems, LLC (ILS), Pittsburgh, PA. ILS provides laser-tech- nology process evaluation, testing, and production- equipment selection. “With the addition of ILS,” says Oberg’s Wes Elliott, vice president of business and technical development, “we are better prepared to help OEMs select from a variety of welding processes that best fit their specific needs.”
ILS has relocated to Oberg’s campus in Sarver, PA, and will collaborate with Oberg on development pro- grams, prototyping and short-run production projects. Oberg will continue its strategic partnership with Joining Technologies, Granby, CT, on high-volume laser- welded production assem- blies, electron-beam welding and other projects.
Mazak Optonics
Adds Denver Distributor
Laser-cutting-system man- ufacturer Mazak Optonics,
Elgin, IL, added Action Machinery Intl., Denver, CO, to its legion of distributors. Action Machinery supplies metal-fabricating equipment and machine tools in the Rocky Mountain region and throughout northern California. It operates a 10,000-sq.-ft. technology center equipped with new and used machinery.
Certifications
E&E Manufacturing, Livo- nia, MI, has earned the Ameri- can Association for Laborato- ry Accreditation (A2LA) for nonferrous and ferrous alloys, to ISO/IEC 17025:2005 stan- dards. The certification allows E&E to perform certified test- ing using a range of process- es, including hardness, microstructure, case depth, micro- and macro-etching and surface condition testing, as well as perform nondestructive tests such as magnetic parti- cle and liquid dye penetrant. E&E produces stampings, fasteners and assemblies for the automotive, military and industrial markets.
8 MetalForming/September 2011
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