Market Trends

HaasTec Open House in March
For the first time in more than seven years, Haas Automation, Inc. will host an open house at its headquarters and manufacturing facility in Oxnard, CA.

HaasTec, scheduled for March 10 - 12, 2011, from 10am to 4pm daily, will include machine demos, factory tours, a catered lunch, and more.

Visitors to HaasTec will see the latest Haas CNC technology up close and in detail, with 20 machines cutting metal including the new generation ST and DS turning centers featuring Y-axis and dual-spindle capabilities. There will be guided factory tours – both above and on the production floor – to see how Haas machines are built; and representatives from major tooling, workholding, and CAD/CAM manufacturers will be on hand to share their insight and show their products.

Registration for HaasTec is free, and available online at HaasCNC.com/openday. Guests who register by March 1, 2011 will receive a limited-edition Haas cap at the open house. HaasCNC.com

Straightening Capability, Grinding Capacity Added
An internal straightening cell at Richards Micro Tool – a contract manufacturer of medical/dental rotary cutting instruments – is now complete. According to Lee Clermont, medical compliance coordinator, “It is easy to underestimate the importance of this process but it definitely impacts an instrument’s efficacy. We typically want to hold straightness tighter than our customer’s specification and with this now in-house, we will insure it is.”

The company also has additional grinding capacity due to the acquisition of a new auto-loading eight-axis CNC grinder. The machine is capable of grinding components up to 10.5" long and is equipped with optional steady rest and internal wheel dressing features.

In addition to contract manufacturing, Richards also offers an extensive line of industrial cutting tools from 0.005" to 0.500" diameter, and private labels for major cutting tool OEMs. richardsmicrotool.com

Collaboration in Mexico
DMG Mexico S.A. de C.V and Mori Seiki Mexico S.A. de C.V. began a new business collaboration in Mexico. This collaboration allows DMG and Mori Seiki users to receive expanded service and support from the combined staff of the existing Mexican Technical Centers. Sales staff for DMG / Mori Seiki Mexico is centrally based in Queretaro, Mexico, with service and parts personnel located in both Queretaro and Mexico City, Mexico.

The collaboration of the two companies will provide endusers with an array of products, as well as the largest single source of machine tool support in Mexico. Local spare parts supply will be supplemented by a $135 million inventory in Dallas, TX.

In addition, through DMG / Mori Seiki University, customers in Mexico will have access to a range of online manufacturing courses in both Spanish and English. Machine-specific training includes service and programming courses for the most popular DMG and Mori Seiki machines. http://us.dmgmori.com/