Market trends

Mastercam X5 Certified for Autodesk Inventor 2012
Mastercam X5 CAD/CAM Software, from CNC Software Inc., is certified for Autodesk Inventor 2012 3D mechanical design software under the Autodesk Inventor Certified Applications Program. Digital Prototyping with Autodesk Inventor software gives manufacturers the ability to digitally design, visualize, and simulate how a product will work under real world conditions before building, which helps reduce cost and increase efficiency. To be certified, the product must meet certain guidelines and demonstrate a high level of quality as well as compatibility with Autodesk Inventor software. Achievement of certification is only after the product has been tested and approved. mastercam.com

Supporting Customers with Maintenance Program
PRAB’s Managed Maintenance Program (MMP) keeps customers operating smoothly for years to come. Customer service field technicians are available for routine scheduled maintenance to ensure conveyors and chip-processing systems are working properly and at peak efficiency. Regularly scheduled equipment inspections can identify potential wear parts or components before they become an issue. The evaluation includes a consultation to include ways on proactively preventing major repairs as well as ways to make cost-saving improvements. The MMP offers customized programs to include training the maintenance staff during routine schedules to improve machine uptime, performance, and longevity. prab.com
 

Learn Your Company’s Carbon Footprint
A free online carbon footprint calculator, and other calculators to help industry and education take proactive steps to lower their energy use, are now available on Reid Supply Co.’s website. Many manufacturers and educators needed a resource to find carbon footprint calculators, fuel cost calculators, performance benchmarking tools, facility assessment wizards, workplace posters, energy posters, and more. By visiting ReidSupply.com, and scrolling to the bottom of the page, anyone can find these and more in the Tools You Can Use area under the Knowledge Base section of the website.

“Many of our customers are finding these online calculators very useful as energy savings and planning tools,” says Greg Palmer, director of marketing for Reid Supply.

In addition, the U.S. Department of Labor requires prominent display of certain regulations in the workplace. However, you need to know which ones your business really needs. Select a state from the drop-down list in our Tools You Can Use section to find out. A link to the state’s website will enable users to access information on how to obtain state and federal workplace posters for the specified state. reidsupply.com 

Workholding Products, Accessories Catalog
The Kurt 2011 catalog contains 72 pages of the latest products and accessories for precision workholding. Providing an even wider range of options, the catalog contains the broadest offering of workholding in the industry, and is a necessary reference for every manufacturing shop using machining centers. All products are indexed so the user can locate the workholding solution that works best for a particular application.

Included in the catalog, for the first time, are products such as:

• PinLock mounting system for accurately positioning and clamping fixture plates;
• MaxLock 350 multi-axis vise with exclusive Anglock feature; and
• Twelve-station cluster towers.

Containing more product sizes and models, it has complete specifications and schematic drawings for easy reading. Application pictures are included along with timely information to help in making a solid workholding choice.

For a free copy of the new Kurt catalog, call 877.226.7823 or download the brochure from the Kurt website: kurtworkholding.com.