2011 the american mold builder - spring

Spring 2011

• 2011 Convention

Wrap

• Mold Builder of the Year

• EDM of Copper Beryllium

• Predicting Market Trends in Plastics

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3www.amba.org

The American Mold BuilderPublished by the

American Mold Builders Association 3601 Algonquin Rd., Suite 304

Rolling Meadows, IL 60008p 847.222.9402 • f [email protected] • www.amba.org

Officers and Board of DirectorsPresidentMike Armbrust, Mako Mold Corporation

Vice PresidentTodd Finley, Commercial Tool & Die

SecretaryShawn McGrew, Prodigy Mold & Tool

TreasurerMike Bohning, Creative Blow Mold Tooling

Legal CounselRichard N. Mueller & Associates

Board of DirectorsAndy Baker, Byrne Tool & Die Michael Bohning, Creative Blow Mold Tooling Robert Earnhardt, Superior ToolingDan Glass, Strohwig IndustriesRoger Klouda, M.S.I. Mold Builders Justin McPhee, Mold Craft Tim Peterson, Industrial Molds GroupScott Phipps, United Tool & Mold Steve Rotman, Ameritech Die & MoldMike Walter, MET PlasticsWendy Wloszek, Industrial Mold & Machine

AMBA TeamTroy Nix, Executive DirectorKym Conis, Managing DirectorSusan Daniels, Member Services CoordinatorShannon Merrill, National Chapter Coordinator

Managing Editor: Kym ConisAssistant Editor: Sue DanielsContributing Author: Clare GoldsberryArt Director: Cara PedersonAdvertising/Sales: Shannon MerrillCirculation: Shannon Merrill

Opinions expressed in this publication may or may not reflect the views of the Association, and do not necessarily represent official positions or policies of the Association or its members.

I write this quarterly letter with great excitement, with great anticipation on what’s to come and with a renewed hope for our industry, for our Association and for our companies.

Some of you may be wondering the source of my excitement. It’s quite simple: Our company invested time, energy and money by attending the AMBA convention in Las Vegas this past March. The event impacted me tremendously. Going to the convention reinforced my desire to be the best I can be, defend my value vs. my overseas competitors, challenge my traditional ways and aggressively work to improve our operations . . . and gave me the tools to do so!

I had many “ah-ha” moments during the four-day event.

My first was listening to Tom Duffey, president and CEO of Plastic Components, Inc. (PCI), a custom injection molder in Germantown, WI. Tom is an amazing speaker and business leader. He, like many of us, has been battling every day for the last decade to compete. Just like us, he battles overseas foes; he fights to maintain his margins and works to meet daily operational demands. However, his story is uniquely different than most. He has adjusted his business and improved it so much that he now sells parts into China. Yes, that’s right; his company is the low-cost provider. He told a room packed full of moldmaking professionals that he sourced hundreds of molds overseas in ’07 and ’08 in order to be competitive on producing plastic parts. After saying this, he smiled, paused and then told all of us that he’s recently changed his sourcing habits. He told of an amazing transformation taking place in the U.S. moldmaking industry. Of the last 50 tools he’s sourced in over the last twelve months, 48 of them have been built by moldmakers in the state of Wisconsin. His rationale and in his words, “The U.S. moldmaking industry has improved; they’re more competitive; they have invested in their processes; they’ve become more focused on the customer and they’ve become more innovative.” Hearing this really got me excited.

My second “ah-ha” moment took me by surprise. At the outset of a presentation focused on using financial information to run your business, new AMBA Executive Director Troy Nix put me on the spot and asked how financially savvy I rated myself, based on the presentation topic. I answered quickly by stating I was a six or seven, but by the end of the presentation I downgraded myself into a strong two. I didn’t know what I didn’t know and there are tools we were not utilizing. This was an eye-opening experience. It showed me where I could improve my own skills and help improve our company.

Finally, one of my greatest “ah-ha” moments was experiencing the positive impact of planning. The AMBA Board of Directors has worked for over eight months in developing a long-term plan for the Association. As a result, the overall convention experience was enhanced due to strong content. We learned of innovative networking opportunities and of new cost-saving programs from our new management team; and we experienced an energy and passion from the business leaders not felt for years.

Carrying the energy created at the AMBA Annual Convention forward, we’ve launched a series of plant tour workshops that will start at Mold Craft, Inc. in Willernie, MN. Sharing best practices and gathering industry metrics is a primary goal for this Association and the June 14th event is the perfect platform to do just that! Mold Craft will share its approach to building a sustainable business model through design innovation and maximum automation. This is more than a tour; it is a professional development workshop where participants will engage in structured cross-talk with other senior machining professionals on various aspects of running profitable moldmaking companies. (Learn more about this workshop in our Association section, page 28) This is just one of many future “ah-ha” opportunities I encourage you take advantage of!

Now that you know the source of my excitement, stay tuned and prepare yourselves to get involved in the new AMBA!

Speak Out

Mike ArmbrustAMBA President

4 the american MOLD BUILDER Spring 2011

Features 6 Market Trends • Future Markets in Plastics • Mold Manufactures Continue Rising Level of Confidence

12 Focus •AMBA Chapter of the Year • AMBA Mold Builder of the Year

18 Convention AMBA Convention Wrap

24 Technology • The Introduction of Laser Ablation for Surface Texturing

• EDM of Copper Beryllium Mold Materials

36 Special Report GHS Bringing Changes to OSHA HazCom Standard

39 Inside Track Maintaining a Culture Shift

Departments

3 Speak Out

15 Industry

28 Association

40 Product

46 Calendar

46 Ad Index

Visit our Website:www.amba.org

Contents

Spring 2011

18

13 16 24

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I contributed an article to the Winter 2010 issue of Plastics Business in which I reviewed the growth of the major plastics industry markets from 2004 through 2009 and then speculated as to likely developments out to 2014. Normally, there are few second chances in life. However, I’ve been offered the opportunity to revisit that article, update developments through 2010 and rub the crystal ball once again.

The prevailing expectation (hope) one year ago was that the U.S. economy, having reached the nadir of the “Great Recession” in June 2009, would experience either a V-shaped or U-shaped recovery. The economy actually did begin to recover in the second half of 2009, and this pattern continued into 2010. However, the pace of recovery has been so lethargic that it engendered fears it would ultimately be W-shaped (i.e., the dreaded double-dip recession). Today there are many economists (the author of this piece included) who anticipate continuing challenges to get back to the levels of household income, household consumption, capital investment, employment and unemployment obtained at mid-decade.

First, let’s examine the actual trend of growth of U.S. real GDP over the period covering the recession and subsequent recovery. We observe in the graph below that the downturn in this key measure of economic health began in Q1 2008, continued through Q2 2009 and then recovery ensued from Q3 2009 up through Q3 2010. Whereas the cumulative loss of output over four quarters was 4.1%, the cumulative recovery over five quarters has only been 3.6%. It will probably take six quarters (through Q4 2010) for U.S. GDP to fully recover lost output from the recession.

To put the pace of the current recovery in perspective, the U.S. economy has experienced only three other episodes of three consecutive quarters of decline in real GDP since WW II. In all three cases, real GDP recovered more than the lost output over the subsequent three quarters.

There are several factors contributing to the un- folding weak recovery in our economy. On the one hand, this latest recession

was unique insofar as it was the culmination of several asset bubbles bursting sequentially – the dot/com crash of 2000, the housing collapse of 2005-2006 and the global financial crisis of 2008-2009. Rebounding from financial crises historically takes longer than periodic downturns in the business cycle. On the other hand, it also was unique insofar as this was a synchronous global recession with few countries and regions spared its corrosive effects.

Much of the blame can be attributed to the inappropriate and ultimately ineffectual fiscal and monetary policies adopted since the onset of the recession. The bailouts of the banks, insurance companies, car companies and others only served to preserve the status quo rather than spurring fundamental reform. The stimulus program of early 2009 preserved other elements of the status quo (e.g., bloated state and local government budgets). The mortgage modification program failed, and it prevented the housing market from reaching a market-driven bottom from which it could rebound.

The new stimulus program negotiated between the President and the Republican leadership in December is another effort to preserve the status quo (e.g., income tax rates) rather than forcing everyone, regardless of income, to sacrifice in order to lower the ballooning national debt. The reduction in employees’ social security payments will have to be financed by borrowing, which will further impede recovery. The Deficit Commission’s call to address the nation’s broken balance sheet has been put off for yet another day.

The dilemma we confront as a nation is that we need to reform many of our basic institutions in order to compete in a rapidly globalizing economy. Yet in the short term, the length and depth of this recent recession, along with the anemic pace

of recovery, has made both consumers and producers more cautious, more uncertain and more risk-averse. This is manifested in many ways – most clearly in our stubbornly high unemployment rate since to hire is to take a risk. Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank, acknowledged this risk-aversion by speculating that

Market Trends

Future Markets in PlasticsBy Dr. Peter Mooney,

President, Plastics Custom Research Services

2008 Q1 .......-0.2Q2 ........0.1Q3 .......-1.0Q4 .......-1.7

2009 Q1 .......-1.2Q2 .......-0.2Q3 ........0.4Q4 ........1.2

2010 Q1 ........0.9Q2 ........0.4Q3 ........0.6Q4 ........0.4

Quarterly % Changes in Real U.S. GDP, 2008-2010

Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis; 2010 Q4 is author’s estimate

7www.amba.org

The Trend of Output in Major Markets Served by U.S. Plastics Processors(indices: 2004 = 100)

Market 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014Appliances 100 100 101 95 86 75 77 80 85 95 100Automotive 100 101 98 95 78 61 87 90 94 97 100Building 100 106 93 69 46 28 30 30 40 50 60Furniture 100 107 112 115 109 74 73 77 80 85 90Heavy Trucks 100 117 129 83 72 43 50 76 91 97 94 Marine 100 99 105 97 81 66 70 75 80 85 90 Medical 100 103 106 109 113 116 119 123 127 130 134Packaging 100 102 104 106 108 110 113 115 117 120 122RVs 100 104 106 95 64 45 62 67 75 80 90Other 100 103 106 108 108 105 108 111 113 116 119Average I 100 104 106 97 86 72 78 84 89 95 99Average II 100 104 103 99 94 87 91 94 98 103 107

the unemployment rate will not return to 6% or below for another 4-5 years.

What does all this mean for the U.S. plastics industry? In the table above I provide an updated and expanded analysis of the past and likely future trends of growth in volume terms for major markets served by plastics industry participants. I have added to this year’s table a few more markets (e.g., heavy trucks, recreational vehicles and packaging) in order to represent, as comprehensively as possible, the entire panoply of plastic processing activities. I also have added 2010 data and out-year projections supplied by the organizations cited in the table’s sources.

The trend of the unweighted averages of these market indices (Average I) suggest that the volume of production across these

10 market categories declined by 28% from 2004 to 2009, and it will take another five years to regain the 2004 level. The trend of the weighted averages (Average II) presents a less dire picture; the volume of output declined only 13%

over the past five years, and it will exceed the 2004 level by 2013. The steady (2% per year) growth and large weight (33%) of plastics in packaging offsets, to some extent, the continued collapse of the building industry, which has the second largest weight (17%).

A few comments are warranted regarding the likely future trend in selected markets:

Automotive: Of all the markets included in this year’s tables, automotive is the one bright spot. Compared to the 14% bounce-back forecasted for 2010 last year, the monthly production data through November point to a 43% surge. A

NOTES: 1) Average I is the unweighted average of the various market indices. 2) Average II applies weights to these indices, based on the market shares of plastic product output.

SOURCES: Appliances: 2004-2010, large appliance shipments from the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (2010 based on year-on-year through October); 2011-2014, PCRS projectionsAutomotive: 2004-2010, car and light truck production from Wardsauto (2010 based on year-on-year through November); 2011-2014, PCRS projectionsBuilding: 2004-2010, single- and multi-family housing starts from the National Association of Home Builders (2010 based on year-on- year through October); 2011-2014, PCRS projectionsFurniture: 2004-2011, actual and projected sales of office furniture from the Business & Institutional Furniture Manufacturer’s Association International, deflated by the producer price index for office furniture; 2012-2014, PCRS projectionsHeavy Trucks: actual volume of production in 2004-2009 and projections for 2010-2014 from ACT Research Marine: 2004-2009, new boat sales (units) from the National Marine Manufacturers Association; 2010-2014, PCRS projectionsMedical: 2004-2014, assumed to grow 3% per year Packaging: 2014-2014, assumed to grow 2% per yearRecreational Vehicles: 2004-2011, units produced from the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association; 2012-2014, PCRS projectionsOther: 2004-2010, real GDP growth from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (2010 based on year-to-year through Q3); 2011-2014, PCRS projections

page 9 u

“The dilemma we confront as a nation is that we need to reform many of our basic institutions in order to compete in a rapidly globalizing economy.”


need to boost the supply side as well. The theme for the 2011 AMBA convention was “Accelerate Your Profitability.” I would prefer the theme “Accelerate Your Productivity.” Profitability will inevitably follow. We need to stir what John Maynard Keynes called the entrepreneurial “animal spirits” – the forces that spur businesses to look into the unknown and take risks in order to grow.

Moldmakers have many options for raising their productivity including:

• If you haven’t done so already you need to apply lean manufacturing throughout your whole organization.

• You need to maximize energy efficiency in every aspect of your plants.

• You may need to automate to minimize your total labor force burden.

• You need to differentiate your company and your services for a marketing advantage.

• You need to diversify your moldmaking capabilities. If someone comes to you with a part design that should be injection molded or blow molded or extruded, you should have the moldmaking expertise to take on that job regardless of the process.

• You need to constantly innovate. Your customers are looking to differentiate their products and services to rise above the rest. They are wide open to any innovation that can draw attention to their brand. You have to assist them in that process.

• Be forward-thinking. You’re obviously concerned with surviving day-to-day. You’ve been forced to lay off some of your staff, many of them with valuable skill sets. Now you’re at the irreducible minimum. So it’s more important than ever to look ahead to what some call the “reset economy” of the future.

A few months ago in Las Vegas, the president of Constar International, a major bottle blow molder, made a presentation to The Packaging Conference. He made comments which I found really profound. He stated that like everyone else he is determined to make his company leaner. He added that “at the end of the day the only way you can be sustainable is to be technically relevant.” Size matters less than being technically relevant. This applies to small companies like mine and big companies like yours. Maintaining the status quo won’t cut it. You must be willing to innovate, take risks and keep up-to-date with the latest technologies in order to be technically relevant to your customers. You won’t survive as a me-too moldmaker.

Market Trends

What will be the likely future economic conditions on which moldmakers depend for their sustainability and growth? The Fed has repeatedly alluded to headwinds confronting our economy as we slowly recover. Namely, these adverse forces affecting recovery and expansion include household and business uncertainty, persistent weakness in real estate markets, limited improvement in labor market conditions, waning effects of fiscal and monetary stimuli and slow easing of the credit squeeze in the banking sector.

The Fed believes full recovery to sustainable rates of output growth, employment and inflation could take 5-6 years. I want to point to a number of megatrends that will continue to affect everyone in the U.S. economy, which include the following:

• There’s a long-term evolutionary shift of labor and capital – first from agriculture, then to manufacturing and finally to services, accounting for the bulk of output, income and jobs.

• There’s a long-term process of globalization. The United States has done a poor job adapting to globalization, and our federal government has also done a poor job protecting our interests in world trade negotiations.

• We’re experiencing a steady aging of our population. This puts a greater burden on the generation of workers coming behind us.

• We’re also experiencing the aging of our capital infrastructure – our factories, highways, railways, bridges, electricity transmission lines - all of which are vital to maintaining U.S. productivity relative to our foreign competitors. And yet, we are not spending enough to maintain our existing capital stock and invest in new capital structures. For the first time in recent U.S. economic history, the total U.S. capital stock actually declined. In 2010, our investment in new physical capital wasn’t sufficient to replace old depreciated physical capital.

• There’s a growing concern for the environment, which leads to a growing focus on sustainability. This obviously has enormous implications for the plastics industry.

• There’s the imminent loss of the baby-boomers from our workforce with all their technical knowledge and skills and the difficulty we’re experiencing replacing them with young people with similar skills and work ethic.

Despite all our faults and failings, economists are clear as to how we can restore the virtuous economic cycle where growth leads to job creation, which leads to higher household disposable income, which leads to increased effective demand, which drives growth. We have to become more productive. We put too much emphasis on supporting consumer spending in this country. We

Moldmakers and Economic Recovery

9www.amba.org

return to the 2004 volume of automotive production seems within reach by 2014.

BuildingandConstruction: It’s impossible to underestimate the collateral damage to several major markets for plastics (e.g., appliances, furniture) from the continuing collapse of the housing market, a segment of which (houses financed with sub-prime mortgages) contributed mightily to the Great Recession. House repossessions so far in 2010 have tallied 1.3 million, up from 900,000 in 2009, and the numbers are expected to go up again in 2011. Mortgage loan modifications have failed to arrest this wrenching economic and social calamity. Loans 60 or more days past due as a percentage of all mortgages will fall slightly to 5% in 2010 from 6.2% in 2009, yet both numbers are multiples of the normal 1.5-2.0% range. These trends push up the total housing inventory. As the supply of housing increases while demand stagnates due to continuing high unemployment levels, house pricing has to decline another 5-10% to clear the market. And to make matters worse, the yield on the 10-year Treasury bond on which mortgage rates are based has been rising, contrary to the Fed’s intentions with its latest quantitative easing program. So, it will be 2012 before any rebound in housing starts and 2015-2017 before residential building and construction regains the 2004 level.

Heavy trucks: The market for heavy (Class 8) trucks is highly influenced by the timing of implementation of EPA’s increasingly stringent standards related to greenhouse gas emissions from the engines in these vehicles. The standards were raised in 2002 and 2007, triggering pronounced pre-buying of trucks in previous years. Standards were raised once again in 2010, yet the recession dampened the extent of pre-buying. The next set of standards will come into force in 2014, which explains the expected pause in heavy truck sales that year.

Medical: Irrespective of the hotly debated constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, in an aging society the demand for medical disposable and durable products will rise inexorably. In the absence of official data, we assume a constant 3% increase in the volume of production of plastic medical/pharmaceutical goods from 2004 through 2014.

Packaging: This is another market which defies simple measurement of trends since it embraces bags, bottles, caps and closures, film, pouches, etc. We assume that recent past and likely future volume growth approximates twice the long-term growth of the U.S. population (i.e., 2%).

Recreationalvehicles: Recovery of the recreational vehicle industry hinges critically on trends in household income and

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Market Trends

gasoline pricing, and the latter correlates in turn with crude oil pricing. As a result of the Great Recession, oil pricing actually averaged only $62/barrel in 2009, but this positive for RV sales was overwhelmed by the erosion of household wealth. The U.S. Department of Energy expects crude oil to cost $86/barrel on average in 2011. Gasoline pricing is expected to average $3.00/gallon in 2011, up 8% from $2.77/gallon in 2010.

The trend of crude oil pricing obviously impacts forcefully on the cost-competitiveness of resins. There are actually encouraging signs relative to future oil pricing. There is a lot more oil lying around; in light of recent discoveries in Brazil and other countries, estimates of global oil reserves have been adjusted upwards. At the same time, despite the voracious Chinese appetite for oil (and every other commodity), global oil demand has moderated as a result of increased energy efficiency. The International Energy Agency once projected that the world would be consuming 94 million barrels a day by 2011. Now they don’t see that level being reached until 2020.

ConclusionAs the year 2010 came to a close, over half of Americans in a Bloomberg poll conducted in early December said they were worse off than they were in 2008, and two-thirds believed the country was headed in the wrong direction. Unemployment and jobs were the two most important issues facing the country, and yet the focus of the 2011 Congress will be on repealing and replacing the enacted healthcare reform and ensuring that no one’s marginal tax rate rises. The federal government can afford to put off the inevitable; state and local governments, faced with looming budget gaps, cannot. Thus the reduction of public sector jobs will offset any potential job creation in the private sector in 2011. Many economists and business analysts foresee unemployment remaining mired in the 9-10% range out to 2012.

U.S. net worth, which plummeted to $49 trillion in the first quarter of 2009, recovered to $55 trillion by the third quarter of 2010. However, it would have to recover another 20%

t page 9

(23% in inflation-adjusted terms) to regain the pre-recession peak of $66 trillion. Economists believe it will take at least the middle of the decade for Americans to regain all their lost wealth.

In the end, any forecast for growth of the U.S. economy must be predicated on where such growth will emanate. Consumption accounts for 70% of GDP. The stimulus package of 2008

failed to boost consumption, and there is little prospect that the December 2010 compromise crafted by President Obama and the Republican leadership will fare any better. Government spending at every level – federal, state and local – simply has to be reduced. There is a glut of productive capacity in the country, so investment in plants, office buildings, retail outlets, et al. will languish. The depreciation of the dollar, the supposedly unintentional side-effect of the latest Fed’s quantitative easing program, may spur exports but it

is provoking competitive devaluations among our trading partners.

Some business analysts would argue that there is a rosy scenario ahead for plastics industry companies serving the major manufacturing industries. The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) reports that manufacturing output has grown for 16 consecutive months, and it projects continued recovery through 2011. Companies in the manufacturing sector are operating at 80.2% of capacity versus 72.8% in 2009. Exports are growing as the value of the U.S. dollar weakens.

And yet, the picture remains troubling for long-term future growth prospects in manufacturing, including the plastics industry. 2009 was the first year in recorded U.S. economic history that the capital stock actually declined. Claiming continuing uncertainty companies accumulated huge cash hoards. Debt was reduced, and yet capital investment languished and work-forces were cut. The only V-shaped recovery in evidence is in corporate profitability. This conservative posture must be abandoned if we are to remain competitive with our trading partners in both developed and developing countries.

Dr. Peter J. Mooney is president of Plastics Custom Research Services of Advance, NC and one of the plastics industry’s foremost economic research experts on evolving domestic and global plastics industry market opportunities. Visit the Plastics Custom Research Services website at www.plasres.com.

“Unemployment and jobs were the two most important issues facing the country, and yet the focus of the 2011 Congress will be on repealing and replacing the enacted healthcare reform and ensuring that no one’s marginal tax rate rises.”

11www.amba.org

say backlog is “Up” significantly compared to 33% in the Winter survey. Backlog is the “Same” for 26% (down from 49%); and “Down” for 30% (a 3% drop from the Winter survey). At the recent Amerimold trade show in Rosemont, IL, an informal survey of the moldmakers there revealed that most are seeing a significant backlog that will carry them through the summer.

Profits in the Spring survey are “Up” for 30% of the respondents – a nice uptick from 24% in the Winter survey. Profits are the “Same” for 53% and “Down” for 17% of the respondents (a 20% drop from the last quarter).

Employment levels also are confirming that responding companies are much busier then in the Winter 2011 quarter, with employment once again trending “Up” for 36% of Spring survey respondents, compared to 30% from last quarter; remain the “Same” for 56%; and are “Down” for only 8% of the respondents – the same as the Winter survey. This continues on a significant “positive” trend for the last four quarters.

Shop hours remain steady at 48 hours; but for design and engineering employees, hours are down by one to 47 hours (48 hours in the Winter 2011 survey). The current number of shop employees jumped to 25 compared to 22 in the Winter survey; but design and engineering employees remain at five, the same as the previous two surveys.

Respondents indicate they are hiring shop employees, with 46% reporting they have hired an average of two employees in the past three months. Finding skilled employees is becoming a bigger problem for mold manufacturers, with 82% reporting that it has been “difficult to find skilled machinists/moldmakers.” When asked to explain this shortage, 77% responded that “many have left the trade” as the primary reason; 35% cited “other shops hiring again – more competition for the skilled people” still available; and 88% said a lack of people “entering the trade makes it tough to find young people to train.”

Responding to the questions about hiring, one respondent commented that “good people are never easy to find.” Another remarked that “Those who are available possess a lower quality of experience and skills.” Finally, another respondent said, “Many seasoned people cannot make the transition to our fast pace and use of technology.”

The AMBA Business Forecast Survey was developed to provide AMBA members with informationon the current business conditions and a projection of the upcoming months. The Spring 2011Survey resulted a response rate of 30% from AMBA members. Business remains "Good"for 54% of the respondents, and for 20% of the respondents it is "Excellent."

AMBA Spring 2011 Business Forecast Survey Results

AMBA Members Current Business Conditions

54%

22%4%

0%20%

Excellent

Good

Fair

Poor

Bad

Projection of Business Over the Next 3 Months

52%

8%

0%1% 39%

IncreaseSubstantially

IncreaseModerately

Remain theSame

DecreaseModerately

DecreaseSubstantially

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Up Same Down

Current Level of Business in Last 3 Months

Quoting

Shipments

Backlog

Profits

Employment

Current Work-Week Hours

48 47

0

10

20

30

40

50

Wor

k H

ours

Average Shop Hours Average Design & Engineering Hours

Current Number Plant Employees

255

0

10

20

30

40

50

Pla

nt E

mpl

oyee

sAverage Shop Employees Average Design & Engineering Employees

Has your company hired any machinists/moldmakers in the past 3

months?

54%

46%

Yes

No

Has it been difficult to find skilled machinists/moldmakers?

18%

82%

Yes

No

Results of the AMBA Spring 2011 quarterly survey of members reveals that business continues to grow, fueling optimism in the economy. Survey respondents reported that current business conditions are “Excellent” – rising five full percentage points to 20% from the 15% reported in the Winter 2011 survey. Current business conditions are “Good” for 54% of respondents, down two percentage points from the Winter 2011 survey. “Fair” business conditions exist for 22% of the respondents compared to 20% of the respondents in the Winter survey. Those reporting “Poor” business conditions dropped two percentage points to 4% from 6%. For the fifth consecutive survey, no one reported “Bad” business conditions.

Second quarter 2011 projections for business over the next three months reveals the majority of respondents expect their businesses to “Increase Substantially” (8% compared to 6% in the Winter survey) or “Increase Moderately” (52% – a full 10% higher than the Winter survey). Respondents expecting business to “Remain the Same” came in at 39%, a negligible drop from last quarter – indicating that business is fairly steady. Respondents expecting business to “Decrease Moderately” dropped significantly once again four percentage points, down from 11% in the Winter survey. None expect business to “Decrease Substantially.”

When asked to compare current business levels with the previous quarter, responses indicate some movement in a positive direction. Quoting activity ticked “Up” by one percentage point to 38%; 49% responded the “Same;” and 14% responded “Down” (a significant drop from last quarter’s 22%).

Shipments are “Up” for 37% of the respondents, compared to 33% in the previous quarter’s survey; stayed the “Same” for 49% of respondents (same as the Winter survey); and were “Down” for 14% of the respondents (compared to 18% last quarter). 44%




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Mold Manufacturers continue rising level of confidence


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AMBA CHAPTER OF THE YEAR

The Chicago chapter was named the Chapter of the Year at the recent 2011 Annual Convention in Las Vegas. The Chicago chapter was the original chapter of the AMBA and currently has 38 member companies. The chapter received a check from Progressive Components for $5,000 to use in its efforts to promote moldmaking and the mold manufacturing industry in its area.

The Chicago chapter received this award for its tireless efforts to promote the trade and encourage young people to enter the industry. “We understand the workforce is getting older and we need young people to enter the trade if we are to keep this industry strong for the next generations,” said Wayne Sikorcin, owner of Craftsman Tool & Mold Inc. and president of the Chicago chapter.

Educating its members and getting them involved with government affairs is a big focus of the Chicago chapter. “One of the chapter’s goals is to get its members involved with their legislators, both state and federal, and to have them invite their legislators to visit their plants to see first-hand what mold manufacturing is all about and understand how vital it is to U.S. manufacturing,” said Karen Norville, the Chicago chapter coordinator. “Several of our chapter members have done that. One member even got more work from it because the legislator knew someone who knew a company that needed a mold, so it’s been successful.”

The Chicago chapter had a large number of members attend the AMBA Fall Conference in Washington, D.C. As a result of these efforts, a few local legislators have attended the Chicago chapter meetings, such as Illinois State Representative Michael G. Connelly (R) and Congressional Representative Donald A. Manzullo (R-IL). “Both of these men are pro-manufacturing, and we want them to know that what they’re doing for us means a lot to us and we’re behind them,” said Sikorcin.

The Chicago chapter just awarded its first “Mold Your Career” award. “We wanted to give a scholarship to someone working in the industry for at least one year at a chapter member company and help those who have chosen moldmaking as a career,” said Sikorcin. DGI Supply, a tool seller, donated one-third of the $1,000 gift certificate to purchase tools at DGI. Michael Gach of Dynasty Mold Builders was the recipient. “The industry needs younger workers and we’re hoping this might motivate people to enter the trade,” he added.

Sikorcin said that the chapter will choose how to distribute the $5,000 scholarship award at its next chapter meeting. “We will have five learning institutions named and the chapter members will decide where to donate the money,” said Sikorcin. “I want to sincerely thank Progressive Components, who is constantly backing us in our efforts here in Chicago.”

AMBA Chicago chapter members accept the 2011 Chapter of the Year award at AMBA’s National Convention in Las Vegas. (l. to r. Mike Armbrust, Mako Mold; Phil Denemark, Mako Mold; Olav Bradley, PM Mold; Wayne Sikorcin, Craftsman Tool; Tim Peterson, Industrial Molds Group; Alan Petrucci, B A Die Mold, Alan Szymanski, Do-Rite Die, David Plocinski, Tri-Par Die & Mold and Mike Walter, MET Plastics.) (photo ©2011 Todd Schuett, Creative Technology Corp.)

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Mike Armbrust, AMBA president, presenting the Mold Builder of the Year award to 2011 winner, Alan Petrucci of B A Die Mold. (photo ©2011 Todd Schuett, Creative Technology Corp.)

own companies as a result. To this day, he attends nearly every Chicago chapter meeting and has even hosted many meetings in his own company board room.

Alan has served the AMBA in many capacities over the years including:• National AMBA board member 1991 – 2000• Chicago chapter president 1995 – 1997• Chicago chapter board member 1997 – 2001• Chicago chapter board of director – present

Alan was a founding member of the Save American Manufacturing (SAM) USA organization, which went national and held a two-day conference, and has never ceased in his endeavors to see U.S. manufacturing regain a strong foothold in the global marketplace. He reminds everyone to “Read the label, Mabel” and buy American-made products, and has met with and contacted many Illinois and federal elected officials to make them aware of issues important to our industry.

Most recently, B A Die Mold developed a system that offers precision positioning of virtually unlimited threads on any given part. The Programmable Electric Rotating Core (PERC) can be adapted to both traditional and hydraulic molding machines.

Alan Petrucci has spent more than 53 years in the moldbuilding industry. His career began as a teenager working for his father, Henry Petrucci, who owned Mirro-Brite, a mold polishing company. Alan began his apprenticeship as a moldmaker after high school at age 17.

Alan has been a member of the AMBA for over 38 years and was instrumental in the founding of the organization with other local Chicago-area mold companies in 1973. B A Die Mold would have been one of the ‘official’ charter companies of AMBA if Alan had not had to work that night to deliver a mold on time.

Alan has been active in the organization since day one, volunteering his time to teach at College of DuPage via the AMBA’s early apprenticeship program and serving on apprenticeship committees. He also served on the Lyons Township High School Board for Vocational Training where he not only promoted moldmaking as a viable career path, but also spoke on career days to the students and advised the high school about how to structure its machinist and metalworking programs. He donated his time and resources wherever possible to ensure that all apprentices got a good start in the industry, and he has employed and educated numerous apprentices at B A Die Mold over the years – many of whom now own their

AMBA MOLD BUILDER OF THE YEARA

LA

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his own business in 1968, B A Die Mold Inc., Rolling Meadows, IL, he never dreamed that he would become one of the mold manufacturing industry’s most honored businessmen. On March 4, Alan Petrucci was named the American Mold Builders Association 2011 Mold Builder of the Year. The award was presented by Mike Armbrust, president of the AMBA. In addition to the award, Alan received a $5,000 scholarship award donated by Progressive Components. He will select an industry-related educational institution to which he will donate the money.

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Glenn Starkey, Progressive Components, presenting Alan Petrucci of B A Die Mold the 2011 Mold Builder of the Year with a $5,000 Scholarship prize.

(photo ©2011 Todd Schuett, Creative Technology Corp.)

PERC was officially patented in 2010 and customers who have utilized the system have only five star reviews for it. In an article published about B A, Alan said, “I consider something like the PERC System growth. It’s not how many people you have in the company; it’s what you do to further the industry.”

“While listening to Mike Armbrust (president of the AMBA) introduce the Mold Builder of the Year award winner, I was trying to guess whether or not I knew the person since the years mentioned seemed to match my own,” said Petrucci afterwards. “When it dawned on me it was me he was introducing, I was totally dumbstruck. My daughter, Cyndi, had to give me a shove to get me started up to the podium. I was so overwhelmed with emotion realizing that I had been selected out of all the countless other fine shop owners who deserved this, that I couldn’t find words to express my gratitude. I did manage to blurt out, ‘I love the trade!’ All I could think of was that I’ve been selected to join a very special group of my peers. Thank you!”

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Industry

H.S. Die Founder and President Harold Steele passed away February 24, 2011. Harold and H.S. Die supported the AMBA for more than 30 years and Harold’s passing is a great loss to the community, to H.S. Die and to the AMBA. The Steele family and H.S. Die employees have expressed their gratitude for the calls, emails and cards expressing concerns for Harold and his family over the past year. The company was closed on February 28 in honor of its late president.

Eagle Tool Receives Small Business CertificationEagle Tool Company, Dyersville, Iowa, a mold manufacturer specializing in custom injection molds for plastics and die cast dies, announced that it has received a “Targeted Small Business” certification from the state of Iowa. The announcement was made by Georgia Brown, president of Eagle Tool.

The Targeted Small Business Assistance (TSB) Program supports the creation and expansion of small businesses that are certified as TSBs. To qualify for the program, a business must have annual gross sales of less than $4 million and be at least 51% owned, operated and actively managed by women, minorities or persons with disabilities. In addition, the business must be a for a profit business headquartered in Iowa. “The federal and state governments have established goals to expand opportunities for TSBs. As a company with over twenty-five years of providing high-quality service, our existing and potential clients with publicly funded contracts can trust that we not only satisfy these goals, but that we also can continue to provide the leading industry tooling we’ve come to be known for,” said Brown. “This opens up new opportunities for the company; opportunities that we’ll use to re-invest in our employees, our community and the state’s industrial base.”

Maximum Mold Recognized as “Michigan 50 Companies to Watch”Maximum Mold, Benton Harbor, MI, has been recognized as one of the 2011 “Michigan 50 Companies to Watch,” an awards program sponsored by the Edward Lowe Foundation and presented by Michigan Celebrates Small Business.

Maximum Mold specializes in die casts, plastic injection molds, contract machining and fixtures. To stand out in a competitive market, Maximum Mold continually invests in faster equipment and new technology, including 3D modeling capabilities and reverse engineering. President Dave LaGrow states, “The tool and die industry is still alive and well in our community and state and I am proud to be in Michigan. We strive to provide our customers with the best services and tools in order to meet and exceed the needs of their customers with on-time deliver.”

In Memoriam – Harold Steele, H.S. Die

Minco Group Adds 1,100-Ton PressMinco Group, Dayton, OH, is installing its largest injection molding press, at one of its All Service Plastic Molding Inc. plants in Ohio, to meet increased demand for its parts. The 1,100-ton Ube press, set to go into operation by the end of May, will be both the largest press in Minco’s 54-press fleet and the largest all-electric for the company, said Gary Deaton, manager of marketing and manufacturing for Dayton, Ohio-based Minco. The company has been happy with smaller all-electric presses, and decided to stick with electric when it needed a larger press to produce lighting parts for the auto industry. Minco’s ASPM operation has molding in Dayton and in nearby Fairborn, Ohio.

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Tim Bartz traveled from Minnesota to California’s Balboa Hospital to personally deliver half of the purchased iPads. In addition, Steve Rotman of Ameritech Tool & Die, Robbie Earnhardt of Superior Tooling and Scott Phipps of United Tool & Mold traveled from both North and South Carolina to Walter Reed Hospital in D.C. to deliver the remaining iPads. Rotman said of his visit with the wounded soldiers, “We had an awesome visit and will never be the same. These young men have so much courage and such great attitudes it was unbelievable. It was awe-inspiring to say the least.”

After the visit Earnhardt said, “Steve, Scott, and I made the very emotional and eye-opening trip to Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, DC. This was an honor and an experience that will stay with me for the rest of my life. It was heart-breaking to see these guys with their injuries, and all I could think of was how young they were and the sacrifice that they had made so that all Americans can enjoy our freedom. These guys were all in good spirits and had very good support. I only wish that all Americans could understand what these young men and women are going through for all of us. I can’t wait until our next trip, and I hope we can all come together within the AMBA to make the next trip 100 times bigger and better for these guys. If we can enhance the life of even one of these brave men or women then it’s all worth it.”

When Tim Bartz, vice president of operations for Mold Craft Inc. Willernie, MN, heard about the work that Will Byers, a veteran of the Iraq war, does with members of the 3/5th Dark Horse Battalion who have been wounded in Afghanistan, he knew he had to help out somehow.

Bartz heard about Will Byers’ efforts from Will’s father, Bob Byers of Byers and Associates, a company that provides consulting services to mold manufacturers. “My son is a Marine, but just before he was set to deploy to Afghanistan he was diagnosed with cancer,” explained Byers. “My son stayed behind at Camp Pendleton to have surgery, and while he was recovering and receiving treatment, he worked in the office doing reporting for the Battalion’s casualties. He knows all the people personally in his Battalion, and many of them came back to the Balboa Naval Hospital in San Diego for treatment.”

Byers’ son began making regular trips to the hospital to visit the Wounded Warriors Wing where his comrades were recuperating from wounds received as the result of IEDs. “These guys in the 3/5th are really neat guys,” noted Bob Byers, who has visited the Marines with his son. “I was awed by their attitude and their spirit.”

When Bartz received an email sent to 23 people from Bob Byers explaining about his son and the wounded from the 3/5th Dark Horse Battalion, Bartz got an idea that he and other members of the American Mold Builders Association could do something for these wounded Marines. Bartz decided that Mold Craft would make a donation towards helping purchase iPads for each wounded soldier. He replied to all 23 people on Byers’ email and challenged them to do the same. The iPads would allow the wounded to keep in contact with family and friends while they’re convalescing.

“We had hoped to raise a thousand dollars or so, but over the course of about a month, we raised $9,400. Some donors met Mold Craft’s donation, but many gave much more,” said Bartz. “The money was used to purchase iPads, which were presented to these soldiers personally by AMBA members.” The iPads went to Marine amputees at both California’s Balboa Hospital and Walter Reed Hospital in D.C. In addition, $500 was also donated to the Marine Ball.

Bob Byers added, “The iPads are a great idea, and allows them to do a lot of social networking on the internet while they’re recuperating in the hospital. I’m very proud of my son and his big heart, but it was Tim and the AMBA members that did the rest. There’s no more patriotic group than the American Mold Builders Association.”

Tim Bartz, Mold Craft, presents iPads purchased with funds raised by AMBA mem-bers at Califor-nia’s Balboa Naval Hospital.

AMBA members visit Walter Reed Hospital in D.C., to present iPads to recuperating wounded Marines.

AMBA MeMBer StArtS ‘iPAd for Wounded WArriorS’ CAMPAign

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AMBA Members Win 2011 Leadtime Leaders Awards

LargeShopWinnerUnitedTool&Mold,Inc.With a niche specialty in mold repair, three plants in the south-eastern part of the U. S. and the acquisition of mold manufac-turer JungwooUSA has resulted in United Tool & Mold, Inc. (UTM), Easley, SC thriving over the past several years. UTM has 70 employees spread throughout its three locations, primarily serving the automotive, lawn and garden, appliances, large truck and power tools markets. In addition to mold repair, UTM also builds plastic injection, blow and compression molds, as well as performing engineering changes, engineering services, service on-site, laser welding and in-house texturing.

SmallShopWinnerMold-Tech,Inc.Since 1978, Mold-Tech, Inc. Albertville, MN, has zeroed in on manufacturing specialty molds ― such as prototype, development, bridge, multi-cavity, hot runner, auto unscrewing, insert, in-mold decorating, micro, metal injection, silicone, shuttle, multi-shot and stack with an average lead time of six weeks. Strict attention to detail while producing these close-tolerance, precision injection molds has led to success for the company, which primarily serves the medical, electronics, consumer, automotive and telecommunications markets.

Honorable Mentions:

LargeShopHonorableMentionMSIMoldBuildersMSI Mold Builder, Cedar Rapids, IA, counts on a team-driven approach ― along with lean manufacturing principles to reduce waste ― to provide high quality, low maintenance and efficient plastic molds in the shortest possible timeframes. The company focuses on the design, build, repair and part design of prototype molds, as well as the design and build of injection, gas assist, external gas, structural foam and structural web processes. Customer demand for a reduction in mold delivery time drove MSI’s re-definition of its manufacturing process through the use of an incremental approval system that begins with mold concept and continues through final design.

SmallShopHonorableMentionJMMoldSouthJM Mold South, Easley, SC, bills itself as a combination of traditional strengths of full-service metalworking and conservative business management with continuous improvement in processes, cutting-edge technologies and established relations with Asian manufacturing partners. Services include mold and die design, manufacturing and full-service tooling capabilities in

plastics and metal forming to OEMs and suppliers in industries such as aerospace, appliances, automotive, consumer products, electronics, lawn and garden, medical technologies, power generation, power tools and returnable packaging.

For more information on the Leadtime Leader Awards, contact Christina Fuges, editorial director, MoldMaking Technology maga-zine, [email protected], 800. 579.8809, Fax: 513.527.8801

Optimism Prevails at Amerimold 2011

amerimold– an event for tool and moldmaking, injection molding and rapid product development – closed on April 14, 2011, at the Donald E. Stephens Center in Rosemont, IL. The two-day tradeshow, technical conference and networking event featured more than 2,000 registrants representing 42 states and 25 countries.

The amerimold exhibit hall included more than 100 exhibitors displaying technologies ranging from 5-axis machining centers to 3D printers; simulation software to cutting tools; mold components to materials. The show enjoyed increased exhibit hall attendance in 2011, with the average amerimold exhibitor collecting more than 55 well-qualified leads. There were multiple reports of show floor equipment sales.

“After an ambitious debut in 2010, we set out to reposition amerimold much in the spirit of its predecessor, the MoldMaking Expo. In doing so, we focused on two things – providing great technical content and connecting buyers and sellers of manufacturing technology. In reviewing this show’s performance and speaking with exhibitors, we are confident that we delivered on both accounts and have positioned the event for great success, moving forward,” said Executive Director, Allison Miller. This year’s technical conference consisted of two technology tracks – mold manufacturing and additive manufacturing.

The conferences featured more than 115 registered attendees and more than 50 industry experts who explored technologies ranging from automated tooling to direct metal laser sintering. Complementing the traditional technical presentation format, interactive roundtables and panel presentations were introduced this year with lively discussions on management strategies, customer satisfaction and business development.

In closing the successful 2011 campaign, show management announced that amerimold 2012 will be held June 13-14 at Novi, MI’s, Suburban Collection Showplace.


Convention

The American Mold Builder Association hit the mark with a strong turnout at its 2011 Convention in March at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas. Fueled by the

convention’s theme: Accelerate Your Profitability, attendees and guests rallied for three value-packed days of educational programming, best practices benchmarking and networking opportunities amidst the excitement and high energy of the association’s new direction. The convention’s strong line-up of programming provided attendees with the perfect venue to discover new technologies (both in general sessions and at the supplier trade fair), explore industry trends and evaluate current business practices.

General SessionsKeynoteSpeaker-“DefendingYourPrice”Stephen Rose, Practice Lead Automotive & Commercial, with Kotler Marketing GroupMany mold manufacturers get caught in the “low price” trap and are forced into defending their price without data to back up why their price is the best “value” for the money. So, if price isn’t the best way to compete and capture new business, just how can mold manufacturers get the price they need to get to be profitable?

Stephen Rose told attendees what it takes to defend their price to an OEM community that is increasingly price conscious. “Defending your price isn’t difficult if you can quantify your value; quantify your benefits to the OEM customer,” he said.

Most mold manufacturers base their pricing on their costs, Rose pointed out. That model needs to change to one in which the supplier understands its value, and what their offering is worth it to the OEM customer. Then, offer more value and focus less on being the low price bidder or on matching the competitor’s bid. The reality is that OEMs don’t care about the supplier’s costs; they are only interested in the value that the supplier provides.

Rose stated, “The bottom line to getting your price is, to understand the value, sell the value and then audit the value.”

“DomesticandForeignEconomicForcesImpactingtheMoldIndustry”Dr. Peter Mooney, Plastics Custom Research ServicesDr. Peter Mooney presented well-researched information on how domestic and foreign economic forces are impacting the mold industry. While moldmakers are generally very busy – and 2010 was a better year than many expected – this has been the “weakest recovery we’ve had” of any of the recessions. “The downturn has been longer and deeper,” he said. “And it was a recession of our own doing: Lack of enforcement of lending rules on rogue banks.”

Dr. Mooney suggested that there are two important ways mold manufacturers can be more successful. First, become more productive. “Accelerate your productivity and your profitability will follow,” he said.

Secondly, be sustainable. “The only way to be sustainable is to be technologically relevant to your customers,” he said. “You won’t survive as a me-too moldmaker.”

“ProfitMastery:MeasuringandManagingFinancialPerformance”Steve Lefever, Chairman, Business Resource ServicesProfits and cash flow are key drivers in a business. “You must be able to measure your business performance,” Steve Lefever, told convention attendees. The main message for the past three years has been: Manage better! He reminded attendees of two primary rules: “Borrowing is a privilege, not a right;” and “Know your numbers or stay away” from lenders.

Laurie Harbour, Harbor Results, Inc., convention presenter

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AMBA Convention Wrap“None of us can change the economy as individuals, but we can change our businesses by managing better,” Lefever said, and he provided Seven Steps to Business Success:

1. Plan properly before startup2. Monitor your financial position – i.e., financial intelligence3. Understand the relationship between price, volume and costs4. Manage cash flow5. Manage growth – don’t “grow broke”6. Borrow properly – “most borrow too little money – get it

right the first time”7. Plan for transition

“However,” said Lefever, “if you don’t do the first six steps right, you won’t have to worry about number seven.”

“ReapImmediateReturnonYourConventionInvestment”Laurie Harbour, President, Harbour ResultsDuring her presentation, Laurie Harbour (an expert in operational excellence, financial advisory and strategic development) emphasized key profit strategies learned at the AMBA conference and guided attendees through a simple, tactical plan on how to reap immediate return from their conference investment. Harbour shared critical benchmarking data from tooling shops and discussed ways that mold builders can take the value of what had been presented at the conference home and implement it immediately into their businesses to drive and accelerate profitability. With an emphasis on flexibility as a critical element in future growth, Harbour outlined what companies need to do now to improve their businesses and prepare their systems and processes for the future.

Technology Sessions“GetUptoa500%AnnualRecurringReturnwithERPSoftware”Dusty Alexander, President, Global Shop SolutionsEnterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is a management technology that successful companies implement because it eliminates the wasted time and steps of maintaining manual

databases. Everything can be linked to the ERP system, including engineering. ERP systems can manage time and attendance, provide live scheduling systems and document control, eliminating the 20 hours a week it would typically would take someone to key in the data on a spreadsheet.

“ERP systems can help you track your tool inventory,” Dusty Alexander suggested. “Bar code your tools and put them into a vending machine. You can track who uses each tool and cut tool usage by 40%. Using a min-max inventory system, when a particular cutter or tool gets down to the minimum the vending machine and ERP system will automatically order more of that particular tool.”

Using an ERP system to help manage your shop, Alexander said, “will not only eliminate manual data bases and spreadsheets, but you can save approximately 1% annually on direct labor and 5% on indirect labor, which is a very good return on investment.”

“LaserAblation”Martin Gorski, GF AgieCharmillesLASER Ablation is a new method for designing a texture and wrapping it around a tool. LASER (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) ablation is light power transformed into thermo machining using Ytterbium fiber laser hardware in either 20W or 50W strength. Martin Gorski, head of sales, West for GF AgieCharmilles, gave a technical presentation on this new technology that was just introduced to North America at the IMTS show last fall.

With their own Laser Ablation equipment, moldmakers are less dependent on subcontractors, claims Gorski, and they can use the technology as a means to develop and even patent or copyright their own textures and designs, thus adding value for their customers and opening the doors to new business opportunities. [See the Laser Ablation article on page 24 for more details about this exciting new texturing technology.]

“MicroandHigh-PrecisionMachining”Andre Ey, Vice President Die/Mold, MakinoMicro molds are not big. Machining for micro molds can be a challenge and the machine tools for micro machining has only

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(photos ©2011 Todd Schuett, Creative Technology Corp.)


Convention

recently hit the North American market. Makino has identified the U.S. market as one in which this technology promises strong growth. That’s different than a few years ago when Andre Ey said they “couldn’t sell these micro machine tools into the U.S.”

The difficulty is the metrology. “If you cannot measure the part how can you know it’s good?” he asked hypothetically. “You have to invest in metrology to measure micro parts.”

And, it’s not just small molds for very small parts, but many components today have “micro features” (known as “feature miniaturization”) even though the part itself might be larger. Mold manufacturers that begin offering micro molds as a capability can use this as a “differentiator,” Ey said. “Micro molds can be a differentiator, and you don’t have to compete on price.”

“PaperlessManufacturing”Jim Davis, Pre-sales Solutions Consultant, Siemens PLMSiemens PLM NX Mold Design software has been getting rave reviews from moldmakers and that’s because of the many benefits this software offers them. Some of those benefits, according to Jim Davis, include being able to formalize the design process, save the design templates from specific mold types and reuse the data. “You can capture the tooling design knowledge and reuse these proven designs,” he said.

Other benefits include the fact that the NX contains a proprietary code with electronic build-up, and all information is in real time. “It makes intuitive 3D visual information seamless; and unifies design and manufacturing with synchronous modeling,” Davis said. “You don’t need prints on the floor. It also reduces design time by eliminating unnecessary drawings. Plus, you don’t get false readings of draftings and tolerances.”

Best Business Practices“LessonsofaBusinessTransformation”Thomas Duffey, President and Owner, Plastic Components Inc.Learning to be competitive and profitable in the United States is something that Tom Duffey achieved once he began asking himself the tough questions. From 1989 - 2005, he purchased 800-900 tools from his mold suppliers in the state of Wisconsin. However, by 2005, he was losing a lot of business because of the tooling cost. By 2008, he had purchased 150 molds form China. “We felt terrible about it,” said Duffey.

Mold companies were getting better, faster and finding ways to get the cost out of molds, and by 2010, Duffey had come home. That year he purchased only two molds from China and 48 from his Wisconsin suppliers. “If my customers had the choice of paying $40,000 for a mold in eight weeks from a domestic

Thomas Duffey, Plastic Components, Inc., convention presenter

Best Practices Panel: (l. to r.)Thomas Duffey, Plastic Components, Inc.; Andrew Baker, Byrne Tool & Die; Steve Kimm, M.S.I. Moldbuilders; and Michael Bohning, Creative

Blow Mold Tooling

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process.” Some of the Lean practices really didn’t cost a lot of money, such as organizing tools by having a box for every tool, which eliminated double ordering of tools.

“Start with the end in mind,” advised Baker. “Use creativity over capital.”

“MoldManufacturingMetrics”Steve Kimm, Operations Manager, M.S.I. Mold BuildersLocated in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, M.S.I. Mold Builders began implementing Lean a number of years ago. So, how does a company know when it’s making progress on its efforts? You have to measure your progress. Get the metrics, noted Steve Kimm. Measuring provides a fact-based basis to understand improvements. It can also be used to benchmark for your competitiveness in the market.

M.S.I. measures several areas of the business:1. Sales per equivalent employee 2. Sales for the month per equivalent employee3. Value add per equivalent employee

Kimm said that value add is a measurement that factors in outsourcing of work that can help a company determine whether they should make or buy certain components, which impacts sales. “You did more sales, but did you do more value add?” Kimm asked the attendees.

supplier or $22,000 for a Chinese made mold in 12 weeks, they’d take the U.S. mold in eight weeks,” Duffey explained.

Duffey asked attendees to ask themselves five questions to help them be successful:

1. Do you have a plan? Just a simple, one-page plan that gives you some idea of what you want to do with the company.

2. Do you have a distinct competitive advantage? Can you verbalize this in one sentence and would your customers agree?

3. Do you have a marketing plan and a sales strategy? Or do you just run around and “look for work?”

4. Do you really know how/why/when you are making or losing money?

5. Do you empower and trust your team?

“Where in your organization are your making money? Where in your organization are you losing money?” Duffey asked. “To be profitable, you’ve got to know!”

Best Practices Panel“BetterPracticesatBTI–LeanManufacturing”Andy Baker, Project Manager, Byrne Tool & DieByrne Tool is a 16-person mold shop in Rockford, MI, that has become more successful and profitable by implementing Lean processes. In fact, Andy Baker said that the company has reduced its lead times on molds by 25%. “It’s nothing new that we’ve created. We just implemented what we’ve learned,” he said. “We do what we do for the results. We need to improve the process through Lean Manufacturing and the people through organizational development.”

Implementing Lean requires “commitment and strategic focus” to align the work with your goals, Baker told attendees. Just having a clean shop did a lot for the company. “We once won new business strictly because our shop was clean when the potential customer came in for a plant tour,” said Baker.

The company also improved its manufacturing cycle efficiency. “Value-add activity is when you’re making chips,” said Baker. “Non-value add is everything else. Lean focuses on the entire

Steve Kimm, Operations Manager, M.S.I Mold Builders convention presenter

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(photos ©2011 Todd Schuett, Creative Technology Corp.)


NetworkingIn addition to all the educational convention presentations, a Welcome Reception was held on March 2, in one of the many fabulous cocktail lounges at the Red Rock Resort. The event was sponsored by Vega Tool Corp. and Makino. It was a great opportunity for everyone to get to know new attendees, reunite with old friends and peers and enjoy the evening. The food was great, and the networking was better than ever!

On March 4, all the convention attendees participated in a team building event in the VIP Bowling Alley at the Red Rock Resort. If you’ve never played Charades and bowled at the same time, you don’t know what you’re missing! But that’s nothing compared to the second event in which team members were required to bowl backwards, sitting down and even blindfolded! The team building event was sponsored by DME Company, and we thank them for helping to make this a successful event.

M.S.I. also measures EDM errors per hours worked; number of welds per hours work; sales per square foot; and labor and material as a percentage of sales. “As the manufacturing process matures, labor becomes increasingly less,” he added. “Metrics lets you know whether you’re winning or losing. Metrics is fact-based and takes out the subjectivity, eliminating finger pointing.”

“OurIntroductiontoLeanManufacturing”Michael Bohning, President, Creative Blow Mold ToolingWhen Michael Bohning purchased this Lee’s Summit, MO, maker of extrusion blow molds for HDPE bottles for things like motor oil, gas cans, juice and other types of products in 2006, no one knew anything about Lean Manufacturing. Bohning, who has an accounting background and also served as a management consultant, knew the benefits of improving operations and making the 35-person company more profitable.

With help from the Missouri Manufacturing Extension Partnership program, Bohning began educating the employees about Lean Manufacturing. The first initiative was Value Stream Mapping – “looking end-to-end how products move through the manufacturing process,” he explained. The process involved several steps:

1. Establish a multi-functional team2. Pick a product family and measuring the critical path to

getting the mold built3. Identify the bottlenecks in the process and their cause4. Reorganize the shop to facilitate work cells

“We were able to take a mold build from 12 weeks to 4-5 weeks, and the employees began to see the value of what we were doing,” said Bohning. “Never accept the status quo – continually improve.”

Convention

Winning team from the AMBA convention bowling team building event.

AMBA Executive Director, Troy Nix; AMBA Managing Director, Kym Conis; MoldMaking Technology Magazine Publisher,

Claude Mas; and Mike Armbrust, AMBA President.

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AMBA convention attendees visit with suppliers during the table top fair.

23www.amba.org

Attendees enjoy the Gala Dinner. (l. to r.) Andrew & Sue Baker with Walter Stuermer.

Winning team from the AMBA convention bowling team building event.

After the team building event, two of the AMBA member companies sponsored Craps lessons for those interested in gaining some knowledge and skills in this game. Thanks to Mold Craft Inc., Willernie, MN, and Craftsman Tool & Mold, Aurora, IL, for sponsoring this fun time for the members.

The Gala Dinner that evening was sponsored by DMS and Progressive Components, and the AMBA thanks these two companies for helping to make this annual affair a great time for all the attendees. Awards were presented to the Mold Builder of the Year and to the Chapter of the Year. The newly elected Directors for the AMBA Board were introduced and first-time attendees were acknowledged. Also, the team building event winners were awarded their ribbons.

We’d also like to thank all our other sponsors who helped make the 2011 Annual Convention another great success:

• Creative Technology: Audio-Visual Equipment• EDM Network: Lunch on March 3 & 4• Mold Base Industries: Continental Breakfast on March 3 & 5• Makino: Continental Breakfast on March 4

These great sponsors also are our great suppliers of the many high-quality components and products they provide to members of the AMBA to build the high-tech, state-of-the-art molds that these companies have become known for. Working together we’ll ensure the success of the mold manufacturing industry!


In many industries, surface texture has become an important aspect of product design. It not only provides the means to refine the physical appearance of an item, but also allows a company to influence users’ tactile impression of their products. Command of this subtle interaction offers the opportunity to convey to customers a subconscious, and in some instances conscious, indication of product quality. It is of no surprise that moldmakers are increasingly seeking out ways to improve the level of control exerted in surface texturing.

Traditionally, one of two technologies has been employed to provide mold texturing. Moldmakers with five-axis machining capabilities may use them for creating textures in addition to general machining. This can be an acceptable alternative if the shop has excess five-axis capacity or only a relatively small percentage of jobs that require texturing. Otherwise, the opportunity costs quickly accumulate, as the equipment could be more productively utilized with roughing and finishing operations than with time-consuming texturing. Additionally, texturing in this manner requires very small, specialized tools, which increases the cost of the process.

Far more commonly, moldmakers turn to chemical etching. Compared to five-axis machining, this method offers substantial time and cost savings. Unfortunately, it also requires sacrifices in the areas of consistency and quality, due to the impossibility of precisely controlling the texture produced. Chemical etching also is more than a little unfriendly to the environment, an issue of increasing importance for many manufacturers.

Laser ablation allows companies to impart highly detailed, highly repeatable surface textures to molds,

thus providing increased product differentiation.

The Introduction of Laser Ablation for Surface Texturing

By Gisbert Ledvon, Business Development Manager, GF AgieCharmilles

Technology

Recently, a new technology has emerged for surface texturing in the form of laser ablation. Already used in a variety of applications ranging from surgical procedures to production of superconductors, the process entails using a laser to sublimate material, or turn it directly from solid to gas. Laser ablation centers can be equipped with pulsed, fiber-optic lasers of varying strengths and utilize a variety of lenses with different focal lengths to maximize productivity. The process promises several key advantages to moldmakers requiring surface texturing.

Laser ablation offers far more precision and accuracy than can be achieved via chemical etching. No matter how much care is taken during etching, it is impossible to eliminate variation that results in a minimum of slight differences between work pieces. Laser ablation centers produce textures directly from digital files, allowing the creation of any number of identical components. Some manufacturers may think that variation is acceptable between components, but it becomes a much more apparent issue when thinking in terms of complex molds that require multiple inserts. In those instances, differences between the various inserts can result in a visibly inconsistent surface across the part. Laser ablation eliminates the need for this sacrifice in quality.

Laser ablation centers use pulsed, fiber-optic lasers to create textures by sublimating material.

Laser ablation also has no environmental impact, another area where it far surpasses chemical etching. This provides substantial benefit even to those manufacturers unconcerned about the impact of their operations on the environment. Because of the nature of the chemicals used for etching, US

25www.amba.org

companies conducting it must comply with a host of regulations that substantially increase its price. As an alternative, parts can be shipped to companies doing business in countries with little or no environmental regulation, an option that brings with it substantial lead times and low flexibility in responding to urgent needs. In short, laser ablation often will be cheaper or faster than chemical etching, depending upon whether viewed in terms of domestic or international alternatives.

In addition to adherence to strict government regulations, chemical etching also requires substantial manual labor. Each part undergoing the process must be carefully prepared to ensure that the chemicals only access the features to be textured. Exposing other areas of the component to these chemicals can result in the entire piece being scrapped. Additionally, the process requires readying the chemicals, administering the bath, cleaning the part and disposing of the chemicals, all steps with high-labor components.

In contrast, laser ablation consumes very little labor. An operator sets the part in the machine, loads the program and walks away until the texturing is complete. While the actual process time of laser ablation will substantially exceed that of chemical etching, the ability to run fully unmanned minimizes labor utilization. The only true operating cost of the process is the cost of the electricity consumed.

Laser ablation provides an ideal method of creating unique, detailed surface finishes on electrodes for die sinking EDM.

Lastly, laser ablation opens the door for greater legal protection of innovative designs. The lack of repeatable results with chemical etching renders the process unable to create textures that could be submitted for patent protection. Laser ablation overcomes this hurdle, allowing moldmakers to create and protect surfaces that result in a truly unique appearance and feel in the final product.

With today’s high demands for product differentiation, laser ablation centers provide moldmakers with a new, unique means to meet and exceed their customers’ needs. By incorporating previously unattainable levels of quality and repeatability, a shop utilizing laser ablation will quickly stand out in the sea of competition.

For more information contact GF AgieCharmilles, at 847.955.7164, [email protected] or visit the website at www.gfac.com/us.


Technology

EDM of copper beryllium can be performed safely and effectively using conventional processes and equipment that are commonly used for EDM of steel. However, because copper beryllium has much greater thermal conductivity (a significant advantage in molding plastics) compared to steel, the actual EDM operation requires more input energy. To obtain optimum results with copper beryllium, the EDM parameters will require processing adjustments compared to steel. EDM of copper beryllium can usually be done at 80-100% of the penetration rate for steel while maintaining a smooth surface and acceptable electrode life.

Like steel, the EDM of copper beryllium produces a thin layer of recast metal on the worked surface. But unlike steel, this layer is ductile and does not lead to polishing problems or cracking of the mold. The thickness of the affected layer in copper beryllium, which can be controlled by adjusting the machining parameters, is typically in the range of 1-10 μm. Because the thickness of the layer is insignificant, it has no measurable effect on mold performance. In addition, thermal stress cracking during EDM of copper beryllium is not a problem because of the material’s unique ability to evenly dissipate the thermal energy of the EDM process

DiesinkingTable 1 sets out recommendations that produced the best combination of metal removal rate (MRR), tool wear ratio (TWR) and surface condition in diesinking evaluations. These values will vary somewhat depending on design, equipment and electrode selection and should be used as a starting point for determining the parameters that are most suitable. Many EDM references recommend “standard” polarity (electrode negative) for EDM of all copper alloys. Testing, however, exhibited better performance with the “inverted” (electrode positive) polarity.

Table 1

Recommended EDM Parameters for Copper Beryllium

Voltage 220 V

Current 50 APulse On-time 32 μsecDuty Factor 50%Electrode Gap 305 μmElectrode Polarity PositiveElectrode Material Copper

Table 2

Table 2 shows MMR is the metal removal rate. TWR is the ratio of electrode wear to work piece removed by EDM.

Table 3 shows the effects of variations in the machining parameters on EDM performance. Explanation: If the on-time is increased (+), this results in a decrease (-) in MRR, a decrease in TWR and an increase in the surface roughness.

Table 3

Table 4, observations were made during the machining trials using different electrode materials.

Table 4Pure copper electrodes generally provide the best combination of

electrode durability and cost. Pure copper is used in most copper beryllium EDM applications. Tungsten copper provides better tool life but is more difficult to machine. The price of tungsten copper is significantly greater than pure copper. In general, tungsten copper electrodes provide better results in deep, narrow cavities that are difficult to flush.

EDM PerformanceMRR TWRg/min in3/hr

MoldMAX .82 .36 .33PROtherm .82 .22 .87

MMR TWR RoughnessOn-time + - - - - + + -Current + - + - - + + -Duty Factor + - + - + - + -Polarity + - + - - + - +

EDM Electrode Effects Compared to CopperCopper Tungsten Decreased TWR, no effect on MRR

or surface

Graphite (POCO-EDM-3)

Increased TWR, increased MRR, unstable at high currents and low on times, rougher surface

EDM of Copper Beryllium Mold Materials By Technical Service Department, Materion Brush Performance Alloys

27www.amba.org

Safe handling of copper berylliumHandling copper beryllium in solid form poses no special health risk. Like many industrial materials, beryllium-containing materials may pose a health risk if recommended safe-handling practices are not followed. Inhalation of airborne beryllium may cause a serious lung disorder in susceptible individuals. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has set mandatory limits on occupational respiratory exposures. Read and follow the guidance in the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) before working with this material.

Safety precautions should always be followed in EDM of any material to prevent worker exposure to hazardous materials. EDM of copper beryllium produces fine metallic particles. To prevent airborne exposure to these particles, the work piece should be fully immersed in dielectric fluid and adequate flow should be maintained to effectively flush the EDM swarf from the electrode area. The EDM equipment should be operated to minimize vaporization of the dielectric fluid. Local exhaust ventilation during EDM is recommended to control exposure to dielectric mist and metal particulate. During machine maintenance, the accumulated chips must be handled in a manner to prevent workplace air contamination. Disposal of machining chips should be done in compliance with local regulations.

For additional information on safe-handling practices ortechnical data on copper beryllium, contact Materion Brush Performance Alloys, Technical Service Department at800.375.4205.

For Smoothest SurfaceMoldMAX PROtherm

Capacitance μF 0.3 0.3Current A 8 12Pulse Duration μsec 1.6 1.6Frequency kHz 17 20

For Maximum Machining SpeedMoldMAX PROtherm

Capacitance μF 3.3 3.3Current A 48 48Pulse Duration μsec 1.6 1.6Frequency kHz 25 29

Wire EDMTables 5 and 6 provide data from testing done on a Charmilles Wire EDM machine with soft brass and brass-on-copper wires.

Table 5

Table 6

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Leading company executives in the moldmaking community continually look for ways to improve the management of

their business and technical operations. To create best-in-class operations and maximize productivity, machining leaders are constantly seeking methods to increase output, reduce labor inefficiencies and improve profitability.

In its quest to become a better machining company, the management team at Mold Craft, Inc. has taken aggressive steps to utilize technology and integrate automation in nearly every job it processes. Mold Craft has evolved into a design-intensive company, starting from the moment a job is quoted. With the goal of minimizing “operator input” during the machining process, Mold Craft invests time and extensive resources to minimize labor and maximize unattended machine time. Coupling this design-intensive strategy with a significant and

on-going investment in technology has enabled Mold Craft to grow sales without adding significant amounts of human resources.

Benefitsofattending: During this tour workshop, participants will have the opportunity to tour the Mold Craft facility, engage in structured cross-talk with other senior machining professionals on various aspects of running profitable moldmaking companies and discuss continuous improvement opportunities and best practices observed during the walk through.

For both AMBA member companies and non-member companies, this is a professional development workshop you

simply don’t want to miss!

Registration information online at www.amba.org/Tour_Workshop_1.php or call 847.222.9402 with questions about this event.

AMBA Plant Tour WorkshopIntegrating Design Innovation with a Maximum Automation Approach to Build a Sustainable Business Model

June14,2011,9am-1pmCST•HostedbyMoldCraft,Inc.,Willernie,MN

Association

2011-2012 AMBA Scholarship Program for AMBA Members EmployeesAMBA’s National Scholarship Program has awarded over $211,000 nationally since the program’s inception in 1991. The Annual Scholarship Program continues to demonstrate AMBA’s commitment to the industry, education and offering valuable member benefits. Scholarships will be awarded to employees or employee dependants. The employee has to be working full-time for at least one year in order to participate in the program. Previous scholarship recipients are eligible to apply for the 2011/2012 scholarships. Authorized by the Board of Directors, AMBA will grant up to ten - $1,000 scholarships for the 2011-2012 school year. Scholarships are paid directly to the educational institution.

PLEASE NOTE: Member company owners and/or major stockholders and/or their spouses and dependents are not eligible to receive any scholarships.

The selection process will be conducted by the AMBA Education Committee, consisting of members from the AMBA National Board. Applications must be submitted by May 27, 2011. For more information on the AMBA scholarship program visit the website at www.amba.org/AMBA_Scholarships.php. Questions? Contact Sue Daniels at 847.222.9402 or email [email protected].

Grainger Discount Program AnnouncedAMBA is pleased to announce its newest economic impact program with W.W. Grainger, North America’s largest supplier of maintenance, repair and operational parts (MRO). Because all moldmaking operations utilize consumable products (safety, health, sanitation, etc...) and industrial items (motors, lighting, grease, oil, material handling, electrical, etc...) and mechanical repair parts, AMBA’s leadership team has approved an aggregate buying affinity program that will allow for significant savings for participating AMBA members including the following: • Over 1000 commonly used items 40% average discount• Industrial motors 28% average discount• Janitorial & sanitation 15% average discount• Hand and power tools special pricing• Free shipping on all orders 6% average savings• Vendor managed inventory programs Current AMBA Members who are not currently affiliated with a national account program will be automatically upgraded in the Grainger system to receive this new AMBA member benefit. Those who are currently assigned to a national account agreement will need to compare and contrast to determine which program provides the greatest amount of value and savings. For those members who do not have a current account with Grainger but would like to take advantage of the new AMBA Affinity program, simply call the AMBA offices at 847.222.9402 and we will get you set up.

ThiseventissponsoredbyAMBAPartnersProgressiveComponentsandErowaTechnology,Inc.

29www.amba.org

AMBA Exhibits at PLASTEC West 2011AMBA exhibited at this year’s PLASTEC West show in Anaheim, CA, February 8-10. As always, the main goal of the AMBA when exhibiting at trade shows is to promote AMBA members and the U.S. mold industry. We distribute the AMBA Sourcebook to qualified mold buyers and OEMs in an effort to connect our members with new customers. As in years past, this is a well attended show and booth traffic was excellent throughout the three-day event. Exhibiting at this show allows us to assemble a listing of qualified mold buyer leads, which is made available to all AMBA members via the Members Only section of the website at www.amba.org. Login to “My AMBA” to download the lead list from this show.

Many AMBA members and partners assisted in staffing the booth, so a special THANK YOU is deserved to those below for volunteering their time to speak with and answer questions from show attendees at the AMBA booth:

• Alan Petrucci, B A Die Mold • Jerry Siedelman, Tech Mold • Geri Anderson, M.R. Mold • Lisa Oswald, Allcraft Mold • Tim Peterson, Industrial Molds Group • Tim Ruffner, GPI Prototype • Jim Liddell, Mold Craft

[email protected]

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Enroll and start saving today.www.enrollhere.net | 800.647.3061 | [email protected]

Copyright ©2009 YRC Inc.

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Scott Phipps, United Tool & Mold - Carolinas ChapterScott started in the trade while in high school 30+ years ago and has worked from the bottom up earning his stripes. In 1986, he moved to South Carolina where he was the shop foreman at a startup facility, building die cast dies and plastic molds, as well as doing repairs and engineering changes. He made the move in 1995, starting United Tool & Mold from conception to what has now grown in to three facilities in 2010, with a 60-man team focusing on mold repair and engineering changes. Scott feels strongly about the AMBA, and feels that if we all work together we can take on all the challenges the world has to offer. Scott has served on the AMBA Board since 2008, and also serves as the Carolinas’ chapter president. He currently sits on three trade schools’ advisory boards to promote skilled trades. His company has an apprenticeship program and feels strongly that the future of the industry is in our hands; we have to take charge by getting involved to inspire our young people and our government.

Association

Tim Peterson, Industrial Molds Group - Chicago Chapter Tim presently serves as vice president of his family’s company, Industrial Molds Group, in Rockford, IL, which was founded in 1968. He began in the moldmaking business by sweeping floors as a young boy. After graduating from high school, he began a moldmaking apprenticeship program, which lasted four years. He then went to work at Moldesign for eight years before coming back to Industrial Molds Group in 1992 as a toolmaker. He began moving up in the company, becoming lead toolmaker, account manager and spending two years in quality. In 2006, he began moving further into the managerial side of the company to his present position as vice president. Tim believes that American manufacturing is the backbone to a strong America and is the mission of the AMBA as it works to strengthen American moldmaking. Tim has worked to promote the industry both locally and at the national level, and feels that serving on the National Board of Directors of the AMBA is an honor and a privilege.

t page 29

New AMBA Board Members AnnouncedFour directors were elected to serve a three-year term. Read more about the newly elected Board members.

31www.amba.org

Mike Walter, MET Plastics - Chicago ChapterMike Walter is general manager of MET Plastics and an AMBA member since 1987. Mike is a strong supporter of the U.S. moldbuilding industry and understands the importance of moldbuilding to the overall economic strength of the U.S. economy. He has been active in the AMBA Chicago chapter since 1997, where he has served in various roles over the years, including chapter president, vice president, secretary and his current position as chapter treasurer. Mike joined the AMBA National Board of Directors in 2007 and is an active member of the Governance committee. Other AMBA activities that Mike has participated in include authoring articles for AMBA’s “The American Mold Builder” publication and the Chicago chapter’s “Benchmark” newsletter, active participation in government relations work and Washington D.C. fly-ins and attendance at national conventions and conferences. Mike’s hobbies include biking, skiing and busting out show tunes on hotel lobby pianos.

Wendy Wloszek,Industrial Mold & Machine - Northern Ohio Chapter Wendy is the president of Industrial Mold & Machine. Wendy grew up in the company by starting her career as a mold designer, then engineering manager and progressing to head of operations before assuming her role as president in December ‘08. Wendy is committed to human development and IMM’s culture of learning. Wendy is a Champion member of AME and a MAPP Board Member. Membership in both organizations frequently exposes Wendy to lean/advance manufacturing techniques and the perspective to better understand customers’ needs. IMM also has a significant focus on the use of technology for communicating. The company has a developed social networks and is in the process of combining it with the use of iPads for storing and retrieving job information, a Center for Learning, Employee Handbook, etc. Wendy is very proud of the fact that nearly half of the iPads at IMM belong to people on the production floor. Wendy lives with her husband and two children in Chagrin Falls, OH.

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Welcome New MembersExtremeTool&EngineeringInc.Contact: Mike Zacharias, President999 Production Dr. Wakefield, MI 49968Phone: 906.229.9100 www.extremetool.com

Extreme Tool & Engineering Inc. is a returning member to the AMBA. Mike Zacharias has built a very successful company over the past decade. Extreme Tool designs, builds and quali-fies injection molds for a variety of industries. The company has seven injection molding presses and performs mold validation and process development systems qualification. The AMBA welcomes Mike and his team at Extreme Tool!

RoushManufacturingContact: Mark Slack, Director of Operations ToolingDivision 343 West Nine MileFarmington, MI 48335Phone: 734.805.4427www.roush.com

Roush Manufacturing was founded in 1976 and today comprises moldmaking and molding in an 110,000-square-foot facility,

employing 105 people. The company builds both injection molds and blow molds, and provides engineering and mold design and build of both prototype and production tooling.

Roush serves the alternative fuel, aerospace and defense, auto-motive and life sciences industries. Mark Slack, the company’s Director of Operations Tooling Division, said the reason for joining the AMBA is “to learn more about what is happening in our industry.”

TJARInnovationsLLCContact: Jan Arsenault, Vice President 1320 Lavelle Dr.Xenia, OH 45385Phone: 937.347.1999 www.tjarinnovations.com

TJAR Innovations LLC is a family owned and operated mold manufacturer and plastic parts supplier located in Xenia, Ohio, headed by owner Tony Arsenault. The company differentiates itself by specializing in working with inventors to help them take their new ideas from concept to store shelf-ready. TJAR provides product development services that include product design, assembly, packaging, patent assistance and marketing help.TJAR has two products of its own on the market. The Shield™ is a debris deflector for all gas and most electric powered string trimmers to help prevent injuries while trimming. The Bucket

t page 31

33www.amba.org

Helper is a molded handle cover that slips underneath the metal handle to help save hands and fingers while carrying heavy buckets.

Jan Arsenault said that the reason the company joined the AMBA is “to stay informed of the industry, get industry information, changes and updates” to help them keep current.

New Partner SpotlightDijetInc.Contact: David Peck, Vice President/COO45807 Helm St.Plymouth, MI 48170Phone: 800.743.4538www.dijetusa.com

Dijet Inc. is a global supplier of precision metal cutting tools for the mold, die and metal cutting industries. The company’s focus on mold manufacturing has resulted in two new products for moldmaking: a new high-productivity indexable swing ball-nose end mill designed for multi-directional milling; and a high performance indexable S-Cut drill designed for high-quality hole-making.

The AMBA welcomes Dijet, Inc. as another great partner supplier!

Are you an AMBA Member?Now, more than ever, it is important to use every resource the AMBA has developed to help improve the profitability of your business. It is the goal of the AMBA to

• Deliver real, tangible benefits to its Members through cost-saving programs

• Educate its Members on industry benchmarks and best practices

• Create invaluable networking opportunities for staff-level executives

• Drive value and member participation throughout all levels of the Member organization

• Strengthen industry awareness through education to cultivate an ongoing skilled workforce

For information on AMBA membership visit www.amba.org, or call 847.222.9402.

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We increase Efficiency!

The Minnesota chapter is one of the AMBA most active chapters. It seems it always has a project going, whether it’s working with the local schools to interest students in moldmaking as a career or helping wounded soldiers, the Minnesota chapter is on the move. Tim Bartz, vice president of operations for Mold Craft Inc. (Willernie, MN), started the effort to help Will Byers, a veteran of the Iraq war, purchase iPads for soldiers who have been wounded in Afghanistan.

“We were hoping to raise a thousand dollars or so, but over the course of about a month we raised $9,400. Some met Mold Craft’s donation, but many gave much more,” said Bartz, who delivered nine iPads to Camp Pendleton on March 18 and presented them to the soldiers personally. The iPads came complete with the case, ear buds and iTunes cards. All but two were delivered, but Tim and his wife Kim left those with the Dana Point Support Group to be delivered to the soldiers. Another six were purchased and delivered by Steve Rotman, Scott Phipps and Robbie Earnhardt of the Carolinas chapter to the Walter Reed Army Hospital.

Chapter Spotlight - MinnesotaBob Byers, Will’s father and a well-known figure in the moldmaking industry, said that the iPads are a great idea and allow them to do a lot of social networking while they’re recuperating in the hospital. “I’m very proud of my son and his big heart, but it was Tim and the AMBA members that did the rest. There’s no more patriotic group than the American Mold Builders Association,” Byers said. See the full story on page16.

The Minnesota chapter plans what it believes to be very informative meetings for its members. On March 22, the chapter had good turnout for a meeting with an insurance agent who helped attendees understand some of the things that might be changing which will affect business owners.

As of this writing, the Minnesota chapter has scheduled a meeting on May 24 where the chapter will be awarding four scholarships for $2,500 each. The chapter is very active in promoting apprenticeships and supporting apprentices. These funds were raised by the chapter’s annual Golf Outing, which has been a huge success over the last 15 seasons. This year’s golf outing will be held on July 21, and the chapter is challenging the industry to beat last year’s attendance and get over 100 participants through members, partners and suppliers.

Chapter member company Mold Craft will be the host to the first nationally sponsored plant tour in June. This is an exciting event that will be open to all members of the AMBA. They hope to draw local Minnesota chapter members to this new event where the goal is to have visitors gain insight and look at their own operation with a different set of glasses; however, the hosting company will be able to draw on the visitors’ experiences and quiz them on what they see as potential areas of improvement. This is a win-win for everybody and the chapter hopes to promote participation within the chapter. Minnesota is the beta site for this new event, which will eventually be held in all the chapters nationwide.

Tentative meetings are scheduled for August 18 and November 10. The Minnesota chapter is a very active chapter and they hope that they can keep growing.

t page 33

35www.amba.org

CaliforniaThe California chapter of the American Mold Builders Association met for a social time and introduction to prospects on April 12 at the Arburg Technology Center in Irvine. Twenty people were in attendance, which included five member companies, partners and guests.

During the social time, the attendees were able to freely move about the training floor of the Arburg facility, meeting old friends and making new contacts. Arburg also had their staff available to show and discuss their latest technology and to share about the training they do with their customers.

Attendees during meeting part of the evening.Paul Novak, owner of South Coast Mold, reviewed for the group his

attendance at the recent conference in Las Vegas. Benefits of being an AMBA member were also reviewed for the benefit of the membership

and the prospect companies.

Arlington Park Racetrack. More details are available on the web at www.amba.org/Chicago_Chapter_Meetings.php

MinnesotaThe chapter held a general membership meeting on March 22 with speaker Sarah Hartneck, Benefits Consultant, of Associated Financial Group.

The chapter has also booked the date for their Annual Education Committee Golf Tournament at Oak Glen Golf Course in Stillwater, MN. Save the date, Thursday, July 21. More information to come, but if you have questions call Tom Nielsen the tournament contact at 651.770.1515.

West MichiganThe chapter has announced its meeting schedule for the remainder of 2011. The annual chapter scholarship presentations and dinner meeting will be held on June 7 and details about that event will be forthcoming. Save the date of August 26 for the chapter Golf Outing event to be hosted at Egypt Valley Country Club, to raise money for the chapter scholarship fund. In addition, mark your calendar for November 8 for the Boulder Creek Dinner Meeting.

(l. to r.) Tim Lane, Bohler-Uddeholm; Tony May, Pyramid Mold; Robert Vaughan, Fairway Injection Molds and John Merlino,

Bohler-Uddeholm, visit during the social time.

Chapter News

ChicagoThe chapter held a general membership breakfast meeting during the amerimold™ trade show on April 13 with speaker Laurie Harbour presenting “Key Profit Strategies.”

The chapter will host “A DAY AT THE RACES On Sunday...” on Sunday June 6, for family, friends and business associates at


Special Report

OSHA announced earlier this year that it plans to publish a final rule in August 2011 that will align the Hazard Communication Stan-dard (HCS) with the global hazard communication system known as GHS.

Mold manufacturers should pay attention to these developments and plan accordingly since HCS violations rank among the top five most cited OSHA standards for the plastics industry, and GHS alignment will result in additional compliance responsibilities under HCS.

What is GHS?GHS stands for the Globally Harmonized System of Classifica-tion and Labeling of Chemicals. It was born out of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Develop-ment, a.k.a. the Earth Summit, and is intended to create a global approach to the hazard classifications of chemicals and the communication of chemical hazards via labels and safety data sheets. (Under GHS, material safety data sheets (MSDS) are called safety data sheets (SDS), in addition to more substantial changes we’ll discuss later in this article.)

GHS is not a global law; it’s a system for classifying chemical hazards and communicating those hazards to the people who may be exposed to those chemicals. It uses a building block approach, which means countries adopting GHS may select only those aspects of the system it wishes to incorporate into its own standards. Furthermore, countries that adopt GHS also are responsible for its enforcement.

The United States played a key role in the development of GHS and OSHA’s HCS was one of four major chemical hazard stan-dards that served as the basis for the global system. To date, 67 countries have adopted or are in the process of adopting GHS, and adoption on a wide scale is expected to enhance protection of workers and the environment while reducing costs and regula-tory burdens related to international chemical trade.

What will happen to HCS?To understand how HCS will be modified, let’s quickly review HCS in its current form. Adopted in 1983 for the manufacturing industry, HCS was expanded in 1987 to cover all industries. Today it covers 40 million workers in over five million workplaces. Its stated purpose is “to ensure that the hazards of all chemicals produced or imported are evaluated and details regarding their hazards are transmitted to employers and employees.”

OSHA estimates that there are over 880,000 hazardous chemi-cals covered under HCS and everyone in the lifecycle of those chemicals probably has at least some responsibilities. Chem-ical manufacturers are required to evaluate the chemicals and products they produce to identify potential hazards, and then provide information about those hazards via warning labels and MSDSs to the importers, distributors and end-users that receive their products. Similarly, importers and distributors must supply labels and MSDSs to their customers.

End-users and employers must take measures to keep employees who are exposed to hazardous chemicals safe by preparing a written hazard communication program, maintaining a hazardous chemical inventory, ensuring that on-site containers are properly labeled, providing employees access to MSDSs for all hazardous chemicals and training employees on the safe handling of chemicals and how to properly read MSDSs and warning labels.

Again, employer responsibility under HCS has five key compo-nents.

1. Written plan2. Chemical inventory3. Labels and warnings4. Employee training5. MSDS management

After the alignment, mold manufacturers should see that the overall protections outlined in HCS have not been reduced and that modifications apply only to those provisions of HCS that must be changed to align with GHS.

Major changes to HCSThe two biggest changes GHS brings to HCS are to the hazard classification criteria and hazard communication. GHS hazard definitions are criteria-based and each type of hazard covered is considered a “hazard class” – such as acute toxicity and carci-nogenicity – and unlike in the HCS, most of these hazard classes also are subdivided into “hazard categories” to reflect the degree of severity of the effect. This is the concept of “classification.” With GHS alignment, chemical manufacturers must identify both the hazardous effect (e.g., carcinogenicity) and how severe that effect might be (e.g., Category 1 or 2).

GHS breaks hazards down into three classes: 1) health hazards; 2) physical hazards; and 3) environmental

GHS Bringing Changes to OSHA HazCom Standard By Glenn D. Trout, MSDSonline

37www.amba.org

GHS Bringing Changes to OSHA HazCom Standard By Glenn D. Trout, MSDSonline

hazards. However, the GHS-modified HCS will only cover the first two classes, as environmental hazards are outside of OSHA’s regulatory domain. The EPA will cover environmental hazards when it aligns with the GHS.

Thanks to the reclassification of chemicals, and changes to the SDS format, chemical manufacturers and some importers/distributors will likely need to produce new labels and SDSs that incorporate those changes.

Biggest impact on mold manufacturersThe second key area of change under GHS is to labels and SDSs, and these changes will have the biggest affect on mold manufacturers.

To start, while HCS takes a simple performance-oriented approach to labels (meaning OSHA explains the results it wants, but not how to achieve it), GHS takes a more detailed explana-tory approach, providing specific how-to provisions for labels. With GHS alignment, each container of a classified hazardous chemical is to be labeled, tagged or marked with the following elements:

1. Product or chemical identifier clearly indicated at the top of the label that matches the SDS.

2. Contact information for the product supplier, including the company name, address and telephone number.

3. Hazard pictograms. Transport pictograms will have the same background and symbol colors currently used (since DOT has already aligned with GHS). For all other sectors, pictograms will have a black symbol on a white background with a red diamond frame. It’s a far simpler system compared to the current 38 shapes, colors and symbols being used in just North America today.

Note: GHS allows for a black frame to be used for shipments within a single country. OSHA, however, is proposing that a red frame be used regardless of whether the shipment is traveling inside or outside of the country.

4. The signal word should be clearly marked at the top of the label beneath the product identifier. GHS permits the use of only two signal words (and only one at a time) - DANGER or WARNING - to emphasize the hazard and distinguish between hazard levels.

5. A hazard statement that describes the level of hazard should appear under the signal word. Signal words, hazard statements and pictograms have all been harmonized and assigned to each hazard class and category in GHS. Once a chemical has been classified, the relevant harmonized information can be found in HCS under the new Appendix C.

6. Lastly, the label should include the appropriate precautionary information. Since OSHA does not currently require precau-tionary statements, this is a key change to HCS. As of now,

precautionary statements in the GHS are not harmonized. The intent is to harmonize precautionary statements in the future; until that time, OSHA is expected to mandate the use of the GHS examples, which it anticipates will end up being the harmonized statements.

Keep in mind these requirements are for classified hazards. For unclassified hazards, the shipping label should include the product name, supplier contact information and as supplemental information, a description of the hazards and appropriate precau-tionary measures.

Workplace labelingGHS allows authorities like OSHA to determine what types of workplace labels will be required, and OSHA has signaled it will continue to give employers flexibility in this area by allowing them to choose “to label workplace containers either with the same label that would be on shipped containers for the chemical under the revised rule, or with label alternatives that meet the requirements for the standard.”

OSHA also will continue to give employers alternatives to affixing labels to stationary containers and portable containers used to transfer materials from other labeled containers, so long as the portable containers remain under the control of the employee who performs the transfer and are used within a work-shift.

Also not changing, are the requirements that labels be presented in English – though additional languages are permitted as needed – and that labels must not be defaced or removed unless immedi-ately replaced with new labels.

Safety Data SheetsMSDSs, as was mentioned earlier, are redefined as SDSs under GHS and remain the backbone of HCS compliance. The align-ment standardizes the format and quality of information provided on the SDS. Under GHS, SDSs are presented in a 16-section format with a required ordering of sections. It is essentially the ANSI Standard for SDSs, with a few minor tweaks. The sections, in order, are as follows:

1. Identification2. Hazard(s) identification3. Composition/ingredient information4. First-aid measures5. Fire-fighting measures6. Accidental release measures7. Handling and storage8. Exposure control/personal protection9. Physical and chemical properties10. Stability and reactivity page 38 u


Special Report

11. Toxicological information12. Ecological information13. Disposal considerations14. Transport information15. Regulatory information16. Other information

To be GHS compliant, an SDS needs all 16 sections; however, OSHA will not be enforcing sections 12-15, which fall outside their jurisdiction. SDSs will continue to allow provisions for confidential business information (CBI), or trade secrets as they are known in HCS, with the understanding that provisions for trade secret protection should not compromise the health and safety of users and claims should be limited to the names of chemicals and their concentrations in mixtures.

TrainingUnder OSHA’s HCS revision, employers will have two years from the effective date of the final rule to train employees on the new rules. Training should address changes to a company’s written hazard communication plan, changes to labels and changes to SDSs.

How to prepare for GHS• Chemical manufacturers are responsible for much of the

work that needs to be done in order to make the entire system GHS compliant and many (if not most) have already begun the work of transitioning to the new standard. Many employers, on the other hand, have only a vague notion of what it is coming and how to prepare. For that reason, we will focus on the steps employers can take to make the transition to a revised HCS a smooth one.

• Have an HCS plan and maintain a checklist of key plan components and review it regularly.

• Inventory your on-site chemicals.

• Make sure you have a complete and up-to-date library of SDSs.

• Stay current with OSHA on the federal, state and local levels.

• Keep an eye on GHS key dates and how they impact your plan.

• Prepare yourself for the eventual SDS churn, keeping your archiving needs a priority.

• If you’re still using paper, consider transitioning to an electronic system.

• Make sure your secondary labeling system is GHS compliant.

• Start developing a training plan for your employees.

ConclusionOSHA has targeted August 2011 for the publishing of the final rule to align HCS with GHS. At that time, OSHA also will announce the effective date for the final rule. Employers will have to train all employees on GHS (reading labels and SDSs, etc.,) within two years of the effective date and will have to be in full compliance within three years.

OSHA understands that during the transition, some employers will be following the old HCS and some the revised HCS; to that end, the agency will continue to enforce compliance, but will accept adherence to either the new or the old standard.

To learn more, visit our GHS Answer Center at http://blog.msdsonline.com and check out OSHA’s website at http://www.osha.gov/dsg/hazcom/global.html . August is right around the corner; by acting now, you should have plenty of time to prepare for the coming changes.

Glenn D. Trout is the president of MSDSonline, a provider of on-demand compliance solutions for tracking and managing hazardous chemicals and material safety data sheets (MSDSs, and other critical environmental, health and safety (EH&S) information. Find MSDS online at www.MSDSonline.com or call 888.362.2007.

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t page 37

39www.amba.org

Inside Track

How many times have we initiated a change in policy, procedure or process only to have it be ultimately labeled with the often used “flavor of the month” moniker? Statements like, “we used to do that and quit” or “we tried that once and stopped” are common responses to inquiries regarding attempts to promote change and improvements in many organizations. These responses are commonplace for such change efforts as basic as the 5-S implementation to the more complex implementations of ERP system modules. The starting, stopping and restarting of Continuous Improvement efforts in many of the facilities we visit are indicative of an inability to create “sticktuitiveness.”

In today’s lean organizations, as well as in attempts to create lean enterprises/cultures, sustenance of change or “sticktuitiveness” is difficult to achieve for a few of the following simple reasons:

• We often dictate change that has been created by individuals in a vacuum without achieving the ownership or “buy in” of the culture to the objective or the approach of the change.

• We neglect to create the correct measures/metrics to track or communicate the effectiveness of the desired change and monitor for needed corrections in course or direction through a robust PDCA (Plan – Do – Check – Act) discipline.

• We do not support the effort throughout the management team and fail to reinforce the effort with the continued emphasis and reinforcement required

• We might not include cross functional representation in the “buy in” of the activity, creation of the appropriate metrics, and may not achieve management support from all departments affected.

To address these potential reasons for failure to achieve sustained change, a cultural shift might be in order. This sustenance of change requires a culture with a foundation rooted in the values of transparency, collaboration and trust. If the entity is shrouded in secrecy, combative without compromise or is suspicious of the motives, then there is a need to transform the day-to-day focus to a more positive routine.

There is no “magic wand” that can be waved to realize a cultural shift overnight. We all have experienced the “crash course” events that have been conducted to incite change in processes or operations. We may have made significant progress and improvements with these focused efforts, but in a lot of cases, failed to cascade or sustain this progress throughout our business

processes. There will need to be a dedicated, over-communicated effort over a period of time before the desired cultural shift begins to be realized.

Following a few basic principles can aid in the initial cultural swing. These also become the basis for reinforcing and maintaining “sticktuitiveness.”

• Though the word “team” is sometimes overused in describing the organization’s inter-workings, it is important to solicit input from the affected group once a clear objective is defined. A sense of “our ideas are being considered” is critical and can develop ownership.

• Discussing how to measure, visually broadcast and at what points to recalibrate the direction and initiative is important. If the measure or metric is difficult to get on a daily basis, it may be necessary to redefine the scope of the effort or a different metric may be needed. Metrics also are the trigger for celebration when success is realized.

• Raising the visibility of the effort throughout the organization should be achieved through timely communication, with the measures being well-publicized and refreshed daily to establish importance. Establishing small group follow-up meetings regarding the status of the effort and needs of the group are critical. This communication confirms management commitment.

Do not assume that merely assigning plans for change to a group or individual will create lasting results without the proper disciplined focus and follow-up management reinforcement. In the lean enterprises that celebrate the most, the “sticktuitiveness” of a project, program or initiative has a clear definition of desired change, a collaborative model for input from all subject matter experts and cross functional ownership to foster the success of the effort.

The best manufacturing companies today have worked to develop this “sticktuitiveness”. They have put countless hours into the development of the team and the processes necessary to drive this culture. The results are solid performance on a consistent basis across all performance metrics including throughput, quality, productivity, morale and the most important – profitability!

For more details or if you have questions contact the author by email at [email protected], or by phone at 248.629.9331.

Maintaining a Culture Shift By Ken McGill, Harbour Results, Inc.


MPmax Real-Time Machine Process Monitoring and Data Management

Makino (Auburn, MI) releases its new real-time machine process monitoring and data management software solu-tion, the MPmax (Machine Productivity Maximizer). By connecting multiple machines on a single network to a central-ized computer, MPmax enables manufacturers to retrieve, store and analyze high volumes of machine data in real time.

MPmax offers data manage-ment capabilities for a variety of key machine performance features, including multiple machine status monitoring, machine utilization, alarms, probe data analysis, spindle and axis movement, machine power (available only with the machine power monitor option) and tool management work scheduling. MPmax’s ability to collect probe data and calcu-

late the Cpk process capability index lets manufacturers track accuracy performance in critical features to ensure the highest level of part quality. Its spindle and axis monitoring technolo-gies record and display axis forces, loads and speeds. This data can then be used to fine-tune processes for faster cutting speeds and greater depths of cut. MPmax software provides additional capabilities for remote viewing, allowing operators and manage-ment the capability to respond to and track processes as they occur without interrupting other day-to-day activities.

For more information call 800.552.3288 or visit www.makino.com

DMS Hose HangerDMS (Oldcastle, ON) is pleased to announce that they have

developed a product which is an inexpensive way to keep hoses from interfering with mold setup and part removal. The DMS Hose Hanger is 30% glass filled poly-propylene for reliable strength. It

can currently accept 3/8 and 1/2 inch hoses and can accommo-date either two or four hoses. The DMS Hose Hanger allows the moldmaker to provide an affordable professional appearing value added feature to their customer.

For more information contact, DMS on the web at www.dmscomponents.com or by phone 519.737.6743.

ProductDME Offers New MoldBasics® Low-Cost Line of Mold Cooling Products

DME Company (Madison Heights, MI), a global leader in mold tech-nologies, has expanded its popular MoldBasics® product line with the introduction of several low-cost mold cooling products. The new MoldBasics hose connectors include sockets, plugs, extension plugs and replacement seals. They comple-ment DME’s well-known Jiffy-Tite® line of hose connectors to meet a wider range of market needs.

MoldBasics connectors offer high standards of quality construc-tion at a much lower cost than competitors’ products. All connec-tors feature leak-proof construction combining brass and stainless steel. They have a maximum rated capacity of 200 psi and can withstand temperatures up to 400°F with supplied Viton seals.

The new MoldBasics line offers DME plugs used with either DME flow-thru type sockets or DME automatic shut-off type sockets. These connectors are designed for plastics molds and die-cast dies in water, air or oil lines.

To learn more about DME mold cooling supplies, visit www.dme.net/dme/products/mold_components.html.

MST Slimline Curve Shrink-Fit Tool-Holder System SST Single Source Technologies (Auburn, MI) offers MST’s new Slimline Curve shrink-fit tool-holder systems for “2+3” and simultaneous 5-axis machining applications. The Slimline Curve’s unique design offers minimal deflection, high accuracy and extended tool life even in complicated three-dimensional applications, such as aerospace blisks and medical implants. Slimline shrink-fit tool-holder systems feature a slim shank and rigid base with a stainless steel thermal expansion coefficient 1.6 times higher than regular steel. This design enables manu-facturers to obtain up to five times the holding-power strength of conventional taper collets and accuracies within 5 microns (0.0002” TIR) in difficult-to-reach features.

Slimline shrink-fit tool-holders are available in a variety of models for optimum accuracy, sizing and reach: Slimline Curve, Mono, Uno and the two-piece system are widely used in high-performance machining applications. Geometry data is available on CD and is also accessible in the following CAM simulators: Vericut (6.2), Hypermill, Edgecam, Tebis, JBM, Work NC, G-Navi and Tools V3.

For more SST news, visit http://www.singlesourcetech.com/tooling-supplies, or call 248.232.6232.

41www.amba.org

Mold-Master’s Cylindrical Shut-off Valve Gate SystemMold-Masters’(Georgetown, ON) fully scalable, E-Drive hot runner configured as a 64-cavity Sprint dual synchro plate system features a cylindrical shut-off valve gate system running CSD closures at sub five seconds fully inspected, engraved and packed into a box. The enabler of this system performance is the company’s Sprint valve gate nozzle, iFlow manifold technology and Mold-Masters’ E-Drive servo driven pin actuation system.

The combination of these technologies allows customers to mold CSD closures at unprecedented rates with pristine gate quality ensured. The Sprint nozzle design accurately controls temperature in the gate area while allowing for ample decompression and precise guiding of the valve pin into the gate. The iFlow manifold delivers rheologically equivalent melt to each cavity, allowing for reduced clamp tonnage, more processing window and longer tool life. The E-Drive pin actuation ensures that all 64 valve pins open and close at exactly the same time with speeds 5 times faster than pneumatic. Client feedback on their success using E-Drive includes color changes up to 400% faster than comparable tools, defect rates approaching zero and a 15.5% better-than-requested cycle time improvement.

For more information visit www.moldmasters.com,or call 905.877.0185.

High-Performance InsertsThe innovative Beyond™ platform of high-performance tool grades from Kennametal (Latrobe, PA) has garnered exceptional reviews from customers worldwide for their long life and exceptional performance. Now Kennametal is introducing the first Beyond inserts for Kennametal’s ground-breaking FixPerfect™ system, promising improved toughness and wear-resistance, resulting in higher turning productivity and safety.

The FixPerfect system features a proprietary shaped pocket that, together with a clamping stud, locking pin, and tangentially mounted precision ground insert, result in high clamping forces and very low cutting forces for excellent chip control and improved process stability. The FixPerfect inserts are shaped to match the pocket, which protects unused cutting edges. Productivity improves as well because the FixPerfect pin simply needs to be loosened, not removed, to index the insert.

The new Beyond inserts for FixPerfect share the breakthrough performance characteristics of the entire Beyond line—micro-polished edges that improve edge toughness, proprietary post-coat treatment that reduces depth-of-cut notching, and a fine-grained alumina layer that enhances coating integrity at higher cutting speeds

Visit them on the web at www.kennametal.com for more information.


Ad IndexA. Finkl & Sons Co. ....................................................www.finkl.com .........................................................................23 AMBA.........................................................................www.amba.org ....................................................................38, 41Creative Technology ...................................................www.creat.com ..........................................................................31Crystallume Engineered Diamond ..............................www.crystallume.com ...............................................................30CVD Diamond Corporation ........................................www.cvddiamond.com ..............................................................25Dayne Mold & Die Supply Inc. ..................................www.daynesupply.com .............................................................32DME Company ...........................................................www.dme.net .............................................................................33D.W. Sales .................................................................. email: [email protected] .....................................................5EDRO Specialty Steels, Inc. .......................................www.edro.com ..........................................................................35Ellwood Specialty Steel ..............................................www.elwd.com ..........................................................................14Erowa Technology, Inc. ..............................................www.erowatech.com .................................................................34Ezell Precision Tool ....................................................www.ezellprecision.com ...........................................................32Gibson Insurance Group .............................................www.gibsonins.com ...................................................Back CoverIncoe Corporation .......................................................www.incoe.com .........................................................................27Makino ........................................................................www.makino.com............................................Inside Back CoverMillstar, LLC ..............................................................www.millstar.com .......................................................................9Progressive Components .............................................www.procomps.com ....................................... Inside Front CoverRegal Components ......................................................www.regalcomps.com ...............................................................32Robb Jack Corporation ...............................................www.robbjack.com....................................................................30Rocklin Manufacturing Co. ........................................www.rocklinmanufacturingco.com ...........................................30Ultra Polishing Inc. .....................................................www.ultrapolishing.com ...........................................................15Wisconsin Engraving Co. Inc. / Unitex ......................www.wi-engraving.com ............................................................29YRC, Inc. ....................................................................www.enrollhere.net ...................................................................29

JUNEPLASTECEast/MD&MEastJune 7-9, New York, NY, 310.445.4200, www.plasteceast.com

AMBAPlantTourWorkshop:“Integrating Design Innovation with a Maximum Automation Approach to Build a Sustainable Business Model,” June 14, Willernie, MN, 847.222.9402, www.amba.org/Tour_Workshop_1.php

ChicagoChapter-ADayattheRaces,Sunday, June 26, Arlington Park, Arlington Heights, IL,708.301.0373, www.amba.org

JULYAnnualMinnesotaChapterGolfTournamentOakGlenGolfCourseThursday, July 21, Stillwater, MN, 651.770.1515, www.amba.org

SEPTEMBERPLASTECMidwest/MD&MMidwestSeptember 20-22, Chicago, IL, 310.445.4200, www.plastecmidwest.com PackExpoLasVegas2011, September 26-28, Las Vegas, NV, 866.833.3569, www.packexpo.com

NOVEMBER

EuroMold2011November 30 - December 3, Frankfurt/Main, Germany, www.euromold.com

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