tip - Haas Automation®, Inc.

volume 3
number 11
fall ’99
features
Haas Ships 20,000th Machine
U.S. Navy Meets de Gaulle
A Company With Balls
Today’s CAM
coverstory
Wheeling into the Future with Trenz
IN THIS ISSUE
here’s something
about curves that just
appeals to the common
man. They flow smoothly
from surface to surface,
uninterrupted by harsh
angles. They’re, sexy,
seductive . . . and
complex.
T
> volume 3 > number 11 > fall ’99
>
C O N T E N T S
FEATURES
British American Racing Raises the BAR
5
Arresting Developments: the U.S. Navy Lends a Helping Hand
8
High-Speed Investments in Action
10
Spherical Solutions
14
Today’s CAM Software Really Delivers
30
Bringing Home the Control at RAH
33
INDUSTRYNEWS
The Way We Do Things
2
20,000 Machines Later . . .
3
Trade Show Calendar
Conquering complex curves (or at least getting them to pay attention to you) can be a challenge.
It usually requires a lot of time, attention and, in many cases, a goodly sum of money. But the
rewards are usually well worth the effort. In this issue of CNC Machining we examine complex
curves from a myriad of angles. As you can see, some angles look better than others.
For our cover story, we visit Trenz Manufacturing, a rapidly growing maker of high-end
accessories for the automotive and motorcycle aftermarket. Under the DeBerti Wheels name,
they’ve developed a line of design-your-own custom motorcycle wheels, brake rotors and drivebelt pulleys guaranteed to throw the competition a serious curve.
Our story about Action Mold details their use of high-speed machining software and a 15,000rpm spindle to conquer the complex curves and intricate geometry of graphite EDM electrodes.
Then we follow some of the finished parts to the winner’s circle.
We also visit a shop in LA that not only has curves, but balls, as well. And they’re brass balls, at
that . . . and stainless steel, aluminum, inconel, titanium and just about any other material. Bal-tec
manufactures custom-made precision balls of any size and material for a wide variety of
industries. In fact, you probably have some of them in your shop. We do.
On the military front, our friends in the U.S. Navy relate a tale of deadline pressure while
helping the French put the finishing touches on the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle. When
it became necessary to replace an out of spec part for one of the carrier’s arresting engines,
the crew at Navy Lakehurst (NJ) were able to quickly machine the precise curves of the
hardened-steel replacement cam on a Haas.
For news from across the pond, we check in with our UK correspondent for an update
on British American Racing and how they’re using Haas machines to tackle the
curves of Formula One racing. You’ll also find an update on the latest
Haas racing sponsorships in our Race Report.
Finally, curves take a slightly different turn in this issue’s new
products section, as we look at the latest options available for Haas
SL-Series lathes.
All in all, it’s a well rounded issue. So, sit back, relax and enjoy –
and be sure to keep your eyes on the curves.
39
PRODUCTUPDATE
7,000-RPM Lathe Spindle & More
36
Super-High-Speed Rotary & Workholding
37
RACINGREPORT
Blundell’s Back – In Black?
4
“Ironman” Flattens the Competition
4
EDUCATION
NTMA and Workforce Renewal
29
THE MASTHEAD
CNC Machining is published by Haas Automation, Inc., 2800 Sturgis Road, Oxnard, CA 93030 •
805-278-1800, Fax 805-988-6918. Postmaster: Return invalid addresses to Haas Automation, 2800
Sturgis Road, Oxnard, CA 93030-8933 postage guaranteed. CNC Machining is distributed free of
charge by Haas Automation, Inc., and its authorized distributors. CNC Machining accepts no
advertising or reimbursement for this magazine. All contents of CNC Machining are Copyright ©
1999 and may not be reproduced without written permission from Haas Automation, Inc. CNC
Machining is distributed through a worldwide network of Haas Automation Distributors, and by
individual subscription request. Contact Haas Automation headquarters via mail or fax to be added
to subscription list. Published quarterly. © Haas Automation, Inc. & CNC Machining Magazine
names. Designed and Printed in the U.S.A. CPC # 1563572. www.HaasCNC.com
coverstory
p18.
If you can drag your eyes away from the lovely lady on our cover, check out the wheels on the bike. Twenty-two hours of machining
went into creating the unique design, and the brake rotors and drive belt pulley are cut to match. We visited Trenz Manufacturing to
see how they do it, and to talk about their new line of design-your-own accessories.
Byll Williams was the man behind the camera for our stunning cover and TOC.
> EDITORIAL
It’s Just the Way We Do Things
I
n recent weeks I have
received a number of
congratulatory phone
calls from some of the
preeminent members of the
machine tool industry in
response to Haas winning
the 11th Annual Automation
Forum Renewal Award.
While discussing this award with
one of the gentlemen who called, I
learned that Haas truly is in great
company. Past winners include such
esteemed organizations as AT&T, Texas
Instruments, GE Fanuc and Raytheon. I
also learned the criteria by which every
company is judged in order to be
eligible
for
this
prestigious
manufacturing award.
Some of the criteria include quality,
delivery, product development time,
design for manufacturing, manufacturing
2
CNC MACHINING
> INDUSTRY NEWS
by Denis Dupuis
prowess, cost and flexibility – basically all
of the areas that make a manufacturing
company a leader in their business. Much
of Haas’ success in these areas has to do
with our design and manufacturing
“culture.” The Haas culture developed
early, back when we had no more than ten
employees. It’s just the way we do things
and, internally, we often take it for granted.
When asked how and why we do
things the way we do, Gene once
responded, “Just ignorance, I guess. We
don’t know any better. There is no one
here who thinks we can’t do it, or that it
can’t be done.”
As I prepared the acceptance
speech for this award (somehow I’m
elected to do the speeches), I reviewed
fact sheets about the modern equipment
in our design engineering group, the
latest technology in our machine shop
and the flow processes on our
manufacturing floor. It was all about
technology and computer systems and
equipment. Suddenly, I realized a key
component was missing: the people. In
all of the slides we had put together of
the factory for this presentation, the
photographer had focused on the
machinery. Yet, in every picture, there
was a person. I know, you’re thinking,
“Here he goes again. He is always
talking about people and training and
education and so on and so on.” But
what struck me most was that, even
with this new factory and all its new
equipment, it would all be useless if we
had no one to run it.
Bob Murray, our Operations
Manager, should receive the most
kudos
for
our
manufacturing
operation. He has put his heart and
soul into it. He and his teams of
people have made Haas the envy of
the machine tool industry. However,
not to take anything away from Bob,
but it’s not only him and his teams,
but all of the teams at Haas that have
made us good enough to win this
award.
From
Engineering,
to
Materials,
Service,
IS,
Sales,
Marketing, Accounting and any other
area I may have missed – it takes
every department. We have been
blessed with a dedicated group of
people who believe that we can make
a difference. People who care about
the job they do, and about where Haas
is going in the future. All of the people
I received congrats from spoke of this–
it was the common theme in their
congratulatory messages. I see this
attitude every day, and accept it as
normal. I’m not sure if I can give any
one reason why Haas is like this – it’s
just the way we are. It seems that our
culture is our core competence.
So, in closing, I would like to take
this opportunity to thank everyone
who works at our company for
winning this award. I have to make the
speech, but you won the award.
Thanks, I’m proud of you.
Haas Automation Ships
20,000th CNC Machine
It was only a few years ago, in April
of 1997, that Haas Automation, Inc.,
celebrated the production of the
company’s 10,000th CNC machine, a
milestone that took less than 10 years to
achieve. In just 25 short months, Haas has
doubled that amount to reach another
monumental landmark.
On July 14, 1999, the 20,000th CNC
machine rolled off the production line at
Haas Automation’s manufacturing
facility in Oxnard, California. The
machine that garnered this recognition
was one of the company’s new SL-20
CNC turning centers. A special plaque to
commemorate the event was fabricated
for the machine and presented to the new
owner personally by Gene Haas during a
small ceremony. The finished machine
was delivered to RAH Industries of
Valencia, California, where it joins five
other Haas CNC machines in the
production of a wide variety of aerospace
products, including a number of parts
used in the Space Shuttle program.
Since the introduction of the very first
Haas Automation Appoints
New Product Managers
In response to its rapidly growing
market share in CNC machining centers,
Haas Automation, Inc., has appointed Bob
Burrows as Product Manager for
Horizontal and Specialty Machining
Centers. Working out of the Haas
Automation facility in Oxnard, California,
Mr. Burrows will oversee product
development, sales and training support
for the company’s line of HMC products,
as well as the expanding line of specialty
machining centers such as the VB-1 vertical
bridge mill and the new G-1 gantry.
Mr. Burrow’s extensive experience in
the machine tool industry includes more
Gene Haas, left, and Denis Dupuis present Bob Weesner, RAH’s quality assurance manager, with a
special plaque commemorating the 20,000th Haas CNC machine.
Haas VF-1 in 1988, Haas has earned a
worldwide reputation as a builder of highquality machine tools designed to keep job
shops and manufacturers up and running.
The company moved to its present
620,000-square-foot Oxnard location in
March of 1997, and continues to grow and
increase its market share annually.
In a time when many manufacturers
are moving production offshore to reduce
costs, and the market is being flooded
with low-priced imported machines,
Haas Automation continues to provide
the world with a complete line of highquality, affordable, American-made
machine tools. Haas currently ships more
units per month than any other machine
tool builder in America.
than ten years with Haas Automation in
addition to his years working with
Machining Time Savers (MTS) and Huron
Machine Products. Mr. Burrows has been
instrumental in the development and
sales of the Haas rotary product line.
A graduate of the University of
Redlands (Business Management),
Burrows has continued his education in
the machine tool field, recently
becoming a Certified Machine Tool
Sales Engineer (CMTSE).
Mr. Burrows’ former position as
Product Manager for the Haas Rotary line
has been filled by Don Williams.
Mr. Williams will oversee product and
sales development for the full line of Haas
rotary products, as well as the growing
line of machine tool accessories, as the
new Product Manager for Accessories.
Mr. Williams is a recent graduate of
the University of La Verne where he
earned a bachelor’s degree in business
administration. His experience includes
twenty years in the U.S. Navy with a
strong background in technical training,
electronics and radio tele-communications
systems management.
Williams joined Haas in 1997 as
Rotary Product Trainer, a position which
recently expanded to include training for
the Haas line of bar feeders and
workholding accessories. This additional
experience prepared him to take on the
responsibilities of his new position as
Product Manager for Accessories.
FALL 1999
3
> RACE REPORT
W
HITE flag racing demands a
go-for-broke attitude: You’re
on the last lap of the race,
and it’s time to make your move. As a
number of racing series come to a close
for 1999, it’s time for the Haassponsored competitors to stand on the
throttle and go deeper than they ever
have before.
Hendrick Motorsports
Jeff Gordon is still in contention
for the NASCAR crown and climbing
back to the top of the points race
following a series of championshiprobbing DNFs (Did Not Finish) during
the start of the ’99 Winston Cup series.
However, Gordon still leads the series
in wins and overall earnings. Most
likely, he and teammate Terry Labonte
will be sitting at the front table for
the NASCAR awards ceremony in
New York.
PacWest Racing Group
Mark Blundell has returned to the
cockpit after a debilitating neck injury
earlier in the season. After losing a
third-fastest qualifying spot at MidOhio by a mere twenty thousandths of
an inch (officials determined his car
was a hair too low following the lap),
Blundell sat in the front row at the
inaugural Chicago race with the
second-fastest time in qualifying.
Transmission and coolant maladies
News from Across the Pond:
have kept the PacWest boys off the
podium, but they are finally getting
some points in the championship.
Arciero-Wells Racing
Scott Pruett (#24) and 1998 PPGDayton Indy Lights champion Cristiano
da Matta (#25) continue to push their
Toyota-powered CART entries toward
the front, while PPI/Arciero-Wells are at
the top of the points race in the
Kool/Toyota Atlantic series, with
Anthony Lassaro (#25) on top.
In related racing efforts – but in a
much more gritty way – Ivan
“Ironman” Stewart will be out testing
the latest version of his Baja-dominating
Toyota
off-road
pickup.
When
competitors see this truck in their
mirrors, they move over!
All American Racers (AAR)
AAR can once again boast of two
American-built Eagles running in the
CART series. Team Gordon (Robby
Gordon, no relation to NASCAR’s Jeff)
has selected the Toyota-powered chassis
to finish out the ’99 season.
At the new car ’s first race in
Chicago, Robby (#22) brought it home
in 10th place, followed in 12th by
fellow Eagle-driver, Raul Boesel (#36),
both earning points towards the
championship.
CNC MACHINING
orwich, Norfolk, UK – Across
N
the decades, Formula One
motor racing has proved itself
C&C Motorsports
Consistency is the name of the
game in both successful machining and
racing. Troy Cline is currently in second
place in the overall SCRA points race
and gaining on a weekly basis.
Dividing their driving chores among
various race vehicles – SCRA Sprint Car
circuit, NASCAR Winston West sedan
racing and the SCORE off-road racing
championships – Troy and partner Joe
Custer are running hard, keeping the
Haas name out in front of the racing
privateers and parts manufacturers of the
Southwestern states.
Haas Offshore Racing
Bill Bowen, General Manager of
Haas Factory Outlet, Torrance, kicked
off his season in the Pacific Offshore
Power Boat Racing Series with a 1stplace finish in E-Class at the
Huntington Beach Offshore Grand Prix.
Bill has been interviewed on
Speedvision where he explained how
Haas machining centers are used to
make parts for these race boats.
PacWest’s Mauricio Gugelmin leads the pack
through the esses at the CART Mid-Ohio race. Teammate Mark Blundell (third car) returned from his
neck injury to race with a special temporary red &
black livery (paint job).
4
British American Machining
voracious in its ability to consume
vast amounts of money, and merciless
Story
Matt
Bailey
in its propensity for destroying the
wills and ambitions of the most
determined of teams.
Photos
courtesy
British
American
Racing
This has never been more so than today, when the
odds against a debutante team surviving just one season
in the world’s most demanding competitive environment
make winning the lottery look like a sure thing.
Founding and establishing a state-of-the-art F1
racing team in such an industry is no mean feat. Doing
so almost overnight is surely playing dice with
providence. Problems will occur, and when they do the
results and repercussions are scrutinised by both the
public and the world’s media. There is nowhere to hide.
British American Racing (BAR) is the
latest big spender in the Formula One
gaming hall. Backed by the considerable
resources of British American Tobacco
(BAT),
the
Northamptonshire-based
newcomer has, in just one year, recruited a
team of the industry’s brightest engineers
and designers, built a headquarters any of
the top teams would be proud of, enlisted
the services of Formula One and Indy car world
champion Jacques Villeneuve and made clear its
intentions to challenge for the number one place in both
the drivers and the constructors championships.
To achieve this will take nerves of steel and a
support operation better than anything the motor
racing world has seen thus far. Playing a pivotal role in
this support operation is one of the company’s key
acquisitions: A Haas VF-3 vertical machining centre.
Installed in late July 1998, the VF-3 has a special
place in the company’s behind-the-scenes activities.
Situated on the first floor of the R&D department,
directly above BAR’s brand-new wind tunnel, the Haas
VF-3 is currently being used to machine components for
1
/2 -scale replicas of the race cars.
Graham Miller, operations manager, explains
BAR’s R&D rationale and the reason for purchasing the
Haas: “Reaction time in Formula One is critical. The
race cars develop at a tremendous rate, and we need to
be able to supply tried-and-tested components to the
team without unnecessary delay.” He continues,
“Previously, R&D would have to send 1/2 -scale replicas
of the race car to the Reynard wind tunnel in
Indianapolis. ➥
British American Racing’s VF-3 vertical machining
centre is used extensively to machine components
for 1/2-scale replicas of the race car. The machine
is lodged in the R&D department directly above the
team’s brand-new wind tunnel.
FALL 1999
5
Our investment in a new on-site
wind tunnel and the Haas VF-3 allows
us to develop and test new ideas
without the extensive lead time we had
previously. Now, lessons learned at one
race can be studied and incorporated
into designs in time for the next race.”
Working
predominantly
in
titanium and aluminium, the VF-3,
fitted with an HRT 210 Haas rotary
table, is currently employed an average
40 hours a week to produce a wide
range of parts, including rear wing
endplates, front wings, wheel hubs and
suspension components.
Due to constantly varying surface
geometry, programs for machining the
aerofoil sections used for wing
components are typically large and
complex. BAR drip feeds these
programs to the VF-3 from a
Unigraphics CAD/CAM system.
Miller is pleased with his choice of
CNC machine. “We have close ties with
Reynard, and we know they get on very
well with their Haas machines. This was
obviously a factor when we were
looking for a machine.
Wouldn’t it be great
to have a salesman
“The VF-3 is a capable machine.
Rigid, good value and easy to use,” he
points out. “As the machine shop is
ramped up to run a double shift, so the
Haas will be required to keep up. I don’t
foresee this being a problem.” Given the
team’s plans, and the success of the first
machine,
Miller
suggests
that
acquisition of a second Haas VMC is not
too far in the future.
In the meantime, the glare of the
world’s media is, as always, focused on
the new kids on the block. Having made
such a huge and public investment, the
team’s backers, BAT, will be hungry for
its “first kill.”
History breeds respect in Formula
One, a quality that BAR has in just the
right quantity. Where BAR differs from
previous newcomers is the ability to
recognise and utilise the best people
and technology, and to put both of
them to most effective use. Only time
will tell.
www.britishamericanracing.com
http://www.HaasCNC.com
All You Need to Know.
available 24 hours
a day? To have
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All the Time.
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instantly? To get
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All Hassle Free.
quote that includes
the latest promotions?
At HaasCNC.com you can have
all this and more. Our new
website provides all the
information that is important
to YOU. What you need,
when you want it, all on-line.
6
CNC MACHINING
Haas Automation, Inc., 2800 Sturgis Road, Oxnard, CA 93030 • Toll Free: 800-331-6746 • Fax: 805-278-8540 • www.HaasCNC.com
The U.S. Navy and the
French Connection
ilitary pilots are a gutsy
M
breed, regardless of which
country they fly for. And
carrier pilots? Well, just imagine trying
to land a high-performance fighter
Story
Mark
Gindele
plane on a runway the size of a
football field – a constantly moving
football field, no less. One that is
pitching and rolling on the high seas.
In essence, it’s just controlled crashing: slam
the plane down on the deck, snatch the
arresting cable with the tail hook, and pray
the plane stops short of the runway’s end –
and a quick plunge to the ocean below.
The last thing a carrier pilot wants to
worry about is whether the parts
for the arresting mechanism were
manufactured to the proper
specifications.
DCN International, the
commercial arm of Direction des
Constructions Navales (DCN),
France’s
naval
shipbuilding
company, is putting its final touches
on construction of the 38,000
ton, nuclear-powered aircraft
carrier Charles de Gaulle.
Construction started in
May 1994, sea trials
commenced July 1998,
and the ship is due to be
commissioned in 2000.
The French carrier,
which is approximately
half the size of an American
Photos
courtesy
U.S. Navy
8
CNC MACHINING
nuclear-class Nimitz carrier, is equipped with two USN
Type C13 catapults, rated to launch aircraft weighing up
to 22 tons at a tempo rate of one aircraft per minute. When
operational, the ship will have a fleet of 40 Rafale M
combat aircraft, the Super Etendard, the Hawkeye E-2C
airborne early warning aircraft, and the AS 565 Panther
helicopter. The de Gaulle’s manning will be
approximately 1200 ship’s company and 600 air wing
personnel, for a total compliment of 1800.
With aircraft launch and recovery operations
scheduled for May 1999, the ship had a lot of preparation
ahead. The Rafale jet had been to the Naval base at
Lakehurst, NJ, for carrier suitability development in the
past, and was scheduled to return to Lakehurst for
support equipment integration later this year. Still, actual
real time launching and arresting on a new ship presents
many challenges.
Counting down weeks to go before actual at-sea tests
posed an excellent time for carrier equipment experts to
review the French program. During the time frame of
March 22 to 24, 1999, Mr. George DiBiase and Rear
Admiral Joe Dyer visited the DCN Brest naval shipyard
in Brittany. They were briefed on the progress, installation
and check-out of all of the ship’s subsystems. Discussions
followed, allowing an exchange of information beneficial
to both countries.
The French highlighted several concerns they were
having with the aircraft arresting gear on their new ship.
DiBiase, venerably titled “Mr. Catapult” by the French for
his contributions and help in developing the de Gaulle,
took a heightened interest. Most of the problems
encountered with the gear probably had been
experienced in the past, and if any one person has this
level of knowledge, it would be the Navy’s Chief carrier
engineer, George DiBiase.
The island on the de Gaulle is forward of the
location used on US Navy carriers. Due to the shorter
deck, the “runout” span of the arresting cable was
changed from 345 feet for U.S. carriers to 320 feet for the
de Gaulle. Lakehurst engineers had performed worst
case analysis that indicated an E-2 aircraft with an offcenter, maximum run-out arrested landing would put
the E-2 Hawkeye’s nose wheel at
or over the upwind end of the
angle deck. Although recognized
to be safe, pilot apprehension of
not seeing enough deck in front
of him was an issue of great
concern to the French.
After the program reviews,
DiBiase and Admiral Dyer were
flown by helicopter from Brest to
the de Gaulle at sea. While
reviewing the technical data
from
arrestments,
DiBiase
concluded the constant runout
valve cam was not manufactured
to the proper specification for a
runout of 320 feet. This cam
controls the amount of runout
cable permitted to arrest an
aircraft. A cam that is not
properly set or manufactured
could cause an aircraft to go too
far on an arrestment and go overboard.
Without having the proper
equipment on board to measure the exact
size of the suspect cam, the French sailors
removed the cams from the other two
arresting engines and stacked each on
one another so as to visually identify
differences between the cams. The French
engineers concluded the cam was
different, and fretted that without any
spares, delivery of a new cam would take
months and interfere with their
upcoming sea trials. “I’ll have you a new
cam by next Monday,” promised DiBiase.
With the astonished French crew
nearby, DiBiase called the manufacturing
department at Navy Lakehurst and ordered
a specially made cam: Lakehurst part
number 626664. “I’ll need that delivered to
France by April 5,” DiBiase said.
The call was received by Kellie
Borrero, a program manager in the
manufacturing facility. The navy
maintains this core capability to provide
prototype manufacturing support,
producibility analysis, drawing package
validation and the application of new
manufacturing technologies to the
design, development and product
verification of flight critical aircraft
Mark Gindele, head of quality assurance, and Kellie Borrero, program manager, review the print
while Joe Delano looks on during the machining of a specially made cam for the Charles de Gaulle.
launch and recovery equipment and
support equipment. It is also used to
complete the work of contractors that
default, and, when an emergency arises
in the carrier fleet, respond as quickly as
possible to keep the ships operational.
Lakehurst has its manufacturing
department located in six different
buildings. Two of the buildings, which
are old dirigible hangars, house large
machines for heavy machining, cutting
and welding. One smaller building is
used primarily for working in a
concurrent engineering environment
where integrated product teams can
work together to design, prototype
and test equipment. It is an
environmentally controlled building
with state-of-the-art machines, that
allows engineers and technicians to
share thoughts and ideas more readily
than the larger hangars. Manufacturing
one cam to precise measurements is an
ideal task for this building.
Moments after the call on March 25,
a team was assembled. Joe Delano would
provide the CAD/CAM support, while
Chris Arkenau would machine cut the
cam. Bob Wigginton would be the quality
assurance expert. “We need to take a
three month schedule and compress it
into nine days,” said Borrero.
A piece of 4340 pre-hardened steel
was identified that was suitable for the
cam. Delano and Arkenau started to
transfer over 500 data points from the
three prints to the computer, using
Mastercam software. Mike Buppert from
the producibility group developed
a
manufacturing
process
for
manufacturing fixtures, jigs and test
specimens. With the process plans agreed
to, Delano wrote 18 software programs,
some with more than 2700 lines of code,
that would shape a blank piece of steel
into the heart of a carrier’s arresting
engine. The machine assigned to tackle
the job was a Haas VF-4 vertical
machining center. “Although the
programs were large, the Haas VF-4 is
user friendly and can easily receive
programs from other computers, store in
Please see de Gaulle on page 38
FALL 1999
9
Growing Your Business
by Expanding Your
Capabilities
ne of the easiest, yet hardest,
O
ways to help your business grow
is to reinvest the profits in new
machinery. Easy, because if you have
Story &
Photos
Preston
Gratiot
any kind of a competent business
manager or tax consultant, they will get
you major tax benefits from
reinvestments. Hard, because buying a
new “toy” instead will usually offer a lot
more short-term gratification than a new
piece of capital equipment.
However, truth is, that new Corvette will start
depreciating the second you drive it off the lot, costing
you money. A new machine, on the other hand, will
probably pay for itself in a short period of time – and
continue generating more new income as time goes by.
Action Mold is a perfect example of a privately
owned company whose owners have continually
turned their profits back into the company to increase
not only their capital worth, but their diversity and
ability to generate even more profits.
GETTING
STARTED
Located in
Anaheim, CA,
Action Mold is a
one-stop shop for
plastic injection
molding that specializes
in getting parts from
concept to finished product quickly. The company is
co-owned by Bill Hall, who heads up sales, and Steve
Burd, who is in charge of the shop.
“We started the business about 6 1/2 years ago,”
says Bill. “At the time, we used to just call it the ‘Bill &
Steve Show.’ Steve was building the tools and I was at
the press making the parts and selling the jobs.
“We would sleep in the shop watching the
machines . . . the traditional story that you always hear
about the poor saps with nothing going for them but
their need to pay the bills,” muses Bill. “But over time,
we’ve been pretty lucky, and we’ve built a pretty strong
customer base representing probably 12 different
industries. Because of this diversification, we find that
somebody’s always busy, so there’s always a project to
keep Action Mold working.”
Steve and Bill were originally co-workers who saw
a future as partners. When the company they worked
for gave them their freedom through a
massive downsizing, they were thrown into
“action,” and the rest is history. Luckily, their
history proves to be one of success, but only
because they put their company in front of
their own personal material desires.
“We are partners . . . 50/50 partners since
day one,” explains Bill. “We share all of the
liability and we share all of the profits. We have
Using the new 15,000-rpm spindle and the High-Speed
Machining option, Action Mold’s VF-0 cut the run time
for their Team Losi electrodes by more than half.
10
CNC MACHINING
returned 50% of all post-tax dollars back
into the company and will continue to do
so. What we find is that a third of your
income goes to taxes, you get to take a
third home to pay your bills, but the other
third goes back to the company.”
One look at the Action Mold shop
floor and it’s easy to see where this
reinvestment is. “We call ourselves
‘Negative Millionaires,’” explains Bill
with a laugh. “Because we’ve got it all
out here. This is our future and we’re
very happy. In fact, when you go out
into our shop and see our equipment,
it’s nice to know that 98% of that
equipment is paid for. We don’t like
debt. Debt scares us, in our personal life
as well as in our business.”
SHOP FLOOR SUCCESS
When it comes to machines, it’s
Steve Burd who is the soul of the
toolroom. “Back when we started up,
many people came to us simply because
they wanted Steve to build their
molds,” says Bill. “He’s been building
tooling for over 20 years, now, and I’ve
been selling for about 10 years.”
It’s Steve who does all the research
and decides which machines are put on
the shop floor, and he picked out the
Haas equipment. “Those two Haas
machines are workhorses,” he says.
When the two partners decided it
was time to place the first CNC on the
shop floor, they went to their local Haas
dealership. “We had a little money and
went to MTS (Machining Time Savers)
in Anaheim, California,” explains Bill.
“After deciding on our new machine,
we went to nine different banks. I went
to my mother. I tried every way I could
think of to borrow some money, and
nobody wanted to give me the money –
and we had the 50% down!”
The banks said, “You’re too small.
You haven’t been in business long
enough.” So the partners went back to
MTS and arranged for financing
through them. “We made that
payment every month, and we sent
those guys a nice thank-you at the
As a full-service, custom plastic-injection molding house, Action Mold frequently takes customers’
existing molds and modifies them to increase production on their machines. This allows Action to
maximize customer service and provide more competitive pricing.
end,” remembers Bill.
“When it came time to buy the
next piece of CNC equipment, we
naturally went back to MTS,” Bill
continues. “We knew that Haas was the
way we wanted to go; we picked up a
VF-1. At that time, however, our
finances were a little bit better, I think
we bought that one outright!”
Action Mold has continued to grow
and become more profitable by
enhancing it’s ability to diversify
through the purchase of new machinery.
One of their most recent purchases is a
Haas VF-0 equipped with the new
15,000-rpm spindle and High-Speed
Machining options. “This is the one that
is totally groomed for electrodes and
graphite,” explains Steve.
The new equipment came into
immediate play when Action received a
large mold order from Team Losi, a
premier manufacturer of radio
controlled race cars. ➥
FALL 1999
11
Triple-X Rated
Action Mold works hand-in-hand with the
designers at Team Losi, Inc., to make sure that
the proper materials and mold designs yield
the best possible parts.
Steve knew an equipment upgrade
was needed to manufacture the molds
and parts efficiently, and the new highspeed Haas was scheduled for release
about the time the Losi job was
scheduled to start. “I called up Brian
(the sales rep at MTS) on a Wednesday,
and we bought the machine Friday. I
mean it was like bam, bam, bam!”
HOW FAST ARE YOUR GOING?
Action typically machines their
molds in stages: First, they rough out
some of the steel on a Haas machining
center, then they use a roughing
electrode on an EDM machine to burn
the mold to a near-net shape. Finally,
they use a finishing EDM electrode to
complete the mold. The graphite EDM
electrodes are also machined on the
Haas machining centers.
“When we got this package from
Team Losi, I knew we were going to be
12
CNC MACHINING
under the gun for cutting steel and
cutting electrodes,” says Steve.
“Because these parts have a lot of
geometry and a lot of small radii, it was
almost easier to just give up in the very
beginning and figure that you’re going
to burn the whole thing,” he explains.
“You go in there and you rough out a
little bit of steel, as much as is
convenient, and then you make a couple
of roughing electrodes and a couple of
finishing electrodes.
“Now, with the new high-speed
spindle and software, we can make the
electrodes so much faster. It isn’t like in
the old days where you were on the mill
and the grinder and all over the shop.
Now you just plug it in, you hit the
button and, at most, a couple of hours
later, you’ve got the electrode.
“That High Speed Spindle, it works
real well,” says Steve. “You know, we’ve
cut some nice electrodes on our VF-2,
but we found that what really limits you
is spindle speed, because a lot of the
time, we’re just pushing small cutters.
You can only take so much per tooth on
a real small end mill, so if you want to
get twice as fast on your surface speed,
you need to get twice as fast on your
rpm. That new High-Speed Spindle
option proved to be the solution to our
need, and we jumped on board. That’s
what we really found helped the most,
the higher rpm.”
WHAT DO YOU CALL SERVICE?
Delivery of Action’s new high-speed
Haas VMC, however, didn’t quite coincide
with the arrival of the Losi job as originally
planned. “There was a bit of a stumble
there,” explains Bill. “The new spindle
wasn’t ready as soon as we had hoped, and
we almost panicked, until we talked again
to MTS. At that stage, they took a little bit
of a risk and said, ‘Hey, you guys have
always paid your bills, you’ve done a good
job, we like you, and we’ve got machines.’”
MTS provided Action with a
“loaner” VF-0 with a 10,000-rpm spindle
to get them running on the Team Losi
job until the 15K machine could be
delivered. “They got a machine in here
that really facilitated what we were
doing,” says Bill, “and in our mind’s
eye, THAT was real quality service!
“They went to bat for us, and got it
in here. We were able to produce our
first order of electrodes for Team Losi on
time. Maybe not quite as fast as with the
new VF-0 with the High-Speed spindle,
but none the less, we didn’t get caught
in a panic situation. The customer got
product. And it goes back to sticking
with MTS, and the good job they did as
a distributor on our behalf. We
appreciate that.” says Steve. “That’s a
classic story, and if I ever have to
describe to anybody what service is,
that’s the story I’m going to use.
“But, then again, it was just another
business opportunity for us: we
committed, everybody came through
and everybody won. The car came in on
time, the tools went in on time, they
were in on budget, Team Losi put the
cars together, they went to their World
Class races where they won 9 out of 10
of their divisions entered.
“It worked out great, we got the
machine in and it helped us get it done.
It was just that fast.”
PROFITS IN PLASTIC
“So we’ve grown! What started as
the Bill & Steve Show has now grown to
about 25 employees,” says Bill. “Last
year we went from about $1.7 to $2.5
million in sales. You look around and
virtually all of the equipment is paid for.
What that allows us to do is to keep our
overhead in check, allows us to keep
our pricing competitive, and it allows
us to sleep at night.”
R/C Racer
Team Losi and Action Mold: A Winning Combination
by Preston Gratiot
T HAS BEEN SAID that nothing breeds innovation like racing. New materials, engines, tires and safety
I
equipment have all been tested on the track, battling it out against the old “Tried & True” for that trip to
the winner’s podium.
Winners are remembered, and the successful developments are soon incorporated into the
mainstream, much to the benefit of the masses. But when it comes to racing, if you are not coming up
with new developments or stretching the status quo, you are destined to be a follower.
Team Losi is a recognized trendsetter in the field of radio controlled car racing. They build winners
by pushing the envelope and developing the cars that other manufacturers copy.
Those familiar with the Indianapolis 500 race may be familiar with the Team Losi name, as the
company also makes a habit of sponsoring full size racers. In fact, Haas Automation joined Team Losi in
sponsoring Jimmy Kite’s #30 racer at this year’s Memorial Day event. But the Team Losi trade name is best
known for its winning ways on the radio control racing circuits of the world’s 1/10th-scale racetracks.
When Gil Losi, Sr., and son Gil Losi, Jr., produced their first 1/10th-scale racer back in 1988 – the
JRX-2 – they built a winner. They gave their customers a car that was ready to compete right out of the
box. Unlike other manufacturers who built cars that would double in price with the optional parts needed
to make them competitive, the Team Losi racer was truly just that . . . a racer!
One look at the exotic composite chassis on these radio controlled racers and you immediately
realize, these are not toys, they are precision-built machines! The complexity of the parts and the
tightness of the tolerances lets you know that the Team Losi engineers aren’t fooling around! This is
really serious stuff.
This tradition of building out-of-the-box winners has earned Team Losi a reputation as a
manufacturer that you can depend on – and as a manufacturer to watch when they introduce a new racer.
In this tradition, Team Losi recently came out with their new “XXX” version of their successful “CR”
series open-wheel 1/10th-scale racer.
Featuring parts made at Action Mold (with molds and electrodes cut on the Haas VF-0 with
15,000-rpm spindle and High-Speed Machining option), Team Losi cars driven by factory-sponsored
drivers took 9 out of 10 A-Main slots in the ROAR (Remotely Operated Auto Racers) Modified National
races. Not bad for a debut race!
In addition, at the ’99 World Off-Road Championships in
Rauma, Finland, Team Losi dominated the competition by
qualifying 8 of the 10 cars running in the AMain, where Losi pulled a 1-2-3 sweep in
the 4-wheel-drive division.
Maybe that’s why the current
Team Losi ads read, “Out of the molds,
and into the Winner’s Circle.”
Action Mold
714-978-0333
FALL 1999
13
Opting for Orbs Over Easy:
Finding a Niche in a Tight Market
n 1952, Eugene Gleason opened a
I
small shop in Los Angeles called
Micro Surface Engineering to
perform flat lapping operations
primarily for the hydraulics and
Story
Stephen
Smith
national defense industries. But, over
time, the company found its niche and
became focused on manufacturing
custom-made precision balls.
Photos
Scott
Rathburn
Today, Micro Surface is a highly respected,
versatile contractor. The company’s Bal-tec™
division manufactures precision balls of any size
and material for a wide variety of industries,
including electronics, quality control, aerospace
and the U.S. Government.
Eugene’s son, Joseph, began learning the industry
at the age of seven, and by the time he turned fourteen,
he was already adept at scraping ways and completely
rebuilding various machine tools, such as horizontal
mills and cylindrical grinders.
Joe later went on to learn CNC programming at
Don Bosco Technical Institute, and apprenticed for
several years doing basic machining and inspection.
He now runs the precision CNC and production arm
of Bal-tec, and has numerous inventions and patents
to his name.
SPHERICAL SOLUTIONS
Every machine shop seems to have a horror
story about a job that turns out to be a real pain, and
Joe says Bal-tec is no exception. “We currently have
a running order for 300-series stainless steel balls
for ball valves. We start with a 1 5/16" ball turned to a
spherical tolerance of 75 micro inches. Then we
machine a hole and slot into the ball without
creating burrs or distorting the roundness of the
ball. We do this job on a Haas VF-3 vertical
machining center.
14
CNC MACHINING
Bal-tec has a running order for 300-series stainless steel
balls for ball valves. They molded a special epoxy fixture to
hold the balls for drilling and milling on their Haas VF-3.
themselves on opposite sides of an
argument that torments many firsttime buyers. “Yeah, we were looking to
purchase our first modern CNC
vertical machining center, and the
argument was about box ways verses
linear guides,” explains Joe.
It turns out that Eugene was
looking for the box ways, but Joe stood
firm with an adamant NO WAY! “Well,
basically, my reasoning was that there’s
an old-school feeling about box ways
being associated with rigidity. My
argument is that every major machine
manufacturer that I know of uses linear
guides, and I thought that the Haas,
with its linear guides, gave a lot of
value for a much more competitive
price. Once my dad saw the machines
cut, he was convinced. Rigidity has
never been an issue.”
The Bal-tec stable of Haas
machines has grown quite a bit since
the first purchase back in 1996. “We
have two verticals, the VF-3 and the
VF-4,” says Joe, “and we recently
purchased an HL-4 lathe with a bar
feeder and an HL-2 lathe with the new
Haas Servo Bar 300 bar feeder.”
TURNING PROVES PROFITABLE
As with most major machine
purchases, the first lathe was bought to
fill a void in the overall production
“We have to hold position, squareness and size on
the slot to within 0.001",” Joe continued, “and 316
stainless is notorious for burrs. We cut the slot with
small cuts and high feedrates, and we depend on the
rigidity of the Haas to eliminate any chatter and the
associated burr formation. We end up with very
little scrap.”
Chips were another concern on this job, explains
Joe. “We do the milling operations after the balls have
been lapped to a surface finish of 4 micro inches, and
we were afraid the chips from drilling and milling
would damage the surface. But the programmable
coolant nozzle on the Haas keeps chips flushed out so
they don’t damage the finish on the balls.”
BOX WAYS? NO WAY!
When Joe and his father Eugene decided to take
the big step up to CNC machining, they found
picture. Many companies purchase an
additional machine either to take on a
new project or to bring a previously
jobbed-out
manufacturing process
in-house. Such was the case with
Bal-tec’s HL-4.
“We made the jump into turning
mainly to produce ball blanks in an
automated way with a bar feed,”
explains Joe. “Before we took delivery
of the HL-4, we cut blanks and
machined the balls individually on
a tracer lathe. With the Haas lathe and
bar feeder, we’ve been able to reduce the
cycle time on one particular part from
40 minutes to about 12 minutes. And
with the included parts catcher, we are
able to run the lathe unattended.
“We make custom balls to order out
of all sorts of materials,” continues Joe,
“stainless steel, brass, aluminum,
inconel, titanium. And sizes range from
0.008" to 20". With the Haas lathes, we
can machine blanks out of several
different materials with the same
program, just by changing the
speeds and feeds.”
According to Joe, the balls are
also more accurate. “The constant
surface speed ability of the Haas
yields very accurate blanks and
allows us to eliminate one entire
process. The balls used to go through
Above: Joe Gleason at the helm of one of the
company’s two Haas lathes. Bal-tec uses bar
feeders on both lathes for unattended operation.
Left: Programmable coolant nozzle flushes out
chips so they don’t damage the finish on the balls.
FALL 1999
15
a filing process after machining that
could take days. Now they go right
from the lathes to finishing.
CONTROL-ABILITY
Bal-tec is a well-equipped
machine shop with all kinds of
machines on the floor, from EDMs, to
VTLs, to grinders, so the crew is
exposed to a number of different
controls. This situation presents a
perfect environment for side-by-side
comparisons of some of the more
popular controls on the market today.
When you have to use a number
of different controls in your daily
routine, it doesn’t take long to figure
out what you like, explains Joe. “We
have found the Haas control to be
really straight forward and simple to
use. In addition, it has some features,
such as Quick Code programming and
editing on-screen, that are not
available on other machines. For
convenience, we store many programs
on disk. The ease of interface between
the floppy drive and the control on the
Haas is a real plus.”
16
CNC MACHINING
Like any company, Bal-tec loses key
employees from time to time. But thanks
to the easy-to-learn compatibility of the
Haas controls, training a new operator
isn’t so much a problem as it is a
momentary setback.
“Most of our programs are in the
memory,” explains the younger
Gleason, “and the control provides a
Help menu that’s easy to use. In
fact, the Haas control even offers a
switchable language feature that
allows machinists who consider
English their second language to easily
change programs into a language they
are more comfortable with, like Spanish,
French, German or whatever. And it’s
just as easy for us to change it back!
“One of the biggest selling points
of the Haas machines is the ease of
setting the tool offsets, especially on
the lathes with the tool presetter. That
makes a world of difference. And, the
graphic dry-run feature is important
because it catches simple errors that
are sometimes easy to miss, and it
keeps the operator from crashing
the machine!”
DOIN’ DONUTS
Bal-tec presently runs Haas rotary
tables on both verticals, using the
versatile devices to work parts of all
descriptions and materials. “We’ve been
running some big cast-iron donuts on
the HRT 310,” relates Joe, adding, “I
should mention that we cut a lot of cast
iron on the VF-4. We drill these on the
O.D., and hold tight tolerances when
indexing. These are heavy castings and
require an extremely rigid set-up. We
haven’t been let down yet. The Haas
machines continue to meet our needs.”
According to Joe, that’s one of the
biggest challenges to machine tool
Above left: These stainless steel balls are first turned to a spherical tolerance of 75 micro inches, then
drilled and slotted on a VF-3 without creating burrs or distorting the roundness of the ball.
Above and right: Bal-tec manufactures custom precision balls to order, using just about any material
imaginable. Diameters range from as small as .008" to as large as 20".
manufacturers like Haas, “keeping up
with customers’ needs.” And the Haas
equipment is allowing Bal-tec to
venture into new markets.
“We’re starting to make a lot of
calibration
devices
for
CMM
applications, and we offer these at
wholesale or retail,” says Joe. “For
example, we make the balls that
Renishaw uses for their ball bars, and
we make our own ball bars that we sell
to some of the major CMM
manufacturers. But, during the next five
years, we hope to have our own
complete line of calibration equipment
for virtually any machine tool.”
If the time spent with the Gleasons
is any indication of where the company
is going, there is little doubt that the
father and son team will most likely be
found out in the shop, one-on-one with
the latest innovative job challenge.
“I had a chance to see Gene Haas when
we visited the new factory in Oxnard,”
says Joe. “He seems to have the same
work ethic that I have, so you’ll
probably always find me out in the shop
with dirty hands and a rag in my back
pocket . . . it seems to work for him!”
Bal-tec™
Division of Micro Surface Engineering, Inc.
213-582-7348
FALL 1999
17
B
ack in 1984, a young
B
buck fresh out of high
school
Montana,
in
packed
Butte,
his
belongings into a ratty old ’59
Chevy truck and headed west.
Rescued from a local back
yard, the truck cost $200. It
finally fired up after being
dragged down the road for
four blocks. “Hey, that truck
ain’t even gonna’ make it
to California,” Don DeBerti said
as his son Doug headed west.
“I don’t know what you’re
doin’.”
Story by Scott Rathburn
Photos by Byll Williams and Scott Rathburn
Go west young
man.
“We want to be free
...
free to ride . . .
free to ride our
machines
without being hassled by the
man . .
W
ell, the truck made it to California, depositing
young
Doug DeBerti in the agricultural community of
Bakersfield. Granted, Bakersfield wasn’t the cultural Mecca
most people normally associate with Southern California, but
The young DeBerti descended upon Bakersfield with
little more than the shirt on his back and a large dose of
desire to succeed. But job opportunities for an 18-yearold still wet behind the ears were few and far between,
so Doug made ends meet by flipping burgers at the
local bowling alley. He soon worked his way up the
employment food chain to pumping gas at the Shell
station, and eventually landed a job as a roughneck on
an oil drilling rig.
Flash forward to 1990 and another Chevy truck. “I
bought a Chevy in 1990 and couldn’t find anything for it,
couldn’t get anybody to work on it,” explains Doug. “So
I started making parts and building trucks in my garage,
making lowering kits for them.”
Business was good, so Doug moved the work from
his garage into a little shop and founded California
Truck. “I’d get up real early, work my other job, and be
at California Truck probably from 10 o’clock in the
morning ’til 8 at night,” recalls Doug. “I just kept doing
that for about four years, until finally California Truck
started taking off.” At that point, Doug quit his “day”
job to concentrate on his own business.
“It all started with four Visa gold cards,” Doug
explains. “Seriously. I went out and got every card
I could get to start California Truck. I went out and
applied, I don’t know, for ten of them, all in one day.
I sent them all off and got four back, and that’s
what I started with, four Visa gold cards. And I still
have them. I don’t have any lines of credit, but I still
have the cards.”
Now, in an area like Bakersfield, where agriculture
and oil are ways of life, trucks are the vehicle of choice
for much of the population, so California Truck thrived,
eventually expanding to a second retail store. Doug and
crew would bring a truck in from the dealer, lower it, lift
it, put on custom wheels, tires, paint, you name it,
anything to dress it up or make it unique.
Custom grills were one of the more popular items,
and that’s what took things to the next level for Doug.
At that time (and even today) most aftermarket grills
were made to fit several vehicles, not just one. They
were a compromise, fitting some vehicles well, and
others not so well.
Doug decided there was a better way to do it, and
began fabricating his own custom billet aluminum grills
in a tiny 500-square-foot shop. Each grill was carefully
designed for a specific vehicle, and each one fit
perfectly. It soon became apparent that a market existed
for such high-quality accessories, and Doug saw a
future. He sold his two California Truck stores and
formed Trenz Manufacturing.
“I had no machining background, nothing,” Doug
says. “I just bought a Haas mill, hired a guy and, bam, we
just jumped into making certain things, like license plate
frames and Chevy bow-ties (the Chevrolet bow-tie logo).”
Ernie Waldo, Chief Operations Officer in charge of
machining, came on board at Trenz about the same time
as the machining. “They’d had the mill for probably three
or four months,” he says, “but it really wasn’t up and
running yet. They were trying to get everything going,
getting pallets, and tools, and this and that. I came on
board when they probably had three or four products
running, and then we just kind of took it from there. I
started learning to program, and how to do 2D and 3D,
and how to do the parts. From there, we just kept going.”
“When he came here, he didn’t even know what a
milling machine was,” Doug quips. “Now he can run all
the machines. We went from zero products for milling
and turning, to more than two thousand.”
Over the years, that small shop expanded to
include four Haas VF-3 vertical machining centers, a
turning center, a CNC waterjet, a robotic welder, a
complete polishing department, an in-house
powdercoating operation and much more.
Today, Trenz is a major player in the automotive
accessories aftermarket, manufacturing everything
from custom billet grills, to billet interior kits, exhaust
tips, pedal kits, hitch covers, bumpers, license plate
frames and even billet steering wheels, motorcycle
wheels and Yo-Yos. They are one of the few
manufacturers licensed by GM and Ford for aftermarket
parts and novelties.
22
CNC MACHINING
At left, Matthew Moncur sets up a job on one of four VF-3s at Trenz. Each
VMC is fitted with a manual pallet changing system for quick setup and
changeover. Above, license plate frames are machined on another VF-3.
Much of the company’s success can be attributed to
the uniqueness of their products, and their philosophy
of same-day shipping.
“We have our own style,” says Doug. “I don’t like to
copy anything, and I refuse to. If it’s going to look like
somebody else’s, I’d rather steer off and make something
else. I like our stuff to stand out, right down to the license
plate frames.”
“The standard license plate frame always has the
holes through the center, and then they’re countersunk,”
explains Ernie. “Well, we spent the extra time to put the
bosses on the back: They’re threaded from the backside,
so you have a perfectly smooth license plate frame.
We’ve never taken the shortest path.”
“License plate frames have been out forever,” adds
Doug, “but to make one with no holes . . . What is the
street rod guy going to pick, really, when it comes down
to it? And that’s how we sell our product. It’s not, ‘Oh,
you’ve got to buy everything of ours,’ it’s just, ‘Buy a little
bit.’ And that’s kind of been the way we’ve attacked
business. If there’s a cheaper price on a license plate
frame, there’s probably a reason. No big deal. If you ever
need one, here it is, and here’s what’s different.”
“And we ship same day,” emphasizes Ernie. “That’s
our strong point. One of our big philosophies is to ship
FALL 1999
23
“We want to be the supplier for anything that’s
aluminum; we want to be the sole supplier for grills and
aftermarket accessories. We at least want to have
something for everything: every car, every truck, street
rod, motorcycle, even into bicycle stuff. We want to be
tiered off into every little area.”
A perfect example is the company’s line of steering
wheels. Carved from solid billet aluminum, they have the
adapter built in, so there are no unnecessary screws
showing. The customer can choose one of Trenz’ existing
designs, or pen a design of his own for a totally unique,
one-off wheel.
“Our style is different,” Doug continues, “completely.
Right down to our steering wheel. You know how long
steering wheel’s have been out. There’s not another steering
wheel even close to ours. These weren’t made to sell 50,000
a month. If we sell one a day, I’m happy, because they’re a
lot of work, and they’re unique . . . and they’re expensive.
But they’re expensive even before you start carving.”
same day, because there’s always a cheaper price. But
the thing is, we make a really high-quality product, we do
it at a reasonable price, and we ship same day on 95-97%
of all our orders.”
According to Doug, Trenz has been growing at a rate
of 50% each year since the company’s inception. That
growth, he says, is the result of always reinvesting the
profits back into the company. But a major expansion is
on the horizon for Trenz, and it’s going to require some
additional funding.
“I’m not dealing with the little
numbers anymore,” Doug says. “I’m
dealing with big stuff: a couplemillion-dollar building. If we’re
going to make wheels –
motorcycle wheels or truck
wheels – we have to pay
for the machines, the
building, the labor.”
To
finance
the
expansion, Doug opted for
outside capital. “I sold half
the stock in Trenz to four
investors – they’re local here
in Bakersfield – because that’s
the only way I could do this
expansion. What we’re doing right
now is a six month ramp up, and then the
plan is to start exploding the company.
24
CNC MACHINING
“Most people would have never tackled that steering
wheel project,” Ernie comments. “That project was a lot
of money before the very first steering wheel was ever
made. There are six lathe operations and four mill
operations just to make that steering wheel, so you can
imagine the time that’s involved. But we run bunches of
100, or 200 to 300 to a certain stage, and then we do the
next stage, and we do the next stage. So that when we’re
ready to do the final design, it’s a one-day turnaround.”
make a promise that something is going to happen, it
better happen. If it doesn’t . . . We’ve put a machine out
in the parking lot and told them to come take it away,
because it didn’t do what they said it would do. The
Haas has done exactly what it was supposed to.”
The Trenz line of products is quite varied, and ideas for
new products come from a variety of sources: employee
brainstorming sessions, customer requests or simply
asking, “What can we make to fully utilize this machine.”
But, sometimes it’s a just harebrained idea.
“Have you seen our 5" ball cover?,” asks Doug. What
he’s referring to is a polished aluminum trailer ball cover
that looks just like a standard trailer ball – except it’s
huge. “Okay, those guys thought I was stupid. Am I
right?” he asks Ernie. “And then, even after they got it all
polished up, they said, ‘Here’s your ball (sarcastically).’
And then I go to the beach with it, and I’m not kidding
you, one out of two people would stop and – they’d even
get out of their trucks – and ask, ‘Where did you get that?’
or ‘What do you tow with that?’ Everybody wanted one.”
“The one real fortunate thing is that we have a creative
staff, and everybody has some input,” says Ernie.
“We’re good listeners,” Doug adds. “If you have
something to make, we’re going to listen, and we more or
less let people run free with what they’re making. Instead
of me saying, ‘Alright, make them just exactly like this,’ we
let everybody work freely. You get to see what kind of
talent everybody has, and it makes their job fun, too.”
The latest addition to the Trenz line is a collection of
design-your-own products for American-made
motorcycles. Basically, they’ve taken their custom billet
steering wheel concept and applied it to motorcycle
wheels, brake rotors and drive belt pulleys. The
customer comes up with a design, and that design is cut
into both wheels, then duplicated in the brake rotors
and pulley, as well. These one-off items are marketed
under the DeBerti Wheels moniker.
“We’re kind of separating that line a little bit,” says
Doug. “We wanted to do something different. It’s your
wheel: You either have a design or we have a design, and
we build it. Nobody else is doing that, and that’s what we
like to do. We like to make something different. So when
you walk up and see someone’s bike, you know just by
looking at that wheel where it came from.”
“If you spend a lot of money on a bike, which a lot
of these guys do,” explains Ernie, “you don’t want to
have the exact same wheels as Joe Blow. These guys
are always wanting something custom, and they want
To maintain the one-day turnaround, Trenz needs
equipment they can rely on. Their chief concerns are
reliability and service. “Our biggest concern with any
equipment we buy, right now,” explains Doug, “is how
are we going to fix it if something happens?”
Both Doug and Ernie say they’ve
been extremely satisfied with their
Haas machines.
“Haas claims 98% uptime,”
remarks Doug, “it’s a fact. And
every mill or every lathe we
get from here on out, as
long as Haas has what we
need, we’ll buy Haas. What
really pushes me in that
direction, is that when we
have had a problem, either
we’ve been walked through it
over the phone, or the parts
have been here the next day, or
one of the service guys has been
here. And that means more to us
than anything.”
Ernie explains Doug’s philosophy: “If you
FALL 1999
25
I’d like to push is the wheels. If I can get the wheels out
there next-day, and a good one-piece forged wheel like we
have right now, I think we’re going to be so busy doing
that, I don’t think we’ll need anything else. There’s going to
be a handful of other things that we’ll throw in, but our
biggest concentration is the wheels – next day.”
To maintain their “next day” reputation, Trenz has
been investing in the latest CNC equipment, and
bringing as many processes in-house as possible. In
this way, they can better control quality, cost and
delivery time.
Trenz currently uses four Haas VF-3s for their
machining. Each machine is equipped with a Midaco
manual pallet system for quick job changeover and
interchangeability. Many more machines, both mills and
lathes, are planned for the upcoming expansion.
Dude . . .
Nice
DeBertis!
by Scott Rathburn
EBERTI. Doesn’t that sound like a wheel? “Yeah, I got
a set of DeBertis on my car,” or, “Dude, nice DeBertis.”
Name recognition is crucial in the competitive world of
aftermarket accessories. Manufacturers want their products
to be the embodiment of exclusivity and high-quality. They
want customers to ask for their products by name – and
accept no substitutes.
D
“We’ll have eighteen mills within five years,”
explains Doug. “I have them spec’d out as VF-3s,
because of the way we interchange the pallets, but that
may change. If we hit something that’s high, high, high
production, then I may go with one of the big boys and
eliminate two smaller ones.”
it unique to their personality. They like the fact that
they can buy a set of DeBerti wheels, and they won’t
be identical to everybody else’s at the next bike show.
“The steering wheels are another good example,”
he continues. “We have 28 steering wheel designs, and
there were a couple that I would have bet my lunch
money there was no way anybody would ever want
one. But yet, we sold them, because somebody’s
personality said, ‘That’s the coolest wheel I’ve ever
seen,’ and that’s what they wanted. The same thing
applies to the motorcycle wheels. You can make a wheel
that’s unique for you, for your personality, that fits your
bike. And it’s yours; we’re not going to reproduce it for
anybody else. What kind of price can you put on that?”
Part of Trenz’ new expansion includes gearing up
for a line of production motorcycle wheels in addition to
the custom one-offs. Like the design-your-own wheels,
these will be one-piece forged billet wheels, but they
will be on the shelf and ready to ship.
“It doesn’t cost us a lot of money to make one-off
wheels,” says Doug. “But it costs a lot of money to come
up with a production wheel where we’re making 50, 60, 70
wheels a week. With this investment deal, we’re able to do
that. We’re going to come up with 10 styles of wheels and
offer them next-day in every size possible. That’s probably
a half-million-dollar adventure, just to say that.”
Also planned is a line of one-piece, forgedaluminum DeBerti automotive wheels. Like all the other
26
CNC MACHINING
Trenz products, these wheels will be unique.
“There are 130-some manufacturers that bring
wheels into the US. They all make the same thing, just a
little different design. There’s only one wheel company
that has no competition; they’re the only wheel
company that makes a one-piece forged wheel. So, why
go in there and compete with 130-some companies?”
asks Doug. “It’s going to be a pissing contest for price,
right? Well, that’s why when we do the automotive line,
it’s going to be light-duty truck and up, and they’re
going to be one-piece forged. Are they going to be more
than the other guy’s? Absolutely. Are they going to be
available next day? You bet. But they’ll be a full
production wheel, and they’ll go with a strong name,
and we’ll build our reputation off of that.”
“We keep going back to same-day service,” Ernie
adds, “but that is a very serious point to make. It’s a lot
of money, because we have to have inventory sitting in
stock to make that promise. And if we make that
promise, we have to keep that promise. But,
nevertheless, it’s really nice to know that when you
order something, you’re going to get it – the next day.
And that you’re going to get a good quality product.“
And if somebody wants a one-off set? “Sure,” Doug
says, “I still want to be open to that. We’re going to
continue doing the one-off stuff.
“Production wheels, one-offs, license plate frames,
there are so many accessories for bikes. The biggest thing
Nine Haas lathes are also planned for the
expansion to handle the extensive turning work for the
production steering wheels, motorcycle wheels and
truck wheels. At present, the raw forgings are turned
down to net shape by an outside vendor. The Haas
lathes will allow Trenz to bring that process in-house.
Doug explains, “I get the forgings, have them
turned down to net, we pre-polish them and then we
mill them. That will change. That will come in-house.
The new Haas lathes will handle it.”
Trenz currently runs production 16 hours a day in
two shifts, but Doug says that will increase to three shifts
by the time they move into their new building. Future
plans call for extensive automation: robotic welders,
automatic loaders, bar feeders, automatic polishing
equipment and even a fully automated powdercoating
system. But that doesn’t mean people will lose their jobs,
Doug assures. “They’re just going to be put someplace
else. In our growth plan, we will have 287 people
working here in year five, if we stay at a 90% growth.
“You know what makes this company so
successful?” asks Doug. “The whole success? The
employees. Without a doubt. The guys here are what
make the shop. When it comes right down to it, we
couldn’t even come close to what we’re doing without
the guys that we’ve got. We have a good crew.”
Trenz Manufacturing/DeBerti Wheels
661-393-0909
Such a reputation doesn’t come easy. It only takes a few
disgruntled customers to send a tidal wave of negative vibes
through the market – and threaten a company’s reputation.
Trenz Manufacturing has a reputation for producing highquality products that are unique and reasonably priced.
They’ve worked hard to build that reputation, and they pride
themselves on same-day delivery.
The company recently took exclusivity to new extremes by
introducing a line of design-your-own products for Americanmade motorcycles. Doug DeBerti is the brain child behind
Trenz. DeBerti Wheels are his latest creation.
The concept is simple: let the customer design his own
wheels. “We wanted to do something different,” explains
Doug DeBerti. “It’s your wheel. Create a design, and we’ll
make the wheels. Nobody else is doing that.”
And nobody else will have your identical wheels. “If
somebody else comes up with an identical design,” says
Ernie Waldo, Trenz’ Chief Operations Officer in charge of
machining, “we won’t make it. Fax me a drawing and let me
work something up. Let me see if I can make a better wheel
for you, something more unique and to your personality. We
try to make something unique for the customer that’s
different than anything that’s out there.” ➥
FALL 1999
27
Rounding out the DeBerti line of
one-off products are matching brake
rotors and belt-drive pulleys.
Machined in the identical pattern as
the wheels, these items create a
smooth flowing symmetry from one
end of the bike to the other.
“We machine the rotors on both
sides,” explains Ernie, “making it
exactly like the toolpath that’s on
the wheel. It’s a lot of work. It’s
painstaking, because of the scaling
factor, but it turns out nice when
we’re done.” The same goes for the
drive-belt pulley. Like the rotors, it is
machined on both sides in the exact
same pattern as the wheels.
“On anything that we’re doing, we
not only have to scale down the O.D.,
but scale up the I.D.,” Ernie continues.
“We basically have to redraw the
geometry of the wheels for the rotors
and pulley. The front wheel and back
wheel are pretty easy to do, but when
we jump to the rotor and pulley, we
basically recreate the geometry from
scratch to make it look identical to
the wheels.”
DeBerti motorcycle wheels begin
life as one-piece aluminum forgings,
as do the pulleys. These are turned
down to net-size blanks and polished.
A solid model is then created in
Mastercam from the customer’s
design, and the toolpath is created.
The design is first roughed out on a
Flow waterjet, then the finish
machining is done on one of four
Haas VF-3 VMCs. A final polishing
operation completes the process.
The brake rotors follow much the
same path, but start as pre-cut
blanks of hardened stainless that
have been blanchard ground for
flatness. As with the wheels and
pulleys, the initial pattern is cut on
the waterjet, and the finish
machining is done on the Haas.
Granted, one-off designs are a
time-consuming – and expensive –
proposition, but the finished
product is well worth the effort.
After all, if you’ve invested 60 grand
in a custom bike, the last thing you
want is to see the same wheels on
someone else’s $20,000 “beater.”
If you’re not the creative type, DeBerti
also offers several in-house designs, or
will create a unique design just for you.
And, a full line of production wheels is
planned for the near future, with ten
styles in the works. According to Doug,
“They’ll be available next-day in every
size possible.”
New So-Cal Training Center
Helps Build Workforce
A
Also on the drawing board for the
DeBerti line are one-piece forged
truck wheels for the burgeoning
SUV market. “I think we’re starting
with 15s, 16s and 17s,” Doug says,
“and ‘dualie’ wheels. We’ll offer two
different widths and four different
back spacings. They’ll be a full
production wheel, and we’ll have
probably five different styles.” Like
the motorcycle wheels, these will be
available for same-day delivery.
Meeting that kind of production
schedule could prove challenging,
but if Doug DeBerti’s track record is
any indication, Trenz is well up
to the task.
t the Inland Empire Training
Center, Ontario, California,
fledgling machinists are
nurtured and trained to become viable
members of the machine tool trade.
Story &
Photo
Preston
Gratiot
Max Hughes, Dean of Instruction, says this latest
addition to the Training Centers of Southern California
educational program, provides a positive educational
link in the revitalization of the machine tool operators
pool for Southern California.
Equipped with four Haas CNC machines – two
VF-0 vertical machining centers and two lathes – the
new Ontario campus is a perfect example of how the
State of California and the machine tool industry are
working together to re-populate the perilously low
supply of machine tool operators in the United States.
“We started training about 30 years ago in the
Boyle Heights area of Los Angeles,” says Hughes. “We
got it equipped and then we went to the California
Employment Development Department (EDD) and
said, “We’ve got a building, we’ve got machinery, our
industry needs people to use and nobody’s doing any
training. We’d like to work to that end.”
The Unemployment Development Department of
EDD has a dedicated fund for retraining people to get
them off the unemployment rolls. They take one tenth of
one percent (.01%) of all of the money that is collected
through unemployment insurance – and that’s millions
of dollars – and allocate it to this type of training.
“We’re pretty unique in the fact that our students
are tested before they come in, and when they get to the
end of their training, we find them a job,” explains
Hughes. “Most of the other schools charge tuition for all
of this, and then when you finish it they just say goodbye. We have people who take care of recruiting to screen
our future students, because we do have pre-requisites.
“Our students have to work at the trade for at least
90 days after graduation before we get paid, so we have
a real incentive to do a good job of training. We don’t
want to string anybody along. We’ve been doing this
for a long time, and it’s a real viable type of operation.”
The National Tooling and Machining Association
(NTMA) Training Centers of Southern California draw
their instructors from the machine trade. “We try to get
all of them credentialed in vocational health/vocational
education. That way, we are able to maintain our
standards, as far as teaching is concerned,” explains
Hughes. “We have a regular curriculum, yet we will vary
it as industry tells us, because we are pretty responsive to
immediate needs and technological advances.”
Students at the training center normally attend
class for 16 weeks. “When they come out of here,” says
Hughes, “they are probably a little further ahead than
they would be if they had gone through about 21/2 years
in the junior college.
“I have some students who are probably at about a
two-year apprentice level when they come out of here. But
how fast they learn is dependent on how far and how fast
they want to run. Some people have
real mechanical aptitude, and you try
to move them up the learning curve a
little faster.”
Continued on page 39
The Inland Empire Training Center features
four Haas CNC machines: two VF-0 VMCs
and two SL-20 lathes. Students are prescreened for mechanical apptitude before
starting classes, and must work in the
trade for 90-days before their training is
considered successful and complete.
28
CNC MACHINING
FALL 1999
29
Today’s most advanced CAM packages offer a number of features that help
machinists maximize productivity. Among those features are a familiar Windows
Graphical User Interface (GUI) and greater file compatibility through open architecture.
Delivering CAM Software That
is Easy to Use and Affordable
T
oday’s CAM systems are
significantly faster and easier
to use than ever before. With
computer technology doubling every
Story
Chuck
Mathews
30
trend towards CAD/CAM’s increased use of solid
models is particularly significant because it has brought
with it a host of other desirable features designed to
help machinists effectively leverage their productivity
at a minimum cost.
GAIN TIME AND SAVE MONEY
With more than 75 percent of people involved in
CAM using the Microsoft Windows NT® operating
system, it’s apparent that Windows NT is the platform
power and performance than was
of choice. Windows NT is four times more stable than
Windows 95/98, significantly less costly than Unix, and
unattainable a decade ago at any price. provides an interface familiar to the vast majority of
computer users worldwide. When searching for a good
CAM package, operators should insist upon 100
Within this same decade, CAM usability has
percent compliance to GUI standards set forth by
dramatically increased thanks to the Graphical User
Microsoft for the Windows operating system. This not
Interface (GUI) standards set by Microsoft®
only reduces the cost of your software solution, it also
Corporation for the Windows® operating system. CAM
results in dramatic time saving benefits, reduced
operators can also thank dynamic visualization
training costs and the development of reusable skills.
(viewing parts and machining processes in a clear and
The Windows operating environment is not the
concise graphical display), open architecture (accepting
only advanced CAM feature that helps save time and
data from any source), optimization of High Speed
money. In years past, advanced graphics required
Machining, solid modeling and advances in simulation
expensive proprietary software and hardware. Today,
and verification. The next generation of CAM systems
thanks to the industry standards of OpenGL® imaging
deliver ease of use at a price affordable to most shops.
technology, CAM software can deliver dynamic
This new generation of CAM software is, in part,
visualization
on
most
the result of an evolution in
Windows-based computers,
part modeling. In the 1980s,
eliminating the need for a
we
used
wire
frame
costly proprietary system.
geometry to represent parts.
The
implementation
of
In the 1990s, CAD/CAM’s
OpenGL into your software
mathematics advanced to
provides realistic graphical
surfaces, which provided
representation of part models
support for significantly
and machining operations.
more complex shapes. Today,
These shaded, solid models
we are experiencing a rapid
may be dynamically rotated
transition towards solid
for viewing from any angle,
modeling as the technology
as if a person were to hold a
of choice for part modeling.
part in hand and rotate it for
This type of modeling
Machine tools are cutting parts at much faster rates than
viewing at various angles.
empowers
CAD/CAM ever before, and as a result, CNC programs must be
Powerful pan and zoom
systems to provide greater developed to meet an ever-increasing set of demands.
capabilities allow one to
degrees of automation, speed The leading technology for tool path calculation provides
instantly
change
the
and accuracy to the CNC highly accurate, extremely smooth and highly efficient
CNC programs.
magnification of a part to
programming process. The
18 months, these systems deliver more
CNC MACHINING
THE ADVANTAGES
OPEN ARCHITECTURE
view it as a whole or to view it in
minute detail. The advantages of solid
modeling are tremendous – gone are the
days when it took a CAD/CAM expert
to interpret computer graphics. Today,
almost anyone can take a glance at a
CAM software’s solid modeling
interface and immediately understand
what’s happening with the part, what it
represents and what machining process
has been performed.
Along with the money and time
saving benefits of the Windows
interface and dynamic visualization, is
the incorporation of Visual Basic® for
Applications (VBA). With more than
three million software developers using
the Visual Basic language, VBA is
clearly becoming the recognized
standard language for macros and
scripting within the Windows world. A
CAM software package that allows VBA
use provides a universal mechanism
for
software
automation
and
customization. VBA is efficient and easy
to use – readily providing access to the
power of Windows and other VBA
enabled applications.
OF
A growing number
of shops must now
be capable of working
directly
from
solid
models, which are most
commonly provided in
one of the emerging standard file
formats, such as STEP, X_T, or SAT.
However, some new parts and many of
the older designs are still based on wire
frame and surface geometry. These files
are usually provided in one of the
established electronic formats such as
DXF and IGES. The next generation of
CAM systems add in a process called
“open architecture.” A software package
with open architecture accepts all of the
above formats, empowering shops to
reliably and accurately machine parts
regardless of the source.
TOOL PATH CREATION AND OPTIMIZATION
HIGH SPEED MACHINING
FOR
Both 2D and 3D parts can benefit
from the use of high speed machining.
In both cases, the challenge is to create a
smooth, continuous tool path. This tool
path must maintain a constant cutting
load while changes in cutting
conditions are gradually made. For
most CAM software, this means
updating existing tool paths and adding
new styles of tool path creation. High
speed machining is not just one or two
features of a CAM package, it is a
fundamental that must be incorporated
into every machining cycle and every
machining decision.
UNLIMITED SUPPORT FOR SOLID MODELS
Solid modeling is also an essential
element of a CAM software package.
This feature allows the operator to
machine directly from a solid model or
traditional 2D or 3D engineering style
drawing. The machinist has complete
control over all aspects of the
machining process and coordinate
systems. Additionally, the CAM
package should provide the capability
to machine multiple solid bodies
(parts) in a single G-code program. For
A CAM system’s capability to machine multiple
solid bodies is essential. This feature provides
the machinist with a realistic computer-based
dry run simulation.
FALL 1999
31
RAH Industries Comes Home for
Faster Setups and On-Time Accuracy
The latest innovation in simulation and
verification provides machinists the ability to
compare the part “as-machined” versus “asdesigned.” The end result is a colorful display
of gouges, clashes, undercuts and overcuts as
they may appear on the machined part.
example, an operator would use this
feature in multi-axis (4- or 5-axis)
production milling when using pallets
and tombstones.
A STEP BEYOND SIMULATION AND
VERIFICATION OF G-CODE PROGRAMS
Animated simulation of the
material removal process, usually
referred to as simulation and
verification, has been around for many
years; however, today, simulation and
verification of G-code programs are
taking giant steps forward because of
the advances in computer graphics.
These advancements, along with
support for multiple solid bodies,
provide the ability to visualize the
complete machining environment
through realistic computer-based dry
run simulations that check for
collisions, undercuts and overcuts. To
make the machining environment
complete, CAM software can include
any combination of STL data, solid
models, extrusions, revolutions, blocks
or cylinders. Plus, the machinist can
add clamps, fixtures, stock materials
and target shapes to the simulation
process. The CAM operator should
32
CNC MACHINING
also be able to define cutting tool
holders and select from a full range of
colors to assign to all aspects of the
solid model simulation.
The dry runs produced in these new
conditions create “as-machined” solid
models which, using built-in Coordinate
Measuring Machine (CMM) style
inspection tools, are easily compared or
verified to the original “as-designed”
model. Until recently, machinists had no
clear vision of whether the part being
machined was exactly the same as the
part originally designed. Now, with the
ability to compare the “as-machined”
solid model to the “as-designed” model,
machinists have an inspection tool that
allows them to minimize the time spent
proving out programs. The machinist can
view how the part will look once it is
machined, and then examine the part as a
whole or analyze any small detail. CAM
software goes through this process of
comparing the “as-machined” versus the
“as-designed” model based on whatever
CNC machine tool program is created.
Additionally, it produces a colorful
display of any possible undercuts and
overcuts in a “life-like” representation of
the machined part.
This technology is suitable for
many areas of manufacturing,
particularly in moldmaking. For
example, a moldmaker may ask the
CAM software to use a ball end mill
to cut across a set of surfaces with a
certain scallop height. The software
then creates a tool path. Next, the
comparison verifies that these
calculations are accurate. Without the
ability to compare his “as-machined”
model to his “as-designed” model,
the moldmaker would have to send
the
part
through
animated
simulation and verification to view it
as a shaded image on screen. Though
this gives you a pretty good idea of
the part’s shape and moving machine
tool, the process may take five to
ten minutes to complete. The
moldmaker ’s comparison will only
take about 15 seconds, and he has the
added value that the end result is a
solid model – which gives him an
accurate representation of the part as
it was machined.
With this new technology,
machinists can be certain that what is
cut is comparable to what was
originally designed without sacrificing
time or scrapping parts. CAM’s new
capabilities for enhanced NC simulation
of solid models offer definitive answers
to questions of accuracy, quality control
and inspection. Comprehensive dry
runs and part inspections performed on
the computer are the ultimate CAM
tools for reducing machining time. The
result is significant increases in the
quality of CNC programs.
DP Technology
805-388-6000
L
ong setup times and subcontractor delays often lead to
increased price per part – and
reduced company profits. RAH
Industries of Valencia, California, has
Story &
Photos
Preston
Gratiot
taken control of both variables by
bringing operations in-house, and
developing innovative techniques to
reduce setup and changeover time.
welders and braziers, and they have a final assembly
department where parts can be completed to customer
specifications with ducting insulation, foil markers,
adhesive bonding and complex part built-up.
ON
THE
SHOP FLOOR
With the recent delivery of Haas Automation’s
20,000th production CNC machine (see page 3) – an
SL-20 lathe with live tooling – RAH is now equipped
with six Haas CNC machines on the shop floor: four
VF-4 vertical machining centers and two lathes. To
further enhance time-savings and productivity, they
have also integrated a uniform fixturing/setup system.
“We’ve learned how to do a five-minute
changeover on our Haas CNC milling centers,” says
Bob Weesner, RAH’s quality assurance manager. “We
Founded in 1971, RAH Industries
has continued to expand, steadily
refining capabilities to provide
complete precision metal fabrication
for the aerospace, aircraft, commercial,
defense, electronics, medical and
space industries.
The use of high-speed, state-ofthe-art CNC milling and turning
centers,
combined
with
lean
manufacturing techniques, allows RAH
to support their customers’ needs and
deliver on time, even with unusually
short schedule requirements.
RAH also offers CNC laser cutting,
turret punch and press brake
operations in-house, and they are able
to hot form titanium and inconel
tubing, as well as aluminum, stainless
steel and most other alloys. The
company maintains a staff of certified
By bringing previously outsourced jobs back
in-house, RAH Industries was able to grab
control of both the quality and cost of this
commercial airliner component.
FALL 1999
33
RAH recently took delivery of a rather
significant Haas SL-20 turning center.
The lathe is the 20,000th CNC machine
manufactured by Haas since the
company introduced the VF-1 in 1988.
The 20,000th machine is installed
facing RAH’s other Haas turning
center. The two machines frequently
run unattended, optimizing efficiency.
can stop the machine, tear it down and
be back up and running again in a fiveminute cycle time.”
RAH does this by incorporating a
universal baseplate on all machines.
“They all have a common lock for vices
and a common tooling plate,” explains
Weesner. “Everything is tooled the
same way. Even though the part may be
a different configuration, it still makes
that five minute change. Every machine
can be ready to run the same part in
five-minutes, and we have a special cart
to roll these setups from machine to
machine . . . total adaptability.”
This rapid interchangeability not
only cuts the setup times going from
one machine to the next, but it also
ensures the repeatability and quality
control
aspects
of
the
RAH
manufacturing process.
“That’s what we’ve done with the
Haas machines,” says Weesner. “They
give us that repeatability and quality.
All of our Haas machines, with the
exception of the new lathe, have
already gone through the Boeing ATA
certification for advanced tooling
applications. You have to be able to
hold tenths over a set time span. The
Haas machines do that for us. We are
real impressed.”
To further reduce costs, RAH
34
CNC MACHINING
optimizes manpower by dedicating a
number of machines to a single
operator, or running unattended. “As
you can see, in this area there is no
operator at all, yet there are two Haas
turning centers running parts,” says
Weesner. “This leads us to total
efficiency, allowing us to provide our
customers with cost reductions by
tracking footsteps and removing nonvalue-added processes to maximize
our efficiency.”
Gary Maki, Haas VMC operator
explains: “Usually, I’m not one to stand
around. So when I get one machine set
up, I’ll go over and start setting up
another machine. Or maybe I’ll do
some cleaning or other maintenance –
whatever needs to be done.
“I still find myself with some free
time, even with two machines running,
so I’ll check some of my other tools and
make sure everything is in working
order and up to par. That’s another
thing, the upkeep on these (Haas)
machines is minimal. But we keep a
maintenance schedule posted on every
machine, and if you follow it, your
machine just gets better.”
CUTTING EDGE CAPABILITY
Because of its many contacts in the
high-tech fields, RAH finds its
machines cutting a wide variety of
exotic materials. “These threaded
inserts are made out of A-286 stainless
steel. Not only is it one of the hardest
materials, but it’s one of the gummiest,
too. So it makes it very tough to
machine, a very, very tough stainless to
cut,” says Maki. “But we cut everything
on our Haas CNCs.”
Maki says that with cutter
technology really on the rise, even more
impressive performance is just a matter
of time. “They think they’re really
making time now, just wait until they
find out what these new cutters are
capable of. But we’re already cutting
everything on our Haas centers –
titanium,
stainless,
molinite
–
everything!”
IN-HOUSE
VERSES
OUTHOUSE
Like
many
other
growing
companies, RAH looked for in-house
solutions to remedy questionable
service provided by outside shops. “We
were never really a machine house, but
we were getting horrible quality and
horrible delivery times,” explains
Weesner. “So we started researching the
process and realized we’re paying all of
this money for someone to give us junk.
We just couldn’t
deal with that
anymore; we had to control the process.
“The classic example was a job
from a major manufacturer of large
commercial aircraft. They would order
50 parts at a time, and we would sub
the turning work out. I was paying $50
for this part, and I never knew if they
were going to come in the door right, or
if they were going to need rework. I
didn’t have control over it.”
When the customer cut loose with a
2,000 piece order, RAH seriously got to
thinking about bringing the process inhouse. “This guy didn’t want to lower
his price, and we couldn’t be sure of his
quality, so we started looking into
purchasing our own turning center.”
Weesner says they were so
impressed with their Haas machining
centers that they ordered a Haas lathe.
“We ended up sending three people to
the Haas school,” he continues, “and
when the machine hit the floor, it took
only an hour and a half to wire it up,
get it some air and have it turning its
first production part.
RAH Industries features a number of Haas CNC machining centers in addition to a wide variety of
other dedicated CNC operations. RAH has received numerous awards and commendations from
customers, including the NASA Space Shuttle program and major international defense contractors.
“Like I say, right now there are
two machines running with no one on
them, and they’re fine. In fact, with
the live tooling option on this new
lathe – the 20,000th Haas CNC
machine – we are able to do a number
Introducing,
Haas SHOP-X-CHANGE.
X
What: An electronic posting area at WWW.HAASCNC.COM
where Haas-equipped shops can post classified
messages, want ads and other business-related
messages.
Why: Perhaps you have too much work and need to job
some of your longer runs out to another shop.
Or, maybe your business specializes in a
particular type of work and you could use
over-runs from other shops. Or. . .
of secondary operations without
having to refixture the part on a
vertical mill. That saves time, and
greatly improves quality.”
RAH Industries
661-295-5190
Simplify.
Discover how easy and userfriendly CNCA financing can be.
We build a leasing or financing
plan to fit your needs.
It’s that simple.
How: Submit your classified-style posting via e-mail to
clortie@HaasCNC.com. We’ll review the content
and post your message in the X-CHANGE area of the
Haas home page.
To view message postings, go to HaasCNC.com
and click the X-CHANGE button on our home page.
We reserve the right to edit or disqualify all submissions.
Call us toll-free
888-350-4CNC
Specializing in Haas equipment.
> PRODUCT RELEASE
> PRODUCT RELEASE
7,000-rpm Haas Lathe
Improves Surface Finish,
Reduces Cycle Times
Super-High-Speed Rotary
Table Slashes Cycle Time,
Boosts Production
Producing a fine surface finish
when turning small aluminum and
titanium parts can be difficult. The key is
to keep surface feeds high, and at small
diameters, that means high rpm.
The new 7,000-rpm spindle option
for Haas SL-20 turning centers (10" x 20"
turning capacity) provides the spindle
rpm necessary for high finish work, and
is a powerful tool for reducing cycles
times in a high-production atmosphere.
Consisting of an A2-5 spindle nose
fitted with a 5.31" (135 mm) three-jaw
power chuck, the 7,000-rpm spindle has
a bar capacity of 1.31". The 20horsepower vector drive spindle yields
maximum
torque
and
peak
Designed
with
fast-paced
production in mind, the new HRT
210SHS rotary table from Haas
Automation provides the indexing
speed necessary to drastically reduce
cycle times for repetitive or multisided parts.
Nearly six times faster than the
standard HRT 210, the 210SHS (SuperHigh-Speed) indexes at a remarkable
360-degrees per second to greatly
increase productivity. The table’s
compact design and wraparound motor
give the 210SHS a small footprint,
allowing you to fit a lot of rotary table
into a small work envelope.
The new Haas HRT 210SHS
features a precision harmonic drive gear
design and high-performance brushless
Flexible Bolt-On Tool
Turret for Haas CNC Lathes
The new Bolt-On Tool Turret option
for Haas SL-Series CNC lathes adds
flexibility while providing super-rigid
mounting of turning tools and boring
bars for hard materials and heavy
turning operations.
Designed as a factory-installed
option, Haas Bolt-On Tooling consists
of a special tool disk that accepts bolton tools around the perimeter, and has
an equal number of standard radial
slots on the face for mounting turning
36
CNC MACHINING
performance under heavy cutting
loads, and a poly-belt drive system
guarantees smooth, accurate operation.
Wye-delta switching “on the fly”
ensures high torque and constant
horsepower over a wide rpm range,
and allows constant surface feed cuts
throughout the speed range.
tools in either right- or
left-hand directions.
Three versions of the
Haas Bolt-On Turret are
available, each designed
for a specific SL-Series
lathe. The SL-20 and SL-40
turrets provide 10 bolt-on
stations and 10 radial slots,
while the SL-30 turret
provides
12
bolt-on
stations and 12 radial slots.
The SL-20 and SL-30 turrets are
compatible with LB-25 bolt-on tooling.
They accommodate boring bars up to 2"
and accept standard 1" square turning
tools. The SL-40 turret is compatible
with LB-45 bolt-on tooling. It
accommodates boring bars up to 2.5"
and accepts standard 1.25" square
turning tools. Each Haas Bolt-On Turret
includes one face groove toolholder
and an assortment of bolt-on perimeter
tool holders.
Eight-station tombstones and twostation lay-down vise systems are now
available from Haas in both 4-inch and
6-inch versions. These American-made
workholding systems are designed to
increase productivity by reducing cycle
times and presenting more work pieces
to the spindle.
FEATURES AND BENEFITS:
Completely Enclosed Design –
prevents chips and debris from getting
into the internal drive mechanism. It
also limits the amount
Auto-Jet Blast
The new Auto-Jet Air Blast option is
now available for all new Haas lathes. This
simple yet effective option provides an
automated and safe way to clear chips and
coolant from parts with the door closed.
The M-code activated air blast can be
programmed to turn on while the spindle
is turning, or at the end of a cycle.
Workholding
Auto Air Tube
servo drive which provide accuracy of
±30 arc-seconds, with repeatability
within 10 arc-seconds. A resolution of
0.001 degrees yields extremely precise
positioning, and the spindle produces
200 ft-lb of torque to handle heavy cuts.
To simplify fixturing, the table’s
210 mm (8.27") platter has eight
standard T-slots, and a 2.00" diameter
by 1.20" deep thru hole allows parts to
be fed through the face. Like all Haas
rotary tables, the 210SHS has a precision
.625" alignment key in the base which
allows mounting to any Haas VMC
without the need to indicate the table in.
When mounted on a Haas vertical
or horizontal machining center, the HRT
210SHS provides true simultaneous 4thaxis cutting (the A axis is fully
interpolated with the X, Y and Z axes)
and can be programmed directly from
the CNC control. Or, semi-4th-axis
rotation, including synchronous motion,
of coolant that enters the system and
makes the system very rigid.
Innovative Offset Mechanism – gives
infinite front jaw back-off distances.
The operator changes the back-off
distance from the front of the unit
without removing the jaws or using a
wrench. The rear-to-front loading
feature eliminates the need to reach
over sharp or large work pieces.
Unique Slide Design – includes a
true, free-floating slide. Slide knuckles
are made of 7075-T6 aluminum and
hard-coated for superior strength. Side
mounted plungers hold jaws in place.
Composite Design – incorporates a
high-grade aluminum body with an
alloy steel cover-plate. This makes the
system much more manageable and
durable than a heavier, all-steel unit
and it absorbs machining vibration.
Steel Cover-Plate – is made of 4150
precision-ground steel and bolted to
the base, providing a precise surface
is possible by using M-functions to
initiate positioning.
Haas produces more than 30
different models of rotary tables ranging
in size from the 6.3-inch HRT 160 up to
the new HRT 600 rotary table with its
massive 23.6-inch platter. In addition, a
wide array of accessories offer easy
adaptability and versatility in the
workplace allowing Haas rotary tables
to work with most any milling machine
on the market today – or yesterday!
for locating. In addition, the cover-plate
adds strength to the base and seals the
internal drive mechanism.
Quick-Change Jaw System –
eliminates the need for jaw pins and
reduces jaw deflection. The jaws are
indexable, enabling them to be used for
more than one job.
Modular Design – makes conversion
to hydraulics easy. It also provides
many fixturing configuration options.
One-Piece Tombstone Design – Since
the base and body of the system are
one piece, the system is very rigid.
This design gives improved accuracy
and repeatability.
Steel Bushed Location Holes –
Double station lay-down units have
four bushed location holes for dowel
pins on the bottom side of the base.
Mounting – is more accurate
because of base mounting holes and
side rails for toe clamping.
FALL 1999
37
> CONTINUED FROM . . .
> CONTINUED FROM . . .
“The Navy launches $60 million airplanes off its carriers every day, every night and regardless of the weather conditions. These aviators have to know
that the equipment that launches them, and the equipment that catches them after their sortie, will do its job. This is accomplished by designing and
making equipment correctly every single time. We at Navy Lakehurst take great pride in our people and work. But our people are only half of the
equation. It takes great equipment like Haas to complete the job.” — Mark Gindele
38
CNC MACHINING
CAMPUS GROWS TO MEET NEEDS
Presently, there are NTMA training
centers in Costa Mesa, Norwalk and this
one in Ontario. However, there are also
plans to open a school in the San Fernando
Valley in 2002.
“We are probably graduating about
1,600 students per year, now, with all three
schools operating,” says Hughes. “We
train entry-level people. They are people
who have had no, or very little, prior
de Gaulle continued from page 9
memory and execute these programs
when required,” said Arkenau.
According to Joe Delano there
wasn’t anything easy about this.
“When you get a part like this that has
incredibly tight tolerances measured to
one thousandth of an inch, you have to
think everything through. Fixtures,
tools, gauges all have to be perfect.
You plan everything, and then you
keep going through in your mind how
it will work. Every working moment,
until the cam is finished, you’re
thinking about it.”
The team members, who had never
made a cam of this size before, all
agreed this was a “ten” on a scale of one
to ten for determining complexity.
“When you envision a cam, you think
of a small gear. But there is nothing
small about this cam, which begins
with a blank piece of steel weighing
more than 60 pounds, and the final
weight is 40 pounds,” declared
Arkenau. “It is not the kind of task you
wish for, especially because of the tight
schedule. But that is what we are here
for, to solve fleet problems. If anyone
can make critical ship items within
these tight schedules, it’s us here at
Lakehurst,” said Wigginton. “We are
the heart of Naval aviation.”
Listening to Delano and Arkenau
explain the manufacturing steps helps
understand why management refers to
these employees as artisans. “You have to
sneak up on the last cut of the transitional
surface in order to hold a 63 profiled
finish,” quipped Delano, referring to the
almost mirror like surface on the final
cam which was achieved by using a 11/2"
inserted carbide endmill. “We came up
with a novel way to position pre-located
NTMA continued from page 29
experience when they come in through the
Employee Training Program (ETP). When
they leave here, they are ready to work,
they have a trade.”
Plans are also underway for the
installation of three wire EDM machines at
the center, “so we’re going to be offering
classes in wire EDM,” says Hughes. “We
are going to start the advanced CNC class
in September, and that’s where we will get
into more applications. We have multipleaxis capabilities in all three schools, and
we tailor our program so the people can
work toward realistic goals.
“A true apprenticeship program is
the lifeblood of any industry, especially the
machine tool industry,” says Hughes.
“The machine tool companies that are
falling by the wayside are the ones that
haven’t kept up with the latest
technological advancements. And if
you’re not moving ahead, then you’re
falling behind.”
Inland Empire Training Center
909-947-9363
1999 TradeShow Calendar
Kellie Borrero, program manager, gets a perfect view of the French cam as it is machined on the
Haas VF-4. The cam is for one of the arresting engines on the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle.
and measured spindles to let us know
how close we were to the final desired
width,” uttered Arkenau.
Borrero prepared a detailed
program plan identifying all of the steps
necessary to complete the job, from
obtaining the raw material to final
check-out. Each step was assigned a
time measure in order to provide instant
recognition of each stage of completion.
“I wanted to be prepared to respond to
the U.S. Navy and French government if
any programmatic questions were
raised,” expressed Borrero.
But no questions were forthcoming.
Arkenau and Delano surpassed even the
most optimistic schedule, and by Friday
afternoon, April 2, Wigginton was
dimensionally inspecting over 300 data
points on the cam. “I’ve inspected a lot of
cams in my lifetime, and this was the
finest cam I ever saw,” said Wigginton.
The cam was prepared for shipping
and sent to France on Easter Sunday.
“It is not the kind of call you like
to receive; however, it demonstrates
how
absolutely
critical
Navy
Lakehurst is to maintaining the fleet
and military readiness. Whether it is a
supply systems shortage, contractor
default or fleet emergency, we are here
to respond. It is nice to see our
capability being extended to other
countries that have a strategic
relationship with the U.S.,” said Rich
Headley, manager of the prototyping
and manufacturing department.
Show Name
Dates
Info
Haas Automation Open House
Oxnard, California
October 6-7, 1999
Haas Automation opens its doors for the annual
presentation of new products and demonstrations
of the entire product line.
Canadian Machine Tool Show
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
October 18-21, 1999
Booth #3247
Canada’s largest forum for domestic and international
manufacturers and distributors to display machinery,
the latest technology and support products.
Cleveland APEX
Cleveland, Ohio
October 19-21, 1999
Booth #4041
The newly expanded Cleveland show is expected to
attract more than 7,500 attendees from the ninth largest
national market.
Wichita Industrial Trade Show
Wichita, Kansas
October 19-21, 1999
Booth #623
Held every other odd year, this show attracts more than
10,000 attendees. This is the 14th Annual Wichita
Industrial Trade Show.
CIMT ’99
Beijing, China
October 20-26, 1999
Booth #2-021
USA Pavilion
Billed as the “Gateway to the World Machine Tool Market
of the 21st Century,” this show offers more than 60,000
square meters of exhibition area with more than 28
nations participating.
Dallas APEX
Dallas, Texas
November 2-4, 1999
Booth #341
Strategically located in one of the Southwest’s strongest
manufacturing regions, Dallas ’99 will attract more
than 5,000 attendees looking for metalworking products
and services.
SEMA
Las Vegas, Nevada
November 2-5, 1999
Booth #7473
The SEMA Show and International Tire Expo ’99 is the
largest and most dynamic automotive aftermarket trade
event of products and accessories in the world. It attracts
thousands of buyers from the U.S. and abroad.
Motorsports Expo ’99
Charlotte, North Carolina
December 9-11, 1999
Booth #440
This show draws industry professionals and attendees
from all aspects of the racing industry. This is the second
year of the North American Motorsports Expo (NAMSE).
Mark Gindele is the manager in charge of quality
assurance and material for prototyping and
manufacturing at the Naval Air Warfare Center,
Aircraft Division, in Lakehurst, New Jersey.
FALL 1999
39
In the ALARM display there is an
alarm history which displays the
14 previous 100 alarms. You can see
this alarm history by pressing the right or
left cursor arrow. Press either one again to
see the normal alarm display.
tip
From The Solutions Department
40
CNC MACHINING
The control uses tool management
with the TOOL LOAD monitor in the
9 CURNT COMDS (page down) display.
Tool spindle load condition can be defined
by the TOOL LOAD monitor and will stop
the machine if it reaches the spindle load
The HELP display has all the G and
M codes listed for you to see. To see
11 them, press the HELP display button
and then the letter C. You can also go to
the directory index of the HELP display by
pressing the letter D then pressing the
letter that’s next to the subject area you
wish to see.
tip
SETTING 103 - CYC/FH IT KEY is really
good to use when you’re carefully
12 running through a program. When this
setting is ON, the cycle start and feed hold
are used together with the CYCLE START
button only. When the CYCLE START button
is pressed in, it will be running through the
program. And when you release the CYCLE
START button, the machine will stop in a
FEED HOLD. This gives you a better feel,
when carefully running through a program
that you’re setting up on. And when you’re
done using this feature turn it OFF.
Any Mill Control Ver. 9.06 and above
SETTING 104 - JOG HANDL TO SNGL
BLK when running a program in MEM
13 mode in the PRGRM or GRAPHICS
display. Select the SINGLE BLOCK key to
cycle line by line through your program in
the machine operation or in graphics with
each press of the CYCLE START button.
And sometimes it’s quicker, and preferred,
to single block a program by turning ON
setting 104. Then each click of the jog
HANDLE CCW will step through the
program line by line. Turning the HANDLE
CW will cause it to FEED HOLD.
tip
tip
The values in the CURNT COMDS
display pages for TOOL LIFE, TOOL
10 LOAD and TIMERS display registers
can be cleared by cursor selecting the
one you wish to clear and pressing
ORIGIN. To clear everything in a column,
cursor to the top of the column onto the
title and press ORIGIN.
tip
tip
tip
When you’re in the TOOL GEOMETRY
Offset display, you can “clear all”
7 the offsets by pressing the ORIGIN
key. It will prompt you with ZERO ALL
The control can be used for tool
management with the TOOL LIFE
8 monitor in the CURNT COMDS (page
down) display. In this display, every
time a selected tool is called up in the
spindle, it advances the counter in the
TOOL USAGE register. This TOOL LIFE
monitor will stop the machine if the
USAGE number for that tool is the same or
above the number in the ALARM column.
This will help you monitor the tools to
prevent them from breaking and causing
scrapped parts.
tip
tip
To select a program to edit in
BACKGROUND EDIT while a program
4 is running in the MEM operating
mode. You need to be in the PRGRM
display. Type in the program number
(Onnnn) of the program you want to edit
and then press F4. You can then do any
simple edits of INSERT, ALTER, DELETE
and UNDO, for an existing program, a new
program or even the program that is
running. But the program running will not
update until the program ends with an
M30 or RESET.
tip
Any mill control ver. 9.49 and above, and
any lathe control ver. 2.24 and above.
Each axis can also be zeroed out
independently to show a position
6 relative to where you select to zero
that axis. Page up or down to get to
the POS-OPER large digital position
display. When you move the axes X, Y or Z
with the HANDLE or the “JOG keys” when
using the HANDLE JOG mode, and you
press ORIGIN, the axis that is presently
selected will be zeroed. Or you can press
an X, Y or Z letter key, then ORIGIN to
zero that display. Or you can press the X,
Y or Z key with a number (X2.125), then
ORIGIN to enter the number in that axis
position display.
limit defined for that tool. Tool overload
condition can result in one of four actions
by the control. They are controlled by
SETTING 84 and are: ALARM – to generate
an alarm when overload occurs; FEED
HOLD – to stop with Feed Hold when
overload occurs; BEEP – to sound an
audible alarm when overload occurs; or
AUTOFEED – to automatically
increase/decrease the feed rate. This will
help you monitor the tools to prevent them
from breaking and causing scrapped parts.
Any Mill Control Ver. 9.06 and above.
If you enter a message in the MESGS
display for the next person or for yourself,
it will be the first display shown to you
when you power up the machine, “if no
other alarms exist,” other then the usual
102 SERVOS OFF alarm. If the
EMERGENCY STOP was pushed in,
because you may have powered down that
way, you will never see the MESGS
display. The control will show that active
ALARM first. And you would have to know
about the message to go into your MESGS
display. And you don’t need to power
down a Haas machine by hitting
emergency stop first.
In the 80 column Advanced Editor
you can define a block in a program
15 and copy (INSERT) to another
location, move (ALTER) from one location
to another or delete (DELETE) a line or a
block of lines in a program. Start the block
definition with the EDIT main menu and
then the SELECT TEXT sub-menu and press
WRITE. Then cursor to the last program
line to define and press F2 or WRITE to
highlight the block. Then select the submenu to perform that block definition to
edit with INSERT, ALTER or DELETE.
tip
Any control ver. 10.02 and above, and any
lathe control ver. 2.24 and above.
tip
You can rapid one axis home with
the HOME G28 key. Pressing the
3 HOME G28 button alone, will return
“all axes” to machine zero. You can now
send just one axis, X, Y, Z, A or B in rapid,
to machine zero. Enter the letter X, Y, Z, A
or B then press HOME G28 and that axis
alone will position home. Caution! There
is no warning to alert you of any possible
collision. For example, if the Z-axis is
down near the part or fixture and the X or
Y is zeroed, a crash can result. Care must
be exercised.
(Y/N)? To make sure this is what you really
want to do. The WORK ZERO OFFSET
display and the MACRO VARIABLES of
the CURNT COMDS display will do the
same thing for you when you’re in
those displays.
Keypad for all Vertical and Horizontal Machines
tip
Searching for a specific command in
a program can be done in either
2 MEM or EDIT mode. Enter the
address code (A, B, C etc.), or the address
code and value (A1.23), and press the up
or down cursor arrow buttons. If you enter
just the address code and no value, the
search will stop at the next use of that
letter, regardless of the value.
To get a quick zero reference on your
POS-TO-GO position of your POSIT
5 display while in HANDLE JOG. Press
any other operation mode (EDIT, MEM,
MDI etc.) and then back to HANDLE JOG,
and this will zero out ALL axes on the
POS-TO-GO display and begin showing a
distance move.
tip
tip
When in the EDIT or MEM mode, you
can select another program quickly
1 by simply entering the program
number (Onnnn) you want and pressing
“cursor arrow up or down.”
You can turn off a highlighted block
definition by pressing the UNDO
16 button. This returns the cursor
display functions to normal and the cursor
remains where you’re at in the program.
UNDO will not change a block definition
edit back that was done in block edit.
tip
This column is designed to help you and your business perform better. It is a standard feature in CNC Machining. Readers are welcome to
submit machining and programming questions to the Haas Applications Department. Haas applications engineers will answer each of your
questions promptly, and the best questions will be published with answers in this column.
Any Control Ver. 9.49 and above.
More tips and tricks are available
online at: www.HaasCNC.com.
If you have a question regarding the operation of your Haas machine or the running of a program (including rotary tables), please fax your request
to 805-278-0861, att: Applications, and a Haas applications engineer will follow up and get back to you. If we feel your problem would help others,
we will publish it in the following issue of CNC Machining. Or you can send your questions to Haas Automation, 2800 Sturgis Road, Oxnard, CA
93030 • Att: Applications Dept. You can also e-mail your questions to: askhaas@hotmail.com
FALL 1999
41
Go to the purchasing
area of our new
website and you can
build a customized
Haas machine quote
configured to your
special requirements
and budget.
The Haas Automation interactive website is
loaded with more than 500 pages of machine
tool information. What you need,
when you want it, all on-line.
Haas Automation Inc.
2800 Sturgis Road
Oxnard, CA 93030
Tel: 805-278-1800, 800-331-6746
Fax: 805-278-8540