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D&S Manufacturing (Black River Falls, WI) . . .
announced that the company presented scholarships for the STEPS for Girls summer program to two local students from Black River Falls Middle School. Jessa Ammann and Kyleigh Nandory were selected, based on merit, by a panel of their teachers. According to Sherrie Hein, Human Resources Manager for D&S, STEPS (Science, Technology and Engineering Preview) was established in 1997 by the University of Wisconsin – Stout as a way to encourage 12 year old girls to pursue non-traditional careers requiring skills in the areas of math and science.
www.dsmfg.com

Fabricators & Manufacturers Association International (ROCKFORD, IL) . . .
announced that the Gene Haas Foundation, Amada America and CNA Insurance Foundation contributed grants totaling $100,000 to Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs (NBT), The Foundation of the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, Intl., to help fund the winners of its 2009 manufacturing camp grant awards. Each year, NBT awards grants to not-for-profit organizations and educational institutions that offer overnight or day camp experiences which introduce young people ages 12 to 16 to careers in manufacturing and engineering. The camps target youth at the critical level of secondary education, exposing them to math, science and engineering principles, and giving them opportunities to see the technology being used in industry and the high level of skills that will be required from the workforce.

NBT recently launched a text-to-give program that allows people to donate to the organization by simply texting "123" to the number "90999" from their cell phone. Supporters will be prompted to confirm their gift by replying with the word YES. After replying with YES, they will receive a confirmation and the message generates a five dollar donation charged directly to the caller's cell phone bill.
www.NutsAndBoltsFoundation.org

Jet Edge, Inc. (St. Michael, MN) . . . announced that Sunny Limited of Tokyo, Japan, has been selected as its new waterjet systems distributor for Japan. As a distributor of Jet Edge waterjets, Sunny Limited is authorized to sell, install and service Jet Edge waterjet intensifier pumps, waterjet cutting machines and water blasting, surface preparation and cleaning equipment throughout Japan. www.sunnyltd.co.jp, www.jetedge.com

GF AgieCharmilles (Lincolnshire, IL) . . .
announced that Hartwig, Inc. (St. Louis, MO) will take over sales of EDM and high speed milling machines in Utah, Montana and the south and southeastern counties of Idaho. The company is also the exclusive GF AgieCharmilles distributor in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and southern Illinois.
www.gfac.com/us

The American Foundry Society (AFS, Schaumburg, IL) . . .
Board of Directors approved combining its federal government affairs services with the North American Die Casting Association (NADCA) effective July 1. The collective effort will entail a coordinated, joint federal advocacy effort while maintaining each groups' status as separate organizations, and will be called the Metalcasters Alliance for Government Affairs. The Metalcasters Alliance for Government Affairs will continue to be represented by Waterman & Associates, a Washington, D.C. firm. The three common issues that Waterman & Associates will continue to assist with include Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and OSHA Reform. In addition, a website has been created for the new alliance, www.metalcastinggov.com.
www.afsinc.org

AIDA America (Dayton, OH) . . . announced the opening of AIDA-Mexico. In February 2009, AIDA Engineering de Mexico, S. DE R.L.DE C.V (AIDA-Mexico) was officially established in Monterrey, Mexico. This location gives AIDA-Mexico the ability to provide direct sales, service and technical support to the ever growing and advancing Mexican metalforming industry. AIDA-Mexico provides full service and parts support for all AIDA, Manzoni and Rovetta equipment www.aida-global.com

AMETEK Specialty Metal Products (SMP, Eighty Four, PA) . . .
purchased the ANCOR® Specialties stainless steel powder business from Hoeganaes Corporation. AMETEK will begin immediately to service ANCOR Specialties customers and will work closely with Hoeganaes to ensure a smooth transition as AMETEK relocates production equipment to its Eighty Four, PA, powder metal manufacturing facility.
www.ametekmetals.com

WARDJet (Tallmadge, OH) . . . has recently become partners with the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) with Boeing. The AMRC is a £60 million partnership that builds on the shared scientific excellence, expertise and technological innovation of the world's leading aerospace company and the world-class research within the University of Sheffield's faculty of engineering. Richard Ward, owner and president of WARDJet, has also been appointed to the Board of Directors for the AMRC, along with representatives from other partners including Boeing, Rolls-Royce and BAE. www.wardjet.com

Cerion LLC (Plymouth, MI) . . .
announced its completion of the purchase of assets of Contech (Portage, MI) out of Chapter 11 reorganization. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Contech Castings LLC will continue to serve the global automotive market with highly-engineered, fully machined, geometrically complex, lightweight die cast components. The Contech purchase is Cerion's third in the past seven months. In December 2008, Cerion purchased the precision machining subsidiary of EaglePicher Corporation and renamed the business Metavation. In March 2009, Cerion added advanced fineblanking and finishing capabilities with the acquisition of MPI International.

Sandvik Coromant (Fair Lawn, NJ) . . . has formed a technical partnership with Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team co-owned by two-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart and Haas Automation. The partnership allows the cutting tool manufacturer to become an official team sponsor, while providing SHR with all of its indexable tooling needs for its Haas CNC machines. www.coromant.sandvik.com/us

Exsys Tool, Inc. (San Antonio, FL) . . .
formed a partnership with REGO-FIX. The collaboration allows the distributor to add taper milling tools to its line of rotary and fixed toolholders for the turning industry, while also helping REGO-FIX penetrate the high precision milling market in Mexico. "After establishing operations in Mexico in 2006, we noticed a strong demand for mill tooling that warranted the addition of taper tooling to our product inventory," said Stewart Bachmann, President of Exsys Tool, Inc. "We selected REGO-FIX because of its reputation for Swiss quality precision, as well as the impact that its revolutionary powRgrip® collet system could have on the market."
www.exsys-tool.com

FARO Technologies, Inc. (Lake Mary, FL) . . . congratulated Pratt & Miller Engineering & Fabrication out of New Hudson, MI, on their win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 14, 2009. The Pratt & Miller GT1-Champion Corvette Racing Team, which is run by Pratt & Miller on behalf of General Motors, uses FaroArm measurement equipment in the design, quality control and race-specification compliance of their vehicles. They also use the FARO Gage to validate parts in their precision machine shop and the FARO Laser ScanArm to reverse-engineer components. This allows the company's engineers and technicians to accurately and efficiently produce everything from small, individual components and sub-assemblies to complete turnkey road and race cars. Corvette Racing completed their 11th and final 24 Hours of Le Mans race in the GT1 class on June 14, 2009 at the Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, France. Johnny O'Connell, Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen drove the yellow No. 63 Compuware Corvette C6.R for 342 laps straight to victory. www.faro.com

Hexagon Metrology (London, UK) . . .
announced a litigation victory in its dispute over alleged misappropriation of trade secrets from its PC-DMIS inspection and measurement software, which is developed and published by Hexagon Metrology division Wilcox Associates, Inc. The suit, filed against Xspect Solutions, Inc. ("Xspect"), Wenzel Group GmbH & Co. KG ("Wenzel Group"), Wenzel Prazision GmbH (" Wenzel Prazision"), and Wenzel Metromec AG ("Wenzel Metromec") arose over allegations that the above mentioned companies used and disclosed confidential information and trade secrets for the benefit of Xspect, Wenzel Group, Wenzel Prazision, and Wenzel Metromec. The US District court of the Eastern District of Michigan has issued a permanent injunction order against Xspect, Wenzel Group, Wenzel Prazision and Wenzel Metromec ("the parties") in the Federal Court wherein they agreed to refrain from using or disclosing any confidential or proprietary information or trade secrets of Wilcox Associates, Inc.
www.HexagonMetrology.com

Tregaskiss (WINDSOR, Ontario) . . . launched its new online TOUGH GUN Configurator at: www.tregaskiss.com/configurator. The TOUGH GUN Configurator features four steps that allow customers to customize their TOUGH GUN™ Semi-Automatic Air-Cooled MIG Gun according to amperage, cable length, neck style and more. After completing the first three steps, customers receive a part number (step four) that they can print and take to their local welding supply distributor. www.tregaskiss.com

Tregaskiss Configurator Website

Hypertherm (Hanover, NH) . . .
is working with two local farms to bring fresh produce to Hypertherm's Upper Valley associates. Edgewater Farm in Plainfield will make weekly visits to Hypertherm so associates can more easily buy fresh local produce. The partnership between Hypertherm and Edgewater was sheparded by Vital Communities, a regional nonprofit that works to engage citizens, organizations, and communities in creating solutions to regional challenges. In addition, some Hypertherm associates are participating in a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program with Fairlee-based Your Farm, allowing Hypertherm associates to buy shares in exchange for produce each week of the growing season.
www.hypertherm.com

Seco Tool's Conference

Seco Tools (Troy, MI) . . . announced that over 50 machine shop owners and representatives recently attended the Seco Tools "Tooling up for Wind Power Generation" conference co-sponsored by the Sterling Heights Chamber of Commerce, Automation Alley, and Oakland County Planning & Economic Development. This was the first diversification event in the area aimed specifically at helping metalcutters convert their shops from automotive to wind energy production work. Attendees received extensive information on how to enter the wind energy sector, including necessary tooling, equipment and available government financial assistance. www.secotools.com

Laboratory Testing Inc. (LTI, Hatfield, PA) . . .
has been re-accredited for Nondestructive Testing by PRI/Nadcap (Performance Review Institute's industry-managed program for special processes in the aerospace industry). The scope of accreditation covers liquid penetrant, magnetic particle, and ultrasonic inspection methods. The new certificate is valid through January 31, 2011.
www.labtesting.com

Methods Machine Tools Inc. (Sudbury, MA) . . . announced that one of its customers, MAC Machine, has been named the winner of the Matsuura 2008 International Five-Axis Machining Competition. MAC Machine earned the coveted award based on their successful process development of an extremely complex Aerospace part. The part had tool length issues combined with very challenging thin wall conditions. Formerly, this part would have needed to be cast, incurring significant time and expense from a lead time and development tooling cost standpoint. The part was processed by Randy Barbe, Lead Programmer at MAC Machine, utilizing MasterCam X and CAMplete TruePath software on a Matsuura MAM72-63V multi-pallet system. Working with Mike Kaminski, Senior Application Engineer at Methods Machine Tools Inc., Randy was able to use the latest software and machine technology to make the part from solid billet. Mike trained Randy on the use of CAMplete TruePath software to verify and optimize the process prior to cutting the part on the Matsuura MAM72-63V. MAC Machine's application was reviewed in confidence by Matsuura engineers and it was selected as the 2008 winner, beating out entries from Germany, Japan, Switzerland, England, Canada, Italy and more. www.methodsmachine.com

MAC Machine wins with this complex aerospace part.

ROUNDO AB (Hassleholm, Sweden) . . .
announced that Trilogy Machinery, Inc. (Belcamp, MD) will be their new exclusive North American agent. Joining Trilogy Machinery are Bob Vorsteg, who has been assisting ROUNDO customers with training and technical support for over 30 years; Fred Gebhardt, sales and support; Mike Shadle, spare parts and technical support; and Beej Flamholz, sales and technical support.
www.roundo.com, www.trilogymachinery.com

MAG Industrial Automation Systems (Sterling Heights, MI) . . . has received the Caterpillar Inc. Supplier Quality Excellence Process Certification (SQEP), an award presented to suppliers that demonstrate strong values and ethical principles and a commitment to Caterpillar's objective to implement a culture for zero-defects among its supply base. The quality certification program follows Caterpillar's internal MQ11006 standard that includes ISO 9001:2000 registration, and requires suppliers to have a Six Sigma program in place and improvement projects in progress. MAG's Fond du Lac, WI plant, currently on its eighth wave of projects, supplies machining centers, boring mills, vertical turning centers, tooling and maintenance services to Caterpillar plants around the world. www.mag-ias.com

Mazak (Florence, KY) . . . is investing $9 million in new machines at its lean manufacturing plant in Florence. This investment involves installation of four new VERSATECH V-100N machines. Two of the machines have already been installed and put into production lines. The V-100Ns replace six of the older V-100 models from Mazak's FMS line and allow for much higher levels of productivity. The technology investment follows a recent $3.5 million building expansion at Mazak's Florence manufacturing facility. In addition, Mazak Corporation also launched its Virtual Technology Center (VTC), a new online resource that brings the latest advancements in machining technology, product development, training, service and support to the customer. The virtual site provides everything from machine demonstrations to application training to online Q&A sessions with Mazak Corporation President, Brian Papke, as well as MazakTV, an online video resource with channels for industry segment content, engineering insights and machine information. www.mazakusa.com

Mazak has invested $9 million to install four V100N machines on its production lines in Florence, KY.

North American Galvanizing & Coatings, Inc. (Tulsa, OK) . . .
announced the opening of their new facility in Benwood, WV. Construction of the facility was completed in May at which time the plant commenced a "soft start-up". The plant, the Company's eleventh facility, is now fully operational and in commercial mode. In addition, the company also announced that its Board of Directors has approved a new capital and funding structure designed to facilitate their growth strategy. The company's new capital and funding structure will consist of a combination of an expanded bank facility and a $10 million capital raise through a private placement offering of subordinated notes and warrants. The Company has executed a commitment letter with Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. for a new credit agreement. The new credit agreement, which will replace the existing credit agreement, will provide for a base borrowing amount of $25 million with a higher acquisition funding feature. The Company is also proceeding with a $10 million capital raise through a private placement of subordinated notes and warrants to purchase unregistered shares of the Company's common stock.
www.nagalv.com

AFCO Precision Manufacturing (Napoleon, Ohio) . . .
introduced a new website that outlines the company's capabilities and equipment/facility capacity. The site includes details about the company's vast resources and skills sets as well as a photo gallery depicting machining centers and components that the company produces for current customers.
www.afcoprecision.com

DISA/Wheelabrator Group (Herlev, Germany) . . .
has announced their new name following their merger. Following an internal competition within DISA and Wheelabrator, a new name was chosen for the parent organization: Norican Group. The name Norican is derived from Noricum, an ancient Celtic Kingdom that existed in the Austria/Bavaria area circa 15BC – 500AD. The region was famous for its high-quality Norican steel, which was widely used within the Roman Empire.
www.wheelabratorgroup.com