2010 the american mold builder - winter

www.amba.orgtheamericanmold builder

Volume 24 No. 2

IN THIS ISSUE:IN THIS ISSUE:

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win

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Steve RotmanSteve Rotman

speak outa message from our president

Oh, to start a new year! With 2009 behind us, I think we all should be breath-ing a sigh of relief! One year ago the news was filled with disastrous stories and projections, especially with the domestic automotive industry. And even though it is not a lot brighter at the moment, I think we can all agree that

the uncertainty of that time was immense. The outlook for 2010 seems to be very posi-tive and strong, and my hope is we will all see a better year! With the new year come resolutions, as we all look back and reflect on what changes we want to see in our lives and businesses. The AMBA is poised to help you through some of that with the dynamic lineup for the annual AMBA Convention scheduled for Orlando. With the future of our companies as the theme and the experiences shared in a casual setting of leaders of independent mold companies, this convention is bound to help put a “spark in your wood pile”. We all need to be open and share what works and what does not work in the marketing of our unique businesses. I look forward to seeing a great group, and believe that attendance will be quite high as of this writing.

The debate on Health Care Reform continues to reveal why we need to stay involved in the government advocacy agenda. The cost and effect of this type of overhaul will have huge ramifications to each of our companies, as well as the country as a whole. Health Care is poised to be one of the largest threats to the health and strength of our compa-nies, as well as the ability to supply that benefit to our valued employees and families. These issues continue to threaten the ability of small businesses to compete with open border low cost country trade policies. The vote for Ted Kennedy’s seat in Massachu-setts should be a strong signal to the rest of Washington, of the mood of the American public. There has been too much being said that this is what the public has asked for, yet there appears to be no one watching the public’s reaction to the actual “reform” that is being touted by the current administration. Our continued efforts in D.C. as an associa-tion will continue to make us recognized and known to our respective elected officials. We each have a voice, as well as a fairly large number behind us, and we will continue to take that fight to D.C.

Business Forecast ResultsBusiness Forecast Results

AMBA NewsAMBA News

Human ResourcesHuman Resources

Member/Chapter NewsMember/Chapter News

Steps to Lean MoldmakingSteps to Lean Moldmaking

(continued on Pg 11)

PDx/Amerimold 2010May 11-13

Cincinnati, OH

AMBA Nsltr_Winter_10.indd 1 1/25/10 9:48 AM

2 AMBA

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advance tooling standards

Repetition and molds just make sense. It’s what they’re supposed to do. But that doesn’t mean that approaches in mold design should be repeated infinitely. Instead, Progressive innovations, along with progressive minded mold designers, combine to evolve and improve production tooling:

• Improve mold performance with SRT Slide Retainers, Needle Bearing Locks, Collapsible Cores, Roller Pullers and exclusive mold cooling items

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• Achieve total mold control with MoldTrax and ProFile software and CounterView cycle counters

Join those who are evolving their tooling practices of the past. Questions? Call Tech Support at 1-800-269-6653 to discuss.

“No slide should be held

by anything else.”

Etiam dui orci — Venenatis Tortor

“Progressive has brought us innovations that improve the performance of our tools.”

Steve Rotman— President, Ameritech Die & Mold, Inc., Mooresville, North Carolina

just because molds do the same thing over, and over, and over, doesn’t mean we have to.


AMBA 3

The official publication of American Mold Builders Association

Leading the Future of U.S. Mold Manufacturing

3601 Algonquin Rd, Suite 304 • Rolling Meadows, IL 60008phone: 847.222.9402 •fax: 847.222.9437

email: [email protected] • website: www.amba.org

Officers and Board of Directors

PresidentSteve Rotman, Ameritech Die & Mold, Inc.Vice-PresidentMike Armbrust, Mako Mold CorporationSecretaryShawn McGrew, Prodigy Mold & ToolTreasurerKent Hanson, H.S. Die & Engineering, Inc.Executive DirectorMelissa MillhuffAssociation Legal CouncelRichard N. Mueller & Associates

Board of DirectorsMichael Armbrust, Mako Mold CorporationShawn McGrew, Prodigy Mold & ToolKent Hanson, H.S. Die & Engineering, Inc.Justin McPhee, Mold CraftRobert Earnhardt, Superior ToolingTodd Finley, Commercial Tool & DieDan Glass, Strohwig IndustriesScott Harris, Harris Precision MoldRoger Klouda. M.S.I. Mold BuildersDonna Pursell, Prestige Mold, Inc.Scott Phipps, United Tool & MoldRobert Vaughan, Dauntless MoldsMike Walter, MET Plastics

AMBA StaffMelissa Millhuff, Executive DirectorSue Daniels, Member Services CoordinatorShannon Merrill, National Chapter Coordinator

The American Mold Builder is published four times annually in spring, summer, fall and winter by the American Mold Builders Association. Editor: Melissa Millhuff; Assistant Editor: Sue Daniels; Contributing Author: Clare Goldsberry; Layout & Design: Controlled Color, Inc. phone 630/295-9210; Publishing: Independant Print Services, phone 847-397-1701; Copy deadline: 25 days preceeding publication date. Contact AMBA at 847/222-9402 or email [email protected] for advertising information, article submission ideas, or a subscription.

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

Visit www.procomps.com/demo

to see our components in action

not just clean rooms, but dirty rooms, too!

advance tooling standards

Repetition and molds just make sense. It’s what they’re supposed to do. But that doesn’t mean that approaches in mold design should be repeated infinitely. Instead, Progressive innovations, along with progressive minded mold designers, combine to evolve and improve production tooling:

• Improve mold performance with SRT Slide Retainers, Needle Bearing Locks, Collapsible Cores, Roller Pullers and exclusive mold cooling items

• Reduce mold cost with Keyed Ejectors, UniLifters, CamActions, Expandable Cavities and a full line of industry standard items

• Achieve total mold control with MoldTrax and ProFile software and CounterView cycle counters

Join those who are evolving their tooling practices of the past. Questions? Call Tech Support at 1-800-269-6653 to discuss.

“No slide should be held

by anything else.”

Etiam dui orci — Venenatis Tortor

“Progressive has brought us innovations that improve the performance of our tools.”

Steve Rotman— President, Ameritech Die & Mold, Inc., Mooresville, North Carolina

just because molds do the same thing over, and over, and over, doesn’t mean we have to.

As you are reading this article, we are busy making final preparations for the 2010 Annual Convention in Orlando. We are pleased to say that attendance is up by almost 25% this year! I am ready for an amazing convention – be sure to look for the wrap up in our next issue!

With this convention, though, Steve Rotman’s term as president comes to a close. I would like to personally thank Steve for all that he has done throughout his term. He brought a passion to the office that really carried through to the staff. Membership and partnership grew and then stabilized through the tough times. We created new chapters. We got involved in new endeavors and created a strong name. He definitely left his mark on the AMBA! Thank you Steve, for all of your dedication to the industry and the association.

I am looking forward to working with Mike Armbrust, who takes over the role of AMBA president as of March 24, 2010. I know that Mike has a dynamic personality and a love for this industry that will help us build an even stronger association. I can’t wait to see what we can all accomplish together with Mike at the helm for the next two years!

Melissa Millhuff Executive Director

In this Issue:Winter Business Forecast Survey ........................................................................4Point of View ........................................................................................................6When Working with an Inventor Pays Off..........................................................6Composite Electroless Nickel Coatings for the Mold Industry .........................9Shortage of Skilled Workers May Stem from Image Problem .........................12Simple Steps to Lean Moldmaking ....................................................................12Ultra-High Performance Toolpath (UHPT) Technology .................................16AMBA News ........................................................................................................21Member News ....................................................................................................23AMBA Welcomes New Members! .....................................................................24Chapter News ....................................................................................................27Chapter Spotlight - Pennsylvania Chapter .......................................................27AMBA Partner Spotlight – Welcome New Partners .........................................28Partner News ......................................................................................................29News for Die Casters ..........................................................................................29PDx/amerimold Announces 2010 Keynote Speakers ......................................29Gibson Insurance Is Your Health Risk Assessment In Compliance? ............................31 Health Risk Management ......................................................................32Healthcare Fraud is Everyone’s Concern ..........................................................32Avoiding Slips, Trips and Falls ...........................................................................33Obesity has Growing Impact on Workers Compensation ................................33Tax & Business Congress Extends Beneficial NOL Provision ........................................34 Taxation of Bartering ............................................................................36 Business Gifts - Watch Out for the Limitations! .............................36 IRS Announces 2010 Standard Mileage Rates .....................................37 What is the Estate Tax Trap Most High- Net Worth Business Owners Fall Into? ................................................37Human Resources Staffing Up? Consider the Following Options......................................39 HR Procedures Review for the New Year ..............................................41 Time to Review Your Employee Handbook ..........................................41In Memory of .....................................................................................................42Business Success Strategies Alternative Ways To Market Minus The Expensive Costs ..................43 The Impact and Implications of Losing Customers ...........................43 Website Grader .....................................................................................43AMBA Answers .............................................................................................44Classified Corner ................................................................................................45Tech Corner ........................................................................................................45Advertiser Index .................................................................................................46


4 AMBA

Summer survey. Shipments stayed about the Same for 49% of respondents; and Down for 18% of the respondents compared 28% in the Fall survey and a big drop from the 43% of the respondents in the Summer survey and 59% in Spring survey, which could be indication that shipments – and thus work -- are remaining steady.

Backlog is Up for 38% of the respondents, another nice jump from the 31% in the Fall survey, and from the 24% in the Summer survey and up significantly from 11.3% in the Spring survey. This is one trend that moldmakers like to see on the increase, as most of them live and die by their backlog. “Seems like things are improving,” commented one respondent. “We are not swamped but looking at the industry improving.”

Backlog remained the Same for 30% of the respondents, down from the 33% in the Fall survey; and Down for 32% of the respondents, an improvement from the 38% in the Fall survey, a nice improvement from the 52% in the Summer survey, and a big improvement over the 66% in the Spring 2009 survey. This indicates that a business is trending upward for a nice percentage of the AMBA shops, along with a healthy dose of cautious optimism. “We are extremely busy, but we’re always aware that a downturn could be just around the corner,” commented another respondent.

Profits in the Winter survey ticked upward once again, with 17% reporting that profits are Up, compared with 15% reporting an increase in profits in the Fall 2009 survey. This category has also trended up from a low in the Spring of 2009. Profits are the Same for 49% of the respondents, again a nice uptick compared with 47% in the Fall survey, 32% in the Summer survey and 30% in the Spring survey. However, profits are trending Down with 34% of the respondents in the Winter survey, but an improvement compared to 38% of the respondents in the Fall survey, 58% of the respondents in the Summer survey and 63% in the Spring survey.

This is perhaps an indication that moldmakers are holding the line on their price and terms, or that many Tier One suppliers, seeing the fall-out in the supplier base, are becoming more cooperative. “We are noticing a real decrease in pricing, and have to quote at break-even prices to land jobs,” said a respondent. “We are seeing many projects continue to be so under-priced that we have to let them go.”

Employment seems to have leveled off, and is Up for only 16% of the respondents, compared to 22% in the Fall survey. Still that is better than the 12% of the Summer survey respondents and 7% of the respondents to the Spring survey. It the Same for 74%, which indicates most shops are hanging tight with the employees they have. Employment is Down for only 10% of the respondents compared to 31% of the respondents in the Fall survey. However, the current average number of shop employees ticked up by one, to an average of 22. The current average number of design and engineering employees also moved up by one in the Winter survey, to six. Work-week hours for shop employees are up for the third consecutive quarter to an average

Winter Business Forecast Showing Continued Improvement

The Winter 2010 Business Forecast of the American Mold Builders Association shows continued improvement, but companies overall are expressing guarded optimism about any significant recovery to bring on large mold programs from their customers. The quarterly survey revealed that current business conditions improved slightly over the previous three months, with 6% of the respondents saying that business is Excellent – down just 1% from 7% in the Fall 2009 survey.

However, current business conditions improved by 10% for those reporting Good conditions (33%) compared to 23% of the respondents in the Fall survey. Fair business conditions exist for 44% of the respondents compared to 38% of the respondents in the Fall survey. But business conditions have improved considerably for some with only 15% reporting Poor conditions compared to 27% in the Fall survey. Bad conditions exist for only 2% of respondents, another improvement from the 5% of the respondents in the Fall survey, and a continued improvement from the 12% reporting “Bad” conditions in the Summer survey and 11% in the Spring survey.

Projections for business over the next three months are fairly flat with respect to the outlook of future business among respondents. Once again, 8% reported that they expect business to Increase Substantially, the same as the Fall survey. Of the respondents, 40% expect business to Increase Moderately, down slightly from 44% of the respondents in the Fall survey, but still up considerably from the 28% in the Summer survey when things were really in the doldrums.

There is a substantial increase in those expecting business to Remain the Same – 41% -- compared to 25% in the Fall survey. Respondents expecting business to Decrease Moderately again dropped slightly to 9% compared to 11% in the Fall survey. Respondents that expect business to Decrease Substantially remains at 2%, the same as in the Fall survey.

When asked to compare their company’s current level of business with that of three months ago, responses indicate some movement in a positive direction:

Quoting activity is Up for 40% of the respondents, compared to 38% of respondents in the previous survey; the Same for 59% of the respondents compared to 42% in the Fall 2009 survey; and Down for only 21%, just one percentage point more than 20%, in the Fall survey. Some mold manufacturers reporting an increase in quoting activity believe that there are signs of new molds being cut loose in 2010 due to so little activity in 2009. “Business activity is improving and hopefully pricing and profitability will follow,” commented one respondent.

“We are seeing an uptick across the board in our quoting and are seeing some increase in orders,” said another respondent.

Shipments are Up for 33% of the respondents compared to 29% last quarter, a continued upward trend from 25% in the


AMBA 5

The AMBA Business Forecast Survey was developed to provide AMBA members with informationon the current business conditions and a projection of the upcoming months. The Winter 2010Survey resulted a response rate of 42% from AMBA members. Business remains "Good"for 33% of the respondents, and for 6% of the respondents it is "Excellent."

AMBA Winter 2010 Business Forecast Survey Results

AMBA Members Current Business Conditions

6%2% 15%

44%33%Excellent

Good

Fair

Poor

Bad

Projection of Business Over the Next 3 Months

41%9%2%

8%

40%

IncreaseSubstantially

IncreaseModerately

Remain theSame

DecreaseModerately

DecreaseSubstantially

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Up Same Down

Current Level of Business in Last 3 Months

Quoting

Shipments

Backlog

Profits

Employment

Current Work-Week Hours

45 45

0

10

20

30

40

50

Wor

k H

ours

Average Shop Hours Average Design & Engineering Hours

Current Number Plant Employees

22 6

0

10

20

30

40

50

Plan

t Em

ploy

ees

Average Shop Employees Average Design & Engineering Employees

With recent economic changes, has your company altered its payment terms?

25%

75%

YesNo


6 AMBA

When Working with an Inventor Pays OffBy: Clare Goldsberry

For every moldmaker who has a story about a venture with an inventor that has turned sour, inventors can tell equally woeful talks about dealing with inventors who often have big ideas and small check books. In fact, just mention the word “inventor” to most moldmakers and you’re likely to get 101 reasons why not to do business with them.

Like most moldmakers, Steve Rotman had his doubts when Johnny Cannon walked through the door of Ameritech Mold & Die (Mooresville, NC) to inquire about getting molds built in December 2008. Cannon came with a cardboard model of a new product he wanted to get molded in plastic and ‘wow’ the market. That product, the Freedom Tray, has done just that.

The Freedom Tray, a handy tray that can be used in vehicles, watching TV, while boating or camping or at tailgate parties, to

Point of ViewBy: Roger Klouda, M.S.I. Mold Builders It’s kind of scary to ask a critic to write a column for a publication, because you never know what they are going to write.

In my 30+ years in the moldmaking industry I have never been happy with what we did yesterday. I have always tried to see what we can do better. A reason we did something yesterday may not be a good reason for doing it today. Technology changes, process changes, pricing model changes, material changes and evolving vision each impact how we view our work environment and how we position ourselves in the market. The same holds true with the trade association. It wasn’t too long ago that our association was pushing the federal government for things like trade embargos as our method of dealing with the competition from China. Our strategy then was sending out emails and letters, but now we are active in lobbying our legislators directly. Soon we will need our own political action committee (PAC) to influence individual congresspersons to see our points.

We must not forget that while we are mold manufacturers, we are also members of the plastics industry, the third largest manufacturing industry in the USA. Our role in the plastics industry is rather small, yet we are important to its success. We must realize that any effort to deselect plastics is an attack on the moldmaking industry as well as the plastics industry.

of 45 hours for the Winter survey compared to 42 in the Fall survey. For design and engineering employees the hours also increased for the third consecutive quarter to 45 hours, also up two hours.

Responses to the Winter survey question, “With recent economic changes, has your company altered its payment terms?” were mixed. Many maintain the 1/3, 1/3 and 1/3 model. However many more seem to have upped the down payment. “With new tool builds, I am requiring 50% down with the PO, 25% prior to delivery and the remaining 25% paid 30 days after delivery,” said one respondent.

Several said they alter their terms based on the customer. Generally, long-term good customers get better terms than new customers. “Depends on the company,” said another respondent. “Some pay well and no up-front money is required. With newer customers, up-front payment is required.”

Another respondent said, “We require a 50% down payment and 40% prior to shipment on all new customers, with 10% net 30 days after mold approval. Most of the new customers have been fine with this. With our current/established customers we are still using the standard 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 terms.” o

We cannot sit on the sidelines while our industry is ravaged by negative perceptions of plastics perpetuated by people telling half-truths and making decisions based on junk science. While it is important that we join with other metalworking and manufacturing associations, it is critical that we partner with other plastics groups as well.

As we cannot expect the government to see our point of view and respond, it is imperative that we fight the fight whenever it presents itself by writing letters in response to outlandish and one-sided arguments on the negative aspects of plastics. When I go to the grocery store in my liberal community, I always get the “paper or plastic?” question at the checkout. My standard response is, “Plastic, because I have never seen a paper sack recycled into a tree.” I am frequently challenged about the environmental impact of plastic bags, to which I respond, “Did you know it takes eight times as many semi trucks to haul the same number of paper sacks compared to plastic bags?” It is important to become an expert on plastics as that is the industry we are in. Remember, most of your friends don’t know much about moldmaking, but they know a lot about plastics – and most of what they have been told is negative.

This year I will be entering my seventh decade of life. I have been honored to serve as a representative of the AMBA and I encourage someone with a challenging spirit to take my place, as I have but one year left on my term. Young ideas are welcome, vision is required, and questions are mandatory.

Whether it is your business or your trade association, find a way to challenge the status quo every day. Those who enjoy the status quo will call you negative, those who also seek change will call you progressive, and the rest will call you bad names. o


AMBA 7

make eating away from home easy and less messy, has become a hit.

“I might have been a bit reticent about this project but the credibility came from knowing his mother-in-law through our high school apprenticeship program, Apprenticeship 2000,” Rotman explains. “I knew he was pretty serious about it. He’s the booster club president at NC State, so he had good credentials with the tailgate crowd. He wasn’t your typical inventor off the street.”

Cannon’s mother-in-law, Nancy Harris, who is now retired, used to work in the school district in which Rotman participates with high schools to promote moldmaking as a career. She had been through Rotman’s facility previously, and when her son-in-law mentioned he had a plastic product he needed to mold, she told him about Ameritech. “When he came to us and toured the plant, he said, ‘you’re the moldmaker for us,’ and that sealed it,” says Rotman.

Cannon developed the Freedom Tray (www.freedomtray.com) because, “I got tired of having ketchup and french fries all over my car from kids eating fast food,” says Cannon.

Rotman notes that typically when inventors come to him with a product, they have no idea how to market it. Cannon was different, and his dedication to getting the Freedom Tray manufactured and into the marketplace impressed Rotman. Cannon had the inventor’s zeal for his product. “He quit his job of 25 years to work on this,” says Rotman. “He had a business plan, including a marketing plan. He also got financial backing for the project from an investor.” Rotman did his due diligence however, checking out the investor to make certain that person was legitimate.

“A few months after we first talked, Johnny got the one-third down payment from the investor, and brought a check along with the P.O. and placed the orders for the first molds,” says Rotman. “We got progressive payments throughout the mold build.”

During the meeting when they kicked Ameritech off on the first set of tools, Cannon began asking Rotman about the second and third set of tools that he was anticipating building when the Freedom Tray took off in the market. If Rotman was doubtful about that, he was pleasantly surprised. “We just barely got done with the first set of molds when they kicked in the second and third sets,” Rotman says.

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8 AMBA

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The first set of molds consisted of a two-cavity floor mold, a two-cavity rim mold, and an eight-cavity drink band mold. The next molds consisted of two more 2-cavity floor molds and two 2-cavity rim molds, as well as two 16-cavity drink bank molds. “I got so busy this year, that I subbed out the 16-cavity drink band molds to Prodigy Mold,” says Rotman. “I was happy that another AMBA member was able to benefit from this project.”

With the number of molds they’ll have running, Rotman says the company will be able to produce 75,000 units a month at custom molder Moll Industries in Seagrove, NC. One reason Cannon wanted to boost the production capacity of Freedom Tray is that he was worried about foreign copy-cats. “Even though he’s got patents on the Freedom Tray, they want to flood the market and capture the initial market share before copiers can steal his idea,” says Rotman.

Cannon has spent a significant amount of money on infomercials, which are airing on various TV channels. Freedom Tray will begin advertising on ESPN, FOX News, and other cable TV stations where tailgaters will see the product. The Freedom Tray is stackable and reusable, and a convenient way to serve food. The Freedom Tray pops open, locks into place and a portable table is ready to hold food at the beach, a picnic and other outdoor functions or in places like a car where space is tight.

“I’m very impressed with his marketing efforts,” says Rotman. “He definitely has an eye for marketing and knowing how to

bring a product to market in the right way. He’s the type of guy who is very observant, very detail oriented, and really knows his stuff. Tailgating is a huge pastime, so I’m confident of his success, plus he has more products coming out.”

Rotman credits the fact that he’s done a lot of work with the Apprenticeship 2000 program since 1994, for getting him this program for Freedom Tray. “It goes to show that you never know who you will meet or what will come to you as a result of volunteer efforts outside the company,” says Rotman. “It’s paid off in getting this program, and it’s non-automotive. Our work is typically 80% automotive, so we’re happy that in 2009, our work was only about 50% automotive. You don’t know what you’ll get back from your volunteer efforts.”

Some tips for inventors when approaching mold manufacturers:

1. Be sure to have a good plastic part designer help you with your design, and produce a good CAD drawing of it. This will help the moldmaker to understand what you actually want. While moldmakers can work with you to “tweak” the design, moldmakers are not mind readers. They can’t “see” what you envision for your product. You must show them what you want with a good design.

2. When choosing a mold manufacturer, make sure you select one that builds molds of the approximate size and type that you need. Moldmakers develop expertise in building various types of molds and sizes of molds. While most can build just about any size or type of mold, you want to target those companies that are into the types of components that are similar to yours. That way you’ll both be successful.

3. NEVER expect the mold manufacturer to build the mold for free with a promise to cut them in on a share of the profits. Generally everyone loses in that game. Get your money lined up before you give the moldmaker a purchase order, then be sure to pay the mold company according to the terms outlined. (And yes, moldmakers need to provide you with a copy of their terms and conditions so that you know exactly what to expect!)

Need help with inventors who come to you with their products? Want to teach them about dos and don’ts of dealing with mold companies? Request a copy of So You Think You Have a Great Idea by Clare Goldsberry. Better yet, request several copies and give them out to the inventors who walk through your door. Order your copies through the American Mold Builders Association for just $6.95 each + shipping. All proceeds go to the AMBA Education Scholarship Fund. o

For Breaking News and the Latest AMBA Activities

Be sure to read the Weekly Beat email News Bulletin & Market Report!


AMBA 9

Composite Electroless Nickel Coatings for the Mold Industry - Varieties and Performance Advantages By: Michael D. Feldstein, Surface Technology, Inc.

Coatings can be advantageous in many moldmaking applications, and even essential in some operations for proper performance, protection, lifetime, economy and many other factors. Selecting the proper coating for each application, therefore, is vital.

One category of coatings that can enhance many applications essential to the mold builder is based on electroless nickel (EN) plating. EN is a sophisticated yet reliable chemical process with many inherent features such as hardness, corrosion resistance, and perfect conformity to even the most complex geometries. EN is further useful since it is possible to add super fine particles into the EN to form composite EN coatings. These particles can provide hardness, wear resistance, low-friction, release, heat transfer, friction, and/or even phosphorescent properties.

Such coatings can be applied to numerous substrates including metals, alloys, and nonconductors; with outstanding uniformity of coating thickness to complex geometries. It is this last point which most commonly distinguishes electroless from electrolytic coatings like chrome plating as well as spray type coatings.

Composite EN coatings are commonly used in countless molds primarily for release and wear resistance. And the properties of various composite EN coatings are also advantageous for mold building applications in order to:

1. Meet ever more demanding usage conditions on tools requiring less wear, lower friction, etc.

2. Facilitate the use of new substrate materials such as titanium, aluminum, lower cost steel alloys, ceramics, and plastics.

3. Allow higher productivity of equipment with greater speeds, less wear, and less maintenance related downtime.

4. Replace environmentally problematic coatings such as electroplated chromium.

Specific examples of composite EN coating applications in moldmaking applications include:

1. Tooling for cutting, drilling, grinding, surface profiling, including micro machining with especially intricate tool geometries.

2. Polishing devices.3. EDM electrodes4. Water jet nozzles

Wear resistanceCoatings designed for increased wear resistance have proven to date to be the most widely utilized composite EN coatings in mold building applications, particularly on tooling. Particles of many hard materials can be used such as diamond, silicon carbide, aluminum oxide, tungsten carbide, boron carbide, and others. But the unsurpassed hardness of diamond has made this material the most common composite.

The Taber wear test is the most common test methods have been employed to evaluate wear resistance of different materials and coatings. It evaluates the resistance of surfaces to abrasive rubbing produced by the sliding rotation of two unlubricated, abrading wheels against a rotating sample. This test measures the worn weight or volume. The Taber results in Table 1 demonstrate the wear resistance of various materials including two different composite EN coatings as well as a conventional EN coating.

Table 1 -- Taber Wear Test Data

LubricityCertain particles can be incorporated into EN to produce a coating with all the properties of EN (such as hardness and wear resistance) as well as a low coefficient of friction, dry lubrication, and repellency of water, oil, and/or other liquids.

Most commercial use of such composite lubricating coatings on molds has been with 20-25% by volume of sub-micron PTFE

Photo 1 is one example of a composite EN coating. It is a cross section showing a uniform dispersion of fine diamond within EN. As you can see from this photograph, composite EN coatings are regenerative, meaning that their properties are maintained even as portions of the coating are removed during use. Particles from a few nanometers up to about 50 microns in size can be incorporated into coatings from a few microns up to many mils in thickness. The particles can comprise about 10 to over 40% by volume of the coating depending on the particle size and application.

Coating or Material Wear Rate - 104 mils3 / 1000 cyclesComposite Diamond Coating* 1.159Composite EN-Silicon Carbide 1.738Cemented tungsten carbide, Grace C-9 (88WC, 12 Co) 2.746Electroplated hard chromium 4.699Tool steel, hardened, R

c 62 12.815

*Composite EN containing 25-30% of 3µm grade diamond.


10 AMBA

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AMBA 11

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Speak Out: A Message From Our President(Continued from front cover)

As this is my last Speakout article as your President, I would like to take this time to thank Melissa, Susan, Shannon and Kim for all their support, creative thinking, positive attitudes and just being fun to work with. They are the engine behind the day to day business of the AMBA, and I think everyone that is a member can see and recognize their efforts and willingness to take on all the duties and tasks. I would also like to personally thank Mike Armbrust for his words of wisdom, intellect and passion for the AMBA. We are truly blessed to have his leadership, and I am doubly blessed to be able to add friendship to that list also. I will look on with great anticipation as he takes over the leadership of the association. I would like to thank all the other Board of Director members (and their respective companies) for their selfless contributions of time, effort and cost, as most of the time any cost to attend any function including Board meetings are covered out of each ones pocket. Please take the time to thank these volunteers; they are there because they believe in the purpose and function of the Association. I would also like to thank all of you, the membership. Without you there would not be an AMBA. I have been fortunate to have personally met so many of you, and I am encouraged by each one of you, that American moldmakers are alive and literally kicking!

This has been a most rewarding experience for me, as I am deeply passionate about the art of moldmaking and our right as Americans to have the ability to compete fairly with all of the countries that our government has allowed to open our borders to. I am positive that this Association is at the leading forefront to defend and promote that right in every sector of this nation as much as possible, and will continue to expose those things that are not fair within the bureaucratic structure that we call government.

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart, for all of your passion, ideas, and efforts to make the AMBA the very best trade association in the U.S.! It has been a true honor serving with you! God bless! o

particles in EN deposits. But the devices used to build molds often require even low friction coatings with even more wear resistance. In these instances, EN-PTFE does not always provide optimal wear resistance and lubricity. This is often due to the fact that PTFE is relatively soft and cannot withstand high temperatures. By contrast, particles of certain ceramics such as boron nitride provide lubricity, are significantly harder than PTFE, and can withstand temperatures above 850°C. This tolerance for heat allows such coatings to be heat-treated after coating to achieve maximum hardness, which is a standard post treatment for most electroless nickel coatings.

Hardness of the composite is critical in applications, as is often the case in the molding industry, for greater wear resistance and in situations where there is a higher “loading”, or force, between the coated part and the mating part or materials. When the coating is harder, it is less prone to “give way” under pressure. Think of the difference in friction between the point of a pencil and the eraser as they move across a piece of paper. Table 2 demonstrates this effect in the coefficients of friction for a variety of coatings under different load conditions. As you can see, the coefficient of friction of EN-PTFE and chrome coatings increase as the load in increased, but the coefficient of friction of EN-BN and conventional EN actually decreases as the load in increased.

Table 2 -- Friction Coefficients For Various Composites and Materials

IndicationThis category of composite EN coatings is a more recent and novel development in the field that has been employed in molds, but not yet prevalent in mold building tools. These coatings have all the inherent features of EN, and appear normal under typical lighting; but when these phosphorescent coatings are viewed under an ultraviolet (UV) light, they emit a constant lighted glow. This is a feature that can be used in two ways.

First, the presence of a colored light emission from the coating can be valuable in authenticating parts from a distinct source. Second, the light can serve as an indicator layer, warning when the coating has worn off and replacement, or recoating, is necessary. This feature permits the avoidance of wear into the part itself that may cause irreparable damage to a potentially costly part, or the production of inconsistent product from a worn manufacturing device.

Coating Load kg/cm2 Friction CoefficientEN-PTFE 0.1 0.12 EN-BN 0.1 0.13 EN (No particles) 0.1 0.18Chrome 0.1 0.25

EN-BN 0.3 0.09EN-PTFE 0.3 0.13EN (No particles) 0.3 0.16Chrome 0.3 0.40

EN-BN 0.5 0.08EN-PTFE 0.5 0.13EN (No particles) 0.5 0.15Chrome 0.5 150.00

General features

All varieties of composite EN coatings share some additional general features that make them further suited for mold building applications:

• These coatings can be chemically stripped, leaving the substrate ready for recoating. This can be a very cost effective alternative to disposing of overly worn parts.

• Coatings with particles of two or more materials into the same layer to provide multiple properties.

• Overcoating with a conventional EN layer for greater smoothness, cosmetics, or other priorities.

• An underlayer of conventional (often high phosphorous) EN can be applied to insure maximum corrosion resistance.

For more information contact: Surface Technology, Inc., 105 North Gold, Trenton, New Jersey 08691, Phone: (609) 259-0099, Fax: (609) 259-0077, www.surfacetechnology.com o


12 AMBA

Shortage of Skilled Workers May Stem from Image ProblemBy: Clare Goldsberry

Despite the number of jobs that have disappeared and the media coverage of those who can’t find work, there continues to be a shortage of skilled workers in the manufacturing arena. In 2006, the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, released a White Paper on the dilemma of this shortage and what needs to be done. [http://www.fmanet.org/assets/pdf/whitepapers/skilled-worker-whitepaper.pdf]

One interesting point, noted this White Paper, is that skilled jobs are staying in the U.S., as many American OEMs are discovering that specialized work cannot be done overseas. It’s a problem in China and in India, both countries that compete for manufacturing foreign direct investment. So is there a key to gaining, training and retaining skilled workers?

According to the FMA’s White Paper, there are a number of keys:

• Industry sectors must team up and help drive the process – Entities that include local economic councils, government units, schools and manufacturers themselves need to create programs and work together.

• Reach out to potential job candidates when they are young – FMA offers grants for manufacturing summer camps at many locations across the country, each aimed at changing the image of manufacturing for youths.

• Get education on board – The education system is beginning to join the evolution, although this is an area that often will require significant urging to those in academia – as well as funding. Yet inroads are being made.

A recent national poll of shows that despite assertions from manufacturers that they will need a new breed of highly skilled workers in the years ahead, and job opportunities abound for today’s youth, U.S. teenagers overwhelmingly want white-collar jobs. The pool shows that a majority of teens – 52% -- have little or no interest in a manufacturing career and another 21% are ambivalent. When asked why, a whopping 61% said they seek a professional career, far surpassing other issues such as pay (17%), career growth (15%) and physical work (14%). [Press Release from FMA – Teens Turn Thumbs Down on Manufacturing Careers]

“Unfortunately, manufacturing often is not positioned as a viable career by groups such as educators and counselors, and at times factory work even is maligned in pop culture and the media,” said Gerald Shankel, president of Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs (NBT), The Foundation of the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, which sponsored the poll. “Based on this environment, these findings are not surprising.”

Many young people no longer engage themselves in hobbies that require working with their hands such as model-building or

woodworking. “It’s a tragedy that we no longer teach our young people to work with their hands or even encourage them to try it on their own,” said actor John Ratzenberger, an NBT founder who leads the organization’s communications outreach. “When so few experience a factory tour or can take pride in finishing a shop project, it’s no wonder than a manufacturing career received low marks.”

Yet, many parents wouldn’t mind having their child enter factory work. A separate national poll of 1,000 adults sponsored by NBT revealed that parents actually would support having a young factory worker in their family. More than half – 56% -- would recommend their child pursue a career in manufacturing or another kind of industrial trade.

“Knowing so many parents will back their children in this career path is truly welcome news,” said Ratzenberger.

“Such sentiment really motivates us to work hard to inspire the next generation of manufacturers, welders, builders, electricians and other trades people,” Shankel said. o

Simple Steps to Lean MoldmakingBy: Rod Jones, President, Decision Technology, Inc

Lean manufacturing has become a way of life in many industries. Moldmaking isn’t immune from this trend, and moldmakers are quickly realizing that lean may be an avenue to higher profits and improved lead times.

“Many moldmakers think their machining process isn’t anything like a mass-production manufacturing setup, where lean has made huge inroads,” says Rod Jones, a manufacturing consultant with over 28 years of experience.”The fact is that lean can work in moldmaking just as well as it works in manufacturing.”

Lean is based on common sense“Lean manufacturing is a simple concept, based on common sense tactics that focus on reducing the time and cost to produce goods. It’s about giving the customer more value and quality by streamlining processes.

“There are two kinds of activities to identify in manufacturing, those that add value to the product and those that do not. The core of lean is to reduce the non-value-added activities,” says Jones. “To make a process lean, every step must be scrutinized to see if removing that step would make the product worth less to the customer.”

“The hardest part of going lean for many manufacturers is challenging long-standing techniques and ways of thinking,” continues Jones. “But they must question old practices and not just focus on improving flawed processes. Watch the operation as it is happening, and worry less about abstract results and more about the concrete processes.”

To get started A simple way to start this process is to think about all the


AMBA 13

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Composite

C M Y CM MY CY CMY K

non-value-added activity that takes place on the shop floor. Where are the bottlenecks? Where is there unnecessary movement? What’s causing the process to be slower than it needs to be?

“Just stand back and watch how a mold is made in your shop,” says Jones. “If you look at the process objectively, questioning each step as it happens, countless examples of inefficiencies can usually be found. It’s not the workers or managers fault that things have become inefficient; the processes just need to be re-examined from time to time. Keep asking yourself - does this step add value to the product? Could it be eliminated?”

After examining the shop floor, go through the steps to identify if each activity is adding value. There are common non-value-added activities that are found in mold shops that can be recognized when the company tries to figure out what processes don’t add value to their product. The most common of these are waste, outdated technology and costing systems.

Eliminate waste For many shops, the biggest non-value-added component is waste. “Waste is a big problem in many mold shops. Waste is found in the form of scrap, inefficient systems and processes, rework and waiting,” comments Jones.

“One way to tackle waste is to maximize quality,” says Jones. “By using machines that produce better parts you end up with less wasted time and less scrap.”

A moldmaker should expect good parts straight from the machine, requiring no rework and little or no bench-time.

For example, remove an hour of hand-polishing by using a machine tool that cuts with a better surface finish. Adding that up over dozens of pieces saves a lot of time and labor. Producing a part with first-pass-quality can be a tool to provide additional value. If a well maintained, good quality machine tool is used, less passes are required. The part is cut correctly sooner and doesn’t require bench-time or intense inspection to make sure it’s perfect, so it can be moved onto the next step quickly.

Process wasteNot only must the machine be efficient, but the process in which the machine is used must also be efficient.

“In a traditional manufacturing setup, an error is the fault of a machine or person, detected via inspection after the work is done. In a lean setup, an error is immediately visible to someone as soon as it occurs and where it occurs,” says Jones. This can be done via one-piece flow, sometimes called continuous manufacturing.

One-piece flow is a technique where parts are manufactured in a cellular environment. A cell is an area where everything needed to work on a part is within easy reach, and moving from one

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14 AMBA

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step to another is quick and simple. A part being manufactured in a cell isn’t allowed to move to the next step until it’s completely finished and defect-free.

“One-piece flow reduces the amount of walking between operations, helps to reduce the opportunities for machine or operator error, and allows for finished parts that don’t require any re-work. One-piece flow can become an important part of a lean setup,” says Jones.

Due to the nature of a cellular setup, unnecessary motion of labor and machinery is nearly eliminated. The loading and unloading of pieces becomes very quick due to the close proximity of like operations. Time spent looking for tooling is reduced because every machine is set to its function as a part of the cell, and waiting in queue is reduced because no part is set to the next process until it has been finished in the process before. In addition, final inspection time is decreased because the piece is inspected during the process.

In a cellular setup, because a “bad” part isn’t allowed to the next step, rework and overproduction to compensate for bad parts is greatly reduced. A cellular environment allows the production of good parts faster, which also reduces inventory.

Waiting is wasteMost time in mold shops is spent waiting - waiting on machines to be restocked with consumables, waiting on machines to finish other processes, waiting on tooling, waiting on people and waiting on errors in the mold to be cleaned up. Using lean strategies and modern machine tools can eliminate a lot of the waiting, which in turn eliminates a lot of waste.

One way to reduce waiting is to lessen machine down time. Buying high quality machines goes a long way to reduce down time. Keeping up with routine machine maintenance is also important in keeping your machines running at full capacity.

“It should be noted that down-time is typically much more expensive than the cost of a better machine,” says Jones. “Spending a few more bucks up front to make sure your system will run more efficiently will save countless hours of down-time later.”

Quality machines not only tend to break down less, they also are accompanied by better service from the manufacturer. Getting a machine fixed fast is important - every moment an unfinished piece sits on your shop floor it’s wasting your money and hurting your reputation for good lead-times. A good machine also tends to use less consumable items. Taking the time to change out spools of wire and paying someone to be there slows down the machining process and increases labor costs, as does the additional wire that is consumed.

Outdated technology will eventually lose you business “Outdated technology is a big problem in mold-shops around the U.S. While nations like China lower their costs with cheap

labor, the mold quality produced is usually much lower. Often the edge that American shops have is from improved lead-time and quality. Not being able to cut the molds to the accuracies demanded will quickly eliminate these advantages,” says Jones.

Most bids come down to the three best prices, but often the contract is awarded to those who can also provide the best quality and quickest lead-times. Both lead-time and quality are affected greatly by the technology a shop has to produce molds. With old, outdated machinery a mold takes longer to cut, requires hours of hand-finishing, and can rarely meet exacting tolerances.

“Getting rid of old, inefficient equipment can do a lot to make a mold shop lean,” says Jones. “Not only does removing old equipment free up space on the factory floor, it encourages workers to use the more efficient equipment in their processes, driving down the cost to produce the molds in the long run.” Technologically advanced equipment produces molds faster, reduces overproduction and over-processing, and allows your tooling and consumables to last longer, all while decreasing the number of bad molds produced. “Shops should examine the benefits that can result from being able to turn over molds much more quickly, from reducing the labor that was required to rework molds made in outdated machines, to meeting the tolerances their customers demand,” says Jones.

Get a grip on the costs “Beyond waste and outdated technology, the costing system many mold shops are using is limiting their ability to accurately cost and price molds,” says Jones. Many shops use a traditional costing system - a standard price per hour for working on jobs. It doesn’t matter if something is grinding, being cut by a machine tool, or waiting in queue for hand polishing; the cost per hour is the same. Traditional costing methods can lead to unrealistic pricing on some items. Custom jobs, for instance, can be priced too low, and more standard items may be priced too high.

“I’ve been in many shops where a custom mold that uses a lot more resources costs nearly the same as a standard mold that is cheap to produce,” says Jones. “This is due to the shop’s costing system only seeing ‘time’ as the concern, as opposed to what it actually takes to make the mold. Molds need to be priced based on the amount of resources consumed to produce the mold, not just hours in process.”

Activity-based costing might be a better method for many shops. Many foreign competitors who have similar labor costs to the U.S. have better pricing because they are using activity-based costing.

“If U.S. moldmakers investigate how their pricing could change by switching to activity-based costing, most would find their margins would improve and the more profitable items would become cheaper to their customers, and, in turn, sell better,” says Jones.


AMBA 15

Plan to attend PDx/amerimold 2010 and you’ll be connected to the entire

supply chain—moldmakers, molders and OEMs—all under one roof!

Get more details at:

May 11-13, 2010Duke Energy Center

Cincinnati, OH USA

Innovation and collaboration are competitive necessities — discover both May 11-13, 2010

at:a PDx-amerimold.com

In partnership with

™

PDX-GetDetails_molders1440_MMT.indd 1 1/13/10 1:16:10 PM


16 AMBA

Beyond the benefits of attributing costs more accurately, activity-based costing lends itself to lean manufacturing much more easily than traditional costing because it focuses on the process. “If your shop is looking to tighten up operations, changing how costs are assigned is an important component,” comments Jones. Start small, but start soon “Lean is becoming one of the ways shops can stay competitive in a market where pressures are high to produce better molds faster and cheaper,” says Jones. “By following some simple steps to identify the activities in your shop that make your product cheaper and better, you can easily increase your margins while becoming more competitive.

“Remember that lean is really a customer-focused process. It allows for better quality, lower costs and shorter lead times. All of these are what a mold customer demands from any shop.”

Contact Rod Jones by phone at 616-676-4650, or via email at [email protected]. Visit his website at www.decisiontec.com. o

Ultra-High Performance Toolpath (UHPT) Technology Can Transform U.S. ManufacturingBy: Alesa Lightbourne, Ph.D.

Since the dawn of machining, the manufacturing industry has looked for ways to squeeze greater efficiencies out of existing equipment, materials and labor. Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) and computer numerical controlled (CNC) machining were huge steps in the right direction several decades ago. But in recent years, we have seen only small, incremental improvements in machining productivity. This is because research focused primarily on computerization to streamline toolpath generation, and on expensive toolpath “optimizer” software, slowing feedrates at corners to reduce stress on tools. Nearly all innovations assumed a parallel-offset toolpath used for roughing out parts – not realizing that this was the real bottleneck.

A breakthrough technology changes all this. Ultra-high performance toolpath (UHPT) software improves the way that tools cut their way through material, using high-speed continuous tangent motion rather than sharp, interrupted movements. Field applications prove that UHPT technology can safely double machine output, extend tool life, and create a much more productive competitive manufacturing enterprise in the global marketplace.

Avoiding the corners and stop signsImagine driving through a neighborhood without arterial streets. At each corner, you must slow down or stop at a stop sign, make a turn, and proceed for another block, always encountering changing traffic conditions. Or think of a rural road that skirts the perimeters of various farmers’ fields, filled with tractors and trucks. Slow down, pass stop, turn, go, sharp turn, go. Slow down. It’s maddeningly inefficient. That’s how basic toolpaths drive today’s CNC machines. Modeled on manual methodology, existing toolpaths are derived from the geometry being machined. They start with the material boundary and keep stepping in, following the shape of the material, regardless of efficiencies, until the path collapses on itself. In other words, the tools follow a path regardless of the amount of material they encounter. They slow down, sometimes stop, change direction, and cut again, sometimes encountering excessive material, other times little material. This is very hard on both machines and tools. Now return to the neighborhood, and imagine it redesigned on a circuitous route, with carefully banked roundabouts and smooth curves instead of corners and stop signs. The amount of traffic is steady; it almost never slows down and never comes to a halt. You drive at a high average speed until you reach your destination. Yes, you might travel a bit further in distance. But the time you save, the fuel efficiency, and the reduced wear and tear on your car make the circuitous design well worthwhile. This is the underlying concept behind UHPT technology.

How it worksUHPT technology works on any shape, open or closed, with any number of features, and integrates with any CAM system. It plans the toolpath based on abilities designed into the machine and cutting tools. By taking advantage of the capabilities of modern machining hardware and avoiding sharp directional changes, it generates toolpaths that assure the machines and cutting tools are used at peak efficiency given existing conditions.

Currently a 2.5-axis product, UHPT software is ideal for prismatic parts. It easily cuts pockets, steps, slots, channels and other shapes, and can handle an unlimited number of material and part boundaries and islands. It can be used with any cutting style and material, including the hardest metals. Traditional toolpath technology forces machinists to accommodate worst-case machining conditions to prevent damaging the spindle and wearing out the cutting tool. Abrupt changes in the amount of material being encountered put excessive force on the part and machine. So programmers and machinists select slower feeds and speeds, or make shallower cuts. The unfortunate result is longer cycle times,higher tool costs and lost productivity. UHPT technology, on the other hand, allows programmers to use the most appropriate cutting styles and optimum feeds and speeds. This is possible because UHPT software designs toolpaths with no abrupt changes in direction or to the volume of material encountered; the load on the cutting tools and spindle never exceeds user-programmed limits. Consequently,


AMBA 17

machines run smoothly and tools run cooler, even at much higher speeds and feeds, extending tool and machine life.

Optimized cutting capabilitiesAnother major difference over existing technologies lies in flexibility. UHPT software actually compares the speed between slotting or side milling an area under given conditions and selects the fastest or most efficient approach. In general, UHPT technology minimizes the amount of slot milling because of the excessive amount of material encountered. But when slot milling is the optimum solution, UHPT technology reduces the axial depth of the cut and slows down the feedrate, reducing the amount of material encountered and maintaining a consistent load on the tool and spindle. If desired, the programmer can specify only side milling, and eliminate any slot milling to avoid burying the tool. This is especially useful in very hard metals.

The “sweet zone”For every unique combination of machine, cutting tool and material, a “sweet zone” exists, where an ideal combination of feedrate, spindle speed, cut depth and cut width maximizes material removal while obtaining acceptable tool life. Just as cars get better mileage on the freeway compared with stop-and-go traffic, so do CNC machines and cutting tools function better, last longer and require less maintenance when they run in their sweet zone.

Typical toolpaths frequently encounter “not-so-sweet zones,” since the amount of material exposed to the cutting tool fluctuates. NC programmers compensate for the instances where the tool load is excessive by using less aggressive cutting parameters (feedrate, spindle speed, cut depth and cut width) throughout the toolpath. While there are typically hundreds of instances where the cutting tool encounters excess amounts of material in a typical toolpath, the duration of each is brief, and together they comprise just a small percentage of the overall toolpath length. The unfortunate fallout of this is that the parameters in use are far too conservative for the majority of the toolpath; the tail is wagging the dog. Therefore, machine tools and cutting tools never get to run as they are designed and engineered, namely in their sweet zones. They are either being abused or underutilized. This results in machine tools and cutting tools being utilized to only a fraction of their capability.

Advantages over HSMSeveral advances in machining technology claimed to resolve speed and output issues, but have fallen short. For instance, high-speed machining (HSM) has been touted as a solution for maximizing machine efficiency. HSM uses shallow axial cut depths and tangential motions, which can reduce cycle times in some cases. But HSM techniques cannot be used efficiently for all kinds of parts. Also, it requires CNC machines with very high spindle speeds and feedrate capability, along with sophisticated controller capabilities such as look-ahead for hundreds or thousands of blocks of code, an unaffordable

proposition for most shops. So high-speed machining represents only a partial solution to the industry’s needs.

Part applicability and cost are not issues for UHPT software, which works on any part geometry and with any machine. UHP technology therefore makes every machine a “high-speed machine.”

Mathematical ingenuityThe UHPT concept was developed by Glenn Coleman and Evan Sherbrooke, Ph.D. Coleman is a toolpath scientist and inventor of several toolpath generation methods and toolpath algorithms that significantly reduce both programming time and machining time. Two patents have been awarded to these inventions, and patents are pending on others. Dr. Sherbrooke is an internationally recognized expert in engineering, computational geometry, solid modeling and high-level algorithms, including the Medial Axis, The Medial Axis Transform, shape recognition, and graph theory. Coleman and Sherbrooke realized that existing toolpath strategies were flawed and did not optimize the capabilities of modern CNC machines. Together, they constructed a sophisticated mathematical formula that resulted in the UHP toolpath technology breakthrough.

Industry implicationsThe potential impact of UHPT engineering is staggering. Consider the very real possibility that every manufacturing facility in the United States could double its machining output using existing hardware and CAD/CAM technology, merely by adopting an inexpensive platform-neutral software program. The resulting cost efficiencies could more than offset current pressures to move manufacturing overseas, helping to improve national employment and economic conditions.

Furthermore, by reducing both material and utility requirements, UHPT technology represents a truly “green” solution for the industry as a whole.

Alesa Lightbourne, Ph.D., teaches communications at Chapman University College, and is a well-published freelance writer on engineering and high-tech topics: [email protected]. o

Why I Joined the AMBA:

I believe our AMBA membership is the most beneficial organization we belong to. This is due to the pinpoint focus on issues which affect the moldmaking industry and constant stream of information from events, webinars, weekly newsletter, legislative notifications and activities as well as the monthly magazine. Being a non-chapter member in Oregon a long way from most of the action, we still are engaged and kept up to date via the AMBA media. Thanks for doing a great job for our industry! Jonathan Buss, Buss Precision Mold Inc., Clackamas, OR


18 AMBA

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Dates To RememberAMBA EVENTS

Online Seminar – Faster Cycles through Mold Cooling February 24, 2010, Noon CTRegistration now open at www.amba.org/Event_Calendar

Online Seminar – Maintaining Your Website for Success March 3, 2010, Noon CTRegistration now open at www.amba.org/Event_Calendar

AMBA Annual Convention March 21-25, 2010, Orlando, FL. Buena Vista Palace

AMBA Fall ConferenceTentative dates September 28-30, 2010, Washington, D.C.Hyatt Capitol Hill

INDUSTRY EVENTS

PLASTEC West February 9-11 - Anaheim, CAPLASTEC West continues to showcase the latest advances in primary processing machinery, computer-aided design and manufacturing, production machinery, materials, molds, and mold components, automation technology, materials handling/ logistics, a full range of contract service providers, and more. Plastics News Executive Forum 2010March 7 - 10 - Tampa, FLPlastics News is pleased to announce its renowned Executive Forum conference will return to the Saddlebrook Resort next March 7-10, 2010. The event, previously held at the resort in March 2008, combines 2-1/2 days of conference sessions led by industry experts with prime networking opportunities including evening receptions, breakfasts, lunches and more.

Cast ExpoMarch 20 - 23 - Orlando, FLSponsored by the American Foundry Society (AFS) and the North American Die Casting Association (NADCA), CastExpo represents the single largest trade show and exposition in North America for metal casters. CastExpo’10 in Orlando, Florida will continue to be that, but also so much more. In addition to featuring more than 450 companies from across the globe displaying the latest advancements in equipment, technology and services for metalcasting, CastExpo’10 also will unveil a Cast in North America Exhibition in which metalcasters (foundries and diecasters) can exhibit their casting capabilities for their


AMBA 19

From start to finish, Hitachi Tool has the right cutting tools for moldmakers. Designed to replace solid carbide cutting tools, our IASM/ASM Indexable End Mills offer:

› Small Diameter sizes from Ø3/8” to 3/4” (10mm to 20mm)

› One insert size for all shank sizes› JDMT inserts ideal for shoulder cutting› EDMT-type ideal for low-depth, high feed rate machining

Need more convincing? Contact us for a test!!

TEL: (800) 228-2969www.vega-tool.com

customers—casting buyers and designers. To accompany these exhibitions, CastExpo will unveil a show-floor Metalcasting Technology Theater for practical, shop-floor presentations for casting buyers and metalcasters.

Plastimagen Mexico 2010March 23 -26 - Mexico City, MexicoFor more information please visit the show website.

Molding 2010April 12 - 14 - San Antonio, TXThe 20th International Conference & Exhibit Molding 2010 will focus on important innovations in manufacturing technologies to enable intelligent molders and manufacturers stay ahead and prosper. Industry leaders will present the latest developments in various injection molding processes, hardware and controls. Additionally, issues and opportunities of molding non-commodity materials will be discussed. These conferences are widely recognized by injection molders, manufacturers, and plastics suppliers as the most important forum for technical information and business connections.

PLASTEC South 2010April 28 - 29, 2010 - Charlotte, NC

PDx/AmerimoldMay 11 - 13 - Cincinnati, OHBuilt upon the foundation of the established MoldMaking Expo and Time Compression Expo, PDx/amerimold is a new event experience connecting buyers & sellers from all aspects of the product development lifecycle.

PLASTEC EastJune 8-10 - New York, NYThe largest advances in primary processing machinery, computer-aided design and manufacturing, production machinery, contract services, materials, molds and mold components, automation technology, materials handling/logistics, enterprise IT...and much more.

PLASTEC MidwestSeptember 28-30 - Rosemont, ILSOURCE the latest technologies and ideas in primary processing machinery, computer-aided design and manufacturing, production machinery, contract services, materials, molds and mold components, automation technology, materials handling/logistics, enterprise IT…and much more.

Dates To Remember


20 AMBA

Get high precision and productivity in a rugged bridge mill! Get high precision and productivity in a rugged bridge mill! Absolute Machine Tools delivers high speed solutions for your shop.Absolute Machine Tools delivers high speed solutions for your shop.

ABSOLUTE PRECISION

800.852.7825 │ [email protected]

Great value for mold/die!

Hi-Net DMCs deliver net shape machining of complex parts for high speed mold/die and aerospace machining

Exceptionally rigid machines ensure excellent surface fi nishes

High quality integral spindles are standard

High-speed bridge mills sport standard features others offer as options

Hi-Net DMC-2100HN shown

Hi-Net DMC high-speed bridge mills│ XYZ travels up to 161" x 90" x 42" │ Table loads up to 22,000 lb │ Rapid traverse up to 1,181 IPM │ Box ways in Y, Z │ Heavy-duty Schneeberger roller linear ways on X axis │ Fanuc 18iM-B controls with AI NANO HPCC

Spindles:Heavy cutting 15,000 RPM HSK-100A spindle │ 56 HP │ 300 ft-lb torque @ 1,000 RPMMedium roughing, finishing 24,000 RPM HSK-63A spindle │ 31 HP │ 53 ft-lb torque @ 3,000 RPMMedium roughing, finishing 18,000 RPM HSK-63A spindle │ 30 HP │ 85 ft-lb torque @ 2,400 RPM

•

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AMBA 21

Get high precision and productivity in a rugged bridge mill! Get high precision and productivity in a rugged bridge mill! Absolute Machine Tools delivers high speed solutions for your shop.Absolute Machine Tools delivers high speed solutions for your shop.

ABSOLUTE PRECISION

800.852.7825 │ [email protected]

Great value for mold/die!

Hi-Net DMCs deliver net shape machining of complex parts for high speed mold/die and aerospace machining

Exceptionally rigid machines ensure excellent surface fi nishes

High quality integral spindles are standard

High-speed bridge mills sport standard features others offer as options

Hi-Net DMC-2100HN shown

Hi-Net DMC high-speed bridge mills│ XYZ travels up to 161" x 90" x 42" │ Table loads up to 22,000 lb │ Rapid traverse up to 1,181 IPM │ Box ways in Y, Z │ Heavy-duty Schneeberger roller linear ways on X axis │ Fanuc 18iM-B controls with AI NANO HPCC

Spindles:Heavy cutting 15,000 RPM HSK-100A spindle │ 56 HP │ 300 ft-lb torque @ 1,000 RPMMedium roughing, finishing 24,000 RPM HSK-63A spindle │ 31 HP │ 53 ft-lb torque @ 3,000 RPMMedium roughing, finishing 18,000 RPM HSK-63A spindle │ 30 HP │ 85 ft-lb torque @ 2,400 RPM

•

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AMBA NewsAMBA News

AMBA to Exhibit at PLASTEC West 2010 – Volunteers NeededAMBA is exhibiting at the PLASTEC West trade show on February 9-11, 2010 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA. Visit us at booth # 3824.

We need member volunteers to help staff the AMBA booth, help promote all AMBA members, and the U.S. Moldmaking industry and assist in answering technical questions from the show attendees. If you’re available either 2/9, 2/10 or 2/11 for a few hours or more please contact Sue Daniels at 847.222.9402 or email [email protected].

2009 Winter Wage & Benefits SurveyThe Winter 2009 Wage & Benefits Survey results have been mailed to the primary contact person at all participating AMBA member companies. This 40-page in-depth analysis of employee benefits and wages for 38 different mold shop job categories will help you benchmark your company, and see if your company offers a competitive wage and benefits package. See the results to see how your company stacks up.

This survey is only available to participating companies, and is not for sale. This year we had a 39% member participation rate! Up a full 11% from last year’s rate of 28%.

New Online Seminars Two new online seminars are coming up from the AMBA. Watch for more information about these events:

“Faster Cycles through Mold Cooling” – February, 24, 2010

“Maintaining Your Web Site for Success” – March 3, 2010

The number one way customers, prospects and associates get information about your company today is on the web.

Does your web site give a positive impression about you and your company? Do you like your company’s web site? Many of us would answer “no” because it’s not up to date, not informational enough, or just doesn’t look good enough. Your web site is an ongoing project that can be your best representative. Our March 3, webinar “Maintaining Your Web Site for Success” will help you with concepts and ideas on building and maintaining your web site. Topics to be covered include:

• The need to keep it up to date.• Web design for update-ability• What to include and what not to include on your site.• How to improve your photography without breaking the

bank.• Promoting your shop culture• Portraying your core strengths and values• Emphasizing your niche• Video on your site• Facts vs. Flash• Getting links and search engines pointing to your site• Web statistics• Additional marketing tools

o photo albumo PowerPoint presentationo Email blasts

Join us March 3, 2010 for this interesting and information topic of value for all companies. Presented by Creative Technology Corporation’s Todd Schuett.

Visit the AMBA event calendar at www.amba.org/Event_Calendar, or call 847.222.9402 for more information.

2010-2011 Scholarship Applications Now Being AcceptedEducational scholarships will be granted this year to the dependents of a current full-time employee of an AMBA member company. One $1,000 scholarship will be awarded to each AMBA chapter and one $1,000 scholarship will encompass all non-chapter member companies. Information on the program has been mailed to all member company primary contacts. It’s up to you to post the application and announcement in a prominent location at your company and make all your employees aware of this program. This is a great opportunity for dependants of your employees! Last year in 2009, AMBA granted $10,000 in scholarships and since the program’s inception in 1991, has awarded over $200,000! AMBA is proud to offer this exclusive member benefit. If you have questions about this program or need an application please contact Sue Daniels, at [email protected], or call 847-222-9402.


22 AMBA

10260 Indiana Court., Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91730 • Tel: 909.941.0600 • 800.432.6653 • Fax: 909.941.0190Email: [email protected] • Website: www.albaent.com

Micro PrecisionMolding Machines

Quick Knockout Couplers5 Sizes Up to 5000 Ton Machines

Hot Runner SystemsPin Point, Valve Gate, Multi Gate,

Hot Edge Gate,Stack Molds

Hydraulic Cylinders

Locking Cylinders

Mold ComponentsSlide Elements, Latch Systems, Etc.

Vertical

Add OnInjection

Unit

alba-ad-oct2008.indd 1 10/7/08 9:27:27 AM

2010 Annual Convention Coming Soon!March 21-25, 2010, Orlando, FloridaThe 2010 AMBA Annual Convention will be exceptional in every respect - a strong program, a great line-up of speakers, a variety of recreational activities and plenty of time for networking. This event is being held at Buena Vista Palace in Orlando, Florida. Visit www.amba.org for more information.

Why I Joined the AMBA:

The AMBA is on the forefront trying to preserve the great tradition of mold making in the U.S. The efforts of the AMBA in promoting American mold builders include educating buyers, influencing lawmakers, and outreach to member companies. It will take information, education, and collaboration to ensure the future of mold manufacturing in the U.S. And the AMBA is providing all that to the benefit of its member companies. John Martin, Mo-Tech Corporation, Oakdale, MN

Who are the AMBA Mold Builder of the Year and AMBA Chapter of the Year?All nominations received for the AMBA Mold Builder of the Year, and AMBA Chapter of the Year have been submitted to the judging panel. Their decisions will be returned at the end of January, and awards will be announced and presented at the AMBA 2010 Annual meeting in Orlando, on March 24.

In keeping with a tradition of support for manufacturing education programs, Progressive Components, a global manufacturer and supplier of mold components, is sponsoring $10,000 in scholarships for the winners of the Mold Builder of the Year and AMBA Chapter of the Year. Each will receive a $5,000 scholarship to be donated to the school or student(s) of their choice.

The Mold Builder of the Year award and the Chapter of the Year award have become popular events and honor outstanding members and chapters for their contributions to the industry, and their involvement with U.S. mold manufacturing. o


AMBA 23

building complex, custom mold bases is the part he knows best. The primary goal for starting a business is to become an asset to your customer base. That’s what Michael Mirante believed 10 years ago when he started M&M Tooling Inc., and he continues to believe it today. “You have to have a foundation for your business and for me it was choosing to build custom mold bases,” says Mirante.

M&M’s asset to its customer base is allowing mold manufacturers to focus on the work that provides the most value to them: core and cavity details and the light-duty volume machining work to which high-speed machine tool technology is best suited. The company has the capacity to build mold bases up to 34.5 x 80 inches.

Mirante notes that the investment in high-speed machining that many mold manufacturers make doesn’t really support the building of mold bases. “Building mold bases is a more rugged type of machining where we can take out a lot of material with each pass,” says Mirante. “Hogging out mold base pockets isn’t the best utilization of a high-speed machine.”

M&M is geared up to do nothing but mold base work. “We have large machines with a lot of horsepower, and we don’t have the huge overhead that mold shops have,” Mirante says. “We’re utilizing Mazak machine tools and with our focus on nothing but mold bases, we can turn out the work and help the mold shops shorten the lead times they quote,” he notes.

Member News

Ameritech Die & Mold, (Mooresville, NC)More than 700 businesspeople, students and parents attended an Economic Summit meeting in Mooresville, NC on Election Day—a joint effort between local industry and Mooresville High School designed to help students integrate into the workforce. Steve Rotman, president of Ameritech Die & Mold, Inc. and the AMBA, spoke about his company’s program Apprenticeship 2000.

In addition to Rotman’s presentation on the moldmaking industry, representatives from a number of other small, medium and large businesses like banks, real estate companies, automobile dealerships, landscapers, military, healthcare, etc. were on hand to share with students—and parents—how to enter a particular field of expertise. Additionally, representative from local community colleges were available to speak with students.

According to Rotman, the representatives spoke about how to apply for jobs, resumes, attitudes, dress, what to do/not do, classes to take in order to be better prepared for a profession, and shadowing opportunities. “I had so many positive, engaging conversations with 8th to 12th grade students, all looking intensely for something that struck their interest, as well as talents,” Rotman says. “Then there were parents with questions and discussion of the pros and cons of two- versus four-year degree programs, It was very enlightening for me, as well as the student and parents. I am amazed at how trends in society continually change, the perception of education versus the job market. They are continually adjusting, and what used to be a ‘four-year degree only’ mentality has changed to trying to really understand how to get a job tied to that degree—if even possible.

“My son has friends that graduated with him two years ago that have yet to find a career within their fields of expertise, so now some of them are just going on to get their masters degrees because they have not been able to be placed as of yet,” Rotman continues. “My son joined the company upon graduating with a Business Degree, and is working on the floor—learning machining and managing the first-year apprentices.”

Rotman urges the industry to get involved in similar efforts. “We were all apprentices at one time or another,” he comments. “Finding that next moldmaking protégé is my passion. I find that it is so rewarding when a younger person tastes and sees this business, grabs hold of it and claims it as their very own. It re-ignites the same feeling that I had when I was introduced to this trade. I absolutely feel I was born to be a moldmaker, and even though it has gotten to be a different trade, the sense of pride and accomplishment with every project keeps my intensity and passion alive.”

M&M Tooling Inc. (Wood Dale, IL)Building custom mold bases has been M&M Tooling Inc.’s niche for 10 years. For the owner/operator of this small business, Member

M&M Tooling Inc., is a complete Custom Mold Base manufacturing facility with capacity up to 35” x 80”. We employ top journeymen mold-makers, utilizing Mazak CNC machining centers maintaining tight tolerances, to achieve high quality results.

M&M Tooling Inc’s mission is and always will be, to provide follow-through on commit-ments to our customers, with personal attention that exceeds expectations.

“Where Your Success is Our Business”

395 E. Potter St.Wood Dale, Illinois 60191

Phone: 630-595-8834 Fax: 630-595-6806

Web: www.MMTOOLING.comEmail: [email protected]

M & M Tooling Inc.CNC Machining Specialist

Specializing in Mold Shop Overflow Work

Custom Mold BasesWith a personal touch

Your Source!


24 AMBA

VERTICAL MACHINING CENTERS

THE 2010 NEW GENERATION

After more than 20 years of industry firsts, we figured 2010 would be a good year to “up the ante” again. So we looked at any and every way to make Haas VMCs better,

and then made one last change: We added more value.

IMPROVED: motion control coolant containment • chip evacuation

CNC interface • ergonomics • serviceability r e l e a s e d f o r a c t i v e d u t y : 0 1 . 0 1 . 1 0

Haas Automation, Inc.800.331.6746 • see them online @ www.HaasCNC.com

Specifications subject to change without notice. Not responsible for typographical errors. Machines shown with optional equipment.

HaasAds2010_AMB_Master.indd 3 12/3/09 10:03:01 AM

AMBA New Member WelcomeAccede Mold & Tool Co. Inc.Rochester, NYAccede, which has been in business for 28 years, designs and builds injection molds for a variety of industries including consumer and medical. The company also does molding including Liquid Silicone Rubber and 2-Shot. Accede also has a full apprenticeship program. Roger Fox, vice president and general manager, said, “I felt we owed it to the industry to be a part of this group, and I think the AMBA represents the mold building industry quite well. I hope I can find more time to help them out as they help us. The company also specializes in rotary 2-shot, reel-to-reel, and spin stack molds. Mostly consumer and medical and a lot of value added such as in-mold automation, two-shot, in-mold close, and reel-to-reel.

Aero Engineering Services Inc.Sarasota, FLAero Engineering is a full service plastic injection mold-building business, specializing in small-to-medium sized tools to include repair, machining of new and replacement components. William Stewart, President of Aero, founded the company in 2004, and current has five employees.

said that the decision to add a White Room environment to Tech Mold’s test facility was driven by a desire to better facilitate the testing and qualification of the many molds the company builds for Medical and Pharmaceutical OEMs. “Tech Mold has always been attuned to its customers’ requirements throughout the entire molding and manufacturing process,” stated Seidelman. “We recognized that many of our customers’ molds are going into clean rooms, and rather than performing mold qualification in an open environment, we want to provide an environment that is more comparable. This will ensure that the pre-qualification of the molds and parts do not exceed minimal contamination requirements and more truly reflects what the customer will see in a clean room environment.”

Tech Mold also has an R&D (Rapid Delivery) division that specializes in collaborative engineering for developmental prototype tooling, offering its OEM customers dimensionally correct parts in hand, while at the same time laying the groundwork of critical mold parameters and manufacturing information that translates easily into multi-cavity production molds.

Tech Mold’s expertise includes two-shot, multi-component, and multi-material molds; stack molds, and high-production hot runner molds to help OEMs optimize their manufacturing requirements. The company also works with premier molding machinery manufacturers and robotic providers to design and construct molding cells. o

“We can succeed at manufacturing in the USA, but we really have to get out there and promote ourselves and our capabilities, and let people know the advantages we have to offer,” Mirante says. “Made in the USA is still a viable marketing tool.”

M.R. Mold & Engineering, (Brea, CA)M.R. Mold & Engineering in Brea, CA is celebrating 25 years in business in 2010. In 1985, Rick Finnie opened M.R. Mold & Engineering in Southern California, with one employee. Fortunately for Rick, he had a number of contacts within the industry and he steadily grew his business.

“We’re really happy to be celebrating this milestone of 25 years in 2010, and plan to continue our growth strategy by serving our customer base in our targeted niche,” says Finnie. “We have a talented, dedicated group of employees, many who have been with us for more than 10 years, who have helped us be successful over the long term.”

Today, M.R. Mold is known around the world for its expertise in liquid silicone rubber (LSR) molds, gum stock silicone, plastic injection, compression, and transfer molds for its global customer base. The company occupies 15,000 ft2 and currently has 25 employees. In addition to Finnie, M.R. Mold’s management consists of Jim Albert, general manager, and Phil Bristow, project manager. Together, these three have over 100 years of combined experience in the industry.

M.R. Molds’ unique niche in LSR molds grew so rapidly that a few years ago, Finnie added a 4000-ft2 Tech Center, which today has three company-owned molding machines, a 100-ton Engel, a 55-ton Engel, and 110-ton Negri Bossi. These machines are used for mold trials and sampling prior to sending them to customers. M.R. Mold has facilities to provide turnkey solutions for their customers.

The company has built over 5000 molds in 25 years for customers in the medical, surgical, aviation, fluid transfer, and consumer products industries.M.R. Mold is also proficient in overmolding silicone on silicone, silicone on plastic, silicone on glass, and silicone onto metals. The firm will be exhibiting at MD&M West, Anaheim, CA, Booth 1632.

Tech Mold, (Tempe, AZ)Tech Mold Inc., a leading designer and manufacturer of high-quality, high cavitation injection molds for the medical, pharmaceutical, consumer, and cap and closure markets, announced that the company is adding a White Room environment to its test facility. The White Room environment will initially house two all-electric presses, one a 55-ton high-performance Arburg all-electric press, and the other a 90-ton press also from Arburg.Jerry Seidelman, sales and marketing manager for Tech Mold,


AMBA 25

VERTICAL MACHINING CENTERS

THE 2010 NEW GENERATION

After more than 20 years of industry firsts, we figured 2010 would be a good year to “up the ante” again. So we looked at any and every way to make Haas VMCs better,

and then made one last change: We added more value.

IMPROVED: motion control coolant containment • chip evacuation

CNC interface • ergonomics • serviceability r e l e a s e d f o r a c t i v e d u t y : 0 1 . 0 1 . 1 0

Haas Automation, Inc.800.331.6746 • see them online @ www.HaasCNC.com

Specifications subject to change without notice. Not responsible for typographical errors. Machines shown with optional equipment.

HaasAds2010_AMB_Master.indd 3 12/3/09 10:03:01 AMAMBA Nsltr_Winter_10.indd 25 1/25/10 9:49 AM

26 AMBA

No plates. No pins. Just better part aesthetics and lower costs. It’s the new Quick Strip ejection system, the latest innovation from DME. Quick Strip lifts a part from the mold cavity, rather than pushing it like an ejector pin. So it leaves no marks and, in the process, reduces your part costs by as much as 50 percent. Plus, like all DME products, Quick Strip comes with our industry-leading knowledge, global reach and exceptional service. So you get more effective part ejection — and outstanding support every step of the way.

Introducing theQuick Strip® part ejector:

Easy on your parts—and your budget

(Unequalled support is standard.)

800.215.3429www.dme.net/quickstrip

ConventionalEjector Pins

ConventionalEjector Pins

NEWQuick Strip

NEWQuick Strip• Simplified design• No ejector marks on parts• Improved cooling possibilities• Save up to 50% in costs

• Simplified design• No ejector marks on parts• Improved cooling possibilities• Save up to 50% in costs

DCD Technologies Inc.Cleveland, OHDCD Technologies is a designer of die cast dies for the aerospace, automotive, appliance, industrial, lawn & garden, medical and office furniture markets. David Hodgson is President of DCD, which was founded in 1974, and currently has 10 employees in a 25,000-square-foot facility. DCD also makes permanent, ceramic and plastic molds.

Delta Mold, Inc.Charlotte, NC Delta Mold manufactures protoype and production injection, compression, co-injection, stack and rim tools with high-polish, texture, external gas, gas assist, and counter pressure. The COO is James Quinn, and the company was founded in 1978. They currently have 75 employees in a 67,500-square-foot facility.

Ebeling EnterprisesWillard, UtahEbeling builds injection molds and does molding.

South Coast MoldIrvine, CASouth Coast Mold has been in business since 1973, designing and building investment castings for the aerospace, electronic, medical, marine and commercial markets. The company operates in a 12,000-square-foot facility.

Welcome to all these new members!

Welcome back returning member –

M.R. Mold & EngineeringBrea, CAM.R. Mold & Engineering is a mold manufacturer specializing in liquid silicone rubber molds for a variety of industries. M.R. Mold also has an LSR R&D facility with LSR molding presses. The company also builds plastic injection molds. Rick Finnie, President, has worked with the AMBA for several years, including serving on the organization’s board of directors.

Welcome Back! o

AMBA Member Benefits:

Affordable advertising opportunities in our monthly OEM E-Newsletter called U.S. Tooling & Technology News. A monthly E-Newsletter sent to OEMs, Mold Buyers, Molders, and Tooling Engineers allowing you to advertise directly to your potential customers. This targeted e-newsletter is delivered to the desk of every mold buyer in our extensive database.

The American Mold Builder subscription – This 48-page quarterly magazine unique to the AMBA features commentary and articles covering industry issues, trends, technology, member news and AMBA news.


AMBA 27

Pennsylvania Chapter Spotlight

Pennsylvania is the newest AMBA Chapter, and we’re proud to have this chapter in an area of Pennsylvania where there are so many mold manufacturers. Michael McGuire of Suburban Tool in Erie, was elected the President of this chapter in northwestern Pennsylvania, and William M. Hilbert, Jr., of Reddog Industries Inc., also in Erie, is the chapter secretary.

The Erie region is a very active region for moldmakers, and the chapter has been successful in recruiting 10 members thus far. The chapter has had three meetings, said Hilbert, and is in the very beginning stages of really putting this chapter together. Mold Base Industries is an active member with the AMBA and the Pennsylvania chapter. Mike and Bill are working hard to develop the chapter and are planning some good meetings this year.

The first meeting was held on Thursday, May 7, of 2009, with nine people in attendance, to help organize the chapter. Melissa Millhuff, executive director of the AMBA, was at the meeting to help this chapter get off the ground.

The second meeting was held December 1, and had 17 in attendance. Before the meeting in December – Bill and Mike sent out special invitations that resulted in six new people attending the meeting. “We’ll continue to do that,” said Bill, “and hope that we can attract more members to the AMBA.

Bill said that he and Mike want the next meeting to be held in Meadville, also an area in which there are many mold manufacturers. The goal is to have each meeting be of value to the attendees. “We need to offer something that each attendee

Chapter News

CaliforniaThe chapter is holding a meeting on February 23. A presentation will be made by Michelle Nash-Hoff, the author of Can Manufacturing be Saved? Why We Should and How We Can. Bring your questions. For more information go to www.amba.org/Chapter_Affiliations.

The chapter also welcomes two new members: South Coast Mold of Irvine, CA and M.R. Mold & Engineering of Brea, CA.

ChicagoThe chapter welcomes Matthew Thurow of Alpha Star Tool & Mold as its newest addition to the chapter board of directors. Mr. Thurow looks forward to contributing to the AMBA since moldmaking is an important part of his and his family’s life.

The chapter also held a meeting on December 9, with an informative presentation by Illinois State representative Michael Connelly. Rep. Connelly gave members a look into the workings of the Illinois General Assembly from his perspective as a freshmen representative. He feels government in Illinois is hurting Illinois businesses. Rep. Connelly was asked his opinion on how to stop the free fall in manufacturing. He suggested contacting your mayors as well as your local Chamber of Commerce who bring issues to Springfield. Representatives listen to their constituents, so email, send letters. A cocktail hour was sponsored by GPI Prototype & Manufacturing Services.

Minnesota The chapter met on December 10th. The AMBA was asked to participate in the Great Manufacturing Get Together by being on a discussion panel and displaying a booth. Justin McPhee has been asked to sit on the panel. At the chapter meeting representatives from Sodick presented a very interesting display of micro machining and very tight tolerances using their machines which utilize linear motors and ceramic bases for thermal stability.

Northern Ohio The Northern Ohio chapter held a festive holiday get-together on December 15th. Future chapter meetings are TBA. For more information on upcoming meetings contact: Ed Siciliano at (330) 633-7017.

The chapter welcomes a new member DCD Technologies of Cleveland, OH.

Southwest Michigan The chapter board of directors met on October 22 and again on December 10th to plans details for the upcoming Technology Fair and a fun winter event for the chapter.

In cooperation with the BTC and the NTMA, the chapter is hosting a Technology Fair on February 18 at the MTech Center in Benton Harbor. It will include a breakfast meeting and presentations on advances in the industry by Dynamic

International, and Kiser Tool. Reservations must be made by February 15 with Ken Patzkowsky at [email protected]. West Michigan The chapter held a meeting on November 10 with 19 in attendance representing 11 member companies with guest speaker Ryan Pohl, of Expert Technical Training to stress the importance of continual training of your employees to keep their skills up-to-date. The chapter has taken nominations for the vacant secretary position on the chapter board of directors. Voting for this position will take place at their February 9 breakfast meeting. That meeting will have a presentation by speaker Bob Byers of Bob Byers and Associates.

WisconsinSPE has invited AMBA members to a February 16 event called, “Managing Bankruptcy though the eyes of OEM / Molder / Moldmaker”. Email your questions for this event to Mike Thomas, [email protected]. o


28 AMBA

Expert Technical Training Expert Technical Training is a company devoted to offering the mold-making industry relevant training and education solutions. Expert Tech offers 24/7 online CNC and moldmaking training, as well as consultation in workforce development, custom video development, and custom training / apprenticeship program development. Visit their website today at: www.expert-technical.com

GPI Prototype & Manufacturing Services, Inc.GPI Prototype & Manufacturing Services, Inc. is a premiere service provider of Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS), the latest technology in rapid prototyping and manufacturing. One of the first DMLS service providers in the country, GPI produces metal parts for applications ranging from prototypes to series products and production tools. The technology is ideal for creating complex geometries that are difficult to attain through traditional machining, such as conformal cooling channels within tools and tooling inserts. GPI also provides Objet 3D Printing, RTV Tooling and Scanning Services. Visit them on the web at http://gpiprototype.com o

AMBA Partner Spotlight – Welcome New Partners

The AMBA Partner Program continues to roll along. This quarter we have three new Partners to introduce to you, and we encourage you to get to know them:

DMSDMS is a reputable supplier of standard and custom mold components and bases as well as related mold specialty products such as tunnel gate inserts, unscrewing devices, custom cut insulator board, HD color mold plaques, the REDE VAULT, hot sprue bushings, EDM fluid, mold polishing supplies etc. Visit them on the web at: www.dmscomponents.com

can take away that will be helpful in their work. I’m hoping that we can have suppliers come and talk to us about their newest components and how those can help us in our job, and other speakers that are of interest to us in our businesses,” said Bill

If anyone is interested in helping out the Pennsylvania Chapter with a meeting idea or to volunteer to provide a presentation, call Melissa Millhuff at 847-222-9402. o


AMBA 29

• Analysis of insurance coverage • Executive summary with annual trends • Determining compensation standards • Selecting fringe benefit plans and insurance • Leading labor negotiations. A glimpse into the results: This year, the typical participating company had annual sales of $16 million per year; utilized 16 die casting machines, employed 88 full-time direct labor employees. Six (15%) were union shops. Less than 1% of the total production employees reported were temporary. Almost 70% of the survey participants total employees were hourly production employees. Less than half the companies (23%) reported a general wage adjustment in the last 12 months but a larger percentage (28%) plan to make a general wage adjustment in the next 12 months. The number of companies providing pension/retirement plans decreased to 28% overall, and the percent providing insurance for retirees was 5%. While most unions do not provide these benefits directly, union shops tend to have a much higher participation for these types of programs compared to non-union shops. Purchase NADCA’s 2009 Annual Wage and Fringe Benefit Survey at: www.diecasting.org/publications. Make sure this survey becomes an indispensable tool on your desktop. o

PDx/amerimold Announces 2010 Keynote Speakers

Leaders from Joe Gibbs Racing, Whirlpool Corporation and Eureka! Ranch to Speak at Inaugural PDx/amerimold Event

PDx/amerimold technical conference keynote speakers will be:• Doug Hall, Eureka! Ranch; • Mark Bringle, Joe Gibbs Racing; and, • Richard Gresens, Whirlpool Corporation,

according to Lisa Dodge, managing director of the event that will be held May 11-13, 2010, at the Duke Energy Center in Cincinnati, OH.

“The keynote addresses are a highlight of the PDx/amerimold experience. In Doug Hall, Mark Bringle and Richard Gresens, we are delivering leading voices and innovators in product invention, manufacturing engineering and product design,” said Dodge, adding, “In an economy where trade shows need to provide additional value beyond the exhibit hall, we are doing just that by not only featuring three, dynamic, thought leaders, but also by offering their presentations free of charge to anyone that attends PDx/amerimold.” PDx/amerimold is presented by Gardner Publications, Inc. (Cincinnati) and

News for Die Casters

Die Casting Industry Wages Slowed in 2009 The results of the 2009 Wage & Benefit Survey have been published. New for 2009 the survey comes completely downloadable! This is a fast and easy way to obtain such vital information. Since it is essential for your organization to thrive, it is important to recruit and retain a top-notch staff in today’s highly competitive job market. Your wage and fringe benefit programs must be competitive in the current workforce. The 2009 NADCA Annual Wage and Fringe Benefit Survey, is specifically designed for the die casting industry. This report gives you: • Representation of 39 companies in the die casting industry nationwide • Detailed summaries for direct labor employees • Wage rates for 13 key direct labor employees

Partner NewsIncoe

NEW “RFQ” for Hot Runners now available online at incoe.com We are now pleased to announce that our website has been upgraded with a Request For Quotation (RFQ) online form specifically designed to help expedite system quotations. The RFQ form is currently in English with other languages to be added shortly. When visiting incoe.com, you can access the RFQ form through either the “Products” or “Contact” sections of the site.

The RFQ form is easy to use and includes security features for safe transfer of files. Information can be entered or selected on the form, and you are able to upload your drawings directly to INCOE®. You will automatically be sent an email verifying that we have received your RFQ form and information. Sections of the form include:

•Contact/ company details•Gate details•Systems details•Manifold details•Part details•Controller systems•Upload drawings•Security verification

If you’re not a member already, please take a few minutes to sign up by going to: incoe.com/register and gain unlimited access to the latest INCOE® information, product updates and download access. As a signed in member, you will save the time of having to complete your contact information each time you use the RFQ. o


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AMBA 31

DEMAT GmbH (Frankfurt). For more information, visit: pdx-amerimold.com

About the speakers:Doug Hall, Founder — C.E.O. Eureka! RanchDoug Hall is the founder and CEO of the Eureka! Ranch located in Cincinnati with offices in London, UK, and Monterrey, Mexico. The Ranch is an “invention & research think tank” that specializes in helping corporate leaders and real world entrepreneurs develop “Measurably Smarter” choices for growth. Hall will open PDx/amerimold with an address focusing on improving innovation success rates and accelerating speed to market.

Mark Bringle, Technical Sponsor Manager, Joe Gibbs RacingMark Bringle has been with Joe Gibbs Racing for 14 years. He was the first manufacturing engineer hired for the newly formed NASCAR team in the early 1990’s. Today, Mark resides in the executive suite of JGR where he serves as the Technical Sponsorship and Marketing Director for JGR’s NASCAR Cup, Nationwide, Motorcross and Supercross Teams.

Richard Gresens, Principal Designer, Global Consumer Design Group, Whirlpool CorporationRichard Gresens’ diverse design career has spanned over twenty years in the transportation, product and exhibit design disciplines. Gresens, who designed the exterior of the Ford Flex, joined Whirlpool in 2008 as Principal Designer in the Global Consumer Design group. He is responsible for design and program strategy for the North American laundry category.

About PDx/amerimold: PDx/amerimold is North America’s premier event for product design and development, tooling and mold manufacturing. Presented by Gardner Publication, in partnership with world-renowned event managers, DEMAT, PDx/amerimold connects global and domestic technology leaders in design, tooling, and machining. pdx-amerimold.com o

AMBA Member Benefit:

Annual Membership Directory – Listing of AMBA members and their specialties/markets, with circulation to OEMs through direct mail and AMBA participation in trade shows.

Is Your Health Risk Assessment In Compliance? Employers providing incentives in the form of reduced premiums or other forms of financial rewards in return for the completion of a health risk assessment questionnaire may need to revisit their programs. The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA) was passed to protect Americans against discrimination based on their genetic information as it relates to health insurance and employment. Recently issued GINA guidelines prohibit health plans and employers from providing any financial incentives to employees for participating in a health risk assessment that requests information regarding family medical history. The rules apply to group health insurance plans that begin on or after December 7, 2009. Many employers offering health risk assessments often include both biometric testing and a personal health questionnaire to be completed in order to receive a particular incentive. Many of the health appraisals ask questions regarding an individual’s family health history of certain types of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and other conditions. Most wellness programs have used this type of family history data to further stratify the risk of a participant. For example, a male participant with elevated levels of cholesterol may be deemed at a higher health risk if he has a parent who has suffered a heart attack or been diagnosed with heart disease. Under the new regulations imposed by GINA, employees will no longer be obligated to answer these types of questions; in fact, employers can be penalized for requiring employees to answer these questions as part of a wellness program incentive. An easy fix to the GINA stipulations regarding incentives and health risk assessments, would simply be to remove the questions related to family history. If this is not possible, instructing employees to not answer them or to only answer them voluntarily will provide a solution. In either scenario, employers with an incentive tied to the completion of a health risk assessment, would be prudent to review the current questionnaire for any family history questions and to have an attorney review the incentive structure for compliance.

Taken from the Winter 2009 Benefits Briefing Newsletter from Gibson Insurance Group.


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Health Risk Management As employers continue to look for ways to mitigate health care costs, wellness programs top the list of interventions to consider. Do wellness programs work? The industry data seems to suggest they do, but with some caveats. For example, successful programs require high participation, typically achieved through meaningful incentives. Other characteristics of best-in-class programs include leadership support, an analysis of individual and corporate risk, appropriate interventions for identified risk, an emphasis on keeping the healthy population healthy, and a commitment to analyzing outcomes.

One could say that success with wellness lies not only in program design and execution, but is contingent upon wellness as a component to an overall Health Risk Management (HRM) strategy. If you have a wellness program at your business or are contemplating one, is it part of a greater vision, or is it the strategy? Organizations that have experienced improved health and productivity through wellness share several key characteristics-the most important commonality being that wellness is not in and of itself the strategy, but rather a part of an integrated approach that places emphasis on HRM. In many instances, wellness programs have operated in a silo with little or no connectivity to the other benefits offered, like short and long-term disability, workers’ compensation, employee assistance programs, and disease management, with little or no consideration of the employer’s corporate culture. Viewing wellness as part of an overall HRM approach requires an organization to acknowledge that employee health and productivity outcomes are best achieved when all benefits are integrated. This is no easy task, because the employer’s health carrier or third party administrator, wellness provider, disease management vendor, and other benefits providers have to be viewed as business partners in the process, willing and eager to share data with one another for a common purpose-improving employee health and productivity. While the business partners of the employer play a key role in attaining an effective HRM strategy, the employer is in the driver’s seat for setting the tone and vision through its workplace culture. The significance of an employer’s workplace policies and practices in promoting a culture of health and wellness cannot be overstated.

Take, for example, an employer that places an emphasis on tobacco cessation by providing tools and resources to help people quit using tobacco, but doesn’t have a tobacco-free workplace policy or provide for tobacco cessation medications within the health plan. Those who wish to quit find themselves in an environment not supportive of change. On the converse, an employer that has an effective HRM strategy has carefully crafted a tobacco free workplace policy, reviewed all of the tobacco cessation resources offered by its business partners and within the community, aligned the employer-sponsored health plan with the goal of removing barriers to tobacco cessation,

like covering pharmacy aids for tobacco cessation, and actively promoted the benefit to its members. HRM involves a proactive focus on improving employee health and productivity through integrated benefits. It requires business leaders to view the health of the workforce as vital to the overall success of the organization. It also necessitates that the culture within the workplace is one that values and promotes healthy lifestyles.

Taken from the Winter 2009 Benefits Briefing Newsletter from Gibson Insurance Group. o

Healthcare Fraud is Everyone’s Concern

Healthcare fraud contributes to the growing cost of healthcare for everyone. A 2007 FBI report estimates that fraudulent billings to public and private healthcare programs account for 3-10% of total healthcare expenditures.

Employer groups and employees can help stop health care fraud schemes by reporting suspicious billing practices. Because employees know what services they received and how they were provided, they are the first line of defense against fraud.

Preventing fraudAsk your employees to fight healthcare fraud by taking the following steps:

• Guard sensitive personal information – such as insurance ID number and date of birth carefully. They should not give this information to health care providers offering free services, door to door salespeople or telephone internet solicitors.

• Be informed about health care services received, maintain good records of care and question providers whenever there is a concern about services or bills. Employees should keep detailed notes should they suspect something is wrong.

• Carefully review receipts and (EOB) Explanation of Benefits received to make sure that the services being billed were actually provided, on the date service was shown, and by the physician or health care provider submitting the claim.

• Report suspicious claims and suspected instances of health care fraud to the employer or insurance provider.

Common health care schemesHere are several common health care schemes to be aware of.

• Billing for ‘free’ services: Some health care providers falsely claim to provide ‘free’ services, typically for medical screening, as a pretext to obtain medical information. (If the screening is free, there is no need to collect insurance information) Such providers may provide unnecessary medical services, waive the employee’s copayment and deductible, but then bill the insurance company. Should you receive and EOB for a ‘free’ screening, fraud may have been committed. Employees should be suspicious when a provider providing quick ‘free’ screenings asks for insurance information or finds a problem with just about every person screened.


AMBA 33

Avoiding Slips, Trips and Falls

Q: No matter how many preventative steps we take to avoid slips and falls at our business, we still have too many incidents every year. What are some precautions we can take to decrease injuries due to slips, rips and falls, especially in icy conditions?

A: Rest assured, you’re not alone. According to National Safety, Inc. slips, trips and fall account for 12-15% of all workers compensation costs. Slips are primarily caused by a slippery surface and compounded by wearing the wrong footwear. Certain behaviors also contribute to slips and falls. Walking too fast or running is one of the leading causes of a slip-and-fall injury. Other problems include: distractions, not watching where you are going, carrying materials that obstruct your view, wearing sunglasses in low-light areas, and failing to use handrails.

The most frequent injuries that occur from a slip-and-fall accident include injuries to the back, wrist, elbow, shoulder or knee. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the average cost of a slip-and-fall injury is $28,000, including medical bills, physical therapy and missed wages.

Brrr….it’s cold outsideIn many areas of the country, winter brings lots of snow, ice and treacherous conditions. Below are some simple tips that can help to dramatically reduce slips and falls due to the cold.

• Wear boots and overshoes with gripping soles• When walking, concentrate and put all your attention into

getting indoors safely

Obesity has Growing Impact on Workers Compensation

Sometimes being No. 1 isn’t always a good thing. That’s definitely the case when it comes to America and obesity. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, our country has the most obese people in the world with about 32% of its population considered obese.

In the U.S. on a state by state basis, only Colorado has less than a 20% of its adult population identified as obese. And this sobering news not only has implications for our nation’s health, but also for worker’s compensation industry, as obesity becomes a risk-management issue for businesses.

A recent article in Best’s Review states that the increasing numbers of obese Americans are impacting workplace and worker’s compensation claims, with obese workers having twice as many claims and seven times higher medical costs. Hospitals and other health care facilities are experiencing the obesity problem from a different perspective – seeing increased injuries as a result of having to lift or move patients with obesity problems.

Lost workdays, costs increase with weightAccording to a study in the April 2007 Archives of Internal Medicine, overweight people, those with a body mass index (BMI) between 25 and 29.9, have four times as many lost workdays than healthy weight workers, identified as people with a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9. For those classified as obese, the number of lost workdays escalates the more obese someone is. The most obese, those with a BMI of 40 or greater, have a

• Billing for services not rendered: some providers falsely bill for equipment, supplies or services never provided. Employees should keep track of services received and inspect the EOB to see if non-rendered services have been billed.

• Misrepresenting services: Reimbursement rates are generally tied to the complexity and amount of time required to provide a service, and the cost of supplies and equipment needed. Some health care providers may falsely bill for a higher level of service than was actually performed. For example, a mental health professional may provide group therapy, but then file claims for individual therapy.

• Duplicate billings: Some providers try to get paid twice for the same service by filing two or more claims, usually using a false date of service (computer checks would otherwise deny the claim as a duplicate.)

We encourage you to educate your employees on health care fraud and how to protect themselves.

Taken from the BC/BS Winter 2009 Benefits Management Breifing. o

• Dress warmly. Being cold may cause you to hurry or tense your muscles, which affects your balance

• Give yourself plenty of time

• Take short, deliberate shuffling steps in very icy areas

• Walk with your feet pointed slightly outward to improve balance

• Do not walk with your hands in your pockets

• Don’t carry or swing heavy loads that may cause you to lose your balance while walking

• Place five-gallon pails of ice melt or salt at the entrance of each building. The building manager or custodial staff should spread the salt several times throughout the day until ice patches disappear.

• Keep up with housekeeping by keeping sidewalks and parking lots well lit, removing obstacles from walkways and placing doormats inside every entrance

• Follow designated walkways in parking lots

• Be wary of doorway thresholds where walking surfaces change

Taken from the 4th quarter 2009 issue of the Workforce Forum, from Accident Fund. o


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BICO STEEL SERVICE CENTERS

SINCE 1896

BICO AKRON, INC.Mogadore, Ohio330-794-1716 800-321-0983Fax: [email protected]

BICO MICHIGAN, INC.Grand Rapids, Michigan616-453-2400 800-962-4140Fax: [email protected]

BICO SOUTH, INC.Spartanburg, S. Carolina864-595-1025 800-998-1025Fax: [email protected]

staggering 13 times more lost workdays than healthy-weight workers. They also file twice as many claims as healthy-weight workers.

When it comes to indemnity claims, the costs are 11 times higher for the most obese. How does that translate into dollars and cents? The average cost of a workers compensation medical claim for the most obese is $51,091 compared to $7,503 for a healthy-weight worker.

Helping workers get healthyAs the obesity issue continues to grow, it will become important for the stigma to be removed so that obesity can be discussed in the workplace and regarded as the serious health problem that it is.

Here are some tips to help you raise awareness and help keep your health care costs down:• Promoting a healthy lifestyle at work is one way employers

can help battle obesity. • Having healthy options in vending machines and cutting

back on less-healthy snacks in the break room will encourage healthy eating habits.

• Encouraging workers to walk or exercise during their breaks and providing them with wellness materials and other resources for staying healthy will also support wellness at work.

Obesity facts• America has the highest percentage of obese people in the

world.• Obese workers cost employers significantly more in

workers comp costs.• It takes obese workers longer to heal after and injury.• On average obese workers have 13 times more lost work

days.• Obese workers have twice as many claims and up to seven

times higher medical costs.

Taken from the 4th quarter 2009 issue of the Workforce Forum, from Accident Fund. o

Tax & BusinessTax & BusinessCongress Extends Beneficial NOL ProvisionThe rough economy has caused many businesses to operate at a loss, also termed a net operating loss (NOL). As you would expect, an NOL occurs when there is an excess of business deductions (computed with certain modifications) over gross income in a particular tax year. The good news is there generally are no federal taxes due, and the current-year NOL can be deducted through NOL carryback or carryover in another tax year in which gross income exceeds business deductions (a profitable year). In general, NOLs may be carried back two

years and forward 20 years. The NOL is first carried back to the earliest tax year for which it’s allowable, and is then carried to the next earliest tax year. Carrying back an NOL allows a taxpayer to recover taxes paid in a prior period and improve business cash flow. A taxpayer may elect to forgo the entire NOL carryback period and instead carry it forward if it is more beneficial to do so.

For NOLs arising in tax years ending after December 31, 2007, small businesses can elect to increase the carryback period for an applicable 2008 NOL from two years up to five years. A small business for this purpose is defined as a corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship whose average annual gross receipts for the three-tax-year period ending with the tax year in which the loss arose are $15 million or less.

The recent Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009 (Act) provides an election for even more taxpayers (not just small businesses) to increase the carryback period for an applicable NOL to three, four, or five years. For this provision, an applicable NOL means the taxpayer’s NOL for any tax year ending after December 31, 2007, and beginning before January 1, 2010. Generally, an election may be made only once. However, an eligible small business that elected an NOL carryback before November 6, 2009 (the enactment date), may make a second election in a subsequent tax year that begins before January 1, 2010.

The Act limits the amount of the NOL that can be carried back to the fifth tax year preceding the loss year to no more than 50% of the taxpayer’s taxable income for that fifth preceding tax year. The amount of the NOL otherwise carried to tax years after the fifth preceding tax year is adjusted to take into account that the NOL could offset only 50% of the taxable income for that fifth preceding tax year.

Example: Five-year NOL carryback. Justa Corporation (Justa), a taxpayer averaging $200 million in annual sales, incurs a $5 million NOL during its year ending August 31, 2009. During its tax year ending August 31, 2004, it had taxable income of $6 million. If Justa carries its NOL back to the 2004 tax year, it will only be able to apply $3 million of that 2009 loss against its taxable income in 2004 (because of the 50% limitation). The remaining $2 million can be used to offset taxable income in years 2005 or later. By carrying the 2009 NOL back to prior profitable years, Justa can recover taxes paid in those years, increase its cash flow, and use the proceeds to meet payroll requirements, pay operating expenses, or purchase necessary equipment.

Dealing with business losses can be a painful experience, but NOL treatment and the subsequent recovery of taxes previously paid can often substantially improve this trying situation. However, the tax treatment of NOLs is quite technical, so please your tax professional to discuss how you might benefit from this provision.

Taken from the January 2010 issue of the Tax & Business Alert. o


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BICO STEEL SERVICE CENTERS

SINCE 1896

BICO AKRON, INC.Mogadore, Ohio330-794-1716 800-321-0983Fax: [email protected]

BICO MICHIGAN, INC.Grand Rapids, Michigan616-453-2400 800-962-4140Fax: [email protected]

BICO SOUTH, INC.Spartanburg, S. Carolina864-595-1025 800-998-1025Fax: [email protected]


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income-producing activity, a deduction should be available, just as it would be if the goods or services had been obtained with cash.

Example: Bartering transaction. Courtney is a self-employed attorney. She exchanges her services for a painting worth $5,000 that she displays in her home. She must include the value of the painting ($5,000) in income. She can deduct only the out-of-pocket expenses incurred to furnish the legal fees. This is the same result as if she had collected $5,000 in cash and used the cash to buy the painting.

Variation: Assume instead that Courtney exchanged her legal services for two months rent (worth $5,000) for the office space where she conducts her legal practice. Here, she would have $5,000 income, but also a $5,000 deduction for rental expense on her tax return reporting income from her legal practice. Again, the result is the same as if she had received the $5,000 in cash and used it to pay the rent on her office space.

Please call your tax professional if you have questions on the reporting requirements of bartering transactions or any other tax compliance or planning issue.

Taken from the January 2010 issue of the Tax & Business Alert. o

Business Gifts - Watch Out for the Limitations!This time of year it is very common to send your clients and colleagues gifts for the holiday season. What most do not know is that the amount that a business may deduct for tax purposes is very limited! Back in 1962, the IRS enacted a business gift limit of $25 per person. Guess what the limit is today - 57 years later? Yep, it is still only $25!

While $25 doesn’t even buy flowers or candy these days, the limit has remained the same in response to taxpayer concerns about lavish gift giving by big business. Big business continues to make gifts in excess of the $25, but the deduction isn’t as important to the executives as the goodwill that they hope an expensive gift creates. Unfortunately, there is no hope in sight for any increase to the gifting limit.

If you’ve sent gifts to clients and/or colleagues this year and were unaware of the limit, please discuss this with your tax preparer.

Taken from the December 2009 Sunderland Group Tax E-newsletter. o

AMBA Member Benefit:

Quarterly Business Forecast Survey – Provides a snapshot of current and anticipated business conditions so you can see how your business stacks up against your peers and the industry to help in your marketing and sales planning.

Taxation of BarteringBartering is the exchange of property or services for another’s property or services. During this difficult economic period, many small businesses are facing cash flow issues due to falling sales and tight credit. Given the tough economy, some small business owners have found that bartering is a way to increase sales and decrease excess inventory in exchange for marketing and advertising, professional services, and goods and supplies for their business. Bartering can be done individually or through an organized barter exchange.

If examined by the IRS, business owners and individuals are likely to be asked if they engaged in any bartering transactions. This is because the fair market value (FMV) of the goods or services received must be included in gross income on the date received just as if it had been a cash transaction. A business owner can offset bartering income with the cost (not FMV) of any property exchanged in such a transaction, as would be the case in an ordinary sale of inventory. Taxpayers who trade services, instead of property, can offset the income with any expenses that would normally be deducted against income generated by producing that service (e.g., supplies, telephone, etc.).

A bartering transaction may actually consist of two transactions. The first is the receipt of income, equal to the FMV of the goods or services received. Next, if the goods and services received are used in the taxpayer’s business or


AMBA 37

What exactly are these advisors guilty of doing?... Traditional estate planning.

What is “traditional estate planning” (TEP)?A TEP is the plan that most advisors use for a married couple. Chances are if your estate plan is done, you have a TEP (and that’s good). A TEP uses a rather simple will, called a “pour-over will” and an irrevocable trust. The will gathers any assets not in the trust when you die and pours these assets into the trust. All your assets are now in the trust, which contains your estate plan. The trust is commonly called an “A/B trust” or “family /residuary trust” or something similar.

Is there anything wrong with a TEP?... absolutely not, assuming it is properly drawn. Then what’s the problem?... The TEP is normally the only plan, and a TEP is not designed to save estate taxes. If you are married, it does many other things (which makes a TEP a good start for your estate plan). A TEP does have two minor estate tax tricks: (1) the marital deduction defers any estate tax until the second death of the husband and wife (but when the second one dies, the IRS gets its pound of flesh); and (2) the so called “unified credit” (in 2009 was $3.5 million per person that passed free of the estate tax or $7 million for a married couple; the exact amount at this writing – early January, 2010 – is unknown until Congress acts.)

Let’s summarize: If the unified credit continues at $3.5 million (or whatever Congress finally blesses us with as estate tax free), the best a TEP can do – as far as saving you estate tax – is to save you tax on the $3.5 million for the first spouse who dies. That’s it.

It’s difficult for me to say what follows: Any claim that a TEP can save you even a dime in taxes, over and above the unified credit is a myth, hoax and total illusion. If your estate plan consists of a TEP and only a TEP (or even includes an irrevocable life insurance trust [ILIT]), chances are you’ve been duped.) If your advisor claims otherwise, challenge him or her to show you where and how in the document that the savings are created.

Yes, the above are tough accusations. Some of the accused will come after my scalp. But most will read what follows and improve the way they do estate planning. How do I know?... Two reasons: (#1) Over the years I have talked to dozens of estate planning advisors after their clients asked me to review their estate plans…. I am only talking about those plans that used only a TEP (or on occasion added an ILIT). In every case, except two, the advisor welcomed my input and supported the suggested additions to the client’s estate plan.

Now reason #2: For 22 years (starting in the 80s) my assistant scheduled from 18 to 24 estate planning seminars from coast to coast (mostly trade association meetings). Every year 3-5 of those seminars were given to “estate planning councils” (EPC) (attended by experts in estate planning and primarily lawyers, CPAs, financial advisors and bank trust officers). Always

IRS Announces 2010 Standard Mileage RatesThe Internal Revenue Service today issued the 2010 optional standard mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes.

Beginning on January. 1, 2010, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car (also vans, pickups or panel trucks) will be:

• 50 cents per mile for business miles driven

• 16.5 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes

• 14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations

The new rates for business, medical and moving purposes are slightly lower than last year’s. The mileage rates for 2010 reflect generally lower transportation costs compared to a year ago.

The standard mileage rate for business is based on an annual study of the fixed and variable costs of operating an automobile. The rate for medical and moving purposes is based on the variable costs as determined by the same study. Independent contractor Runzheimer International conducted the study.

A taxpayer may not use the business standard mileage rate for a vehicle after using any depreciation method under the Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System (MACRS) or after claiming a Section 179 deduction for that vehicle. In addition, the business standard mileage rate cannot be used for any vehicle used for hire or for more than four vehicles used simultaneously.

Taxpayers always have the option of calculating the actual costs of using their vehicle rather than using the standard mileage rates. o

What is the Estate Tax Trap Most High-Net Worth Business Owners Fall Into?

If your net worth is high enough to be subject to the evil estate tax, chances are you worked your tail off all or most of your adult life to accumulate your wealth… But draw your last breath and the estate tax monster wants to devour about half your wealth. Not a pretty picture.

It’s sad. Worse yet, the complete failure of almost all professional advisors to take you, your family and your business out of the horrible estate tax picture. Die and your estate pays… but fortunately, you – with the right tax planning – don’t have to lose any of your wealth to the estate tax monster.

Do you have enough wealth to be clobbered by the estate tax?... Then read every word of this article. You’ll learn how to keep your wealth. But first I must ask you to open your mind, because we are about to kill some sacred cows (really conventional wisdom of how almost all estate planning advisors, inadvertently, make you a victim of the estate tax.)


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challenged each EPC audience to list the ways a TEP saved estate taxes. Never, but never, could any of those audiences add to the two tax tricks described above.

Then, I would spend about 2½ hours teaching my estate planning system (some of which follows in brief) to my want-to-learn audiences.

My motivation for this article was and is the following email received from a reader (Joe) of this column, “I am working with a law firm… designing a will and trust [a TEP] and would like you to review the documents.” After a few questions, I agreed to review the documents if Joe would send along three items: two financial statements (a personal one and his last year-end for his business, Success Co.) and a family tree (name and birthday for Joe, his wife and four kids).

Three days later Joe’s information package arrived. Here’s a few things you should know about the information in the package.

•A typical TEP was the entire estate plan.

•The lawyer (Larry) who drafted the TEP (it was very well done) boasted on his stationery that he is “a Board Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law.”

•Joe (48 years old) owns Success Co. (an S corporation) that he started from scratch, is very profitable and growing. Joe likes Larry professionally, but feels that somehow the plan Larry created falls short of accomplishing Joe’s goals.

Without going into great detail this is what we (not only me, but my network of experts) advised Joe to do:

1. Retain Larry and sign his documents, after one suggested change.

2. Since the TEP does not legally speak until Joe dies (when that will be is uncertain, but according to the life expectancy tables, about 35 years) a lifetime tax plan should be created.

So, simply put, everyone should have two plans: a death plan (TEP) and a lifetime plan. The purpose of the lifetime plan (an example follows) is to take such actions and employ various strategies so that by the time you go to the big business in the sky, the estate tax has been eliminated or you have created enough tax-free wealth that any estate tax liability is covered. Remember, it’s not what you are worth today that’s socked with the estate tax, but the amount you (or your spouse) will be worth after both of you have entered the pearly gates.

Also remember that Joe, like the typical guy, wants to control his wealth – particularly his business – to the day he dies.

Millstar Tools take the HEAT — Increase Mold-Making Production.

Millstar World Headquarters30200 Ryan Road • Warren, MI 48092 U.S.A.

Tel: (586) 573-9450 • Fax: (586) 573-9451Email: [email protected] • www.millstar.com

With Millstar cutter strategies and high-speed machining solu-tions mold makers produce more finished molds and dies in less time.

Millstar cutting tools provide mold makers:

• Decrease lead times with unmatched process and product support

• Industry leading accuracy for true contouring results

• Advanced tool geometry and coatings for simultane-ous chip and heat removal

We’re ready to take the heat! Contact Millstar today.

Call 1-877-645-5792(1-877-MILLSTAR)

Don’t be fooled by imitations—look for the Cole Crown on every insert.


AMBA 39

Do you Want Company Exposure in Industry Magazines?

Contact AMBA’s Marketing Consultant, Clare Goldsberry, and she will write a FREE press release to help promote your company’s services, products, equipment & special milestones to industry magazines and local newspapers. Clare has a BA Degree in Journalism, and is the senior editor of Modern Plastics magazine. She also offers marketing assistance in developing company marketing plans, brochures & customer lists. Contact her at (602) 996-6499 or email [email protected].

Here’s the list of 10 Strategies (actually there are more) we wove into a comprehensive lifetime plan for Joe, his family and his business:

1. Asset protection strategies to protect Joe’s personal assets and, separately, the business assets.

2. A management corporation (a C corporation) was set up to provide Joe (but not other employees of Success Co.) with many tax-free fringe benefits (including long-term care and deductibility of all – Joe, his wife and four kids - medical expenses).

3. A family limited partnership for Joe’s investment assets.

4. A non-qualified deferred compensation plan for his two key employees (an easy way to prevents employees from leaving and competing with you).

5. A common paymaster to save significant amounts of payroll taxes every year.

6. Create a plan to use a portion of the profits of Success Co. to pay for the children’s college education.

7. Transfer Success Co. to the children tax-free, yet Joe maintains control.

8. Set up a family foundation and a charitable lead trust as a tax-effective way to make substantial charitable contributions without reducing the children’s inheritance.

9. A strategy to save income taxes whenever a new unit of Success Co. is opened.

10. How to make the insurance on Joe’s life estate tax-free and buy over $3 million of second-to-die life insurance using the government’s money.

And finally, a question clients always ask, “Irv, how do I know when my estate plan is done and done right?”… Here’s a two-point answer: (1) When your advisor can look you in the eye and tell you – whether you are worth $5 million or $50 million (or more) – that the estate plan created for you will eliminate the impact of the estate tax. Simply put, if you are worth $11 million, $11 million to your family (all taxes paid in full), if worth $44 million, $44 million to your family. Fill in your own number. And (2) the advisor can explain in simple English how each strategy works to save those millions.

As always, any questions, call me (Irv) at 847-674-5295. o

Human ResourcesHuman ResourcesBy: Karla Dobbeck, PHR, Human Resource Techniques, Inc.

Staffing Up? Consider the Following Options

Getting busy but don’t have enough staff? Before staffing up, take a step back and decide what will work best for you.

1. Recalling workers – This option is great because you won’t need to take time training or with orientation. Be careful though, if the employee coming back is angry, he or she might look for ways to ‘get even’.

2. Call your local temp service – with so many out of work, a temp service has a list of people with diverse skill sets to fit your specific need. You will be able to ‘try out’ a new employee before hiring on.

3. Instead of calling back a laid off worker, consider asking your temp service to provide payroll services for him/her.

Portable Non-Destructive Hardness Testing

... more than 50 years of know-how you can measure!

Proceq USA, Inc.117 Corporation DriveAliquippa, PA 15001Tel: +1-724-512-0330Fax: [email protected]

Equotip Piccolo 2For real-time monitoring and user specific conversions. With additional software.

Greatest Accuracy and best Repetition Rate!

Contact Proceq to find out how we can solve your application needs.


40 AMBA

If you are an AMBA member and your business accepts credit cards as a form of payment, get ready to save some money.AMBA has teamed with First American Payment

Systems to bring you significant savings on your

credit card processing rates and fees. For nearly

20 years, First American has delivered world-class

merchant services to association members just like

you.

100 Throckmorton Street, Suite 1800, Fort Worth, TX 76102 • www.first-american.net • [email protected]

As an AMBA member, some of the benefits that you will receive include:■ Credit Card Processing as low as 1.67%

■ Check Card Processing as low as 1.35%

■ NO Application Fee■ NO Set-Up Fee■ FREE Merchant Benefits Package■ FREE 24/7 online account access■ Discounts on equipment■ 24/7 U.S-based Customer Service

Call 1-888-733-4265 to learn more about the AMBA/First American advantage, including additional pricing information and a complete list of our in-house products. As an AMBA member, you qualify for a free analysis of your current monthly merchant statement.

Your AMBA Membership Just Became More Valuable


AMBA 41

If you are an AMBA member and your business accepts credit cards as a form of payment, get ready to save some money.AMBA has teamed with First American Payment

Systems to bring you significant savings on your

credit card processing rates and fees. For nearly

20 years, First American has delivered world-class

merchant services to association members just like

you.

100 Throckmorton Street, Suite 1800, Fort Worth, TX 76102 • www.first-american.net • [email protected]

As an AMBA member, some of the benefits that you will receive include:■ Credit Card Processing as low as 1.67%

■ Check Card Processing as low as 1.35%

■ NO Application Fee■ NO Set-Up Fee■ FREE Merchant Benefits Package■ FREE 24/7 online account access■ Discounts on equipment■ 24/7 U.S-based Customer Service

Call 1-888-733-4265 to learn more about the AMBA/First American advantage, including additional pricing information and a complete list of our in-house products. As an AMBA member, you qualify for a free analysis of your current monthly merchant statement.

Your AMBA Membership Just Became More Valuable

4. Leave requests – Consider developing a method for your employees to request time off or to pre-authorize absences. Having a form listing the various reasons for absences will help you to ensure protected absences are granted and those not protected are addressed.

For help in developing any of these or other HR procedures, feel free to contact HRT at 847-289-4504. Checklists for hiring and terminations and a pre-authorized absence request are available at no cost simply by requesting them!

Time to Review Your Employee Handbook

Over the past few years, many changes have been made to regulations and now might be a good time to look at your policies to make sure they are still in compliance. Below are a few that have changed in the past few years.

• Family & Medical Leave• Victims Economic Security & Safety• Employee Classifications• Equal Pay• Time off to Vote

If you do not have a handbook, don’t worry since there is not a legal requirement to have one. On the other hand, a handbook does provide a roadmap for supervisors, managers and employees when it comes to handling common workplace issues.

How benefits work, what company policies must be followed, what will lead to discipline and how administration works are all important to include.

If you do have a handbook, a policy on discrimination, harassment and sexual harassment is a ‘must include’. Other policies that should be included are those that disclose the use of drug testing, physicals, assessments and new hire reporting. Also, the law requires employers to disclose the workweek (168 consecutive hours) and where and when employees are paid.

Don’t forget to include a section on safety and what happens during an emergency situation such as a tornado or when an evacuation occurs as well as your safety rules.

Make sure that your policies don’t tie your hands for disciplining and give employees specifics to follow.

Lastly, make sure to make your handbook short and easy to read. A lengthy document filled with legalese will not be something your employees will use and if the goal is to communicate effectively, this type of document will be counter-productive. o

That way, you avoid taxes, additional unemployment and workers comp but get the benefit of someone who knows your company. When the assignment ends, you won’t need to ‘fire’ the person again because you are not the employer!

4. Look for new talent – If before the slowdown your company was lacking a certain skill set, look for it now when staffing up. There are so many qualified candidates available right now it truly is a ‘buyers’ market. You will be able to find skills to compliment your workforce if you take some time to analyze what you need.

5. Don’t forget your suppliers and customers – these folks are a wonderful source for referrals. They may provide a referral for you from their own ranks which can strengthen your relationship with the customer or vendor in the long term. It is quite possible that a candidate referred from a customer will have valuable information to share helping you to become a preferred provider as well!

Take time to staff up right. If you do, you might find the best solutions to your immediate and long term needs!

HR Procedures Review for the New Year

As the New Year begins, it might be a good time for you to review your procedures to ensure your supervisors and managers know how to handle various situations.

Below are common practices that should be consistent throughout your organization.

1. Hiring procedures – Is there one point of entry for your organization? There should be! Make sure all supervisors and managers know how to bring someone new into your company. By developing a procedure, you can be assured that all paperwork is completed, physicals or drug tests are administered consistently and that unemployment charges are diminished. Consider using a new hire checklist.

2. Accident reporting and investigation - When someone is injured at work, what is your procedure? Having a written procedure will help all supervisors make good decisions regarding trips to occupational health, drug testing and completing mandatory paperwork for the insurance company and State. Developing an accident investigation report will help the company to find ways to correct areas that lead to injury. Make sure to look for ways to find the facts and not place blame on the injured employee.

3. Discipline and terminations – Consider appropriate courses of action for different infractions. Be careful not to tie your hands so that you are free to take action based on the infraction and the overall employment history of the employee. Remember that fair is not always equal. Having one person in the company review a decision before any action is taken will help to avoid claims of discrimination.


42 AMBA

In Memory – Dave Leverenz

David Leverenz, 66, a long-time friend and employee of Tri-Par Die and Mold Corporation passed away on December 30th, 2009. His illness of only four months took him much too quickly. Dave will be remembered as having a ready smile and quick laugh. He had a gentle, friendly personality that everyone loved.

He worked as an estimator and purchasing agent and enjoyed his work as well as all of the people that he contacted. His co-workers, family and friends will miss him greatly but are forever grateful for having known him. He is survived by his wife, three children and many grandchildren.

In Memory – Steve Bales

Bales Mold Service Carries President’s Vision Forward Steven J. Bales, president of Bales Mold Service, Inc. in Downers Grove, IL, passed away suddenly on November 18, in Harlingen, TX. He was 53. Steve will be missed, but his vision and dedication is being carried on by his family and many long-time, loyal employees who will continue to serve the moldmaking industry.

Bales Mold Service was founded by Steve and his brother, Mike, in 1978, initially providing diamond polishing and hard chrome plating for plastic injection molds. The company rapidly grew over the years and became widely known for its engineered coatings and finishes as well as many other products and services. The company regularly participated in major industry

trade shows such as the MoldMaking Expo and NPE and Steve was often a presenter at technical conferences.

Harry Raimondi, who worked closely with Steve during his 13 years as Sales and Technical Services Manager at Bales, said, “Steve was an innovator, and was always looking for new ways to advance mold

coating technology. While the majority of our business is in the plastics industry, Steve also made sure our company was diversified in terms of markets served, focusing on stainless steel passivation for aerospace and leveraging our expertise in coatings to many other industries. He was a leader, and an employer and friend who was loved and respected by his employees.”

In 2001, Bales opened a second facility in Harlingen, Texas, enabling the company to address the coatings and finish needs of customers in the southern U.S. and the Maquiladora region. In 2008, in time for the celebration of Bales Mold’s 30th anniversary, construction of an addition to the Downers Grove, IL location was completed, expanding the capacity for electroless nickel and hard chrome plating. A new, state-of -the-art wet chemistry lab was also added, with an enlarged inspection area.

Following is a list of key staff members that Bales customers can contact for service or information:

Jon Bailey - General ManagerJon, Steve’s nephew, has been at Bales Mold Service since 1994. He began as an apprentice to Mike Bales in our polishing department. In 2000, he began to train next to Steve in the chrome and nickel departments and became General Manager in 2006.

Stacey Bales - Office ManagerStacey, Steve’s daughter, began working at Bales 12 years ago. She worked in the nickel and shipping departments before moving to the office. In 2002, she became the Office Manager.

Harry Raimondi -Technical Services ManagerHarry has been working at Bales Mold Service as our Technical Services Manager since 1996. Prior to working at Bales, Harry was a moldmaker for 28 years. He has a vast knowledge of all of the company’s services.

Rich O’Brien - Customer Service ManagerRich has been with Bales Mold for almost 15 years. He has worked in several departments, learning all processes, and has moved into the role of Bales’ Customer Liaison.

Contact Bales Mold Service at 800-215-MOLD or visit www.balesmold.com.


AMBA 43

Website Grader

Your business website - How does it stack up to your competitors? Websites are becoming more an more critical to business success. Here is a neat website grader . . . http://websitegrader.com

This FREE tool not only “grades” your website, but it also gives you many tips about how to improve it! Besides providing tips on SEO optimization, it also gives hints on converting qualified visitors to leads... and much, much more. It’s quick and so simple and FREE: http://websitegrader.com. o

you did for them last year. By getting in touch, you will be able to generate new business and revive old ones in the process. 5. Network, network, network Go to events and attend trade show exhibits. But bear in mind that networking is not about getting as many business cards as you can. Networking is about making connections and forming working relationships that can help you grow your business. There are lots more ways to market your business without costing you an arm and a leg. You just have to be creative in finding out the means to promote what you have according to your budget to generate leads for your business. o

The Impact and Implications of Losing Customers

•A lost customer can make our current customers skeptic and to question their loyalty to us.

•A lost customer can degrade our image and reputation in the marketplace.

•A lost customer forces us to undertake work and changes we didn’t want or plan.

•A lost customer can be a wake-up call for us to get our act together.

•A lost customer can have a harmful impact on our sales projections, cash flow, receivables and payables.

•A lost customer can inhibit us from meeting our buying commitments with suppliers and vendors.

Taken from Mike Hennings Family Business News & Insights, January, 2010. o

AMBA 2009 Fall Conference Testimonial:

I enjoyed myself thoroughly at Fall Conference. It was a real eye opening experience, and I plan to be active with the Carolinas Chapter and AMBA National office as much as possible moving forward! David Bowers II, JMMS, Inc.

Business Success StrategiesBusiness Success Strategies

Alternative Ways To Market Minus The Expensive CostsBy: Lynne Saarte

When marketing your business, you do not have to break the bank just so you can have yourself a promotional campaign that can generate leads. These are precisely the times to be conscious of where your hard earned money is going. As such, you really have to look into possible ways that you can save on costs on your marketing efforts. Times are hard and you might find yourself struggling to keep on attracting new clients to your business. And although it is quite tempting, do not even think about cutting your marketing budget just so you can make ends meet. If you want to start losing your client base then go right ahead and stop your marketing activities. But if you want to survive these difficult times and remain on top, you have to start thinking of clever ways to promote your business. You do not have to regularly come up with more costly collaterals such as catalog printing or print brochures so that you can have as many leads as possible. There are other cost-effective ways to go about marketing other than your print catalogs. Here is how: 1. Market with thank you note cards. You can always purchase a pile of them at discount shops, and then send them to your loyal clients just to let them know that you appreciate the business they provide you. Handwrite the message to make it more personal. And end with a wish for their success and well-being. 2. Be an expert. Write articles on your expertise. Since you are in moldmaking, then write articles on topics of interest in moldmaking and then submit these articles on websites or to your trade association for publication. The more people who will be able to read your articles, the more chances of your expertise to get you the leads you need for your client base. 3. Share data and information. This time, if you found a great article, you can share it with your customers that will appreciate such information. It will show that you are interested in them, so much so that you are keeping tabs of what can provide them solutions to some of their issues. 4. Contact people. Talk to them. This is the most basic means to get in touch with your target clients. Just go ahead, pick up the phone and dial that number. Ask for feedback on current marketing campaigns or the ones


44 AMBA

Co. in Muskego,WI. They were very knowledgeable and we now run relatively trouble free. We also use a filtering unit from Crystal Kleen that removes tramp oil and helps aerate. o

Classified CornerClassified CornerFOR SALE - 2001 FIDIA K165 3+2 Hi Speed CNCDescription: Bought this machine at the 2002 IMTS show as a demo model. All service records, recently upgraded FIDIA C-20 control. 3,000 - 30,000 RPM Spindle. X- 1,000mm by Y - 600mm by Z -500mm. 1574 In/Minute feedrate 20 position tool changer, HSK 50E Spindle FIDIA Laser Tool Measurement, Excellent condition - Fantastic finishes and accuracy. Priced for QUICK sale! Have new machines coming in!!!!

Contact Info: Steve Rotman Ameritech Die & Mold, Inc, Mooresville, NC, 704-664-0801 Price: $82,000 OBO FOR SALE - Blanchard Grinder Description: 20CD-36, 38” swing, 3/4” chuck life. Contact : Raymond Mueller III Price: 314-522-8080

FOR SALE - Blanchard grinderDescription: 1993 model 54HD-100, 100” chuck, 120” swing, 54” segmented whee,l 250hp soft start, 3/4” chuck life. Contact Info: Raymond Mueller III Price: 314-522-8080

FOR SALE - Kent Surface Grinder Description: Model PFG200N, 6x16 Table, 3,480rpm Spindle Speed, 60Hz, 1KW-2P Spindle Motor, May be purchased with or without mag chuck. Contact Info: David Drawert, 480-921-9939, Tempe, Arizona [email protected]: $1,200 w/o Mag Chuck or $1,400 with Mag Chuck. o

AMBA Member Benefits:

Annual Wage & Benefits Survey - provides a 35-page analysis of employee wage and employee benefits information for the mold & die cast industry, broken down by geographic location. This information is not available anywhere else, and is consistently ranked by members as one of the top five member benefits.

Your company listing on the AMBA website at www.amba.org. Featuring the FIND a MOLDMAKER online buyer’s guide, to make it easy for OEMs and molders to find a mold shop by geographic location, services and specialties. With more than 120,000 hits per month, you’ll see an increase in inquiries and RFQs!

AMBA Answers Have you used “AMBA Answers”? The AMBA offers this unique networking option that you can use right from your office! It’s located on the AMBA website under “My AMBA”.

My AMBA is the “Members Only” section of the site. You can post a question to AMBA Answers and your question will be broadcast to all the AMBA members. If you have a question that you need assistance with, please visit the AMBA Answers section of the website and post your question! Your fellow members will be happy to help you out and get you the answers that you need! Here are some examples of the kinds of questions and responses you’ll find on “AMBA Answers.”: Question: We are looking at putting a coolant maintenance program in place and have a good opportunity to change coolant for the entire shop. Has anyone found a brand/type of coolant that really works well they would recommend? What about a skimmer or coalescing unit and did you have a mobile units or individual units for each machine?

Answers:• We have used Trim E206 for about three years now with

real good success. We were experiencing a lot of problems with smelly coolant and complaints from toolmakers about oily residues with the previous brand. We went from about 30 days tank life to well over a year. We have had no complaints from toolmakers as far as smell or irritation. Cutting performance seems to be good. We also installed a RO water system for the coolant and use a mixer valve to mix it from the barrel. These two things most likely made the most difference in our coolant compared to what brand we were using. We are currently looking for a good oil separator for tramp oil so I am interested in what responses you get on that. We have used a Safety Kleen unit for a year with limited success. Matter of fact, we might sell it if anybody is interested. We have a brand new model we got as a warranty replacement.

• We have used Blaser 4000 Strong for our CNC Machining centers and really like it. It doesn’t remove paint on the machines and also doesn’t have problems with stinking if you keep it maintained. We had one machine that had the same coolant in it for 10 years and never had problems till someone accidentally mixed in grinding coolant and messed the whole batch up. It is also easy on the hands if the operator gets into it. It also works well for lubrication. We use a coalescer and aerator to get out the way oil which you do have to keep on top of.

• We had problems in the past with coolant and I believe it was more about implementation procedures than the coolant. We now use a water soluble from S C Chemical


AMBA 45

Tech CornerTech Corner

Holder Steel for improved plastics mold tooling

Today, RoyAlloy™ Stainless steel is the preferred mold base steel of choice throughout North America. RoyAlloy™ demonstrates significant improvements, including enhanced machinability,improved stability, greater toughness, better weldability, and more consistent uniformity and hardness when compared with 420F/1.2085.

Edro Specialty Steels, Inc.California - Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

West: 800.368.3376East & Midwest: 888.368.3376

Appenweier, GermanyTel +49 (0) 7805 91579-0email: [email protected]

www.edro.com

™

19647_EDRO_AD 7/12/07 3:42 PM Page 1

21st Century Mold Management and Storage Data Solutions

Your mold documentation travels with your mold, always. RedE Innovations announces the launch of the new innovative mold data management and storage solution.

The innovative RedE Vault system allows a mold owner to securely store important process parameters, mold repair logs, and drawings while enforcing business practices, increasing mold technician accountability and assisting in quality control and ISO compliance directly on the mold. Using RedE Innovations data services and software, mold owners are able to manage mold data and provide a thorough status overview of multiple molds through the redevault.com secure website.

The user friendly RedE Vault software is designed to help mold owners secure and manage their mold data while allowing for quick and easy access to templates, drawings and files, with the administrative option to determine each user’s data access permissions. Employing the RedE Vault mold management data solution grants you peace of mind, knowing your data is backed up safe and secure with confidential data access granted to specific users. With 8GB of memory and the ability to optionally encrypt your files using the ASE-256 encryption algorithm the RedE Vault makes your data easily accessible and never compromised.

Contact Jim Stuart at [email protected] or Klaus Wieder at [email protected].

High Efficiency Graphite Dust Filter

Designed specifically for graphite dust control, the Wynn “G” series flanged cartridges are directly interchangeable with filters commonly used in vibrating type dust collectors. These surface loading, Merv 15 Nanofiber filters have an open pleat design which allows for superior dust release during the cleaning cycle. The high filtration efficiency guarantees minimal dust bypass and dust release is so complete that there is no need for wrap-around pre filters.

Filters for abrasive dusts are also available. Wynn Environmental publishes prices on their website.

For more information contact: Richard R Wynn, Wynn Environmental, Phone: (215) 442-9443, email: [email protected] o


46 AMBA

Advertiser’s Index

Absolute Machine Tools, Inc. ......................... 20

Alba Enterprises, Inc . ..................................... 22

Bico Steel Service Centers ............................... 35

Crystallume Engineered Diamond ................. 13

DME Company ................................................ 26

Edro Specialty Steels, Inc. .............................. 45

A. Finkl & Sons Co. ......................................... 28

First American Payment Systems .................. 40

Gibson Insurance Group ................................. 48

Graphic Products North America ................... 45

Haas Automation, Inc. .................................... 25

Hasco America ................................................. 36

Incoe Corporation ............................................. 7

M & M Tooling ................................................ 39

Makino ............................................................. 30

Millstar, LLC .................................................... 38

Moldmaking Technology Magazine ............... 15

OMNI Mold Systems, LLC .............................. 47

PCS ................................................................... 23

Precision Punch .............................................. 10

Proceq USA, Inc. ............................................. 13

Progressive Components .................................. 2

Rocklin Manufacturing Co. .............................. 8

Superior Die Set .............................................. 35

Tarus Products, Incorporated ......................... 36

Ultra Polishing ................................................. 46

Vega Tool Corporation ............................. 18, 19

Wisconsin Engraving Co., Inc. / Unitex ......... [email protected]

Wisc_Engraving.indd 1 10/23/08 1:33:02 PM

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CM

MY

CY

CMY

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UltraPolishing AMBA Ad 2009.pdf 10/6/09 3:02:05 PM


AMBA 47

• (2) New series of slides

• A total of (18) new sizes

• In stock ready to ship

• CAD files are available on our website

• Call for more information

Proudly madein the USA

OMNI Mold Systems customers have been asking for more size options for our Versa-Slides®.We have listened and are now stocking two new series (45 series) and (55 series).

• The (45 Series) will fill the gap between the 40 and 50 series slides with a 4.375”slide face width.

• The (55 Series) will fill the gap between the 50 and 60 series slides with a 7.125”slide face width.

That’s 18 new sizes in all! No more need to custom build those in between sizes.

OMNI MOLD SYSTEMS™

Toll Free Ph 888-666-4755 www.omnimold.comToll Free Fax 888-816-2850 [email protected]


48 AMBA

Leading Provider of

Insuring the AMBA

RiskManagement

InsuranceCommercial Insurance

Employee BenefitsPersonal Home & Auto

Claims ConsultingLoss Prevention

OSHA Compliance ConsultingPhoto courtesy of PM Mold Company

www.gibsonins.com 800-814-2122

Leading Provider of

American Mold Builders AssociationP.O. Box 404Medinah, IL 60157-0404(Change Service Requested)

PRSRTU.S. Postage

PAIDMedinah, IL

Permit No. 20


2010 the american mold builder - winter

Documents

new year

independent mold companies

mold performance

better year

health care reform

ability of small businesses

unique businesses

annual amba convention