CNC machining is, in my opinion the best manufacturing job a person can have.

As far as money goes - you’ll be hard pressed to find any blue collar jobs that pay better then a cnc machinist.

And, for the most part it’s not back breaking work.

Following the meeting, members of the NMCC called on the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and briefed him on the activities of the Council, besides seeking his guidance on various issues relating to India’s manufacturing competitiveness.

The NMCC has recommended the following main Goals for Manufacturing Sector:

· If the Nation’s GDP is to grow at balanced 8 - 9% per annum then the manufacturing sector has to grow at 12% - 14% per annum over the next decade compared to less than 7% growth in the last two decades;

· Manufacturing is a force multiplier as investments in manufacturing yields four times effect on GDP growth;

· Manufacturing is crucial for the robust growth of the economy, of exports and of generating substantial relevant employment;

· Growth target of 12% in manufacturing would create about 1.6 to 2.9 million direct jobs annually and in addition 2 to 3 times new jobs indirectly; and

· The long term goal should be to aim at much higher contribution of manufacturing in the GDP (25% to 35%).

The approach adopted by NMCC is based on the premise that improving competitiveness, and not protection or subsidy, is the remedy. It comprises:

· A National level strategy paper on Manufacturing;

· Taking up sub-sectors having immediate potential for gains in terms of growth, market share, employment and identify impediments – initiate suitable action;

· In addition Examine in-depth, certain generic issues cutting across most sub-sectors (e.g. HRD/ Training, Innovation, Taxation, etc.); and

· Engage various States in the whole process (they drive manufacturing, investments, employment generation etc.).

The Action Plan suggested by the NMCC includes implementation of ‘National Strategy for Manufacturing’ by launching a National Manufacturing Initiative with a 10-year horizon, and setting short term, medium term and long term goals looking at both national as well as firm level issues.

machinistjobs.cnc-machining-resources.info

CNC machining is a job sits comfortably atop the hierarchy of manufacturing jobs. A skilled machinist can command a very good salary in fact $60,000 a year or more is not uncommon.

As a CNC machinist your job will also be more secure and safe from outsourcing. This is due to the level of skill required to be successful and while simple tasks such as assembly are being outsourced a rapid rate. This is not to say that outsourcing will have no effect in the machineing field, or that your job will never be outsourced because any job white or blue-collar is facing the outsourcing pinch.

Finding a job as a CNC machinist shouldn’t be too hard. Most manufacturing companies have machining departments and there are many shops that specialize in just CNC. Landing one of these jobs will be much easier if you have some machining experience, or if you have a degree from a technical college. If you don’t have a degree from a technical college or any experience I’ll tell you a little trick that will allow you to sneak in the back door, and land that CNC job and even beat out more qualified candidates.

You’re going to want to research perspective companies and find the pay scale for their CNC positions. Once you got a list of prospective companies go apply for an entry-level position at that company. Punch press, sweeping what ever just get in the door.

How will this help you get a CNC job? 90 percent of all manufacturing companies promote from within. They’ll give current employees preferential treatment before hiring an outsider even if the current employee is lacking experience for the open position.

Keys to getting promoted in a to a CNC operator position:

You’ll need a strong work ethic.
Perform well on the job.
Have a good attitude.
Show a willingness to learn and make it known that you want to learn about CNC machines.
And most important be dependable. that means always show up on time, and always volunteered to work overtime if it’s available.

Note these tips for getting ahead only apply to non-union jobs because they promote people based on performance where most union jobs only look at seniority.

As a trained as CNC machinist you will never have to worry about job security that is not to say you’ll never get laid off, but if you do you need only send out your resume to prospective employers or place it online listing your qualifications and you’ll be getting a job offers in no time.

RIBS - Robotically Integrated Bending Solutions – from Automated Concepts Inc. is the first retrofittable system that brings a robot into coordinated motion with any brand of down-acting CNC hydraulic press brake. With RIBS, users don’t have to replace all their equipment in order to update and automate their processes. RIBS also features offline programming of the entire process which reduces downtime. The RIBS system uses standard CAD files of a users parts, offers process verification through a virtual 3D interface and provides full utilization of the press brake.

Manually operated press brakes are often underutilized and plagued with inconsistent tooling wear and bend inaccuracies. With RIBS users will have an automated process that reduces the time between bends, minimizes misuse of the tooling, organizes the set-ups and optimizes the bending process.

The RIBS system features SimulEasy software which allows the user to program an entire bend sequence offline and then upload the program into both the press brake and robot. With only a few minutes of setup, the RIBS robot will follow pieces through bends to avoid back-bending and maintain consistent bend angles. The SimulEasy program also assists in the process of tooling selection, robot gripper design, re-grip coordination, cell layout, checks clearances and orders bend sequences enabling users to minimize cycle-times.

Worker safety is another advantage of automated press brake systems. Manual operations tend to require heavy lifting and repetitive motion. But when companies automate their press brakes with RIBS, they will benefit from reduced repetitive motion and lifting strain injuries and reduced costs in workman’s compensation insurance.

For more information about RIBS contact Automated Concepts Inc., 2906 21st Avenue, Council Bluffs IA 51501, phone 712-328-3410, fax 712-328-3630. Or visit us online at www.automatedconcepts.com

Burkhalter Rigging, Inc. (http://www.burkhalter.net), the award-winning specialized lift, rigging, and transport professionals who engineer solutions with a major emphasis on safety for heavy industry announce the successful barge offload and heavy haul delivery of JIER mechanical presses to the Hopkinsville auto parts plant of DANA Corporation. An impressive heavy haul, lift, and transport achievement that adds significant economic potential to Eddyville River and Industrial Port Authority.

“This is first time that anything of this magnitude (heavy and large) has come through here,” says Jay Hunt, operations manager for the Eddyville River and Industrial Port Authority. “By being new to us, we really didn’t know what to expect. We were somewhat concerned about how something so big would be brought off the water onto the bank. I was pleasantly surprised by how efficient and smooth Burkhalter made the transfer. We now have high expectations for more heavy-equipment to be offloaded at the Eddyville port.”

Burkhalter Rigging will deliver four presses in all — two that weigh 2,500 tons each, and two that weigh 1,000 tons each. Burkhalter Rigging was chosen by Toledo Press Company to transport and millwright the four metal-stamping presses manufactured by the JIER Mechanical Press Company. The stamping-press components were offloaded from a barge by a self-propelled Goldhofer trailer. Transportation overland was by a Goldhofer, 16-line, 1 1/2 wide, multi-axle hydraulic platform/trailer.

“Our specialized heavy lift, rigging, and haul services often create business and economic advantages that are long-lasting and considerable,” says Delynn Burkhalter, CEO and president of Burkhalter Rigging, Inc. “I am confident that bringing such a heavy cargo through the Eddyville port facility was once thought impossible. Fortunately, we knew that our specialized equipment and engineering would make the port a strategic alternative to a lengthy and expensive overland route. Plain and simple, Burkhalter Rigging lowers costs and speeds deliveries by doing the seemingly impossible—safely.”

According to Barry West, DANA Corporation’s project manager, the presses will stamp frame components for the new model year of Toyota Sequoia, a sport utility vehicle, and Toyota Tundra trucks.

Photonic Products Group, Inc. reported it has received $700,000 in proceeds from the issuance of a secured promissory note to a major shareholder, Clarex Holdings, Ltd. The promissory note carries the current prime interest rate, has a term of five years, and has monthly payments of principal and interest, computed using a seven year amortization period.

Dan Lehrfeld, President and CEO of PPGI commented, “We are deploying the proceeds from this note immediately into acquisition of additional high productivity capital assets which will enable us to capture and perform on a range of organic growth opportunities at both our Laser Optics and MRC Optics businesses. Our Laser Optics business unit is expanding its lens and lens assembly production operations with the addition of the very latest, state-of-the-art CNC lens generating, polishing, centering, and edging equipment and related metrology. This newest manufacturing cell will be operational in February of 2006. At MRC Optics we are augmenting our lens metrology and production capabilities for single point diamond turned aspheric lenses. Laser Optics and MRC Optics are now positioned to produce highly accurate spherical and aspheric lenses, respectively, more quickly and more efficiently. Working across the full spectrum of materials, both crystalline and glasses, and with in-house control of optical coatings, we are now able to rapidly and affordably produce and deliver specialty optical components of high complexity and accuracy for our customers.”

Photonic Products Group, Inc. develops, manufactures, and markets products and services for use in diverse Photonics industry sectors via its expanding portfolio of distinctly branded businesses. INRAD specializes in crystal-based optical components and devices, laser accessories and instruments. Laser Optics specializes in precision custom optical components, assemblies, and optical coatings. MRC Optics’ business specializes in precision diamond turned optics, metal optics, and opto-mechanical and electro-optical assemblies. PPGI’s customers include leading corporations in the Defense and Aerospace, Laser Systems, and Process Control and Metrology sectors of the Photonics Industry, as well as the U.S. Government. Its products are also used by researchers at National Laboratories and Universities world-wide.

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: The statements contained in this press release that are not purely historical are forward looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Act of 1934. These statements may be identified by their use of forward-looking terminology such as “believes,” “expects,” “will,” “plan,” “targeting” or similar words. Such forward-looking statements, such as our expectation of capturing and performing on organic growth opportunities, involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward looking statements are, but are not limited to, uncertainties in market demand for the Company’s products or the products of its customers, future actions by competitors, inability to deliver product on time, inability to implement its capabilities expansion strategies or to integrate its new capital assets, inability to realize synergies from its acquisitions, inability to raise capital, and other factors discussed from time to time in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward looking statements made in this news release are made as of the date hereof and Photonic Products Group, Inc. does not assume any obligation to update publicly any forward looking statement.

Contact: William S. Miraglia 201-767-1910

SOURCE Photonic Products Group, Inc.

CONTACT: William S. Miraglia, +1-201-767-1910

Software enable push-button CAD to CAM transfer
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Chino Hills, California - December 6, 2005 - Shadow Automation, Inc.
announced today the release of Metrolosys 9.5, its newest software
version that integrates the AIMS Metrology Kernel (The Boeing Company,
St. Louis, MO and Metronor Group, Oslo, Norway). Shadow Automation is an
early adopter of AIMS (Advanced Integrated Mathematical System), a
technology that provides full CAD geometry integration amongst
manufacturers and their suppliers. Metrolosys is the leading inspection
software for machine tool probing that transforms any machine tool into
a Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM). Metrolosys supports ISO 17025,
ASME B5.54, and NIST traceability standards.

Jointly developed by The Boeing Company and Metronor Group, AIMS is a
software solution developed to actualize paperless manufacturing and
enable seamless, bi-directional sharing of CAD geometry, inspection
plans, and measurement plans between industrial hardware and software
platforms. CAD data incompatibility in the industrial marketplace
remains the single largest roadblock to achieving lean manufacturing
goals. AIMS was developed in direct support of Boeing’s “Feature-based
Master Model Integration Program.” This initiative was established to
create a common CAD model file format and streamline CAD file management
and archival processes with an all-inclusive master model. AIMS was also
designed to facilitate collaborative research, product development, and
manufacturing programs that involve multiple international
participants…without an investment in new hardware or software for the
participating companies.

Using AIMS-enabled Metrolosys, the user simply selects the AIMS logo
from the Metrolosys menu, adjusts any default settings, and
automatically produces a machined part inspection program. AIMS
integrates all facets of a Master Model including 3D CAD data, Y14.5
GD&T callouts, manufacturing processes, measurement and inspection
plans, and much more. Using Metrolosys 9.5, manufacturers can now
implement a highly effective quality process during machining, and the
original Design Engineer can now get a handle on the quality inspection
process based on the new capability of adding measurement and/or
inspection plans to the CAD model. At a higher level, the original
Design Engineer can now access 100% of the manufacturing results of a
part or an assembly based on the AIMS manufacturing process.

Metrolosys 9.5 ushers in new era for Lean Manufacturing by reducing
machine-tool downtime up to 75%. AIMS-enabled Metrolosys not only
allows a user to program a CNC machine using a touch probe to measure a
part, but it drastically reduces the process to less than 10 keystrokes
to create the part inspection G-code probing program.
Metrolosys inspection software allows the machine tool to do the
inspection without tearing down the job for first article inspection or
any other inspection requirement. In short, after machining a part, it
is already set-up for in-place inspection, thus introducing a major
contribution to the “Lean manufacturing” process. Using Metrolosys,
CMM-type alignments of the machine tool to the 3D CAD model and machined
part are easily accomplished.

How Does Metrolosys Work?
Metrolosys is a powerful, CAD-based programming and reporting system for
machined parts. Based on the industry standard DMIS programming
language, Metrolosys quickly enables you to use your CNC milling machine
the same way that you use your CMM. Any CNC milling machine that is
probe-ready can take advantage of these capabilities. No special wiring
or computer parts are required. The system runs in Microsoft Windows XP,
Windows 2000, and Windows/NT. Calibration is performed independently
using Optodyne Inc.’s error mapping laser system. Like popular CAM
systems, only one Metrolosys system is required to support every
probe-enabled machine tool in the shop.

Metrolosys works the way a quality control professional expects. The
inspection software is easy to use and provides independent volumetric
error mapping, advanced high-speed probing methods, and automatically
generates Inspection G-code. Quality personnel find themselves on very
familiar ground with Metrolosys’ NIST traceable procedures, CMM
terminology, and ASME Y14.5 Metrology Industry Standards. Users can
easily program an inspection process for the machine tool offline. The
machine tool operator runs the program and sends the probing results
back to Quality to automatically create GD&T inspection reports
according to the ASME Y14.5 standard.

Metrolosys Pricing and Support
Metrolosys software entry level pricing is $26,995.00 per seat. Volume
discounts may apply. All prices are subject to change. Shadow
Automation is dedicated to providing widespread education and superior
customer support for their product lines. Shadow Automation provides
one- and two-day onsite training courses. Authorized SAI Resellers can
be found on the website at www.metrolosys.com or call (909) 591-3638.