2000 General Membership Meeting Review

January - Facility Tour of SMU's Research Center for Advanced Manufacturing

Our January General Membership meeting was a three-way joint meeting with SME DalRich Chapter 195 and ASME North Texas Section. About 90 people attended including 45 members from the two SME Chapters, and 45 from ASME. Dr. Radovan Kovacevic, Director of the center, Herman Brown Chair Professor of Materials and Manufacturing Processes at SMU, and a Fellow of SME, was our distinguished host for the evening.

Dr. Kovacevic began the meeting with an informative talk about the exciting research being conducted at the center. The center is located at a brand-new facility in Richardson and conducts research in the area of solid free form fabrication. The goal of solid free form fabrication is to make any part that may have multiple materials, different material properties and any geometry. The center has projects in a variety of areas including rapid prototyping and manufacturing, laser material processing, applied machine vision, micro machining, and manufacturing of laser diodes.

After his talk, Dr. Kovacevic and several lab assistants provided us with a guided tour of the center’s impressive facilities. The tour included interesting demonstrations six of the Center’s laboratories. One of labs showed a video taken using a high-speed strobe lighting that clearly revealed chip formation during various machining processes. In another lab, a technique called excited oscillation is being used to control the size and rate of droplet formation during gas metal arc welding. A new area of research will look at laser beam guided by waterjet cutting. The laser beam will provide the heat and the waterjet the cooling. For more information on this center, please see their web site at http://www.seas.smu.edu/me/kovacevic/.

The joint meeting conclude with attendees being treated to a large deli buffet. This gave time for the attendees to discuss the interesting things that they had seen during the tour and to meet new people.

Peter Tanguy, Acting Secretary - 2000, North Texas Chapter 51

February - Technical Presentation on Future of DFW Manufacturing

James Seymour, our Chairman opened his first official meeting by thanking the membership for attending while stressing the importance of membership participation. James emphasized that the meeting content, industry contacts and well-known speakers offer, a state of the art commentary, as it applies to the business base of the metroplex. James was well received by the membership.

The February presenter, Mr. Drew Casani former President of the Military Aircraft Division of LTV and current Regional Director of the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center (TMAC) gave a well prepared lecture on current technologies and their impact on the Texas manufacturing base. Some of the facts presented are as follows:

• Nearly 1.1 million Texas workers are employed in manufacturing.
• Between 1989 and 1990, Texas surpassed Pennsylvania, New York, and Ohio to become the second largest ranking state in the country ranked by manufacturing employment. California is ranked first.
• After years of decline, the number of Texas manufacturing establishments with more than 500 employees started to increase in 1991. In fact, large establishments have been out placing smaller manufactures in percentage growth so far this decade, although the net increase in the number of small manufacturers far exceed that for large manufactures.
• Manufacturing accounted for 95 percent of total Texas merchandise exports in 1998.
• Texas exports of manufactured goods reached $82.2 billion in 1998 and have more than doubled since 1990.

The presentation given by Mr. Drew Casani provided a great question and answer session. Once again we have the benefit of receiving the shared knowledge of a very successful business leader.

Sam Thompson, Secretary - 2000, North Texas Chapter 51

March - Technical Presentation on How to Be an Excellent Manufactuing Engineer

James Seymour, our Chairman, opened the meeting by welcoming the members and guests. Next, he recognized David Greer, DalRich Chapter 195 Chairman, who discussed plans for this year's joint Christmas party. The tentative date is set of December 12th. After David, Jeff Baker, our Social Chairman, discussed this year's golf outing. The tentative date is set for sometime in October. After Jeff, Peter Tanguy, our Chair-Elect, discussed his marketing efforts for the Chapter. In particular, he has worked with the Dallas Morning News to obtain a listing on their community web site and has begun to post our Chapter events to the News's on-line community calendar.

The March presenter, Mr. Bill Stockstill, a former Sr. Vice President of Vought Aerospace Corporation and currently a manufacturing specialist at the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center (TMAC) gave an insightful talk on what it takes to be an outstanding manufacturing engineer. Bill drew upon his extensive experience to highlight some key traits he has found in exceptional engineers. These include being:

• an out-of-box thinker
• honorable and trustworthy
• a good listener
• a risk taker who may make mistakes, but who can get back up quickly
• a person who dreams big
• a person who set goals for all three aspects of life: professional, family, spiritual
• a person who uses history to correct the future
• having a positive attitude and outlook on life
• a doer not a complainer
• graced with a sense of humor

Looking towards the future, Bill sees a widening gap between those who get it and those who don't. Those who get it will:

• be speedy to market, since cost of delays now outweighs costs of mistakes
• be agile and respond quickly to change
• yake initiative to present solutions to customers
• develop strategic plans that are not big thick documents to collect dust on the shelves, but works in progress, undergoing continuous improvement

In closing, Bill recommends a book entitled "Beep! Beep!" by Chip R. Bell & Oren Harari. The book covers this topic in humorous manner with metaphors to cartoon characters Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote.

Peter Tanguy, Acting-Secretary - 2000, North Texas Chapter 51

April - Technical Presentation on How and When to Change Jobs

You know what? There are a lot of people in this area that only get the SME magazine for their annual membership fee. That's really too bad. This past meeting was the third of a series. We had Mrs. Elma Kirkwood to come and tell us many inside secrets of the dainty art of job search. The first installment of this series told us that manufacturing in the Dallas/Fort Worth has doubled in the last ten years or so. We gained insights into the considerable diversity of the manufacturing fields. In the second meeting, we learned about success tips for a career in manufacturing. And so, if you had come three times, you would have received a three part series in the art of becoming a manufacturing engineer. Pretty important, no?

You should have seem Elma and heard her talk. The ideas that she brought were, once again, secrets and seldom-discussed topics. When was the last time someone explained how to shake hands to you? How would you handle interview questions like: "How do you work under pressure?" or "What do you think it takes to be successful in a company like ours". What about this one? "What motivates you to put forth your greatest effort". Or simply: "Why should I hire you?" That's pretty much to the point, isn't it? If you had never suspected that there is training and skill in taking interviews and writing resumes, or that this knowledge could be communicated, you left our April meeting with a completely different attitude.

After a concise review of resume forms and explanations of interview techniques, the real topper was the job interview. Our regional Chairman, Frank Fairley brought his video camera and recorded a mock interview in which Elma threw all of the tough questions she knew at one of our members. You should have seen Jim Hawkins. A real hardball player. Imagine: yourself in the most intense job interview imaginable. All the tough questions, no small talk. All Jim had for preparation was the program talk just like anyone else. Just one small preview of the proceedings to transpire. What a show! In all my experience, there has never been a Chapter 51 meeting with so much interaction between the speaker and the audience.

James Seymour, Acting-Secretary - 2000, North Texas Chapter 51

May - Technical Presentation on the Theory and Application of WaterJet Cutting

At the May Technical Meeting, Mr. Pete Mitchell from AST Waterjet, Inc. presented an outstanding program outlining the history, operation and application of waterjet cutting. He explained that Waterjet cutting was used in the 1930's to blast away clay in the mining industry and was further developed by the Aerospace industry in the 1960's as a method of cutting the newer materials used in aircraft. In the early 1970's an Ultra High Pressure cutting system was developed using up to 50,000 psi. Waterjet equipment is relatively simple and consists of a booster pump, an intensifier that compresses water, and a gem-stone made of sapphire, ruby or diamond that has a very small orifice, commonly from .004" to .010" in diameter. The water is pressed through the orifice at up to 60,000 psi and exits at about 2,700 feet per second. It will cut accurately to within plus or minus .005".

Pete explained that there are basically three types of waterjet cutting. The water only cutting is used for thin cuts on softer materials like gaskets and foam. The abrasive waterjet cutting mixes an abrasive such as garnet, aluminum oxide, or iron slag with the water and is capable of cutting harder and thicker materials. It also increases the speed when cutting thin materials. A gemstone is held in a carbide nozzle and produces a .040" stream for cutting purposes. Waterjet blasting uses water only or a water-soluble medium and is commonly used for cleaning or portable cutting. It may be handheld and normally operates in the 36,000 to 40,000 psi range. The absence of flame and heat makes this type of equipment ideal for use in hazardous areas such as the Kuwait oil fields where a flame could have triggered an explosion.

The primary advantage to waterjet cutting is the cold cutting process that reduces warping, hardening, and hazardous emissions. The cold cutting eliminates the thermal stress associated with flame or laser cutting. It can also cut just about any material including bullet proof and textured glass, stone, granite, titanium and other exotic materials. It allows for the stacking of materials, cuts multidirectional and perforates without a starter hole. One of the biggest advantages is that it saves raw materials because it requires only 1/8" between parts. It also uses minimal fixturing and is environmentally friendly since it produces only humidity and mud.

The primary disadvantages to waterjet cutting include slow speeds for very hard or thick materials, the inability to hold tolerances tighter than .005", and the high cost of operation. Typical operating costs range from $150 to $180 per hour. Cutting costs are priced per lineal foot and are competitive with laser and conventional cutting in many applications. The advantages greatly outweigh the disadvantages, which makes the future of waterjet cutting very bright. As new and better equipment is developed, we will see it used more and more for all types of cutting.

Tommy Barker, Acting-Secretary - 2000, North Texas Chapter 51

June - Facility Tour of Romeo Engineering

The June general membership meeting was attended by twelve members and four guests. Mr. Frank C. Romero, President of Romero Engineering, Inc., provided us with an extensive overview of past and present water-cutting technology.

Today's equipment is more competitive and cost effective when compared to traditional machining methods and procedures. Romero Engineering designs a broad range of ultra high-pressure and abrasive water-cutting equipment and integrates robotics into their products. They are capable of designing custom machines for many manufacturing needs. Innovation of design allows Romero to keep the costs to customers reasonable.

September - Facility Tour of Tencor, Inc.

Ten members and four guests attended the September general membership meeting. Mr. Mike Bliss, Trencor plant manager, provided the group with a history of Trencor and an extensive look at their products and facility.

Trencor started as a company called Jetco in California and then branched into the Dallas area with their primary business being digging teeth. They quickly evolved into manufacturing replacement parts, which led to the creation of Trencor, a manufacturer of complete trenching equipment. Trencor is the only trencher manufacturer that uses a mechanical drive system for the digging portion of the equipment, featured in their new generation of equipment. They build trenchers of medium size weighing around 100,000 to 130,000 lbs. to their largest size weighing over 375,000 lbs.

Their facility houses a variety of fabrication equipment including 3-pattern torches, up to a 70-ton press, numerous welding stations and both manual and NC machining stations. Typically, there are around nine trenching machines of different makes and models being built at any given time. In addition to their standard products, they offer custom design and rebuild capabilities to their customers. Currently, Trencor has around 160 employees with annual sales of about $29.8 million.

October - Technical Presentation on Lean Manufacturing Basics

Six members and two guests attended the October general membership meeting held at the Holiday Inn - Arlington. Mr. Russ Aikman of TMAC gave a technical presentation on "Lean Manufacturing Basics" as well as discussing what TMAC is and all the assistance they are able to provide.

Russ Aikman utilizes more than 14 years experience in manufacturing through his work in numerous fields. He is currently working on his Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington.

The presentation provided insight into such aspects of manufacturing as ISO 9000 & 14000, Lean and JIT. Key aspects such as implementation, business assessments, process improvements and facility layout were discussed.

TMAC's focus is on improving small manufacturing companies in the state of Texas. Texas is the second largest manufacturing state, in terms of manufacturing dollars generated, in the nation. TMAC's average customer range from 20 to 100 employees.

November - Facility Tour of Parker Hannifin's Stratoflex Product Division

Twenty members and seven guests attended the November General Membership meeting hosted by Don Calevich, Manufacturing Manager of Parker Hannifin's Stratoflex Product Division.

Don lead off the plant tour with a comprehensive power point presentation of Parker Hannifin's history, diverse product line and "Continuous Improvement" program.

After Don's presentation, Peter Tanguy, our 2000 chapter chair, called for any additional nominations for our 2001 chapter officers. After receiving no new nominations, Peter then called for a vote to elect the 2001 chapter officers. The list of our chapter officers for 2001 is Peter Tanguy - Chair, Sam Thompson - Chair-Elect, Howard Huffman - Treasurer and Chuck Anderson - Secretary.

Then we were treated to an interesting plant tour. Throughout Don's presentation and the plant tour, it became obvious that continuous improvement lived up to its name. Parker Hannifin's entire facility was geared toward an ongoing process that keeps Parker Hannifin at the top of the market. As the cost of labor and materials were going up, a demand was heard from their customers to get the cost of their products down. With products being used on almost every airframe and engine throughout the world, the need to keep their sector of the market secure was crucial. Through implementing Lean Manufacturing, or as Parker Hannifin phrases it, Continuous Improvement, they began to reach the goals set by a demanding market place. Incentive programs such as employee recognition helped steer the workforce toward improving on existing processes. Results of productivity, notification of programs both ongoing and special purposes are posted where all employees can see the results. Some results are posted daily while others are posted weekly or monthly. A variety of systems were in use. They have found that it was this variety of processes that worked the best for them.

With more than 46,000 employees in 46 countries, Parker Hannifin's Stratoflex Product Division is just one example of how people can adapt to and improve on their existing processes in order to meet or exceed customer demands.

For more information, you may visit some of Parker's web sites at http://www.parker.com, the Stratoflex Products Division website at http://www.parker.com/stratoflex, or its investor information site at http://www.phstock.com.

Howard Huffman, 2000 Secretary, SME North Texas Chapter 51

December - Holiday Dinner and Officer Installation & Awards Presentation

Our Holiday Dinner Meeting was held on what turned out to be our first winter storm day of the season. Unfortunately, we had a rather low turnout. We had six members and four wives in attendance. Those attending with their wives were Frank Fairley, Bob Campbell, Sam Johnson and Marty Butorac. Chuck Anderson and Richard Leach attended the meeting alone.

The meeting was a very enjoyable one, very informal and friendly. It was held at the Steak and Ale in North Richland Hills. We enjoyed a great meal and a good time of friendly discussion. The only official business that was conducted was the installation of two of the officers for 2001 by Frank Fairley. Sam Thompson and Chuck Anderson were installed as Chair Elect and Secretary respectively.

Chuck Anderson, 2001 Secretary, SME North Texas Chapter 51