Published 2/14/2013

A Preview of Houstex 2013

This slideshow provides a sneak peek at some of the technologies that will be on display at Houstex 2013.

Executive Editor, Additive Manufacturing

Equipment for the oilfield, gas and energy industries will be prevalent at the show, like this Johnford ST-80 CH turning center from Absolute Machine Tools. The machine’s slant bed features a torque-tube design, which means a hole is cast through the center of the bed to provide rigidity and heat dissipation.

These BLU grade thread-turning inserts from Carmex feature a triple-layer physical vapor deposition (PVD) coating for improved thread accuracy and quality surface finish, even in difficult materials.

This USC 21 turning machine from Emag is designed for oil and gas pipe threading applications. The machine is designed to deliver leak-proof threads on pipes with diameters ranging from 2 3/8" to 20 inches.

The 2013 release of Delcam’s PartMaker SwissCAM software provides 3D machining simulations to detect and prevent collisions, which can be especially costly on Swiss-type lathes. The software enables the user to see what the part will look like before sending the program to the machine.

This RT 1600U horizontal boring mill from Mag features the company’s integrated contouring head for boring mills and HMCs. Designed for single-setup rough and finish machining of large parts, including those for the oil and gas industries, the contouring head will be introduced at the show in the Hillary Machine booth.

This modular Eppinger Preci-Flex toolholding system available from Exsys Tool uses a single base holder and multiple tooling adapters for faster tooling change-overs. The system can be used to mount collets, end-mill holders, expanding collet chucks, shrink-fit tooling, Capto and KM systems, among others.

Sunnen’s SV-2410 vertical honing machine can be set up to hone only on the pull stroke or to produce custom profiled and tapered bores. The machine can process bore IDs from 19 to 203 mm (0.75 to 8 inches), making it suitable for parts such as fuel injectors, piston pumps, gun barrels, hydraulic components, engine and compressor cylinders, diesel cylinder liners, and landing gear.

FANUC FA America’s series 30i/31i/32i-model B CNCs are capable of acting as Web servers, enabling users to display CNC screens on any network device including tablets. Shopfloor personnel can use this feature to monitor CNC equipment across the shop with one device.

Koma Precision will introduce its line of tool presetters from Elbo Controlli at the show. The Khyan model, pictured here, is designed for advanced measurement and tool inspection and is equipped with a large-screen digital camera system.

Omax will demonstrate its 60120 JetMachining Center, a bridge-style waterjet that can accommodate components as large as 5 × 10 ft. The waterjet uses Omax’s Intelli-Max software suite to calculate toolpath velocity at over 3,000 points per inch for complete control, the company says.

The Crownloc Plus drill from Seco Tools is designed for large-diameter holemaking, particularly in the tough-to-machine materials used in the oil and gas industries. The drill is available in diameters ranging from 12.00 to 19.99 mm and can achieve depth of cut three to five times the diameter.

The FBL-460 vertical turning center from Chevalier Machinery has a ribbed Meehanite cast-iron mono-block casting with hardened and ground hand-scraped slideways said to resist vibration for end-to-end cutting of long shafts. The machine is flexible enough to handle mixed-volume, short-run or dedicated high-volume applications.