Frank Burke has over 35 years of experience in the machine tool and allied industries. He started his career with Cincinnati Milacron and subsequently worked with White-Sundstrand Machine Tool Corp. Burke has twice presented to Canada's Advanced Technology Think Tank and has written extensively on technology and communications. He holds an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
The 67,000 sq. ft. facility occupied by Precision Gears Inc. in Pewaukee, WI, contains a full range of gear manufacturing equipment to meet the varied customer demands of the many industries it serves. Founded in 1919, the company possesses both the technologies and experience to efficiently serve the multiple requirements of manufacturers in fields as varied as agriculture, lawn and garden, foodservice, power transmission construction, pumps, and others.
From amusement park rollercoasters to cranes, mining equipment, conveyors, automotive assembly lines, and many other applications, SEW-Eurodrive manufactures the gearmotors, electronics, and software that keep things moving. Based in Bruchsal, Germany, the company maintains a network of 16 production plants and 79 Drive Technology Centers in 50 countries around the world. The plant in Lyman, South Carolina, one of the four facilities in the U.S., is staffed by the 300 employees and incorporates more than 100 robots in its automated production processes.
In the world of automotive racing, every component is critical, and even the most minute detail can contribute to the difference between winning and losing. No parts supplier is more aware of this than the team at ZPE Inc. of Temecula, Calif., manufacturers of the GripTec pulleys that drive the serpentine belts powering superchargers and compressors in competition cars.
At the dawn of the Industrial
Revolution, so-called mechanics
were tasked with devising the precise methods that would make mass production possible. The result was the first generation of machine tools, which in turn required improved tooling and production methods.