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Past Events

Fundamentals and Benefits of Servo-Press Technology

Presented by David Stone from Amada America, Inc.

DATE: Tuesday, April 8, 2008
LOCATION: Silo Restaurant, 330 Main St., Farmington, CT 06034 Phone: 860-677-0149
SCHEDULE: 6:00 p.m - Social Hour; 7:00 p.m. - Dinner; 8:00 p.m. - Presentation;

Please join us for an informative presentation and discussion on servo-press technology presented by David Stone, Product Manager of the Stamping and Turret Press Divisions for Amada America, Inc., headquartered in Southern California. David is responsible for technical and sales support for the North America sales force and has more than 28 years of experience in the metalforming industry. He has authored several industry trade-publication articles on stamping technologies and has presented at several METALFORM symposiums.

This presentation will cover the following topics:

Amada stamping presses have been manufactured in its own factories, to Amada’s legendary standards of quality since 1963. With well over 50,000 successful installations worldwide, the company has the know-how and experience to address nearly any application. Amada is one of the largest machine-tool manufacturers in the world, with well over $2 billion in annual sales. Products include stamping presses, CNC turret punching machines, lasers, press brakes and other precision sheetmetal fabrication equipment.

Getting the Most Out of Carbide in Your Stamping Applications

Presented by Doug Brenneke from CERATIZIT USA

DATE: Thursday, January 31, 2008
LOCATION: Jacoby’s Restaurant, 1388 East Main St., Meriden, CT 06450 Phone: 203-634-3222
SCHEDULE: 6:00 p.m - Social Hour; 7:00 p.m. - Dinner; 8:00 p.m. - Presentation;

Please join us for an informative presentation and discussion by Doug Brenneke, product manager, at CERATIZIT USA, Warren, MI. Doug is responsible for technical support and sales in North America. He has over 21 years experience in the carbide industry in the areas of manufacturing, engineering and sales.

This presentation will cover the following topics and more:

Ceratizit is an $850 million company with 13 manufacturing plants worldwide, and is a merged company of Cerametal and Plansee Tizit. Cerametal was founded in 1931 in Walferdange, Luxembourg, and Plansee Tizit was founded in 1921. The two companies worked independently until 1948 and then worked in cooperation with each other until 1962. They then split, until 2002, at which time they joined forces again to become one of the largest carbide companies in the world. The company has production plants in three main economic areas with a worldwide sales network of subsidiaries and distribution partners.

Through profound knowledge and highly flexible production facilities, CERATIZIT USA strives to provide business partners with direct competitive advantages in the field of hard materials for tooling solutions and wear parts. Its dedication to hard material matters creates intelligent solutions for tomorrow and time to come.

"Vision Systems for Inspection & Assembly"

Presented by Mr. Todd Hodrinsky of Cognex Corporation

DATE: Wednesday, December 12, 2007
LOCATION: Silo Restaurant, 330 Main Street, Farmington, CT 06032 Phone: 860-677-0149
SCHEDULE: 5:30 p.m - Social Hour; 6:30 p.m. - Dinner; 7:45 p.m. - Presentation;

Please join us for this most informative and much anticipated presentation by Mr. Todd Hodrinsky, senior sales engineer from Cognex Corporation located in Natick, MA. Todd has been working in the machine vision world for more than eight years and has successfully overseen hundreds of successful vision system applications and deployments.

Cognex Corporation was founded in 1981 by Dr. Robert J. Shillman, a lecturer in human visual perception at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Shillman decided to leave academia to start Cognex, investing his life savings into the company. He invited two of the school's top graduate students–Marilyn Matz and Bill Silver-to embark on this business venture with him, offering free bicycles to convince them to leave MIT for a summer. What began as a summer job for Marilyn and Bill turned out to be the start of a career, as they stayed on to help cofound the company. Those three ambitious individuals gave Cognex its start– and its name, which was derived from the phrase "Cognition Experts".

Cognex is the world's leading supplier of machine vision systems or computers that can “see” which are used to automate a wide range of manufacturing processes where vision is required. Today, Cognex has more than 100 vision- related patents. The company is publicly traded with over 800 employees worldwide. In 2005, it posted $217 million in revenue. Since its founding in 1981, Cognex has:

Cognex serves a wide array of markets around the world that use its products to replace human vision in a variety of industrial operations. In fact, while machine vision systems were first widely embraced by manufacturers of electronic components who needed the technology to produce chips with decreasing geometries, advances in technology and easy-to-use interfaces have made machine vision available to a broader range of users. Today, the company’s products are at work solving applications in industries, including: automotive, semiconductors, electronics, pharmaceuticals, medical, packaging, consumer products, and high-speed inspection of materials such as steel, paper and nonwovens.

Bring your components and assemblies requiring machine inspection for review.

Plant Tour of TRUMPF, Inc.

DATE: Thursday, October 18, 2007
LOCATION: Farmington Industrial Park, 111 Hyde Rd., Farmington, CT 06032 Phone: 860-255-6000
SCHEDULE: Tour Hours - 4:30 p.m.; Social Hour - 6:30 p.m.; Dinner - 7:30 p.m. at Silo Restaurant, 330 Main Street, Farmington, CT 06032

Please join us for this interesting and informative plant tour hosted by Annette Doyle, Training Manager. Annette is responsible for training about 1,700 customers a year and nearly 100 service technicians. Her training department staffs 17 people, including 12 full-time trainers.

TRUMPF Inc. is the North American subsidiary of TRUMPF GmbH +Co. KG. based near Stuttgart, Germany. With approximately 640 employees, TRUMPF Inc. is the largest subsidiary within the TRUMPF Group and is one of the largest manufacturers of fabricating machinery in the United States. TRUMPF Inc. is dedicated to serving the American, Canadian and Mexican market needs of:

The TRUMPF Group of companies has subsidiaries in 23 countries and approximately 6,500 employees generate sales in excess of $2 billion. The TRUMPF Group is a world leader in sheetmetal fabrication machinery and industrial lasers.

The TRUMPF Group is one of the world's leading companies in production technology. Innovations from TRUMPF are setting new trends from machine tools for sheetmetal and material processing, to laser technology, electronics and medical technology. They are establishing new technical standards and opening up new and more productive possibilities for users.

TRUMPF is distinctive for its development of new procedures and powerful machines, quick translation of technical concepts into user-oriented innovations, high standards of quality and reliable customer service.

Members’ Night: The Golden Age of Trucking Museum, Inc.

Date: Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Location: The Golden Age of Trucking Museum, 1101 Southford Rd, Middlebury, CT 06762 203-577-2181
Schedule: 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. - Event Hours & Cash Bar; 6:00 p.m. - Dinner

Please join us for an enjoyable evening with your colleagues and family members for this year’s Members’ Night at The Golden Age of Trucking Museum. This awesome 30,000-sq.-ft. museum will be open only to us for the night, so you’ll have the chance to move about the museum freely. Additionally, we’re going to have catered food and drink for all to enjoy.

A children’s area in the museum offers computers, books, puzzles, games, blocks, easels and ride-on toys. Children and adults can get into a Volvo cut-away tractor and pretend to be driving.

The Golden Age of Trucking Museum was founded in 1998 by the late Richard Guerrera of Middlebury, CT. Mr. Guerrera purchased the property shortly after, but passed away before construction had begun. His widow, Frances Guerrera, followed through on his dream by building the museum and a ribbon cutting was held in September 2002.

The museum is proud to be displaying three vehicles that were Made in Connecticut: a Locomobile, a Trumbull and a Barker. The Golden Age of Trucking Museum houses more than 40 antique vehicles, including 18 antique trucks and two antique boats that belonged to Richard Guerrera. Mr. Guerrera's collection has a permanent place in the museum. Other vehicles on display are owned by various people from around the country. These vehicles will be at home in the museum for at least one year. When a vehicle reaches its one-year anniversary at the museum, it is replaced with a "new" antique. With each vehicle is a story about its journey to becoming a display piece at The Golden Age of Trucking Museum.

The Guerrera antiques will remain a part of the museum forever. Other displays in the museum are on loan for one year and rotated out so that the exhibits continue to be new and exciting. You will find an extensive display of antique trucks, from the early-1900s to 1974,in the showroom. Mack, GMC, Diamond T, Autocar, White, International, Pierce Arrow, Republic, Jeep, Dodge, and others are represented in the display. Also on display: stock cars from the now-closed Danbury, CT, Race Arena.

Note: Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times in the museum.

Fineblanking

Speaker: Mr. Jim Flynn of Precision Resource

Date: Thursday, April 19, 2007
Location: Watertown Golf Club, 246 Guernseytown Rd., Watertown, CT 06795 860-274-9253
Schedule: 6:00 p.m. Social Hour; 7:00 p.m. Dinner followed by presentation

Please join us for an informative presentation and discussion on the process of fineblanking presented by Mr. Jim Flynn, Sales and Marketing Director of Precision Resource. Jim has been with Precision Resource for 10 years and has more than 20 years of experience in the metalforming industry. Jim is a graduate of Villanova University and resides in Redding, CT.

Mr. Flynn’s presentation will include an overview of the fineblanking press, tooling and tolerances, comparing the fineblanking process as well as its tooling and piece part costs to conventional stamping processes. He will also present a few case studies.

Precision Resource is a privately held, North American manufacturer with a strong worldwide base of customers offering a tremendous range of production capabilities. Precision Resource is a global leader in fineblanking technology, serving leading companies in local, national and international markets.

Some highlights on the company are:

While the majority of its products are used in the automotive market, Precision Resource serves leading manufacturing companies in a wide variety of industries. The company manufactures components for automotive, electronics, power tool, hardware, cutlery, lawn and garden, heavy-duty and off-highway diesel engines, heat exchangers and hydraulic pumps.

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