OSG's Blog for

Featured Employee: Katie Oswald

Title: Inventory Control Specialist

Tenure with OSG: 5 years

For Katie Oswald, family is her number one priority. She always makes sure that she spends as much time as she can with her husband of nine years, three and a half year old son, and puppy. To keep up in her never-ending race, she lives by the rule, “a minute wasted is a minute lost,” so she uses her time at work and at home efficiently.

Her love of family also extends to her teammates at OSG. As an Inventory Control Specialist at the Parma office, Katie looks to her coworkers to help get the job done right. “Teamwork is what makes the world go round. Together, we can accomplish great things!”

To add to her race, Katie is also working on her cooking skills, recently creating her own version of Ina Garten’s French Chicken Pot Pie. She also is an avid photographer. “Whether the subject is my son or nature, I love capturing every moment.”

OSG Corporation and Haimer GmbH, a market leader in tool holding technology, signed a strategic partnership and licensing agreement allowing OSG to bring our end mill tools to the market now with the HAIMER Safe-Lock™ System.

The unique Safe-Lock™ design in cutting tools and toolholders combines high precision press fit clamping with a positive form locking mechanism. This prevents round cutting tools from being rotated or completely pulled out from their tool holder during heavy machining. The combination of symmetrical pull out protection with the highest concentricity and excellent balance of the Safe-Lock™ system results in a vibration-free machining process. This leads to a more efficient metal removal rate that is superior when compared to conventional milling chucks or Weldon shank cutting tools and toolholders.

OSG has been testing various systems for pull out security over the past several months. Only the technology of the Safe-Lock™ system proved worthy of integration with the OSG quality standards. Jiro Osawa, Technical Managing Director at OSG headquarters and CEO for North America, explains: “Our field testing proved that the combination of our end mills with Safe-Lock™ resulted in higher RPMs and feed rates even with difficult-to-machine materials. This enables our customers to obtain a significant increase in their current metal removal rates, while at the same time having a higher security in their machining processes. Safe-Lock™ also has a very positive effect on tool wear.”

One of our very own, Tim Holmer, will be hosting a presentation at AeroDef on April 22, 2015 titled “Composite Drilling—In Slow Motion.” AeroDef is the aerospace industry’s most acclaimed manufacturing event, featuring the leaders in commercial and defense aerospace manufacturing.

“Composite Drilling—In Slow Motion” is an experiment using high-speed video to show the effects of several drilling geometries in a variety of structural composites.  Attendees will learn about the challenges of drilling composites and the effects on hole quality. Common issues such as uncut fibers and delamination can be seen in a new perspective with the video visual aid, and tips on how best to avoid them will be explained. The information provided will help assist in proper selection of drill geometry for specific types of composites.

Tim has been providing customer support for various industries as an Applications Engineer for two and a half years. Before joining OSG, he graduated from Wright State University with a Mechanical Engineering degree.

OSG announced the promotion of Rick Jones to Vice President- Sales. Jones joined the OSG sales team as a District Manager in 1986, and he ascended to various leadership positions such as Regional Manager, Area Manager, and most recently the National Sales Manager. Jones has overseen the national sales force of OSG’s cutting tool division as the National Sales Manager since 2013.

In his new role, Jones will also oversee the OSG fastener products division sales team in addition to cutting tool sales. “With his 29 years of experience and guidance of OSG’s Sales, we are certain that he will help OSG reach new heights,” said Mike Grantham, the President of OSG.

The latest catalog edition is over 150 pages and features new products and many expansions to existing quality lines of indexable milling and drilling. Notable additions to the milling lineup includes 45° face milling cutters, screw fit end mills, and replaceable head end mills. Indexable drills and replaceable head drills also have been added to the drilling offering.

Click here to view the catalog!

We recently completed our Biggest Loser 2015 competition, and the results are in!

For 8 weeks, 91 employees participated in a weight loss challenge involving diet and exercise to see who could lose the most weight. Measured by percentage rather than pounds, the average weight loss was 2.56%. Going well above the average were our top three winners:

           First Place: Kevin Dyer—lost 16.11% of weight

           Prize: 50% of the pot and a $75 gift card

Second Place: Adrian Garcia—lost 9.27% of weight

Prize: 30% of the pot and a $50 gift card

Third Place: Adam Samano—lost 8.57% of weight

Prize: 20% of the pot and a $25 gift card

Jacob Van Oost, District Manager

The die and mold industry is a very competitive sector. Shops are constantly ?striving to? outperform? competitors by ?quoting shorter ?delivery time, better finish, and lower cost per? unit. At OSG, we go beyond the quote to demonstrate our abilities in action. With our EXOCARB^® WXS^® High Feed Corner Radius End Mill, shops are able to achieve faster feed rates, superior surface finishes, and better overall cycle times.

Working with a shop specializing in automotive work in Muskegon, MI, the engineer there wanted a tool that could speed up a process for adding a groove in a P-20 with a 0.25” wide gasket track going around the whole part. The customer originally had it programmed with a 0.25” end mill, but it was taking 3.25 hours to put in the groove. After evaluating the application, we recommended OSG’s EXOCARB® WXS® High Feed Corner Radius End Mill to get the job done.

This corner radius cutter is extremely rigid with a long reach capability. The reverse taper on the cutting edge prevents chattering and eliminates dwell marks on sidewalls. With a new WXS® coating, this end mill oxidizes at around 1300° C, allowing it to withstand much greater heat than competitor tools that are treated with TiAlN.

Initially, we wanted to start the tool at 1,300 RPM and 715 IPM. However, after getting a more detailed look into the program, we realized that the machine for this job could not handle such an aggressive feed rate. To resolve this issue, we decided to cut everything in half, bringing it down to 650 RPM and 357 IPM. Using the EXOCARB® WXS® High Feed Corner Radius End Mill with a light depth of cut, this part of job was completed two hours faster than the original method, and the program time was reduced to merely 35 minutes. The customer was thrilled with the result, and they now use this corner radius end mill to reduce production time overall.

Beyond the automotive industry, this dynamic tool can be applied? to many applications in die/mold shops. For detailed, 3D contoured parts, it can be used in conjunction with the true 4-flute ball mill. It leaves smaller scallops and has faster metal removal rates than that of ball nosed end mills, making it ideal for roughing. Smaller scallops also makes finishing with the true 4-flute easier and faster, allowing customers to go from roughing straight to finishing, bypassing semi-roughing altogether.

To stay ahead of the competition with faster production, OSG’s EXOCARB® WXS® High Feed Corner Radius End Mill will bypass extra processes along the way.

Featured Employee: Kevin McPherson

Title: Regrind Lead

Tenure with OSG: 3 years

Regrind Lead with OSG for three years, Kevin McPherson is always working to improve the quality of his department. Before coming to OSG, Kevin got his Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Valdosta State University and worked in CNC. At OSG, he enjoys working with his team to find the best solutions to keep up with customers.

Away from work, Kevin is a family man who likes to keep moving, either by running, riding his motorcycle, or traveling to go see his daughter. He also believes in the importance of disconnecting from phones and computers as much as possible to spend quality time with his wife on the weekends.

Kevin learned his best habits from his father, who he calls his hero. “He taught me the importance of a good work ethic and honesty.”

When tapping, drilling, and milling heat resistant super alloys like Inconel 718, you need tools that can take the heat. OSG provides a total solution tooling trifecta for these tough machining applications.  With the rigid substrates, tailored geometries, and advanced coatings on our EXOPRO^® WHR-Ni Taps, EXOPRO^® WHO-Ni Drills, and EXOPRO^® UVX-Ni End Mills, you can tap, drill, and mill without the worry of rapid wear or extreme breakage.

Check out these tools at work: