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Summer is just around the corner, and we want to get fit fast! OSG’s annual BOOT CAMP has begun on May 4^th, and our muscles are starting to get sore. BOOT CAMP is part of our corporate wellness program that helped OSG earn the title of a Fit-Friendly employer. This is our 4^th year to host BOOT CAMP, and 30 employees are competing against each other. We finished the Biggest Loser Competition in March, so now it is time for us to get physically healthier and stronger!

We kicked off BOOT CAMP with the initial physical health assessment consisting of 6 tests:

-          Plank Test

-          Sit-Up Test

-          Squat Test

-          Push-Up Test

-          Vertical Jump Test

-          40 Yard Dash

Scoring is based on the results from the tests, and employees have 6 weeks to improve their scores. Weekly workout sessions will be held at Glendale Heights Office every Monday. On June 15^th,  the final assessment is scheduled. Alyssa Walther, OSG Applications Engineer, thinks that OSG’s BOOT CAMP program is a great way to motivate and challenge herself.

“It is hard to keep up with challenging workouts by myself, but working out with my co-workers encourages me to try more and have fun at the same time.” 

For the highest performers and the most improved performer, prizes are prepared as follows:

Highest Performer (Males) - $50 Gift Card

Highest Performer (Female) - $50 Gift Card

Most Improved Performer - $50 Gift Card

2 Runner-Ups - $25 Gift Card

Good luck to everyone who is competing and stay tuned these next 6 weeks to find out the winners!

We are excited about exhibiting at the upcoming 2015 EASTEC which takes place at the Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, MA! EASTEC runs from Tuesday, May 12^th through Friday, May 15^th and has over 500 exhibitors and scheduled conference sessions. We will be bringing our latest tooling innovations to the event. Here is a sneak preview of what we have in store for you in our booth #5737.

If you are looking for indexable solutions for rough milling, finishing, and drilling in a wide range of applications including thin work pieces, weak fixtures, interrupted cuts, long reach, contouring, profiling, and heat resistant alloy machining, give OSG’s PHOENIX^® Indexable series a look. OSG’s technology in replaceable head milling and drilling allows for stable, efficient and accurate cutting performance. 

Other products to see include our STI (Screw Thread Insert) Taps. OSG’s STI Taps are available in general purpose taps, high performance EXOTAP^® brand taps, and premium high performance EXOPRO^® brand taps. With our wide range of tap sizes in inch and metric, OSG offers the most comprehensive lineup of STI taps in the industry. Finally, we cannot forget about our revolutionary forming tap technology. OSG's EXOPRO^® XPF Taps are fluteless forming taps which produce no chips and are more durable than cut taps. They generate up to 50% less torque versus other forming taps allowing you to achieve longer tool life and to use larger forming taps.

All of these OSG innovations and more will be available to see and our knowledgeable industry experts will be on-hand for you at EASTEC! We look forward to meeting you in our booth and answering all of your questions. Make sure to register for 2015 EASTEC today!

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.