Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 13 F O C U S WO R K P L A C E T E C H N O L O G Y Machining technology has changed dramati- cally over the years, says John Bolduc, chairman of the precision and machining program at Southern Maine Community College. "e machinery today is faster, more accurate and more consistent," he says. "e cutting tool technology today is amazing. It can do multi-func- tion, multi-axis machining. ey can do 'lights-out' manufacturing: ey load up the machines and run them overnight without supervision." e machines can cost up to $1 million. "ey're taking a chunk of metal the size of a big truck tire and turning it into a turbine blade for a jet engine," he says. Micron tolerances e sector is growing. A recent addition is Amplify Additive, a Scarborough start-up that became opera- tional last year. It uses a type of additive manufacturing (commonly called 3D printing) that uses electron beams to fuse together successive layers of titanium powder in a vacuum to create medical implants. Temperatures reach more than 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit while the machine reads data from a 3D computer-aided design model. Parts are printed in 50-micron layers—about the same thickness of a human hair, says Amplify's president and CEO, Brian McLaughlin. C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » Wayne Hatch Superintendent at Jewett Construction "I've been in the construction industry since 1973. I started my career as a tender pushing through estimating and bidding documents. Eventually, I worked my way up the ranks and became a superintendent on construction projects all throughout the Northeast. Maine has been a wonderful place to live and work through all of my years in the construction field. What I love most about Maine is the outdoors. There is nothing better than traveling through the state and experiencing all of the adventures available. From visiting the Beach in York in the summer to appreciating the winter at Sunday River, my family and I are always finding new ways to enjoy the fresh air. What I like about being a superintendent at Jewett Construction is the family that we've built. Our team is top-notch." They're taking a chunk of metal the size of a big truck tire and turning it into a turbine blade for a jet engine. — John Bolduc Southern Maine Community College precision and machining program Precision box-making B iddeford-based Volk Packaging Corp., manufac- turer and distributor of corrugated and foam products, is importing a high-tech "flexo folder- gluer" from JS Machine, a manufacturer of pack- aging machinery in China. The large box-making machine produces flap slots within one-sixteenth of an inch, compared with other machinery's one-eighth of an inch. "Two millimeters is almost perfect," says President Derek Volk. Efficiency will improve six-fold by allowing the operator to set up multiple jobs at a time. Sharp color printing will eliminate bleed. P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F VO L K PA C K A G I N G C O R P. Volk Packaging Corp. in Biddeford is importing a 1228 JS Machine flexo machine from China and expects to have it operational this spring.

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