Organised crime gang members who looted almost £500,000 from shop cash machines were jailed yesterday.
Acting in teams, the professional villains used specialist apparatus to crack open the cashpoints, before making off in high-speed cars.
Mainly targeting Co-op stores, they committed 17 burglaries around the country – including four in Leicestershire – between March and November 2008.
They worked against the clock, evading the police for months. In their wake, they left almost £250,000 worth of destruction, including fire damage to many stores.
At Leicester Crown Court, 12 of the team admitted their part in varying roles.
The gang from Leicestershire struck with almost military precision as they stole cash machines in night-time raids at stores across the country.
After smashing their way in with crowbars, they used sophisticated cutting equipment described as “a bespoke ATM burgling kit” to rip out the machines. Some contained between £70,000 and £84,000,the court heard.
David Herbert, prosecuting, said the gang of 13 operated in two separate teams – some were more involved than others – as 17 outlets were targeted during 2008 in eight counties.
Ricky Downes, 28, was involved in a raid at Glenfield Co-op when £71,860 was taken on March 24.
Mr Herbert said: “It was done using oxyacetylene burning equipment which shows how efficiently it was done.”
He said Downes was initially arrested three days later at East Midlands Airport, before he could jet off to Spain on holiday.
He was linked to an address in Woodland Drive, Braunstone, where a concealed safe was found sunken into a concrete floor in a shed. It contained £43,000 and the keys to a Subaru vehicle used in the raids.
The vehicle, which was kept at another address, contained two gas cylinders, two fire extinguishers and cutting equipment, crowbars and a pair of welder’s goggles, with Downes’ DNA on it.
Mr Herbert said: “It was a bespoke ATM burgling kit. It’s safe to assume Downes was the person doing the cutting at Glenfield and thereafter.”
But Downes was granted bail at the time – and continued to offend – because he had an excuse for having the equipment: a job in 2006 that needed oxyacetylene equipment, working as a salvage operator.
“For that reason he was released on bail and chose to continue offending.”
He was also linked to a storage facility at Dawson’s Yard, near Coalville, where other cutting equipment and tools were found.
Mr Herbert said: “Detection was possible because of a number of different categories of evidence.” mobile phone evidence linked the defendants with each other and to the crime scenes. Surveillance and DNA evidence also played a part.
The court heard getaway cars, and back-up vehicles, were stolen, and their number plates changed, shortly before a raid. The court heard £78,920 was taken on June 1 from a cashpoint in Earls Barton, Northamptonshire.
Two days later the gang failed to steal anything during a raid at Broughton Astley Post Office and store.
A haul of £14,540 was taken from a store in Tean, Staffordshire, and £84,600 in Heckington, Lincolnshire.
They then took £20,120 from a store in Spalding and £57,850 at Woodhouse Spa, both Lincolnshire.
A cash machine holding £10,330 went from Fleckney Co-op in Leicestershire.
In Cheshire, three stores were raided and machines containing £44,000, £44,690 and £18,000 taken.
Two attempts were made, one in Cambridgeshire and another in Exeter.
Despite the first team, including Downes, being arrested and remanded into custody, the second team committed raids from September to November.
Mr Herbert said police had both teams under surveillance and foiled a burglary in Cambridgeshire, where a fire took hold.
Mark Underwood, who has a previous conviction for causing death by driving recklessly after a burglary, attempted to drive off from a car park but ended up crashing into three police cars which blocked him in.
The second team eventually came unstuck in Exeter and arrests followed.
Satellite navigation systems taken from two of the gangs cars showed they were targeting other Co-op stores throughout the country and South Wales.
Mr Herbert said: “They simply weren’t going to stop until they were caught.”
After his arrest, Mark Underwood was heard giving a coded message on the phone about recovering money, which led police to discover £20,000 buried near conifer trees near junction 21 of the M1 motorway.
Judge Simon Hammond said: “Just short of half-a-million pounds was stolen and damage just short of a quarter of a million pounds was caused during 17 burglary offences in eight counties.
“Two teams were used, no doubt to evade detection, usually three inside and two outside.
“They operated very quickly, because once the alarms were activated the police would be on their way.”
“Oxyacetylene cutting equipment was used and for every offence they were hoping to get £75,000 and were playing for big money.”
After the case, Leicestershire Police said they were delighted to put the gang behind bars., revealing one of the convicted criminals had used his ill-gotten gains to go and see a Ricky Hatton fight in Las Vegas.
However, he was met at the airport by American authorities who put him on the first plane back to England, where he was arrested by detectives.
Superintendent Phil Smith said: “To say this was a huge enquiry was an understatement. “We hope the convictions provides local people and local businesses the reassurance the people responsible for a huge proportion of these crimes are now behind bars.”
Gang members: Offences and sentences
Jamie Sylvester (25), Glenhills Boulevard, Eyres Monsell - admitted burglary in Exeter. Sentenced to four years and five months
Simon Bird (34), Cotley Road, Mowmacre Hill, Leicester – admitted burglaries in Cheshire, Exeter. Six years.
Anthony Underwood (32), Federation Street, Enderby – found guilty of burglaries in Staffordshire and Lincolnshire. Seven years
Craig Jones (35), Woodshawe Rise, Braunstone, Leicester – admitted burglaries in Cambridgeshire. Four years
Lee Faulkner (31), Buddon Close, Beaumont Leys, Leicester – admitted burglaries in Gloucester, Lincolnshire, Cheshire, Exeter. Six years
Glenn Morris (27), Ambleside Drive, Eyres Monsell – admitted burglaries in Desborough, Broughton Astley, Staffordshire, Fleckney. Six years and eight months
Mark Wayne Underwood (27), Littlegarth, Saffron Lane Estate, Leicester – admitted burglaries in Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, Fleckney. Also admitted dangerous driving. Seven years and eight months
Ricky Gene Downes (28), Mount Road, Cosby – admitted burglaries in Cambridgeshire, Glenfield, Staffordshire, Fleckney. Six years and two months
Oliver Gent (30), Slade Close, Thorpe Astley, Leicester – admitted burglaries in Gloucestershire, Macclesfield, Cheshire. Five years and four months
Thomas Calvert (25), Elm Tree Avenue, Glenfield – Admitted burglaries in Gloucester, Houghton on the Hill, Spalding, Woodhall Spa. Six years
Robert Rourke (32), Bluegates, Beaumont Leys, Leicester – admitted burglaries in Houghton on the Hill, Spalding, Gloucestershire, Cheshire, Macclesfield, Exeter. Eight years
Shane Underwood (29), Stanton Row, Saffron Lane Estate, – admitted burglaries in Houghton on the Hill, Spalding, Cheshire, Exeter. Eight years
Sean Underwood (19), Denman Lane, Huncote – admitted burglary in Exeter. Three years detention
http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/news/Thieves-raided-shop-cash-machines-Leicestershire-jailed/article-1491984-detail/article.html
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
Used and rebuilt rubber machinery
This worldwide buyer and seller of quality American-made new, used and rebuilt rubber machinery is celebrating its 16th anniversary with the creation of a new web site featuring its most current new and used rubber machinery inventory.
In addition be being a leading seller of new and used equipment, this company also buys surplus rubber machinery and equipment from companies looking to discard unwanted equipment. This company will buy and sell from one piece of machinery to a complete manufacturing line or plant.
Equipment offered for sale on the company's web site includes a press control panel, presses, 120 gallon hydraulic units, mills, rheometers, tensile testers, lathes, calenders, mixers, cutters, gear reducers, and more.
Used, rebuilt machinery suppliers
The following directory lists the suppliers of used and rebuilt
processing machinery to the rubber industry, with address,
contact information and type(s) of machinery offered. Rebuilding
capabilities are listed on the following pages.
Advanced Engineered Systems, Inc.
Marc Skelding, Dir. Of Sales
4311 Capital Circle
Janesville, WI 53546 608 754-3611
Fax: 608 754-3847
Email: aesol@aol.com
Types of Machinery: Assembly machines
(special), cutting equipment, marking
machines, materials handling equipment,
presses, special machinery and general
machine work
Akron Tire Engineering & Machine Co.
Adele D. Roth, Gen. Mgr.
1288 Starlight Dr.
Akron, OH 44306-4023 330 724-0343
Fax: 330 724-0347
Website: hometown.aol.com/atemcoinc
Email: atemcoinc@aol.com
Types of Machinery: Calenders, mills,
mixers, presses, slitters, special machinery
and general machine work, tire building
machines
Alsop Industrial Services, Inc.
Don Alsop, Pres.
1643 E. Legrande Ave., Suite A
P.O. Box 33802
Indianapolis, IN 46203-0802 317 783-0885
Fax: 317 783-0891
Website: www.alsopindustrial.com
Email: info@alsopindustrial.com
Types of Machinery: Autoclaves, bale
cutters, band building machines, bead
flippers, bias cutters, blenders, calenders,
deflashing equipment, extruders, extrusion
equipment, mills, mixers, molds,
ovens, presses, scales, special machinery
and general machine work, splicers
CCS Instruments Inc. Corporate Consulting Service Instruments Inc.
Jack Warner, Pres.
221 Beaver St.
Akron, OH 44304 330 376-3600; 800 742-8535
Fax: 330 376-8500
Website: www.ccsi-inc.com;
www.orecozone.net;
www.ccsequipment.net
Email: info@ccsi-inc.com
Types of Machinery: Bale cutters, cloth
spreaders, cutting equipment, dies,
gages (indicating), knives, measuring
equipment, molds, recording chart paper
Crotech AG
Anthony Crowe, Pres.
Gstaltenstrasse 40
4416 Bubendorf, Switzerland 061/903-07-07
Fax: 061/903-07-08
Email: crotech.ag@spectraweb.ch
Types of Machinery: Extruders, pelletizers,
presses, special machinery and general
machine work, strainers
Cumberland Engineering
John Farney, National Sales Mgr.
100 Roddy Ave.
South Attleboro, MA 02703-7951 508 399-6400
Fax: 508 399-6653
Website: www.cumberland-plastics.com
Types of Machinery: Bins, cutters (extrusions),
cutting equipment, granulators,
grinders, knives, processing systems
(material), shredders
Davis-Standard, LLC
Sandy Whewell, Mktg.
1 Extrusion Dr.
Pawcatuck, CT 06379-2313 860 599-1010
Fax: 860 599-6258
Website: www.davis-standard.com
Email: info@davis-standard.com
Types of Machinery: Bead covering
machines, branders, control systems,
controllers, cutters (extrusions), cutting
equipment, dies, digital control systems
(length, speed, stretch), drives, drums,
extruders, extrusion equipment, feeders,
gages (indicating), heaters, hose covering
Delroyd Worm Gear
Jay Dubell, Product Mgr.
2221 Niagara Falls Blvd.
Niagara Falls, NY 14302-1032 716 731-5180
Fax: 716 731-9329
Website: www.nuttallgear.com
Email: nuttall@nuttallgear.com
Types of Machinery: Gears (reduction),
reducers (speed, gear), reducers (speed,
motor)
Durbin Industrial Valve, Inc.
Scott Durbin
1062 Triplett Blvd.
Akron, OH 44306 330 724-9968
Fax: 330 724-9975
Website: www.durbinvalve.com
Email: valve@durbinvalve.com
Types of Machinery: Used and rebuilt
machinery, valves (control and regulating)
Erie Press Systems
George Currie, Executive V.P.
1253 West 12th St.
P.O. Box 4061
Erie, PA 16512 814 455-3491
Fax: 814 456-4819
Website: www.eriepress.com
Email: gcurrie@eriepress.com
Types of Machinery: Presses
Farrel Corporation
William Flaherty, V.P. of Sales
25 Main St.
Ansonia, CT 06401 203 736-5500
Fax: 203 735-6267
Website: www.farrel.com
Email: support@farrel.com
Types of Machinery: Batch off systems,
calenders, component parts, control systems,
dies, extruders, extrusion equipment,
guides, hose covering machines,
insulated wire equipment, masticators,
materials handling equipment, metering,
mixing and dispensing units for epoxies
Federal Equipment Co.
Larry Kadis, Exec. V.P.
8200 Bessemer Ave.
Cleveland, OH 44127 216 271-3500
Fax: 216 271-5210
Website: www.fedequip.com
Email: larry@fedequip.com
Types of Machinery: Used and rebuilt
machinery
Feedscrews.com
Ron Anderson, CEO/Pres.
2511 N. Friday Rd.
Cocoa, FL 32926 321 637-0728
Fax: 321 636-3508
Website: www.feedscrews.com
Email: anderson@feedscrews.com
Types of Machinery: Used and rebuilt
machinery, chrome plating, drums,
extruders, extrusion equipment, roll grinding
service, rollers, used and rebuilt
machinery, component parts, deflashing
equipment, dies, drives, extruders, extrusion
equipment, feeders, grinders, insulated
wire
Feed Screws Div., New Castle Industries, Inc.
Fred Scocchera, Sales Mgr.
1399 Countyline Rd.
New Castle, PA 16107 724 656-5600
Fax: 724 656-5620
Website: www.newcas.com
Email: sales@newcas.com
Types of Machinery: Used and rebuilt
machinery, chrome plating, drums,
extruders, extrusion equipment, roll grinding
service, rollers
Freeman
Chad Root, Dir. of Sales
911 Graham Dr.
Fremont, OH 43420 419 334-9709
Fax: 419 334-3426
Website: www.freeman-die.com
Email: fremont@freeman-die.com
Types of Machinery: Assembly machines
(special), cementing machines, coaters,
cutting equipment, deflashing equipment,
dies, molds, presses, skivers, splitters
Freeman Schwabe Machinery
Greg DeFisher, CEO
4064 Clough Woods Dr.
Batavia, OH 45103 513 947-2888
Fax: 513 947-2887
Website: www.freemanschwabe.com
Types of Machinery: Assembly machines
(special), cementing machines, coaters,
cutting equipment, deflashing equipment,
dies, molds, presses, skivers, splitters,
used and rebuilt machinery, cutting
blocks, cutting equipment, die making
machines, fabric edge gummers, laminators
French Oil Mill Machinery Co.
Daniel P. French, Chairman/Pres.
Polymer Machinery Group; Hydraulic
Machinery Group
1035 W. Greene St.
P.O. Box 920
Piqua, OH 45356-0920 937 773-3420
Fax: 937 773-3424
Website: www.frenchoil.com
Email: sales@frenchoil.com
Types of Machinery: Assembly machines
(special), cementing machines, coaters,
cutting equipment, deflashing equipment,
dies, molds, presses, skivers, splitters,
used and rebuilt machinery, cutting
blocks, cutting equipment, die making
machines, fabric edge gummers, laminators
Gomaplast Machinery, Inc.
Marcelo S. Hildebrandt, Pres.
500 East Henry St.
Wooster, OH 44691 330 263-7645
Fax: 330 263-7846
Website: www.gomaplast.com
Email: sales@gomaplast.com
Types of Machinery: Autoclaves, bale
cutters, bearings, belt making machines,
calenders, controllers, cutting equipment,
cylinders, deflashing equipment, drives,
drums, extruders, extrusion equipment,
feeders, gages (indicating), gears, gears
(reduction), hose knitting machine
Industrial Rubber Machinery Inc.
Larry Weber, Pres.
3784 Brant Dr.
P.O. Box 27087
Akron, OH 44319 330 645-0020
Fax: 330 645-0070
Website: www.rubbermachinery.com
Email: larry@rubbermachinery.com
Types of Machinery: Autoclaves, bale
cutters, batch off systems, blenders, calenders,
coaters, cutters (extrusions), cutting
equipment, dicers, doors (vulcanizer
quick opening), extruders, extrusion
equipment, granulators, grinders, laminators,
lathes, let-off machines
International Reserve Eqpt. Corp.
Thomas J. Mertz, Ptnr./Advert.
4 S. Prospect Ave.
P.O. Box 198
Clarendon Hills, IL 60514-0198 630 325-7040
Fax: 630 325-7045
Email: ireserve@cs.com
Types of Machinery: Blenders, centrifuges
(latex), dewatering equipment, dryers,
evaporators, mills, mixers, presses,
screens, used and rebuilt machinery
JM Machinery Inc.
Michael Dyer, President & CEO
P.O. Box 378
Wadsworth, OH 44282 330 825-2400
Fax: 330 825-0569
Website: www.jmmachinery.com
Email: Rubbermachinery@aol.com
Types of Machinery: Autoclaves, bale
cutters, ball making machines, band
building machines, batch off systems,
bead covering machines, bead flippers,
bead making machines, bead wire cutters,
bead wrappers, belt covering
machines, belt cutters, belt making
machines
Karder Rubber Machinery & Engineering
David M. Supple, V.P.
258 Kenmore Blvd.
P.O. Box 349
Akron, OH 44309-0349 330 253-3377
Fax: 330 253-4733
Email: krme@worldnet.att.net
Types of Machinery: Autoclaves, bearings,
bushings, calenders, couplings,
Eextruders, gears, gears (reduction),
insulated wire equipment, mill stock
blenders, mills, mixers, platens, presses,
reducers (speed, gear), roll grinding service,
rollers, strainers (rubber)
Kobelco Stewart Boiling Inc.
David Sealfon, Sales & Marketing
1600 Terex Rd.
Hudson, OH 44236 330 655-3111
Fax: 330 655-2982
Website: www.ksbiusa.com
Email: information@ksbi.com
Types of Machinery: Calenders, extruders,
gears, gears (reduction), guides,
inflators (tire, post cure), knives, mill stock
blenders, mills, mixers, mixing control
systems, pelletizers, presses, roll grinding
service, rollers, take-off apparatus, tire
building machines
Machinery Exchange Corp.
Bob Thompson,
P.O. Box 26073
Akron, OH 44319 330 896-0585
Fax: 330 896-0147
Email: bthompson@mecakron.com
Types of Machinery: All types
Machinery Products U.K. Ltd.
Johnny Walker, Managing Director
Four Trees
South Elkington
Louth, Lincolnshire LN 11 0RU United
Kingdom 44 (0) 1507 610108
Fax: 44 (0) 1507 610 044
Website: www.machineryproducts.co.uk
Email: johnny.walker@btconnect.com
Types of Machinery: Used and rebuilt
machinery, autoclaves, bale cutters, balers,
blenders, braiders, calenders, extruders,
extrusion equipment, film casting
equipment, granulators, hose making
machines, knives, lathes, mill stock
blenders, mills, mixers, pelletizers, presses
MKB Industries Inc.
Malcolm V. Blyth, Pres.
63-8 N. Branford Rd.
Branford, CT 06405 203 481-1900
Fax: 203 481-1943
Types of Machinery: Pelletizers, platen
insulation, platens, presses
NFM Iddon Limited
Michael I. Iddon, Sales Dir.
Quin St.
Leyland, Lancashire, PR5 1TB England 1772-421258
Fax: 1772-431114
Types of Machinery: Bead covering
machines, calenders, coaters, coolers,
drums, knives, mills, presses, rollers,
take-off apparatus, unwrapping (after
cure) machines, vulcanizers
NFM Welding Engineers, Inc.
William A. Wells, V.P. Sales
577 Oberlin Rd., S.W.
Massillon, OH 44647 330 837-3868
Fax: 330 837-2230
Website: www.nfm.net
Types of Machinery: Bead covering
machines, calenders, coaters, coolers,
drums, knives, mills, presses, rollers,
take-off apparatus, unwrapping (after
cure) machines, used and rebuilt
machinery, vulcanizers, calenders, control
systems, dewatering equipment,
extruders, extrusion equipment
OEM Press Systems, Inc.
311 S. Highland Ave.
Fullerton, CA 92832 714 449-7500
Fax: 714 449-7510
Website: www.oempresssystems.com
Email: sales@oempresssystems.com
Types of Machinery: Controllers, cylinders,
expanders, heaters, hydraulic systems,
laminators, materials handling
equipment, platen insulation, platens,
presses, pumps, thermal liquid heat
transfer systems
Patterson Industries (Canada) Limited
Mike Lindsey, Sales Mgr.
250 Danforth Rd.
Scarborough, Ontario, Canada M1L 3X4 416 694-3381
Fax: 416 691-2768
Website: www.pattersonindustries.com
Email: process@pattersonindustries.com
Types of Machinery: Agitators (cement
and latex), autoclaves, blenders, dryers,
evaporators, mills, mixers, polymerizers,
powder mixers (blenders), tanks, used
and rebuilt machinery, vulcanizers
Process Machinery & Equipment Corp.
Eric Buttermore, V.P.
P.O. Box 6507
Kingwood, TX 77325 281 358-9299
Fax: 253 322-2311
Email: pmehouston@aol.com
Types of Machinery: Autoclaves, calenders,
extruders, mills, mixers, presses
Quality Mold Inc.
Greg Kalikas, V.P. Sales
2200 Massillon Rd.
Akron, OH 44312-4234 330 645-mold
Fax: 330 645-2493
Website: www.qualitymold.com
Email: sales@qualitymold.com
Types of Machinery: Batch off systems,
bead flippers, bead making machines,
bias cutters, calenders, extruders, insulated
wire equipment, knives, let-off
machines, molds, steelcord belting
machines, tire building machines, trimmers,
valves
Reliable Rubber and Plastic Machinery
Thomas Liccardo, Vice Pres./Sales Mgr.
2008-14 Union Tpke.
North Bergen, NJ 07047 201 865-1073
Fax: 201 865-6878
Website: www.reliable-machinery.com
Email: info@reliable-machinery.com
Types of Machinery: Bale cutters, batch
off systems, blenders, brakes (pneumatic
clutch), calenders, control systems, coolers,
cutters (extrusions), cutting equipment,
digital control systems (length,
speed, stretch), extruders, extrusion
equipment, gages (indicating), grinders
Rogers Industrial Products Inc.
Rob Cole, General Mgr.
532 S. Main St.
Akron, OH 44311 330 535-3331
Fax: 330 535-4408
Website: www.rogersusa.com
Email: sales@rogersusa.com
Types of Machinery: Assembly machines
(special), bushings, control systems, cylinders,
gages (indicating), gears, gears
(reduction), hydraulic systems, lubrication
systems, materials handling equipment,
platen insulation, platens, presses,
pumps, reducers (speed, gear), reducers
Rubber City Machinery Corp.
Robert Westfall, Exec. V.P.
1000 Sweitzer Ave.
P.O. Box 2043
Akron, OH 44309 330 434-3500
Fax: 330 434-2244
Website: www.rcmc.com
Email: info@rcmc.com
Types of Machinery: Assembly machines
(special), bale cutters, band building
machines, bead locators, bias cutters,
control systems, cutting equipment,
debeaders, guide line projectors, guides,
knife blades, knives, laser guide lights,
let-off machines, marking machines, mills
Scantland Industries
Phillip P. Troia, P.E., President
1576 Druid Dr.
Copley, OH 44321 330 668-6655
Fax: 330 666-8805
Types of Machinery: Control systems,
hydraulic systems, inspection machines,
platen insulation, platens, presses, tire
building machines, tire painting machines,
tire testers, vulcanizers
Soberay & Sons Ltd.
Ron Soberay, Pres./CEO
12900 Lake Ave., #623
Lakewood, OH 44107 216 334-2003
Fax: 216 334-2005
Website: www.soberayandsons.com
Email: info@soberayandsons.com
Types of Machinery: Band building
machines, batch off systems, bead wire
insulating heads, bead wrappers, belt
covering machines, belt cutters, belt folding
machines, belt making machines, belt
stretchers, bias cutters, blenders, braiders,
brushing machines, buffers, calenders
Technical Machine Products
Dave Sledz, V.P.
5500 Walworth Ave.
Cleveland, OH 44102 216 281-9500
Fax: 216 281-0408
Website: www.techmach.com
Email: mail@techmach.com
Types of Machinery: Controllers, gears,
mills, mixers, mixing control systems,
mold stripping equipment, platens, presses,
special machinery and general
machine work, temperature control, thermal
liquid heat transfer systems, dewatering
equipment, dies, dipping machines,
drives, electroplating, extruders, extrusion
equipment
Wayne Machine & Die Co.
Janice Lischak, Office Mgr.
100 Furler St.
Totowa, NJ 07512 973 256-7374
Fax: 973 256-1778
Website: www.waynemachine.com
Email: info@waynemachine.com
Types of Machinery: Calenders, cutting
equipment, dies, extruders, extrusion
equipment, film casting equipment, insulated
wire equipment, pelletizers, take-off
apparatus, troughs (cooling), used and
rebuilt machinery, winders
West Coast Rubber Machinery, Inc.
Mark Pederson, Sales Mgr.
7180 Scout Ave.
Bell Gardens, CA 90201 562 927-2546
Fax: 562 806-4628
Email: wcrmacc@hotmail.com
Types of Machinery: Assembly machines
(special), bale cutters, batch off systems,
calender stock windup/letoff service
cores, calenders, control systems, cutting
equipment, deflashing equipment,
extruders, guides, hydraulic systems,
industrial instrumentation, masticators
Zeppelin Systems USA, Inc.
Christian Tittensor, Sales & Mktg. Mgr., Tire and Rubber
P.O. Box 286
Coopersburg, PA 18036 610 282-5848
Fax: 610 282-5849
Email: ctittensor@zeppelin-usa.com
Types of Machinery: Bale cutters, batch
off systems, blenders, control systems,
feeders, materials handling equipment,
mills, mixers, mixing control systems,
process control (extrusion), processing
systems (material), pumps, scales, temperature
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Re-manufactured VTLs are very competitive
Machine tool company is putting more investment into re-manufactured VTL's - having acuired more 'carcasses' to offer competitive CNC vertical borers to the aerospace and turbine industry
To find competitive CNC vertical borer solutions for the demands of the aerospace and turbine industry, Pennine has expanded its 'VTL Re-Engineering' programme with the addition of seven vertical turning lathe (VTL) carcasses for its 2006 programme.
The seven machines are, three Morando VLN-12, two Schiess DE14 and two Schiess DE18 models.
The Morando type VLN-12 machines are elevating rail, ram machines with 1200mm tables (1600mm swing) and 12 station toolchangers.
Schiess DE 14 machines are elevating rail turret machines with 1250mm tables (swing 1400mm).
The Schiess DE18 are elevating rail turret machines with 1600mm tables (swing 1800mm).
All will be supplied with new CNC controls and drive systems (Fanuc) although a particular customer requirement maybe possible.
The re-manufactured stock build programme takes sound machine carcasses, which are subsequently rebuilt, re-engineered and retrofit with the latest CNC technology.
Result is large capacity, sturdy accurate machines at a reduced cost (compared with new) having as new accuracy and performance.
These machines are then sold with full warranty John Ginley, Pennine's managing director, explains, "Typical parts which are produced on these VTLs are large rings with complex profiles to tight tolerances from exotic materials, such as titanium and nimonic alloys.
A significant priority is placed on accuracy, machine rigidity and high torque and power at relatively low cutting feeds and speeds.
Re-manufacturing and Re-engineering a sturdy carcass machine, such as the Schiess and Morando variants, provides an excellent base to achieve these priorities.
A re-manufacturing and re-engineering programme starts with a complete assessment of the machine condition, followed by dismantling of the machine for examination, logging and a quality audit of all the major sub assemblies.
At this stage, depending on the examination results, a decision is taken on which aspects of the machine will be retained and which will be re-engineered." Typical areas that maybe re-engineered are: * Replace the existing axis drive arrangement with the latest digital servo motors, coupled to the ballscrews through torsionally rigid couplings or timing belt drives, to improve positioning response and reduce backlash.
* Replace an existing multi-speed table drive gearbox and fixed speed motor with a 2 speed electric change unit and modern digital spindle motor.
This gives infinitely variable speeds, a better power profile, less noise, less driveline backlash and allows the use of constant surface speed control.
* Fit a table encoder to provide screw cutting and feed per rev operation.
* Replace the axis lubrication system (pump, distributors, piping, etc.) and enhance monitoring to aid precise positioning and to minimise wear.
* Replace the original hydraulic installation with a new compact system to reduce oil capacity, lower power consumption and allow greater monitoring (levels, pressures etc).
The more compact tank can often be fixed to the machine carcass, removing the need to disconnect the hydraulics when the machine is moved.
f* Fit an enhanced guarding system to meet current health and safety requirements and provide improved coolant and swarf control.
The guarding arrangement can accommodate a swarf conveyor if required.
* Replace existing wiring with new to meet CE requirements.
* Select a new CNC control to suit machine type with digital control, to provide latest features at the machine and with enhanced communication capabilities to allow connection to customer networks.
* Add direct axis measurement, particular to the X (diameter) axis, for enhanced accuracy and improved repeatability.
j* Upgrade the toolholding arrangement to incorporate modern systems, such as Sandvik's Capto.
k* Take advantage of modern compact electrical and electronic equipment to reduce the size of the electrical panels.
Where possible these are mounted on the machine carcass to ease maintenance, reduce floor space, remove the need to disconnect the machine when moving and provide a single machine lift.
* Decide on operator station type and position to provide flexible viewing and operation available with new compact CNC controls.
Fixed or portable handwheel arrangements can be incorporated to aid machine setting.
* Consider the fitment of tool setting and/or workpiece inspection probing systems.
The same care and attention to detail is applied to the elements of the machine that are being retained.
* After a thorough cleaning of all parts, the slideways are inspected and re-ground as necessary.
PTFE-based anti-friction material is fitted to the moving elements to reduce stiction and aid positioning accuracy and repeatability and/or linear bearings replaced or refurbished to return the machine alignments to British Standards for vertical CNC borers.
* Gearboxes (eg elevating rail and retained table drive components) are stripped and all bearings and any worn gearing replaced.
* Table bearings are inspected and, if required, replaced with new.
* The table bearing and gearbox lubrication system is overhauled and, where possible, improved and then checked for correct operation.
* Tool holding systems (turrets or toolchangers) are completely overhauled.
f* Ballscrews are refurbished or, if necessary, replaced with new.
New support bearings are fitted.
* Telescopic steel slideway covers are refurbished, with the fibre bellows type being replaced with steel telescopic units.
* The machine's moving elements are precisely aligned and adjusted using calibrated granite artifacts, and finally checked with Pennine's Renishaw laser interferometer.
* The re-assembled machine is now rewired using appropriate wiring, conduits and drag-chains and with due regard to CE requirements.
* Sensors and solenoid valves on the machine are wired directly to the CNC's distributed I/O, which allows a comprehensive software interface to be written to control the machine and provide the necessary safety interlocking and enhanced diagnostic support.
* In addition to cable routing meeting new CE requirements, the latest cabling, tubing and drag-chains provide a more modern appearance.
* Finally, a suitable enclosed and interlocked guarding system is designed, manufactured and fitted.
At the end of the Pennine re-manufacturing process, the machines are ready to meet the customer's 2006 production demands.
To find competitive CNC vertical borer solutions for the demands of the aerospace and turbine industry, Pennine has expanded its 'VTL Re-Engineering' programme with the addition of seven vertical turning lathe (VTL) carcasses for its 2006 programme.
The seven machines are, three Morando VLN-12, two Schiess DE14 and two Schiess DE18 models.
The Morando type VLN-12 machines are elevating rail, ram machines with 1200mm tables (1600mm swing) and 12 station toolchangers.
Schiess DE 14 machines are elevating rail turret machines with 1250mm tables (swing 1400mm).
The Schiess DE18 are elevating rail turret machines with 1600mm tables (swing 1800mm).
All will be supplied with new CNC controls and drive systems (Fanuc) although a particular customer requirement maybe possible.
The re-manufactured stock build programme takes sound machine carcasses, which are subsequently rebuilt, re-engineered and retrofit with the latest CNC technology.
Result is large capacity, sturdy accurate machines at a reduced cost (compared with new) having as new accuracy and performance.
These machines are then sold with full warranty John Ginley, Pennine's managing director, explains, "Typical parts which are produced on these VTLs are large rings with complex profiles to tight tolerances from exotic materials, such as titanium and nimonic alloys.
A significant priority is placed on accuracy, machine rigidity and high torque and power at relatively low cutting feeds and speeds.
Re-manufacturing and Re-engineering a sturdy carcass machine, such as the Schiess and Morando variants, provides an excellent base to achieve these priorities.
A re-manufacturing and re-engineering programme starts with a complete assessment of the machine condition, followed by dismantling of the machine for examination, logging and a quality audit of all the major sub assemblies.
At this stage, depending on the examination results, a decision is taken on which aspects of the machine will be retained and which will be re-engineered." Typical areas that maybe re-engineered are: * Replace the existing axis drive arrangement with the latest digital servo motors, coupled to the ballscrews through torsionally rigid couplings or timing belt drives, to improve positioning response and reduce backlash.
* Replace an existing multi-speed table drive gearbox and fixed speed motor with a 2 speed electric change unit and modern digital spindle motor.
This gives infinitely variable speeds, a better power profile, less noise, less driveline backlash and allows the use of constant surface speed control.
* Fit a table encoder to provide screw cutting and feed per rev operation.
* Replace the axis lubrication system (pump, distributors, piping, etc.) and enhance monitoring to aid precise positioning and to minimise wear.
* Replace the original hydraulic installation with a new compact system to reduce oil capacity, lower power consumption and allow greater monitoring (levels, pressures etc).
The more compact tank can often be fixed to the machine carcass, removing the need to disconnect the hydraulics when the machine is moved.
f* Fit an enhanced guarding system to meet current health and safety requirements and provide improved coolant and swarf control.
The guarding arrangement can accommodate a swarf conveyor if required.
* Replace existing wiring with new to meet CE requirements.
* Select a new CNC control to suit machine type with digital control, to provide latest features at the machine and with enhanced communication capabilities to allow connection to customer networks.
* Add direct axis measurement, particular to the X (diameter) axis, for enhanced accuracy and improved repeatability.
j* Upgrade the toolholding arrangement to incorporate modern systems, such as Sandvik's Capto.
k* Take advantage of modern compact electrical and electronic equipment to reduce the size of the electrical panels.
Where possible these are mounted on the machine carcass to ease maintenance, reduce floor space, remove the need to disconnect the machine when moving and provide a single machine lift.
* Decide on operator station type and position to provide flexible viewing and operation available with new compact CNC controls.
Fixed or portable handwheel arrangements can be incorporated to aid machine setting.
* Consider the fitment of tool setting and/or workpiece inspection probing systems.
The same care and attention to detail is applied to the elements of the machine that are being retained.
* After a thorough cleaning of all parts, the slideways are inspected and re-ground as necessary.
PTFE-based anti-friction material is fitted to the moving elements to reduce stiction and aid positioning accuracy and repeatability and/or linear bearings replaced or refurbished to return the machine alignments to British Standards for vertical CNC borers.
* Gearboxes (eg elevating rail and retained table drive components) are stripped and all bearings and any worn gearing replaced.
* Table bearings are inspected and, if required, replaced with new.
* The table bearing and gearbox lubrication system is overhauled and, where possible, improved and then checked for correct operation.
* Tool holding systems (turrets or toolchangers) are completely overhauled.
f* Ballscrews are refurbished or, if necessary, replaced with new.
New support bearings are fitted.
* Telescopic steel slideway covers are refurbished, with the fibre bellows type being replaced with steel telescopic units.
* The machine's moving elements are precisely aligned and adjusted using calibrated granite artifacts, and finally checked with Pennine's Renishaw laser interferometer.
* The re-assembled machine is now rewired using appropriate wiring, conduits and drag-chains and with due regard to CE requirements.
* Sensors and solenoid valves on the machine are wired directly to the CNC's distributed I/O, which allows a comprehensive software interface to be written to control the machine and provide the necessary safety interlocking and enhanced diagnostic support.
* In addition to cable routing meeting new CE requirements, the latest cabling, tubing and drag-chains provide a more modern appearance.
* Finally, a suitable enclosed and interlocked guarding system is designed, manufactured and fitted.
At the end of the Pennine re-manufacturing process, the machines are ready to meet the customer's 2006 production demands.
Large roll grinder and CNC Elgamill are for sale
Among second-hand machine tools currently available from a UK company are a large Craven travelling wheel head roll grinder and a Butler CNC floor-type, high power travelling column Elgamill.
The UK-built Craven Travelling Wheel Head Roll Grinder has a swing over bed of 2000mm, and a maximum grinding diameter of 1829mm.
Its maximum grinding length is 8600mm.
The machine accepts a maximum roll weight of 75 tonne and the machine tool price is GBP 175,000 (plus VAT if applicable), ex-site.
Gribben expects keen interest in this roll grinder.
The second machine is a UK-built Butler CNC Floor type Hi-Power Elgamill (serial number 28211) a travelling column type machine with up to 7000mm of X-axis travel.
The column's universal, 2000 rev/min Huron-type machining head has 2000mm travel (Z-axis).
The floor plates are 8400mm x 1925mm.
Gribben advises that these details are approximate.
The CNC with the machine is a Heidenhain 360 system.
The price is GBP 80,000 (plus VAT if applicable).
Long bed, travelling column millers offered in UK
Company dealing in second-hand and re-engineered machine tools is offering two Butler 'Elgamill' long-bed, travelling column, horizontal spindle, milling/boring machines.
Gribben Davies Machine Tools have available for sale from site in the UK the following two two Butler 'Elgamill' long-bed, travelling column, horizontal spindle, milling/boring machines.
Details are as follows.
* Butler CNC Elgamill Model HE 10000 Bed Mill, built in 1990s and refurbished in 2001.
Control: Heidenhain TNC355.
Table Size: 10m x 1000mm.
X: 8280mm, Y: 1670mm, Z: 1050mm.
Machine spindle taper: 50INT, 3,000 rev/min and 22kW motor.
Price: GBP 190,000.00.
* Butler Elgamill Model DR12 Bed Mill, built in mid-1980s.
Table: 6000mm long.
X: 4200mm, Y: 1100mm, Z: 970mm.
Machine spindle speed is 2,000 rev/min, spindle taper: 50 Int.
Pendant Control Price: GBPGBP 5,000.00.
CNC machine tools to be auctioned
GoIndustry Michael Fox International will conduct an online auction of approximately 150 lots of late model CNC machine tools and metal fabrication equipment during July/August 2006.
GoIndustry Michael Fox International Inc, one of the world's largest providers of used industrial asset disposition and acquisition services, will conduct an online auction of approximately 150 lots of late model CNC machine tools and metal fabrication equipment.
Online bidding begins on July 19 and ends on August 10, 2006 at 12.00 noon (EST).
The highly sought after metalworking equipment includes a plasma cutter; machining centers; turning center; boring mill, and tool holders.
A full list of items and further details about the online auction are available on-line.
On-line auctions allow buyers to participate in the bidding process from the comfort of their own office or home.
Travel costs are not necessary and time away from the office is saved.
Buyers in every corner of the world can access equipment information and place bids at any time of day, in every time zone, as online sales run 24h/day - a huge benefit of the online auction sale format.
"This auction will be a great opportunity for buyers of metalworking machinery and equipment to benefit from the range of equipment for sale.
The equipment is in great condition, buyers are going to be very pleased with their purchases", commented Paul Shoniker, director of Auction Sales and Services, GoIndustry Michael Fox International.
* About GoIndustry Michael Fox International - GoIndustry Michael Fox International is a global leader in the auction, liquidation, and appraisal of machinery and equipment, inventories, and business assets.
The GoIndustry group of companies includes over 250 staff in 25 offices in 16 countries that provide local service with global reach to clients all across the globe.
GoIndustry Michael Fox International Inc, one of the world's largest providers of used industrial asset disposition and acquisition services, will conduct an online auction of approximately 150 lots of late model CNC machine tools and metal fabrication equipment.
Online bidding begins on July 19 and ends on August 10, 2006 at 12.00 noon (EST).
The highly sought after metalworking equipment includes a plasma cutter; machining centers; turning center; boring mill, and tool holders.
A full list of items and further details about the online auction are available on-line.
On-line auctions allow buyers to participate in the bidding process from the comfort of their own office or home.
Travel costs are not necessary and time away from the office is saved.
Buyers in every corner of the world can access equipment information and place bids at any time of day, in every time zone, as online sales run 24h/day - a huge benefit of the online auction sale format.
"This auction will be a great opportunity for buyers of metalworking machinery and equipment to benefit from the range of equipment for sale.
The equipment is in great condition, buyers are going to be very pleased with their purchases", commented Paul Shoniker, director of Auction Sales and Services, GoIndustry Michael Fox International.
* About GoIndustry Michael Fox International - GoIndustry Michael Fox International is a global leader in the auction, liquidation, and appraisal of machinery and equipment, inventories, and business assets.
The GoIndustry group of companies includes over 250 staff in 25 offices in 16 countries that provide local service with global reach to clients all across the globe.
Apex set to auction CNC machinery
Apex Auctions has announced that it will be selling a large number of high-quality CNC machinery throughout September.
The first sale to close is a 104 lot auction of CNC and fabricating equipment available due to the closure of Bearing and Engineering Products Ltd.
The sale includes a virtually unused Okuma four-axis CNC lathe manufactured in 2007.
A 2002 Daewoo Puma CNC lathe, a Yang CNC lathe and a 2001 Dugard Eagle machining centre will also be open for bids.
A slightly smaller auction of 36 lots from Advanced Manufacturing Limited will also take place.
This sale consists of a selection of CNC and manual machine tools, including Yang, Eagle, Ajax, Taiwan, Takisawa and XYZ.
Following this auction there is 128 lots of equipment from Leecar Manufacturing, which ends on 16 September.
All machines in this sale are available due to retirement.
A DMG twin pallet horizontal machining centre is already attracting bids, as well as a Gildermeister CNC lathe and a Richmond vertical machining centre - all of which were manufactured between 2000 and 2003.
The auction that Apex said is attracting the most attention is the second phase of the equipment available from Flight Refuelling.
Lot one consists of a Makino CNC flexible manufacturing system, which was installed in 2000.
The FMS comprises two Makino A77 high-speed horizontal machining centres, a 16-position pallet system, transporter and load/unload stations, and a tool presetter.
Also attracting interest, according to Apex, are two Mazak Integrex high-powered CNC turning centres and a Mazak SQT CNC turning centre.
The auction ends on 18 September, with viewing of the equipment available by appointment only.
The first sale to close is a 104 lot auction of CNC and fabricating equipment available due to the closure of Bearing and Engineering Products Ltd.
The sale includes a virtually unused Okuma four-axis CNC lathe manufactured in 2007.
A 2002 Daewoo Puma CNC lathe, a Yang CNC lathe and a 2001 Dugard Eagle machining centre will also be open for bids.
A slightly smaller auction of 36 lots from Advanced Manufacturing Limited will also take place.
This sale consists of a selection of CNC and manual machine tools, including Yang, Eagle, Ajax, Taiwan, Takisawa and XYZ.
Following this auction there is 128 lots of equipment from Leecar Manufacturing, which ends on 16 September.
All machines in this sale are available due to retirement.
A DMG twin pallet horizontal machining centre is already attracting bids, as well as a Gildermeister CNC lathe and a Richmond vertical machining centre - all of which were manufactured between 2000 and 2003.
The auction that Apex said is attracting the most attention is the second phase of the equipment available from Flight Refuelling.
Lot one consists of a Makino CNC flexible manufacturing system, which was installed in 2000.
The FMS comprises two Makino A77 high-speed horizontal machining centres, a 16-position pallet system, transporter and load/unload stations, and a tool presetter.
Also attracting interest, according to Apex, are two Mazak Integrex high-powered CNC turning centres and a Mazak SQT CNC turning centre.
The auction ends on 18 September, with viewing of the equipment available by appointment only.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Apex set to auction CNC machinery
Apex Auctions has announced that it will be selling a large number of high-quality CNC machinery throughout September.
The first sale to close is a 104 lot auction of CNC and fabricating equipment available due to the closure of Bearing and Engineering Products Ltd.
The sale includes a virtually unused Okuma four-axis CNC lathe manufactured in 2007.
A 2002 Daewoo Puma CNC lathe, a Yang CNC lathe and a 2001 Dugard Eagle machining centre will also be open for bids.
A slightly smaller auction of 36 lots from Advanced Manufacturing Limited will also take place.
This sale consists of a selection of CNC and manual machine tools, including Yang, Eagle, Ajax, Taiwan, Takisawa and XYZ.
Following this auction there is 128 lots of equipment from Leecar Manufacturing, which ends on 16 September.
All machines in this sale are available due to retirement.
A DMG twin pallet horizontal machining centre is already attracting bids, as well as a Gildermeister CNC lathe and a Richmond vertical machining centre - all of which were manufactured between 2000 and 2003.
The auction that Apex said is attracting the most attention is the second phase of the equipment available from Flight Refuelling.
Lot one consists of a Makino CNC flexible manufacturing system, which was installed in 2000.
The FMS comprises two Makino A77 high-speed horizontal machining centres, a 16-position pallet system, transporter and load/unload stations, and a tool presetter.
Also attracting interest, according to Apex, are two Mazak Integrex high-powered CNC turning centres and a Mazak SQT CNC turning centre.
The auction ends on 18 September, with viewing of the equipment available by appointment only.
The first sale to close is a 104 lot auction of CNC and fabricating equipment available due to the closure of Bearing and Engineering Products Ltd.
The sale includes a virtually unused Okuma four-axis CNC lathe manufactured in 2007.
A 2002 Daewoo Puma CNC lathe, a Yang CNC lathe and a 2001 Dugard Eagle machining centre will also be open for bids.
A slightly smaller auction of 36 lots from Advanced Manufacturing Limited will also take place.
This sale consists of a selection of CNC and manual machine tools, including Yang, Eagle, Ajax, Taiwan, Takisawa and XYZ.
Following this auction there is 128 lots of equipment from Leecar Manufacturing, which ends on 16 September.
All machines in this sale are available due to retirement.
A DMG twin pallet horizontal machining centre is already attracting bids, as well as a Gildermeister CNC lathe and a Richmond vertical machining centre - all of which were manufactured between 2000 and 2003.
The auction that Apex said is attracting the most attention is the second phase of the equipment available from Flight Refuelling.
Lot one consists of a Makino CNC flexible manufacturing system, which was installed in 2000.
The FMS comprises two Makino A77 high-speed horizontal machining centres, a 16-position pallet system, transporter and load/unload stations, and a tool presetter.
Also attracting interest, according to Apex, are two Mazak Integrex high-powered CNC turning centres and a Mazak SQT CNC turning centre.
The auction ends on 18 September, with viewing of the equipment available by appointment only.
Apex offers gear manufacturing equipment
Apex Auctions has announced that it will be offering for sale a selection of large capacity gear manufacturing equipment in spring 2009.
The machinery is currently in operation at the Reid Gear Company, which is closing due to the retirement of its managing director, Tom Reid.
More than 280 lots of engineering equipment have been made available for sale, including: Maag SH450/500s heavy duty gear cutting machine; Maag SH350/500 heavy duty gear cutting machine; Maag SH100/140 gear cutting machine; Maag SH100 gear cutting machine.
All equipment will be available for auction online through the Apex Auctions website with the major machines available for immediate sale.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
The Tunnel: Seattle’s deep dig
Picture this: Washington’s jumbo ferry, the MV Tacoma, runs aground in downtown Seattle between Safeco and Qwest fields, hangs a left onto First Avenue and then starts burrowing underground and disappears.
Got that?
If you do, then you have a pretty good picture of the size and operation of the machine that will be used to drill a deep-bore tunnel to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct, said Ron Paananen of the state Department of Transportation.
Paananen is in charge of the overall $4.24 billion project to replace the viaduct with a 1.7-mile deep-bore tunnel, rebuild parts of the seawall and improve the Alaskan Way surface street with a promenade, as well as build a new surface street in the footprint of the viaduct after the structure is removed.
His main focus these days is the $1.9 billion tunnel and the machine that will dig it.
The tunnel boring machine will weigh 5,000 tons, about the same as a jumbo ferry, Paananen said. Its power plant will be 400 to 500 feet long, about the same length as a jumbo ferry. The diameter of the “drill bit” will be almost 55 feet.
Industry experts say it will take 18 months to two years to build that machine, at a cost well over $50 million.
“It would be one of the biggest machines ever made,” said Craig Bournes, product manager for Lovat Inc., a Toronto-based firm that manufactures tunnel boring machines. Lovat built two of the machines for King County’s Brightwater, a project that eventually will carry sewage in underground pipes from an inland treatment plant to a discharge point in north Puget Sound. Those machines are much smaller – less than 19 feet in diameter.
Lovat, which is now owned by Caterpillar, is one of several international firms interested in building the tunnel boring machine for whichever design-build team wins the contract to build the tunnel. Herrenknecht AG of Germany, The Robbins Co. of Ohio, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Shield Tunneling Association of Japan, Kawasaki Heavy Industries and WIRTH in Germany are others.
GOING DEEP
When the project is finished, the tunnel is expected to carry 85,000 vehicles a day. An additional 25,000 vehicles will be using the Alaskan Way surface street. The viaduct currently carries about 110,000 vehicles a day.
The tunnel boring machine for the Alaskan Way project will have to dig a single tunnel that is large enough for four lanes of traffic – two lanes stacked on top of two other lanes, each pair carrying traffic in opposite directions.
That single tunnel idea is relatively new. Originally, the DOT was going to build two tunnels – one for each direction of travel. But the technology has advanced to allow four lanes in a single tunnel, and that chops about $600 million off the cost, Paananen said.
This scale of tunnel is not unprecedented. For example, Interstate 80 in the San Francisco Bay area goes through a 1,700-foot long, double-deck tunnel through Yerba Buena Island.
Over the past few weeks, work crews in Seattle have been drilling holes every 100 to 400 feet along the eventual route of the tunnel to see what kind of soil the tunnel boring machine will encounter. The tunnel will be 1.7 miles long and will be as deep as 200 feet in some places, which means most of it will be below sea level. The tunnel has to be deep enough to get underneath a 60-foot-deep railroad tunnel that carries freight trains under downtown Seattle. There also are sewer lines closer to the surface.
Paananen said so far the soil samples show native glacial deposits of sand and gravel along most of the route, but there is fill material at the southern end of the tunnel.
Unlike an earlier proposal for a cut-and-cover tunnel that would have been built under Alaskan Way, the single deep-bore tunnel will be about 500 to 600 feet farther inland, farther away from the shoreline. The southern tunnel entrance will be at King Street and will follow under First Avenue until it gets about one block past the Pike Place Market. At Stewart Street it will veer further to the east and resurface at Denny Way onto Aurora Avenue North, also known as Highway 99.
That means the Battery Street Tunnel probably will be closed and filled in, Paananen said. Its fate lies with Seattle city officials, he said.
SLOW GOING
Tunnel boring machines move at a pace of about 2 meters (6 feet) an hour and are guided by laser. The face of the machine chews up the soil and rock to that 6-foot distance and seals off a chamber at the front of the machine.
Rails will be laid behind the machine. The ground-up dirt, rock and other materials are turned into a slurry and are either piped out behind the machine or are carried out on conveyor belts or rail cars for disposal, Bournes said.
Thereafter, prefabricated concrete sections are bolted into place to form a ring around the circumference of the tunnel. That takes about two hours, although once the work gets under way it could take less time, he said. Then, the machine moves forward to grind up the next 6-foot segment.
It takes about a dozen workers to operate the boring machine, but there are many more workers providing support.
The machine will inch forward underground for all 9,000 feet, emerging at the north portal near Seattle Center like a giant sandworm.
After the tunnel is built, the double-decked traffic lanes will be built.
Paananen said it will take four or five months just to assemble the tunnel boring machine on the lots that have been cleared at the south end of the project to serve as a staging area for construction work.
The state will be buying property and getting easements from each of the property owners so the state can tunnel under their properties.
WORK STARTED
Work on the Alaskan Way project already is well under way. Two Seattle City Light electrical transmission lines that are attached to the viaduct are being relocated. Most people don’t realize that an earthquake that is severe enough to bring down the elevated structure would disrupt much more than traffic. Two-thirds of downtown Seattle would lose power if the viaduct were to collapse.
“It’s not just transportation that’s vulnerable,” Paananen said.
New power lines are being buried in a trench to the east of the viaduct and the switch-over will take place this fall. Other utility lines also are being moved.
A tunnel is better able to withstand an earthquake than an elevated structure, but regardless of which alternative was built, it will have to meet current seismic resistant standards.
The DOT also plans to seek contractors, probably in October, to tear down the southern end of the viaduct, the portion between Holgate and King streets. That is an estimated $300 million job.
It will be nearly two years – mid-2011 – until actual construction work begins on the deep-bore tunnel, but the legislative green light has set in motion more preparatory work.
In September, the DOT will send out a request for qualifications, which is basically a call for engineering firms and contractors to show that they can team up and have the wherewithal to design and build the tunnel.
“We know there are teams of engineers and contractors forming already,” Paananen said.
By the end of October, the DOT expects to announce which three or four teams have been chosen to proceed to the next phase of the project, and compete for a contract that could pay them between $800 million and $1.3 billion, he said.
Each of the finalists will be paid to further refine their proposals, and that will take the better part of a year, Paananen said. The winner of the contract probably won’t be chosen until September 2010.
During the legislative session that ended in late April, DOT officials told lawmakers they needed approval for the deep-bore tunnel concept because they needed to order a tunnel boring machine as soon as possible so they could get on a yearlong waiting list.
http://www.thenewstribune.com/local/story/822857.html
Friday, July 24, 2009
Used large horizontal honing machines offered
Machine tool dealer is offering two large Delapena horizontal honing machines for sale from a site in the UK at GBP 40,000 and 45,000 each.
Gribben Davies Machine Tools have for sale - from site in the UK - two horizontal honing machine tools.
One is a Delapena HHM20 6000mm horizontal honing machine, built in the early 1980s.
Price is GBP 40,000.00 (plus VAT if applicable) - net ex site.
The second Delapena machine is a HHM30, 9000mm horizontal honing model, built in the early 1980s.
Price is GBP 45,000.00 (plus VAT If applicable) - net ex site.
Gribben Davies Machine Tools have for sale - from site in the UK - two horizontal honing machine tools.
One is a Delapena HHM20 6000mm horizontal honing machine, built in the early 1980s.
Price is GBP 40,000.00 (plus VAT if applicable) - net ex site.
The second Delapena machine is a HHM30, 9000mm horizontal honing model, built in the early 1980s.
Price is GBP 45,000.00 (plus VAT If applicable) - net ex site.
Used water jet cutting machines are on the Web
Manufacturer of water jet abrasive cutting machines - also used for coating removal - has posted used machines on its Web site.
In the USA, a leading manufacturer of ultra-high pressure waterjet and abrasivejet systems for precision cutting, coating removal and surface preparation, Jet Edge, is now posting used waterjet equipment for sale on its Web site.
Jet Edge's used equipment inventory includes ultra-high pressure intensifier pumps, motion systems, accessories and mobile cleaning and cutting equipment.
* About Jet Edge - Jet Edge is an ultra-high pressure waterjet technology company with a global presence.
Jet Edge's primary business includes designing, engineering, manufacturing and servicing ultra-high pressure intensifier pumps, precision waterjet and abrasive waterjet cutting systems, and surface preparation and coating removal products, as well as high-pressure cutting heads and related products, parts and components.
Jet Edge products are used in a wide range of industries, from the world's leading airlines to automotive, aerospace and industrial manufacturers and machine and job shops.
Headquartered in St.
Michael, Minnesota, USA, the company has distribution partners throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, and serves customers in more than 100 countries.
http://www.manufacturingtalk.com/news/jee/jee124.html
In the USA, a leading manufacturer of ultra-high pressure waterjet and abrasivejet systems for precision cutting, coating removal and surface preparation, Jet Edge, is now posting used waterjet equipment for sale on its Web site.
Jet Edge's used equipment inventory includes ultra-high pressure intensifier pumps, motion systems, accessories and mobile cleaning and cutting equipment.
* About Jet Edge - Jet Edge is an ultra-high pressure waterjet technology company with a global presence.
Jet Edge's primary business includes designing, engineering, manufacturing and servicing ultra-high pressure intensifier pumps, precision waterjet and abrasive waterjet cutting systems, and surface preparation and coating removal products, as well as high-pressure cutting heads and related products, parts and components.
Jet Edge products are used in a wide range of industries, from the world's leading airlines to automotive, aerospace and industrial manufacturers and machine and job shops.
Headquartered in St.
Michael, Minnesota, USA, the company has distribution partners throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, and serves customers in more than 100 countries.
http://www.manufacturingtalk.com/news/jee/jee124.html
Friday, July 17, 2009
Concepts NREC Signs Global Machine Tool Partnership with Hermle
White River Junction, Vt. and Gosheim, Germany (PRWEB) July 16, 2009 -- Concepts NREC, a world leader in turbomachinery design, engineering and manufacturing, today announced it has signed a global partnership agreement with Maschinenfabrik Berthold Hermle AG (Hermle) of Gosheim, Germany, in which Hermle will be a global machine tool partner with Concepts NREC offering the MAX-PAC family of computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software to its machine customers worldwide. Original equipment manufacturers and machining organizations will benefit from the two companies' combined expertise in the design and machining of 5-axis turbomachinery products.
Based in Gosheim, Germany, with North American headquarters in Franklin, Wis., Hermle provides manufacturing solutions, applications assistance, customer training and service. More than 18,000 Hermle machines are installed worldwide, and Hermle operates via a well-developed network of company representatives in over 50 countries, which includes 30 North American locations in the United States and Canada operated by Hermle Machine Company. Hermle's precision machine tools are used to manufacture products in many industries with turbomachinery applications. Concepts NREC representatives will work with Hermle to implement its software sales, support and distribution processes.
Michael Bisser, departmental director sales, of Hermle said, "We are pleased to partner with Concepts NREC. It is a good opportunity for Hermle to strengthen its solutions for the sophisticated requirements of the turbomachinery industry by offering a value-added software system and our machines through one source. We provide some of the best machine tools and CAM software products available, and because Concepts NREC's 5-axis machining software is proven, forming this partnership to offer it to our customers was the next best logical step for us."
The Concepts NREC and Hermle partnership agreement opens new sales markets into additional countries for Concepts NREC while filling a capabilities niche for Hermle.
"Hermle's extensive manufacturing reach, reputation for excellence plus its experience in solution sales makes it an ideal partner for Concepts NREC," said Mike Dergance, director - global software sales for Concepts NREC. "Turbomachinery manufacturers using Hermle machines tools and needing 5-axis capabilities will benefit from implementing our MAX-PAC manufacturing software. We anticipate a mutually beneficial partnership with Hermle."
Concepts NREC's CAM products include the MAX-PAC family: MAX-5™, MAX-AB™ and MAX-SI™ for advanced manufacturing of turbomachinery impellers and related components.
About Hermle
Maschinenfabrik Berthold Hermle AG manufactures and markets milling machines and machining centers worldwide. The Company's products are used for the machining of tools, molds and series-produced parts in a variety of sectors, including medical technology, optics, aviation, turbomachinery, automotive and racing, as well as in tool and mold making. Hermle was founded in 1938. Hermle AG operated through its eight subsidiaries, three of five wholly owned, as well as three affiliated companies based in Germany, Switzerland, Russia, the Netherlands, Italy and the United States. Maschinenfabrik Berthold Hermle AG is headquartered at Industriestrasse 8-12, Gosheim, 78559 Germany. Telephone: 
+49 (...
. Facsimile: +49 (0)7426 1309. For more information, go to: www.hermle.de.
About Concepts NREC
Concepts NREC is a leading worldwide turbomachinery design, engineering and development organization as well as a provider of turbomachinery design/analysis software and education, with a staff of over 100 professionals at its facilities in Wilder, VT, and Woburn, MA, as well as representation worldwide. For over a half century, Concepts NREC has provided manufacturers, users, government agencies and the engineering community with technology tools, services and products that have met their needs, helped achieve their goals and aided to develop and produce some of the world's most advanced turbomachinery products. Concepts NREC is headquartered at 217 Billings Farm Road, White River Junction, VT 05001-9486. Telephone: 
802-296-2321. Facsimile: 802-296-2325. For more information, go to: www.ConceptsNREC.com.
http://www.prweb.com/releases/ConceptsNREC/Hermle/prweb2647484.htm
Election officials face impossible mandated task
Posted: Wednesday, July 15, 2009 9:40 pm
By GLENDA H. CAUDLE
Special Features Editor
Apparently some of Tennessee’s lawmakers “just don’t get it” — the seemingly insurmountable hurdle they have placed in the path of election commissions across Tennessee who, it turns out, “just can’t get it.” That is the assessment of Obion County election officials and county commissioners faced with what appears to be an impossible task imposed upon them by legislators in Nashville.
It all comes down to a specialized type of voting machine. Fourteen senators in Nashville — 13 Democrats and a lone Republican — want all 95 county election commissions to have optical scan voting machines and paper ballots in place for the 2010 elections. Election officials say that is an impossibility because machines that meet the standards imposed by the Voter Confidence Act passed in 2008 do not exist. In other words, they can’t get the equipment they are required to have to be in compliance with election law. They want a delay in implementing the law until the 2012 voting cycle.
The problem is, a slim majority of the state’s senators appear to be either unwilling or unable to understand the problem, according to local officials concerned not only about the issue of compliance but also with the looming questions of voting accuracy, the integrity of the voting process and the expense for Obion County.
The Obion County Legislative Body is poised to address the problem, with one of their members defining it is an “unfunded mandate,” in its session Monday. An agenda item for that meeting is consideration of a letter of support for the Obion County Election Commission as that body looks into a possible court challenge to the 2010 implementation of the Voter Confidence Act, according to Ralph Puckett, chairman of the county court.
Background
The Voter Confidence Act, which passed both houses of the General Assembly with “broad bipartisan support” in 2008, according to Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett, requires that all 95 counties in the Volunteer State use optical scan voting machines and paper ballots no later than the November 2010 election cycle. The act is very specific, Hargett says, mandating the counties use only certified equipment that meets the security and reliability standards adopted by the federal Election Assistance Commission in 2005.
The problem for Obion County and the other 94 such entities in Tennessee is, there are no vendors certified to sell equipment meeting those standards.
“Because the commission’s certification process typically takes about 18-24 months,” added Hargett in a recent press release, “I’m not confident that a vendor could complete that process in time to have equipment in place for the November 2010 elections.”
The secretary of state describes the situation as a “Catch-22 for county governments.”
“Whether counties acquire new equipment or not, they will still not be in compliance with the act,” Hargett says.
A bill to address the problem by delaying implementation of the act until 2012, when the specified equipment might conceivably be available, passed the state House of Representatives recently, again with “broad bipartisan support.” All Republicans voted for the bill, as did a majority of Democrats who were present to vote, including Judy Barker of Union City. Mrs. Barker, Obion County election commission member Rob Joyner says, was in close contact with local election officials and commissioners to see how the bill would affect Obion County and her vote reflected local concerns.
However, the legislation fell a vote short of passage in the Senate June 18. Seventeen votes were required to provide for the implementation delay. Only 16 were recorded — all Republican. Thirteen Senate Democrats, including Sen. Roy Herron, who represents area citizens in District 24, voted against passage of the Senate bill. One Republican teamed with Democrats, and two Republicans were absent for the vote. And so the law calling for use of the non-existent scanners still stands — and still plagues local voting officials and county commissioners.
Sen. Herron was unavailable for comment when The Messenger sought to make contact Tuesday afternoon at his Nashville senatorial office and this morning at both that office and his Dresden law firm.
Local concerns
Obion County replaced its old pull-lever voting machines with new touch screen machines in June 2002, when 39 of the systems were purchased at a cost of $191,995. Four years later, in June 2006, 13 touch screen machines for handicapped voters were purchased. The State of Tennessee reimbursed Obion County for the entire cost of the most recent purchases and in 2006 — four years after the fact —finally ponied up $185,540 in partial reimbursement for the standard equipment purchase of 2002.
Those new machines — which will have been in place only eight years for the standard machines and four years for the machines adapted for handicapped voters by the 2010 election cycle — will no longer be acceptable, once the Voter Confidence Act goes into effect.
That fact alone is enough to leave members of the Obion County Legislative Body with less than positive feelings about the law now being enforced by an actual minority of legislators in Nashville. They are even more disturbed, however, to find they must replace those machines with equipment that does not even exist.
Supporters of the original act say the machines will make it easier to conduct recounts and verify election results since there will be paper ballots fed into a vote-counting machine. But local election officials are far from reassured even on that point.
Last year, Joyner and Obion County Legislative Body chairman Ralph Puckett went to Hickman, Ky., to see how voting officials there handle paper ballots in a set up that is not certified to meet the standards of the Voter Confidence Act but is, nevertheless, an optical scan system similar to one that would have to be used in Tennessee under the act’s provisions. A representative of the manufacturer was training poll workers in Hickman and allowed the Tennessee guests to have access.
In observing the way paper ballots were handled, the local officials spotted several areas for concern.
As Joyner understands the procedure, it would function in this way: A voter would walk in the door, make contact with a local election official and present the identification called for. The voter would then be presented with one or more paper ballots, depending on how many issues and offices are involved in the election cycle.
Under the present system in place in Obion County, according to Joyner, poll workers “program” the touch screen voting machine when the voter tells them what election he wishes to take part in and the appropriate ballot with all voting options relevant to that voter’s area of residence “pops up” on the screen. Dozens of candidates and issues can thus be addressed privately and with a minimum of effort and confusion on the voter’s part. If necessary, Joyner says, printers can be purchased to connect to the machines and provide a “paper trail” some feel is essential.
Elections using paper ballots, by contrast, would require the voter to juggle multiple paper ballots for marking with a pencil, depending on the number of candidates and variety of issues at stake in the election.
In the scenario Joyner describes for the future, once the potential voter collects the appropriate ballots from a poll worker, he will be escorted to a table and provided with a pencil for marking the ballot. If the voter makes a mistake, he must appeal to the poll worker for a fresh ballot, and the “spoiled” ballot must be placed in a special ballot box before a new one can be dispensed. Then the marking process begins again. The potential for “wasting” numerous paper ballots and for introducing irritants into the system not only for the troubled voter but also for the poll worker and other voters who are waiting to use the system looms large, Joyner says.
By contrast, under the present system, the voter can retrace his steps on the touch screen and correct any selection he may have made in error. Voters are even urged by prompts on the screen to review their ballots and make sure they reflect their wishes before they submit them for a count.
But suppose, Joyner says, the paper ballot voter is satisfied with his votes and proceeds to feed them — one ballot at a time — into the optical scanning vote “reader” being required by the recent events in Nashville. Suppose, further, that the machine is unable to read the ballot, or a particular selection on the ballot, because of an indistinct mark or because a selection was not “filled in thoroughly” or because the voter appeared to have erred in some other way. That ballot will simply be “spit out,” and the voter will lose all his votes on that ballot without any possibility of correcting the problem, since there is no way to trace individual voters and offer them a chance to clarify their wishes.
Joyner says, further, that he is unaware of any effort to accommodate handicapped voters using the new system — another potential problem.
And, finally, the state has agreed to cover the cost of only one ballot reader for each polling place, meaning voters will have to wait their turn to feed in their ballot/ballots.
Expense falling on the shoulders of local government already concerned about their budgets are also part of the scenario confronting county commissioners. Will the single machine to be provided by the state for each polling place be sufficient for the needs of the voters, and if it is not, who will pay for additional machines?
Danny Jowers, chairman of the Obion County Budget Committee, said he is puzzled that proponents of the new paper balloting system are pushing so hard for its implementation. “The members of the Budget Committee see this as an unfunded mandate on the county. It could add $15,000 to $20,000 to each election. If (state government) will only pay for one machine per precinct, who will pay for the rest? The cost associated with it is what I am concerned about. They told us the last machines (those currently in use in Obion County) were the best thing going, so now, why — all of a sudden — are these so bad?
“I know what our senator is saying about it and the only thing that puzzles me is, all we are asking for is a two-year delay until we could get the machines and find out how much it would cost, but for some reason, they want to ram it through. That has me puzzled. I don’t know what the truth is.”
“It’s just throwing money away,” Puckett says of the push to implement the system by 2010. “Another thing (to be concerned about) is the paper ballot. Only a few — maybe two companies — make the paper that can be used and it is expensive. In even a smaller election, it might cost about $30,000 (in local funds) to hold that election, because you have to have 110 percent (the number of paper ballots that must be on hand, to adjust for ballot spoilage) of the number of voters. Only about 25 percent (of the eligible voters) actually vote, except in a presidential election, so you waste a huge amount. And if there is a long ballot, with three or four sheets, that could cost three or four times that figure and the county has to buy the ballots. If the state wants to shove this down our throat, why don’t they furnish money to buy the ballots?
“When this was first presented, the fiscal review committee tagged it as no expense to the county, so it passed easily, but then the final bill says the counties have to buy the ballots. In Weakley County, I read a report they put $48,000 in the budget for only one election.”
Costs for ballot storage and new training for poll workers will also fall on Tennessee’s counties.
To add to the gloomy picture, local officials trying to meet the specifications of the act say they can see problems with elderly voters or voters with some difficulty with motor control or with vision problems having to feed ballots into the scanning machines. If their well-meaning efforts to vote instead create a paper jam or if some other problem affects a machine and it “goes down,” leaving a precinct without an approved means of recording the votes until a new machine can be brought in or repairs made, “that could really slow us down,” an official said.
Why change?
The concern of the senators who are insisting that election officials must have the new machines in place in time for the 2010 elections appears to be rooted in a fear of “conspiracies” designed to interfere in the balloting process, according to a spokesman for the Obion County Election Commission.
Joyner said those who want to abandon the equipment now being used say the machines are not trustworthy and could be “jimmied.” Joyner adds that even if the new paper ballot voting machines were available, the paper ballots would be counted by a computer system and the system would still be open to fraud of the same type the paper ballot proponents say they fear. In addition, the new paper ballot system would not offer any safeguard against the “discovery” of containers of suspicious paper ballots supposedly “rescued” from an automobile or some other location at the last minute. Similar scenarios have come into play in numerous elections in the past and have been the cause of heated political battles.
The system currently in place in Obion County has a fail-safe feature which will not allow voting to be “closed out” until all the boxes from voting precincts have been accounted for. This eliminates the chance of “missing” a box or of contention over whether a “discovered” box should be accepted. Such safeguards may not be part of the new system, but it is difficult to know since no such systems exist at this point, opponents of the mandated 2010 change point out.
Even if these possibilities for a potential “gaming the system” were solved by the use of the new voting systems being required, the problem of acquiring the machines remains as the paramount obstacle to conducting legal elections in 2010, thanks to the senators’ refusal to delay implementation of the act.
Joyner points out, further, that some of those who profess to favor the 2010 implementation of the act because they are concerned about the possibility of fraud using current voting machines are unwilling to support efforts to eliminate fraud in other areas.
A letter from Chris Devaney, chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party, to State House Minority Leader Gary Odom, a Democrat, echoes those charges and calls on Democrats to support legislation that is being held up in the General Assembly by that party. Specifically, Devaney wants Democrats to agree to drop their opposition to:
• HB.1838 — Requiring the county registrar to verify proof of citizenship for voter registration and identify verification when voting.
• HB.0779 — Requiring the State Coordinator of Elections to promulgate rules to make it easier for overseas military voters to return their absentee ballots.
• HB.0639 — Requiring a voter to present photo ID to vote, and allowing voters without proper ID to cast provisional ballots.
What next?
In a meeting July 6, the Obion County Budget Committee voted to support the filing of a suit by the local election commission to delay implementation of the Voter Confidence Act until 2012. County commissioners will have the opportunity to add their support to that action Monday.
Meanwhile, county attorney Steve Conley of Union City is hopeful that the situation can be resolved by the secretary of state.
The legislature is in recess and Conley says he has not been in contact with either Rep. Barker, who supported the delay in implementation, or Sen. Herron, who opposed it.
“There is a November 2010 deadline, so there is no urgency to file at this point,” he says. “My advice is not to rush into a lawsuit if there are other avenues. At this point, I am simply working with county attorneys and the secretary of state’s office and hoping to have the secretary of state take care of this for us. But, if not, we will be working hard to get the legislature to pass a bill delaying implementation. Secretary of State Hargett has more authority than any county attorney or collective group of attorneys, and he is reaching out to legislators. His office is over the state division of elections and if that office is saying the equipment is not available, I don’t see how the legislature will have any choice but to delay.”
If those avenues fail, however, Obion County officials want to be ready to respond and they are finding other counties share their concerns.
Officials in Sullivan County in East Tennessee have unofficially expressed interest in joining a possible suit to delay implementation of the act, and local officials say they believe other counties may come on board, as well.
http://www.nwtntoday.com/news.php?viewStory=28992
By GLENDA H. CAUDLE
Special Features Editor
Apparently some of Tennessee’s lawmakers “just don’t get it” — the seemingly insurmountable hurdle they have placed in the path of election commissions across Tennessee who, it turns out, “just can’t get it.” That is the assessment of Obion County election officials and county commissioners faced with what appears to be an impossible task imposed upon them by legislators in Nashville.
It all comes down to a specialized type of voting machine. Fourteen senators in Nashville — 13 Democrats and a lone Republican — want all 95 county election commissions to have optical scan voting machines and paper ballots in place for the 2010 elections. Election officials say that is an impossibility because machines that meet the standards imposed by the Voter Confidence Act passed in 2008 do not exist. In other words, they can’t get the equipment they are required to have to be in compliance with election law. They want a delay in implementing the law until the 2012 voting cycle.
The problem is, a slim majority of the state’s senators appear to be either unwilling or unable to understand the problem, according to local officials concerned not only about the issue of compliance but also with the looming questions of voting accuracy, the integrity of the voting process and the expense for Obion County.
The Obion County Legislative Body is poised to address the problem, with one of their members defining it is an “unfunded mandate,” in its session Monday. An agenda item for that meeting is consideration of a letter of support for the Obion County Election Commission as that body looks into a possible court challenge to the 2010 implementation of the Voter Confidence Act, according to Ralph Puckett, chairman of the county court.
Background
The Voter Confidence Act, which passed both houses of the General Assembly with “broad bipartisan support” in 2008, according to Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett, requires that all 95 counties in the Volunteer State use optical scan voting machines and paper ballots no later than the November 2010 election cycle. The act is very specific, Hargett says, mandating the counties use only certified equipment that meets the security and reliability standards adopted by the federal Election Assistance Commission in 2005.
The problem for Obion County and the other 94 such entities in Tennessee is, there are no vendors certified to sell equipment meeting those standards.
“Because the commission’s certification process typically takes about 18-24 months,” added Hargett in a recent press release, “I’m not confident that a vendor could complete that process in time to have equipment in place for the November 2010 elections.”
The secretary of state describes the situation as a “Catch-22 for county governments.”
“Whether counties acquire new equipment or not, they will still not be in compliance with the act,” Hargett says.
A bill to address the problem by delaying implementation of the act until 2012, when the specified equipment might conceivably be available, passed the state House of Representatives recently, again with “broad bipartisan support.” All Republicans voted for the bill, as did a majority of Democrats who were present to vote, including Judy Barker of Union City. Mrs. Barker, Obion County election commission member Rob Joyner says, was in close contact with local election officials and commissioners to see how the bill would affect Obion County and her vote reflected local concerns.
However, the legislation fell a vote short of passage in the Senate June 18. Seventeen votes were required to provide for the implementation delay. Only 16 were recorded — all Republican. Thirteen Senate Democrats, including Sen. Roy Herron, who represents area citizens in District 24, voted against passage of the Senate bill. One Republican teamed with Democrats, and two Republicans were absent for the vote. And so the law calling for use of the non-existent scanners still stands — and still plagues local voting officials and county commissioners.
Sen. Herron was unavailable for comment when The Messenger sought to make contact Tuesday afternoon at his Nashville senatorial office and this morning at both that office and his Dresden law firm.
Local concerns
Obion County replaced its old pull-lever voting machines with new touch screen machines in June 2002, when 39 of the systems were purchased at a cost of $191,995. Four years later, in June 2006, 13 touch screen machines for handicapped voters were purchased. The State of Tennessee reimbursed Obion County for the entire cost of the most recent purchases and in 2006 — four years after the fact —finally ponied up $185,540 in partial reimbursement for the standard equipment purchase of 2002.
Those new machines — which will have been in place only eight years for the standard machines and four years for the machines adapted for handicapped voters by the 2010 election cycle — will no longer be acceptable, once the Voter Confidence Act goes into effect.
That fact alone is enough to leave members of the Obion County Legislative Body with less than positive feelings about the law now being enforced by an actual minority of legislators in Nashville. They are even more disturbed, however, to find they must replace those machines with equipment that does not even exist.
Supporters of the original act say the machines will make it easier to conduct recounts and verify election results since there will be paper ballots fed into a vote-counting machine. But local election officials are far from reassured even on that point.
Last year, Joyner and Obion County Legislative Body chairman Ralph Puckett went to Hickman, Ky., to see how voting officials there handle paper ballots in a set up that is not certified to meet the standards of the Voter Confidence Act but is, nevertheless, an optical scan system similar to one that would have to be used in Tennessee under the act’s provisions. A representative of the manufacturer was training poll workers in Hickman and allowed the Tennessee guests to have access.
In observing the way paper ballots were handled, the local officials spotted several areas for concern.
As Joyner understands the procedure, it would function in this way: A voter would walk in the door, make contact with a local election official and present the identification called for. The voter would then be presented with one or more paper ballots, depending on how many issues and offices are involved in the election cycle.
Under the present system in place in Obion County, according to Joyner, poll workers “program” the touch screen voting machine when the voter tells them what election he wishes to take part in and the appropriate ballot with all voting options relevant to that voter’s area of residence “pops up” on the screen. Dozens of candidates and issues can thus be addressed privately and with a minimum of effort and confusion on the voter’s part. If necessary, Joyner says, printers can be purchased to connect to the machines and provide a “paper trail” some feel is essential.
Elections using paper ballots, by contrast, would require the voter to juggle multiple paper ballots for marking with a pencil, depending on the number of candidates and variety of issues at stake in the election.
In the scenario Joyner describes for the future, once the potential voter collects the appropriate ballots from a poll worker, he will be escorted to a table and provided with a pencil for marking the ballot. If the voter makes a mistake, he must appeal to the poll worker for a fresh ballot, and the “spoiled” ballot must be placed in a special ballot box before a new one can be dispensed. Then the marking process begins again. The potential for “wasting” numerous paper ballots and for introducing irritants into the system not only for the troubled voter but also for the poll worker and other voters who are waiting to use the system looms large, Joyner says.
By contrast, under the present system, the voter can retrace his steps on the touch screen and correct any selection he may have made in error. Voters are even urged by prompts on the screen to review their ballots and make sure they reflect their wishes before they submit them for a count.
But suppose, Joyner says, the paper ballot voter is satisfied with his votes and proceeds to feed them — one ballot at a time — into the optical scanning vote “reader” being required by the recent events in Nashville. Suppose, further, that the machine is unable to read the ballot, or a particular selection on the ballot, because of an indistinct mark or because a selection was not “filled in thoroughly” or because the voter appeared to have erred in some other way. That ballot will simply be “spit out,” and the voter will lose all his votes on that ballot without any possibility of correcting the problem, since there is no way to trace individual voters and offer them a chance to clarify their wishes.
Joyner says, further, that he is unaware of any effort to accommodate handicapped voters using the new system — another potential problem.
And, finally, the state has agreed to cover the cost of only one ballot reader for each polling place, meaning voters will have to wait their turn to feed in their ballot/ballots.
Expense falling on the shoulders of local government already concerned about their budgets are also part of the scenario confronting county commissioners. Will the single machine to be provided by the state for each polling place be sufficient for the needs of the voters, and if it is not, who will pay for additional machines?
Danny Jowers, chairman of the Obion County Budget Committee, said he is puzzled that proponents of the new paper balloting system are pushing so hard for its implementation. “The members of the Budget Committee see this as an unfunded mandate on the county. It could add $15,000 to $20,000 to each election. If (state government) will only pay for one machine per precinct, who will pay for the rest? The cost associated with it is what I am concerned about. They told us the last machines (those currently in use in Obion County) were the best thing going, so now, why — all of a sudden — are these so bad?
“I know what our senator is saying about it and the only thing that puzzles me is, all we are asking for is a two-year delay until we could get the machines and find out how much it would cost, but for some reason, they want to ram it through. That has me puzzled. I don’t know what the truth is.”
“It’s just throwing money away,” Puckett says of the push to implement the system by 2010. “Another thing (to be concerned about) is the paper ballot. Only a few — maybe two companies — make the paper that can be used and it is expensive. In even a smaller election, it might cost about $30,000 (in local funds) to hold that election, because you have to have 110 percent (the number of paper ballots that must be on hand, to adjust for ballot spoilage) of the number of voters. Only about 25 percent (of the eligible voters) actually vote, except in a presidential election, so you waste a huge amount. And if there is a long ballot, with three or four sheets, that could cost three or four times that figure and the county has to buy the ballots. If the state wants to shove this down our throat, why don’t they furnish money to buy the ballots?
“When this was first presented, the fiscal review committee tagged it as no expense to the county, so it passed easily, but then the final bill says the counties have to buy the ballots. In Weakley County, I read a report they put $48,000 in the budget for only one election.”
Costs for ballot storage and new training for poll workers will also fall on Tennessee’s counties.
To add to the gloomy picture, local officials trying to meet the specifications of the act say they can see problems with elderly voters or voters with some difficulty with motor control or with vision problems having to feed ballots into the scanning machines. If their well-meaning efforts to vote instead create a paper jam or if some other problem affects a machine and it “goes down,” leaving a precinct without an approved means of recording the votes until a new machine can be brought in or repairs made, “that could really slow us down,” an official said.
Why change?
The concern of the senators who are insisting that election officials must have the new machines in place in time for the 2010 elections appears to be rooted in a fear of “conspiracies” designed to interfere in the balloting process, according to a spokesman for the Obion County Election Commission.
Joyner said those who want to abandon the equipment now being used say the machines are not trustworthy and could be “jimmied.” Joyner adds that even if the new paper ballot voting machines were available, the paper ballots would be counted by a computer system and the system would still be open to fraud of the same type the paper ballot proponents say they fear. In addition, the new paper ballot system would not offer any safeguard against the “discovery” of containers of suspicious paper ballots supposedly “rescued” from an automobile or some other location at the last minute. Similar scenarios have come into play in numerous elections in the past and have been the cause of heated political battles.
The system currently in place in Obion County has a fail-safe feature which will not allow voting to be “closed out” until all the boxes from voting precincts have been accounted for. This eliminates the chance of “missing” a box or of contention over whether a “discovered” box should be accepted. Such safeguards may not be part of the new system, but it is difficult to know since no such systems exist at this point, opponents of the mandated 2010 change point out.
Even if these possibilities for a potential “gaming the system” were solved by the use of the new voting systems being required, the problem of acquiring the machines remains as the paramount obstacle to conducting legal elections in 2010, thanks to the senators’ refusal to delay implementation of the act.
Joyner points out, further, that some of those who profess to favor the 2010 implementation of the act because they are concerned about the possibility of fraud using current voting machines are unwilling to support efforts to eliminate fraud in other areas.
A letter from Chris Devaney, chairman of the Tennessee Republican Party, to State House Minority Leader Gary Odom, a Democrat, echoes those charges and calls on Democrats to support legislation that is being held up in the General Assembly by that party. Specifically, Devaney wants Democrats to agree to drop their opposition to:
• HB.1838 — Requiring the county registrar to verify proof of citizenship for voter registration and identify verification when voting.
• HB.0779 — Requiring the State Coordinator of Elections to promulgate rules to make it easier for overseas military voters to return their absentee ballots.
• HB.0639 — Requiring a voter to present photo ID to vote, and allowing voters without proper ID to cast provisional ballots.
What next?
In a meeting July 6, the Obion County Budget Committee voted to support the filing of a suit by the local election commission to delay implementation of the Voter Confidence Act until 2012. County commissioners will have the opportunity to add their support to that action Monday.
Meanwhile, county attorney Steve Conley of Union City is hopeful that the situation can be resolved by the secretary of state.
The legislature is in recess and Conley says he has not been in contact with either Rep. Barker, who supported the delay in implementation, or Sen. Herron, who opposed it.
“There is a November 2010 deadline, so there is no urgency to file at this point,” he says. “My advice is not to rush into a lawsuit if there are other avenues. At this point, I am simply working with county attorneys and the secretary of state’s office and hoping to have the secretary of state take care of this for us. But, if not, we will be working hard to get the legislature to pass a bill delaying implementation. Secretary of State Hargett has more authority than any county attorney or collective group of attorneys, and he is reaching out to legislators. His office is over the state division of elections and if that office is saying the equipment is not available, I don’t see how the legislature will have any choice but to delay.”
If those avenues fail, however, Obion County officials want to be ready to respond and they are finding other counties share their concerns.
Officials in Sullivan County in East Tennessee have unofficially expressed interest in joining a possible suit to delay implementation of the act, and local officials say they believe other counties may come on board, as well.
http://www.nwtntoday.com/news.php?viewStory=28992
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Screening Cuts Would Hurt Most In Rural States Like Arkansas, Group Says
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas and other rural states will get hit particularly hard by proposed cuts in Medicare for "advanced medical imaging" such as MRIs, supporters of breast cancer screening said Monday.
Worse, the change proposed by President Barack Obama's administration would cut back on prevention and greatly increase the cost of curing many problems, said radiologist Dr. Steven Harms of the Breast Center in Fayetteville. White House spokesmen had no immediate reaction to the remarks Monday.
The proposed rate is based on an assumption of how much an imaging machine is used. The more a machine is used, the more private paying customers pay the expense of the machine, in Medicare's formula. The current rates assumed for these machines is 50 percent, or five hours out of a 10-hour day at a clinic. The new rate would assume the machines would have a "utilization rate" of 95 percent. That kind of rate is impossible, critics said.
"When I was tested, they used different machines for different tests. It was impossible to keep them all in use on the same patient," said cancer survivor Robin Hall Guadagnini of Fayetteville. The only way to use all the machines for all the tests in full use all the time would be to use several at once on the same patient, she and doctors said.
The most active machines at the largest hospitals in the country can't maintain a utilization rate of more than 70 percent, Harms and Eric Hoffman, spokesman for the group, said. The 95 percent figure was clearly an arbitrary number picked to meet a budget goal, Hoffman said.
The bottom line is that the Medicare reimbursement rate for an MRI on the breast would drop about 20 percent, from $800 to about $640, and many doctors would no longer be able to afford to perform the procedures, Harms and his clinic staff said.
http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2009/07/13/news/071409fzmedical.txt
Worse, the change proposed by President Barack Obama's administration would cut back on prevention and greatly increase the cost of curing many problems, said radiologist Dr. Steven Harms of the Breast Center in Fayetteville. White House spokesmen had no immediate reaction to the remarks Monday.
The proposed rate is based on an assumption of how much an imaging machine is used. The more a machine is used, the more private paying customers pay the expense of the machine, in Medicare's formula. The current rates assumed for these machines is 50 percent, or five hours out of a 10-hour day at a clinic. The new rate would assume the machines would have a "utilization rate" of 95 percent. That kind of rate is impossible, critics said.
"When I was tested, they used different machines for different tests. It was impossible to keep them all in use on the same patient," said cancer survivor Robin Hall Guadagnini of Fayetteville. The only way to use all the machines for all the tests in full use all the time would be to use several at once on the same patient, she and doctors said.
The most active machines at the largest hospitals in the country can't maintain a utilization rate of more than 70 percent, Harms and Eric Hoffman, spokesman for the group, said. The 95 percent figure was clearly an arbitrary number picked to meet a budget goal, Hoffman said.
The bottom line is that the Medicare reimbursement rate for an MRI on the breast would drop about 20 percent, from $800 to about $640, and many doctors would no longer be able to afford to perform the procedures, Harms and his clinic staff said.
http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2009/07/13/news/071409fzmedical.txt
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