Category Archives: Corporate Member Features

Meet Marubeni Citizen-Cincom Inc. – May 2017’s Featured Corporate Member

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By Brandon Kalloo 

Marubeni Citizen-Cincom Inc., an LIA Corporate Member, was founded in 1984 to market and service Citizen’s family of Swiss-type turning centers. MCC is also responsible for marketing and sales of Miyano multi-axis turning centers.

According to Jim Cepican, MCC sales manager, the synergy between the product lines enhances their capability to offer their customers better manufacturing solutions  He elaborated on the company’s success and said their Swiss-type turning centers have become the most widely accepted of their kind in North America.

To meet customer needs effectively the Marubeni Technical Center provides a variety of engineered accessories that enhance the performance of the Cincom and Miyano machines. An example of these engineered products is the L2000 fiber optic laser systems that can be adapted to the Cincom and Miyano machines. This allows a manufacturer to perform conventional and laser cutting or welding operations on a single machine platform. This system has been well received by medical device manufacturers.

MCC is based in Allendale, New Jersey and has sales and service facilities in several other states across the country including Fountain Valley, California. To manage and operate all of their branches, the company has grown to 95 employees and is continuing to expand as they provide manufacturing solutions for customers in North & Central America. The company is comprised of several departments including sales & marketing; customer support; parts & logistics; and a technical center.

“Time is money,” said Cepican. “Customers want to do more with less and they want to be able to operate 24/7. With this in mind, Citizen has continually improved its products by adding more functions and accessories that allow a multitude of production possibilities on a single machine.”

The company’s relationship with people is very important. They strive to connect with customers so that they may better meet their clients’ needs and expectations.

“We offer quality products that truly make a difference in the manufacturing industry and we are supported by a fantastic nationwide network of full service distributors,” said Cepican. “We are continually striving to provide our customers with support that is second to none. After a sale, support is paramount in maintaining customers and growing our business.”

This Corporate Member Feature was written by Brandon Kalloo in collaboration with Marubeni Citizen-Cincom Inc. 

Meet Plasmo USA LLC – April’s Featured Corporate Member

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By Brandon Kalloo 

Plasmo USA LLC, a subsidiary of Plasmo Industrietechnik GmbH, was established in 2013. The Austrian-based technology company provides automated quality assurance systems for manufacturing industries around the world. Their experts are leading the way in the real-time quality control of joining processes and 3D Additive manufacturing. Their services include laser power measurements, the monitoring of welding processes, analysis software and tailor-made solutions in the field of industrial image processing.

Meet Plasmo USA LLC, LIA’s April Featured Corporate Member

They boast over 700 systems in operation around the world, which has led to a diverse clientele list that includes the likes of GM, Tesla and EOS. Various steel manufacturers, as well as automobile powerhouses like Audi, BMW and Suzuki, look to Plasmo for their quality assurance solutions in automated metalworking processes.

The company has 30 employees that work in four departments including Development; Sales & Marketing; Service and Support; and Administration. Because of their growth over the years, they now have branches located in Germany and the USA (Plasmo USA-Sales and Service office in Plymouth, MI).

Today, they are taking on new and exciting challenges associated with the monitoring of additive manufacturing processes including selective melting applications like direct metal laser sintering.

Plasmo is taking on new and exciting challenges associated with the monitoring of additive manufacturing processes including selective melting applications like direct metal laser sintering.

“We develop, adapt and integrate solutions according to customer requirements and objectives,” said Gerald Obritzberger, a Business Development consultant with Plasmo USA LLC. “Our solutions are independent from the plant or manufacturer which is important because it guarantees the best solutions for their particular application.”

According to Obritzberger, instead of being a hardware or software seller, Plasmo takes pride in branding itself as a solution provider.

As their brand expands, they have found new methods to gain traction in various marketplaces, including networking at conferences, setting up locations overseas and by joining various associations.

Plasmo prides itself as a solutions provider.

“Being a member of LIA is a big benefit for a European company like Plasmo because we get our name out to the key players in the laser market,” said Obritzberger. “Every year we have been members people recognize us more and realize that Plasmo is serious about staying in the North American market.”

To learn more about PLASMO USA LLC visit: http://www.plasmo-us.com/.

This Corporate Member Feature was written by Brandon Kalloo in collaboration with PLASMO USA LLC.

Meet IVAM Microtechnology Network – March’s Featured Corporate Member

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IVAM Microtechnology Network, a company based in Dortmund, Germany, is an international association with members in the fields of microtechnology, nanotechnology, advanced materials, MEMS and photonics. IVAM supports companies by pushing their clients’ innovative technologies and products to the forefront of the international marketplace with the goal of securing competitive advantages abroad. The association does this by creating synergies that support its members with exchanging knowledge, initiating joint projects and networking.

IVAM Microtechnology Network is LIA’s Featured Corporate Member for March 2017.

IVAM was founded in 1995 and has since offered a number of valuable services to their customers. Their services have included assistance with marketing, public affairs, networking opportunities and internationalization efforts.

The organization is made of four departments that include Membership Relations Management; Trade Fairs and Events; Publics Relations; and Economic Research. These departments work together to offer customers a variety of platforms that facilitate cooperation between companies that complement one another.

Exhibitors of the IVAM joint booth at MD&M West 2016

IVAM, an LIA corporate member, offers platforms at tradeshows and technical presentation forums, which they say creates visibility, and gets their members in touch with potential partners and clientele. Through large-scale communication efforts, they bridge the gap between companies that can work well together. In doing so they also allow intellectuals and experts to share numerous tech industry trends and ideas.

“Microtechnology, nanotechnology, photonics, MEMS and advanced materials have significantly accelerated innovation in the late 20th and early 21st century,” said Mona Okroy-Hellweg, Public Relations Manager at IVAM. “These key enabling technologies have affected, improved or fundamentally changed many areas of society, industry, and economy – either by improving existing products and processes or by triggering entirely new, previously unthought-of applications.”

IVAM INNO Magazine

With over two decades of experience and observation, the company has witnessed an increasing demand for international reach amongst tech companies. They have risen to this challenge and presently have members in 18 countries in Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

For more information about LIA’s March Featured Corporate Member, please visit: http://www.ivam.de. 

This Corporate Member Feature was written by Brandon Kalloo in collaboration with IVAM Microtechnology Network. 

Meet Glowforge™ – February’s Featured Corporate Member

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Glowforge is a 3D laser printer that can create amazing things from various materials at the push of a button. In 2014, Glowforge was founded in Seattle, Washington with the goal of making CNC laser cutter/engravers cheaper, more capable and easier to use through a low-cost desktop unit that comes equipped with cameras, accelerometers and modern cloud-based software.

Meet Glowforge, February 2017’s Featured Corporate Member.

In 2015, Glowforge launched a crowdfunding campaign at Maker Faire in New York where their 3-D laser printer made its world debut. Their booth had extremely long lines as they ran prints for hundreds of excited visitors. The campaign was intended to reach $2 million in pre-orders, which was enough to give them the confidence to mass-produce their machines.

According to Glowforge, which is an LIA Corporate Member, the product was a hit and they garnered positive feedback from small businesses, inventors and creatives alike.

“It turns out a lot of people saw Glowforge and decided it would change their lives,” said Bailey Nelson, the company’s Community Manager. “30 days after the launch, we had received nearly $28 million in pre-orders for the Glowforge 3D laser printer, making it the largest 30-day crowdfunding campaign in history.”

Today, Glowforge credits its online community for the brand’s continued success. The community offers ideas, advice, and wisdom about working with lasers and other fabrication tools and techniques. Customer contributions include feature ideas, material suggestions, and crowd-sourced tutorial developments.

A row of Glowforge printers, courtesy of the company.

Since the launch, their staff has grown from 14 to approximately 40 employees and they are not slowing down. Currently, Glowforge is looking to hire talent with a wide range of skills, including electrical engineers and manufacturing engineers.

The company is proud of the features they have pioneered. One innovation called a “trace” allows users to draw designs with a pen. The designs are then automatically converted into printable files. Precision preview is another user-friendly option that allows customers to preview their designs superimposed on a live camera view of their material so they can drag them for perfect positioning.

Products Made on a Glowforge printer, courtesy of the company.

Another feature, 3D Autofocus, allows the laser beam to automatically focus on both smooth and curved surfaces. The technology measures the height of materials placed on the bed in several places so it can maintain the laser’s focus on various surfaces.

Among the unique elements of the Glowforge brand is their product’s ability to recognize materials. The onboard cameras automatically detect Proofgrade™ materials (a line of masked and prefinished materials designed specifically for laser processing) to automatically configure power, speed, and focus. With Proofgrade materials, users can choose variations like “cut” or “dark engrave” without having to determine speed and power settings.

“Our customers are the best in the world,” said CEO Dan Shapiro. “They tell us that Glowforge was just what they needed to help them scale their small business, prototype their latest invention from just a drawing, or level up the creative endeavors that had grown stale in their 9-5 jobs. We’re inspired every day when we see what they are doing with their Glowforge units, and we are honored to provide the tool that unlocks their creativity.”

For more information about LIA’s February Featured Corporate Member, please visit: http://glowforge.com.

This Corporate Member Feature was written by Brandon Kalloo in collaboration with Glowforge. 

LaserCoil Technologies LLC – January’s Featured Corporate Member

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LaserCoil Technologies LLC, based in Napoleon, Ohio, launched in 2011 with a new approach to laser blanking from coil stock. The innovative technology went through over three years of developmental research and planning at the Automatic Feed Company (AFCO), an organization known for pressroom automation with nearly 65-years of manufacturing expertise focused on metal blanking.

The company received its first order in 2013 and soon thereafter established its 12,000-sq. ft. technical center. The center houses a coil-fed laser blanking system, which can handle 30-ton coils and serves as the technical development center for the company. It is also capable of running prototype parts and low volume production.

Lasers provide an excellent solution to the difficulties faced when stamping high-strength steels. Laser blanking eliminates both the potential need for a larger press to cut high strength materials and the edge fracturing problems that often occur when working with lightweight materials. The company also uses lasers because they do not wear down like other production tools.

LaserCoil Facility, Courtesy of LaserCoil Technologies LLC

Their first product on the market was the LaserCoil coil-fed, single-head laser cutting system which featured patented technologies that enabled laser cutting of blanks direct from coil in aluminum, steel and other sensitive materials.

Today, they offer both single- and multi- head laser blanking systems with automated LaserCoil CAM™ software, the company’s automated programming software to guide users with nesting, cutting and recipe management. Their high-tech machines yield rates that make laser-cutting blanks a feasible alternative to traditional stamping.

“We’ve achieved real-world results that prove the value of this first LaserCoil CAM release,” said Scott Sonnenberg, LaserCoil director of mechanical engineering/product development. “This software provides our customers a single interface to help reduce programming time and scrap rates, as well as improve their throughput and yield.”

LaserCoil Facility, Courtesy of LaserCoil Technologies LLC

LaserCoil CAM was created to enable less experienced system operators the ability to quickly create an optimized program. LaserCoil CAM starts by importing the user’s blank profile CAD file. Then, the user can have the software to select the best coil from multiple coils in inventory, create the best nest for a specific coil width, or permit the program to specify the optimum coil width based upon part yield.

“Creating nesting and cutting programs is a time-intensive process requiring a skilled technician,” said LaserCoil Chief Technology Officer Jay Finn. “LaserCoil CAM takes only minutes from the importing of CAD files to active cutting of a simple blank. To illustrate its efficiency, imagine if you could design and machine a blanking die for a complex part in less than 30 minutes, rather than months.”

LaserCoil Technologies, an LIA corporate member, is motivated to continue developing innovative features for the Laser Blanking process. They have developed a flexible tool in the blanking market that can begin producing blanks within minutes. Because of programing and the ability to operate the line in several different modes, it can offer solutions to new manufacturing challenges.

For more information, visit: www.lasercoil.com

This Corporate Member Feature was written by Brandon Kalloo in collaboration with LaserCoil.