NTK has launched a really sweet Swiss Cut-off Tool Promotion. The promotion runs from December 1, through March 31, 2021.

The tooling promotion includes both inserts and holders. CTP / CTPA / CTDP inserts in grades ST4, DM4, QM3 are the focus of this promo, but, if the application material requires different grade, you can use DT4, ZM3, VM1 or KM1 grades when you order.  For the holders you can choose between CTP / CTPA / CTDP holders – standard & coolant through, and CTP/CTPA-SUB.

The promotion has a limit of 2 sets (insert+ holder) per customer. Simply put:

• If you purchase 10 cut-off inserts you get a Standard or SUB Cut-Off holder FREE
• If you purchase 20 cut-off inserts you get a Coolant through Cut-Off holder FREE

To qualify for the promotion you must complete the Order Form with: Customer information, Distributor information, Machine information, Current tooling, List the Cut-off insert(s) that will be purchased (item number; grade; EDP#; Qty), the free cut-off toolholder(s).

​NTK will also need the contact email for the end user because you will get a follow-up Product Survey and, if you complete it, you'll get an NTK wrench set as a gift !

Finally, the Order Form MUST be submitted with the Purchase Order to apply for the promotion. The PO should ONLY be for promotional items.

Everything you need to know is in the below promotional brochure! Give us a call and we'll help you get your order placed!

“Jack has been my right hand in this company from the very beginning,” said Kaiser. “He’s shown his leadership in managing the sales and engineering teams and has made many significant contributions to BIG KAISER including new product designs and development. He’s more than ready and deserving of this promotion.”

Burley began his career with BIG KAISER more than 30 years ago and is currently Vice President, Sales and Engineering. Burley is a U.S. Marine veteran and earned his degree in mechanical engineering from State University of New York at Alfred.

As President/COO of the North American operations for BIG KAISER, Burley will continue to hold his seat on the board of directors for BIG KAISER.  

“I am very honored and excited about my new position with BIG KAISER, and truly grateful to the executive management at BIG Daishowa and to Chris for placing their trust and confidence in me to lead the company,” said Burley. 

SACRAMENTO,  CA. - Next Generation Tooling is excited to announce that effective November 1, 2020, we will be the exclusive agent for California and Nevada for Jergens, Inc.

"We've been working with machine shops for a couple decades now to develop more efficient workholding and fixturing methods and we found ourselves in a position of not having a complete product line of workholding solutions that included manual and hydraulic clamping combined with 5 Axis solutions. Jergens checks off all of those boxes" said Chris Savolainen, President of Next Generation Tooling. 

In 1955 Jergens made their first foray in workholding when the received a  patent on the Sine Fixture Key and it become the first of many patented workholding items in Jergens' product line.

Jergens has a long history on the West Coast as well.  In 1981 Jergens, Inc. acquires California distributor Liberty Industrial Company and developed the first 5 axis vises in the early 2000's in their west coast facility well before anyone else was even thinking about 5 axis machining. ​

In the 90's Jergens developed the Ball Lock® Quick change system and in 2008 acquired Bock Workholding form Joe Cousins, who was part of the original team who created the Chick Workholding vise. 

In 2011, Jergens, Inc. introduced the Fixture-Pro® Line, which was the first comprehensive, modular system approach to 5-Axis Workholding available.

Take advantage of this IMTS 2020 Special Offer and get the best performing BMT 65 tools on the market…improve your finish, tolerances, and cutter life with these Heimatec tools.

Act now and save 30% on your BMT 65 purchase of part numbers 8 010 66 079-H or 8 030 66 097-H.

These BMT 65 tools offered through Platinum Tooling feature Heimatec’s patented u-tec flexible changing system, heavy duty combination bearings, and high torque output.

These standard axial and radial tools come complete with a FREE set of wrenches. In order to receive this special offer, you must use the part #’s as shown.

Offer valid on any quantity while supplies last.

by Bernard Martin

Sacramento, CA. -  Next Generation Tooling, LLC, a manufacturer's representative agency, founded in 1995 and servicing the California Nevada Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico CNC manufacturing markets has just opened TWO offices in California.

Most of Next Generation Tooling's customers know them as "the Next Gen guys" according to Chris Savolainen, the Founder and President of 'Next Gen Tooling'.

What was the rationale of opening not one, but two offices when the entire team has worked out of their own home offices for years?

"We've grown our market service area quite a bit since we started out servicing just Northern California.  We now include most of the Western States of the US.  We've s been adding some of the best technical CNC application people we can find to support the unique mix of principles we represent. The products that we represent are what are considered very high performance tooling and workholding.  It's some of the premiere products in our entire industry! We determined that we really needed a place to provide on-site technical training.  We also needed to carry some inventory to support the unique needs of the aerospace, medical, electronics and defense industries that we support." Said Savolainen.

Rob Aldama, Vice-President of Next Gen Tool picks up the story,  "At first we thought that one training and showroom might be good enough, but as we started talk to our distributor, machine dealer and end-user manufacturing customers, we discovered that there was a real need for facilities in both Northern and Southern California. None of our competitors are providing the deep technical service that has helped us gain market share, so we really felt we should just take it to the next level and open two facilities."

With the Covid-19 pandemic raging there are not a lot of companies expanding. Most are cutting costs and employees. When asked about this both Chris and Rob stated that their team of people have remained pretty busy throughout this entire period. 

Chris said "We get asked in to shops to provide technical support pretty often. Putting on the full body PPE suits has been kind of common for us during the past few months." 

Rob picked it up from there, "I think we may be some of the really select few that have been asked to come into shops because we're not just taking orders, we're reducing cycle time and we're improving efficiency"

Chris jumped back in, "And maybe its a little bit self serving,  We can have the equipment set-up at both locations instead of trying to bring it into a facility.  It's actually a lot easier, faster and safer to bring people to one of our locations rather than try to move things with lots  of sweat and heavy breathing in PPE." 

"Yea, We can bring people to either location and do the training.  There are far less interruptions and the I think people learn a lot more, and learn it faster" stated Rob.

What types of training do they provide at Next Gen's new buildings?  They start off with a lot of fundamentals that people running CNC machines may never had any formal training about. That's where their basic Training Classes fit in.

But they also can go much deeper with their Advanced Part Manufacturing training series

• Programming Tool Path – Climb versus Conventional
• Material Machinability – Cubic Inches of Stock Removal
• Part Set Up / Workholding  & Fixturing
  
• Tool Holder Selection, Collet, Solid, Hydraulic, Shrink Fit
• Cutting Tool Selection – Substrate, Geometry, Coating, Speed and Feeds 
• Estimating Part Cycle Time

As BIG KAISER celebrates 30 years, Chris Kaiser reflects on running a company from home again.

It’s been 30 years since I started KAISER Precision Tooling USA, and I never imagined I’d be running this company from home again. Like most BIG KAISER employees, I’m working remote at least a few days each week to maintain the required social distance. I can relate to the experience many are having now as they juggle work and family at literally the same time. Isn’t this the experience of parents everywhere who are also entrepreneurs working to start a new business? 
​
Back in 1990, after living and working in the U.S. for nearly a decade, I started this company out of necessity. I knew we needed to change how we were selling the boring tools manufactured by my father’s company in Switzerland, Heinz Kaiser AG. I had a vision to increase sales with better marketing, product deliveries and customer service, but my goals weren’t shared by the agents and partners we had at that time. 

That’s how I found myself sequestered at home with two little boys regularly knocking on the door asking when I was going to come out and play. As much as I wanted to do that, I also needed to focus on setting up a new company from scratch. There was no building, no equipment, no staff. 

Many late nights were spent working with a friend in his basement, writing a business plan, setting up systems for accounting and IT, and making the first boring tool catalog. During the day I sought legal advice, met with lenders and looked for a facility that would house this new company. 

In July of that year, I was joined by my long-time partner, and now BIG KAISER Vice President, Jack Burley. Operations Manager Tim Grosch also started in that first year. There were many other friends and influential people along the way, but these two have been with me on this adventure since the very beginning. 

On August 1, 1990 – coincidentally also Swiss Independence Day – we opened the doors at our first facility in Elk Grove Village, IL. It was two minutes from my house so I could spend a lot of late nights at work, after dinner with my family, just as my father did when I was little.

After 30 years, I’m proud to say we’ve had a good number of customers from the very beginning. Possibly the first was a Swiss-born machinist who carried Heinz Kaiser boring tools back from his vacation in Zurich to his job in the repair center at United Airlines in San Francisco. United remains a customer of BIG KAISER today. Some of those old boring tools are repairable and still in service. 

Many U.S. companies in defense and other industries bought SIP jig-boring machines made in Geneva, Switzerland. They also invested in precision boring tool kits – packed in a wooden case – from Heinz Kaiser AG. We’re grateful that companies like Bell Helicopter, Sikorsky, Caterpillar, John Deere, Metalex, Vermeer and Viking Pump – among others – are still with us to this day. 

Breaking NEWS from Platinum Tooling: ER Collet Chucks are available in single or double ended style and come in various lengths. Offered in both metric or inch sizes, these tools can be ordered in round or with flats.

Tecnicrafts manufactures these toolholders to a tight run out tolerance of 5 microns or less and adheres to the h6 standard for shank diameter.

All Tecnicrafts Collets and Guide Bushings are available in Standard and Ultra-Precision grades.

The bore profiles include Round, Square, Hexagon, Rectangle and Custom as per customer specifications.

The collets are offered in steel and carbide lined versions with Grooved, Smooth, or Serrated bores in Standard and Long Nose types.

Special V-line and Over-Grip collets are also available.

Tecnicrafts Guide Bushings are generally offered in carbide lining with U-line, Over-Grip, and Extended Nose & Long Bores available.

For quick delivery, Platinum Tooling inventories the most common sizes and styles of Collets & Guide Bushings at their headquarters located in Prospect Heights, Illinois. Non-standard items are available to ship within 3-4 weeks.