On Sun, 09 Sep 2007 12:27:05 -0700, "
wrote:

I'm going there from Sep. 14 t0 21.for a reunion. Can anyone tell me
about
places or events within a radius of about 200 mi. that would be
interesting to
someone who's into machinery, machining, etc? I'm familiar with the
science and
railroad museums. Thanx, Engineman.

Within 200 miles? I'd give Hutchinson Technologies in Eau Claire, WI
a call and see if they're doing any tours in that time frame. The
assembly bay is quite an amazing bit of manufacturing technology- they
make all the machines in house, with the exception of the UTA and
Adept robots, and the automated lines are able to hold tolerances
measured in millionths (I know there are grinders that do this, but
this is the only mechanical forming equipment I've ever seen with that
kind of accuracy.) They've got a building up in Hutchinson, MN as
well where they do the prototyping, but I don't know if they let
vistors in there.

It's basically a glorified sheet metal shop (they make disk-drive
suspensions,) but it is really something to see if you get the
opportunity- while it may be a glorified sheet metal shop, it is that
in the same way that a supercomputer is a glorifed pocket calculator.
The machines do have computers on them, and the robots obviously are
computer controlled, but the bulk of the equipment is actually
mechanical, with series of forming dies that open and close using a
cam shaft- which makes them quite a bit more interesting to look at
than your average CNC equipment.

Far as I know there are only three places in the world to see that job
being done, and the other two are in Asia.