Amada America calls for entries in 14th annual parts competition. (Presstime Notes).

Amada America Inc. has invited its United States customers to compete against their peers throughout the world by entering their finest fabricated parts in the 14th Annual Precision Sheet Metal Technology Fair. Sponsored by parent company Amada Co. Ltd., the contest is the premiere showcase of the fabricator's craft worldwide and encourages participation from all users of Amada machinery.

Since 1988, Amada's Annual Worldwide Precision Sheet Metal Technology Fair has attracted the best global examples of fabricated parts excellence. The purpose of the Fair is three-fold: to display unusual parts that Amada machines can produce; to illustrate production challenges which customers have overcome; and to provide a place for customers to exhibit their parts on an international level. The competition is a stimulus for innovation, workmanship and sophisticated processing technologies, as well as an opportunity for Amada America to acknowledge the innovative spirit and technological superiority exhibited by many of its U.S. customers.

Submittals should represent unusual or hard-to-make parts and will be judged for excellence in five categories by a team of industry experts and academics in Japan. Categories include flat shapes, welding fabrication, assembling technology, forming fabrication and high-precision intricate parts. Entrants should use Amada equipment to fabricate a prototype or production part and submit a sample of their part or assembly, along with a completed entry form which includes brief description of the part, a list of the equipment used, and data on the processing time required for production. The processing information should also include the required accuracy of the part, a detail of each stage of the processing sequence, and a description of what function the finished part will serve.

"With this competition, Amada has created a forum in which companies that have been creative in their fabricating solutions can receive worldwide recognition," says Jerry Rush, Amada's director vice president of products. "The parts submitted represent the best that human ingenuity can achieve in combination with the latest in machine tool technology. Amada acknowledges these successes as a measure of fulfilling tomorrow's dreams for fabricators."

Previously, entries have encompassed a wide range of sizes, shapes, materials and applications, including a broad array of parts fabricated from steel, stainless steel, copper and aluminum. Prizewinning works have pushed the limits of functionality by exploiting the characteristics and qualities of metal materials.

Amada equipment used in the processing can include CNC turret punch presses, automated lasers, press brakes, stamping presses, shears and notchers. Parts that are submitted should range in configuration from flat to curved to bent to complex shapes. Maximum parts dimensions should not exceed 23.6" x 11.8". Entries are limited to one product per category from each company.

All parts and fully completed entry forms must be received by noon on Oct. 5, 2001. Submittal details, contest rules and entry applications can be obtained by contacting Amada America at 800.626.6612, ext. 5466231, or by going on-line at http://www.amada.com.