Machinery Row at December’s PRI Show is the best opportunity to network, order great deals, and see the latest innovations in shop equipment in addition to learning advanced skills and performance tricks.

With more emphasis on precise machining and measurements in today’s racing operations, engine builders are not only on the hunt for machine-shop equipment capable of such accuracy, but also information on how those critical efforts will translate into horsepower.
At this year’s PRI Show, December 12–14, a few manufacturers of engine-building equipment that are displaying on Machinery Row will also present seminars for customers and other interested parties. It’s just one of the many opportunities on Machinery Row for PRI Show attendees to discover products and services that can help gain a winning advantage in their operations.
“At the Show, we’re going to have live honing seminars,” said David Bianchi of Rottler Manufacturing, Kent, Washington. Rottler will be showcasing three honing machines: H85A, H85AX, and H85AXY in one of two separate areas on Machinery Row.
“Last year, we did three seminars each day, and it was basically standing room only,” continued Bianchi. “We’ve teamed up with Total Seal and Digital Metrology. We’ll have chairs set up in the booth, and we’ll be doing big seminars on cylinder honing.”
“We’ll probably be doing two different seminars,” echoed Randy Neal of CWT Industries, Norcross, Georgia. CWT will have its flagship Multi-Bal 5500 crankshaft balancer along with a turbo balancer and a driveline balancer.
“The seminars are going to be governed by different subjects. But mostly it’s going to be related to crank design and bearings,” continued Neal. “We’ll focus on the evolution of making power against the structural integrity of the product. And we’ll have a panel of experts for the Q&A. We’re actually busting at the seams with standing room only, so we hope to get more room.”
Consisting of more than 100 exhibitors, Machinery Row, located inside the Indiana Convention Center, showcases a multitude of products that will appeal to fabricators, welders, engine builders, machine shop owners, aftermarket manufacturers, and other racing professionals. Attendees will enjoy one-on-one attention with company experts and learn all the latest tricks of the trade.
High-end manufacturing equipment worth millions of dollars will be the big attention getters, but there will also be plenty of time-saving tools, replacement products, cleaners, and abrasives. Attendees will not only get an up-close inspection of the latest machinery, but they will also have access to updated software, support equipment, and training opportunities.

“Centroid provides a comprehensive training program to guarantee our customers’ success right out of the box,” said John Cowher of Centroid, Howard, Pennsylvania. Centroid will display its popular A560 and A560XL CNC port-block machining centers, both sporting significant upgrades this year.
“We provide six days of comprehensive port training and two days of block machining when customers purchase the Port/Block combo. At training end, the customer is guaranteed a complete cylinder head CNC program of their head of choice, ready to machine, and a program for their engine block choice,” added Cowher.
Automation versus manual is always a debate for the ages on Machinery Row, and it’s been especially spirited since the pandemic tightened the labor market for skilled employees. Shop owners are looking to automate as much as possible to keep the machines running at a profitable rate. Yet, there remain veteran craftsmen who prefer the manual approach.
“Basically, 99% of valve-seat cutting is done by an operator driving a hand wheel,” explained Anthony Usher of MEC CNC, San Clemente, California, which distributes products from Robins Machines. The company will have its SG6.1 seat-and-guide machine on display.
“Engine builders have found the quality of the valve seat is directly related to the operator and how he drives that hand wheel. Two years ago, Jasper Engines asked us to develop a new technology where the finished cut of the valve seat is programmable and handled by CNC,” said Usher. “We’re calling our seat cutting on this machine ‘cut by wire.’ A lot of people don’t understand what it means. A computer is actually cutting the seat, but an operator is still running the machine. So, it’s a simple machine, low cost, easy to run. There’s no real programming, but the actual critical part of the valve seat cutting and machining process is done by the CNC.”
Getting the best deal is another motive for visiting Machinery Row. Exhibitors sometimes offer show specials, and the sales reps are always eager to negotiate or offer suggestions on a purchase strategy. Hernan Ramirez of Serdi in Mooresville, North Carolina, said customer service is paramount for the company.
“Serdi has recently implemented a trade-in program for Serdi machines only that will allow valued customers to upgrade to the newest versions of our machines,” said Ramirez, noting that Serdi will show its latest single-point CNC machine, the Profile valve-seat machine, along with the all-purpose Serdi 4.5 and the Serdi 3.5 valve-seat and valve-guide machines. “Customers purchasing new Serdi machines will be provided training and materials before operation, ensuring maximum productivity.”
Not every product on Machinery Row set out to target racing-specific operations. Many racers own construction companies or other manufacturing operations that require fabrication tools, welders, and other relevant equipment. Over at Sunnen Products in St. Louis, Missouri, the SV-35 vertical honing machine was developed with Jasper Engines to improve production in a large-scale remanufacturing facility.

“The SV-35 machine is really the go-to machine for production engine rebuilders. We have it in some race shops as well, but it’s geared toward the performance and rebuilding markets,” said Phil Hanna. “There are also industrial customers for this machine. But we’re going to have some new features on it for PRI.”
Machinery Row is the quintessential opportunity to view products and services that can benefit every racing operation. The networking possibilities alone are worth a visit to those aisles in the Show, and watching the different types of machines in action will keep you interested as the sales reps offer one-on-one attention. There’s no doubt that more racing and performance organizations are bringing work in-house, as opposed to sourcing out their needs. The advantages include better quality control and improved turnaround time—but more important, the work actually gets done. Far too often, businesses just can’t find shops to do the work these days.
With those talking points in mind, following is a sampling of some new or updated products that will be shown on Machinery Row at the PRI Show in Indianapolis this December.

Centroid

Both the A560XL and the standard A560 will get a new roller-cam-driven “B” axis swing head that incorporates a hydraulic brake that can be locked at a commanded angle.
“This design is extremely rigid. It’s like having a fixed-head machine that swings and locks. This facilitates much better machining capability to do billet work, be it a billet head or block, or anything else you desire to machine from billet,” said Cowher.
Also, previous machines had plus/minus 60 degrees of motion. “Now we have 90 degrees. That gives the user the ability to engrave on the end of a cylinder head or block,” added Cowher.
The XL will have an option for a 42-horsepower, 16,000-rpm motor. In years past, both machines had a tool count of 24. Now the A560XL will have a 40-tool ATC as standard, and the A560 will upgrade to 30.
“There’s a huge benefit to that. A billet cylinder head or a billet engine block will max out a 40 tool ATC, and in some cases, it’s not enough. So going from 24 to a 40-tool ATC is a huge tool-count upgrade,” said Cowher.

CWT Industries

In addition to the aforementioned products, CWT may bring a new polishing stand for crankshafts. There hasn’t been any change in the traditional style of polisher in decades.
“The problem is, we’ve gotten to a point of evolution. Tolerances, surface finish, roundness, blending into the radius areas—it needs a different approach,” said Neal, noting that when a user sees sparks, then it’s grinding, not polishing.
Neal said the crank may be shiny, “but I guarantee you it’s not round any longer. It’s probably got all sorts of deformations, meaning that it’s very inconsistent around the oil holes and into the blend area. I’m not trying to beat up people. I’m simply saying they can do more damage than good with the old way of polishing.”
CWT’s solution is currently under testing and review, and so not much has been revealed. The big concern is ensuring operator safety, meeting any government regulations, and staying within a budget before it will be introduced at the Show.
“Bottom line, I’ve got to find a way to minimize the exposure for the operator. Every time I start coming up with a cure, the price point skyrockets,” Neal said.

Mustang Dynamometer

Many performance shops already have a chassis dyno to validate modifications and tuning adjustments. Another tool now available is the MD-VMAS from Mustang Dynamometer in Twinsburg, Ohio, which measures mass emissions in real-time for pre-cert CARB EO testing.
“Now Mustang dyno owners can add emissions testing that measures and records grams-per-mile for tailpipe emissions, integrating core Mustang technologies into the basic system, which has been a standard for idle-state, loaded-mode, and transient emissions-based testing,” said Michael Caldwell.
The MD-VMAS 2.0 simultaneously measures raw concentrations, diluted exhaust flow, and dilution ratio. It also performs the required calculations to generate mass emissions rates and cumulative mass of CO, CO2, NO, NO2, and HC (as hexane), saving the data on a second-by-second basis for instant inspection and analysis.
“The MD-VMAS can also be useful for tuning race cars, as it reports Lambda in addition to the above-mentioned compounds,” added Caldwell.

Robins Machines

While “cut by wire” will be mentioned quite often in the Robins exhibit area as the SG6.1 seat-and-guide machine is displayed, the real buzzword will be “concentricity.”
“In layman’s terms, it’s also valve-seat runout,” said Usher. “The SG6.1 has a secondary mechanical centering system built into the machine, and we’re finding this is reducing valve-seat runout literally to tenths of a thou.”
The SG6.1 also has digital display that helps the operator cut all valve seats to equal depth. “That gives you balanced compression and equal performance,” added Usher.
Robins will also show off its GH8 valve-guide machine, which is designed to hone guides to the exact diameter with the desired crosshatch pattern using a single push-button auto cycle. “You need a lot of technology in the design of the spindle and tooling to achieve these kinds of results,” said Usher. “We have companies analyzing man hours to find out what it costs to hand-hone guides. A skilled guy has to do it—literally honing, measuring, honing, measuring. It’s not a pleasant job. We turn guide finishing into a pleasurable, precision job.”

Rottler Manufacturing

Engine builders are definitely paying more attention to honing as ring seal becomes a priority in performance engines. Rottler will have a full lineup of its H85A, H85AX, and H85AXY machines, all of which sport different levels of automation.
“The H85AX has the capability of machining the entire bank of cylinders on an engine block, while the H85AXY will rotate the block and is capable of honing a V8 block completely unattended,” said Bianchi.
Rottler will also introduce new technology involving hone diameters, lifter bores, and different types of stones. Also, users will have more control over the crosshatch angle. “There are features that make the machine very unique to control the surface finish,” added Bianchi.
Rottler will also show off the EM69HP five-axis porting and machining center. It features CNC digitizing and automatic tool changer. It can be used for cylinder boring, lifter boring, and cylinder head resurfacing in addition to porting cylinder heads. “And this machine is great for dimpling pistons,” said Bianchi.

Serdi

The Profile from Serdi is a single-point CNC valve-seat machine designed with triple air-cushion centering and features a built-in motor spindle that provides maximum torque from 0 to 3,000 rpm.
“Following the technological innovation of engines, Serdi has noticed a growing demand for machines capable of machining valve seats made of increasingly hard materials,” said Ramirez. “The carbide insert sometimes generates too much vibration for satisfactory machining. The solution lies in the digital control of a single-point insert on two axis, drastically reducing the cutting forces and increasing the machining precision.”
Optional fixtures for the Profile include a dual-axis rollover to position canted-valve heads more quickly and a direct reading digital micrometer.
Also showing on Machinery Row will be the venerable Serdi 4.5 manual machine that can ream guides and cut valve seats, and the Serdi 3.5 that was designed for multi-valve cylinder heads. “The 3.5 is the perfect machine for the most demanding motorcycle and automotive multi-valve cylinder heads,” added Ramirez. “It achieves excellent levels of concentricity, even in guide sizes as small as 3 mm/0.12-inch.”

Sunnen Products

While the SV-35 honing machine is certainly going to draw plenty of eyeballs at the Show, Sunnen will also introduce the PGE6000 precision electronic bore-gauging system. For years, Sunnen has offered mechanical bore gauges in the PG line that were quite accurate, but the downside was having to write down all the measurements.
“Now we have a new electronic version,” said Hanna. “You click, you measure, and then it takes in the data, which you can export out of the gauge into a spreadsheet or a quality control program.”
The SV-35 will now offer a camera system that can measure the crosshatch angle and show it on the touchscreen display.
“Also, we have a system where we can provide immediate feedback to the machine from our wireless dial-bore gauge,” said Hanna. “The machine can make bore compensation automatically based on this feedback. The goal is ease of use, more productivity, and letting the operator perform other tasks while the machines are busily running.”

SOURCES

Centroid
centroidcnc.com
CWT Industries
cwtindustries.com
MEC CNC
meccnc.com
Mustang Dynamometer
mustangdyne.com
Robins Machines
robinsmachines.com
Rottler Manufacturing
rottlermfg.com
Serdi
serdimachines.com
Sunnen Products Co.
sunnen.com