A Tight Fit: General Industry Coverage
Part I: The author discusses how to maintain and repair machine tool spindles and what causes spindles to run out of round. Common sources of out-of-round spindles include loose bearings and improperly…
General Manufacturing Discussion
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Burn Awareness: General Industry Coverage
Grinding burn is a general term used to describe various types of thermal damage that occur to the workpiece during grinding. The author supplies detailed information about each type of burn and…
Steadying the Bar: General Industry Coverage
Cutting forces cause the boring bar to deflect, which can lead to vibration and damaged workpieces. The author gives an overview of available boring bars and offers guidelines for selecting one for…
Know Your Capabilities: People & Companies
Capability is determined by how well a process produces parts. Three measures of capability are important to a machinist: gage, machine and process. The author provides a detailed description of capability and…
Can We Talk?: General Industry Coverage
DNC can mean either Direct Numeric Control or Distributed Numeric Control. Either way, a DNC links a shop's computers and machine tools and saves times. A DNC eliminates manual transcription of NC…
Sparking Innovations: General Industry Coverage
The author discusses three recent advancements in electrical discharge machining: the use of linear motors on EDMs, wire EDMs with an automatic slug-removal capability and dielectric fluid additives that yield finer part…
Software Aware: Turning Performance
The author provides guidelines shops can follow when selecting a PC-based CAD/CAM system. Selection guidelines include: CAD functionality, CAM functionality, NC code output, vendor evaluation and hardware selection. Imported from the CTE…
Sizing Up Nickel: Turning Performance
Due to the exceptional strength of IN 100, INCO 718 and other nickel-based alloys, they're difficult to machine. The author, who spent 40 years endmilling these aerospace materials, discusses their unique characteristics…
Squeeze Play
The use of shrink-fit toolholders continues to grow, mainly because, compared to conventional holders, they secure tools more tightly and extend the life of cutting tools. Article includes an overview of available…
Coolant Stewards
Metalworking companies have a "cradle-to-grave" responsibility for the fluids they use. Improper disposal can lead to costly fines. Article discusses the ramifications of improper disposal and how to develop a plan to…
Counting Dollars: Supply Chain & Logistics
Salaries earned by metalworking professionals, including machinists, production engineers, manufacturing engineers and corporate managers. Salaries are broken down by region, size of company and type of shop or manufacturing facility. Imported from…
A Break in the Action
The author offers tips about making interrupted cuts while turning. He also discusses the differences between interrupted cuts in turning and milling and various types of materials. Imported from the CTE archive…
Bond Smart: Trade Shows & Events
Discussion of different types of bonds used to make superabrasive grinding wheels. Author provides tables with price comparisons, physical properties and operating parameters for various bonds. Imported from the CTE archive to…
Vital Signs
How to recognize the signs that lead to bandsaw breakdowns. Imported from the CTE archive to seed discussion on MFGAxis. Originally published on CTE: 2000-08-01 CTE source: https://ctemag.com/articles/vital-signs/ Legacy path: /articles/vital-signs
Clean Sweep: Testing & Quality Assurance
Equipping toolchangers with nylon abrasive-filament brushes can greatly enhance process economics and the flow of parts. Case histories of in-machine deburring operations support these contentions, and the author describes how such systems…
Sparkling Performance: Testing & Quality Assurance
Author discusses the advantages of CVD-diamond tools compared to other types of diamond tools. He also explains how CVD-diamond tools are manufactured and gives case histories involving their usage. Imported from the…
Raising the CNC Technology Bar
Overview of the new machine tool technologies introduced at IMTS 2000. Among them are linear motors for axes travels, ballscrew chillers, a new way to lubricate linear guideways and controlling machining processes…
The Three R's: Retrofit, Rebuild and Remanufacture
Author explains the different ways to upgrade a used machine tool. He also discusses what users should expect from the company that performs the retrofit, rebuild or remanufacturing job and how long…
Hands Free: Turning Performance
Shop owners who operate multitask machines talk about the time and cost benefits of producing parts in a single chucking. They also discuss some of the problems they had when adopting the…
Ceramics Take a Turn: Turning Performance
Author describes applications for the two basic types of ceramic turning inserts–alumina and silicon nitride–as well as the types of parts and materials users have turned with them. Specifics about speeds, feeds…
Holding On: Drilling Performance
Discussion of different types of toolholders for lathes, including collets, drill chucks, bushings and keyless chucks. Author discusses best holder for different applications, based on his experiences. Imported from the CTE archive…
Silver Lining: Safety, Standards & Compliance
GE Superabrasives' silver-coated diamond crystal is designed for grinding tungsten carbide. Discussed are the benefits--reduced friction, greater crystal retention and a cooler grinding environment--and how to apply wheels made from the crystal.…
Killing Time: Drilling Performance
One company instituted a comprehensive plan for reducing setup times and saw its average setup time drop from 252 minutes to 39 minutes. The plan involves everything from standardizing tooling to consolidating…
Size Matters
The trend toward developing finer and finer carbide grains continues. The author looks at recent developments in the production of nanosized tungsten-carbide grains, which are smaller than 0.2 microns in diameter. Though…
Double Header
The author discusses the advantages and proper application of twin-cutter boring tools. They're recommended for rough-boring applications on castings, forgings and other jobs requiring a tool that can bore a cored hole.…