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Job shops commonly receive corrupted or "dirty" CAD files from their customers. These files must be cleaned or repaired before toolpaths for machining the workpiece can be created. Software solutions like SpaceClaim,…
GE Power opened its "Factory of the Future," the 125,000-sq.-ft. Advanced Manufacturing Works (AMW) facility in Greenville, S.C., with great fanfare in April 2016. So, what's futuristic about the place? Imported from…
Colson Group USA, a manufacturer of casters, wheels and other mobility products, continues to make significant investments to its production and distribution operations while reshoring some manufacturing. Imported from the CTE archive…
Some might argue that edge finders, center finders and wigglers, which have been used for decades to touch off workpieces during machine setup, are a bit too analog for today's digital world.…
Without a doubt, cutting tools for machining titanium must be well-engineered. This was reinforced for CTE Editor Alan Richter while attending Horn Technology Days 2017, held May 10 to 12 at Hartmetall-Werkzeugfabrik…
Just in time (JIT) manufacturing, by nature, increases setups and shrinks batch sizes. This puts shops in a bind, because more setups and smaller batches are typically less profitable; but saying "no"…
A new CS-50 deposition system from Duralar Technologies uses a process called DualArmor that is capable of applying DLC coatings of 50µm or thicker — and apply them at rates averaging 15µm…
Most manufacturers finish their sintered ceramic parts with grinding equipment designed for metals. Tratech Corp., however, has introduced what it says is the first commercially available CNC grinding machine designed specifically for…
END USER: Urschel Laboratories Inc., (219) 464-4811, www.urschel.com. SOLUTION PROVIDER: Blue Photon Technology & Workholding Systems LLC, (855) 777-2040, www.bluephotongrip.com. CHALLENGE: Hold a near-net-shape casting for machining on five sides. SOLUTION: A…
Proactive security measures become even more important as manufacturing software moves into the cloud, machine tool intelligence and automation continue to grow, and the Industrial Internet of Things makes big data an…
All shops are concerned with burrs, a natural side effect of cutting. They are all looking for a single solution to prevent or remove burrs. Unfortunately, there is no panacea. Imported from…
As automation becomes more flexible and less expensive, work cells are propagating at smaller shops. Imported from the CTE archive to seed discussion on MFGAxis. Originally published on CTE: 2017-05-15 CTE source:…
A growing number of manufacturers in the medical industry are seeing the light when choosing a machining option for micro parts and features. The light they're seeing emanates from laser micromachining systems.…
Manufacturing microscale endmills and drills requires ultraprecise machinery and specialty grinding wheels—never mind extreme skill, the right carbide grade and abundant patience. Thankfully, a number of toolmakers have become proficient at this…
Three primary elements play a heightened role when machining molds for plastic injection molding of microparts compared to moldmaking for the macro realm: part size, feature size and dimensional tolerances. Imported from…
Machinist's Corner Columnist Michael Deren shares a cautionary tale for vendors and machine shops. Do your vendors realize how important they are to you? Do they appreciate your business or do they…
Every person who works in a machine shop probably has at least one task they absolutely hate. For Tom Lipton, who writes Cutting Tool Engineering's Shop Operations column, one task stands out…
New, ultraresilient workpiece materials with high strength-to-weight ratios have cutting tool vendors and CAM developers scrambling to design new tools and toolpaths to efficiently cut them. To succeed, the vendors and developers…
Automation isn't just a boon to complex, multiple-machine manufacturing processes. It can also give a major boost to processes that involve only a single machine. Imported from the CTE archive to seed…
When your primary market tanks to its lowest level in 30 years, the impact can be drastic, according to the Manager's Desk column in the May 2017 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering…
Craftsman Jasper Röders set up shop during the early 1800s to make pewter tableware for his neighbors in Soltau, Germany. Six generations later, his descendants still produce pewter but have expanded into…
In an interview conducted by CTE Editor Alan Richter at a global press event held at the company's headquarters in Sandviken, Sweden, Klas Forsström, president of AB Sandvik Coromant, discussed his new…
Are you being asked to quote secondary machining operations on a handful of 3D-printed metal parts? If so, how do you cut these parts? Imported from the CTE archive to seed discussion…
A recent report, "Global Ultra Hard Material Cutting Machines Market" by Transparency Market Research, forecasts a healthy compound annual growth rate of 10.8 percent for these machines for the years 2016 to…
Cutting Tool Engineering Editor Alan Richter ponders the machine shop of the future in his Lead Angle column for the May 2017 issue. Imported from the CTE archive to seed discussion on…