Automating thread inspection on tubular goods
According to Autonetics LLC, automated gaging units (AGUs) for threads are hot. The Cary, N.C.-based AGU manufacturer reported that it shipped 10 systems in the third quarter of last year to U.S.…
General Manufacturing Discussion
Recent discussions
Prize turns quick profit for waterjet machine winner
What would you do if you won a waterjet cutting machine? In John Mullett's case, he asked for a bigger one. Mullett is owner of Laureate Machine & Automation LLC, Leipsic, Ohio.…
3 views of manufacturing: People & Companies
It's been a long crusade for many manufacturers: the battle against an out-of-date public perception of manufacturing as dirty, repetitive work that's possibly unsafe and probably a dead-end career path. Two recent…
Sounds of the season: Industry Trends & Analysis
Working in the bleak midwinter while the metalcutting sector transitions through a downturn sounds like a recipe for the blues. But it doesn't have to be. When things are a bit slow,…
Low-cost 3D printer for shop operations
A new breed of 3D printers has begun producing parts made of engineering-grade plastics and fully dense metals suitable for long-term use in a variety of applications. These include jet engine components,…
Hamilton sings praises of manufacturing
Government concerning itself with manufacturing? What would the Founding Fathers think? We know the answer: December marked 220 years since Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton submitted his "Report on the Subject…
Robotics road map calls for increased investment
More than 150 U.S.-based robotics researchers contributed to the 2016 edition of the report titled "A Roadmap for US Robotics From Internet to Robotics." Released Oct. 31, the document calls for improving…
Telescope to look for earliest light
Although the James Webb Space Telescope isn't scheduled to be launched on an Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana until October 2018, NASA announced that the 18th and final primary mirror segment…
RFID tagging for toolholders
The tagging applications for radio frequency identification (RFID) are vast, including pets, property—and even people. Recently, Micro-Mechanics Inc., a Morgan Hill, Calif., machine shop, worked with process control equipment provider Caron Engineering…
HUNCH launches student manufacturing—literally
High school manufacturing programs teach students to create production parts, preparing them for careers in industry. Those parts are primarily for terrestrial applications. However, unique and exciting opportunities to produce parts for…
A custom grind: Drilling Performance
Sam Yu, president and owner of Corona, Calif.-based Machine Control Technologies Inc., said he builds specialty tool and cutter grinders in months—and at a fraction the price of competitors' custom grinders. Imported…
CNC training begins with changing tools
Shop Operations columnist James A. Harvey underscores the importance of his initial CNC training, which involved changing tools on a new mill. Just the act of changing a tool let him interact…
High-pressure holemaking: Drilling Performance
END USER: Modern Machining Technology Inc., (303) 945-7570, www.destroked.com; SOLUTION PROVIDER: Industrial Coolant Systems LLC, (303) 968-1707, www.industrialcoolantsystems.com; CHALLENGE: Reduce the cycle time when drilling a large quantity of holes in a…
Being the face of your shop
Manager's Desk Columnist Keith Jennings discusses the benefits of being the face of your company in the January 2017 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine. Imported from the CTE archive to seed…
Lean from 30,000 feet
Michael Deren, who writes the Machinist's Corner column for Cutting Tool Engineering magazine, explains why he now believes wholeheartedly in lean manufacturing. Imported from the CTE archive to seed discussion on MFGAxis.…
Financing your next machine tool
Machine tools are big-ticket items, so it's no surprise that they're normally acquired using some sort of financing. In addition to banks, financing can be obtained from machine tool OEMs and nonbank…
Enduring attachments: General Industry Coverage
Tapping attachments date back to the early 20th century—and they've endured for good reason.n Imported from the CTE archive to seed discussion on MFGAxis. Originally published on CTE: 2017-01-15 CTE source: https://ctemag.com/articles/enduring-attachments/…
A combination tool for thread forming
The Look Ahead department includes a combination broaching and tapping tool for thread forming in the January 2017 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering. Imported from the CTE archive to seed discussion on…
Burning hard metal: Drilling Performance
The Look Ahead department covers electro-erosion metal removal with a 5-axis horizontal machining center in the January 2017 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering. Imported from the CTE archive to seed discussion on…
Manufacturing and millennials: People & Companies
On the one hand, many employers in the manufacturing industry view millennials as being self-absorbed, unfocused, disloyal, addicted to mobile devices and lazy. On the other, most millennials don't view a career…
Optimization software saves time: General Industry Coverage
Good optimization software must take into account all the known challenges to optimal machining, which include heat, vibration, deflection, chip buildup, material hardness and a machine tool's horsepower, torque, rigidity, spindle speed,…
Experts assess current, future inspection technologies
Where is the field of inspection headed and, more importantly, where do the manufacturers that depend on it desire it to head? In 2014, the Coordinate Metrology Society (CMS) combined forces with…
Through-coolant toolholders: efficient, economical
Because through-coolant toolholders eliminate the variances often experienced with external cooling nozzles, the additional cost of such holders, which is sometimes zero, can be easily justified through the reduction of cycle times…
Tips, techniques for nonperpendicular holemaking
We called them "submarines." Tough, 17-4 PH stainless steel forgings shaped like miniature German U-boats, each requiring several ¼" (6.4mm) through-holes to be drilled at a 25° angle. Each sub was loaded…
Replace technologically obsolete production equipment
END USER: Mast Motorsports, (936) 560-2218, www.mastmotorsports.com. SOLUTION PROVIDER: Hurco North America, (800) 634-2416, www.hurco.com. CHALLENGE: Replace technologically obsolete production equipment. SOLUTION: Purchase two new 5-axis CNC milling machines Imported from the…