Machinist's Corner: Apprenticeships wanted
Lately, I haven't been hearing much about machinist apprenticeship programs. I have been hearing about vo-tech schools, as well as job shops hiring people off the street to just push buttons. Do…
General Manufacturing Discussion
Recent discussions
Get With The Program: Barrel-cutter CAM strategies
Barrel cutters are applied for specialized milling applications, and recent advancements in CAM software expand the use of these tools. Geometrically, a barrel cutter has a large cutting radius on its side…
Manufacturers learn to invest in training
Every parts manufacturer, regardless of size, has some sort of training program, and programs are nearly as varied as the companies themselves. Whether it's something as simple as handing out a pamphlet…
Terms of the trade for surface roughness measurement
As the plans for more and more machined metal parts include numerical surface finish specifications, the need diminishes to visually qualify that a part has, for example, "a mirror finish with no…
Challenges in the micro-EDM world
Say "EDM" and most manufacturing folks think mold, tool and die work. Yet sinker, wire and hole-popping EDMs are often employed in conjunction with, or as alternatives to, traditional part-making processes, such…
Benefits of micromachining with lasers
Lasers are good for far more than slicing sheet metal and defending against alien space invaders. Without them, many of today's high-tech products would be impossible to manufacture. Microfluidic devices, integrated circuits,…
Growing demand for microparts challenges suppliers, users
Ever machined parts so small that they not only fit on a penny but can sit on old Abe's nose? Cutting parts and part features in this Tom Thumb world often comes…
A twin-turret approach to machine tool stiffness, stability
Two rotary axes beat 2' of stacked linear axes. That's the idea behind the new Twin Turret Generator (TTG) machine tools from Cranfield Precision. According to the company, the TTG machine offers…
The contours of a robotic 3D-printing platform
Arevo Labs hopes its new RAMP leads to better 3D-printed componets for the defense and aerospace industries. Arevo touts RAMP (Robot-based Additive Manufacturing Platform) as the first system of its kind optimized…
Moving large, complex parts calls for specialized equipment
Until I started working for Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Americas, lifting parts was never a consideration in daily production. Previously, the parts I dealt with were small, usually never larger than a…
Lead Angle: Invaluable resources: Turning Performance
Early in my stint here, I called Alan Baker, founder of toolmaker A.B. Tools Inc., in connection with an article I was writing about thread milling small-diameter holes. I started the interview…
Shop wrangles runout challenge: General Industry Coverage
END USER: Homeyer Precision Manufacturing, (636) 433-2244, www.homeyertool.com. SOLUTION PROVIDER: BIG Kaiser Precision Tooling Inc., (888) 866-5776, www.bigkaiser.com. CHALLENGE: Minimize endmill runout to extend tool life when producing aluminum-based forceps. SOLUTION: A…
Angle head for atypical prototype
END USER: Antron Engineering and Machine Co. Inc., (877) 225-2362, www.antroneng.com. SOLUTION PROVIDER: Eltool Corp., (877) 435-8665, www.eltool.com. CHALLENGE: Mill a long, interrupted slot in a small-diameter bore. SOLUTION: A coolant-driven angle…
Small tools, big challenges
END USER: Greene Tool Systems Inc., (800) BUY-TOOL, www.greenetool.com. SOLUTION PROVIDER: ANCA Inc., (248) 926-4466, www.anca.com. CHALLENGE: Produce microscale cutting tools more accurately while lowering setup times. SOLUTION: Two grinding machines designed…
Suite of power-cutting control applications
Machine tool idling, unnecessary pump rotation and continuously running peripheral equipment drive up machining costs. These energy wasters are in the crosshairs of a new suite of power-cutting control applications from Japanese…
OS integrates machine tool into corporate network
To bring all kinds of useful information right to a machine and facilitate a company's implementation of Industry 4.0 processing tools, INDEX Corp. has begun supplying its machine tools with a new…
Women to play an increasingly important role in manufacturing industry
Though Rosie the Riveter and a multitude of her sisters proved that women were perfectly capable of working in manufacturing when the men were called to serve during World War II, many…
Reducing setup times frees up time for making chips
Setup reduction is a common goal of every machine shop. Setup does not add value because it does not provide any measureable productivity. In short, when you are not running a machine,…
Pallet changers help VMCs hold their own in production environments
Vertical machining centers are machine shop mainstays, owing in no small part to their versatility, small footprint and relatively low cost. However, in high-volume environments, they tend to lag behind their horizontal…
Troubleshooting solid-carbide boring bars requires the right diagnosis
Troubleshooting machining operations can be a daunting task, especially boring operations. This is because when machining the outside of a part, you can see what causes the tool to fail. However, when…
Accurate shop floor scheduling is important, but often hard to achieve
Without a manufacturing schedule, workpiece materials don't arrive on time, machine tools sit idle and customers fume. However, scheduling is difficult, especially when multiple-level assemblies and large numbers of components are involved.…
And the beat goes on
One of the most enduring issues in the metalworking world is finding and retaining skilled workers, and the 10th annual Metalworking Trends Survey from LoSasso Integrated Marketing, Chicago, showed that this challenge…
The madness of wheel trials
Dear Doc: I sell grinding wheels and frequently find myself pulling my hair out when recommending wheels to customers. One customer achieved great success with a resin-bond, 400-mesh diamond wheel when grinding…
Good news on the horizon
I'm thankful to share that our machining business has picked up and we're running near capacity. I can't get overly optimistic just yet, but good news nonetheless. We haven't required new equipment,…
Gangs vs. turrets: Turning Performance
If you're shopping for a Swiss-style CNC lathe, the available options and machine configurations are truly staggering. Spindle speeds that compete with many machining centers, convertible spindles that turn a sliding-headstock machine…