March 2015
Articles in this issue
Selecting and using the best gages
Tiny medical parts, mass-produced automotive components and multiple-ton power generation parts share a common activity: inspection. Generally, inspection is s…
Lost art of flame straigthening
>Flame straightening is one of those old-timer skills everybody has heard of but few have had the opportunity to witness. The ability to straighten bent plates…
Milling heads don’t get the shaft
Overcome excessive tool wear and poor surface finishes when machining flats on a steel truck shaft. A milling tool that exerts all cutting forces downward and …
Shop cleans up its act with MQL
Eliminate excess coolant to improve shop floor safety and cleanliness. Minimum quantity lubrication systems.
Protecting digital assets
Machine shops need lots of tangible assets to make parts: machine tools, cutting tools and real estate, among other items.
Plan to replace retirees
What is your company doing to replace its retiring workforce?
Fixing linear positioning errors
In a typical machine-tool-axis positioning system, the workpiece is mounted on a table that slides along flat, straight guide ways. The table may be supported …
Teflon on steroids
The creation of superhydrophobic metals using femtosecond lasers.
Wave control
New metamaterials that 'bend' acoustic and elastic waves.
Creating visibility with the cloud
Most manufacturers have made great strides in optimizing operations. Many have even standardized multiple facilities with the same on-premise software to creat…
Choosing wire EDM workholders
There comes a time when some chipmaking shops add wire EDMing to their repertoire. This is often done to reduce costs, because bringing what were once subcontr…
Smooth roughing
Software for high-efficiency roughing makes moldmaking faster, more efficient.
Mind your modules
Modular automation increases productivity and flexibility at a lower price point than custom solutions.
Rapid ascent
Small shop becomes a big aerospace manufacturer -- with a little help from its friends.