Articles

Articles • May 1, 2016 • Kip Hanson

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, medical stents and catheters, automotive fuel injector nozzles are all drilled, milled, surface-textured and ablated via laser micromachining.

Articles • May 1, 2016 • Kip Hanson

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 as milling and turning.

Articles • May 1, 2016 • Alan Richter

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 burrs" or to have the machinist with the finest touch scratch the surface with his fingernail to make sure it's "matte and rough."

Articles • May 1, 2016 • Evan Jones Thorne

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 about company policy or as involved as an apprenticeship program, it's just a given: Where there are employees, there is training. However, while some companies regard it as a necessary evil, others have found that investing in this universal necessity yields substantial benefits—and, in the long run, actually saves money.

Articles • May 1, 2016 • Alan Levine

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 that closely matches the curvature of a part's surface and allows a large step-over between passes. The result is cycle-time reductions of up to 90 percent when finishing while imparting fine surface finishes.

Articles • May 1, 2016 • Michael Deren

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 apprenticeship programs still exist in the U.S.? The answer is "yes!"

Articles • May 1, 2016 • Keith Jennings

Manager’s Desk: Impacted by illness

I generally consider myself to be a positive person. However, these past few weeks have tested my resolve. It's not the roller-coaster daily life as a machine shop owner, but the stark reality of losing employees and friends to serious illness that's been especially hard to take. Thankfully, illness doesn't always mean death.

Articles • May 1, 2016 • James Harvey

Shop Operations: Chamfering and edge dressing

The expression "There's more than one way to skin a cat" certainly applies to machining. A young programmer in our shop is constantly being run in circles by the whims of those in authority. Newcomers are in a difficult position; they not only lack experience, they generally want to please everybody.

Articles • May 1, 2016 • William Leventon

Machine Technology: Latest in lubrication

Want a good reason for lubricating the moving parts of machine tools? Here's one from Klüber Lubrication NA LP, Londonderry, N.H., a developer of specialty lubricants: Lubrication of machine tool components minimizes wear. "When a component in a machining center wears—whether it's a spindle bearing, a ball-screw, a gear or whatever—you start to lose precision," said Steve Mazzola, Klüber's director of engineering. "And when you lose precision in a machining center, you may produce parts that are out of spec."

Articles • May 1, 2016

Productive Times: Coming ultrasonically clean

END USER: Van's Manufacturing Inc., (805) 522-6267. SOLUTION PROVIDER: Omegasonics, (888) 989-5560, www.omegasonics.com. CHALLENGE: Reduce the time and cost to clean machined parts. SOLUTION: An ultrasonic parts cleaner with a filtration pump.

Articles • May 1, 2016

Productive Times: Ground round

END USER: Crowley Tool Co., (615) 824-5594, www.crowleytool.com. SOLUTION PROVIDER: Schütte LLC, (800) 668-4035, www.schutteusa.com. CHALLENGE: Enhance reliability when grinding round tools. SOLUTION: A new 5-axis CNC tool and cutter grinder with linear-drive technology.

Articles • April 1, 2016 • William Leventon

Mother of machine tool parts

When it comes to highly accurate machining technology, jig boring is better. So say proponents of the century-old machining technique. In the early part of the last century, jig boring started as a better way to make holes. But the technology has since evolved into a more-versatile machining option.