Articles

Articles • December 1, 2013 • Alan Richter

A tale of two shops

Separate yet combined is an apt description of Stock Drive Products/Sterling Instrument. Located on New York's Long Island, in New Hyde Park, both sides of the company were founded, and are still managed, by engineers.

Articles • December 1, 2013 • Susan Woods

Repair or replace?

A guide to when shops should say farewell to used cutting tools.

Articles • December 1, 2013 • Alan Richter

Single-layered approach: The fundamentals of using coated abrasives in metalworking

Whether the surface-treatment task involves deburring, blending, grinding, polishing, finishing, dimensioning, patterning or shaping a metal workpiece, there's a coated-abrasive product available to get the job done. The products include belts, rolls, sheets, pads and flap discs and wheels.

Articles • December 1, 2013 • Frank Burke

Keeping it real: New and traditional parts marking technologies help prevent counterfeiting

To the public at large, the word "counterfeit" mostly brings to mind so-called "funny money" or, more recently, low-priced CDs and DVDs that violate copyright laws. What is less widely known, but more threatening to public safety is the counterfeit parts and products that have found their way into the supply chains of critical industries, including aerospace, automotive and medical.

Articles • December 1, 2013 • Kip Hanson

Cracking the code: Determining when complex turning and multitasking are the right solutions

While the basic CNC lathe is still a standby in many machine shops, new technology has vastly expanded turning capabilities. For example, live tooling and multiple turrets turn a basic lathe into a multitasking productivity center. When equipped with a large automatic toolchanger, these machines can hold tools for dozens of jobs, reduce setup time, and turn, mill, drill and finish parts in a single setup.

Articles • December 1, 2013 • Alan Richter

Cold cuts

A new cryogenic cooling milling tool.

Articles • December 1, 2013 • Alan Richter

Grip and go

Vise jaws that grip as little as 2mm of workpiece material without special tooling or machining a gripping feature.

Articles • December 1, 2013 • Dr. Scott Smith

The basics of on-machine probing

Many machine tools are equipped with touch-trigger probes to measure parts while they are still on the machine. The probe is often stored in the tool magazine and can be installed in the spindle like any other tool.

Articles • December 1, 2013 • Keith Jennings

Our German intern experience

Like many in the machining world, I've dealt with more than enough serious issues in 2013, so it's cool to have been part of a fun experience.

Articles • December 1, 2013 • Alan Richter

Shop has need for speed

Achieve a 24-hour-maximum turnaround time on aluminum prototypes for tablet computers. Endmills designed for maximum metal-removal rate when cutting aluminum.

Articles • December 1, 2013 • Alan Richter

Measuring the ‘real’ edge contour

Achieve a higher accuracy and resolution when measuring cutting tools and components. An optical 3-D measurement system.

Articles • December 1, 2013 • Alan Richter

Automated gaging helps win the race

Increase throughput and reduce scrap when machining thrust bearing races for down-hole mud motors. An automated gaging system integrated into a turning cell.