Articles

Articles • February 1, 1999 • Brian Wilshire

Getting Peak Performance from Indexable Drills

This article details the jobs and applications where indexable drills can and can't offer increased performance and economy. He also explains how to diagnose and correct common indexable-insert drill problems.

Articles • February 1, 1999 • P.C. Jindal

PVD Coatings for Turning

Researchers report on their study of coating performance. Their tests of TiN, TiCN and TiAlN coatings involved turning Inconel 718, medium-carbon steel and ductile cast iron. The wear rates and failure mechanisms of the coated tools are compared.

Articles • February 1, 1999 • E. Gorzkowski

Machinability of Sintered Steel

Researchers from Lehigh University report the results of drilling tests conducted using sintered steel samples. The samples were prepared using different machinability-improving additives. The results showed that sintered steel with low-alloy steel and resulferized sintered steel are nearly as machinable as wrought steel.

Articles • February 1, 1999 • Gregory S. Antoun

The Pressure’s on to Improve Drilling

The author explains how high-pressure, high-volume coolant can provide better control of chips and temperature during drilling operations. He also describes the tools, equipment and shop procedures that can ensure top performance from a high-pressure coolant system.

Articles • December 1, 1998 • Martin Eastman

Learning With an Edge

Using his students as researchers, an industrial-arts teacher sets up an experiment to test claims being made for tool resharpening using cubic boron nitride wheels. The experiment taught the students how to keep a log of tool conditions, use and sharpenings as they gathered data for their study.

Articles • December 1, 1998 • Keith Mills

CMM Made Easy

Next-generation CMM software offers users a simple interface, the ability to program the machine directly from CAD data files and the opportunity to write programs off-line. This article describes the latest advancements in CMM software and shows how older machines can be retrofitted to take advantage of the software's features.

Articles • December 1, 1998 • Austin Weber

Staffing Shortage Stymies Metalcutting Shops

An exclusive survey finds shops struggling to locate and hire skilled labor. This report of the survey's findings also reveals the most popular techniques to ease staffing woes.

Articles • October 1, 1998 • Rober Marvin

Single-Pass Bore Finishing

Superabrasive bore finishing can achieve results in one pass that rival the finishes produced in several passes by other bore sizing operations. This article recounts how a number of shops have used superabrasive tools to finish bores with a higher degree of quality and a lower overall cost per piece.

Articles • October 1, 1998 • Robert Eade

Fixturing Advances Hold New Promise

This article reviews the fixturing innovations users are beginning to see on the market. Some of the discussion focuses on the design criteria that has emerged out of an ongoing NIST-funded study.

Articles • October 1, 1998 • Wes Emerson

Pipe Tapping

Taper pipe threading is unlike any other threading operation, and it may be one of the most difficult operations a machinist can be asked to perform. This article reviews the various types of taper threads and the tools and techniques needed to produce them.

Articles • October 1, 1998 • Paul H. Cohen

Cryogenics Goes Deeper

A new cryogenic tool treatment subjects tools to minus-320-degree temperatures by immersing them in a bath of liquid nitrogen. This article details the procedure and offers test results from the laboratory and the field that show how the treatment can extend tool life.

Articles • September 1, 1998 • Matthew Mueller

Precision In Their Pocket

Researchers using computer simulation and refined probing techniques attempted to mill a pocket as accurately as possible. This report tells how the researchers used their high-tech tools and how close to perfection they came.