Articles

Articles • May 7, 2018 • Kip Hanson

Lasers take Swiss-style lathes to higher level

By integrating laser-based cutting and, in some cases, welding heads onto their already-capable equipment, Swiss-style lathe builders are taking these machines into bold new territory.

Articles • May 3, 2018 • William Leventon

Taking a turn for the better

By packaging both turning and milling functions in a single machining center, machine tool builders believe they've hit on a winning combination that can boost part quality while also slashing cycle times, space and costs.

Articles • April 30, 2018 • Keith Jennings

When not to listen

Repeat work is great, but shops have to guard against the comfortable complacency that such work can generate at the expense of diversifying its customer base. Said diversification is essential to a shop's growth.

Articles • April 27, 2018 • Alan Richter

Studying the impact of climate change on machines

The Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU, Chemnitz, Germany, wanted to study the impact of climate change on machines without having to ship them to far-flung locales. Therefore, the institute developed a climate chamber at its newly inaugurated test lab in which it could expose machines to various climates around the world.

Articles • April 25, 2018 • Kurt Ludeking

Benefits of post-coating treatment

Coatings for metalcutting tools have made tremendous advances since their introduction more than 40 years ago. As coatings have improved, our understanding of their behavior in a variety of cutting operations has increased, and this has led to further developments to enhance performance. A technology that has made big strides in the past few years is post-coating treatment.

Articles • April 19, 2018 • Gilman Precision USA

Actions to keep spindles spinning

Spindles must run at the correct speeds and feeds to minimize wear, which is why an effective spindle program should consider the specific operational information for individual spindles.

Articles • April 17, 2018 • Robert Weinstein

Nippon Bearing unveils EXRAIL roller guide

When Nippon Bearing Co. Ltd. started developing its EXRAIL roller guide, it wanted to strengthen its overall line. The result, according to the company, has 1.5 times the rigidity of a conventional roller guide.

Articles • April 16, 2018 • Robert Weinstein

Mitsubishi introduces stand-alone M80W CNC

Mitsubishi Electric Automation "has created a revolutionary leap" with its stand-along M80W CNC, which features a Windows-based display that is separate from the control unit.

Articles • April 11, 2018 • Jackie Fenton

Understanding coatings and how they lower machining costs

This article provides basic information about the coatings and processes used to coat cutting tools, dies, wear parts and other components. HSS, carbide, tool steels and stainless steels are among the most commonly coated materials.

Articles • April 9, 2018

Stepping up to the challenge

END USER: Ansco Machine Co., (330) 929-8181, www.ansco-machine.com. SOLUTION PROVIDER: DP Technology Corp., (800) 627-8479, www.espritcam.com. CHALLENGE: More efficiently program large mill-turn vertical turret lathes. SOLUTION: CAM software that can program complex mill-turn parts using subprograms.

Articles • April 5, 2018 • Kip Hanson

Making the most of tired CNC machining centers

While milling has gone high performance, the newest machining centers at your shop were installed when Bill Clinton was president, and the oldest one still uses paper tape. So how might you benefit from emerging high-tech milling strategies?

Articles • April 4, 2018 • Kip Hanson

Part-to-part consistency key to shop’s success

When prompted by requests from customers for products that their existing manufacturing supply chains were not producing, Dan Olsen made the leap into manufacturing.