Articles

Articles • July 21, 2017 • Jared McKown

Determining when a custom toolholder is a better option

When it comes to selecting toolholders for drills, taps, endmills, shell mills and other round cutting tools, there is virtually an unlimited number of options. So how do you determine when a custom toolholder is a better option than 'stacking' standard ones?

Articles • July 20, 2017 • Michael Deren

Machinist’s Corner: New kid on the block

Remember when you were the new employee? If you had any questions, you asked the individual closest to you. The Machinist's Corner column in the July 2017 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine explores a better way to conduct orientation for new employees.

Articles • July 19, 2017 • Tom Lipton

Shop Operations: Get your bearings

High-quality metrology feedback is one of the cornerstones of precision manufacturing, but that's easier said than done, according to the Shop Operations column in the July 2017 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine.

Articles • July 18, 2017 • Michael C. Anderson

Abrasive waterjets now a viable 3D cutting option

Abrasive waterjet systems have always provided some advantages for parts manufacturers. For one, the high-pressure stream of water and abrasive grit, usually garnet, that is delivered to the workpiece surface can cut through pretty much any material. For another, being a cold process, abrasive waterjetting (AWJ) doesn't create a heat-affected zone.

Articles • July 17, 2017 • Edward Strinden

Get With The Program: Making the most of macros

Using macros, which are pieces of instruction that provide shortcuts, greatly improves programming productivity, according to the Get With The Program column in the July 2017 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine.

Articles • July 14, 2017 • Kip Hanson

Rotary transfer machines: Eclipsing the past

Some machine tools are modified so much and so frequently it becomes a common practice. That's certainly the case with rotary transfer machines.

Articles • July 13, 2017 • William Leventon

Machine Technology: Preparation automation pays

Are your spindles cutting most of the time? Or are they often idle because you're getting ready to cut? If you answered yes to the latter, consider the lift that an automated pallet-handling system could provide. These systems allow pallets to be set up and moved into position while workpieces on other pallets are being machined.

Articles • July 12, 2017 • Kip Hanson

Custom machines offer solutions standard ones sometimes can’t

Every so often a job or part geometry comes along where it would be helpful to have a few extra inches in a machine's work envelope, or perhaps a little higher rpm or an additional spindle. At these and certain other times, it might be worth considering a custom machine.

Articles • July 11, 2017 • Holly B. Martin

One mission, two bottom lines

Skills Inc. is a unique nonprofit manufacturing company that serves the aerospace industry and is dedicated to helping people with disabilities thrive in today's manufacturing environment.

Articles • July 10, 2017 • Keith Jennings

Manager’s Desk: Smart phone policies for shops

For his July 2017 Manager's Desk column, Keith Jennings writes that the greatest concern at his company is the impact cell phones have on shop safety. Another factor is the ease and preference of some employees and customers to communicate via cell phone, bypassing the main phone line and the human or automated receptionist.

Articles • July 7, 2017 • Kip Hanson

Considerations when having taps resharpened

Resharpening dull taps by hand is probably not a good idea when you could be making parts. Plus, a thorough reconditioning requires a grinder designed for grinding the actual tap form. So resharpening dull taps is one job best left to the experts.

Articles • July 6, 2017 • Bob Warfield

Selecting a turret or gang tooling for a CNC lathe

Deciding whether to use a turret or gang tooling is one of many topics that seems to engender religious fervor from one side to the other. Let's start by providing a brief overview of each approach and then dive into the details.