Articles

Articles • June 8, 2017 • Jeffrey A. Badger, Ph.D.

Ask the Grinding Doc: The question is academic

Invited to join a 3-year academic project, a grinding wheel manufacturer turned to the Grinding Doc to determine whether such projects are worth the money and, more importantly, the time. For its part, the company is interested in evaluating its bond formulations.

Articles • June 7, 2017 • Tom Lipton

Shop Operations: Catch a tiger by the tail

Most folks who run an engine lathe often work on the ends of long shafts, or rods, that protrude unsupported out of the headstock. Depending on the shaft diameter and how much unsupported length sticks out, this operation can be dangerous because of the high potential for shaft whip. However, with the proper tooling, this operation is a cinch to perform safely.

Articles • June 6, 2017 • Kip Hanson

Workholding: Building chucks to hold wheels

One requirement of precision wheel manufacturing is secure, accurate workholding. But Jay Duerr, president of LMC Workholding Inc., Logansport, Ind., said it goes much further than that. "The biggest requirement in this industry is good customer support."

Articles • June 5, 2017 • Holly B. Martin

Cleaning corrupt CAD models

Job shops commonly receive corrupted or "dirty" CAD files from their customers. These files must be cleaned or repaired before toolpaths for machining the workpiece can be created. Software solutions like SpaceClaim, developed by ANSYS Inc., can fix dirty models, with the end goal of creating "watertight" solids ready for machining.

Articles • June 2, 2017 • Michael C. Anderson

One year into the future at GE

GE Power opened its "Factory of the Future," the 125,000-sq.-ft. Advanced Manufacturing Works (AMW) facility in Greenville, S.C., with great fanfare in April 2016. So, what's futuristic about the place?

Articles • June 1, 2017 • Alan Richter

Colson Group reshores manufacturing

Colson Group USA, a manufacturer of casters, wheels and other mobility products, continues to make significant investments to its production and distribution operations while reshoring some manufacturing.

Articles • May 31, 2017 • Kip Hanson

Advancements in edge finders

Some might argue that edge finders, center finders and wigglers, which have been used for decades to touch off workpieces during machine setup, are a bit too analog for today's digital world.

Articles • May 30, 2017 • Alan Richter

Toolmaker targets titanium

Without a doubt, cutting tools for machining titanium must be well-engineered. This was reinforced for CTE Editor Alan Richter while attending Horn Technology Days 2017, held May 10 to 12 at Hartmetall-Werkzeugfabrik Paul Horn GmbH, Tübingen, Germany.

Articles • May 26, 2017 • William Leventon

Machine Technology: Building ‘monster’ machines

Machine tool builder Zimmermann Inc., Wixom, Mich., the U.S. arm of Neuhausen, Germany-headquartered Zimmermann GmbH, specializes in very large machine tool installations. The company offers milling machines with working ranges from 2.5m to 30m (8.2' to 98.4') along the X-axis and from 3m to 6m (9.8' to 19.7') along the Y-axis.

Articles • May 25, 2017 • Michael C. Anderson

Look Ahead: Fast process for depositing ultrahard coatings

A new CS-50 deposition system from Duralar Technologies uses a process called DualArmor that is capable of applying DLC coatings of 50µm or thicker — and apply them at rates averaging 15µm to 20µm per hour. Conventional DLC coatings, which have a practical total thickness limit of around 5µm, are deposited one or two atoms at a time. As a result, it can take more than 8 hours to deposit a 1µm-thick DLC coating.

Articles • May 24, 2017 • Michael C. Anderson

Look Ahead: A grinding machine designed for sintered ceramics

Most manufacturers finish their sintered ceramic parts with grinding equipment designed for metals. Tratech Corp., however, has introduced what it says is the first commercially available CNC grinding machine designed specifically for the demanding needs of machining fully sintered ceramics.

Articles • May 23, 2017 • William Leventon

Micromachining: A light touch

A growing number of manufacturers in the medical industry are seeing the light when choosing a machining option for micro parts and features. The light they're seeing emanates from laser micromachining systems.