Articles

Articles • January 5, 2017 • William Leventon

Financing your next machine tool

Machine tools are big-ticket items, so it's no surprise that they're normally acquired using some sort of financing. In addition to banks, financing can be obtained from machine tool OEMs and nonbank lenders known as finance companies.

Articles • January 4, 2017 • Michael Deren

Lean from 30,000 feet

Michael Deren, who writes the Machinist's Corner column for Cutting Tool Engineering magazine, explains why he now believes wholeheartedly in lean manufacturing.

Articles • December 30, 2016 • Evan Jones Thorne

Enduring attachments

Tapping attachments date back to the early 20th century—and they've endured for good reason.n

Articles • December 30, 2016 • Alan Richter

Manufacturing and millennials

On the one hand, many employers in the manufacturing industry view millennials as being self-absorbed, unfocused, disloyal, addicted to mobile devices and lazy. On the other, most millennials don't view a career in manufacturing as something they want to pursue.

Articles • December 29, 2016 • Michael C. Anderson

Experts assess current, future inspection technologies

Where is the field of inspection headed and, more importantly, where do the manufacturers that depend on it desire it to head? In 2014, the Coordinate Metrology Society (CMS) combined forces with the University of North Carolina-Charlotte to find out.

Articles • December 29, 2016 • Holly B. Martin

Through-coolant toolholders: efficient, economical

Because through-coolant toolholders eliminate the variances often experienced with external cooling nozzles, the additional cost of such holders, which is sometimes zero, can be easily justified through the reduction of cycle times and improvement of tool life and part quality.

Articles • December 28, 2016 • Kip Hanson

Tips, techniques for nonperpendicular holemaking

We called them "submarines." Tough, 17-4 PH stainless steel forgings shaped like miniature German U-boats, each requiring several ¼" (6.4mm) through-holes to be drilled at a 25° angle. Each sub was loaded into a jig that held it at the required angle, and a metal plate fitted with hardened steel bushings was then clamped to the top of the jig before the holes were produced with a drill press.

Articles • December 1, 2016 • Alan Richter

Replace technologically obsolete production equipment

END USER: Mast Motorsports, (936) 560-2218, www.mastmotorsports.com. SOLUTION PROVIDER: Hurco North America, (800) 634-2416, www.hurco.com. CHALLENGE: Replace technologically obsolete production equipment. SOLUTION: Purchase two new 5-axis CNC milling machines

Articles • December 1, 2016 • Michael C. Anderson

Another kind of multitask machine

The Look Ahead department in the December 2016 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering looks at a multitask machine for making injection molds.

Articles • December 1, 2016 • Alan Richter

Taking a break from breakdowns

END USER: lllinois Carbide Tool Co. Inc., (800) 323-2414, www.crobaltusa.com, www.brakedrumtool.com. SOLUTION PROVIDER: Agathon Machine Tools Inc., (203) 730-8741, www.agathon.com. CHALLENGE: Keep up with increasing production demands for carbide brake lathe inserts. SOLUTION: A 4-axis grinding machine that enables lights-out production.

Articles • December 1, 2016 • Michael C. Anderson

Industry 4.0, packaged

The Look Ahead department in the December 2016 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering features a platform for Industry 4.0 connectivity.

Articles • December 1, 2016 • Kip Hanson

Maximizing with multispindles

Before CNC lathes, most high-volume turned parts were made on multispindle, cam-driven screw machines. Setup times were long, and great skill was needed to design the cams and grind the cutting tools. However, by being able to perform a dozen or more operations simultaneously, they could produce hundreds—often thousands—of parts per hour. Whatever happened to those old mechanical monsters? According to Giovanni Principe, they're alive and well.