Articles

Articles • December 1, 2016 • James Harvey

Become familiar with CNC programming code

Presented here is the second part of a two-part series of columns about the importance of becoming familiar with CNC programming code. The following describes the steps involved in manually writing a program.

Articles • December 1, 2016 • Stas Mylek

Achieving machining effectiveness

In the first part of this two-part series, I looked at what actually happens in the cutting zone and how that knowledge allows end users to select the best possible cutting tool and CAD/CAM strategy for a particular material to optimize material removal. This second part covers why it is important to adopt this approach not only for all CNC machining processes, but as a significant production cost-saving measure companywide and industrywide.n

Articles • December 1, 2016 • Jeffrey A. Badger, Ph.D.

Setting up a lab

The Grinding Doc fields the following questions: 1. The grinding wheel manufacturer I work for wants to set up a basic lab for testing wheels and different Al2O3 grits. What's the best, most-economical way to do this? 2. I'm getting chatter on parts and am trying to determine if it's from grinding forces that are too high or from an out-of-balance wheel. Is there a way to tell?

Articles • December 1, 2016 • Keith Jennings

Tougher & wiser in times of turmoil

While attending IMTS in September, it was nice to meet fellow machine shop owners and managers, many of whom expressed optimism and reported a robust year for their businesses. That was good to hear, considering our market is in the midst of a downturn and requires aggressive management to persevere.

Articles • December 1, 2016 • William Leventon

New life for an old machine

Are you about to scrap an old machine tool and replace it with a new one? Before you do, consider what could be a much less expensive way of getting a better machine: having the old one remanufactured.

Articles • December 1, 2016 • Evan Jones Thorne

Tracing sinker EDMing back to its original spark

Electrical discharge machining (EDMing) goes by many names—burning, spark machining, spark eroding, vaporizing—but they all refer to variations on the same process: removing material by running an electric current between an electrode and a negatively charged workpiece material submerged in a dielectric fluid. At least in the case of sinker EDMing, that's pretty much all there is to it.

Articles • December 1, 2016 • Christopher Tate

Pros & cons of parts marking methods

Often dictated by the production environment, part quantities and part function, the selection of a parts marking method presents a variety of choices—each of which comes with pros and cons.

Articles • December 1, 2016 • Kip Hanson

Turning hardened materials presents challenges, opportunities

Opinions vary on the definition of hard turning. Some industry experts say it's the single-edge cutting of hardened steels from 58 to 68 HRC, while others suggest hard turning begins at 45 HRC and includes hardened irons and superalloys. All, however, agree it presents difficulties but is quite manageable provided the right cutting tools, machine and process parameters are used.

Articles • December 1, 2016 • Michael C. Anderson

Industry experts predict better, but not great year

Industry experts predict better, if not yet spectacular, times for manufacturers in the coming year.

Articles • December 1, 2016 • Don Nelson

Going to New Orleans

There was plenty to see, eat, drink, hear and learn at the United States Cutting Tool Institute's 2016 Fall Meeting, held in New Orleans Oct. 15-17.

Articles • December 1, 2016 • Kip Hanson

Basics of centerless grinding

For those "making chips" every day, centerless grinding may seem mysterious, but it's a fairly straightforward process. This article will discuss how it works, where and when it should be used, and offer advice on how to apply this well-established technology.

Articles • October 4, 2016 • Keith Jennings

Navigating customer portals

Internet portals won't transport you into the future—but your company will likely be using them soon if it is not already.