Articles & Columns

“Pressure” and “flow” are common terms when discussing air compressors, but the relationship between the two is often misunderstood.

Measuring machined parts on a surface plate has long been a tedious job, one that requires mastery of dial indicators, a pocket calculator and an adjustable height gage that most in the industry refer to as a “Cadillac gage.” But several metrology providers offer a more sophisticated way to quickly and accurately check hole diameters, the distance between part features, centerlines and more. The tool is called an electronic height gage, and it has made Cadillac gages about as popular as whitewall tires.

Like a broken record, decision-makers at parts manufacturers continually hear that monitoring machine tool utilization rates helps improve productivity. That’s true, but the phonograph needle frequently skips over three other benefits of machine tool monitoring.

Keith Jennings, who writes the Manager's Desk column for Cutting Tool Engineering, shares his thanks for being able to work after surviving the epicenter of Hurricane Harvey in August.

CTE Editor Alan Richter highlights the 5-axis focus of the October 2017 issue.

Machining Inconel 718 and similar heat-resistant superalloys (HRSAs) at cutting speeds normally reserved for aluminum is not only possible but becoming an accepted practice at some aerospace OEMs.

The benefits of presetting are somewhat intangible; it takes a little digging to actually understand how much time is spent manually setting tools and what impact that has on shop throughput and profitability.

Maintaining constant cutting forces provides a constant radial tool engagement throughout the entire cut, which eliminates spikes in the cutting forces. This approach allows the programmer to take a larger axial DOC while simultaneously maintaining a high feed rate and extending tool life.

With its new EOS M 290 additive-manufacturing system, Indiana Technology and Manufacturing Cos. (ITAMCO) now 3D-prints medical devices. After obtaining the system in June, the company started shipping components in August.

Omax Corp. developed the MicroMax JetMachining Center with help from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), which awarded the company a Small Business Innovation Research grant. The investment has paid off. 

END USER: Niagara Gear Division of Gear Motions Inc., (716) 874-3131, www.gearmotions.com/locations/niagara-gear-division. CHALLENGE: Reduce lead times and enhance flexibility and control to meet customer delivery requirements. SOLUTION: A work cell with a vertical machining center, two turning centers, a saw and a parts-marking machine that the company set up after initially purchasing the VMC and then acquiring the rest of the equipment from a machine shop that closed.

Nowhere will you find more gold — i.e., profits — than by streamlining redundant or antiquated plant operations, according to Phillip Canipe, whose job it is to eliminate waste and redundancy at manufacturing plants.

At Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Americas Inc., holemaking success is about timing—finding the best sequence in which to perform manufacturing operations.

Visioneering Inc. employees stay ready to adapt to change as the Auburn Hills, Mich., aerospace supplier opens a new facility and adopts a new way to apply coolant.

Today’s machine tool users have more spindle choices than just the steep-taper designs developed 40 years ago.

How do you treat your a customer who received an order and has a problem with it? Maybe you shipped the wrong part or made a part according to an old revision. How do you handle the situation and appease the customer?

Thinking of purchasing shop floor control software but don’t know where to start? You might want to start by brushing up on the relevant jargon.

When CNC milling machines were conceived some in the metalworking industry asked why a computer couldn’t also manage tool changes. That question was the impetus behind the development of the automatic toolchanger.

Many — if not most — shops encourage employees to purchase their own measurement tools. Some even help by “financing” these purchases, allowing machinists to pay them off in small increments. And what machinist doesn’t want his or her “own stuff” with which to do the job? But does allowing machinists to use their own measuring tools actually make sense?

To profitably machine high-quality parts, many manufacturers follow a similar path, beginning with tool selection and application and then solving any problems that arise in a reactive way. However, research suggests that manufacturers should examine the entire machining process before cutting begins, focusing on eliminating rejected parts and unforeseen downtime.