Articles & Columns

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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. 

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.

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.

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. 

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

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. 

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.

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

The single most significant benefit offered by indexable tools is the ability to renew the cutting edge without having to remove the cutting tool from production.

Five-axis programming is difficult, requires an expensive CAM system and an even more-expensive programmer to sit in front of a computer all day cranking out complicated G code. Right? Not necessarily.

Look Ahead features simulation tools for automating titanium cutting.

An October 2016 Look Ahead piece takes a sidelong look at 3D printing.

IMTS 2016 featured more tools and systems for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) than ever, observed Cutting Tool Engineering Editor Alan Richter in his October 2016 Lead Angle column.

With the advent of CAM software, generating G code is no longer the big deal it was a few decades ago. A CAM system will generate all the G code you need in a matter of seconds. Presented here is the first part of a multiple-part series of columns on the subject.

If you use a pair of machinist’s vises bolted to the bed of a vertical machining center and laboriously replace jaws for each new job or build fixtures from scratch and stick them on the shelf until the order repeats, listen up: Modular workholding saves time and money.