Articles & Columns

Combo machines bridge an important gap between manual and CNC equipment.

A look at the strengths and weaknesses of solid and indexable-insert drills.

Ceramic composite cutting tools are effective for machining heat-resistant superalloys and other challenging materials.

Cutting Tool Engineering provides coverage of more than 210 of the products that exhibitors will showcase at IMTS 2016. They are divided into tooling and workholding products, machine tools and accessories, and metalworking products. Presented here is the preview for Metalworking Products.

Cutting Tool Engineering provides coverage of more than 210 of the products that exhibitors will showcase at IMTS 2016. They are divided into tooling and workholding products, machine tools and accessories, and metalworking products. Presented here is the preview for Tooling & Workholding.

Cutting Tool Engineering provides coverage of more than 210 of the products that exhibitors will showcase at IMTS 2016. They are divided into tooling and workholding products, machine tools and accessories, and metalworking products. Presented here is the preview for Machine Tools & Accessories.

END USER: General Products Corp., (260) 668-1475, www.general-products.com. SOLUTION PROVIDERS: Haggard & Stocking Associates Inc., (800) 622-4824, www.haggard-stocking.com; Rigibore Inc., (262) 363-3922, www.rigiboreinc.com. CHALLENGE: Overcome the concerns of applying fixed-pocket, brazed-PCD boring tools. SOLUTION: Special “one-shot” adjustable boring tools that accept replaceable PCD inserts.

END USER: Precise Machining & Manufacturing LLC, (918) 438-3121, www.accurusaero.com/locations/precise-machining-manufacturing-llc. SOLUTION PROVIDER: Koma Precision Inc., (800) 951-3152, www.komaprecision.com. CHALLENGE: Add 5-axis capabilities to a horizontal machining center and decrease part setup time. SOLUTION: A rotary table.

Most PVD coaters use cathodic-arc evaporation, in which an electric arc vaporizes the coating material from a cathode. The vaporized material condenses on the tool, resulting in a wear-resistant coating imbued with whatever qualities the coater is looking to impart to the tool. But there’s another, less-common physical-vapor-deposition method called high-power impulse magnetron sputtering, or HIPIMS, that combines the advantages of high ionization from cathodic-arc techniques with the superior adhesion of magnetron sputtering.

Throughout the sometimes-contentious world of machining, the debate rages about whether to apply flood coolant or cut dry. As in many areas of machining, the choice is not easy and requires careful and informed consideration. To further complicate the decision, minimum-quantity lubrication (MQL) can be a successful compromise that provides an efficient and effective answer to the troublesome question. 

Burrs present a hazard to those who handle parts during and after the manufacturing process. The deburring method can have a major impact on cycle time, cost, quality and customer satisfaction.

Before CNC lathes, single-point threading was a pain in the neck. Fast reflexes were needed to engage an engine lathe’s lead-screw dial at precisely the right time and disengage it before crashing into the shoulder. Around the time of the U.S. Bicentennial celebration, tape-operated lathes made all of this headache obsolete. No more fooling with clumsy gearboxes or levers. You simply programmed where you wanted the tool to go and the machine control took care of the rest.

It is widely acknowledged within the manufacturing industry that PCD tools deliver excellent results when reaming nonferrous metals and abrasive plastics. Reaming with a PCD tool allows the user to ream holes faster, to tighter tolerances and produce cleaner-edge holes than is possible with carbide or HSS tooling. 

Cutting Tool Engineering magazine's 2016 Salary Survey reveals the paychecks metalworking professionals receive are not packing as much punch.

Within the last decade, multiple endmilling developments have occurred. These include bold, new cutter designs, extremely tough but wear-resistant carbide grades and toolpaths that reduce mechanical shock to machine tool and cutter alike while reducing cycle times by 50 percent or more and extending tool life. 

Talk about composites in most machine shops usually refers to carbon-fiber material, though “composites” may refer to a variety of mixed materials going back to the mud-and-straw structures made in ancient times. The latest example: A new metal nanocomposite composed of magnesium infused with a dense and even dispersal of ceramic-silicon-carbide nanoparticles. It’s a superstrong-yet-lightweight structural metal with record levels of specific strength and specific modulus, or stiffness-to-weight ratio, and was created by a team led by researchers from UCLA. The material also showed superior stability at high temperatures. It could be used to build lighter aerospace and automotive vehicles, helping to improve fuel efficiency, and for mobile electronics and biomedical devices, according to the researchers.

Autodesk CAM software developer Delcam Ltd., working with toolmaker Technicut Ltd., has created a software and cutting tool combination for machining blisks that reportedly reduces machining time and costs about 50 percent compared to traditional methods. 

CNC machining takes a blend of computer skills and machining skills. Some competent machinists, especially old-timers, lack the computer skills needed to go from print to part using CNC machines. I previously lacked the computer skills, but couldn’t tolerate not having complete control of the jobs I was running. Therefore, I taught myself the computer side of CNC machining so I could create my own programs. 

You might think laser pulse lengths measured in nanoseconds—that is, billionths of a second—are short. But they’re long compared to those of picosecond (a trillionth of a second) and femtosecond (a quadrillionth of a second) lasers, which are known as ultrashort-pulse lasers. Once confined mainly to laboratories and medical facilities, USPLs have become increasingly popular machining options over the last decade, thanks to lower prices and more-rugged designs intended for industrial settings.

This issue of CTE includes our IMTS 2016 Show Preview, featuring show highlights, information about the various pavilions, a guide to Chicago attractions and an extensive array of announcements about what exhibitors plan to showcase. The latter includes machine tools, software, workholders, automation equipment and cutting tools.