Articles & Columns

Software for high-efficiency roughing makes moldmaking faster, more efficient.

The creation of superhydrophobic metals using femtosecond lasers.

New metamaterials that 'bend' acoustic and elastic waves.

The cutting zone in a machine tool is dangerous. Hot chips and large quantities of coolant are often safety threats, but a tool rotating at a high speed is an even greater one.

Every lathe and grinder operator has, at one time or another, struggled with workpieces that are out of round, tapered or have poor finish. The "quick fix" is typically replacing centers. The more involved fix requires replacing spindle bearings that appear to have failed prematurely. In either case, the problem goes away initially, only to reoccur a short time later.

Dear Doc: I battle burn and long cycle times when grinding ODs in bearing. The wheel manufacturer has specified a series of wheel changes to solve the problem, but it means buying a lot of new wheels. What's your take?

Efficient removal of heat from the tool/workpiece interface is the main route to high-productivity machining. Several conventional methods are available to accomplish that -- dry machining, minimum-quantity lubrication, flood coolant and high-pressure coolant -- but cryogenic machining can be added to the list.

I strive to start each year on a positive note, but 2015 sure hasn't taken long to throw us our first challenging management scenario. It requires immediate oversight of rapidly changing economic conditions.

When an endmill efficiently makes chips, everybody is happy: the end user, the parts buyer, and the cutting tool manufacturer and distributor. Achieving that by having the tool follow the correct toolpaths and run at productivity-boosting parameters, however, requires an endmill with optimized geometry, substrate and coating.

Efficiently machine stainless steel parts without breaking endmills. 6-flute, solid-carbide endmills.

After acquiring my first iPhone, I searched the Internet for apps to use in the shop. I found 70 hits for “machinist” or “machining” and 45 for “cutting tool.” Conversely, there were 11,169 hits for movie apps and 37,616 for music apps.

Ceramic core material that improves jet engine fuel efficiency.

A journey of waste reduction and continuous improvement for machine shops.

I don't like bringing this up, but two key metalworking markets -- defense and energy -- are in a bit of trouble.

Cast beryllium-aluminum parts.

Accurately machine EDM electrodes used to produce micromolds for medical parts. A high-speed, high-precision, 3-axis micro milling machine.

A shop I once worked at had a beautiful cast iron welding table. It was 5' wide × 12' long and had started life as a surface plate for assembling diesel engines. The owner bought it at auction for $100. With a screen in the middle, two guys could work on it at once.

Table-type horizontal boring mills add versatility to machine shops.

Introduced in 1959, coordinate measuring machines have become increasingly common over the last 2 decades. The complexity and cost once meant CMMs were only suitable for large manufacturers. Advances in CMM technology and manufacturing techniques have reduced the cost of ownership, and the machines are now found at all types and sizes of shops.

An off-the-shelf robotic gripper that conforms to a variety of parts shapes without reprogramming.