Articles & Columns

As someone who visits job shops and manufacturers almost daily, I know why some are thriving, while others struggle. The ones that are thriving have invested and continue to invest in equipment, software, training and consulting services. Those struggling often say, “I would invest more in these areas, but I can't afford them because my competitors keep underbidding me. They must be giving parts away.”\r\nMore often than not, owners of thriving shops are not underbidding their competitors -- they're out-machining them. They are taking full advantage of all the competitive benefits made available by their machining systems and advice from consultants to operate more profitably. In short, they've learned to pick the low-hanging fruit available to them and reinvest their profits to bring even higher fruit within easier reach.

Like most machine tool builders, Mori Seiki Co. Ltd. is focused on making its machines more energy efficient. In addition, the company is focused on making the factories that make those machines more energy efficient. For example, Nagoya, Japan-based Mori Seiki is implementing energy-reduction programs and equipment at its operations in Iga, Japan.\r\nThe Iga campus' goal is to reduce electricity consumption by 30 percent in 2013 compared to 2012. The campus has already reduced energy consumption 10 percent by installing high-efficiency air conditioners, switching from mercury lamps to high-efficiency fluorescent lamps and operating compressors more efficiently.

The U.S. economy appears to be on the mend. In January, the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation gave a tentative thumbs up to sustained business expansion through the first half of 2013. And the Institute for Supply Management's manufacturing index rose again in January, painting an optimistic picture. Maybe it's time to buy that machining center you've been thinking about.\r\nBefore you whip out your checkbook, though, some homework is in order. There's a lot more to machining centers than spindle speeds and rapid traverse rates. Sure, you've had good results over the years buying machines based on that, but that might be the wrong criteria in this brave new manufacturing world. You're facing growing competition from overseas and down the street, so you owe it to yourself to take a look at what's changed in the years since you bought your tried and true 20"×40" vertical machining center.

A collection of workholding products compiled by the editors of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine.

A machine vision system for inspecting cutting tool wear.

The cutting force when turning is a resultant force that combines tangential, feed and radial force components. These force components can be measured with a three-component force dynamometer. Metalcutting professionals consider Kistler dynamometers the most accurate.

Provide centerless grinding machines that can produce parts with continually tightening size and surface finish requirements. Customized coolant filtration equipment.

High-performance cutting tools can provide increased efficiency and productivity, but they can also be a drain on tooling budgets. Cost-justifying these tools often requires regrinding and reconditioning them when they are worn or damaged. A successful reconditioning program reduces tooling costs by extending life as long as possible.

Over the past few months, I've experienced an increasing number of friends, acquaintances and even referred strangers hitting me up for jobs. Most ask about employment opportunities for their kids, dad, brother or even neighbor.

Enhance PCD cutting tool design while decreasing processing times. SOLUTION: A 6-axis rotary erosion machine.

When I read about The Brookings Institution's proposal to develop 20 U.S. manufacturing universities, my first thought was “what will the mascots be for the football teams?” Purdue already has the time-honored “Boilermakers” moniker but what about the others? Would they be the Michigan Machinists, the Caltech CAD/CAMs, the Lehigh Lasers or, maybe, the Fightin' Facemills?

Tim St. Martin knew there had to be a better way of fixturing parts on his company's 5-axis machine tools. “We'd visited some of our suppliers and saw how they were holding parts on their 5-axis machines,” said the senior manager of manufacturing engineering for Carlsbad, Calif.-based orthopedic implant manufacturer Alphatec Spine Inc. “They were mounting the blanks into a 'picture frame' and then screwing that frame to a tombstone-mounted fixture. This basically limited access to one side of the workpiece per operation. Many in our company thought we should hold them the same way.”

Dear Doc: I grind the ODs and IDs of stainless steel bearings and have a much tougher time than when grinding hardened steel. Why?

A model-based design and verification method for reducing the time to build complex vehicles and aircraft.

Imagine a gear milling method where the toolpath -- not the tool shape -- determines gear characteristics such as diametral pitch or pressure angle. A new concept, involute milling, provides that functionality while delivering machining efficiency and production versatility. The result is a “democratization” of gear milling, moving the process from single-purpose, dedicated machine tools to multipurpose machines that can produce small batches economically because no costly hobs or gashers are needed.

Continuing and concluding the theme of my previous two columns, this month's installment provides additional tips for enhancing the operation of a manual milling machine.

Prevent sealed bearings from overheating in a live tooling head. A live tooling head with coolant-fed bearings.

Milling sounds range from loud to quiet, and experienced machinists <br />often use those sounds to judge what is occurring in the cutting zone. It is difficult to position a sensor such as an accelerometer or a displacement probe close to the cutting zone, and it is often a challenge to see the cutting zone, but the sounds are pervasive.

The heart of rail technology beats in Germany, where the Bombardier Transportation division of the Canadian conglomerate is headquartered in Berlin. Its plant in Netphen, Germany, annually produces 2,500 to 3,000 carriage bodies and bogies (a chassis or framework with wheels that is attached to a railway vehicle). This equipment is used in vehicles ranging from trams to high-speed trains. Despite the European economic crisis, order volumes have risen over the last few years, to the point where the plant, which has a workforce of 700, is nearly at full capacity.

Drilling cross-holes in some parts is no big deal. These are often simple parts, such as aluminum valve bodies, where the holes aren't too deep and meet on-center, and the customer can live with a small burr at the intersection.