Articles & Columns

In early December, two companies announced plans to make substantial investments in U.S. manufacturing. One was Apple Inc. and the other was Detroit Diesel Co. Guess which one got more coverage in the media. I'll help you. Even though Detroit Diesel's investment was more than Apple's and despite President Obama showing up at Detroit Diesel's announcement ceremony, my casual Web review showed Apple beat Detroit Diesel in news references by about 7 to 1.

Tips and techniques for improving bandsaw blade life and performance.

Getting a handle on chip handling for small to medium-sized shops.

Drill holes in 304 stainless steel used for header plates. An HSS drill.

In the January 2013 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering, Machinist's Corner columnist Michael Deren reviews a recent "60 Minutes" report about the skills gap in manuafacturing.

This month's Talking Shop turns its attention to an Indiana shop that makes family a priority.

The accurate positioning of the cutting tool with respect to the workpiece partly controls the accuracy of a machined part.

Shop Operations columnist Tom Lipton offers tips for enhancing the operation of a manual milling machine.

Verify and optimize machining operations, including ensuring that cutting tools avoid interference. CNC machine simulation software.

This month's Get With The Program column in Cutting Tool Engineering looks at the benefits of nesting software for shops that make parts from flat raw materials.

Laser-assisted sheet metal machining.

Choosing a multitask machine from a bewildering array of options can be challenging, but the right one can be a shop game changer.

New developments in superabrasive grinding wheels help eliminate the need for dressing them.

The January 2013 Manager's Desk column ponders what it takes to achieve your shop vision.

AMT's latest Global Forecasting & Manufacturing Conference found reasons for both caution and optimism.

The 'thickest' PVD coating for cutting tools.

Extend tool life and boost productivity when milling Inconel 718. A 6-flute endmill programmed to follow a trochoidal milling toolpath.

A fixturing system for enabling ceramic coatings to be efficiently deposited via cathodic arc evaporation.

Combustion components from Mitsubishi Power Systems had never been built outside of Japan until Savannah Machinery Works opened its doors in November 2010. We were in the unique and challenging position of having to develop every manufacturing process from scratch while maintaining a tight production schedule.

Dear Doc: I grind fine threads into hardened stainless steel with a fine-mesh aluminum-oxide wheel. The threads are 0.8mm deep in a 5mm-dia. ID. There are three threads per part. This operation just chews through the wheel, and I get only one part before I have to dress a 0.2mm depth in my 4mm-dia. wheel. What am I doing wrong?