Articles & Columns

Manager's Desk Columnist Keith Jennings reflects on the ups and downs of the previous 12 months, with a nod to the “classroom of reality,” which he says continues to educate him and his team. As a result, his shop created a list of goals for 2014.

"Having been in manufacturing as long as I have," writes Machinist's Corner Columnist Michael Deren, "you might think I've grown tired of the daily grind. On the contrary, I usually can't wait to get to work each day."

Separate yet combined is an apt description of Stock Drive Products/Sterling Instrument. Located on New York's Long Island, in New Hyde Park, both sides of the company were founded, and are still managed, by engineers.

Increase throughput and reduce scrap when machining thrust bearing races for down-hole mud motors. An automated gaging system integrated into a turning cell.

A new cryogenic cooling milling tool.

At a trade show, a company displayed a grinding wheel with slots, where coolant is poured into the center of the wheel and then ejected into the grinding zone. What's your take on this design?

While the basic CNC lathe is still a standby in many machine shops, new technology has vastly expanded turning capabilities. For example, live tooling and multiple turrets turn a basic lathe into a multitasking productivity center. When equipped with a large automatic toolchanger, these machines can hold tools for dozens of jobs, reduce setup time, and turn, mill, drill and finish parts in a single setup.

Vise jaws that grip as little as 2mm of workpiece material without special tooling or machining a gripping feature.

To the public at large, the word “counterfeit” mostly brings to mind so-called “funny money” or, more recently, low-priced CDs and DVDs that violate copyright laws. What is less widely known, but more threatening to public safety is the counterfeit parts and products that have found their way into the supply chains of critical industries, including aerospace, automotive and medical.

Achieve a higher accuracy and resolution when measuring cutting tools and components. An optical 3-D measurement system.

Like many in the machining world, I've dealt with more than enough serious issues in 2013, so it's cool to have been part of a fun experience.

A guide to when shops should say farewell to used cutting tools.

Achieve a 24-hour-maximum turnaround time on aluminum prototypes for tablet computers. Endmills designed for maximum metal-removal rate when cutting aluminum.

Christopher Tate, Cutting Tool Engineering's Shop Technology columnist, said he is surprised by the number of engineers and machinists who are not familiar with traditional machining tools and techniques. Many metalworking professionals seem to default to using only sophisticated technology for all aspects of machining without understanding or being able to use more traditional options.

Whether the surface-treatment task involves deburring, blending, grinding, polishing, finishing, dimensioning, patterning or shaping a metal workpiece, there's a coated-abrasive product available to get the job done. The products include belts, rolls, sheets, pads and flap discs and wheels.

Many machine tools are equipped with touch-trigger probes to measure parts while they are still on the machine. The probe is often stored in the tool magazine and can be installed in the spindle like any other tool.

Suppose your boss enjoys cooking shows. One day he hands you his design sketch for the latest and greatest pie tin. “Here, make me a prototype,” he says. “I'm entering a pastry contest.” How do you machine this?

Like many in the industry, when I started in the machining world it was on a manual lathe. I have a special place in my heart for lathes. That includes CNC lathes, the next step up for aspiring machinists. In my experience, I have found there is a lopsided ratio of CNC mill machinists to CNC lathe machinists, with about 10 times as many being mill machinists. My theory is this is partly because the CNC lathe is more difficult to operate.

Tucked into the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, Linda Tool, a family-owned machine shop, is adding to its capabilities.

When people ask why it's important to select a high-quality post-processor, I always liken it to building a house, reports Surya Kommareddy, with DMG / Mori Seiki USA Inc. in this month's issue of Cutting Tool Engineering.