Articles & Columns

END USER: Mercury Marine, (920) 929-5000, www.mercurymarine.com. CHALLENGE: To increase productivity when machining driveshafts and propeller shafts. SOLUTION: A lathe with a hob assembly. SOLUTION PROVIDERS: Okuma America Corp., (704) 588-7000, www.okuma.com

Understanding and controlling wheel truing and dressing forces when rotary plunge dressing.

When it comes to workholding, one size definitely does not fit all. For example, workholding setups for round parts have similarities to setups used for all other prismatic (nonround) parts, but the latter has unique challenges.

The CTE staff offers a workholding product review.

In spite of my good intentions, trying to understand an employee's logic for engaging in certain behaviors can be bewildering, writes Manager's Desk columnist Keith Jennings in the May 2012 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering.

A material review board can help determine if you're having vendor problems, suggests the Machinist's Corner column in the May 2012 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering.

The Look Ahead feature in the May 2012 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering includes a linear cylindrical drive technology for wire EDMs.

More shops and builders are remotely monitoring machine tools, which quickens maintenance and repair.

Boring is a common hole finishing operation, but boring large-diameter holes is a bit of a niche market. “Depending on the industry, you may only find a handful of shops in some areas capable of doing this type of work,” said Ron West, global product manager for Kennametal Inc., Latrobe, Pa. “They have the larger equipment necessary to do this type of work on a regular basis.”

Applying 'green' coolant to maintain machining performance while being friendly to workers and the environment.

END USER: Straitline Components, (250) 655-6603, www.straitlinecomponents.com. CHALLENGE: Avoid wasting workpiece material to keep costs down while increasing productivity. SOLUTION: Low gripping-profile clamps that provide high-density workholding on a tombstone. SOLUTION PROVIDER: Mitee-Bite Products LLC, (800) 543-3580, www.miteebite.com

Cutting Tool Engineering Editorial Director Alan Rooks ponders one of the metalworking industry's biggest challenges of late—filling numerous job vacancies.

The NC post-processor is an often overlooked piece of the chain between the CAM system and the machine's CNC, according to the Get With The Program column in the May 2012 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering.

Learn details about the many new products that manufacturers are offering to the metalworking industry in Cutting Tool Engineering's May 2012 Product Showcase.

END USER: Rohde & Schwarz, (888) 837-8772, www.rohde-schwarz.us. CHALLENGE: Simplify and speed up measurement of micro parts and features. SOLUTION: Optical 3-D measurement system that employs focus-variation technology. SOLUTION PROVIDER: Alicona Imaging GmbH, (630) 372-9900, www.alicona.com

When loading a toolholder into a machine tool spindle with an automatic toolchanger, misalignment of the ATC gripper to the spindle can damage the spindle taper. In addition, a misaligned, clamped toolholder increases cutting tool runout.

Machine Technology columnist Dr. Scott Smith discusses the constraints related to the selection of machining parameters in the May 2012 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering.

Check out the Shop Operations column in the May 2012 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering to learn how a WWII-era Russian spy continues to serve as a cautionary tale about the perils of daydreaming.

The tangential cutting force and the cutting speed allow you to calculate the required machining power for an operation.

Can vertical machining centers go toe-to-toe with horizontals on performance?