Alan Richter

News • October 18, 2017 • Alan Richter

Boring tools will be a focus in CTE

In connection with my canvassing efforts to best focus the boring tools topic scheduled for the January issue of Cutting Tool Engineering, I spoke with Harvey Patterson, product development engineer at Scientific Cutting Tools Inc., Simi Valley, Calif.

News • October 12, 2017 • Alan Richter

‘Manufacturing Day’ every day

The mood of MFG Day, the annual celebration of U.S. manufacturing that took place Oct. 6, doesn't cease after the plant tours and information sessions end and the participating students, parents and educators head home.

News • October 4, 2017 • Alan Richter

Open architecture CNC at Wisconsin manufacturing expo

For those who want to enhance a CNC by adding capabilities, Chris Robson, applications engineer for Minneapolis-headquartered machine tool dealer Concept Machine Tool – (Delafield) Wisconsin, gave a presentation titled "What Else is Inside this Box? Open Architecture CNC." His seminar took place Oct. 3 at the 15th biennial Wisconsin Manufacturing & Technology Show in the Exhibition Center at the Wisconsin State Fair Park, Milwaukee.

Articles • September 29, 2017 • Alan Richter

Lead Angle: Don’t be scared to take five

CTE Editor Alan Richter highlights the 5-axis focus of the October 2017 issue.

News • September 27, 2017 • Alan Richter

Grinding and milling picks for musical instruments

Although picks, or plectra, for playing musical instruments are commonly plastic injection molded or stamped, some are machined.

Articles • September 21, 2017 • Alan Richter

Productive Times: Sold on a cell

END USER: Niagara Gear Division of Gear Motions Inc., (716) 874-3131, www.gearmotions.com/locations/niagara-gear-division. CHALLENGE: Reduce lead times and enhance flexibility and control to meet customer delivery requirements. SOLUTION: A work cell with a vertical machining center, two turning centers, a saw and a parts-marking machine that the company set up after initially purchasing the VMC and then acquiring the rest of the equipment from a machine shop that closed.

Articles • August 30, 2017 • Alan Richter

High-pressure coolant breaks the vapor barrier

What would cause parts manufacturers not to want to extend tool life, increase speeds and feeds, enhance chip evacuation to avoid recutting, impart finer surface finishes and eliminate pecking when deep-hole drilling? Apparently, ignorance in the marketplace.

Articles • August 23, 2017 • Alan Richter

Lead Angle: Targeting markets high and low

The boost in productivity that the latest cutting tools provide enables manufacturers to reduce the amount fracking companies pay for parts.

Articles • August 21, 2017 • Alan Richter

Productive Times: 5 days to ROI

END USER: Northeast Tool & Manufacturing, (704) 882-1187, www.northeasttool.us. SOLUTION PROVIDER: MachineMetrics, (413) 341-5747, www.machinemetrics.com. CHALLENGE: Reduce the time and manual inspection required to measure productivity. SOLUTION: A machine monitoring system.

Articles • August 7, 2017 • Alan Richter

Explosive deburring ideal for complex parts

Machining manifolds generates numerous burrs, and removing them is no simple task. Basin Precision Machining attempted a variety of deburring methods, including waterjet, kinetic energy and the thermal energy method (TEM).

Articles • July 31, 2017 • Alan Richter

Manufacturing and its myths

Since the time CTE Editor Alan Richter started covering manufacturing for CTE in 2000, industry professionals have frequently informed him that manufacturing jobs typically pay more than most other professions, such as sales and low-level, white-collar jobs. Furthermore, he was told, they provide a multiplier, or ripple, effect—in which one manufacturing job produces numerous other jobs. As he observes in his August 2017 Lead Angle column, Richter questions whether that's still the case.

Articles • July 25, 2017 • Alan Richter

Productive Times: a high-torque conversion

END USER: Hansen Engineering Co., (310) 534-3870, www.hansenengineering.com. SOLUTION PROVIDER: JM Performance Products Inc., (800) 322-7750, www.jmperformanceproducts.com. CHALLENGE: Increase productivity and decrease machine downtime. SOLUTION: Install high-torque retention knobs in toolholders.