Long and short of broaching
Many options are available for removing stock and shaping workpieces. Broaching is one of the most productive, underutilized -- and least understood.
Editorial
Christopher Tate
Christopher Tate is the owner of Tate Engineering, a Natchez, Mississippi, firm that helps manufacturers solve efficiency problems. Tate, who earned master's degree in industrial technology from Mississippi State University, has 32 years of experience in the metalworking industry.
Contributing Editor
Email: chris23tate@gmail.com
Published content
CAM software considerations: Drilling Performance
Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Americas (MHPSA) is setting up a new facility in Texas to support the service operation of our business. The new shop is fully operational, but decisions are still being made on items such as tooling and CAM systems.
Don’t wait until it’s broke
After spending many years in manufacturing facilities, I have discovered that the number of ways to perform a task is as varied as the people working there. Facility and machine tool maintenance is no different. Each organization has a unique approach.
Inspect only when needed: Turning Performance
When not required by the customer, inspection is a likely target for shops seeking to eliminate inefficiencies within the manufacturing process, suggests the Shop Technology column in the June 2015 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine.
Train to retain
Train your workers to sharpen their skills and keep them on the job, suggests this month's Shop Technology column in Cutting Tool Engineering magazine.
Tooling that quickly boosts profits
Quick-change tooling can boost profits.
Selecting and using the best gages
Tiny medical parts, mass-produced automotive components and multiple-ton power generation parts share a common activity: inspection. Generally, inspection is seen as a nonvalue-added activity and most companies encourage the reduction of inspection time. However, because verifying that parts are made correctly is critical to maintaining profitability, inspection will never go away.
Finding an app for that
After acquiring my first iPhone, I searched the Internet for apps to use in the shop. I found 70 hits for "machinist" or "machining" and 45 for "cutting tool." Conversely, there were 11,169 hits for movie apps and 37,616 for music apps.
A CMM can benefit any shop
Introduced in 1959, coordinate measuring machines have become increasingly common over the last 2 decades. The complexity and cost once meant CMMs were only suitable for large manufacturers. Advances in CMM technology and manufacturing techniques have reduced the cost of ownership, and the machines are now found at all types and sizes of shops.
Going deep with holemaking: Drilling Performance
The Shop Technology column looks at the significant advances in deep-hole drilling in the October 2014 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine.
Getting ‘goodies’? Make sure they’ll be used
Do your homework when adding labor-saving devices to your shop, urges the Shop Technology column in the September 2014 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine.
Equations for enhancing cutting efficiency
Shop Technology columnist Christopher Tate employs equations to enhance cutting efficiency.
