Dr. Scott Smith is a professor and chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the William States Lee College of Engineering, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, specializing in machine tool structural dynamics. Contact him via e-mail at [email protected] on the author to view all of their articles!
The moving elements of a machine tool have mass. Forces from the actuators cause the masses to move and accelerate. As the speed of the machine tool motion increases, the ability of the actuators to cause acceleration becomes more important.
The Machine Technology column from the April 2011 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine suggests that successful milling requires managing multiple constraints.
In recent years, monolithic machined aluminum components have been replacing sheet metal assemblies throughout the aerospace industry. The monolithic structures are lighter, less expensive and stronger than their conventional sheet metal counterparts. Machining the components requires fewer special tools, fewer hand operations and less assembly time.
The creation of a part program for a CNC machine tool usually starts with a part drawing or model that contains the part material, geometry and tolerances.
Stability lobe diagrams help shops estimate spindle-speed zones that reduce chatter risk. This guide explains what they show and how to use them practically.