Kip Hanson

Articles • March 1, 2015 • Kip Hanson

Choosing wire EDM workholders

There comes a time when some chipmaking shops add wire EDMing to their repertoire. This is often done to reduce costs, because bringing what were once subcontracted, secondary EDMing operations in-house often makes good financial and logistical sense.

Articles • February 1, 2015 • Kip Hanson

Leaning towards lean

A journey of waste reduction and continuous improvement for machine shops.

Articles • January 1, 2015 • Kip Hanson

Shops have plenty of choices when gripping small parts

Wedge, cam, square and pull-down clamps, micro vises and chucks, hexagons and rounds. These are just some of the workholding options available to shops that mill small workpieces. Finding the right clamps isn't a problem, but how they're utilized may be. This article examines some of the options and provides tips on how to use them.

Articles • January 1, 2015 • Kip Hanson

Collaborative robots lend a helping hand

Joe's struggling to package a truckload of parts before noon. Mary can't keep up on the painting line. Jimmy's in trouble with the boss because he can't make quota. These are just a few of the challenges faced by workers on the manufacturing floor, problems that, in many cases, can be solved with collaborative robots.

Articles • December 1, 2014 • Kip Hanson

Lightly touched: Choosing the best marking method for delicate workpieces

Cutting Tool Engineering Contributing Editor Kip Hanson offers insight into choosing the best method for marking parts.

Articles • December 1, 2014 • Kip Hanson

One size fits all

The pros and cons of turning with the "perfect" insert.

Articles • October 1, 2014 • Kip Hanson

Head in the cloud

One of the functions of the cloud is to provide software programs to users without the hassle of actually installing it. Instead, a Web browser or small bit of software known as a client is used to share information with a group of computers or servers. These servers are housed in one of thousands of data centers around the world, facilities with security measures in place and tended by IT acolytes dedicated to the care and feeding of huge mainframes.

Articles • October 1, 2014 • Kip Hanson

Machine-integrated inspection systems can improve quality, profitability

Stopping a machine to measure a workpiece is a waste of time. Not only is a high-priced piece of CNC equipment being taken out of production, but the measurements obtained when a machinist leans into a machine with a micrometer or bore gage can't compare in accuracy to those generated by a coordinate measuring machine or inline probe.

Articles • October 1, 2014 • Kip Hanson

Workholder modeling

Workholder modeling slashes setup time.

Articles • September 1, 2014 • Kip Hanson

Rapid shift

3D printing poised to turn prototyping on its head.

Articles • August 1, 2014 • Kip Hanson

Vertical automation

Teach your vertical machining center to "dance without a partner."

Articles • August 1, 2014 • Kip Hanson

Diaphragm chucks offer high-end holding

Diaphragm chucks are ideal for thin-walled parts or parts made with delicate materials, according to the Workholding column in the August 2014 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine.