Software optional: 5-Axis Machining
Debating the need for CAM systems on Swiss-style machines.
Author
Kip Hanson
Kip Hanson is a contributing editor for Cutting Tool Engineering magazine. Contact him by phone at (520) 548-7328 or via e-mail at [email protected].
Contributing Editor
Phone: 520-548-7328
Published content
High-speed holemaking: Drilling Performance
Electron beam drills make short work of microholes.
Give CNC lathes an uptime makeover
I once thought nothing of boring a new set of top jaws. Just remove half a dozen cap screws, take the old jaws out, bolt on fresh jaws, attach a spider or boring ring and crank the hand wheel until the part fits.
Worry free: Medical Manufacturing
Antipullout toolholders reduce scrap, increase tool life and eliminate anxiety while milling.
Let’s chat: Tool Presetting
Are machine shops ready to use MTConnect, an open and royalty free standard intended to foster greater interoperability between manufacturing devices and software applications?
Are you dense?: General Industry Coverage
The benefits of high-density workholding.
Patented pockets: General Industry Coverage
CAM systems generate innovative toolpaths to quickly remove large amounts of material when endmilling.
Bird’s eye view: Inspection Efficiency
If you're not monitoring the condition of your CNC equipment, you're machining in the dark.
Buying time: Turning Performance
Using standard tooling on a CNC lathe means leaving money on the table, according to the cover story in the April 2013 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine.
Trending toward productivity: Medical Manufacturing
The U.S. economy appears to be on the mend. In January, the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation gave a tentative thumbs up to sustained business expansion through the first half of 2013. And the Institute for Supply Management's manufacturing index rose again in January, painting an optimistic picture.
Finding a 5-axis solution
Tim St. Martin knew there had to be a better way of fixturing parts on his company's 5-axis machine tools. "We'd visited some of our suppliers and saw how they were holding parts on their 5-axis machines," said the senior manager of manufacturing engineering for Carlsbad, Calif.-based orthopedic implant manufacturer Alphatec Spine Inc.
Why so cross?: Medical Manufacturing
Drilling cross-holes in some parts is no big deal. These are often simple parts, such as aluminum valve bodies, where the holes aren't too deep and meet on-center, and the customer can live with a small burr at the intersection.
