Machining

Added dimensions boost accuracy

01/08/2018

Author:

Part quality can suffer if a machine tool cannot hold tolerances uniformly everywhere in its “working envelope,” the box-shaped region that defines a machine’s 3D reach when cutting.

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Poll offers snapshot of what matters to CNC users

12/12/2017

Author:

Michael C. Anderson

The CNC Cookbook software developer recently polled its 100,000 newsletter subscribers to find out what they most value and most dislike about their CNCs.

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Quick-change-jaw systems for chucks offer multiple benefits

12/04/2017

Author:

Alan Richter

Chucks with quick-change jaws help high-mix, low-volume parts manufacturers to spend as much time as possible in the cut rather than setting up.

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Rebuilding a CNC machine takes skill and money. Is it worth it?

12/05/2017

Author:

Kip Hanson

Rebuilding a CNC machine tool is expensive, but the result is a machine that is as good as, and often better than, the original, according to this feature article by CTE Contributing Editor Kip Hanson.

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Convertible headstocks becoming the norm on Swiss-style machines

11/27/2017

Author:

Kip Hanson

When convertible spindles for Swiss-style CNC lathes were introduced a decade or so ago, many in the industry said they were only a fad. Yet those naysayers have been proven abundantly wrong, as headstocks that can be converted from sliding to fixed are becoming the norm on Swiss machines.

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Large vertical lathes available at reasonable prices

11/21/2017

Author:

William Leventon

Look in a couple of nooks in the machine tool market and you’ll find what appear to be bargains for those buying big.

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Second rotary encoder for error-free workpiece transfer

Why does INDEX afford itself the luxury of installing a second rotary encoder on the Z-axis in its lathes for full-surface machining? The answer is safety and accuracy—two unbeatable arguments that customers treasure.

CNC Chef: The role of coolant in CNC machining

In the ninth episode of the CNC Chef, Bob Warfield of the CNCCookbook covers the role of coolant in CNC machining and offers some tips for using coolant more effectively.

To view Bob's blog post on this video, visit here.

Fighting machine tool chatter with a 555 timer

Vibration is a fact of life in almost every machining operation. Whether you’re milling, drilling, turning, or grinding, vibration can result in chatter that can ruin a part. Fighting chatter has generally been a matter of adding more mass to the machine, but if you’re clever about things, chatter reduction can be accomplished electronically, too.

The CNC Chef: What is high-speed machining? | Episode 8

Understanding high-speed machining, or HSM as it's abbreviated, can be difficult for the simple reason it's defined in so many different ways, according to Bob Warfield of the CNCCookbook. As he explains in the eighth episode of The CNC Chef video series, HSM means a lot of things to different folks, but it's best to think of it as a coordinated set of techniques designed to increase machining productivity.