Machining

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.

Shop considers investing in 5-axis machining

10/17/2017

Author:

Christopher Tate

If your shop makes parts that demand multiple setups, parts that have challenging geometry or parts with difficult GD&T requirements, 5-axis machining could provide significant benefits. Do not let the potential cost of the investment prevent you from conducting a thorough cost analysis of your current machining methods.

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Modular fixturing pros and cons

10/19/2017

Author:

Michael C. Anderson

Modular fixturing at its best offers the stability and accuracy of dedicated workholding with the flexibility to be reconfigured quickly for a variety of parts. But sometimes compatibility issues arise.

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Save time by setting tools offline with a presetter

09/27/2017

Author:

Kip Hanson

The benefits of presetting are somewhat intangible; it takes a little digging to actually understand how much time is spent manually setting tools and what impact that has on shop throughput and profitability.

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Lead Angle: Don't be scared to take five

09/29/2017

Author:

Alan Richter

CTE Editor Alan Richter highlights the 5-axis focus of the October 2017 issue.

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Three reasons your machinists aren't the problem

If you are in charge of production on a manufacturing shop floor, there is no doubt that you have likely come across productivity issues. Nothing is perfect, and this includes your employees and your equipment.

Pratt & Whitney adds new fan blade manufacturing facility to Lansing plant

Pratt & Whitney’s new 93,000 square-foot facility adds to an already existing GTF fan blade production line in Lansing. The company's AutoAir facility has had a tenfold ramp-up in the past 20 months, and has increased its workforce from just over 200 to almost 700.

Expertise, new technology shared at Makino's Die/Mold Technology Expo

The first day of Makino Corp.’s two-day 2017 Die/Mold Technology Expo included technology seminars, economic prognosticators, and demonstrations on more than 23 state-of-the-art machines at the company’s U.S. headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich. The company also unveiled a new vertical machining center for true 5-axis continuous processing.