Machining

Workers in the hardmetal industry are not at increased risk for lung cancer or any of 63 other potential causes of death, concluded the largest and most definitive study on this population to date. The University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health-led study of more than 32,000 workers in five countries was performed after smaller studies indicated that tungsten carbide with a cobalt binder—the primary ingredients in hardmetal—may be linked to an increased risk of lung cancer. Hardmetal is a human-made substance second only to diamond in hardness. It's used in metal cutting tools and drill bits.

Ivy Tech Community College has secured a $15,000 grant with which to support scholarships and credentialing for the machine tool technology program at the East Chicago location of its Lake County campus.

Micro Technology Inc., Tullahoma, Tenn., makes parts that are used to mount to automotive engine blocks to be robotically transported through assembly lines. The company uses HAAS VF-3 with CAT40 taper tools. One part is 6061 Aluminum with a tolerance requirement of +/- 0.002" and was being machined with a face mill at 3,000RPM 120IPM with 1.25" axial and 1.2" radial depth of cut. The challenge: Improve productivity without sacrificing quality and accuracy. OSG Tap & Die describes their solution in a recent web feature:

Seco Tools looks at passive and dynamic vibration control in a recent technical article on the company's web site. In metalcutting, vibration is generated by the changing forces that occur when making chips. The intermittent forces are apparent in the interrupted cutting process of milling and also appear in turning operations when the toolholder bar is periodically loaded and unloaded as chips form and break. A passive/dynamic approach to vibration control for tools involves application of a tuned mass damper concept.