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The CNC Chef: Chip Thinning | Episode 2

Well-intentioned conservatism can actually be very bad for tool life, according to the second episode of The CNC Chef, a new monthly video series from Cutting Tool Engineering and Bob Warfield from CNCCookbook. While the first episode focused on the risk of tool rubbing by turning down the feedrate too much, the second episode cautions against cutting back cut width or stepover too much, which causes chip thinning.

As available jobs increase, manufacturers get that old school spirit

The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently reported that hiring in December 2016 was at a four-month high, while the number of manufacturing hires tied that of November for its best monthly performance since 2010. Separately, the BLS said that manufacturing companies created 5,000 new jobs in January for a second straight month of growth. That’s good news for those who remember the dark days of the Great Recession—but for employers who have more work to be done than workers to do it, it’s a headache. One solution has been to reach that next generation early—while they’re finishing high shool.

A mountain (bike) of chips

01/31/2017
Author:
Alan Richter
END USER: North Bucks Machining Ltd., +1908-611-669, www.northbucksmachining.co.uk. SOLUTION PROVIDER: Open Mind Technologies USA Inc., (888) 516-1232, www.openmind-tech.com. CHALLENGE: Efficiently rough-machine a mountain bike frame from a solid piece of aluminum stock. SOLUTION: A CAM software’s high-performance roughing module.
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Pint-sized precision

01/27/2017
Author:
Kip Hanson
If you enjoy the growl of heavy milling cuts, the machine-gun sound of chips striking glass and the heady odor of superheated cutting fluid, a compact machining center might not be the right machine for you. Like I used to, you scoff at phone booth-sized machining centers, with their tiny toolholders and tables not much larger than a 6" machinist vise. If so, you’re not looking at the big picture. 
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