Machining

Increase flexibility and repeatability when machining high-volume auto parts. A hydraulic stationary clamping system.

Bring outsourced parts in-house that were being milled and machine them on a CNC lathe. A 6-axis turning center equipped with a bar feeder.

Many machine tool spindles are supported in the housing by rolling-element bearings. Cutting forces, spindle unbalance and spindle preload impose cyclic loads on the bearing's balls and races. Over time, the cyclic loading produces fatigue failure, damaging the surfaces of races and balls. This kind of damage causes vibration and noise, limits bearing life and eventually requires bearing replacement.

By their very nature, horizontal machining centers are among the best friends a shop can have if it hopes to remain agile and competitive in this brave new world of low-volume, high-complexity machining.

A typical CNC lathe program is quite short compared to some of the mammoth CAM-generated programs for milling machines. Here are some tips and tricks to programming a CNC lathe.

Run at high machining parameters without chatter when demonstrating machine tools. A precision collet chuck.

Effectively produce M-42 and M-2 HSS microdrills. A 5-axis tool and cutter grinder coupled with CBN wheels.

Speed up and simplify inspection of watch movements. An image dimension measurement system.

"Having been in manufacturing as long as I have," writes Machinist's Corner Columnist Michael Deren, "you might think I've grown tired of the daily grind. On the contrary, I usually can't wait to get to work each day."

The vertical linear axes on machine tools are fundamentally different than those that operate parallel to the ground. This is because the actuators on the vertical axes have to overcome the effects of gravity.