Achieve tightened tolerances and increase throughput when machining microholes and other microscale features. Two new machine tools, each with 0.5µm positioning accuracy and a 50,000-rpm maximum spindle speed.
Diminishing numbers of skilled tradesmen in the workforce and the need to reduce production costs have caused machine tool automation to proliferate during the past decade.
Tom Lipton, the author of Cutting Tool Engineering's Shop Operations column, shares a trick he learned that reveals an interesting use of relatively crash-proof soft metal or plastic bed plates on a milling machine.
Improve cutting edge integrity and flute faces of cutting tools. A flute finishing process that uses a fine-grit, hybrid resin-bond flute polishing grinding wheel, special truing wheels and fine-grit dressing sticks.
Produce additional parts without investing in a new machine tool and eliminate manually bending parts. A robot that is flexible and easy to program and move.
This month's Cutting Tool Engineering Machinist's Corner column asks, "Why waste everyone's time courting a new customer if you aren't prepared to accommodate them?"
Part manufacturers are always challenged to achieve toolholding connections that are simple, repeatable and stiff, and shrink-fit toolholders provide those requirements.
