Machining

Spindle designers deal with lubrication and heat problems in three common ways: chilled oil, oil mist and air/oil injection.

Omega Manufacturing specializes in challenging wire EDM work, but also offers one-stop parts manufacturing.

Shop Operations Columnist Tom Lipton offers additional tips for operating a CNC lathe in the February 2014 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine.

Boost productivity and extend tool life when cutting cast aluminum surgical light housings. A special PCD endmill with laser-machined cutting edges.

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.