Medical & Healthcare

Articles • March 1, 2016 • Evan Jones Thorne

Testing, testing …

How often should a metalworking fluid be tested? It depends. Metalworking fluid is used in most machine shops, because it aids in evacuating chips and cooling and lubricating the tool/workpiece interface. To optimize fluid performance, it must be maintained, which is done by testing a fluid for performance and chemistry.

News • March 1, 2016 • Kip Hanson

Machining process targets moldmakers and more

Imagine a machining process that removes material five times faster than milling and 10 times faster than sinker EDMing, machines Inconel and hardened steel with ease, holds tolerances to ±0.0006" and utilizes the same tool to process thousands of parts with virtually no tool wear. Machine builder EMAG LLC USA, Farmington Hills, Mich., calls this process pulsed electrochemical machining (PECM). A subset of electrochemical machining, PECM is far more accurate than the decades-old ECM and has matured into a viable alternative to more-traditional machining processes over the past few years, according to the company.

Products • February 29, 2016

Custom tools

Leistritz Advanced Technologies Corp. designs cutting tools to fit any spindle in any machine tool. It offers tools for end facing, profile form turning, endmilling, step drilling, thread milling and key seating. According to the company, this high level of expertise and specialization is available to manufacturers seeking to enhance productivity in the aerospace, automotive and medical fields.

Products • February 25, 2016

Photo etching metals with spring characteristics

Tech-Etch, Plymouth, Mass., which specializes in the etching, forming, heat treating and finishing of components made from metals with superior spring characteristics, offers prototypes delivered in 5 days.

Products • February 25, 2016

Precision Solid Carbide and PCD Cutting Tools

GenSwiss, Westfield, Mass., recently partnered with Louis Belet SA to become the exclusive North American representative for Louis Belet precision carbide cutting tools and PCD-tipped milling tools, according to a Feb. 17 news release from Genevieve Swiss Industries Inc.

News • February 4, 2016

Hwacheon names sales directors

Hwacheon Machinery America, Lincolnshire, Ill., recently appointed two new sales directors: Bob Pellegrini for the Eastern half of the United States, and Dan Pierce for the Western half, according to a Jan. 26 company news release. The two, who were promoted from regional sales manager positions held at the company since 2012, will be in charge of sales and dealer support.

News • February 2, 2016

ISM: Manufacturing contraction continues

Though up two-tenths of 1 percentage point since December 2015, economic activity in the manufacturing sector contracted in January for the fourth consecutive month as measured by the Manufacturing ISM Report on Business, which is published monthly by the Institute for Supply Management, Tempe, Ariz.

Products • February 2, 2016

Coherent PowerMax-Pro HP

Coherent Inc., Santa Clara, Calif., recently enhanced its series of large-area, high-speed PowerMax-Pro laser detectors to enable power measurement of laser beams of up to 375W continuously, 600W for shorter durations, and modulated peak powers as high as 15 kW in intermittent (long-pulse) operation, according to the company. The PowerMax-Pro detectors, introduced in 2014, are based on Coherent's proprietary thin-film sensor technology that combines the broad wavelength sensitivity, dynamic range and laser damage resistance of a thermopile with the response speed of a semiconductor photodiode.

Products • February 2, 2016

Technical Sales and Service Support

Fischer Technology Inc., a Windsor, Conn.-based manufacturer of instrumentation for coating thickness, material testing, nanoindentation and material analysis, announced plans to open a new office in Livonia, Mich., to provide technical sales and service support for the Michigan area.

Articles • February 1, 2016 • Evan Jones Thorne

Aluminum can be hard to drill, despite its easy rep

When drilling, perhaps no variable is as important as the workpiece material. It dictates drill geometry and substrate, tool coating, coolant application, and speeds and feeds. While known for its relative softness and ductility, misconceptions abound among those who regularly drill aluminum.

Articles • February 1, 2016 • Kip Hanson

Gripping threaded parts

Cutting external threads is one of the more difficult machining operations. Achieving the proper thread form can be challenging, and tool chipping and premature tool wear are often problematic because of insufficient surface speeds and high cutting pressures.

Articles • February 1, 2016 • Doris Schulz

Component cleanliness requires effort throughout manufacturing process

Specifications for particulate and film-residue cleanliness are a matter of course for many machined components. In addition to the parts cleaning procedure, manufacturers must consider the entire process chain when seeking to efficiently achieve and maintain the required level of cleanliness.