Feature Article

Graphite electrodes are extremely difficult to machine because of the material's abrasiveness. This article explains why it takes an endmill with a CVD diamond coating and multiple flutes to cut graphite without wearing tool quickly.

Adequate flushing is needed to keep EDM wires from breaking. This article explains why wires break, and how dielectric fluid delivered with sufficient flow and pressure can prevent these failures from occurring even in less than ideal conditions.

To produce graphic electrodes for EDMing large cavities, shops sometimes must machine the piece in smaller sections and bond them together. This article explains how to build and use a bonded graphite electrode so that a ridge at the electrode's bond line can be avoided.

Centralized mineral filtration for wire-EDM dielectric fluid can remove contaminants down to the 1-micron level and dispose of them in an environmentally responsible way. This article describes the mineral filtration process and compares it to the other common filtration methods.

Tantalum and Niobium are important components in the composition of carbide tools. They are also among the most expensive. This article explores how recent trends in metalcutting and tool usage will effect the supply of these two components.

This article explains how state-of-the-art tool presetting-and-measuring machines can reduce a shop's tool setup time while increasing precision. The article also describes how the additional functions of these high-end units can turn them into sophisticated tool-management systems.

With the introduction of high-speed milling, tool balancing has become increasingly important. This article describes a system that can balance tools while they are mounted in the machine tool's spindle and rotating.

The growing use of difficult-to-machine materials has driven the metalcutting industry to high-performance tools. This article reviews the trends that are behind most cutting tool research today, and it looks at the state-of-the art results of that research.

This article makes the argument that an insert is really a system made up of a combination of factors. The focus of the article is on one of these factors: the top-form geometry, which has evolved from the chipbreaker designs used primarily on turning inserts. The roles these geometries play and the selection process for choosing the right geometry are explained.

Rotary saw cutting (RSC), using a self-contained, motorized attachment that is mounted in a machine's standard cutoff position, can provide an alternative to single-point tooling for cutoff operations. This article details the ways that RSC provides results that are better than single-point tooling while advising readers on ways to optimize the operation.

The presence of bacteria and fungi can seriously compromise the effectiveness of metalworking fluids. This article looks at the most harmful microbes and the conditions that allow them to flourish. Preventive measures are also discussed.

The presence of an eta phase between a coating and the substrate is generally considered harmful to coating adhesion. However, this article argues that when the formation of the eta phase is carefully controlled, it can actually enhance adhesion. The conditions that promote the formation of beneficial eta phase are explained.