Feature Article

As demand grows for finer surface finishes and tolerance specifications become tighter—and competition continues to intensify—parts manufacturers are adopting advanced fluid filtration technologies to achieve their machining and grinding goals.

The use of aluminum molds for production molding applications is the "biggest trend I'm seeing in moldmaking," said a longtime manufacturer of cutting tools.

Machine maintenance goes soft(ware).The stakes are much higher today for machine maintenance. Shops must be more proactive, and aim to optimize every operational aspect of their CNC equipment.

CemeCon Inc. held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Jan. 17 to officially open its new 15,000-sq.-ft. headquarters and CVD-diamond coating facility in Big Flats, N.Y. The opening marks the fourth expansion of production capabilities since the U.S. subsidiary was opened in 1998 and the third increase in capacity for CVD-diamond processing since 2014.

Baker Industries Inc. reports that it has installed an Emco Mecof Powermill 5-axis vertical milling center—the first of its kind in the U.S. and one of the largest milling centers in the Midwest.

YG-1 Tool developed its line of D-Power diamond-coated carbide endmills for machining graphite and composite materials.

Many nonmanufacturing people would be surprised by the amount of resources expended on parts cleaning, but it is a critical aspect of part quality. Failure to maintain a rigorous cleaning program can cause significant issues in complex assemblies.

The biggest benefit a digital vision system provides is the machine's ability to automatically measure parts, whereas the human operator influences a manual analog measurement device, such as an optical comparator.

Vertical turning lathes have a significant drawback: the chips fall onto the workpiece where they are subject to recutting. By inverting the spindle, chip problems are virtually eliminated.

Shutting down a machine tool for just two or three shifts per year for maintenance can make a huge difference in boosting productivity and reducing machine downtime.

In a recent blog post, Joshua Jablons, president of Metal Cutting Corp., Cedar Grove, N.J., discussed a topic that leaves many machinists scratching their heads: What is the proper way to measure feature concentricity on a round workpiece?

Matrix Design LLC created the Matrix Deburring Applications Laboratory to more effectively design automated deburring systems while streamlining the testing process. For example, having touch detection at the lab enables the speeds and feeds of a deburring brush to be automatically adjusted for optimal performance.