Feature Article

When turning parts, shop improvised to meet customers' needs.n

The CNC Cookbook software developer recently polled its 100,000 newsletter subscribers to find out what they most value and most dislike about their CNCs.n

Chucks with quick-change jaws help high-mix, low-volume parts manufacturers to spend as much time as possible in the cut rather than setting up.

Rebuilding a CNC machine tool is expensive, but the result is a machine that is as good as, and often better than, the original, according to this feature article by CTE Contributing Editor Kip Hanson.

As 2017 winds down, economists and experts agree that manufacturing has had a good year and growth should continue throughout 2018 in the U.S. and globally.

If your shop makes parts that demand multiple setups, parts that have challenging geometry or parts with difficult GD&T requirements, 5-axis machining could provide significant benefits. Do not let the potential cost of the investment prevent you from conducting a thorough cost analysis of your current machining methods.

Navigating and complying with OSHA regulations can frustrate companies, particularly when the regulations are inconsistently enforced.

Chamfers and countersinks help control burr formation, improve thread starts, and protect hole quality. This guide explains where each operation fits and how tooling choices affect results.

Modular fixturing at its best offers the stability and accuracy of dedicated workholding with the flexibility to be reconfigured quickly for a variety of parts. But sometimes compatibility issues arise.

The benefits of presetting are somewhat intangible; it takes a little digging to actually understand how much time is spent manually setting tools and what impact that has on shop throughput and profitability.

"Pressure" and "flow" are common terms when discussing air compressors, but the relationship between the two is often misunderstood.

Measuring machined parts on a surface plate has long been a tedious job, one that requires mastery of dial indicators, a pocket calculator and an adjustable height gage that most in the industry refer to as a "Cadillac gage." But several metrology providers offer a more sophisticated way to quickly and accurately check hole diameters, the distance between part features, centerlines and more.