Feature Article

Cutting Tool Engineering provides coverage of more than 210 of the products that exhibitors will showcase at IMTS 2016. They are divided into tooling and workholding products, machine tools and accessories, and metalworking products. Presented here is the preview for Machine Tools & Accessories.

Most PVD coaters use cathodic-arc evaporation, in which an electric arc vaporizes the coating material from a cathode. The vaporized material condenses on the tool, resulting in a wear-resistant coating imbued with whatever qualities the coater is looking to impart to the tool. But there's another, less-common physical-vapor-deposition method called high-power impulse magnetron sputtering, or HIPIMS, that combines the advantages of high ionization from cathodic-arc techniques with the superior adhesion of magnetron sputtering.

Throughout the sometimes-contentious world of machining, the debate rages about whether to apply flood coolant or cut dry. As in many areas of machining, the choice is not easy and requires careful and informed consideration. To further complicate the decision, minimum-quantity lubrication (MQL) can be a successful compromise that provides an efficient and effective answer to the troublesome question.

Burrs present a hazard to those who handle parts during and after the manufacturing process. The deburring method can have a major impact on cycle time, cost, quality and customer satisfaction.

Before CNC lathes, single-point threading was a pain in the neck. Fast reflexes were needed to engage an engine lathe's lead-screw dial at precisely the right time and disengage it before crashing into the shoulder. Around the time of the U.S. Bicentennial celebration, tape-operated lathes made all of this headache obsolete. No more fooling with clumsy gearboxes or levers. You simply programmed where you wanted the tool to go and the machine control took care of the rest.

It is widely acknowledged within the manufacturing industry that PCD tools deliver excellent results when reaming nonferrous metals and abrasive plastics. Reaming with a PCD tool allows the user to ream holes faster, to tighter tolerances and produce cleaner-edge holes than is possible with carbide or HSS tooling.

Cutting Tool Engineering magazine's 2016 Salary Survey reveals the paychecks metalworking professionals receive are not packing as much punch.

Within the last decade, multiple endmilling developments have occurred. These include bold, new cutter designs, extremely tough but wear-resistant carbide grades and toolpaths that reduce mechanical shock to machine tool and cutter alike while reducing cycle times by 50 percent or more and extending tool life.

The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences is helping industry develop lightweight automotive parts from nontraditional materials.

Contrary to the history lessons from middle school about "the" Industrial Revolution, it is a widely held belief that the modern world has experienced three industrial revolutions. In the first, industry harnessed the power of steam and water. Mass production, reliable electrical power and division of labor drove the second revolution. Electronics and the computer defined the third.

It's not the most glamorous piece of equipment by any means, but the ball bar is a diagnostic tool used, in some form, to benchmark the performance of virtually every machine tool sold, according to Harold Schoch, vice president of technology and sales for Konecranes, Erlanger, Ky.

Components used in the manufacture of combustion hardware for a Mitsubishi gas turbine begin life as sheet or plate stock. Because our components come from large sheets, we start every manufacturing process by cutting the desired shape or profile.