Feature Article

Coolants and lubricants for challenging cuts.

How flame hardening works

Vertical machining centers play a central role in the growth of S&S Machine Shop.

Software developers raise the bar with improved toolpaths, integration and simulation.

When grinding complex cutting tool profiles, attention should be paid to the software, the wheel and the tool blank for best results.

Boring heads that improve productivity.

When shops purchase new machinery, a common error some make is accepting the standard live tooling package from the builder without considering other options. This is not a criticism of those packages, but end users should do as much evaluation of their processes when determining the proper tooling package as they do when evaluating machine tools.

There comes a time when some chipmaking shops add wire EDMing to their repertoire. This is often done to reduce costs, because bringing what were once subcontracted, secondary EDMing operations in-house often makes good financial and logistical sense.

Software for high-efficiency roughing makes moldmaking faster, more efficient.

Modular automation increases productivity and flexibility at a lower price point than custom solutions.

Small shop becomes a big aerospace manufacturer -- with a little help from its friends.

A shop I once worked at had a beautiful cast iron welding table. It was 5' wide × 12' long and had started life as a surface plate for assembling diesel engines. The owner bought it at auction for $100. With a screen in the middle, two guys could work on it at once.