Feature Article

Parting off presents challenges, but paying attention to the basics makes it a lot easier.

Chips ahoy: Move, shred or pack them -- moving chips doesn't have to be hard work.

Steelville Manufacturing Co. uses flexible manufacturing systems to enhance machine tool productivity and continue growing.

Whether they are large or small, successful cultures have the ability to pass on knowledge and tradition from one generation to the next. Peerless Precision Inc., a shop in Westfield, Mass., has accomplished that in several key ways.

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.