Feature Article

The amount of advanced CNC equipment in Micron Product's orthopedic machining work cell has doubled in the past 5 years, while the number of programmer/machinists has remained about the same due to the use of more efficient, advanced CAM technology.

Shops today are more aware of environmental conditions. Mist collectors and electrostatic air cleansers are not uncommon and many manufacturers realize there's little chance of attracting high-caliber work from customers when the shop is a pigsty.

Mark Larson, a titanium process R&D manager for Makino Inc., answers 10 questions about machining titanium alloys.

Preventive maintenance can drastically reduce the frequency and the extent of the damage when machine tools and other shop equipment break. Most machine tool builders and other equipment providers will provide the necessary maintenance steps to keep equipment up and running. But how those steps are taken is up to each shop.

The importance of effectively cooling the cutting zone when grooving.

More of everything' boosts Swiss machining productivity -- and complexity.

When selecting a boring or reaming tool to finish a hole, the application is everything.

Cutting fluids make it easier to keep your cool when workpieces are difficult to machine.

Despite setbacks, a South Carolina shop thrives, develops winning production strategy.

Gage repeatability and reproducibility studies improve measurement systems.

Effectively directing high-pressure coolant to the cutting zone enhances machinability and extends tool life when cutting heat-resistant superalloys, such as when making parts for the energy industry.

In 2013, the U.S. passed Russia as the world's leading producer of oil and gas and became a net oil exporter for the first time in decades -- all thanks to shale.