Get With The Program

Good optimization software must take into account all the known challenges to optimal machining, which include heat, vibration, deflection, chip buildup, material hardness and a machine tool's horsepower, torque, rigidity, spindle speed, maximum feed rate and accuracy. What's more, end users must also select the appropriate cutting tools and machining parameters.

In the first part of this two-part series, I looked at what actually happens in the cutting zone and how that knowledge allows end users to select the best possible cutting tool and CAD/CAM strategy for a particular material to optimize material removal.

Get With The Program column offers a heightened appreciation for the roles that machining parameters and heat play when cutting metal.

Generate consistent and accurate pricing with cost-estimating software

If you're considering implementing a real-time machine monitoring system and looking for solid reasons to make the investment, you're in for a pleasant surprise. Real-time machine monitoring and overall equipment effectiveness software can help address many issues, whether they're obvious or not.

Barrel cutters are applied for specialized milling applications, and recent advancements in CAM software expand the use of these tools. Geometrically, a barrel cutter has a large cutting radius on its side that closely matches the curvature of a part's surface and allows a large step-over between passes.

In today's hypercompetitive, globalized economy, businesses are pressured to do more, do it faster, do it right the first time and do it all with fewer resources.

CAD/CAM software developers are no longer competing only with each other. They are also competing with their customers' expectations of what a satisfying user experience (UX) should be.

A Seattle shop reaps the benefits of constant chip load machining, according to the October Get With The Program column in Cutting Tool Engineering magazine.

While the U.S. greenback has markedly appreciated in the last year, the Boston Consulting Group's Global Manufacturing Cost-Competitiveness Index shows that the U.S. remains one of the lowest-cost locations for manufacturing in the developed world. Productivity increases are largely responsible, and a key factor in this success is a relentless push to data-driven manufacturing.

Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Americas (MHPSA) is setting up a new facility in Texas to support the service operation of our business. The new shop is fully operational, but decisions are still being made on items such as tooling and CAM systems.

Having the proper CAD/CAM system is critical when machining parts. Presented in this Q&A are the answers to 10 key questions about how to determine the right CAD/CAM system for your operation.