Tool provides path to productivity
Extend tool life and boost productivity when milling Inconel 718. A 6-flute endmill programmed to follow a trochoidal milling toolpath.
Magazine Column
Productive Times
Latest in Productive Times
Heading for improvement: Drilling Performance
Drill holes in 304 stainless steel used for header plates. An HSS drill.
Operation optimization: General Industry Coverage
Verify and optimize machining operations, including ensuring that cutting tools avoid interference. CNC machine simulation software.
Dialing up precision holemaking: Drilling Performance
END USER: 1-866-Dial-EDM, (866) DIAL-EDM, 1866dialedm.com. CHALLENGE: Produce a high volume of 0.006"-dia., 1/16"-deep blind-holes in an exotic material. SOLUTION: An EDM drill.
Faster facemilling
END USER: Continental Motors Inc., (800) 718-3411, www.genuinecontinental.aero. CHALLENGE: Boost productivity when rough and finish milling cast aluminum crankcases. SOLUTION: PCD-tipped, cartridge-type facemills.
Extreme tools for an extreme sport
END USER: David Buchberger, (585) 208-7382, www.hispeedcorp.com. CHALLENGE: Efficiently machine lightweight components for an "extreme" racecar. SOLUTION: High-performance cutting tools, including a drill and endmill.
Smartly automating a VMC: General Industry Coverage
END USER: K-Fab Inc., (408) 727-5311, www.k-fabinc.com. CHALLENGE: Increase spindle utilization for a vertical machining center while reducing labor requirements. SOLUTION: A nonrobotic automation system for VMCs.
Tempering heat-treatment costs: General Industry Coverage
END USER: LMC Industries Inc., (636) 282-8080, www.lmcindustries.com. CHALLENGE: Heat treat tooling components in-house to reduce costs and turnaround times. SOLUTION: A dual-chamber heat-treatment furnace.
Overcome a weighty issue: General Industry Coverage
END USER: Whirlpool Corp., (269) 923-5000, www.whirlpool.com. CHALLENGE: Eliminate damage to toolchanger arms on vertical machining centers when replacing a step tool that exceeded the weight capacity. SOLUTION: A lighter, module-style, combination cutting tool. SOLUTION PROVIDER: Mapal Inc., (810) 364-8020, www.mapal.us.
Erecting better productivity: General Industry Coverage
END USER: 80/20 Inc., (260) 248-8030, www.8020.net. CHALLENGE: Overcoming limitations of older machine tools that could each only perform one step when making a part. SOLUTION: New CNC machine tools with more capabilities and flexibility.
Boosting capacity with one and done
END USER: PDQ Corp., (860) 529-9051, www.pdqcorp.com. CHALLENGE: Find a more efficient method for machining complex, tight-tolerance parts primarily for the aerospace industry. SOLUTION: Two 6-axis mill/turn machine tools.
Ready, aim, machine
END USER: Evolution Gun Works Inc., (215) 538-1012, www.egwguns.com. CHALLENGE: Boost productivity when machining gun parts. SOLUTION: A high-performance endmill.
