April 2016
Articles in this issue
Shop wrangles runout challenge
END USER: Homeyer Precision Manufacturing, (636) 433-2244, www.homeyertool.com. SOLUTION PROVIDER: BIG Kaiser Precision Tooling Inc., (888) 866-5776, www.bigka…
Angle head for atypical prototype
END USER: Antron Engineering and Machine Co. Inc., (877) 225-2362, www.antroneng.com. SOLUTION PROVIDER: Eltool Corp., (877) 435-8665, www.eltool.com. CHALLENG…
Small tools, big challenges
END USER: Greene Tool Systems Inc., (800) BUY-TOOL, www.greenetool.com. SOLUTION PROVIDER: ANCA Inc., (248) 926-4466, www.anca.com. CHALLENGE: Produce microsca…
Suite of power-cutting control applications
Machine tool idling, unnecessary pump rotation and continuously running peripheral equipment drive up machining costs. These energy wasters are in the crosshai…
OS integrates machine tool into corporate network
To bring all kinds of useful information right to a machine and facilitate a company's implementation of Industry 4.0 processing tools, INDEX Corp. has begun s…
Women to play an increasingly important role in manufacturing industry
Though Rosie the Riveter and a multitude of her sisters proved that women were perfectly capable of working in manufacturing when the men were called to serve …
Reducing setup times frees up time for making chips
Setup reduction is a common goal of every machine shop. Setup does not add value because it does not provide any measureable productivity. In short, when you a…
Pallet changers help VMCs hold their own in production environments
Vertical machining centers are machine shop mainstays, owing in no small part to their versatility, small footprint and relatively low cost. However, in high-v…
Troubleshooting solid-carbide boring bars requires the right diagnosis
Troubleshooting machining operations can be a daunting task, especially boring operations. This is because when machining the outside of a part, you can see wh…
Accurate shop floor scheduling is important, but often hard to achieve
Without a manufacturing schedule, workpiece materials don't arrive on time, machine tools sit idle and customers fume. However, scheduling is difficult, especi…
And the beat goes on
One of the most enduring issues in the metalworking world is finding and retaining skilled workers, and the 10th annual Metalworking Trends Survey from LoSasso…
The madness of wheel trials
Dear Doc: I sell grinding wheels and frequently find myself pulling my hair out when recommending wheels to customers. One customer achieved great success with…
Good news on the horizon
I'm thankful to share that our machining business has picked up and we're running near capacity. I can't get overly optimistic just yet, but good news nonethel…
Gangs vs. turrets
If you're shopping for a Swiss-style CNC lathe, the available options and machine configurations are truly staggering. Spindle speeds that compete with many ma…
Getting a grip
There are numerous advantages to rigidly holding a workpiece: feed rates can be increased and cutting times reduced, cutters last longer and impart finer surfa…
Mother of machine tool parts
When it comes to highly accurate machining technology, jig boring is better. So say proponents of the century-old machining technique. In the early part of the…