May 2016
Articles in this issue
Productive Times: Ground round
END USER: Crowley Tool Co., (615) 824-5594, www.crowleytool.com. SOLUTION PROVIDER: Schütte LLC, (800) 668-4035, www.schutteusa.com. CHALLENGE: Enhance reliabi…
Productive Times: Coming ultrasonically clean
END USER: Van's Manufacturing Inc., (805) 522-6267. SOLUTION PROVIDER: Omegasonics, (888) 989-5560, www.omegasonics.com. CHALLENGE: Reduce the time and cost to…
Machine Technology: Latest in lubrication
Want a good reason for lubricating the moving parts of machine tools? Here's one from Klüber Lubrication NA LP, Londonderry, N.H., a developer of specialty lub…
Shop Operations: Chamfering and edge dressing
The expression "There's more than one way to skin a cat" certainly applies to machining. A young programmer in our shop is constantly being run in circles by t…
Manager’s Desk: Impacted by illness
I generally consider myself to be a positive person. However, these past few weeks have tested my resolve. It's not the roller-coaster daily life as a machine …
Machinist’s Corner: Apprenticeships wanted
Lately, I haven't been hearing much about machinist apprenticeship programs. I have been hearing about vo-tech schools, as well as job shops hiring people off …
Get With The Program: Barrel-cutter CAM strategies
Barrel cutters are applied for specialized milling applications, and recent advancements in CAM software expand the use of these tools. Geometrically, a barrel…
Manufacturers learn to invest in training
Every parts manufacturer, regardless of size, has some sort of training program, and programs are nearly as varied as the companies themselves. Whether it's so…
Terms of the trade for surface roughness measurement
As the plans for more and more machined metal parts include numerical surface finish specifications, the need diminishes to visually qualify that a part has, f…
Challenges in the micro-EDM world
Say "EDM" and most manufacturing folks think mold, tool and die work. Yet sinker, wire and hole-popping EDMs are often employed in conjunction with, or as alte…
Benefits of micromachining with lasers
Lasers are good for far more than slicing sheet metal and defending against alien space invaders. Without them, many of today's high-tech products would be imp…
Growing demand for microparts challenges suppliers, users
Ever machined parts so small that they not only fit on a penny but can sit on old Abe's nose? Cutting parts and part features in this Tom Thumb world often com…
A twin-turret approach to machine tool stiffness, stability
Two rotary axes beat 2' of stacked linear axes. That's the idea behind the new Twin Turret Generator (TTG) machine tools from Cranfield Precision. According to…
The contours of a robotic 3D-printing platform
Arevo Labs hopes its new RAMP leads to better 3D-printed componets for the defense and aerospace industries. Arevo touts RAMP (Robot-based Additive Manufacturi…
Moving large, complex parts calls for specialized equipment
Until I started working for Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Americas, lifting parts was never a consideration in daily production. Previously, the parts I dea…
Lead Angle: Invaluable resources
Early in my stint here, I called Alan Baker, founder of toolmaker A.B. Tools Inc., in connection with an article I was writing about thread milling small-diame…