May 2018
Articles in this issue
Changing workflow: Bringing work to the workpiece
Picum MT, a startup at Leibniz University in Germany, is collaborating to redefine the manufacturing workflow, which traditionally has involved moving a workpi…
Innovative turning process for vertical lathes
Competition in the automotive industry is driving the need for higher-quality parts and lower manufacturing costs. All aspects are affected, including turning.
Deburring: an essential but often overlooked process
With so much attention given to improving machining processes, machinists, programmers and engineers at times forget about simple, but necessary, processes lik…
Material-specific taps continue to evolve
A look back at the use and evolution of sintered powder metal and the PM process that results in a tool substrate that consists of finer, more consistent parti…
Lasers take Swiss-style lathes to higher level
By integrating laser-based cutting and, in some cases, welding heads onto their already-capable equipment, Swiss-style lathe builders are taking these machines…
New approaches to machining microscale medical parts
Though machining medical microparts presents many challenges, shops that tackle the task are meeting these challenges thanks to a combination of ingenuity and …
When suppliers are the weakest link in the chain
CTE Machinist's Corner Columnist Michael Deren bemoans industrial suppliers who don't care about their customers, or know how to treat their customers. This is…
Do you tap or thread-mill?
For many in the machining community, tapping is the preferred method of threadmaking on a CNC machining center. Yet others contend that thread milling is bette…
Post-programming fixture design
Carefully plan machine setup to virtually eliminate problems that could lead to such tasks as replacing the setup with a new one, reprogramming toolpaths, or e…
Taking a turn for the better
By packaging both turning and milling functions in a single machining center, machine tool builders believe they've hit on a winning combination that can boost…
When not to listen
Repeat work is great, but shops have to guard against the comfortable complacency that such work can generate at the expense of diversifying its customer base.…
Studying the impact of climate change on machines
The Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU, Chemnitz, Germany, wanted to study the impact of climate change on machines without havi…