October 2017
Articles in this issue
Look Ahead: All together now
The toii Platform, created by thyssenkrupp Materials Services GmbH, is said to effectively communicate with a wide array of systems and devices that will help …
Look Ahead: Securing robots’ ‘personal space’
Collaborative robotics has three aspects: the human, the robot and the workspace where the task is to be completed. Much of the media coverage has focused excl…
Productive Times: Slicing through the challenge
End User: DoubleStar Corp., (888) 736-7725, www.star15.com; Solution Provider: DP Technology Corp., (800) 627-8479, www.espritcam.com; Challenge: Write CNC pro…
Shop considers investing in 5-axis machining
If your shop makes parts that demand multiple setups, parts that have challenging geometry or parts with difficult GD&T requirements, 5-axis machining could pr…
Navigating safety regulations
Navigating and complying with OSHA regulations can frustrate companies, particularly when the regulations are inconsistently enforced.
Chamfers and countersinks halt burr formation
The vast majority of threaded holes require some type of chamfer or countersink, which makes it one of the most common machining operations, and, more to the p…
Modular fixturing pros and cons
Modular fixturing at its best offers the stability and accuracy of dedicated workholding with the flexibility to be reconfigured quickly for a variety of parts…
Save time by setting tools offline with a presetter
The benefits of presetting are somewhat intangible; it takes a little digging to actually understand how much time is spent manually setting tools and what imp…
Machinist’s Corner: A look at D-O-W-N-T-I-M-E
The October 2017 Machinist's Corner column explains the "eight wastes of lean," for which there is an acronym known as DOWNTIME: Defects, Overproduction, Waiti…
Get With the Program: Right from wrong
Advanced CAM software provides the additional modeling that is needed to achieve total part quality, according to the Get With the Program column in the Octobe…
Perpendicularity: key to machining good parts
Checking perpendicularity is a recurring theme on the shop floor—one that deserves detailed discussion and special tools, according to the Shop Operations colu…
Machine Technology: Manually measuring 5-axis centerlines
In 5-axis machining, accurate rotary axis centerlines are critical, so regularly measuring and verifying these values is also critical. While the best course o…
Understanding relationship between air pressure and flow
"Pressure" and "flow" are common terms when discussing air compressors, but the relationship between the two is often misunderstood.
Reaching new heights
Measuring machined parts on a surface plate has long been a tedious job, one that requires mastery of dial indicators, a pocket calculator and an adjustable he…
Three unexpected machine monitoring benefits
Like a broken record, decision-makers at parts manufacturers continually hear that monitoring machine tool utilization rates helps improve productivity. That's…
Autodesk: Constant cutting forces speed milling
Maintaining constant cutting forces provides a constant radial tool engagement throughout the entire cut, which eliminates spikes in the cutting forces. This a…
Longtime precision-machining shop adds 3D printing
With its new EOS M 290 additive-manufacturing system, Indiana Technology and Manufacturing Cos. (ITAMCO) now 3D-prints medical devices. After obtaining the sys…
New approach to cutting heat-resistant superalloys
Machining Inconel 718 and similar heat-resistant superalloys (HRSAs) at cutting speeds normally reserved for aluminum is not only possible but becoming an acce…
Shop owners help fellow shop owner after hurricane
Keith Jennings, who writes the Manager's Desk column for Cutting Tool Engineering, shares his thanks for being able to work after surviving the epicenter of Hu…
Lead Angle: Don’t be scared to take five
CTE Editor Alan Richter highlights the 5-axis focus of the October 2017 issue.