CNC Machining (General)

Mil-Tec Inc. says its Freedom Cutter low-profile, indexable milling system offers the value and performance of the standard Freedom Cutter but has less mass and half the weight. It is ideal for single-pass finishing on 40-taper CNC machines and small milling machines. The low-profile cutter accepts all standard Freedom Cutter inserts.

Diamond burnishing is ideal for a variety of parts and ductile metals under 40 HRC, including steel, stainless steel, aluminum and cast iron. A cast iron shaft which started at a preburnished 67 Ra microinch surface finish yielded a 10 Ra microinch finish with a 0.0005" material compression in a single pass at 750 sfm.

Fives says the new Cranfield Precision TTG machine is a radically new concept. While conventional machine tool platforms use stacked linear axes as the primary motion control system, the Cranfield Precision range coordinates two rotary axes and a short linear axis in a "twin-turret" design.

Perceptron Inc., Plymouth, Mich., recently launched the Expert Coordinate Measuring Machine, a CNC multi-sensor system that seamlessly integrates touch-probe and laser scanning functionality into a single measuring station, according to a company news release issued Feb. 8.

With version 4.7 of the Sinumerik Operate graphical user interface software, Siemens Industry Inc. reportedly improved multi-tasking with machine tools, according to a company announcement release today. Sinumerik Operate and the Sinumerik 840D sl CNC combine several machining technologies such as turning, milling and drilling, as well as workpiece and tool measurement on one machine, which is said to guarantee the complete machining of highly complex workpieces such as those found in the aerospace industry.

Konecranes Machine Tool Service, Springfield, Ohio, offers retrofit packages that reportedly present customers with several approaches to maximize the performance of their equipment, the company announced in a Jan. 25 news release, noting that some of their customers have discovered a retrofitted machine tool can be a better option than new equipment—at about half the cost.

Firetrace International, Scottsdale, Ariz., offers CNC machinery fire suppression inside your machinery to instantly protect it from the risks of fire, the company reported in a Jan. 19 news release. Ultimately, these are re extinguishing systems designed to protect your machines by detecting when there is a re present and extinguishing it before it has chance to develop and cause extensive damage.

Mahr Federal, Providence, R.I., recently introduced an "entry level" surface finish and contour measuring system capable of generating both surface and contour measurements in a single pass, according to a company news release issued Jan. 21. The MarSurf® UD 130, which replaces the MarSurf UD 120, is said to offer improved nanometer range measurements, high measuring and positioning speeds, a biomimetic probe design with better rigidity and higher dynamics, as well as automatic probe arm recognition.

The Speroni MAGIS benchtop tool presetter is now available in a CNC version for operator-independent measuring results. Latest-generation electronics and motors allow for fast movement and repeatable positioning of the X and Z axes and spindle, delivering full CNC measuring with uncertainty of the two linear axes of +/- 1 µm. With the MAGIS CNC, users can automatically execute measuring cycles, adding speed and precision to what's already one of the most intuitive and easy-to-use vision system tool presetters on the market.

AMT Innovations offers a state-of-the-art workholding product, Get-A-Grip. The new cutting-edge triangular dovetail will never distort or deform the workpiece. The dovetail provides three evenly spaced, radial force vectors for superior gripping. Through carefully thought out triangular contact geometry, this product eliminates the need for an indexing pen. The pioneering internal clamping geometry reduces material preparation area and can be strategically placed where the finished part may have a pocket, which greatly reduces secondary operations.

Scientific Cutting Tools Inc. (SCT) stocks UN thread mills for cutting from 4-40 up to 3-1/2-8, as well as NPT, BSPP and BSPT 1/16 to 2½ and up, according to the company based in Simi Valley, Calif. Except for staggered-tooth thread mills, all of SCT's solid-carbide, straight-flute thread mills are crest-cutting, and are used for cutting internal threads only.n

CNC Broach Tool LLC, Marina del Rey, Calif., recently introduced a line of off-the-shelf, inserted keyway broach tools for CNC lathes and mills, according to a company news release dated Jan. 20. Rather than transfer parts to a separate broaching machine or farm out the job, CNC Broach Tool's patented design reportedly allows manufacturers to use the keyway broaching tools with CNC lathes and mills to broach blind or through internal keyways.