Fabrication & Cutting

Before bringing abrasive waterjetting in-house, shops should know it is a deceptively simple process that demands a great deal of thought, effort and planning to ensure a reasonably quick return on investment and increase in operational productivity.

As demand grows for finer surface finishes and tolerance specifications become tighter—and competition continues to intensify—parts manufacturers are adopting advanced fluid filtration technologies to achieve their machining and grinding goals.

What about the less obvious threats to worker safety? How do you take those elements into account? To address this concern, the shop where CTE's Machinist's Corner columnist works uses a system of unsafe acts or conditions tickets (UACTs).

CemeCon Inc. held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Jan. 17 to officially open its new 15,000-sq.-ft. headquarters and CVD-diamond coating facility in Big Flats, N.Y. The opening marks the fourth expansion of production capabilities since the U.S. subsidiary was opened in 1998 and the third increase in capacity for CVD-diamond processing since 2014.

CCS" Controlled Containment System is engineered to safely contain and control airborne particulate from sampling procedures. Dispensing from drums and weighing procedures are typical applications. Cleaning/degreasing Equipment legacy/product_images/HemcoCCS Image.jpg "CCS" Controlled Containment System is engineered to safely contain and control airborne particulate from sampling procedures.

For the May issue's focus on abrasive machining, I'm writing a multiple-source article about honing. One of the sources is Lapmaster Wolters LLC.

Traditional metal cutting will always have its place. But to compete in today's market, the ability to perform multiple jobs simultaneously isn't a luxury — it's a necessity.

No. 836 is a 750° F electrically heated Class 100 clean room oven from Grieve, currently used to bake various coatings onto products at a customer's facility.

The WBS/Guyson Model 72x36 dual-operator system is for cleaning and surface preparation of low-volume, high-value aircraft engine components up to 55 inches in length and 24 inches in diameter. It is fabricated of 12-gauge 304 stainless steel material having a #4 polished finish.

A line of polarizing beam splitters that are available from stock for overnight delivery for use with engraving, marking and scribing lasers is available from Laser Research Optics.

SCANLAB GmbH's precSYS micromachining system is drawing positive responses from integrators and system builders. The system's individualized customer service, with in-person commissioning guidance, training and on-site application support, has proven to be of practical advantage. Customers who build laser processing systems to fabricate products, such as electronic devices or automotive components, achieve good processing results much more quickly, thus boosting their productivity.

In connection with my feature article on abrasive machining for the May issue, I spoke with Steve Kendjelic, senior applications engineer for Norton/Saint-Gobain Abrasives, Worchester, Mass., about power gear honing. The process is used for ultrafinishing generated gear teeth and is generally performed on a honing machine.