Fabrication & Cutting

Birchwood Technologies three brush-on metal blackeners—Presto Black BST4, Antique Black M24, and Aluma Black A14—are now available in smaller, quart sized (32 oz.) bottles for easier application and handling, at a new lower price point.

Electro Scientific Industries Inc. (ESI), Shanghai, China, recently introduced the Garnet adaptable laser micromachining platform for high-volume cutting, marking, drilling or engraving applications, according to a Feb. 16 company news release. The Garnet platform is said to compliment ESI's current micromachining portfolio delivering lower cost of ownership—specifically to meet the need for larger format materials among manufacturers in China.

The EDGE X-5 waterjet system from Jet Edge Inc., St. Michael, Minn., is designed and built for heavy duty industrial use in waterjet shops that demand lasting performance, precision and accuracy, the company announced in a Feb. 9 news release. The system reportedly cuts precise 3D parts and bevels up to 50°.

Tungaloy Corp. has introduced the AH8000 series of PVD grades and chipbreakers for turning heat resistant alloys. The new PVD grades feature impressive resistance to both wear and fracture due to the world's first nano-multi-layered AlTiN coating with high Al content and dramatically reduces notch wear, crater wear and built-up edge in machining heat resistant alloys.

Specifications for particulate and film-residue cleanliness are a matter of course for many machined components. In addition to the parts cleaning procedure, manufacturers must consider the entire process chain when seeking to efficiently achieve and maintain the required level of cleanliness.

Researchers at North Carolina State University reported the discovery of a distinct form of solid carbon they estimate is about 10 percent harder than diamond and could play an important role in machining. They also claim to have developed a relatively inexpensive technique for producing the substance, called Q-carbon, at room temperature and ambient atmospheric pressure.

Fischer Technology Inc., a Windsor, Conn.-based manufacturer of instrumentation for coating thickness, material testing, nanoindentation and material analysis, announced plans to open a new office in Livonia, Mich., to provide technical sales and service support for the Michigan area.

Dormer Pramet now offers Pramet SF and SM geometries for machining of high temperature alloys and stainless steel, the company announced Jan. 27. The SF geometry features a sharp positive geometry with an inclination cutting edge of 14.5° while the SM chip-breaker is a wear-resistant, universal geometry for medium machining.

FOBA Laser Marking + Engraving's Y-Series ytterbium fiber lasers are for marking parts made of metal, plastic and other materials. A scan head vision system for in-process imaging combines validation and verification prior to and directly after laser marking.

In a news release issued Jan. 16, Walter USA LLC, Waukesha, Wis., unveiled its P6005-WKK45C point drill insert that reportedly brings new levels of performance and cost effectiveness to drilling cast materials (ISO K) as well as other materials.