General Machining & Manufacturing Processes

Learn when to apply motorized, hand-held drills; fine-toothed, diamond-cut routers; compression routers and veined PCD tools to machine composite materials.

Some coatings, such as TiAlN, enable dry machining when drill ductile cast iron, but coolant is desirable to help evacuate the material's small, curled chips. Flood coolant can be appropriate for holes less than 1.5 to 2 diameters deep, according to Bob Jennings, product manager for Ingersoll Cutting Tools, Rockford, Ill. Jennings noted that the toolmaker offers standard Qwik-Twist replaceable-point drills to drill up to 8 diameters deep.

Daniel Dean, national sales manager for Tsugami USA, explains the features of the Tsugami newest Swiss-turn machine, the SS32, during a brief demonstration captured on video during EASTEC 2008 by Cutting Tool Engineering. The Swiss-turn machine offers 32mm capacity, as well as a unique modular tool zone, increased capability over previous gang type models, and a roomier tool zone for easier setup, Dean reports in this 4 minute and 38 second video report.

Captured on video at EASTEC 2008, the Milltronics TT24 uses an integrated twin table machining center that Sales Engineer Craig Fostersays will keep CNC operators busy. Foster takes the CTE Plus video crew on a 3 minute and 15 second tour and demonstration of the TT24. The system features a fully integrated twin pallet machine with a unique design requiring no pallet removal, an inline spindle design—24 hp standard—and conversational programming with the Milltronics Centurion control.

Travis Biggs, applications engineer, technical service, for Greenleaf Corp., offers the nitty gritty on the tools used in this 1 minute and 40 second video featuring a 5/8" ball nose tool followed by the company's Extreme Feed Mill 1" dia., 4-tooth cutting tool.

Thinking about and managing the risks of operating a job shop and machining parts is a straightforward process when using tools such as risk matrices and Failure Mode and Effects Analysis.

There are several good ways to design and install a mist collection system. Choosing the right design depends on a shop's size and needs.

Advanced ceramics' properties make them suitable materials for medical instruments and implants, as well as for parts in medical devices. Making ceramic parts, however, requires manufacturing techniques similar to those used to make P/M parts and may require applying diamond-impregnated tools and wheels.

Choosing the right cast aluminum and aluminum alloys from among the hundreds of different grades and the many tempers in each grade requires understanding of the materials' designation system to know their compositions, tempers and properties.

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High-speed machining can improve productivity, but a shop will need to change its tool settings and toolpath strategies and experiment with feed rates to achieve this goal.

Lean manufacturing can benefit medium-size and larger companies by improving productivity and reducing quality problems and lead times. Benefits can be realized even in smaller, highly variable job shops through standardized work, balancing and flowing.