Machining

"The 30-foot-by-35-foot pit in a concrete floor is empty, shiny and immaculate as it awaits the arrival of a massive machine for use by Connecticut manufacturers to cut, shape and do a range of other tasks with composite materials," writes Stephen Singer in the Hartford Courant.

In a major enhancement to its line of grinders, Robert Bosch Tool Corp. has rolled out a lineup of small angle grinders that reportedly feature some of the highest power, greatest durability and most safety-focused options in the power tool industry.

Raptor-ready dovetail blanks from TCI Precision Metals are custom produced to your specifications and are machine-ready—order from one to thousands with quick turnaround. Each Raptor-ready dovetail blank includes a dovetail feature to match your specified fixture model and arrives machine-ready to go from receiving directly into your CNC machining centers.

BIG KAISER Precision Tooling Inc. says the C-Cutter Mini enables milling at an ultrahigh feed rate. It offers a small cutting diameter and features a compact design that accepts four inserts, including ones as small as 0.197".

Makino offers the L2 vertical machining center for high-volume, small-part manufacturing. Combining a rigid construction, compact footprint and flexible spindle design, the L2 offers a highly stable and reliable machine platform for fully unattended, around-the-clock part processing, according to the company.

F. Zimmermann GmbH has extended the working area of its proven FZ33 compact portal milling machine. The Y-axis now travels up to 4,000 mm and the Z-axis up to 1,500 mm.

It is a reminder of the race between the hare and the hedgehog: Materials are becoming stronger, tougher, more resistant. But the manufacturers of precision tools manage time and again, often in collaboration with research institutes, to also efficiently machine the most demanding materials after a relatively short time.

Manufacturers contemplating taking Black Oxide finishing in-house have a low-cost entry option with the Birchwood Technologies BC40E TruTemp finishing system. The seven-tank process line, with full black oxide capabilities, comes complete with tank system, heaters, plumbing connections, tank lids, and chemical products, all for $9,900.

Makino announces its latest full 5-axis machine solution, the DA300 vertical machining center, reportedly providing the ideal blend of speed, precision and flexibility for complex part applications. Inspired by the best design characteristics from both vertical and horizontal machine platforms, the DA300 delivers the highest productive capabilities for multi-axis workpieces in the smallest of machine footprints.

The smartLine variant is a flexible, modular machine concept. "The secret of our smartLine range is its modular structure," points out Dr. Markus Stanik, managing director of Elb-Schliff. "We leverage a modular machine kit for the customized assembly of both surface grinding and complex profile grinding machines."

The BG series machines are equipped with a moving table or traveling column, depending on the workpiece, and are designed for grinding complex and large tools such as broaches. Depending on machine size, the components have lengths ranging from 1,000 mm at a workpiece diameter of 10-200 mm up to a maximum workpiece length of 3,000 mm and a diameter of 600 mm.

millGrind is a hybrid machine for additive machining. It combines grinding, milling and the option of laser deposition welding in a single machine, saving not only equipment costs, but also valuable changing and retooling time. The optional laser head can also be conveniently exchanged into the machine via a toolchanger in order to realize the functions of laser hardening, marking and additive material deposition welding.