Machining

FAMAR S.r.l manufactures 16 different models of vertical lathes specialized in turning, but also in milling, boring, drilling and tapping. Thanks to electro spindles added to the turret, FAMAR machines are able to do the gear cutting and grinding.

GTI Spindle Technology Inc., Manchester, N.H., recently opened a state-of-the-art facility in North Carolina that the company said is capable of repairing and rebuilding high-precision spindles, including those made by Makino, Mazak, Kessler, Gamfior, Enshu and OKK.

The inherent modularity of three Sandvik Coromant tooling product families—Coromant Capto (pictured), Coromant EH and CoroTurn SL—can reportedly prove highly advantageous to manufacturers looking to tool up a single machine or an entire plant.

The new M2131 Sky·tec Ramping Cutter from Walter reportedly brings new, higher levels of process reliability to the machining of nonferrous metals such as the aluminum wrought alloys or aluminum lithium alloys often used in aircraft structural components.

Designed for versatility, improved finish and long life, Carmex's latest additions to the popular Groove Milling line features six flutes constructed of MT8 grade carbide with advanced PVD triple coating for high heat and wear resistance in high-performance and normal operations.

END USER: Special Quality Alloys Inc., (281) 548-1277, www.sqainc.net. SOLUTION PROVIDERS: Industrial Diamond Products Co. Inc., (713) 991-1600, www.idp-tx.com; Simonds Saw, (800) 343-1616, www.simondsint.com. CHALLENGE: Extend bandsaw blade life while reducing cycle times. SOLUTION: Back-edge ramping technology to accelerate the sawing rate.

A team of engineers from several California colleges has developed and tested a type of steel with a record-breaking ability to withstand impacts without permanent deformation. The new alloy, named SAM2X5-630, could be used in applications from drills to body armor to meteor-resistant casings for satellites.

The results from a recent SME survey of parents about their views relating to careers in manufacturing showed there is not enough accurate information about the opportunities a manufacturing career offers.

In last month's column, I discussed the value of communication between engineers and shop personnel.

As CNC machining gets more complicated, the chance of programmer and operator errors increases. These errors can cause collisions involving machine components and workpieces during the cutting process, resulting in downtime and part, tool and machine damage. Costly crashes aren't inevitable, however, thanks to technologies aimed at preventing collisions and minimizing their impact.

When a good customer requests a meeting at his place, I go. That happened recently, when our shop's account manager accompanied me on a 20-minute trek to a customer's new corporate headquarters for a meeting to review our contract and extend it a few years.

CNC lathes have evolved greatly over the past few decades. What were once simple 2-axis turning machines have become a bewildering array of extremely capable metalcutting equipment, most of which offer two spindles, multiple turrets, robust milling capabilities and can complete many parts in a single setup. In other words, they have become multitask machines.