Machining

Articles • February 1, 2016 • James Harvey

Avoiding machine crashes

Everyone crashes, I was once told. It's likely true. However, not all crashes are created equal. There are fender benders that just break small tools, and then there are head-on collisions that ruin much more—including your day. CNC machine crashes are relatively easy to avoid. They often occur during setup and debugging. If you can recognize high-risk situations, you'll be in a better position to avoid them.

Articles • February 1, 2016 • Jeffrey A. Badger, Ph.D.

Dressing with PCD

Ask the Grinding Doc: When I ran out of single-point dressing diamonds and got desperate, I mounted a PCD insert to dress an Al2O3 wheel. Is there any danger in doing that?

Products • February 1, 2016

Pramet SF & SM insert geometries

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.

Products • February 1, 2016

EDNC21 sinker EDM

Makino Inc., Mason, Ohio, recently introduced the EDNC21 sinker electrical discharge machine (EDM) with dual heads that reportedly improve productivity and lower tool build time for large molds, the company announced in a Jan. 26 news release. The EDNC21 also includes Makino's latest EDM innovations and developments, such as the Hyper-i control, HyperCut technology and new HS-Rib high-speed Z-axis.

Videos • January 29, 2016

Long and short of pinch-peel grinding

A shop asks Dr. Jeffrey Badger, Cutting Tool Engineering magazine's "Ask the Grinding Doc" columnist, whether it's better to take several small, fast passes versus one large, slow pass when pinch-peel grinding tungsten-carbide shafts. Visit The Grinding Doc website for more advice from Dr. Jeffrey Badger at http://www.thegrindingdoc.com.

Products • January 29, 2016

Automatic Fire Suppression System for CNC Machines

Firetrace International, Scottsdale, Ariz., offers CNC machinery fire suppression inside your machinery to instantly protect it from the risks of fire, the company reported in a Jan. 19 news release. Ultimately, these are re extinguishing systems designed to protect your machines by detecting when there is a re present and extinguishing it before it has chance to develop and cause extensive damage.

Products • January 29, 2016

MarSurf UD 130 Measuring System

Mahr Federal, Providence, R.I., recently introduced an "entry level" surface finish and contour measuring system capable of generating both surface and contour measurements in a single pass, according to a company news release issued Jan. 21. The MarSurf® UD 130, which replaces the MarSurf UD 120, is said to offer improved nanometer range measurements, high measuring and positioning speeds, a biomimetic probe design with better rigidity and higher dynamics, as well as automatic probe arm recognition.

Products • January 27, 2016

CoroMill 425 Facemill

With CoroMill 425, Sandvik Coromant offers an eight-edge finishing tool designed for face milling that greatly improves metal removal rate and tool life in the ISO K application area. Due to its innovative setting system, it is particularly user-friendly.

Products • January 27, 2016

Speroni MAGIS Tool Presetter

The Speroni MAGIS benchtop tool presetter is now available in a CNC version for operator-independent measuring results. Latest-generation electronics and motors allow for fast movement and repeatable positioning of the X and Z axes and spindle, delivering full CNC measuring with uncertainty of the two linear axes of +/- 1 µm. With the MAGIS CNC, users can automatically execute measuring cycles, adding speed and precision to what's already one of the most intuitive and easy-to-use vision system tool presetters on the market.

Products • January 27, 2016

Emuge-Franken Endmills

Emuge Corp. offers an extensive line of high-performance solid-carbide endmills for applications ranging from universal milling to aerospace and high hardness machining. The endmills, branded Emuge-Franken, are the result of extensive R&D and incorporate the latest in endmill technology, geometry and coatings and are designed to outperform conventional endmill offerings.

Products • January 27, 2016

BLAXX M3024 Heptagon Milling Cutter

Walter has unveiled the Walter BLAXX M3024 heptagon milling cutter, the latest entry in its line of high-productivity milling tools. The M3024, in diameters from 1.5" to 6.0" (40mm to 160mm) boasts the line's trademark wear-protected black tool body, plus indexable inserts with 14 cutting edges, which reduces tooling costs.

Products • January 27, 2016

Get-A-Grip Workholder

AMT Innovations offers a state-of-the-art workholding product, Get-A-Grip. The new cutting-edge triangular dovetail will never distort or deform the workpiece. The dovetail provides three evenly spaced, radial force vectors for superior gripping. Through carefully thought out triangular contact geometry, this product eliminates the need for an indexing pen. The pioneering internal clamping geometry reduces material preparation area and can be strategically placed where the finished part may have a pocket, which greatly reduces secondary operations.