Machining

Carbide-Roll burnishing tools by Elliott Tool Technology produce a mirror-like surface finish while eliminating secondary operations, machining setups, and operator labor and cost. These cost-effective, easy-to-use carbide rolls from Monaghan Tooling Group improve surface irregularities and tool marks, producing optimum surface finishes of 4-20 microinch (0.1 to 0.5 µm).

The Studer S121 radius internal cylindrical grinding machine from United Grinding North America Inc. has a swing diameter of 250mm (9.84") and can grind a maximum part length, including the clamping device, of 300mm (11.81"). The workpiece weight capacity, including the clamping device, is 100 kg (220.5 lbs.).

What if your tools could talk to you, providing you with timely information about their status and the conditions they were encountering, as well as tips that enhance your specific application? With Walter's new wear-optimization app, they can.

END USER: Antron Engineering and Machine Co. Inc., (877) 225-2362, www.antroneng.com. SOLUTION PROVIDER: Eltool Corp., (877) 435-8665, www.eltool.com. CHALLENGE: Mill a long, interrupted slot in a small-diameter bore. SOLUTION: A coolant-driven angle head.

END USER: Greene Tool Systems Inc., (800) BUY-TOOL, www.greenetool.com. SOLUTION PROVIDER: ANCA Inc., (248) 926-4466, www.anca.com. CHALLENGE: Produce microscale cutting tools more accurately while lowering setup times. SOLUTION: Two grinding machines designed to produce tools smaller than 2mm in diameter that feature robotic arms for loading and unloading tools and wheel packs.

Machine tool idling, unnecessary pump rotation and continuously running peripheral equipment drive up machining costs. These energy wasters are in the crosshairs of a new suite of power-cutting control applications from Japanese machine tool builder Okuma Corp.

To bring all kinds of useful information right to a machine and facilitate a company's implementation of Industry 4.0 processing tools, INDEX Corp. has begun supplying its machine tools with a new operating system. Called Xpanel, the OS integrates a machine into a corporate network, allowing machine operators to receive information from other parts of an enterprise.

Though Rosie the Riveter and a multitude of her sisters proved that women were perfectly capable of working in manufacturing when the men were called to serve during World War II, many of these patriotic women graciously stepped aside to allow the returning soldiers to resume their jobs.

Setup reduction is a common goal of every machine shop. Setup does not add value because it does not provide any measureable productivity. In short, when you are not running a machine, you are not making chips, and, therefore, you are not making money.

Vertical machining centers are machine shop mainstays, owing in no small part to their versatility, small footprint and relatively low cost. However, in high-volume environments, they tend to lag behind their horizontal counterparts. Fortunately, a pallet system provides a fairly simple fix.

Troubleshooting machining operations can be a daunting task, especially boring operations. This is because when machining the outside of a part, you can see what causes the tool to fail. However, when a tool is buried in a hole, as is the case when boring, you can't see what is happening to the tool.

Dear Doc: I sell grinding wheels and frequently find myself pulling my hair out when recommending wheels to customers. One customer achieved great success with a resin-bond, 400-mesh diamond wheel when grinding ¾"-dia. carbide endmills.