Machining

News • January 4, 2016

Methods names chief of new 3D printing arm

Methods Machine Tools Inc. today named Benjamin Fisk general manager of Methods' 3D Additive Manufacturing business. The move follows a partnership agreement announced Oct. 20, 2015, between Methods and 3D Systems, a provider of 3D digital design and fabrication solutions, including 3D printers, print materials and cloud-sourced custom parts. The partnership allows Methods to enhance its portfolio of leading-edge precision machine tools and solutions for traditional manufacturing with advanced 3D printing solutions for additive manufacturing (AM).

News • January 4, 2016

Methods Machine selects new general manager in Phoenix

Methods Machine Tools Inc. recently promoted Robert Nakash to general manager of the company's operations in Phoenix, where he has held the position of sales engineer since 2007. Prior to that, Nakash was at Mori Seiki USA Inc. in New Jersey for 17 years in various positions.

Articles • January 1, 2016 • Matthew Jaster

A new bonded superabrasive material

PCD oxidizes when cutting materials such as iron, cobalt, nickel, chromium and vanadium because of the high temperatures generated while cutting. Although not as hard, PCBN possesses superior chemical inertness compared to PCD.

Articles • January 1, 2016

Streamlining work flow

CHALLENGE: Reduce setup and cycle times while meeting customers' demands for high-quality parts. SOLUTION: Two horizontal machining centers. END USER: Reinhold Industries Ltd., (780) 434-8552, www.rilflo.com. SOLUTION PROVIDER: Methods Machine Tools Inc., (877) MMT-4CNC, www.methodsmachine.com.

Articles • January 1, 2016 • James Harvey

Plan ahead

Presented here are more tips and tricks for proper planning when CNC machining. One of the first and simplest things to look for when performing operations that involve vises is the length of the contact area between the part and the vise jaws.

Articles • January 1, 2016 • Christopher Tate

Rise of multitasking

The drive to reduce setup times and operator intervention has led to the proliferation of multitask machines. Multitask machines range in price and complexity from lathes capable of driving rotating tools to large machining centers that can effectively perform the turning and milling operations needed to complete complex parts in one setup.

Articles • January 1, 2016 • William Leventon

A Machine Tool for Industry 4.0

Are visitors to a bearing manufacturing facility in Hoechstadt, Germany, getting an early glimpse of what Industry 4.0 looks like? That's the hope of Schaeffler Group, which owns the facility. The plant houses a machine tool meant to show how digitalization works—not in a laboratory, but in an actual manufacturing environment.

Articles • January 1, 2016 • Michael Deren

Are You Just Another Resume?

I typically keep my resume online at all times on the major job search engines and update it annually to keep recruiters I've worked with in the past abreast of what is happening with my career. The drawback is, after I update my resume, I am inundated with email from recruiters and job placement companies that want to place me in a new position. If you've ever posted your resume to an online job search engines, I'm sure you're familiar with this scenario.

Articles • January 1, 2016 • Don Nelson

A long view on innovation

The view from Jungfraujoch inspires awe. So does the railway that transports visitors to the site—a ridge located 11,332' above sea level in the Swiss Alps. I was exposed to another example of commitment while in Switzerland, during a visit to the Mikron Group. Company vice president Markus Schnyder recounted his attempts in the early 1990s to develop a drill for a customer that used Mikron rotary transfer machines to drill holes in stainless steel watch bracelets.

Articles • January 1, 2016 • Kip Hanson

Conventional thinking

Anyone who's drilled a deep hole on a CNC lathe or mill knows it's not easy. Go much deeper than 10 or 20 diameters and out-of-tolerance hole straightness, chip packing and premature tool failure become real concerns. Some machine shops turn to gundrilling houses, where specialty machines and tools make easy work of holes hundreds of diameters deep or more. Unfortunately, this means shipping the parts, incurring additional costs and increasing lead time to customers. Surely there's a better way.

Videos • December 30, 2015

Keep the burn at bay

A shop creep-feed grinding hardened steel using a water-based coolant kept running into trouble after grinding for a few hours. Everything would be grinding along fine, but then—WHAM—really bad burn would bring the job to a halt. And the burn wouldn't go away until the shop dressed the wheel again. Dr. Jeffrey Badger, the host of Cutting Tool Engineering's Grinding Doc Video Series, provides some insight and a solution in the 65th episode of the video series.

Videos • December 30, 2015

Allied Machine & Engineering featured on Fox Business News’ Manufacturing Marvels series

Manufacturing Marvels, which airs on The FOX Business Network, recently featured Allied Machine & Engineering Corp., Dover, Ohio. Manufacturing Marvels, which is produced by the Marvel Production Group LLC, Dallas, Texas, are 2-minute video reports spotlighting American manufacturers, their products, processes and customers.