Machining

The process of displacing metal instead of cutting it is called many things. But whether they call it form tapping, cold form tapping, thread forming, cold roll forming, roll forming, thread rolling, roll tapping or cold roll tapping, many metalworking professionals are unfamiliar with it, according to Peter Gennuso, applications engineering supervisor for OSG Tap & Die Inc., Glendale Heights, Ill.

The U.S. economy appears to be on the mend. In January, the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation gave a tentative thumbs up to sustained business expansion through the first half of 2013. And the Institute for Supply Management's manufacturing index rose again in January, painting an optimistic picture. Maybe it's time to buy that machining center you've been thinking about.r Before you whip out your checkbook, though, some homework is in order. There's a lot more to machining centers than spindle speeds and rapid traverse rates. Sure, you've had good results over the years buying machines based on that, but that might be the wrong criteria in this brave new manufacturing world. You're facing growing competition from overseas and down the street, so you owe it to yourself to take a look at what's changed in the years since you bought your tried and true 20"×40" vertical machining center.

The spark gap is the physical distance the electric current has to jump off the wire to burn the workpiece when wire EDMing. Controlling the spark gap is critical to achieving required part dimensions and surface finishes. Variables that impact the spark gap include the workpiece material and thickness, wire diameter and type, and part tolerance and surface finish requirements.r The wire EDM process is physically unstable because of the constant advancement and retraction of the axes. "Wire EDMing does not have or function with a set feed rate like a milling operation," said Brian Pfluger, EDM product manager for Makino Inc. at the company's Auburn Hills, Mich., facility. Wire EDMing requires a combination of small mechanical and, especially, electrical changes to occur thousands of times per second to be stable and consistent, he added. Makino is headquartered in Mason, Ohio.

Dynamic and aggressive cutting tool demonstrations are common at trade shows. Toolmakers present phenomenal displays, where chips spark and fly and machines move at feed rates that seem impossible. In other words, they demonstrate high-speed machining.

A unique manual milling method is available for generating geometrically true spherical surfaces. This technique can be used to machine convex and concave spherical surfaces. Other than the milling machine, the only tools needed are a boring head and a rotary table.

Produce parts faster without investing in additional fixturing. Efficiently reprogram the parts with the company's CAM software after moving part production to a multitask lathe.

Achieve tight-tolerance requirements when producing microtools. Grinding machines designed to produce microtools.

Like most machine tool builders, Mori Seiki Co. Ltd. is focused on making its machines more energy efficient. In addition, the company is focused on making the factories that make those machines more energy efficient. For example, Nagoya, Japan-based Mori Seiki is implementing energy-reduction programs and equipment at its operations in Iga, Japan.r The Iga campus' goal is to reduce electricity consumption by 30 percent in 2013 compared to 2012. The campus has already reduced energy consumption 10 percent by installing high-efficiency air conditioners, switching from mercury lamps to high-efficiency fluorescent lamps and operating compressors more efficiently.

One fond memory from my long-ago youth was playing Rock'Em, Sock'Em Robots with my next-door neighbor. My parents wouldn't get me the game, for reasons I forget, but my friend Ronnie, who always got the latest, greatest games and toys, had a brand-new version. The objective was to manipulate your plastic robot to knock out the other robot by hitting his spring-loaded head, making it pop up.r In January, the robotics industry was playing Rock'Em, Sock'Em Robots with CBS's "60 Minutes." The news program broadcast a segment called "Are robots hurting job growth?" based in large part on an interview with Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and co-authors of the 2011 book, "Race Against the Machine."

Overcoming a bottleneck caused when programming different machine tools with various CAD/CAM systems. A single CAD/CAM system that can program multiple machine brands.

As someone who visits job shops and manufacturers almost daily, I know why some are thriving, while others struggle. The ones that are thriving have invested and continue to invest in equipment, software, training and consulting services. Those struggling often say, "I would invest more in these areas, but I can't afford them because my competitors keep underbidding me. They must be giving parts away."r More often than not, owners of thriving shops are not underbidding their competitors -- they're out-machining them. They are taking full advantage of all the competitive benefits made available by their machining systems and advice from consultants to operate more profitably. In short, they've learned to pick the low-hanging fruit available to them and reinvest their profits to bring even higher fruit within easier reach.