Machining

Bar feeders, once known as slow and inefficient 'rattle tubes,' are now high-speed, automated units.

Significant progress in metalworking productivity most often results from the combined efforts of toolmakers, machine tool builders and software developers. Plunge, or Z-axis, milling is a good example.

As the U.S. strives to become less dependent on foreign energy sources, energy producers are increasingly employing hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," to drill shale deposits and extract natural gas and some oil. That booming market requires a range of parts from shops around the country.

As demand for vehicle transmissions and other systems requiring quieter, more compact and lighter gear mechanisms increases, gear manufacturers seek to continually boost productivity while lowering costs.

States near the Marcellus Shale, a huge natural gas formation centered in Pennsylvania, are feverishly pursuing a $4 billion ethane "cracker" to be built by Royal Dutch Shell. The cracker will process ethane-rich gas from the Marcellus Shale into ethylene, and the ethylene will be used by the pharmaceutical, chemical and plastics industries.

Many large corporations are well versed in total productive maintenance, but smaller companies are probably not. To learn more about the concept, I attended a 1-day seminar about TPM at a local technical college.

At my shop and others I've been in contact with, cash flow and timely payment have become issues that require greater scrutiny. If that's the case at your shop, dealing with them effectively will be a test of your management skills.

END USER: Helac Corp., (800) 327-2589, www.helac.com. CHALLENGE: Reduce maintenance and programming time on a large vertical turning center. SOLUTION: Retrofit the VTC with a new CNC and AC digital-axis servodrives and servomotors.

END USER: Machine Tech CNC, (780) 461-0890. CHALLENGE: Accurately bore 14 diameters deep and deeper. SOLUTION: Carbide-reinforced boring bars with built-in vibration damping.

END USER: Cincinnati Mine Machinery Co., (513) 728-4040, www.cinmine.com. CHALLENGE: Improve throughput and maintain higher part-quality consistency. SOLUTION: A machining cell with 24 pallets and two horizontal machining centers.

Get with the Program: CNC systems, metrology equipment and other types of machinery often require a linear motion component. This may be because of a need to move a cutting tool back and forth, position measuring probes, convey material or clear debris from the work area.

The manual lathe remains the cornerstone of machining fundamentals. This guide explains why lathe basics still matter in training, setup work, and real shop operations.