Machining

Articles • September 1, 2009 • Frank Marlow, P.E.

A milling tools overview

An array of milling tools is available, including endmills, facemills and plain mills. Typical milling applications include facing, filleting or edge cutting, profiling, slotting, pocketing and blind slotting.

Articles • September 1, 2009

Can-do coolant strategies

With the cost of high-performance coolants on the rise, coolant management is more important than ever. It starts by getting the basics right.

Articles • September 1, 2009

Wear and peace

Understanding tool wear is the first step to extending tool life—which can be further enhanced with new coating technology.

Articles • September 1, 2009

Grow in the dark

Even low-volume operations producing many different parts can benefit from lights-out production.

Videos • August 15, 2009

On tap

Check out this brief video from Kennamental Inc. showing a side-by-side comparison of an HSS tap vs. a solid-carbide tap. The video accompanies CTE's August cover story on selecting the right tap for different workpiece materials. The split-screen video demonstrates the significant productivity advantage of the first solid carbide tap specifically engineered for tapping steels.

Articles • August 1, 2009 • Mark Rentschler

Reaching the apex

Combination tooling, custom fixtures and creative solutions help Apex Precision thrive.

Articles • August 1, 2009 • Dave Nelson

High anxiety

Understanding tool geometry and selecting the right tap for different workpiece materials can help take the anxiety out of tapping operations.

Articles • August 1, 2009 • Dr. Scott Smith

Post-processing should not work

The creation of a part program for a CNC machine tool usually starts with a part drawing or model that contains the part material, geometry and tolerances.

Articles • August 1, 2009

Training machinists the old-fashioned way

Talking Shop August 2009 column

Articles • August 1, 2009 • Jeffrey A. Badger, Ph.D.

Grinding Doc: Using the Ra eyeball technique

Dear Doc: I grind small parts with intricate geometries. I'd like to get a handle on what kind of Ra values I'm generating and if the grinding process changes I'm making are improving or worsening the surface finish. I was told to purchase a profilometer. Is this the best route to go?

Videos • July 15, 2009

Tip-Top Productivity

CTE's July cover story examines drills with interchangeable carbidetips, while the accompanying video shows how interchangeable-tip drills permit quick inspection and replacement.

Articles • July 1, 2009

Know-as-you-go software

In today's market, a machine shop often has millions of dollars invested in machines. Typically, a hefty amount is also committed to payroll. For a shop to be profitable, these two assets must work together efficiently. But what is the best way to manage and balance machine and manpower efficiency?n