Machining

Manufacturing is an energy-intensive activity. The U.S. government estimates that manufacturing consumes about one-third of the energy used in the country, stated Scott Hibbard, vice president of technology for Bosch Rexroth Corp., Hoffman Estates, Ill., in his paper "Six keys to sustainable manufacturing."

Because they produce chips at high operating temperatures, often with oil-based coolants present, machine tools can easily catch fire. However, if shops plan ahead for this possibility by installing fire suppression systems, they can avoid catastrophic damage to the machine and the shop itself.

Drilling, milling, EDMing, laser cutting, trepanning, punching; there are almost as many ways to make holes as there are holes to be made. Drilling, the most common holemaking method, itself includes many tool material and configuration options.

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

As the Grinding Doc column for June 2009 issue.

Part Time column for June 2009 issue.

Shop Operations column for June 2009 issue.

Machine Technology column for June 2009 issue.

Shops seeking to true and dress superabrasive grinding wheels need solutions that move beyond 'tried-and-true' methods.

Reaming titanium is a challenging task, but new tools can give shops an edge as they battle this difficult-to-machine material.

Getting the most from multitask machines requires knowing whether the parts a shop produces are appropriate for the technology, selecting and training the right employees and applying the correct tools.

Maximizing productivity and calculating required machining power when facemilling titanium alloys.