Machining

Articles • April 1, 1999 • R. Dean Brink

Continual Improvement

With innovations in technology, EDM has found its place as a reasonable alternative to other precision machining operations. This article reviews five recent developments: the introduction of a new electrode material, operations that replace dielectric fluid with gas, the development of electro-conductive powders, the EDMing of nonconductive materials and a method for producing complex part geometries with simple electrodes.

Articles • March 1, 1999 • Jerry Arpaio

Through-Coolant Tools Raise Throughput

Routing coolant out through the tip of the tool can provide greater control of temperatures and chips. This article describes the benefits of through-coolant tools and describes the methods of retrofitting machines to accept through-coolant tools.

Articles • March 1, 1999 • Sumanth Kumar

How Simulation Improves Machining Tool Design and Performance

Computer simulations of the cutting process can help tool designers predict the effects of tool-geometry changes. This article describes how one manufacturer is using the most recent advances in computer modeling to reduce the need for producing and testing prototype inserts. An accompanying article describes a commercially available simulation program.

Articles • March 1, 1999 • Martin Eastman

Frenzied Feeding

By changing the nose radius of their finish-turning inserts, toolmakers are producing wiper inserts that allow machinists to turn workpieces at increased feed rates. This article explains the theory behind this innovation and describes the specific wiper-style geometries employed by three manufacturers.

Articles • February 1, 1999 • Michael Weiner

Coatings Move Forward

The PVD and CVD processes produce coatings with specific strengths and weaknesses. This article compares the processes and attempts to correct some common misconceptions about CVD coatings. The findings of a survey on tool coaters' use of coating materials and methods are also reported.

Articles • February 1, 1999 • Gregory S. Antoun

The Pressure’s on to Improve Drilling

The author explains how high-pressure, high-volume coolant can provide better control of chips and temperature during drilling operations. He also describes the tools, equipment and shop procedures that can ensure top performance from a high-pressure coolant system.

Articles • February 1, 1999 • Brian Wilshire

Getting Peak Performance from Indexable Drills

This article details the jobs and applications where indexable drills can and can't offer increased performance and economy. He also explains how to diagnose and correct common indexable-insert drill problems.

Articles • December 1, 1998 • Austin Weber

Staffing Shortage Stymies Metalcutting Shops

An exclusive survey finds shops struggling to locate and hire skilled labor. This report of the survey's findings also reveals the most popular techniques to ease staffing woes.

Articles • December 1, 1998 • Martin Eastman

Learning With an Edge

Using his students as researchers, an industrial-arts teacher sets up an experiment to test claims being made for tool resharpening using cubic boron nitride wheels. The experiment taught the students how to keep a log of tool conditions, use and sharpenings as they gathered data for their study.

Articles • October 1, 1998 • Wes Emerson

Pipe Tapping

Taper pipe threading is unlike any other threading operation, and it may be one of the most difficult operations a machinist can be asked to perform. This article reviews the various types of taper threads and the tools and techniques needed to produce them.

Articles • October 1, 1998 • Paul H. Cohen

Cryogenics Goes Deeper

A new cryogenic tool treatment subjects tools to minus-320-degree temperatures by immersing them in a bath of liquid nitrogen. This article details the procedure and offers test results from the laboratory and the field that show how the treatment can extend tool life.

Articles • October 1, 1998 • Rober Marvin

Single-Pass Bore Finishing

Superabrasive bore finishing can achieve results in one pass that rival the finishes produced in several passes by other bore sizing operations. This article recounts how a number of shops have used superabrasive tools to finish bores with a higher degree of quality and a lower overall cost per piece.