General Shop Equipment & Supplies

For those who want to enhance a CNC by adding capabilities, Chris Robson, applications engineer for Minneapolis-headquartered machine tool dealer Concept Machine Tool – (Delafield) Wisconsin, gave a presentation titled "What Else is Inside this Box? Open Architecture CNC." His seminar took place Oct. 3 at the 15th biennial Wisconsin Manufacturing & Technology Show in the Exhibition Center at the Wisconsin State Fair Park, Milwaukee.

Knuth Machine Tools USA Inc. says its X.mill M 900 provides long life and has a 30-bar ICS system (inside coolant supply).

OPEN MIND Technologies AG has developed a performance package of the hyperMILL CAM software suite. MAXX Machining offers three powerful modules for finishing, roughing and drilling on planar, ruled and curved surfaces often found in aerospace parts and other complex 5-axis components.

Both are used to achieve a smooth surface and precision dimensions on metal parts, writes MC's Joshua Jablons. "Both are usually performed at the end of the manufacturing process to remove a very small amount of material or finesse the finish on a part. The difference between honing and lapping begins to be revealed if we look at where on a part each process is performed: While honing is used where parts need a precise inside diameter, lapping is performed on an outside flat surface. And when we look at what each process is, the distinctions between the two are plain to see."

CHIRON introduces its new vertical twin-spindle 5-axis machining center, DZ08 FX Precision. The machine includes contact-free linear direct drives in the X. Y and Z axes. These drives bring the spindles faster to optimum feed rates and permit increased traverse rates. Compared to the previous model, this machining center produces aluminum components 20 to 50 percent faster, according to the company.

Dürr Ecoclean GmbH, Filderstadt, Germany, is changing its name to Ecoclean.

Jet Tool & Cutter launched in 1968 as a small cutter regrind shop, taking orders on paper and mailing quotes back to the customer. Since then, the bustling, growing firm has worked out the solution that allows it to quickly produce a wide variety of high-quality carbide cutting tools for aerospace, firearms and general machining applications. Its solution allows the shop to meet tightening customer demands for quality and quick delivery while facing a shrinking pool of available skilled hands.

Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in September, and the overall economy grew for the 100th consecutive month, say the nation's supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business. The September PMI was 60.8 percent, an increase of 2 percentage points from the August reading of 58.8 percent. This indicates growth in manufacturing for the 13th consecutive month and is the highest reading since May 2004, when the index registered 61.4 percent.

In manufacturing, the nature of the work as well as the nature of the workers are changing: What's a prospective employer to do? Some pre-Manufacturing Day discussion.

If you're lucky, the veterans in your shop will take a rookie aside and pass on their hard-won knowledge of good machining practices. Most of this information is priceless. But some of it … not so much. For example, there are a lot of myths about balancing out there that, if not refuted, can cost your operation a lot of lost time and money. In this article, Haimer USA LLC addresses these misperceptions and offers a more factual view of best practices for balancing toolholder assemblies.

Entering the workpiece is an essential part of optimizing tool life and reducing vibrations. The roll-in method allows you to softly and smoothly enter the workpiece. Inserts are eased into the cut following the golden rule of milling: a thick chip on entry and a thin chip on exit. Click on the link for more milling tips from Sandvik Coromant.

In recent years the gear market has been experiencing a trend towards outsourcing. As a result of this shift, many suppliers are receiving orders for the soft machining—wet or dry hobbing--of gears. "With the LC 280 α, Liebherr has developed a new generation of gear hobbing machines for such short-term requests", said Dr.-Ing. Hansjörg Geiser, manager development and design, gear cutting machines. "This gear cutting machine equipped with Liebherr quality offers maximum flexibility, maximum productivity, and is available to the customer at short notice."