General Shop Equipment & Supplies

END USER: 1-866-Dial-EDM, (866) DIAL-EDM, 1866dialedm.com. CHALLENGE: Produce a high volume of 0.006"-dia., 1/16"-deep blind-holes in an exotic material. SOLUTION: An EDM drill. SOLUTION PROVIDERS: Britton Machinery Sales Inc., (585) 241-3267; GF AgieCharmilles, (800) 282-1336, www.us.gfac.com

END USER: Continental Motors Inc., (800) 718-3411, www.genuinecontinental.aero. CHALLENGE: Boost productivity when rough and finish milling cast aluminum crankcases. SOLUTION: PCD-tipped, cartridge-type facemills. SOLUTION PROVIDER: Ingersoll Cutting Tools, (866) 690-1859, www.ingersoll-imc.com

END USER: David Buchberger, (585) 208-7382, www.hispeedcorp.com. CHALLENGE: Efficiently machine lightweight components for an "extreme" racecar. SOLUTION: High-performance cutting tools, including a drill and endmill. SOLUTION PROVIDER: WIDIA Products Group and Services, (724) 539-5000, www.widia.com

The combination of rigid machine tool and strong spindle connection is ideal for cutting titanium.

Manufacturing faces more uncertainty than usual in 2013, but the year ahead could be a good one.

The pros and cons of marking parts with laser, micropercussion and scribing technologies.

Holding a few tenths tolerance on a piece of 60-HRC steel was once the domain of expensive grinding equipment. Today, it's no big deal.

In my August column, I described several common applications for workholding when turning, where the cutting tool is static and the workpiece spins. There are several standard workholders for turning, which were illustrated.

The moving elements of a machine tool have mass. Forces from the actuators cause the masses to move and accelerate. As the speed of the machine tool motion increases, the ability of the actuators to cause acceleration becomes more important.

Dear Doc: I grind fine threads into hardened stainless steel with a fine-mesh aluminum-oxide wheel. The threads are 0.8mm deep in a 5mm-dia. ID. There are three threads per part. This operation just chews through the wheel, and I get only one part before I have to dress a 0.2mm depth in my 4mm-dia. wheel. What am I doing wrong?

In my October column, I explained how the design of manual milling machines could be improved. This month, I share some tips for enhancing the operation of a manual mill.

Combustion components from Mitsubishi Power Systems had never been built outside of Japan until Savannah Machinery Works opened its doors in November 2010. We were in the unique and challenging position of having to develop every manufacturing process from scratch while maintaining a tight production schedule.