General Shop Equipment & Supplies

Ever since CNC machining became the dominant method to cut and grind metal, a perception has existed that machining can be manipulated and easily simplified. With computers crunching the numbers, how hard can machining be?

In the olden days, riggers were the guys on the ground placing slings and chains around the object to be moved while the crane operator waited for their signals to begin lifting. Today, rigging in a small shop falls to the guys standing closest to the equipment when something needs to be moved.

Money as a motivational tool can take the form of an employee's pay rate, commissions, bonuses and, perhaps once a certain level of seniority is reached, paid health insurance premiums. Not only do employees like it, but it's often a simpler solution. Adding a few bucks to a paycheck is a lot faster and easier than establishing many other incentives.

A hydraulic expansion toolholder that can be adjusted to have zero runout accuracy.

A wirelessly powered machining sensor system.

Multiple-operation cylindrical grinding machines enable shops to complete parts in a single setup.

END USER: Southwest Greene International Inc., (760) 639-4960, www.greenegroup.com. CHALLENGE: Effectively measure small, complex medical parts.SOLUTION: A measurement system that combines vision and touch-probe inspection. SOLUTION PROVIDER: Hexagon Metrology Inc., (800) 274-9433, www.hexagonmetrology.us.

END USER: Thortex Inc., (503) 654-5726, www.thortexinc.com. CHALLENGE: Maximize tool life and reliability when threading cobalt chrome. SOLUTION: Replace solid-carbide taps with high-performance thread mills. SOLUTION PROVIDER: OSG Tap & Die Inc., (800) 837-2223, www.osgtool.com.

SmartCAMcnc has announced the release of SmartCAM V18.5.

All functional components of the new VERO-S module from Schunk Inc. are made of hardened Stainless Steel.

To apply hyperMILL's toolpaths reliably to the machine while avoiding any disruption during use, OPEN MIND Technologies AG produces all of its postprocessors itself for its customers.

Hyundai WIA has made considerable investments in recent years to develop machines to meet the unique needs of key industries, such as the mold and die market segment.