General Shop Equipment & Supplies

The manufacturer of the most widely used fire-hose nozzle has continually upgraded its processes and equipment to meet its customers' needs. This article outlines the market forces and changes to its nozzle design that have driven the company to maintain a state-of-the-art shop.

This article relates how three shops used creative ideas to solve difficult boring problems. One shop built a custom tool to bore deep holes. Another used a combination of standard tools to bore an interrupted cut. And a third achieved tight tolerances with an assortment of plastic sleeves and plugs.

Vacuum chucks can be useful for holding parts that are thin, irregularly shaped, large and flat or easily marred. This article describes the components and machining required to build a vacuum chuck in-house. Accompanying Articles discuss the commercial units that are available and the use of router bits to reduce the lift on vacuum-chucked parts.

Industry professionals explain why manual machining skills are still necessary even in this age of CNCs. The article also describes the additional skills needed to program and operate computerized machine tools.

Small-diameter drills designed for drilling circuit boards can be used as a low-cost alternative for producing holes in other materials as well. Their fragility is the only drawback. This article describes these tools and the special handling they require. n

This article describes a self-contained micromachining center. The unit uses PC-based controls and a video system to machine small parts with precision, while giving the machinist a magnified view for setup and prototyping.

Tapping and thread milling can both produce internal threads in a variety of sizes, pitches and materials. This article discusses the factors that will dictate which process makes the most sense for a given job.nn

Spot drilling is a time-consuming process, but sometimes it is necessary to prevent drill walk. This article describes the reasons for spot drilling and the economic impact of adding the operation to a job. It also explains why a spot drill is a better choice for the operation than a center drill.

This article describes how one aerospace manufacturer boosted production capacity by partnering with a supplier, which began machining parts formerly made in-house. The article tells how the manufacturer shared its processes and manufacturing expertise with the supplier in order to ensure that quality and productivity were maintained.n

The latest generation to enter the workforce comes to the shop floor with a different set of skills and experiences than their predecessors. This article explores how these differences are forcing shop owners and supervisors to rethink their management strategies.nn

A tool design supervisor makes a case for cautious machining. This article explains how, by extending tool life, less aggressive speeds and feeds can lead to greater economy than a shortened cycle time will yield. Tips for monitoring and recording tool data are also given.

This article describes reconditioning tools through hand honing, a process that can help a tool produce 20 percent more parts. In explaining the art of hand honing, the author reviews the hone materials and honing techniques to be used.