General Shop Equipment & Supplies

Steve Ulmer, director of sales for OMAX Corp., provided Cutting Tool Engineering with a look at two of OMAX's latest generations of equipment during September's Fabtech show. The machines included the new Maxiem 1530X water jet machine and the ProtoMax compact water jet. The 1530X is the next generation in water jet machining, and it's an upgrade from the Maxiem product that was released over 10 years ago. It features a completely new design with more rigid uprights, more rigid axis on the X and the Y, greater bed capacity and greater flexibility with what is in the tank. ProtoMax is a compact water jet that can be used where it is needed. All the mobile water jet requires is single-phase power, and access to water and a drain, and you can be cutting parts.

Keeping a machine running can be a challenge. An expensive challenge. At Fabtech, Olis Robotics, specialists in remote control and error recovery systems for industrial robots, partnered with Mid-Atlantic Machinery to monitor a press brake being fed by a robot from Universal Robots. Using a new App from Olis running on an over-the-counter Android smartphone, a Mid-Atlantic application engineer monitored the data to ensure the robot and press brake were operating efficiently. "To help us support our customers as efficiently as possible, we've started using an app called Olis. This is Olis right here on this tablet. We set this up on site. It has video of the cell. In this case, we have a press break tending robot. We can also see a lot of different diagnostic data of the robot. So for example, if a customer calls me and says, "Hey, the robot just ran into a protective stop," I can click under the events right here and I can click on protective stop. I can see every instance for the timestamp of all the protective stops they've gotten on the robot."

The old adage is that if it "ain't broke, don't fix it." While this has been tried and true wisdom for ages, it might be a little suspect in today's modern age, when one technology advantage can make the difference between standing apart from the competition or falling behind. That is one of the observations imparted by Visual Components, which at the recent Fabtech Show in Chicago gave Cutting Tool Engineering a "walk-through" of its newly released, highly anticipated, Visual Components 5.0 software platform.

From moving cobots to novel mobile automation solutions, Güdel Inc. highlighted two new technologies at FABTECH 2025. The equipment included the CoboMover, a 7th-axis linear track purpose-built for collaborative and lightweight robots. The CoboMover is designed to help integrators and end users expand the range of cobot and lightweight robot applications. In addition, the company showcased an air bearing track motion product. The modular track system was fitted with air bearings and used just 5 psi to levitate a track and a Fanuc robot, which weighed over 7,000 lbs., 1/2" above ground.

Peak Toolworks, a North American manufacturer and servicer of engineered diamond and carbide cutting tools, has acquired Southern Carbide, Inc., a tooling and sharpening company specializing in industrial cutting tools, sharpening, and repair services designed to extend tool life and reduce production costs.

Sumitomo Electric Carbide Inc. (SCI) has strengthened its support for the aerospace industry with the development of its Aerospace Business Development (ABD) Team.

Advances in 5-axis CNC machining centers and turn-mill machines now enable manufacturers to cut gears with precision and efficiency—using specialized tools designed for multipurpose platforms. Star SU offers a range of tools that work with universal CNC machines to unlock gear manufacturing flexibility.

NTK Cutting Tools has launched the new "ECO Series" line as an addition to its existing "Thread Whirling" product line. Compared to conventional Thread Whirling tools, the company says this new series offers significant cost advantages because it allows users to select the number of teeth and corners on the insert according to the workpiece. With this capability, production can be achieved at minimal cost.

Trumpf says it has developed new laser applications for adhesive and coating preparation in battery production and for corrosion protection of aluminum components. The high-tech company is making electric car batteries safer and protecting cars from rust.

Clayton Industries chose an MCP three-roll, double-pinch angle rolling machine from Davi Inc. for its processing speed, accuracy and versatility.

Electrical discharge machining, or EDMing, is a form of machining wherein you use an electrode to channel enormous amounts of electricity into a workpiece.

The proliferation of aluminum in the automotive sector continues to surge. Once rare, aluminum components now can account for 30% of a vehicle's weight.