Machine Tool Attachments & Accessories

Your shop just bought its first 5-axis machining center. Now what? Not only are there new and more complex programming techniques to learn—never mind the mind-boggling variety of part processing options to contend with—there's also the pesky problem of how to grip workpieces. With the ability to tilt, rotate and position parts in ways never before possible, machining five sides of a workpiece in a single setup is a challenging but straightforward exercise—provided clearance between the workpiece, machine table and spindle head is maintained.

BenQ America Corp., Costa Mesa, Calif., has introduced the next version of its CAD/CAM-specific monitor. The BL2711U is said to be the world's first 27" 4K2K ultra-high-definition resolution monitor with built-in 100 percent sRGB, IPS technology and exclusive CAD/CAM, animation and low blue light modes for designers to improve design efficiency.

Fives Machining Systems is set to open a service center in Seattle today as the company expands to meet the needs of its customers nationwide, according to a news release issued by the Fives Group. The Seattle center will stock spare parts, repair unit assemblies and dispatch service engineers to customers in the Northwest.

BIG Kaiser Precision Toolng Inc. provides a series of angle head demonstrations in this 3-minute report posted as a video sidebar to the "What's your angle?" feature article in the January 2016 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine.

Looking for a way to reduce grinding cycle times and improve cutting tool quality in order to satisfy customer requirements, Myles most recently invested in an ANCA MX7 Linear CNC tool grinder with linear motors. The LinX Linear Motor consists of a shaft containing magnets and a forcer containing wound copper coils. The symmetric design results in zero attractive forces between the forcer and shaft, greatly reducing the loading requirement on support bearings.

With an amplitude of 16mm, the 3D stylus tip extends and retracts automatically as it follows the shape of various parts in this video from Gravotech Marking SAS. The 3D stylus is a very high amplitude stylus capable of following the relief of every part to be marked.

While many call hand scraping a lost art, Okuma begs to differ, the company report in a July 2013 video. "While it might be rare to find a craftsman skilled enough to hand scrape effectively, we never lost the art simply because we've always understood how critical hand scraping is to maintaining machining accuracy," according to the company's YouTube channel.

"TM" series tool storage magazine assemblies are electro-mechanically driven and easy to install. They do not require any pneumatics or hydraulics, and, as such, are extremely reliable, repetitive and low maintenance. The bi-directional magazines are available in three standard frame sizes with or without a linear slide and designed to accommodate CAT 30, 40 and 50, plus the equivalent range of BT, ISO and HSK style toolholders, offered with standard storage capacities of 12, 20 or 30 tools with other capacities being available upon request.

GTI Spindle Technology, Manchester, N.H., recently announced plans to open a new state-of-the-art spindle repair facility in Raleigh, N.C., this month. The new 5,000-square-foot facility will provide full-service spindle rebuild and repair services. The new facility also will provide on-site predictive maintenance services, including vibration analysis routes for customers who want to ensure maximum uptime and reliability for their shops.

Myles Tool Company, Sanborn, NY, since 1977 has specialized in producing standard and special carbide cutting tools for the aerospace, automotive and medical sectors. A one-stop shop for standard tools, regrinds, and special tools made to customer requirements, Myles has grown by investing in new machines and high quality equipment.

A PROFIMAT MC 607 5-axis CNC grinding machine manufactured by Blohm Jung GmbH in Germany has been supplied in close cooperation with UK agent, J.R.A. Bennett Ltd, at The University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Center (AMRC) with Boeing. It follows a rigorous tender process that involved evaluating hundreds of parameters and included grinding trials at the machine builder's factory in Hamburg.