Machine Tool Attachments & Accessories

Productive Times challenge: Ensure there are no machining issues with a flexible manufacturing system. The solution: Machine simulation and optimization software.

Planning is critical when operating CNC machines. When I began machining, CNCs were just coming into mainstream use. The first shops I worked in had only conventional (manual) machines. It wasn't until the mid-1980s that I started to notice the incredible versatility of CNC machines. The complex contours and shapes the machines could generate made many jobs much easier. The use of templates to file and sweep in surfaces was rapidly becoming a thing of the past.

The benefits of creating and using a virtual machine tool. At trade shows and elsewhere, people on the cutting edge of manufacturing are touting the benefits of digitalizing the machine tool environment, where technologies are employed that make use of digital data. It's at the heart of the much-discussed drive toward Industry 4.0.

Whether done manually or with a powered device, scraping guide ways is critical to machine tool performance.

Haas Automation Inc. will host its semi-annual 4-day HaasTec open house at its Oxnard, Calif., headquarters March 17-20. The event will include machine demos, factory tours and a catered lunch, according to the company. The previous HaasTec in 2013 drew nearly 3,000 attendees from 44 countries, and the company expects this year's event to be even bigger.

The opening of the new facility included a traditional Japanese Kagami-Biraki ceremony, where a barrel of sake is broken open with wooden mallets. Several customers, dealership representatives, city officials, Shigiya employees and other invited guests were present for the event.

Check out this video report from Okuma to learn more about how the Ohio shop now is speeding up production by bringing in new Okuma machines.

Productive Times Challenge: Find a suitable toolholder to handle precision machining. The Solution: Shrink-fit chucks.

Productive Times Challenge: Reduce post-machining polishing time. The Solution: Tooling toolholder assemblies with high-torque retention knobs.

The October issue of Cutting Tool Engineering includes a Look Ahead item about an additively manufactured hydraulic chuck.

The Look Ahead department in the October issue of Cutting Tool Engineering features a high-speed spindle that reduces natural vibrations.

The end of manual machining isn't near. There are certain tasks you can do with conventional machines that CNC machines are just not good at, such as "blending," reports the October Shop Operations column in Cutting Tool Engineering magazine.