People & Companies

Engineered coating combinations control heat and keep chips flying in dry-drilling operations.

October 2009 Manager's Desk column

Produced as an online complement to the October 2009 Productive Times article in Cutting Tool Engineering, this brief video looks at Myles Tool's decision to use a wheel truing machine from Rush Machinery.

Because high-speed steel inserts can bend without breaking, they are an effective choice for select applications.

Even low-volume operations producing many different parts can benefit from lights-out production.

In addition to handling prototype and production machining, R.E.F. Precision Products LLC, Deer Park, N.Y., provides engineering and productivity consulting services.

As an owner or manager of a machining business, you have your hands full dealing with matters from the front office to the shop and everything in-between. Even so, nonproduction issues seem to be an increasing burden.

Who should perform spindle maintenance in machine shops?

Understanding tool geometry and selecting the right tap for different workpiece materials can help take the anxiety out of tapping operations.

Eagle Machine Inc., in Abbotsford, B.C., frequently takes on challenging jobs, such as modifying a diving bell for deep-sea submarine rescues or designing and machining a set of solid aluminum wheels for an 800-mph land speed car based on an F-104 jet aircraft. Owner Steve Green said, "People come to us with the craziest things because other people tell them, 'the only place you can go is Eagle Machine.' "

Cutting tool tests performed by vendors are an excellent resource, and I've used them many times.

Our shop uses several tools to help us communicate easier and more effectively. These methods are well-tested, readily available, cost-effective and, in my experience, underutilized by machine shops.n