Special projects
Challenging Swiss-style machining jobs can require specialty collets or novel applications of standard workholding.
Topic
Testing & Quality Assurance
Small runs, big benefits
Process monitors—either vibration or digitally based—help parts manufacturers save money and ensure quality on small production runs.
Burr tabs
The cost of burrs in manufacturing are surprisingly high. Tracking and reducing costs or--better yet--minimizing burr formation can improve productivity.
Wind Power Parts
As wind power makes significant inroads into the energy-generation infrastructure, machining wind turbine parts provides opportunities for diversification and growth.
Grinding: A pictorial odyssey
An examination of the grinding process through the lens of an electron microscope.
How far have we come with quality?
Improvements in inspection equipment and techniques have evolved dramatically over the years.
SURFCAM Velocity 4 for HSM
January 2009 Get With The Program column
Holemaking operations
January 2009 Shop Operations column
Mobile Metrology
Portable coordinate measuring machines provide unprecedented flexibility, plus cost savings.
Small Engines, Big Performance
Honing an engine's cylinder bores enhances their geometry, surface finish and dimensional accuracy, improving their fit and alignment with pistons and thereby increasing the engine's life and power density while decreasing its vibration, friction and emissions.
Alluring Deburring
Magnetic abrasive finishing can deburr and create highly polished, smooth surface finishes. It can also remove microcracks, recast metal, metallurgical phase changes, visible scratches and damaging residual stresses.
Hard Tools for a Fine Finish
Superhard finishing tools may benefit machined parts via finer surface finishes, greater wear resistance and harder, stronger microstructures. Also, some of the tools can last longer than their conventional counterparts.