Articles & Columns

Mitsubishi Electric Automation "has created a revolutionary leap" with its stand-along M80W CNC, which features a Windows-based display that is separate from the control unit.

This article provides basic information about the coatings and processes used to coat cutting tools, dies, wear parts and other components. HSS, carbide, tool steels and stainless steels are among the most commonly coated materials.

END USER: Ansco Machine Co., (330) 929-8181, www.ansco-machine.com. SOLUTION PROVIDER: DP Technology Corp., (800) 627-8479, www.espritcam.com. CHALLENGE: More efficiently program large mill-turn vertical turret lathes. SOLUTION: CAM software that can program complex mill-turn parts using subprograms.

While milling has gone high performance, the newest machining centers at your shop were installed when Bill Clinton was president, and the oldest one still uses paper tape. So how might you benefit from emerging high-tech milling strategies?

When prompted by requests from customers for products that their existing manufacturing supply chains were not producing, Dan Olsen made the leap into manufacturing.

A shop asks CTE's Grinding Doc about taper that shows up when cylindrical-OD grinding. The shop seeks advice to mitigate the problem.

OEMs and other manufacturers frequently require special machines for production and assembly purposes. About half of Coldwater Machine Co.’s business involves building those machines, but few off-the-shelf components are available. Therefore, Coldwater machines the components in-house at its 132,500-sq.-ft. manufacturing facility in Coldwater, Ohio. And, many of the parts are large.

Finding ways to meet, interface with and show appreciation for customers and vendors can help any business. With Spring, and the hope of nicer weather upon us, CTE Manager's Desk columnist Keith Jennings is eager to leverage the season for promotional and “we appreciate you” events, such as luncheons and open houses.

Many companies fail to recognize the benefit of having well-designed, effective training programs, despite a proven track record for improving the skills and morale of employees and increasing the flexibility and bottom line of a company.

When productivity decreases, some leaders assume that machinists are not adequately doing their jobs. After all, they directly operate the machines. Before jumping to this conclusion, however, ask if you are being fair to these skilled workers who are the backbone of the manufacturing industry.

Water Jet Sweden recently introduced the FAWJ Micro Head package for shops that use the company's standard machines and want to make highly precise, narrow cuts that don’t need to meet extremely tight tolerances.

With its release of new tool bodies and inserts, Walter USA LLC significantly expands its cutter family for milling large threads, the T2711/T2712 system.

What about the less obvious threats to worker safety? How do you take those elements into account? To address this concern, the shop where CTE's Machinist's Corner columnist works uses a system of unsafe acts or conditions tickets (UACTs).

END USER: Backerworks Manufacturing LLC, (505) 342-2943, www.backerworks.com. SOLUTION PROVIDERS: Axis Machine Services LLC, (505) 206-2726, www.axismachineservices.com; Houghton International Inc., (800) 666-4684, www.houghtonintl.com. CHALLENGE: Reduce the amount of coolant makeup and the sticky coolant film that forms on machine surfaces. SOLUTION: A soluble-oil metalworking fluid for multiple-metal machining and grinding.

Before bringing abrasive waterjetting in-house, shops should know it is a deceptively simple process that demands a great deal of thought, effort and planning to ensure a reasonably quick return on investment and increase in operational productivity.

As demand grows for finer surface finishes and tolerance specifications become tighter—and competition continues to intensify—parts manufacturers are adopting advanced fluid filtration technologies to achieve their machining and grinding goals.

The use of aluminum molds for production molding applications is the “biggest trend I’m seeing in moldmaking,” said a longtime manufacturer of cutting tools.

When programmed to follow optimal CAM toolpaths and matched to a machine tool’s capability, expensive cutting tools engineered for high efficiency may offer total-cost-and-performance results that are significantly better than lower-cost cutting tools.

With respect to the norms of the 19th century, Kate Gleason was way ahead of her time. In honor of Women’s History Month, CTE remembers groundbreaker Catherine “Kate” Anselm Gleason (1865-1933). During the restrictive culture of her time, she helped shape the global cutting tools industry as a sales engineer for her family’s gear cutting machinery business. 

Machine maintenance goes soft(ware).The stakes are much higher today for machine maintenance. Shops must be more proactive, and aim to optimize every operational aspect of their CNC equipment.