While using a single cutting fluid to machine and grind all workpiece materials may not be economically feasible, many machine shops can reduce their number of metalworking fluids.
Holding large workpieces, especially heavy ones, requires parts manufacturers be more mindful of workholder and machine tool limits than they have to be with smaller workpieces. Also, shops may need to improvise when a conventional workholder can't secure a large workpiece.
Read CTE's Fifth Biennial Salary Survey to learn which positions are earning more and how much more since the 2006 survey, which positions are earning less and how much less, and how benefit packages have changed.
Grinding round HSS cutting tools can be more efficient than milling them. Being able to dress new hybrid metal/polyimide-bond wheels on the grinder adds to the efficiency.
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.
Generation Y workers are a different bunch, and many may be reluctant to work in manufacturing. To recruit them, companies first must understand what makes Gen-Yers tick.
Learn when to apply motorized, hand-held drills; fine-toothed, diamond-cut routers; compression routers and veined PCD tools to machine composite materials.
Drag finishing—fixturing parts and dragging them through abrasive media—can prevent part-to-part contact, achieve tight edge tolerances, impart fine finishes and be used on parts with a number of characteristics: delicate, high value, complex geometries and multiple contours.
High-speed, vibration-free endmilling of aluminum workpieces requires cutting tools with certain features and requires certain types of toolholders. Also, it can be aided by cutting strategies.
Reliably drilling high-quality holes in ductile cast iron requires understanding the material's structure, avoiding problems such as core shifting, keeping machining temperatures down and other considerations.
Thinking about and managing the risks of operating a job shop and machining parts is a straightforward process when using tools such as risk matrices and Failure Mode and Effects Analysis.
