Articles & Columns

Laser-assisted sheet metal machining.

Choosing a multitask machine from a bewildering array of options can be challenging, but the right one can be a shop game changer.

New developments in superabrasive grinding wheels help eliminate the need for dressing them.

The January 2013 Manager's Desk column ponders what it takes to achieve your shop vision.

AMT's latest Global Forecasting & Manufacturing Conference found reasons for both caution and optimism.

The 'thickest' PVD coating for cutting tools.

Extend tool life and boost productivity when milling Inconel 718. A 6-flute endmill programmed to follow a trochoidal milling toolpath.

A fixturing system for enabling ceramic coatings to be efficiently deposited via cathodic arc evaporation.

Combustion components from Mitsubishi Power Systems had never been built outside of Japan until Savannah Machinery Works opened its doors in November 2010. We were in the unique and challenging position of having to develop every manufacturing process from scratch while maintaining a tight production schedule.

Dear Doc: I grind fine threads into hardened stainless steel with a fine-mesh aluminum-oxide wheel. The threads are 0.8mm deep in a 5mm-dia. ID. There are three threads per part. This operation just chews through the wheel, and I get only one part before I have to dress a 0.2mm depth in my 4mm-dia. wheel. What am I doing wrong? 

The moving elements of a machine tool have mass. Forces from the actuators cause the masses to move and accelerate. As the speed of the machine tool motion increases, the ability of the actuators to cause acceleration becomes more important.

Lightweight and easy-to-program robotic arms.

END USER: 1-866-Dial-EDM, (866) DIAL-EDM, 1866dialedm.com. CHALLENGE: Produce a high volume of 0.006"-dia., 1/16"-deep blind-holes in an exotic material. SOLUTION: An EDM drill. SOLUTION PROVIDERS: Britton Machinery Sales Inc., (585) 241-3267; GF AgieCharmilles, (800) 282-1336, www.us.gfac.com

END USER: David Buchberger, (585) 208-7382, www.hispeedcorp.com. CHALLENGE: Efficiently machine lightweight components for an “extreme” racecar. SOLUTION: High-performance cutting tools, including a drill and endmill. SOLUTION PROVIDER: WIDIA Products Group and Services, (724) 539-5000, www.widia.com

END USER: Continental Motors Inc., (800) 718-3411, www.genuinecontinental.aero. CHALLENGE: Boost productivity when rough and finish milling cast aluminum crankcases. SOLUTION: PCD-tipped, cartridge-type facemills. SOLUTION PROVIDER: Ingersoll Cutting Tools, (866) 690-1859, www.ingersoll-imc.com

The combination of rigid machine tool and strong spindle connection is ideal for cutting titanium.

Similar to a multitask machine, a machine tool that combines ID and OD grinding enables producing a part in one chucking.

In my August column, I described several common applications for workholding when turning, where the cutting tool is static and the workpiece spins. There are several standard workholders for turning, which were illustrated.

Manufacturing faces more uncertainty than usual in 2013, but the year ahead could be a good one.

A machine shop can become a messy place if you don’t stay on top of it. If you’ve visited other shops, you’ve probably observed what I’ve seen over the years—a few that are spotless and well-maintained, and others that look like a cave, with little thought or care given to the work environment. Most shops are somewhere in between. We maintain a decent shop, which consists of machining and fabrication departments in separate areas, but it takes constant effort to keep it that way.