Articles & Columns

The Shop Operations column in the June issue of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine stresses importance of understanding material elongation and thickness.

Dr. Jeffrey Badger, Cutting Tool Engineering magazine's Ask the Grinding Doc columnist, helps you make sense of nonsensical grinding parameters and achieving final depth when ID grinding in his June column.

The use of plastic medical parts is growing, and in certain applications machining them is advantageous and even essential.

Bringing inspection technology to the shop floor for quality control can pay big dividends.

Reamers are an effective option for hole finishing, but choosing the right one for the job depends on hole type and diameter, among other factors.

CTE Editorial Director Alan Rooks ponders the good news about U.S. manufacturing of late.

The June Machine Technology column in Cutting Tool Engineering covers selecting and maintaining preload in spindle bearings.

END USER: Genesis Attachments, (715) 395-5252, https://www.genesisattachments.com. CHALLENGE: Increase productivity when machining high-strength steel jaws and other components for recycling and demolition equipment. SOLUTION: Implementing new cutting tools and high-speed machining based on lean manufacturing principles. SOLUTION PROVIDERS: Northwest Wisconsin Manufacturing Outreach Center, (866) 880-2262, https://www.nwmoc.uwstout.edu; Walter USA LLC, (800) 945-5554, https://www.walter-tools.com/us

END USER: Fulflo Specialties Inc., (937) 783-2411, www.fulflo.com. CHALLENGE: Increase tool life in back spotfacing of stainless steel hydraulic relief valve bodies. SOLUTION: Custom tool for difficult-to-machine workpiece materials. SOLUTION PROVIDER: Heule Tool Corp., (513) 860-9900, www.heuletool.com

Machinist's Corner columnist Michael Deren cautions others not to take their hearing for granted in the May 2011 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine.

Cold forming is a fast, chipless way to make parts.

The Get With The Program column for the May 2011 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering looks at designing cutting tools using finite element analysis.

Developments in superabrasive grinding wheels for producing ceramic balls.

Various edge preparations are available for PCBN inserts when hard turning, but not all are equal.

Adjustable finish boring heads allow for a range of diameters to be machined with one tool. Finish boring can take some time but achieves tight hole tolerance and fine surface finish requirements. And if a fine finish and tight tolerance are not required, rough boring might suffice.

The Shop Operations column from the May 2011 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering addresses the importance of identifying workpiece materials with sight and touch.

END USER: Highland Products Corp., (440) 352-4777, www.highlandproducts.com. CHALLENGE: Reduce setup time when employing high-pressure coolant for Swiss-style machining. SOLUTION: A through-coolant Swiss-style toolholder that directs coolant over the insert to the tool/workpiece interface. SOLUTION PROVIDER: Streamliner & Associates Inc., (814) 440-1548, www.streamlinertools.com

END USER: Alpha Machining and Grinding Inc., (704) 871-2183, www.alphamachiningandgrinding.com. CHALLENGE: Achieve cost savings through multiple process improvements. SOLUTION: Magnetic workholding and variable-index, variable-helix endmills. SOLUTION PROVIDERS: Alpha Workholding Solutions, (877) 217-6900, www.alphaworkholding.com; CGC Tools Inc., (866) 888-9600, www.cgctool.com; Turning Concepts, (704) 849-9209, www.turningconcepts.com

The Machine Technology column in the May 2011 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering suggests that maximum spindle speed may not be the best option.

Five-axis machining on a vertical machining center doesn't have to be complicated.