Articles & Columns

Efficiently remove scale from the bearing surface of a high-volume, 9310 alloy steel part. A custom diamond honing tool.

Confirm toolpath programming is free of errors. NC program simulation and verification software.

The Look Ahead department in the April 2013 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine leads off with a look at a through-coolant, shrink-fit chuck.

A telescoping ball bar is a simple, but useful device that provides a quick and inexpensive way to characterize machine tool errors.

If an employee makes up his mind to borrow or take something without permission, chances are he'll get away with it, cautions the Manager's Desk column in the April 2013 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine.

Resurface scratched and rusted cylinder barrels in-house. A tube hone machine.

The Workholding column in the April 2013 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine shares the story of a shop facing a machining requirement for finishing small die-cast aluminum engine covers.

In last month's column, the Shop Technology column observed that chip thinning is one of the key concepts programmers and machinists should understand. Presented in this month's column is further discussion about how chip thinning can enhance productivity.

Tracking down the right tool turns a nightmare job into a dream at AB CNC Services & Consulting. Just ask company president Andy Baczynski.

The Look Ahead department in the April 2013 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering also looks at a mechatronic cutting tool for large back counterboring and back spotfacing applications.

Anybody with half a brain can immediately see the usefulness of computer-controlled equipment. The ability of a machine to telescope the work processes so they run in parallel instead of series can turn a single machinist into a one-person army.

Machined metal parts require packaging to protect them in demanding handling, shipping and storage situations, including humid and outdoor environments. Part makers need be aware of how to protect their parts so their hard work is not lost to corrosion or damage.

A collection of workholding products compiled by the editors of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine.

Achieve tight-tolerance requirements when producing microtools. Grinding machines designed to produce microtools.

Dynamic and aggressive cutting tool demonstrations are common at trade shows. Toolmakers present phenomenal displays, where chips spark and fly and machines move at feed rates that seem impossible. In other words, they demonstrate high-speed machining.

The process of displacing metal instead of cutting it is called many things. But whether they call it form tapping, cold form tapping, thread forming, cold roll forming, roll forming, thread rolling, roll tapping or cold roll tapping, many metalworking professionals are unfamiliar with it, according to Peter Gennuso, applications engineering supervisor for OSG Tap & Die Inc., Glendale Heights, Ill.

Thermal compensation of a coordinate measuring machine's principle structural components and the part being measured helps ensure measuring accuracy over an extended temperature range when the CMM is installed outside of a temperature-controlled area. Such a temperature-compensation system is comprised of temperature sensors and cabling running through the machine to its controller. The more sensors there are the more accurate the system, but these cables can cause mechanical issues and will eventually fray or break because of the constant CMM motion.

My recent past has, unfortunately, included the passing away of several acquaintances, one only 38 years old. I also read an obituary in the local paper about a machinist we formerly employed, a man only in his 50s.\r\nIn addition, an employee's wife was diagnosed with cancer, completely changing his priorities. Around this same time, my youngest brother had a medical scare, and my mother fell in her backyard and broke a shoulder, requiring a 4-week recovery and making it almost impossible for her to take care of her 90-year-old mother.\r\nThese events have brought a sobering degree of reality into my life. That is, the realization that time marches on for everyone and, eventually, something unexpected will impact our lives and our businesses.

Several weeks ago, my wife and I attended a dinner party at her sister's home. One of the guests heard I was in manufacturing and introduced himself. He's 48, married and has five children and a mortgage. He's a pleasant individual, and we spoke about his trials and tribulations over the last few years. He lost his job during the Great Recession and has since been struggling to find a steady job. Unemployment checks and odd jobs, as well as assistance from their church and friends, have helped his family muddle along. His experience is in customer service and sales.

Overcoming a bottleneck caused when programming different machine tools with various CAD/CAM systems. A single CAD/CAM system that can program multiple machine brands.