Milling

Getting a grip on bench work.

END USER: MSI Corp., (724) 567-6500, www.msicorporation.com. CHALLENGE: Effectively cut a large amount of material on older machines without damaging cutting tools. SOLUTION: A milling cutter tooled with inserts that enable a large DOC at a low horsepower. SOLUTION PROVIDER: Sandvik Coromant Co., (800) SANDVIK, www.sandvik.coromant.com/us

Shop Operations column for the October 2011 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine urges shops to remember to file. Don't overlook filing.

The Shop Operations column in the December 2011 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine offers some tips when sawing metal.

Thinking about taking the leap into milling hardened steels? Why would you? After all, if your shop has been successfully grinding, jig boring and EDMing hardened materials, why change?

Shop Operations columnist, Tom Lipton, discusses the issue of safety when workers transport sheet metal in the January 2012 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering.

In the olden days, riggers were the guys on the ground placing slings and chains around the object to be moved while the crane operator waited for their signals to begin lifting. Today, rigging in a small shop falls to the guys standing closest to the equipment when something needs to be moved.

END USER: Thortex Inc., (503) 654-5726, www.thortexinc.com. CHALLENGE: Maximize tool life and reliability when threading cobalt chrome. SOLUTION: Replace solid-carbide taps with high-performance thread mills. SOLUTION PROVIDER: OSG Tap & Die Inc., (800) 837-2223, www.osgtool.com.

Significant progress in metalworking productivity most often results from the combined efforts of toolmakers, machine tool builders and software developers. Plunge, or Z-axis, milling is a good example.

Shop Operations: The manual lathe is the cornerstone of any machine shop because almost all shop workers find themselves working on one when they start. The manual lathe has been called the "king of machines," for good reason. Some can be enormous; you can bet that if you need a forklift and a ladder to put a tool bit in the machine, some fun is bound to happen.