Cutting Tool Engineering Magazine

Improved holemaking efficiency drives powertrain machining throughput; a qualified approach to machining complex, deep holes. PLUS:

• Improving productivity when changing cutting tools
• Advances in machine tool technology, tooling and software facilitate high-productivity milling strategies
• Advanced machine technology requires advanced training options
• “Do-it-yourself” route appealing to more dentists who install prostheses.

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

• Machining fiber-reinforced composite materials with fiber and other types of lasers can be an effective option
• Some part makers are bringing inspection technology to the shop floor for quality control—with good results
• Reamers are an effective option for hole finishing, but choosing the right one for the job depends on hole type, diameter and depth, among other factors
• Equipment and media options for cleaning automotive parts
• A novel approach to micromachining involves mounting the workpiece in the machine spindle and machining it with a stationary cutting tool mounted on the table.

Superabrasive wheels add science to the art of polishing; developments in superabrasive grinding wheels for producing ceramic balls; and various edge preparations are available for PCBN inserts when hard turning, but not all are equal. PLUS:

• 5-axis machining on a vertical machining center doesn’t have to be complicated
• Adjustable finish boring heads allow for a range of diameters to be machined with one tool
• Cold forming is a fast, chipless way to make parts.

Cavalier Tool uses a palletized machining center to reduce setup and benching times and bring outsourced hard milling work in-house. PLUS:

• Mass finishing parts at the machining center offers economic advantages
• Shop takes ‘systems’ approach to holding microparts
• Tactics and tools for Swiss-style machining
• Technical advances enable ceramic inserts to tackle difficult machining applications. 

Parts manufacturers are gearing up to serve the nuclear power industry, which is growing globally and expected to expand in the U.S. as well; Hunting Energy Services not only machines oil and gas drilling components—it assembles and repairs the tools that do the work. PLUS:

• Technology opens up new applications for small horizontal machining centers
• Using countersinking to increase part functionality
• Comparison between calculating cutting time when facing at a constant cutting speed vs. a constant rpm.

When it comes to milling aerospace parts made from Ti5553, difficulty is in the eye of the beholder. PLUS:

• Turning a lathe vertical can be a productivity turn for the better—for large and small parts
• CAM and simulation software packages enable productive programming of multitasking machines—particularly as they become ‘ultratasking’ machines
• Strategies for grinding HVOF-coated aerospace parts
• Learn details about the many new products manufacturers off er the metalworking industry.

Drilling stacked materials, which have alternating layers of composites and metals, requires a careful strategy and the right tools. PLUS:

• Simplified application of 5 machining axes produces big cost savings in routine part making
• With a structured cutting tool repair program, significant cost savings are realized while tool quality remains intact
• Boosting milling productivity requires an understanding of the process
• Tips and techniques that can turn a standard milling job into a work of art.

With the right tools, thread milling large bore diameters doesn’t have to be daunting; tapping isn’t easy and one of the toughest challenges is preventing oversized threads. New tools can help. PLUS:

• More flexible grinding machines allow part manufacturers to fine-tune their production processes
• Toolmakers combine technologies to meet growing demand for PCD tools
• Connectivity converts presetters into shopwide productivity boosters
• An out-of-level grinding machine can cause major operating and part quality problems—the good news is the solution is simple
• The metalworking industry trended up in 2010
• Learn about companies’ specialties as suppliers to the metalcutting industry.

New materials and improved part manufacturing help maintain and upgrade aging military aircraft. PLUS:

• Nanotechnology opens up new coating possibilities, performance
• Better technology boosts use of EDMs for production applications
• A look at portable measurement technologies and their applications
• It’s never been easier to recycle cutting tools, which produces both cost savings and environmental benefits
• Learn details about the many new products manufacturers offer the metalworking industry.

Machining P/M steels for auto parts is tough, but answers abound. PLUS:

• 5 shops use different lights-out machining strategies, but all are focused on creating stable processes
• Advancements in marking technology lead to lower integration costs and more benefits for the end user
• The real cost of a cutting tool
• Designing machine tools for cutting titanium—especially 5553
• Using accessories to maximize machine performance.

CTE’s 2010 Salary Survey looks at the wages for metalworking positions since the 2008 survey, and how benefit packages have changed. PLUS:

• Vacuum workholding is catching on in new and different applications
• Like the parts they thread, taps for oil and gas parts can be complicated
• Shops have many choices when texturing—rather than smoothing—part surfaces
• Multifunction groove/turn tools stretch shops’ definition of a grooving tool
• Metalworking fluids can play a significant role in boosting machining productivity when engineered to provide cooling and lubrication
• Tool combination is used to automate drilling, reaming and deburring of chamfered through-holes for jet-engine fasteners.

Several alternatives to mechanical drilling make sense when the application is right. PLUS:

• However you define them, extended-reach toolholders are indispensible in certain applications
• A new concept of calculating the required machining power when milling
• Advances in machine tool controls and software drive better maintenance methods
• When drilling, controlling runout is critical to maximize tool life and reduce cost per hole.