Industry News

While the latest data on cutting tool orders shows a decline, orders appear to have “found a bottom” and tool suppliers look to the future with the release of a multitude of new tooling, workholding, machine tools and accessories into the marketplace.

The fourth Industrial Revolution promises new efficiencies and productivity gains for manufacturers. Machine tool suppliers are integrating Industry 4.0 capabilities and software companies that are providing powerful new tools such as those that utilize artificial intelligence. CAM software from ESPIRIT from DP Technology offers features to drive production improvement.

Whether operators use neat oils or water-miscible coolants in wet cutting machine tools or tool grinding machines, the coolants are subject to heavy contamination. VOMAT technology offers a variety of clean coolant technology to solve this problem and produce better cuts.

Omni Aerospace needed to produce large, flight-ready parts within strict design tolerances and surface finishes in a time-sensitive manner. Starrag's Ecospeed F1540 machining centers fit the bill.

When considering upgrading a cylindrical grinding process from a conventional vitrified aluminum oxide or ceramic wheel to Vitrified cBN (VitcBN), there are 5 main reasons that can help justify the use of cBN over conventional abrasive grains. 

Sam Roberts has more than two decades of experience in programming and manual and CNC skills, but still remembers the day in 1999 when he was introduced to Mastercam CAD/CAM software (CNC Software Inc., Tolland, Connecticut).  As a machinist proficient in G-code, Roberts was impressed with the software.

In 1928, a precision optics machine arrived on U.S. shores on a ship from Europe. The SIP MP4 machine, serial number 88, was bound for its new home at the General Electric plant in Lynn, Massachusetts, a town located 14 miles northeast of Boston. Today, it is home at the U.S. offices of Starrag in Hebron, Kentucky.

Fastems Group will host an online Open House & Conference entitled "Productivity Beyond Machine Tending" that will showcase the latest developments in automation and surrounding technologies.

Utilizing the NVision 3D HandHeld laser scanner, a Texas job shop was able to produce highly precise, custom roof racks.

The F-35 Lightning is one of the most complex and lethal combat fighter jets in the world, and this machine is constructed with thousands of precision components. Starrag machinery are used to produce some of the most complex components on these precision jets.

Contract programming houses are an excellent resource for shops with overloaded programming departments, a troublesome project, or are venturing into five-axis territory for the first time. Ron Branch, vice-president of 5th Axis CG Inc. shared valuable insights about machining optimization with Gene Granata, Vericut product manager at CGTech.

The main driver of business sustainability goals is to make an impact on the environment. Another benefit is the economic value of implementing sustainable actions. Can businesses save money, and protect the planet? Sandvik thinks so.

When it comes to designing, CAD software has its place, but purchasing and maintaining multiple CAD licenses can be expensive. Kisters offers a solution for supplying CAD to multiple users.

The Bell Helicopter Drive Systems Center (DSC) in Arlington, Texas, can never be confused with anything “little.” It’s a huge facility, filled with the latest milling, drilling, and boring technologies. In fact, some newly installed equipment is making some of the company's biggest components in its history. 

Industrial automation is changing the way cutting tool manufacturers operate. Machines can take on the heavy lifting at each stage of production letting workers get on with less repetitive tasks. And while automation may sound costly and complex to implement, it’s not reserved just for big business.

Laser technology was developed in the mid-20th century, and over the decades has emerged as a leading processing method for a broad range of applications. One of the newest uses is for high precision laser micromachining.

The metal machining, fabrciation and finishing industries must meet EPA and local wastewater requirements for effluent. Under the Clean Water Act, the EPA has identified 65 pollutants and classes of pollutants as “toxic pollutants,” of which 126 specific substances have been designated “priority” toxic pollutants. Failing to meet these requirements can result in severe fines that quickly escalate.

To contact or not to contact. That is the measurement question. Today,  as parts get smaller and more complex, metrology discussions center around contact or non-contact measurement especially as these smaller and more complex components can be damaged by contact with a probe. 

Schunk, a premium tooling and resharpening company in Germany, utilizes state-of-the-art grinding systems and an ANCA workflow RFID system to finish job packets in a chaotic fashion driven by production needs rather than by job order.

The US cutting tool manufacturer McQuade Industries Inc. has implemented a CNC upgrade program for its roster of 5-axis insert grinders, and the upgrades shaved more than ten minutes per part off the production time of complex geometry cutting tools.