Cutting Tool Engineering Editor Alan Richter sat down with Carlos Cardoso, the chairman, president and CEO of Kennametal Inc., at the recent IMTS 2008 show in Chicago. The 7-minute report addresses Kennametal's goals for diversification and expansion globally, and how that has impacted the company's worldwide sales. Cardoso also notes tht Kennametal will continue co-development tools with others because that's what's best for customers.
Cutting Tool Engineering Contributing Editor Bill Kennedy offers a video supplement to the October cover story, which looked at how small shops are taking advantage of big opportunities by making military parts.
Cutting Tool Engineering Editor Alan Richter's September cover story, titled "Smart Weighting," takes a close look at the practice of "lightweighting." In short, automakers are switching from mild steel and iron to components made of lower weight materials. The article focuses on incorporating parts machined from aluminum and advanced high-strength steels, specifically microalloy steels, including those cut from solid workpieces and near-net shapes.
As the Northeast U.S. representative for SARIX microEDM equipment, Leer Technologies Inc., Claverack, N.Y., spent the better part of EASTEC 2008 showing off the newest features of the SARIX-200 3D MicroEDM Milling machine. Cutting Tool Engineering spent a few minutes with Graham Ruck, sales/applications manager for Leer, at EASTEC this past spring to get a brief overview and demonstration of the microEDM milling machine.
Don Nelson, publisher of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine, recently sat down with two Sandvik Coromant representatives to learn more about the company's outlook and strategy for the aerospace market, its new CoroMill products and why the company puts such an emphasis on its partnership with end users. Interviewed are Brian Norris, vice president of marketing, and Chris Mills, aerospace development-North America and the company's national portfolio manager.
Adam J. Wayne, a sales/engineering representative with Laser Marking Technologies, takes a few minutes to chat with Cutting Tool Engineering during the EASTEC show this spring. Laser Marking Technologies, which has more than 30 years of combined experience in the laser marking arena, offers complete turn-key systems for permanent marking on carbide, HSS, Stainless, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, glass, crystal, man-made rock, wood and laser-friendly plastics.
Cutting Tool Engineering captured a brief demonstration of the FI 240 CC high-speed wire EDM machine at the GF AgieCharmille booth during the EASTEC show this spring.
Daniel Dean, national sales manager for Tsugami USA, explains the features of the Tsugami newest Swiss-turn machine, the SS32, during a brief demonstration captured on video during EASTEC 2008 by Cutting Tool Engineering. The Swiss-turn machine offers 32mm capacity, as well as a unique modular tool zone, increased capability over previous gang type models, and a roomier tool zone for easier setup, Dean reports in this 4 minute and 38 second video report.
Some coatings, such as TiAlN, enable dry machining when drill ductile cast iron, but coolant is desirable to help evacuate the material's small, curled chips. Flood coolant can be appropriate for holes less than 1.5 to 2 diameters deep, according to Bob Jennings, product manager for Ingersoll Cutting Tools, Rockford, Ill. Jennings noted that the toolmaker offers standard Qwik-Twist replaceable-point drills to drill up to 8 diameters deep.
Captured on video at EASTEC 2008, the Milltronics TT24 uses an integrated twin table machining center that Sales Engineer Craig Fostersays will keep CNC operators busy. Foster takes the CTE Plus video crew on a 3 minute and 15 second tour and demonstration of the TT24. The system features a fully integrated twin pallet machine with a unique design requiring no pallet removal, an inline spindle design—24 hp standard—and conversational programming with the Milltronics Centurion control.
Travis Biggs, applications engineer, technical service, for Greenleaf Corp., offers the nitty gritty on the tools used in this 1 minute and 40 second video featuring a 5/8" ball nose tool followed by the company's Extreme Feed Mill 1" dia., 4-tooth cutting tool.
Acoustic emission (AE) sensors detect ultrasonic sound waves emitted when the grinding wheel contacts a part or the dressing wheel and send that information to a process control unit. Monitoring the sound waves and comparing them with reference values allows operators to control the grinding and dressing processes. Variations in acoustic emissions indicate changes in cutting forces, which can then be modified. Some AE sensors are stationary while others rotate with the wheels.
With so much of the news focused on manufacturing lost to China, India and elsewhere, Illinois ProTurn is growing, doubling in size, says Dan Lamz, president of the McHenry, Ill., shop. The majority of the shop's work is in the plastic injection mold industry, and Lamz says the company's forté is hard turning. View the video above to learn more about Illinois ProTurn's success and its ability to produce tight tolerance parts over and over again.
Western Oklahoma job shop Kos Machine LLC makes it a point to help out local farmers. Follow along as Kos repairs an old Case tractor in this video slide show.
Though ITI Tooling Co. Inc. introduced the Varia Rapid-Change Tooling System some four years ago, the company's product manager—Lee Hebenstreit—says word of this technology has not yet spread throughout the markets it could help. That's why the company produced a 22-second video showing the Varia tool changing system in action.
Greenleaf Corp. introduced its WG-300 ceramic composite tool material about 25 years ago. The ceramic matrix is reinforced with silicon-carbide "whiskers” that boost toughness. Initially applied in the relatively constant cutting conditions of turning operations, the composite tools provided a significant increase in productivity when roughing aerospace alloys. Shops are now using WG-300 tools in hard milling operations.
Interrupted turning is common in aero-engine machining, said Sean Holt, aerospace specialist for Sandvik Coromant Co., Fair Lawn, N.J. There, a complete, finished component is machined out of a single, large block of material (most commonly Inconel 718) in several process stages that involve accurately removing a vast amount of material to meet strict parameters for the finished part's dimensions and characteristics. Sandvik Coromant claims to have cutting tools and machining methods that greatly improve aerospace component manufacturing.
