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A survey of nine forward-looking machine shops engaged in prototyping and manufacturing was conducted to find out their owners' Christmas wish lists. The wishes ranged from the reinstatement of investment tax credits to an international data-exchange system to more machinists and programmers. The companies include Forest City Gear, South Shore Tool and Die, 3-Dimensional Services, Leelanau Industries, Spacesonic Precision Sheet Metal, Sekely Industries and Force Technology., It's December; Christmas is around the corner. This is a season of optimism for some, pessimism for others, but a very good manufacturing economy for jest about everybody. Many shops [...]

A tooling standardization program doubled the production rate of the milling operations at Richardson Manufacturing of Springfield, IL. The job shop, which makes cast steel and iron construction equipment parts, shifted to modular tooling components from one supplier to reduce its tooling inventory from 250 carbide inserts to 50 carbide inserts. According to Wes Hilligoss, plant manager, the move led to a 50% reduction in cutting set-up time and $140,000 annual savings in inventory costs., By restricting all milling operations to a limited number of carbide inserts and by adopting modular tooling components for its machining centers, this shop reduced both tool inventory costs as [...]

Spindle collisions happen, despite various strategies to prevent them or limit the damage they cause. This damage can be costly. An expensive cutting tool and holder may be ruined; a [...]

Quickly and precisely drilling small holes in very hard material is a strength of the electrical discharge machining (EDM) process. A long, slender electrode (0.015 inch in diameter or smaller) [...]

The particular capabilities of cylindrical grinding have made the process a choice of last resort among metalworking machine operators despite the advantages of newer processes such as hard turning. It is only the grinding process that permits the achievement of a specific dimensional accuracy and surface quality. However, to attain this goal, an unusual degree of grinding capability is used which is otherwise known as precision grinding., Precision grinding. What is it? Why is it important? How are precision grinders different from other grinders? Should you be doing precision grinding? These are timely questions. As the capabilities [...]

The International Manufacturing Technology Show held in Chicago, IL, featured revolutionary designs for the machine tool market. The US, which recorded the highest growth in worldwide machine tool production, led other countries in making more innovative, efficient, fast and reliable machines. A new concept calle dopen architecture has also been introduced in computer numerical controls in various degrees to upgrade processing., IMTS 94 was, by all accounts, a huge commercial success. Even more, history may view it as the seminal event for a new generation of CNC machine tools. Any way [...]

Howmedica Inc. decided to adopt electrical discharge machining technology for designing its instruments for orthopedic surgery. EDM supports fast production speed and accuracy, while at the same time allowing for flexibility so that instruments can be designed to suit the customized needs of surgeons. However, Howmedica officials initimate that they achieved better results by assigning only specialist EDM operators to the EDM department., Wire EDM gave one of Howmedica's focused factories the speed, accuracy and flexibility it needed to achieve critical objectives in the company's strategy for winning in the highly competitive market [...]

Major Tool and Machine Inc. has succeeded in the welding business because of a potent combination of having top notch people, equipment, and research and development. Major Tool and Machine welds various materials such as exotic alloys and steel. In addition, the company performs welding services which others cannot accomplish. The firm also believes in providing the customer with what he wants. Every job shop should have more than one dimension to survive and develop in a competitive environment., For this shop, world-class machining performed in a world-class CIM environment isn't enough. What really sets this shop apart is its world-class welding capability. Almost every job shop is being [...]

Carbide inserts have traditionally been produced by precision grinding, which gives them their cutting edge and final dimensions. However, inserts can now be molded, resulting in a wider range of geometric designs to improve cutting actions. For example, inserts with helical edges can be used with a freer cutting action at low cutting forces. This design will also produce a positive rake, facilitating chip removal from the cutting area. Some new tooling tactics for new insert designs are presented., It's hard to mill shoulders that have straight flat sidewalls with inserts that have straight flat edges, but the helical edges on these square inserts cut them squarely. Carbide inserts [...]

Pratt and Whitney, a maker of turbine cases for jet engines, boosted its efficiency by effecting a cultural change and minimizing its work-in-process inventory. These were evident during a 1993 tour of its machine shops in Middletown, CT by Northwest Airlines Inc' Tom Montijo and Dennis Anderson. They also convinced the two to implement synchronous manufacturing principles at Northwest's engine shops in Atlanta, GA. Such a strategy proved successful as the company's outside work rose from zero to 27 engines by the end of 1993., Shifting focus from efficiency to making money changed forever the way one Northwest Airlines machine shop does business. Now the shop is bringing in third-party work and generating revenue instead [...]

Primeway Tool and Engineering pioneered the use of electrical discharge machines (EDM) for making molds 35 years ago. Since then, the 25-head mold shop in Madison Heights, MI, has learned the value of precision electrode manufacturing, integrated tooling, flushing and worker training. The company, which supplies molds to several industries, also constructs its own EDMs or modifies standard machines. It offers wire, ram and small-hole EDM jobs., This job shop's experience with EDM goes back 35 years. And this long experience is one of the main reasons why the shop has managed to stay ahead. Primeway Tool [...]

Sekely Industries Inc translates its commitment to produce low-cost high-quality work into 'no-handwork machining' of die surfaces at its 200-head shop in Salem, OH. The company banks on numerical control programming, direct numerical control and tooling strategies to support its state-of-the-art milling machines which includes a new five-axis Rambaudi bridge mill. The company, which was founded in 1944, received a Platinum Pentastar Award from Chrysler in 1993., This die shop has virtually eliminated benchwork on many of the automotive stamping dies it produces, thanks to its high-speed machining capability. They call it 'no-handwork machining' at Sekely Industries. [...]

By magnifying the image of a workpiece and projecting that image against a template that magnifies a profile of the part's design, the traditional optical comparator magnifies the ability of [...]

Because the ability to make deep holes effectively and efficiently is critical in many applications, deep hole technology is one of the most highly developed sectors in metalworking. It covers [...]

Interest in large machine tools continues to grow in the United States and elsewhere in North America, especially because oversized workpieces are prevalent in the wind turbine, airframe, oilfield and [...]

LeBlond Makino Machine Tool Co has developed the technology for carrying out finish grinding and machining operations on a single computer-numerical-controlled machining center. This has led the machine tool maker to enhance grinding capabilities and consistency, improve efficiency and lower leadtimes during the manufacture of metal parts. However, precise process engineering is required for both operations to be integrated., One machine tool builder is using grinding tools on a machining center to finish-grind workpieces. This concept has many attractive benefits, but it calls for the kind of careful engineering [...]

The EDM '93 conference held last Sept 1993 at the Rosemont Convention Center underscored the growing significance of the use of electrical discharge machining in the tool-manufacturing process. Conference speakers discussed its applications, maintenance procedures and the current trends in the industry. The exhibit showcased several machines produced by builders from the US, Germany, Japan and Europe. Meanwhile, other topics discussed in the conference included the use of Stereolithography in ram electrode production and the laws dealing with EDM's environmental and safety issues., EDM '93, the conference and show devoted exclusively to electrical discharge machining, gave strong indications that EDM is no longer perceived as just a tool-making process, but as one of [...]

The pump manufacturing company ITT Bell and Gossett of Morton Grove, IL, has implemented focused factory assessment methods as a means of streamlining and improving production. Upgrades of the company's Mid-Range Pump Factory were made using the said method. The focused factory strategy includes the education of workers in such areas as blueprint reading, geometrical tolerancing and statistical process controls. Workers were also asked to participate in the development and design of work environments., New turning and machining centers provide the manufacturing muscle for this company's 'focused factory' program, but a well-trained, re-trained workforce also gives it new strength. There comes a time in [...]

Hyde Tools is a manufacturer of hand and industrial tools. This company stands out in the metalworking industry because of its implementation of a pollution prevention plan which involves an ultrafiltration system for the recycling of wash water and the minimization of solid wastes from a vibratory finishing process. This approach demonstrates the practicality and viability of balancing environmental concerns with commercial considerations., Mission: Find a metal working company with the right attitude about the environment, a company that believes it is important to protect air, water, and the earth and is taking [...]

When programming roughing routines to mill a contoured pocket, the usual concept is to employ a big cutter, use its full diameter to sweep out the material at a Z-level [...]

Earlier this summer, I had along talk with Dale Hill, applications engineer at Greenleaf Corp., the cutting tool manufacturer in Saegertown, Pennsylvania. Greenleaf has a tightly focused yet innovative product [...]

As a 27-year-old writer who had been part of Modern Machine Shop's staff for one year, I began writing a column titled 'Mark: My Word.' Since its first appearance in [...]

The machines on display at International Machine Tool Show 92 utilized standard, rather than new and pioneering, technology. Most of the displayed cells or systems were no more than combinations of standard accessories. However, the new systems and machines are cheaper as well as more productive than their earlier counterparts. The productivity of these machines can be attributed to their simpler operation, faster achievable feeds and speeds and reduced non-cutting time., The big story of IMTS 92 was the standard machine. If that sounds too much like a letdown, then consider how much more capable, and accessible, 'standard' CNC technology has [...]

Applied Engineering of Yankton, SD, has saved money and time from its high-speed milling machine designed for untended operation. The machining cell produces precision, complex aluminum parts for aviation, defense, navigation and communications companies. The machine has four LeBlond Makino machining centers with one operator that does pallet loading and unloading and gaging, equivalent to 700 hours per week of machining time from an employee., In rural South Dakota, you'll find a job shop with one of the most advanced machining cells in the country. This cell is built around high-speed milling machines designed for [...]

This shop found that the subspindle on a turning center offers significant advantages, especially when the programming system that supports this machine has the flexibility and efficiency to match. Robert [...]

Misconceptions about these devices may be keeping shops form taking advantage of an important enhancement to what a numerically controlled machine center can do. Using touch probes on numerically controlled [...]

If two heads are better than one, then why not two coordinate measuring machines? At least that's the thinking at Tell Tool, Westfield, Massachusetts. To add some flexible CMM capacity [...]

This great little wire EDM shop was about to become a mid-sized shop, and possibly just a mediocre one. Instead, it became three great little wire EDM shops. Sharing resources, [...]

Manual gear hobbers or specialized CNC gear cutting machines are generally the fastest and most efficient means for producing high-precision ring gears, especially in high volumes. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Follow- to [...]

Long ago, I told a story about being an editor in metalworking and the value of the vantage point it gave me. The point of that story is still true [...]

Who's Afraid Of CNC Grinding? These two small shops in Bad Axe, Michigan, sure aren't. A lot of shops are afraid of CNC (computer numerical control) grinding--or at least uncertain [...]

Speaking Up For Creep-Feed Grinding Creep-feed grinding is no longer an alien concept to most people in the metalworking field, yet this advocable of the process believes that it is [...]

Today, mastering the technicalities of electrical discharge machining (EDM) is not enough. A higher level of strategic thinking is a must. The upcoming EDM '91 Conference puts wire and ram [...]

Efficient programming is the key to benefiting from the expanded capability of CNC turning centers that also operate in a milling and machining mode. The concept of 'CNC process modeling' [...]

Few executives understand the strategic value of training the way Bill Cunningham does. He doesn't offer the usual truisms and platitudes about skills shortages and lack of competitiveness that are [...]

High enthusiasm for electrical discharge machining in Japan reflects that country's response to challenging conditions in its metalworking industry. Key trends were evident at JIMTOF. EDM is big in Japan. [...]

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Abrasive waterjet machines offer a relatively simple way to precisely cut thick materials without generating heat that would otherwise warp or harden the material with other methods. The [...]

An IIoT platform is a set of hardware and software facilities that assist and support applications for industrial companies using the internet to connect devices and equipment. This use of [...]

It is becoming increasingly difficult--and inadequate--to evaluate developments in CNC technology outside of a larger scenario. This is a scenario in which smart, connected devices and machines share data and [...]

One of the long-standing challenges in cutting a workpiece with a wire EDM is keeping the core from falling away or slipping out of place as the electrode wire completes [...]

'I don't like the sound of that.' That thought or expression can be an important part of being responsible for the performance of a machine tool. Sounds from the shop [...]

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology (IPK) in Berlin, Germany, say they can foresee a machine tool's performance more clearly and accurately with the aid [...]