Articles

21 May 2012

Production Growing at Fastest Rate Since June 2010

The consumer durable goods industrial production index was 94.9 in April 2012. This is the index’s third highest value since February 2008.

Basics 18 May 2012

Expert Planning is the Foundation…

…for a machine foundation like the one described in an article about a huge vertical turning and milling machine installed at a Cincinnati area job shop. The Larson & Darby Group, the firm that designed an engineered this foundation, has a checklist to ensure that foundation design meets the requirements of both the buyer and the supplier of the machine. A glance at this checklist shows how much critical detail is involved.

17 May 2012

A Technology Sampling from MFG4

Here are a few items one editor spotted at the debut of a new trade show that focuses specifically on the defense, aerospace, medical and energy industries.

16 May 2012

Machine Tool Orders Still Strong

According to USMTO, machine tool orders in March 2012 were 2,304 units and $458,506,000. This is the fourth strongest month for machine tool unit sales since September 2008.

14 May 2012

An Article Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of “Gaging Tips”

George Schuetz reflects on how part-measurement strategies, process and equipment have also evolved over the past 20 years.

CAD/CAM 14 May 2012

CAM Considerations for Plunge Roughing

Plunge roughing is often more complicated than it appears. Here’s how one CAM program addresses some common challenges associated with this technique.

11 May 2012

All about Zero-Stock Machining

This technique for streamlined mold production is now well developed and widely accepted.

11 May 2012

A Very Cool Tool Chest

Gary Schulz, CNC manager at Eifel Tool in Fraser, Michigan, has one of the coolest tool chests I’ve ever seen. One reason it’s cool is that it has its own refrigerator.

CAD/CAM 10 May 2012

Creating Machine-Specific Tool Paths

A new CAM capability takes a snapshot of an individual machine’s performance characteristics and uses the information to tailor an optimized tool path for that specific machine.

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