Articles

4 May 2010

Real Recovery with March Income Stagnant?

You may have seen it reported by the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the news media that income was up in March.

3 May 2010

April MBI at 56.0 – Industry Expands Faster

With a reading of 56.0, April's MBI showed that the metalworking industry expanded faster for the second straight month.

3 May 2010

Tech Days and the Volcano

On April 17, I was ticketed on a flight from Atlanta to Stuttgart, Germany at the invitation of cutting tool maker Horn USA. Unfortunately, the eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull Volcano disrupted my trip.

30 Apr 2010

Solving a Sticky Workholding Issue

Workholding on a CNC router can be a challenge because vacuum plates or tables have limitations.

Workholding 30 Apr 2010

Holding Small Parts for Effective Machining on a CNC Router

A non-woven porous material with a special coating enables vacuum chucks and tables to hold sheets of metal and other materials more effectively on CNC routing machines. The material, called Vilmill, is used as a substrate between the sheet or plate material to be machined and a suitable vacuum table or vacuum chuck where it is held securely in place by the vacuum.

Aerospace 29 Apr 2010

What's the Best Process for Machining a Precise Hole in Aluminum?

This small hole is actually large enough that any of three different processes might be used.

CNC & Machine Controls 29 Apr 2010

How to Overcome an Acc/Dec Limitation in High Speed Machining

A small pocket in a graphite workpiece limits productivity. Part of the expert’s response is to consider how a lower feed rate might actually be more productive—because the machine will spend more time at the programmed rate.

Milling Tools 29 Apr 2010

Why Do Cutting Tool Charts Give Recommended Parameters in a Broad Range?

The answer has to do with the differences from cut to cut, as well as the differences that make some shops more capable than others.

High-Speed Machining 29 Apr 2010

Basic Questions on High Speed Machining

Can HSM apply to turning? Does the “speed” refer to cutting speed or spindle speed? What is the explanation behind lower forces and lower heat generation?