Mark Albert Editor Emeritus

Programming A Robot The Way You Program A CNC Machine Tool

Programming a robot with the same CAM software used for a multi-axis machine tool makes it unnecessary to “teach” the robot by jogging it manually from point to point and recording these point-to-point moves as the robot’s motion commands. Robotmaster is a software package that provides this CAD/CAM-based, off-line programming for robots. It runs fully integrated inside Mastercam CAM software for CNC machine tools.

Making Your Shop Eco-Friendly

A recent of MMS Extra issue asked how shops feel about environmentally conscious machining and carbon-footprint reduction. Dan Goldsmith at Elmira Stamping & Mfg. in Elmira, New York, ( www.elmirastamping.com ) responded by mentioning some of the practical steps that have been taken at his shop to reduce its e

Check Machine Details Before Delivery To Your Shop

When I am interested in writing about a new type of machine tool, I like to visit a shop or plant that has a representative model in place. Getting this user’s perspective is more objective and more relevant than just picking up info from other proponents. Writing the article is more fun, too. So typically, I talk

If The Shoe Fits

Trouble with our feet can be trouble, indeed. Foot problems can make our whole bodies ache. In many cases, if left untreated, these problems can be disabling. James A. Ryan, a doctor of chiropody in Toronto, Ontario, has devoted his professional career to helping people overcome foot problems. Chiropody is the medi

MTConnect Moves Ahead

MTConnect is a machine tool communication standard being developed by AMT—The Association For Manufacturing Technology ( www.amtonline.org ). It’s reaching a critical point in its progress. It will soon need some “early adopters” who will embrace the concept, apply it to their products, champion the cause to other

Expanding Modern Machine Shop

Whoa! I’m still almost as startled by the new look of this magazine as you might be, even though we’ve been planning it for months. This issue marks a change from our traditional digest-size format to a size similar to the technical manuals and engineering books you are probably familiar with. We’ve also redesigned

Turning The Tough Stuff

One of this aerospace shop’s many specialties is producing ring-shaped parts that are thin-walled, complex, tightly toleranced and made of difficult-to-machine materials such as Inconel, titanium or high-temperature alloys. Turning jet engine parts doesn’t get much tougher than this.

Campaigning At IMTS

Now that it is clear who are likely to be presidential candidates in the November election, wouldn’t it be great if both made appearances at the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) this September? It would be the perfect place for them to clarify and promote their support for manufacturing in t

Precision Boring In Precision ER Collet Holders

In the past 20 years or so, the ER-style collet holder has become a de facto standard for retaining round-shank type tooling in milling and machining center applications. A precision boring system can now be included in the range of tooling compatible with precision ER-style collet systems. The ER collet featu

Purely IMTS

I see interesting contrasts and comparisons between IMTS (this September in Chicago) and the Summer Olympic Games (this month in Beijing). IMTS, it seems to me, is the “purer” event—the one that more closely adheres to its original purpose and intent. We hear much about the Olympic spirit, but the talk is often con

Compact HMC Features VMC-Style Enclosure

Dual-Column Band Saw