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More Than Big Machines
This shop specializes in very large components such as rotor hubs and support bases for wind turbines. Its lineup of large horizontal boring mills can handle parts weighing 40,000 pounds and 12 feet on a side. However, the shop’s success also lies in other manufacturing resources and strategies. These include material handling equipment, customized tooling, special fixtures and wireless, portable measuring systems.
Read MoreThe New Order Of Things
“Time passes, conditions change, the world progresses—and those who are found keeping pace with the new order of things are those who are young enough in mind and spirit to recognize the value of the new and to make themselves a part of it. ”So wrote Howard Campbell, the first editor of this magazine, in its premier June 1928 issue.
Read MoreIndustrial Distributor Marks 30th Anniversary
When New Berlin industrial distributor J.W. Winco observes its 30th anniversary in June, it will do so in a renovated facility measuring 40,000 square feet-nearly doubled from its previous size. The new facility was constructed with "green" materials and ecological sensitivity, the company says. In addition to its
Read MoreDMG Opens New Tech Center
DMG America recently opened an 11,500-square-foot technical center and showroom in Itasca, Illinois. The facility offers a chance for visitors to see the company's various milling, turning, ultrasonic and laser machining equipment in action. Featuring 15 machines, the facility offers demonstrations of the company'
Read MoreThe Summer Camp Fix
Getting youngsters to spend a week or two at a “manufacturing camp” this summer might be a big step toward easing the skills crunch facing so many plants and shops in the United States these days. A surprising number of these camps, which are scattered across the country, will be open this June and July. What makes these camps so promising is that they appeal to kids at an age when becoming aware of careers in manufacturing can really make a difference.
Read MoreForces At Work
He is nameless to the world at large, to the world that takes little notice of machine tools and metalworking. Though his kind is legion, no one in Hollywood or Washington or Wall Street pays much attention.
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Dixi Rising
Heavy investment in this Swiss builder’s production facility will allow its output to rise just as the demand for large machine tools capable of nano-precision is also rising.
Read MoreFifty years ago
"The war with Japan is over, but the search for up-to-the-minute information on metal-working developments will never cease. " So begins the page entitled This Month's Features in the September, 1945, issue of Modern Machine Shop.
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Hard Turning And Cylindrical Grinding Were Made For Each Other
Combining different machining processes on the same platform has been a major theme in machine tool design for two decades or so. The Studer S242 combines cylindrical grinding and hard turning. A look at this machine shows that both of these machining processes benefit when they share the same platform.
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Zero Taper In Abrasive Waterjet Cutting
Abrasive waterjet machines use a high-velocity beam of water and abrasive particles to cut thick materials. This "floppy tool" has a tendency to cause tapered edges during cutting. Omax's IntelliMax software and Tilt-A-Jet technology is capable of producing zero taper without adversely affecting machining speeds. IntelliMax controls the cutting paths to ensure that the machine is operating at the highest possible speeds at all times. The Tilt-A-Jet can position the nozzle at the angle calculated by the software to offset the natural taper from the waterjet. The tapering effect is moved to the scrap side of the parent material, thus leaving square edges (zero taper) on the part.
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Precision Hole Making At High Cpk
Many shops and plants are moving from manual honing machines to CNC honing machines, as well as to robotically automated cells capable of controlling holes size to accuracies of 0.25µm (0.00001 inch). The inherent accuracy and process stability of honing have promoted this changeover because precision parts produced today must meet high Cpk requirements.Honing can produce a specified finish and a desirable crosshatch pattern on the bore surface, which helps retain a lubricating film for sliding components. Makers of outdoor power equipment, motorcycles, ATVs, hydraulics, pneumatics, gears, and valves are some of the users who have "discovered" automated honing in their drive to make parts with tolerances as tight as ±0.0002 inch (±5 µm) at high Cpk levels.
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