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Mike Lynch Founder and President
How Helpful Are Your Process Drawings?
In many companies, CNC machinists do not work directly from workpiece drawings because those types of drawings show only the finished workpiece. Instead, a manufacturing engineer will create other drawings from which the shop personnel can work.
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Trial Machining On A Sliding Headstock Turning Center
In last month’s column I stated that one of the most common causes of wasted setup time is improper trial machining to make the first workpiece pass inspection. Trial machining involves taking each tool in the program and making it cut to size prior to going on to the next tool.
Read MoreSetup Reduction 101: Core Tasks Vs. Total Setup Time
When teaching setup reduction, one of the first principles I try to explain is related to what I call the “core tasks” required to make a setup. Core tasks are the physical tasks a setup person must perform in order to get the machine ready to run production.
Read MoreProficiency Versus Aptitude—Which Do You Prefer?
When hiring new people to run CNC machines, most managers want it all. They want a person who has run the same machine they will be running for the company.
Read MoreFurther Simplifying A Trial Machining Operation
In past columns, I’ve addressed how you can program trial machining operations. It seems obvious to me that if a setup person or operator can recognize a workpiece tolerance that is so tight that trial machining is required, then a programmer should be able to recognize it as well.
Read MoreA Few Tricks With Machining Center Canned Cycles
Last month, we discussed some tricks with turning center canned cycles. This month we’ll do the same for Fanuc machining center canned cycles.
Read MoreA Few Tricks With Turning Center Canned Cycles
Most turning centers are equipped with some helpful canned cycles. Fanuc, for example, has three simple, one-pass canned cycles (G90 for turning and boring; G92 for threading; and G94 for facing).
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Inventing Your Own Compensation Types
CNC machining centers provide users with three compensation types: tool length compensation, cutter radius compensation and fixture offsets. Similarly, CNC turning centers provide wear offsets, geometry offsets and tool nose radius compensation.
Read MoreSetting Up Loops With Custom Macro B
Custom macro B provides many tools to help users with CNC programming, including variable capabilities, arithmetic calculations and program flow control. One of the most powerful functions allowed by this custom macro (and for that matter, any computer programming language) is looping.
Read MoreTask Simplification Or Increased Training?
I’ve written about task simplification in several of my previous columns. Task simplification lowers the skill level required of a person performing a task, minimizes the potential for mistakes and shortens the time required to perform the task.
Read MoreChoosing Between Off-Line And Shopfloor Programming
Should you program at the machine or should you program off-line? This debate has been going on for more than thirty years, since the first conversational control was introduced. I thought most of the main considerations for making a wise decision were pretty well understood, but a visit to any of the manufacturing forums on the Internet quickly illustrates that the debate is still raging—and there are still many misconceptions.
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A Double-Depth Hole Machining Custom Macro
All machining center controls come with a set of helpful hole-machining canned cycles. Most control manufacturers use G codes from G81 through G89 to name them (G81 for drilling, G82 for counter-boring, G83 for peck drilling and so on).
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