Every so often, I like to present a few Web sites I’ve come across that are of special interest to CNC users. While some of the Web sites I mention have products to sell, they also have free information about CNC.
Short workpieces must be machined on turning centers on a regular basis, but lot sizes may not justify the use of a bar feeder or puller. In these cases, it is often helpful to machine more than one workpiece from a single piece of raw material.
Setup reduction has been a hot topic for several years. Everyone wants to reduce downtime between production runs, and companies go to great lengths to achieve this goal.
Many machining centers, especially horizontal machining centers, come with a two-pallet pallet changing system. The operator loads one pallet while the other is in cycle.
A strong training program is an integral part of a successful company. You must provide training to bring the skill level of your workers to the level required to perform their assigned tasks.
I am often questioned about the scope of this column. The most common question is: "Why do you continue to discuss manual programming techniques when almost all companies are using CAM systems?" Aside from the fact that other columnists are addressing issues related to computer integrated manufacturing, I believe that a firm understanding of manual programming is of paramount importance to all CNC people.
Improving the proficiency of your personnel will outperform any other single improvement you can make in your CNC environment.
Do you want less scrap? Well-trained CNC operators don't make mistakes that scrap parts.
Cutter radius compensation for machining centers (also called cutter diameter compensation) has at least three major benefits. It lets a manual programmer ignore cutter size when calculating coordinates for the program, it allows the setup person to choose from a range of cutter sizes, and it allows for easy trial machining and workpiece sizing during setup and the subsequent production run.