Peter Zelinski Editor-in-Chief

20 Aug 2008

Consider Your Cutters

The machine tools are big, valuable and important, but they are not the only part of your process. A different way of seeing the process focuses on the cutting tools. Look at your process this way in order to let the machines do more.

Composites Machining 15 Aug 2008

How To Machine Composites, Part 1 -- Understanding Composites

Composites are replacing metal in certain applications. What does this mean for machining?

Composites Machining 14 Aug 2008

How To Machine Composites, Part 2: The Cutting Tool, Workholding and Machine Tool

In carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP), the material removal mechanism is shattering instead of shearing. This makes it different from other machining applications.

Basics 13 Aug 2008

How To Machine Composites, Part 3 -- Milling Composites

Diamond shines for this shop when it mills composites.

Aerospace 12 Aug 2008

How To Machine Composites, Part 4 -- Drilling Composites

Achieving acceptable tool life and hole quality in a material such as CFRP demands a drill designed with composites in mind.

Basics 11 Aug 2008

How To Machine Composites, Part 5 -- Waterjet Cutting

For trimming composite parts, this shop describes where it uses machining centers and where it uses waterjet.

Five-Axis 10 Aug 2008

Composites Keep A Big Machine Busy

On-machine inspection is part of the way this shop machines large composite structures efficiently.

Aerospace 5 Aug 2008

Five-Axis Trimming Of Composites

Here is video of the five-axis motion required to trim a relatively simple composite component.

Watch

Vertical Machining Centers 26 Jul 2008

Easy Does It

This shop specializing in small-scale parts says successfully machining tiny features into tiny workpieces is less about technology and more about technique.

Basics 26 Jul 2008

Why Not Ask Why?

Manufacturing can be downright instructive. The more useful concepts in manufacturing can be applied directly to our own lives. Take the distinction between roughing and finishing, for example. In manufacturing and in life, the key to effectiveness is not necessarily finesse, but knowing where the fine

Basics 23 Jul 2008

How To Make Manufacturing Succeed

A machine shop owner turned to me for reassurance that U.S. manufacturing would remain strong. I didn’t know what to tell him. I do have confidence in U.S. manufacturing—plenty of confidence. However, that is not what he really wanted. He was concerned about his own fortunes. The problem was, the specialty machini

Vertical Machining Centers 22 Jun 2008

Economies Of Scale

Medical implant work is not just small in terms of workpiece sizes. Lot sizes and lead times can also be small when the product is still under development. To compete for implant work, this shop aims to offer cost savings in the face of all of this smallness.