Peter Zelinski Editor-in-Chief

Horizontal Machining Centers 24 Mar 2006

Don’t Forget The Drawbar

The force that holds the toolholder in the machining center's spindle can weaken over time. If you haven't checked drawbar force in a while, this may be the weak link in your process.

Horizontal Machining Centers 24 Mar 2006

Turning Without Rotating The Part

For large or unbalanced parts, this machining center can perform turning or boring operations using its programmable U axis.

Die/Mold 2 Mar 2006

Making Programming Hands-Free (Almost)

Feature-recognition CAM software helps this technology company's internal mold shop deliver critical molds more quickly. A programmer is still needed, but the software automation saves considerable time.

1 Mar 2006

Manufacturing Competence Is An Innovation Resource

Visiting separate Boeing locations can seem like visiting separate companies. Different projects and different histories have shaped the cultures of this company’s widely separated plants.

Automation 2 Feb 2006

Inspection For Free

Gaging integrated with a robot delivers inspection without any cost in floorspace or cycle time.

Measurement 2 Feb 2006

Dimensional Inspection With A Digital Camera

Using an off-the-shelf digital camera, this system uses photographs to obtain 3D measurement data.

Lean Manufacturing 2 Feb 2006

Why Boeing Is Big On Right-Size Machine Tools

Simple, dedicated machines save on capital expense, while they also make it possible to realize one-piece flow. These machines are often developed internally. 'Chaku-chaku' is the new ideal.

Milling Tools 2 Feb 2006

Tools For Titanium

With all of the titanium that will be required for a new aircraft, any of 1,000 spindles might benefit from the tools and techniques described here.

1 Feb 2006

They Want Dollars

A colleague told me something interesting about a business trip to China in the 1980s. The Chinese had two types of yuan, he said.

1 Jan 2006

The Case For Testing Tools

Do you run tool tests? That is, do you try different cutters from time to time, evaluating them in trial cuts against your existing tooling? Shops that do these trials often don’t have to pay for the test tooling. While I can’t speak for your situation or your tool supplier, I can say that free sample tooling is a not-unheard-of phenomenon.