Peter Zelinski Editor-in-Chief

High-Speed Machining 1 Mar 1999

Four Types Of Five-Axis Machining Centers

Different machines offer different approaches to rotary travel, and each design has its own strengths. Here's how they compare.

Shop Management Software 15 Nov 1998

More And Better Information

That's what employees of this shop now have. It's also what the shop itself has - improved information about its own needs and capabilities.

15 Sep 1998

The Practically Dedicated Flexible Cell

Machining centers make sense for this high volume process, even though the machines have continuously produced just one part for years.

15 Sep 1998

This shop assembled standard machine tools and components into a process for flexible production of a series of complex hydraulic cylinder components - all machined from solid, all accurate in some dimensions to +/-0.025 mm - in quantities that can exceed 3,000 per day, using only two operators per shift to shepherd this production from bar stock to shipping container.

15 Jul 1998

Find Your Feed Rate On The Fly

Truly 'adaptive' motion control is now a retrofit option for a wide range of CNCs. This job shop uses the technology to reduce tooling costs and cycle times

Holemaking 15 Jun 1998

The Fast Track To High Speed Drilling

Drill more productively by making a few strategic changes to the process. Those same changes may also let you drill dry.

15 May 1998

Keep Your Coolant In Circulation

Retaining fluid can be good! Coolant recycling saves the shop both purchase and disposal costs. Here is a look at the service provided by one recycling contractor.

Basics 15 May 1998

Choosing A Retrofit CNC

Controls have evolved considerably in just a few years. PC technology is one reason why, but what is the right way for PC hardware to interface with your existing machine tool?

Die/Mold 1 Mar 1998

Find The Time

This mold shop shows where to look. Faced with tighter lead times, it achieved faster workflow by using existing machinery and manpower in more efficient ways.

Inspection and Measurement 1 Mar 1998

Winning A Place For The First CMM

Automated inspection plays a key role in this historically non-CNC shop, thanks in large part to the shop's system for efficient CMM setup.

CAD/CAM 15 Feb 1998

The Flow Through CAM

The route from CAD to CAM to CNC can meet blockage both upstream and downstream from the programmer. However, this shop cleared away most of the obstacles to efficient electronic transfer just by updating its CAM system. The results include a new level of efficiency and new capabilities for a 10-year-old machine.

CNC & Machine Controls 1 Nov 1997

The Shop With A Nervous System

Automatically recording and distributing information about what's happening while a machine tool is in operation leads to process improvements and higher productivity for this aircraft manufacturer.