Peter Zelinski Editorial Director

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

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.

Workholding 15 Dec 2005

Learn Before Lifting

A safety feature on this magnetic lifter determines whether the load falls within the safe capacity of the device.

Turning Tools 15 Dec 2005

Cermets Get Assertive

The toughness of this material has improved. Today, the applications for cermet inserts go well beyond finishing.

Basics 15 Dec 2005

How To Succeed At Failure

Your cutting tool’s failure mode may be telling you what to change about the process. Not every failure mode is the same, and one mode is preferable to all the others.

1 Dec 2005

The Me In Media

If you flip through this magazine from time to time, then I am a part of the media from your perspective. I don’t feel like “the media,” but I can’t deny that it’s true; I am a part of the communication deluge that presses through every corner of your 21st-century life.

8 Nov 2005

Cell Realizes Multilevel Savings

A three-tier flexible cell let this plant bring its build-to-order strategy to low-quantity parts. The cell realizes savings in terms of time, labor cost and responsiveness.

Grinding 8 Nov 2005

Milling On A Grinding Machine

A grinding machine is not a machining center, but it can sometimes take on milling and drilling (or even turning) to make the overall process more efficient.

Machining Centers 8 Nov 2005

Rethinking Redundancy

Series production is a more economical choice today, says this supplier of machining systems. Machining technology is now reliable enough that parallel production may represent a costly level of excess in high-volume production.

8 Nov 2005

Custom Program Instead Of A Custom Fixture

This software rewrites a posted NC file to adapt the program to the location and orientation of the part, potentially eliminating the need for complex fixturing.

2 Nov 2005

An Inside View Of Outside Advice

Earlier this year, I wrote a column about a pattern I had observed. Personnel from various shops had expressed the distrust they feel toward equipment and tooling suppliers that emphasize their metalworking expertise.

Shop Management Software 6 Oct 2005

The In-Cycle Enabler

To achieve 144 hours per week of in-cycle time on its machining centers, this plant relies on software that offers a clear, colorful, real-time view of where the time losses are occurring.