Machining Centers

High-Performance Gantry-Style Machining Center Builds In Accuracy

To gain control of the manufacturing process and tighten up production times, this company purchased a novel gantry-type machining center that features an integrated rotary table and a powerful right-angle head.

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Basics

An Approach To Boosting Shop Production Capacity

The increased availability of modular manufacturing cells has added another means of increasing a shop’s capacity. This article looks at a practical approach to evaluating when and how much automation is appropriate for a shop.

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Die/Mold

New England Moldmaker Does It The Hard Way

This mold and die shop owner had a decision to make: build more capacity, or examine ways to make more finished molds out of existing capacity, save one new machine. He chose the latter.

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Five-Axis Machining With A Contouring Head

This accessory brought low-cost five-axis machining to two shops. One had never used five-axis machining before. The other was an experienced five-axis contractor.

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Five-Axis

The Other Angle On Five-Axis Machining

Machine complex prismatic parts efficiently on low-cost machining centers. This shop embraces five-axis machining—the kind that features a five-figure price tag.

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VMC Increases Productivity For Machining And Forging Shop

Bourdon Forge had been using machining systems that had a number of breakdowns, limiting productivity and machining quality. Both Kerry Nowak, CNC supervisor, and Clark Bourdon, president, would not settle for just any replacement system to machine their forged alloy steel products. The machine they wanted had to be durable, tough, U.S. made, and have an attractive price.

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Workholding

Flexible Unattended Machining Helps Improve Part Quality And More

In its desire to use new methods, the shop looked for a product that would increase tool life, improve part quality and decrease changeover time. It found the One-Touch flexible manufacturing system (FMS) from Okuma and became the first to own one.

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All-Digital Upgrade Starts At The Low End

An all-digital control package will soon be standard on many machining center models from Cincinnati Machine (Cincinnati, Ohio). For now, the technology is standard on the "Arrow" line of vertical machining centers. Cincinnati didn't begin the upgrade with its high-end machines, but instead with its lowest-cost VMC family.

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Five-Axis Machining For The Masses

Control technology continues to make five-axis machining easier to use. Many special considerations - particularly qualified tools for pivoting-spindle machines - are no longer essential to the process.

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HMC Helps Optimize Engine Performance And Reduce Time To Track

The precision craftsmanship that goes into building an engine will usually separate the winners from the also-rans at NASCAR's highest levels. This certainly applies to cylinder head development, because so much power from the engine is produced in and around these chunks of aluminum. Cylinder heads are horsepower, and horsepower delivers speed. When an engine builder gets a new cylinder head in at the shop, there's a lot of work that needs to be done to get it into racing condition.

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Okuma The MULTUS B300II
Campro USA
YCM Alliance
MMS Made in the USA
World Machine Tool Survey
Techspex
The Automated Shop Conference
SolidCAM
YCM Alliance