Oil & Gas
Grinding Spindles Take Grease To Higher Speed
Conventional wisdom has it that grease lubrication is fine for grinding spindles so long as speeds stay fairly low. As speed approaches 10,000 to 15,000 rpm, however, then heat becomes a major problem, leaving little choice but to go to an oil-and-air mist system.
Read MoreEDM And Automation: Not 'Oil And Water' Any Longer
Electrical discharge machining (EDM) was developed in the 1940's, used sparingly for burning out broken taps and dies until the 1970's, then utilized for single part operations, moldmaking and punch-die production in small lots until about ten years ago. This is when the first CNC versions emerged from several manufacturers, including Mitsubishi. Mitsubishi was said to lead primarily because they were the only EDM builder who also built their own machine controllers (through a sister division of the company). Today, CNC and manual machines are still produced, with several thousand units sold each year.
Read More