American Machinist articles from April 2006

American Machinist archives from April 2006

Superabrasives speed machining of sintered sprockets.(technology trends)
April 1, 2006... Chain drives and sprockets that provide longer intervals between servicing have replaced rubber belts and pulleys on most modern automobile engines. The sprockets, as well as automotive gears, are manufactured by a sintering process that gives...

Arm muscles in on gaging labs.(technology trends)
April 1, 2006... The days of maintaining a separate gaging room on the shop floor may be numbered. Faro Technologies, Inc. (www.faro.com), has introduced the PowerGage, a package that bundles the company's highly portable 4-foot Gage arm with a rugged laptop...

MasterCAM goes high-speed on toolpaths.(technology trends)
April 1, 2006... CNC Software Inc. (www.mastercam.com) has released a new version of its Mastercam software that incorporates seven new, high-speed toolpaths, and a new interface for toolpath creation. The Tolland, Conn., company says the new toolpaths in...

J.W. Winco offers free 3D CAD models.(technology trends)
April 1, 2006... J.W. Winco, Inc. (www.jwwinco.com) has launched a new Internet site that offers offering free 3D-CAD models for more than 18,000 parts. The company, a supplier of standard industrial machine components based in New Berlin, Wis., says users...

Talk nicely to your machine.(technology trends)
April 1, 2006... VLH Controls, Inc. (www.vlhcontrols.com) offers a wireless voice control system for use in metal fabrication and other shop applications. According to the company, the Active Listening Voice Command (ALVC) System reduces repetitive stress...

Old drills on the block.(practical ideas)
April 1, 2006... My idea saved having to purchase hundreds of new drills for cylinder blocks. Instead of new drills, I used discarded tooling from another job. For one style of cylinder blocks, I drill 8.8-mm-diameter oil holes using 395-mm-long drills,...

New turn for metric threads.(practical ideas)
April 1, 2006... When metric threading on an English lathe, I can not use the thread dial to pick up the metric thread lead, and it is not always practical to keep the half nuts engaged at the end of the cut. In these occasional metric situations, I reverse the...

Inserts for grooving gray cast iron.(CUTTING PRODUCTS)
April 1, 2006... Kennametal has developed a ceramic grade that can be used for machining gray cast iron in high-speed grooving applications, to produce valve and automotive brake discs components, brake drums, wheel hubs and parts for pumps. These ceramic tool...

Inserts for steel turning.(CUTTING PRODUCTS)
April 1, 2006... Sandvik Coromant (www.coromant.sandvik.com/us) has added GC4225 inserts to its series of ISO P turning grades. The ISO P25 grade primarily is used for roughing and finishing universal steel-turning operations. GC4225 inserts have an...

Indexable insert discmills.(CUTTING PRODUCTS)
April 1, 2006... Seco-Carboloy (www.secocarboloy.com) has added fixed pocket and adjustable cutters to its line of 335.18 indexable insert discmills. The freecutting tools are designed to prolong tool life when machining difficult materials and in...

Dry-cutting saws.(cutting tool digest)
April 1, 2006... CSM14B 14-in. metal cutting saws from the M.K. Morse Co. (www.mkmorse.com), are equipped with Metal Devil 14-in. carbide-tipped blades to cut dry while producing few sparks. The saws cut pipe in diameters to 5.125-in., and rectangular stock to...

Combo toolholder/tool cartridge.(TOOLING AND WORKHOLDING)
April 1, 2006... Manchester Tool Company, Akron, Ohio (www.manchestertools.com), says its MTC SLS (serrated locking system), a one-piece combination toolholder and cartridge, has the rigidity and cutting stability of an integral tool shank. Both the...

Boring head adjustable insert holders.(TOOLING AND WORKHOLDING)
April 1, 2006... Adjustable chamfering insert holders from Big Kaiser (www.bigkaiser.com) accept ISO standard SC inserts and allow infinite insert-pocket adjustment between 15[degrees] and 75[degrees]. The holders have 15[degrees] graduations for quick...

Short-projection toolholders.(TOOLING AND WORKHOLDING)
April 1, 2006... Zero-Z toolholders from Rego-Fix (www.rego-fix.com) have a short projection that allows for more Z-axis stroke and greater workpiece size. The toolholders are designed to be used on multiplex turning machines and small vertical machining...

Dubious records for trade deficit.(government matters)
April 1, 2006... IT IS LIKELY THAT THIS WILL be a year in which our nation will be forced to face some harsh realities. We are living beyond our means and have been for some time. The trade deficit widened to $726 billion last year, its fourth consecutive year...

Getting the fastest tool setups possible: lathe productivity should not suffer because of long setup times.(turning)
April 1, 2006... FOR EVERY MINUTE A SHOP SPENDS SETTING up tooling, a lathe's spindle is not working. And, when spindles are idle, shops do not make money. However, there are ways to reduce lathe-tooling-setup time. Fast tooling setups start by grouping...

Buying into new technology--and partners.(from the editor)
April 1, 2006... Technology for metalworking suddenly seems like the human brain--so complex that we can only hope to use a fraction of its capabilities. One of the goals that is shaping up for today's technology race is an effort to find the most creative...

The 15 commandments: every successful small and midsize U.S. manufacturer follows them.(shop operations)
April 1, 2006... The future of U.S. manufacturing rides on the continued success of small and midsize manufacturers that account for more than 40 percent of U.S. production's value and 60 percent of total U.S. manufacturing employment. These companies...

Drive on, but to where? The wonder is he hath endured so long: he but usurp'd his life.(changing automotive world)
April 1, 2006... Maybe the American auto industry is not yet at the time to quote Shakespeare's lines that follow the death of a king, but the headlines on business pages of the last year do not inspire confidence, either. The 2006 US auto shows have not helped...

Must prove work caused nervous breakdown for benefits.(law & liability)
April 1, 2006... TRUMAN STANLEY MCELVEEN worked for 33 years for Croft Metals Inc., a Mississippi company, until Feb. 12, 1999, when he became disabled by a nervous breakdown. At the time of his breakdown, McElveen was an area superintendent overseeing five...

Electrician may be liable for injury as a machine seller.(law & liability)
April 1, 2006... ON OCT. 30, 2000, JOSE Agurto, an employee of Baker Adhesive Co., was seriously injured when his shirt became caught on the machine he was operating. The machine drew his arm into its vat, crushing the arm and necessitating amputation. ...

Manufacturing jobs lead economic contributions.(leading indicators)
April 1, 2006... Manufacturing is more valuable to economies than other economic activities. The U.S. Commerce Department measures economic activity (as shown in the chart above) by how money spent in any sector ripples through the overall economy. As the chart...

Chips-n-burrs.(Cartoon)
April 1, 2006... He didn't need any documentation to learn the CAD system and we pay him in Oreas.

Spain's machine tool industry sees threats and opportunities in foreign markets.(leading indicators)
April 1, 2006... The Spanish machine tool industry is growing slowly, but a slump in exports in the last two months of 2005 raised doubts about the strength of its continued growth. The Spanish machine tool industry held its biennial trade show--BIEHM...

Trade with China should be leveled without protectionism.(reader mail)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... I recently read several of your articles relating to China and the machining industry. I also watched the archived webcast on the China threat. I wanted to drop you a line. You are doing a good job at trying to promote the right mindset for...

Collect chucks.(new equipment)
April 1, 2006... Royal Products introduces the ER Collet Chuck line. Runout is guaranteed to be less than 0.0001-in. TIR between the OD taper and the ID socket, ensuring an evenly distributed chip load and increased tool life. The chucks are available in a...

Wet or dry vertical hobbing.(new equipment)
April 1, 2006... Gleason Corp. reports that their Genesis 130H CNC Vertical Hobbing Machine optimizes dry machining, significantly reduces floor space requirements and greatly improves cycle times. The work area of the 130H is completely isolated from the...

Large workpiece measurement.(new equipment)
April 1, 2006... Mitutoyo America Co.'s Crysta-Apex C1600/2000 Series of multi-sensor CMM systems are specifically designed to handle measurement of large auto body and airframe assemblies. The units use high-speed, non-contacting digitizing probes (2- or...

Five-axis machining plus CNC turning.(new equipment)
April 1, 2006... Fusing the capabilities of a simultaneous five-axis machining center and CNC turning center, Mazak Corp.'s Integrex e-1550V machines of large workpieces in a single setup through a 50-HP, 12,000-rpm milling spindle that can tilt 150 degrees and...

Tooling lines re-started.(new equipment)
April 1, 2006... Universal Engineering tool holders, DeVlieg Microbore boring tool products and the Microset tool presetter product lines are available and in production again under a new company called Universal/DeVlieg Microbore LLC. Now a division of...

Automated short bar feeder.(new equipment)
April 1, 2006... The Quick Load Servo 65 bar feed from LNS America, Inc. automatically loads 1/4-in. to 2-5/8-in. dia. short bars up to 51 in. in length. To perform start-ups and changeovers, bar diameter, bar profile, and workpiece length are entered at the...

Rotary table option for maching centers.(new equipment)
April 1, 2006... Makino's 1-Series a51, a61 and a71 horizontal machining centers are now offered with a 5-axis rotary table (5XR) option for manufacturing applications that require maximum throughput and reliability. Maximum pallet load for the table is 330...

Height gages steer shop to efficiency.(case books)
April 1, 2006... NSK Steering Systems America Inc. (www.nssa.nsk.com), one of the world's largest independent makers of steering columns and associated components for customers such as Ford Motor Co., Toyota Motor Corp. USA, Honda of America Mfg. Inc., Mazda...

Semi-synthetic fluid extends tool life.(case books)
April 1, 2006... To maintain quality and increase productivity, D&S Machine Service (www.dsmachine.com) in Luxemburg, Wis., a provider of components and special parts to such industries as construction equipment, heavy lifting, marine and others, needed a...

Truck builder makes smooth design-archive shift.(case books)
April 1, 2006... Because DaimlerChrysler's Commercial Vehicle Division was standardizing on Dassaualt Systemes' (www.3ds.com) Catia version 5 for all mechanical engineering work, Western Star Trucks (www.westernstartrucks.com) of Portland, Ore., a nameplate of...

A fluid solution to rust problems.(case books)
April 1, 2006... Rust and corrosion is always a potential problem when working with cold-rolled steel (CRS). Despite the best preventative efforts, manufacturers, such as Fairlawn Tool & Die Co. Inc. (www.fairlawntool.com) in Hampstead, Maryland, occasionally...

Software models the future of foosball.(case books)
April 1, 2006... If all goes according to plan for Kevin Bowen, a game of foosball won't require having two, three, four, or even any players. Bowen, along with other students in his senior-design-project team from Rice University (www.rice.edu) in Houston,...

Toolcrib streamlines production setups.(case books)
April 1, 2006... C&D Aerospace's (www.cdaerospace.com) metalworking division in Huntington Beach, Calif., needed to increase usage of capital equipment and add value to its overall operations by consolidating all its metalworking equipment. The consolidation...

Manufacturers' directory.(Directory)
April 1, 2006... [a] A&A Mfg. Co., Inc., 2300 S. Calhoun Rd., New Berlin, WI 53151, 262-786-1500, FAX: 262-786-3280, Email: sales@gortite.com, Internet: www.gortite.com Abanaki Corp., Oil Skimmer Div., 17387 Munn Rd., Chagrin Falls, OH 44023,...

Products & services directory.(Directory)
April 1, 2006... Here, in alphabetical order, are suppliers of the products, services, and systems. Companies listed in bold also have an advertisement in this issue. Blue listings were purchased. Check the Advertisers Index for correct page number. ...

Artificial horizons.(50 YEARS AGO IN AMERICAN MACHINIST)
April 1, 2006... Eleven years after the end of World War II, and in the middle of one of the coldest times in the Cold War, American Machinist editors were among the first outsiders who were invited to see the high-tech operations at General Electric Company's...

Machinist jobs are going unfilled.(50 YEARS AGO IN AMERICAN MACHINIST)
April 1, 2006... One of the threads of discussion on the web site www.practicalmachinist.com in late March was the need for skilled machinists. Shops owners from all over the U.S.--Long Island, Connecticut, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, California--weighed in...

Chips-n-burrs.(retrospective)(Cartoon)
April 1, 2006... Maybe I shoulda got the benchtop model.