American Machinist articles from April 2009

American Machinist archives from April 2009

Shop believes in automation.(AUTOMATION)(Michael Kurkulonis opinion about automation)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Michael Kurkulonis believes in the value of automation, and when it comes to purchasing manufacturing equipment, that belief is guiding an increasing number of his purchasing decisions. Automation allows his small...

Mist collector installation: Part 1.(MACHINE TOOLS)
April 1, 2009... The capabilities of a mist collector itself are key factors in choosing the system that is right for a shop's needs. However, there are several installation considerations that also can influence the choice of a mist collector. These include...

Chemical 'machining' of precise parts: photochemical machining is a versatile, cost-effective option for producing complex or tiny components from sheet stock.(MACHINING)(Cover story)
April 1, 2009... The photochemical machining process, also called photo-etching, is effective for producing parts with complex geometries or with many holes where stamping, punching, laser or wire EDM might leave burrs and mechanical or thermal distortion. ...

An open letter to the President.(NTMA NOTES)
April 1, 2009... Congratulations Mr. President! You showed how a good team can run a campaign and capture the most powerful office in the world. You now have a great duty--to represent all of America, not just your most loyal supporters. You promised during...

Loss of coworkers inspires Cast-Fab's wellness push.(OPERATIONS)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Taking a vigorous approach to health is nothing new to Cast-Fab Technologies. For years, the Cincinnati, Ohio-based manufacturer has offered its employees a fulltime nurse, annual physicals and free educational...

The push is on: special controller pushes machines, even older ones, to their actual physical limits.(SOFTWARE & CONTROLS)(Miceli Technologies Inc.)
April 1, 2009... Mechanically, most machine tools can run significantly faster than shops operate them. The reason is that, in most cases, original controllers are unable to process data fast enough to push machines to their design limits. A 20-year-old...

TLC for toolholder assemblies.(TOOLING & WORKHOLDING)(Gerard Vacio manager at Kaiser Precision Tooling Inc. advices on the importance of spindles)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Gerard Vacio, Workholding Product Manager at BIG Kaiser Precision Tooling (www. bigkaiser.com), has some good advice for managing toolholder assemblies: The relationship of the tool to the toolholder is just as...

Rotary axis for abrasive jet machines.(TOOLING & FIXTURING)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A Rotary Axis from Omax Corp. (www.omax.com) is the latest offering in the company's line of precision abrasive jet machining products. When equipped with a rotary axis, an Omax JetMachining Center cuts XYZ paths to...

Workholding vacuum table kit.(TOOLING & FIXTURING)
April 1, 2009... Tormach (www. tormach.com) has introduced a vacuum table kit designed for the PCNC 1100 3-axis milling machine that adds flexible, custom workholding to the machine for light machining applications, such as engraving and light finishing. It...

Basic truths.(FROM THE EDITOR)(machine tools development)(Editorial)
April 1, 2009... Allow me to share a bit of the first "letter to the editor" I received here: "I have a book I got from Lindsay Publications, which is a reprint, called Sixty Years with Men and Machines, by Fred Colvin, who founded American Machinist...

Congress forgets manufacturing.(GOVERNMENT MATTERS)(government aids to machine tool industry)
April 1, 2009... Ever since this recession began last year, Congress has been consumed with strategies that have been proposed to stimulate the economy and get people back to work. The stimulus bill is but the latest attempt. Nevertheless, this most recent...