American Machinist articles from February 2007

American Machinist archives from February 2007

Making machine tools smarter.(LEADING INDICATORS)
February 1, 2007... [Editor's Note: This article appeared in the January issue of INDUSTRYWEEK, a sister publication of AMERICAN MACHINIST. It is edited for AMERICAN MACHINIST, and the full article can be viewed at www.industryweek.com/...

Chips-n-burrs.(Cartoon)
February 1, 2007... "Aye, Cap'n I'd have it fixed in a parsec if only we had 4D-CAM." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Tomach's new 'personal CNC for do-it-yourself production.(TECHNOLOGY TRENDS)
February 1, 2007... We're really talking about two different developments which have combined to bring useful 3D machining within reach of the average Joe," said Mike Ko, senior product development engineer of KFx Medical Corporation (www.kfxmed .com). "Both the...

New software for 3D fixture creation.(TECHNOLOGY TRENDS)
February 1, 2007... From the company that offers Rayco Modular Fixtures (www.cmmfixture.com) comes a new software product for 3D fixture creation. FixtureBuilder is software that enables a user to build a fixture set-up quickly and easily from its catalogs of...

New scanworks V5 sensor.(TECHNOLOGY TRENDS)
February 1, 2007... Perceptron, Inc. (www.perceptron. com) has released their next generation of hand-held 3D laser scanners, the ScanWorks V5 sensor. The V5 scanning rate of up to 458,000 points per second allows users to measure areas quickly while maintaining a...

Improve surface analysis capability.(TECHNOLOGY TRENDS)
February 1, 2007... GKS Inspection Services, Inc. (www.gks3d.com) has improved the capabilities of its Surface Analyzer equipment and offers surface finish testing and evaluation without their customers having to purchase the equipment and evaluate the parts...

Tools for improved chip evacuation.(CUTTING PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2007... Chip control is a major concern because a buildup can cause hammering and chatter and has a deleterious effect on tool life, cutting forces and surface finish. Several new inserts, chipbreakers and cutting tools have been introduced that help...

Metric/inch toolholders.(TOOLING AND WORKHOLDING)
February 1, 2007... The powRgrip PG 32 system from Rego Fix (www.rego-fix.com) uses a toolholder and collet to generate clamping forces that are higher than shrink-fit holders. The system clamps tool shanks to 25 mm (0.0984 in.), is designed for high speed...

3-D fixture creation software.(TOOLING AND WORKHOLDING)
February 1, 2007... FixtureBuilder software from R&R Sales & Engineering (www.cmmfixture.com) enables users to build a fixture setup by dragging a component or base plate from Rayco catalogs. The components snap into position, and the software automatically builds...

With new China regulations, what do we gain?(GOVERNMENT MATTERS)
February 1, 2007... China is by far the largest machine tool market in the world. Although the final numbers are not in, it is likely that machine tool acquisitions by Chinese companies were three times those of U.S. companies last year. Yet despite the...

Disclaimers protected seller from lawsuit over defects.(LAW & LIABILITY)
February 1, 2007... R.O.W. Window Co. v. Allmetal Inc., 856 N.E.2d 55 (Ill.App. 2006). From 1994 to 1998, R.O.W. Window Co., an Illinois company that manufactures insulated glass windows, bought spacers and corner keys for its windows from Allmetal Inc. During...

Workers comp only recourse for 'borrowed servant'.(LAW & LIABILITY)
February 1, 2007... Barone v. GATX Corp., 857 N.E.2d 155 (Ohio App. 2006). Lee Barone died on Nov. 9, 2002, from pleural mesothelioma, a malignant tumor on the lining of the lungs. Barone worked as a stenciler in the paint shop for many years for GATX Corp., a...

Recognition reaps rewards: shops tell what it means to be named one of the 10 Best.(BENCH MARKING)
February 1, 2007... AT THE 2006 IMTS SHOW LAST NOVEMBER, American Machinist announced the results from its 10 Best Machine Shops competition. The contestants were chosen from respondents to the American Machinist Benchmarking Survey done last March. After...

No profit, no business: benchmarking data shows where the profits are.(BENCH MARKING)
February 1, 2007... PROFIT IS CRITICAL TO business--no profit, no business--and higher margins usually mean higher profit, so profit margins are a key indicator of performance and success. In the 2006 American Machinist Benchmarking Survey, net profit...

Automate or die: in a high-mix, low-volume world, survival hinges on maximized machine use.(AUTOMATION)
February 1, 2007... Shops in high-mix, low-volume production environments no longer can expect to compete simply by running lines of stand alone machining centers with an operator at each one. Labor costs are too high, and, more importantly, operating in such a...

Transmission housings drive automation.(AUTOMATION)
February 1, 2007... TWIN DISC, A MANUFACTURER of power-transmission products, struggled to meet increased customer demands for just-in-time customized transmission housings. The shop's machining process for housings lacked flexibility, was too labor intensive and...

'Round-the-clock high-precision work: one company is holding 10 [micro] to 15 [micro] in unattended machining and subassembly workcells.(PRECISION MACHINING)
February 1, 2007... "FIVE YEARS AGO we started a project to create a high-precision machining and subassembly workcell that had almost no labor component," said Peter Ronge, director of manufacturing at Peer Inc. (www. peerinc.com). "Today we have three cells...

Errant performer or scapegoat: spindles are the usual suspects when machining goes bad. Don't be too sure.(MACHINING)
February 1, 2007... SPINDLES GET BLAMED for a lot of machining problems but, in many cases, the spindle is not the root cause of the problem. Crashes and heavy cuts can eventually lead to a need for a rebuild, and, when quality problems crop up, a tool is needed...

Life support for cutting fluids: managing cutting fluids, and extending their life, pays dividends in lower operating and disposal costs.(FLUIDS)
February 1, 2007... ALTHOUGH CUTTING fluids account for only a small fraction of the cost of metalworking operations, disposal of spent cutting fluid can be expensive and troublesome. In past years, shops simply disposed of their metalworking fluid as soon as it...

Production doubles with single-operation machining.(CASE BOOKS)
February 1, 2007... Delta Hi-Tech's bread and butter has always been large volume manufacturing. The shop constantly finds ways to make parts faster and faster, so it easily handles jobs with as few as two or three pieces as well as it does jobs with more than...

Turning, milling and simultaneous 5-axis machining on one machine.(NEW EQUIPMENT)
February 1, 2007... Mazak's (www.mazakusa.com) new Variaxis 630-5X II is designed to do multi-surface, simultaneous 5-axis machining of complex parts from solids in a single step. The integrated main milling spindle and motor feature a combination of 40 Hp...

New lubricant nozzle for near-dry sawing.(NEW EQUIPMENT)
February 1, 2007... ITW Rocol North America has released the Accu-Lube nozzle for near-dry sawing applications. The U nozzles allow the lubricant to be applied from behind the blade on the three sides of the blade. The nozzles attach to a two-pump Accu-Lube...

Swivel head VMC with bar loader for complete machining in one step.(NEW EQUIPMENT)
February 1, 2007... Aimed at medical and small automotive parts manufacturers, the FZ12KS tilt vertical machining center from Chiron America (www.chironamerica.com) incorporates a swivel head spindle for single setup machining of complex parts. The FZ12KS has a...

Gang tooled turning center fastest in class.(NEW EQUIPMENT)
February 1, 2007... Fuji Machine America Corporation (www.fujimachine.com) says its new FS4-3500 compact automated gang tooled turning center is the fastest in its class. The machine allows loading and unloading of the workpiece during spindle rotation with a...

Pinpointing the cutting "sweet spot".(LAST WORD)
February 1, 2007... Trying to find that elusive optimal combination of spindle speed (rpm) and axial depth-of-cut by trial and error for a given tool and material is a little like looking for a needle in a haystack. But a dynamic analysis technique is available...

Chips-n-burrs.(LAST WORD)(Cartoon)
February 1, 2007... "So we can improve profitability, and all we have to do is shut down production. What's the Catch?" [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

American machinist 2007 benchmarking survey.(FROM THE EDITOR)
February 1, 2007... The 2007 (2nd annual) American Machinist Benchmarking Survey is now online; we ask you, our readers, to fill it out. The survey is important. It's the only resource machine shops have to compare their operations with peers and competitors....

Instant feed indicator.(PRACTICAL IDEAS)
February 1, 2007... I needed to do some precise depth drilling on a lathe, but the machine's tailstock handle had no dial for indicating feedout increments. To remedy the problem, I attached a magnetic base to the machine's drill chuck and a dial indicator to the...

Idea pins down corner locating.(PRACTICAL IDEAS)
February 1, 2007... I use a modified dowel pin to easily and effectively locate the corners of workpieces set up on angles. To modify the dowel pin, I ground out a 90 degree notch from its center, then place the modified pin on the workpiece corner to be located....