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May, 2005
Editorial
Decreasing the fuel tax to reduce gas prices
I find it hard to believe that U.S. Energy Secretary Sam Bodman startled a group of energy-company officials and industry representatives when he announced that high energy prices, especially for...
Features
Isolating Unwanted Vibration
Shops often overlook vibration issues when installing machine tools or equipment. However, planning for vibration control, optimally before constructing a new facility or during redesign of an...
Stop Babysitting High-Speed Machines
Machine-monitoring modules make unattended high-speed machining reliable.
Tech Trends
TIMTOS 2005 focus is the global economy
As part of its strategy to become a forerunner in the global economy, Taiwan again hosted its biennial Taipei International Machine Tool Show (TIMTOS). The Taiwan External Trade Development Council...
World engine plants gain global automation partner
The "world engine" will soon be moving from the drawing board to actual production thanks to the signing of a major automotive contract. Mitsubishi Electric Automation Inc., Vernon Hills, Ill., will...
Cutting Tool Digest
Grippers mount without adaptor plates
DPD series double-wedge parallel grippers come in 12 sizes with strokes from 1 /16 to 2 in. and exert grip forces ranging from 12 to 400 lb. Both DPDL long-stroke models and DPDS short-stroke models...
Solid PCBN inserts
Secomax CBN 100 and CBN 300 solid-PCBN indexable inserts have pin-lock-hole clamping and are for use with M, P, and D-style toolholders.
Variable-helix endmills
Tuffcut XR four and five-flute solid-carbide endmills are for heavy rough milling and finishing of almost all metals. The Altima AlTiN-coated endmills come in more than 280 variations including...
Machine of the Month
A little more conversation, a lot more action
Hurco, a well-known builder of machining centers, entered the lathe market last fall with the launch of its TM series of slant-bed lathes. The defining feature of these machines is Hurco's Max CNC...
Bits & Bytes
Electrode software
WorkNC-CAD Electrode software for designing, extracting, and machining EDM electrodes reportedly saves users up to 40% in preparation and cutting times. This module is part of WorkNC Version 17.
Software puts shop on the fast track
Stafford, U.K.-based Rail-Ability accelerates designs of vehicles that lay rails, build platforms, and keep railroads safe using SolidWorks 3D mechanical-design software. It gives the...
Law and Liability
Maker of nondefective component not liable for machine accident
Shannon Henry worked at aTexas-based Alcoa plant that processes raw aluminum into roll form and then paints it. Scrap aluminum produced by the process is taped onto an electrically powered scrap...
U.S. firms suffer under tax code
The United States Government is once again playing the patsy when it comes to international trade and tax issues. A recent study by Garrett Vaughn and financed by the Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI,...
Casebooks
Laser tracking for the track
Like all Formula 1 racing teams, the Renault F1 Team develops secret designs that hopefully make their car quicker than the competition. To test these designs, the team sets up cars in a wind-tunnel...
Shop evacuates molding problems
The Illinois Tool Works (ITW) ITW Filtration of Lake Geneva, Wis., processes polyphenylene sulfide (PPS)-based products, has a lot of out-gassing work, and deals with hard-to-fill parts in its...
System steers shop to precise toolsetting
Metaldyne's Edon, Ohio, plant manufactures automotive steering knuckles, probably one of the most complex parts on cars. These components present a machining challenge because they require milling,...
New Equipment
Ballnose-tooling options
BallPlus ballnose milling systems reportedly have improved clamping mechanisms and offer more application options. They include cylindrical and conical shanks and five milling inserts. Each shank...
Bandsaws
Cosen Saw offers bandsaws with capacities from 8 to 80 in. It manufactures the machines to exact specifications using major namebrand components.
EDM hinges on accuracy
Accuracy is key in the design of the Robofil 2050TW wire EDM. The machine is thermostablized, and precision glass scales measure down to 0.0019685-in. (0.05 mm) increments. The 2050TW uses two wire...
Flexible borescopes
Hawkeye Blue flexible borescopes come in 0.098425, 0.15748, and 0.23622-in. (2.5, 4, and 6-mm) diameters for looking inside castings, tube assemblies, and welded joints in bent tubes.
Grinder with wear-free guideways
As an important feature of the Magerle MFP 50 grinder, hydrostatic wrap-around guideways used in the Y-axis are reportedly wear-free and offer rigidity and load capacity, dampen vibration, and...
High-speed machining center
The new design of the HSM 400U five-axis high-speed machining center's rotational axes reportedly allows speeds up to 25 faster than conventional rotary tables. The rotation axis goes up to 250 rpm...
HMC provides generous travels
EC-300 HMCs sport 20 1814-in. travels, twin pallet changers, and built-in tombstone-indexing capabilities. These machines also feature 8,000-rpm, 40-taper spindles with inline, direct-drive systems...
Indexer control
The all-digital servo control of the 5C indexer features a four-line LCD that lets users view and edit program information. The control stores up to 50 programs with as many as 1,000 steps in each...
Inspect assemblies in trays
MarVision MS 662 measuring machines provide measurements for large precision parts, high-volume components, and assemblies in trays and pallet lots. They incorporate CCD cameras, TTL lasers, and...
Large-volume measuring
SmartScope Flash 500 metrology systems provide 19.69 17.727.87-in. (500 450200-mm) XYZ travel. Optical assemblies move in the X-axes across angled steel cross beams while parts move in Y-axes on...
Module generates machining offsets
The GibbsCAM TMS module option targets programming multiple parts fixtured on tombstones. After users orient and position parts on the workholders, the module automatically generates offsets and...
No-slip grooving inserts
Dovetail clamping systems of Groove 'N Turn inserts prevent slippage or rotation during axial or radial cuts. Built-in stops also prevent movement in pockets during cuts. Available single or...
Parting and grooving tools
Combinations of CoroTurn SL adapters and CoroCut SL cutting blades tackle parting and grooving operations. The adapters feature serrated interfaces that combine with different cutting blades....
Portable pump/separator
Portable Model #315 pump/separators remove tramp oil and floating chips from coolant for up to 10 machine tool sumps, some as large as 400 gallon. These separators use permanent-oil separation...
Rigid VMC
The Vertex 550-5X 5-axis VMC's casting provides a rigid machine structure. Its gear-drive system for A and C rotary axes deliver high-speed radial performance and overall drive-system stiffness. The...
Rotary-screw compressors
AS-T series rotary-screw compressors come in 20 and 25-hp models that feature integral refrigerated dryers and condensate drains. These units also include Kaeser's "split cooling air flow" to improve...
Router for batch machining
The EcoRaptor router's 40 27.59.5-in. work envelope accommodates nested (batch) machining and low-quantity runs of panels, extrusions, electromechanical parts, and aerospace profiles. It comes with a...
Software enhances productivity
ShopMill Version 6.4 software has easy, step-by-step, on-screen programming that reportedly reduces programming, tooling, and production times. It works with Siemens' Sinumerik 810D or 840D CNCs...
Software interprets 3D shapes
Mastercam Art software add-on uses 3D shapes from 2D art. Fast and easy-to-use toolpaths cut artistic and finely detailed surfaces. Additional tools let users perform easy and quick changes, edit, or...
Software locates bottlenecks
Proficy Machine Tool Efficiency (MTE) shop floor intelligence software collects real-time availability, performance, and quality data from machine tools and production systems so companies can...
Stable VMC
Revo 4020 VMCs feature highly rigid structures with boxed columns for stable precision. Accurate 10,000-rpm spindles are standard for high-speed milling, drilling, and rigid tapping. Machine travels...
Straight or angle grinding
SelectG universal grinders perform flexible, precise, small-lot work. For easy changeovers, the machines' wheelheads rotate 90° to 60°, accommodating either straight or angled wheels. In...
Toolholders dampen vibration
Sino-T toolholding systems reportedly provide reliable tool clamping, vibration dampening, and run-out accuracy of 5 µ. They incorporate stiff bodies as clamping mediums to provide consistent...
Tooling tackles cast iron
Seco-Carboloy's range of PCBN inserts and TK grades machine cast iron materials. Among them are SecoMax CBN300 solid PCBN inserts with pin lock holes for added insert-mounting security.
Practical Ideas
Handling chuck-wrench safety
My special chuck-wrench design, incorporating a spring-loaded ejector pin, prevents accidents caused by leaving the wrench in lathe chucks. To accommodate the ejector pin and spring, I drill through...
Retrospective
50 years ago in American Machinist
In the May 23, 1955, issue, Editor Burnham Finney pointed out that the urge to increase manufacturing efficiency should be irresistible for companies, since labor costs were on the rise and prices...
