High-Torque Retention Knob Gives Job Shop Spindles The Competitive Edge April 25, 2018 Despite the addition of more than 750,000 CNC mills in the past 15 years in the US, CNC machining job shops often hover at the bottom of the totem pole, where there’s little room for error as most bids are won by a 1–2% price variance.
Shrink-Fit Toolholder Offers Consistency When Setting Tools April 23, 2018 Shrink-fit toolholding is a simple concept—an induction coil is adjusted and fits over the top of the toolholder. The induction coil heats the toolholder end of the shrinker, expanding the inside diameter, which opens the engagement bore (IDs of shrink-fit toolholders are smaller than the shank diameter of the cutting tool).
When the Going Gets Tough, Tough Toolholders Get Going April 23, 2018 As machining has evolved, toolholders have advanced to include rigid, secure systems with anti-pullout protection. These advanced systems are needed to take on difficult-to-machine materials, such as titanium and heat-resistant superalloys (HRSA), and accommodate ambitious removal rates and long tool overhangs. Think of them as insurance against tool pullout and breakage—a situation nobody wants.
New Tool Designs Power Faster-Than-Ever Cutting April 23, 2018 Industry veterans often say the makers of machine tools, cutting tools, CAD/CAM software, and other components push each other in an endless feedback loop to deliver ever faster cutting speeds in ever harder materials. Lately it’s the cutting tool manufacturers who seem to be leading the charge. Let’s see what they’re up to.
How Small Shops Can Go Digital — Economically! April 4, 2018 In the early days at CNC Software, we saw that our Mastercam CAD/CAM system was only part of a larger manufacturing solution and that an open architecture foundation could allow seamless data communication with complementary devices and systems across the shop floor.
Digital Tool Data Refines Machining, Helps Industry 4.0 Find Its Way April 24, 2018 It’s said you don’t know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been. For Industry 4.0 and advanced manufacturing, digital libraries provide that map.
BIG Kaiser Tooling Upgrade Wins Races for Team Penske April 25, 2018 On race day, everybody sees the race on TV, but behind the scenes there’s a competition going on between shops where time is everything, according to Matt Gimbel, Team Penske’s production manager.
When Is Hard Turning the Right Solution? September 10, 2019 Hard turning has long been used for finishing when it comes to high-volume applications. Now, tooling suppliers have pushed cubic boron nitride (CBN) insert technology further, with geometric innovations that further increase the efficiency—and cost-effectiveness—of hard turning.
Breakthroughs Expand Turning Tool Performance Envelope August 8, 2019 Advances in turning insert technology that promise faster processing, longer tool life and reduced cycle time are always promoted with great fanfare by suppliers and welcomed by manufacturers looking for a competitive edge.
U.S. Cutting Tool Consumption Up 3.2 Percent for 2019 Through June August 21, 2019 U.S. cutting tool consumption totaled $198.9 million according to the United States. Cutting Tool Institute (USCTI) and AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology. This total, as reported by companies participating in the Cutting Tool Market Report collaboration, was down 6.8 percent from May’s $213.4 million and down 6.3 percent when compared with the $212.4 million reported for June 2018.