Peter Zelinski Editor-in-Chief
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Curvilinear Tool Paths For Pocket Machining
Recognizing the limitations of traditional approaches to pocketing, mathematicians at The Boeing Company have developed a system for generating tool paths that are better suited to pocketing at high feed rates. The same tool paths have demonstrated their usefulness at lower feed rates as well.
Read MoreWhat's Happening With Cutting Tools
Shops in North America are machining high-value parts, including parts made from difficult-to-machine metals, as a larger share of their workload. When the MMS editors recently listed topics related to cutting tools that we intend to watch closely, we found this one factor鈥攄ifficulty鈥攁t the heart of much of what is changing about shops' use of tooling.
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The Role Of Balance In High Speed Finish Boring
Precision boring is particularly vulnerable to unbalance, but not every high speed boring application demands a balanceable tool.
Read MoreChoosing The Playing Field
Japan is a net exporter of machine tools. The United States is a net importer of machine tools.
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Empowering The Programmer
A project aimed at making military aircraft parts faster shows just how much productivity gain can come from automating the programmer's repetitive tasks.
Read MoreThe Busche Machining Consortium
Most manufacturers that outsource machining work would prefer to deal with just one supplier. Nick Busche has heard this from customers, and he has also seen it in their RFQs.
Read MoreSmall-Diameter Drilling Under Scrutiny
Today's smooth-running high rpm spindles not only allow shops to cut faster with standard tool designs, they also unlock the potential of tiny tools.
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The Long View On Short-Run Work
This shop doesn’t know what parts it will machine tomorrow, but it has a good idea who its customers will be well into the future.
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Roundness Not Required
How would you machine this part? The answer seems obvious. The square part fits nicely in a vise.
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Shops And Presidents
Sometimes the most constructive way to deal with difficult times is by making a change. For a manufacturing business, that may mean a change in the process or a change in the sorts of customers the company pursues.
Read MoreBetter HSM For Big Parts
'High speed machining' is accepted and commonplace in many shops. HSM is so widely used, in fact, that its acceptance is beginning to affect the design of machine tools.
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