#TECH BRIEF

Automation & Robots

Tips for Troubleshooting and Repairing Chip Conveyors

A nonfunctioning chip conveyor can cause a high-production machine to be down for an extended period of time. Here is some troubleshooting advice if you’re having issues with your chip conveyors.

Tooling

Breaking the Barriers for Small Tool Breakage Detection

This contact-free tool breakage detector, especially useful for machine tools with small tools and small workzones, offers a quick and efficient way to change out broken tools before they cause bigger problems.

Cutting Tools

CNC Turning Tips for HRSA Materials

Rough-turning, heat-resistant superalloys can be challenging. However, new carbide insert technology provides the capability to perform high-speed, high-feed roughing in a single pass.

Single & Multi-Spindles

Bridging the Gap Between Traditional Single- and Multi-Spindles

This twin-spindle automatic lathe with six cross-slide mounted turrets is designed for medium-sized production runs that might not be suitable for conventional multi-spindles.

Grinding

What is CNC Peel Grinding?

It resembles single-point turning on a lathe because, similar to a lathe’s tool, the grinding wheel moves in the X and Z axes to grind contours, diameters and other features.

Parts Cleaning

Corrosion Prevention: How to Avoid the Enemy of Metal Parts

This chemical reaction that is a constant, indiscriminate and costly enemy of metal parts is preventable, but intentional measures must be taken and become an essential process within a company’s walls.

Parts Cleaning

Tips for Cleaning Oily Parts

Degreasers are the best option for cleaning parts machined with oil. Vacuum degreasers are recommended for cleaning complex parts.

Swiss-Types

Swiss-Type Add-On System Enables In-Line Inspection

When small part inspection and/or segregation is critical, this flexible, automated unloading and palletizing system for Swiss-type lathes can be the answer. 

Medical

Overcoming Challenges of Medical Device Machining with Metalworking Fluids

Implementing coolant specifically designed for medical applications and following coolant maintenance protocols can help medical device manufacturers better manage obstacles encountered in that sector.

Cutting Tools

Tips to Make CNC Machining Tool Failure Predictable

Accurate prediction of tool life is key to establishing a controlled, repeatable and reliable CNC machining process.

Measurement

Vision Metrology for Medical

Understanding best practices and the options available with vision measurement systems is particularly important when inspecting complex medical components having stringent traceability requirements.

Automation & Robots

Program a Robot with your Machine’s CNC

A new function in popular controls enables shops to program machine-tending robots using familiar CNC G codes.

Automation & Robots

Cobot Gripper Considerations

There are a variety of ways for collaborative robots to pick up and hold parts and materials. Here are four.

Cutting Tools

Air-Actuated Back-Spotfacing is Now an Option

A coolant-actuated, back-spotfacing tool design is now available in an air-actuated version for machines that don’t offer through-tool coolant delivery or parts that can’t be machined using coolant.

Cutting Tools

The Value of Tool Monitoring on Rotary Transfer Machines

By using a tool monitoring system, shops can save costs associated with machine maintenance and downtime for tool changes while increasing cutting performance.

Tooling

The Promise of Monitoring Live-Tooling Performance

Sensor technology on live-tooling units could not only prove valuable for predictive maintenance but also overall production monitoring and improvement for a range of machine tool brands.

AI Software Predicts Machine Tool Drive System Failures

Predictive failure analysis software detects problems before they occur by connecting to a machine tool’s servomotor or spindle motor to perform condition monitoring.

Aerospace

Cutting Tool Insert Options for Turning HRSA Materials

Consideration of the types of tools used to turn heat-resistant super alloys commonly used for aerospace components is a necessary part of developing an effective machining process for those materials.

Grinding

Establishing an Effective Production Process for Femoral Balls

Grinding, honing and buffing can be performed on one machine to eliminate the need for these medical implant components to run across multiple pieces of equipment.  

Targeting Spindle Alignment for High Machining Accuracy

This 5-axis laser target for spindle and axis alignment offers a fast and highly accurate way to measure spindle alignment, axis straightness and squareness on lathes, multitasking machines, machining centers and ID/OD grinding machines.

6 Considerations for Metalworking Fluid Selection and Maintenance

Understanding how to select and maintain metalworking fluids is critical to a machine shop’s efficiency.

Cutting Tools

Keeping Your Tool Cool From the Inside Out

Dual internal coolant channels in this parting off/grooving tool are said to provide greater cooling capability than external flood coolant delivery.

Transfer Machines

Rotary Transfer Offers Full OD Turning Between Centers

This small-footprint trunnion rotary transfer machine includes an isolated cell to perform full OD turning between centers for improved concentricity compared to flipping parts in a station for backside turning or moving the part to another clamping position.

Turn-Mills

5 Tips for Multichannel Programming

Programming for multitasking machines can be complex. Knowing several key points for making the process less challenging can save a programmer time as well as lessen confusion and the risk of error.