Multi-function tools have been around for quite a while but oftentimes are overlooked for a variety of reasons ranging from lack of understanding to shop inventory. But the truth is that in many situations, multi-function tools can be a key to reduced cycletime … more efficient machining … better workflow … and that ultimate prize …
Shop Efficiency Series Part 5 : Multi-Function Tools Read More »
As we have been stressing throughout this Shop Efficiency Series … keeping your spindle running and the green cycle light lit is one of the main keys to making money and profits. In Part 4 we’re going to shift our attention back to the VMC and HMC world and send out some thoughts regarding Tool …
Shop Efficiency Series Part 4 : Re-Thinking Your HEIGHT OFFSET Strategy Read More »
We’ve always been a big fan of Sandvik Coromant and their tooling … not just because they are a member of the Kipware® family … but we have always found their tooling, inserts, support and design to be cutting edge and of the best quality. On the shop floor … they were our tooling manufacturer …
Shop Efficiency Series Part 3 : Re-Thinking Your Lathe Tooling Read More »
Part 2 in our Shop Efficiency Series will expand a little on Part 1 … and key in on one of the most common workholding options used in the milling world … the vise. Some of the ideas we will present might be old hat for the more professionals in the group … but it’s …
Shop Efficiency Series Part 2 : The Infamous MILLING Vise !! Read More »
It’s the age old manufacturing quest … how to reduce the cycletime and machine parts faster. And although cycletime is a major factor in the making profits equation … concentrating too much on cycletime can sometimes make you miss the bigger problems … the bigger deficiencies in the shop … the bigger money wasting issues. …
Shop Efficiency Series Part 1 : Cycletime VS Workholding Read More »
Every once in a while we like to bring attention for our readers to new and innovative machining and workholding products and process that we feel are beneficial to our readers. Such is the case in the Making Chips post as we focus and bring attention to a new workholding clamp from Carr Lane Manufacturing …
Product Spotlight : ID Clamps from Carr Lane Manufacturing Read More »
We’ve all been there … Crashville. It’s not a place you want to visit frequently … but inevitably, we all make a visit. When I first started in CNC, one of my mentors told me “If you don’t bump it once in a while … you’re not experimenting … not trying new approaches … and …
CNC Lathe Headstock – Alignment Checks and Adjustments Read More »
In this post we are continuing our series dealing with the aftermath of that inevitable visit to Crashville that we all make in our production lives. Our last post dealt with the spindle alignment … this post we’re going to take a look at turret alignment. Oftentimes these repairs cannot be accomplished without professional assistance …
Machining Multiple – Different Parts So far in our series we have looked at machining multiple parts of all the same part mounted in our fixtures during our machining cycle. What if we want to machine different parts during the cycle … we want to mount different fixtures on the table and machine one of …
Programming for Multiple Fixtures So the decision has been made … “We need production … which means we need to mount as many vises or fixtures on the table as we can fit … to make as many parts as possible.” First scenario … We are going to make all the same part. For our example …
