March 1998 Issue
March 1998
Features
Featured articles from the latest issue of Modern Machine Shop
Low-Cost Machines Meet High-End Controls
Mold and die makers have been less than enthusiastic about low-cost VMCs in a large part because their controls typically aren't designed to deliver the high performance 3D contouring capabilities so necessary to cutting cores and cavities. But two companies are out to change all that by bringing together low-cost machining capabilities and high-end contouring control on a single platform.
Read MoreDo-It-Yourself Machine Tool Calibration
The trend toward higher accuracy parts continues largely because manufacturers are finding that higher accuracy parts reduce assembly time and lower warranty costs. The machine tools have to be kept within tolerance, which means calibration at regular intervals.
Read MoreFind The Time
This mold shop shows where to look. Faced with tighter lead times, it achieved faster workflow by using existing machinery and manpower in more efficient ways.
Read MoreWinning A Place For The First CMM
Automated inspection plays a key role in this historically non-CNC shop, thanks in large part to the shop's system for efficient CMM setup.
Read MoreHow Accurate Is Your Machining Center?
Virtually every machine tool builder lists, as part of a machine's specification, accuracy and repeatability figures. What's generally not given is the method used to arrive at the figures. Though these methods are defined in linear positioning standards, not all builders use the same standards.
Read MoreDispelling Small Machine Shop Myths
Many job shops start in a garage with a used mill and a manual lathe. The owners of this Utah job shop took a different tack. Along the way to a very successful business, they've debunked a bunch of myths commonly held about job shops.
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