September 2000 Issue
September 2000
Features
Featured articles from the latest issue of Modern Machine Shop
Where Wire EDM Is A Workhorse
This shop finds the process practical, productive and predictable, an indispensable technology that supports all of its manufacturing capability.
Read MoreChoosing The Right Bar Feeder
Take a look at some of the options, and find out how some shops make their decisions.
Read MoreThis Hexapod You Can Work With
Take a standard knee-mill, identical to those found in thousands of shops around the world. On the backside of the mill, place a worktable. Under that worktable, attach six movable legs. Rotate the overarm of the mill 90 degrees so the spindle is above the rear worktable. You've created a five-axis knee mill.
Read MoreWhy Using The Latest Technology Simply Isn't Enough
Suppliers to the automotive industry know they've got to be competitive, have consistent, repeatable quality and deliver on time, every time. Often having the latest technology is a crucial competitive advantage. But sometimes having and using the latest equipment isn't enough. Here's why.
Read MoreAir-Powered High Speed Spindle
Two different designs for this spindle allow it to be mounted on a lathe's turret or slide (like an add-on live-tool spindle) or mounted in a machining center's toolholder. In either case, the spindle is capable of 30,000 rpm. When driven by an 80-psig shop air supply, the spindle can deliver 75 W of cutting power.
Read MoreWhat's Wrong With This Picture? On The Care And Feeding Of Master Rings And Other Metrology Artifacts
Quality assurance can only be as good as the measuring tools it relies on. It should be obvious that if you spend tens of thousands of dollars on a measuring machine, you need to protect this investment with routine maintenance and calibration.
Read MoreTurning Turned On End
Inverted-spindle vertical turning machines take on horizontal chuckers for turning cell applications.
Read MoreWhat's Old, New Or Real?
I remember one of the Star Trek movies, in which Kirk asks Scotty to perform an especially difficult technological miracle to save the Enterprise. Scotty replies, "Captain, I can't change the laws of physics.
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