April 2003 Issue

April 2003

Process Versus Geometry

Most CAM software can be classified as either fundamentally process-based or fundamentally geometry-based. Understanding this often-overlooked distinction can help you find the CAM system that is best for your needs.

Features

Featured articles from the April 2003 issue of Modern Machine Shop

CAD/CAM 15 Apr 2003

Automation's Extended Reach

The experience of a Windsor mold shop offers an object lesson in machine shop automation. In an interconnected process, automating one aspect of the process offered benefits beyond what the initial planning had led the shop to expect.

Medical 15 Apr 2003

Serving The Human Machine

A New Hampshire manufacturer spurs growth by expanding the medical segment of its business.

Metalworking Fluids 15 Apr 2003

Coolant Considerations For Medical Machining

While the proprietary nature of the actual metalworking processes used for making 'body parts' tends to be more mystique than technique, there are some things to think about for shops that are looking to do this kind of work.

15 Apr 2000

Electrode Machining Set Free

These two shops used to mill EDM electrodes on their metal cutting machines, but they have now shifted the work to graphite machining centers. Both shops say the advantage isn’t just in the cycle time savings, it’s in the inefficiencies they can now overcome.

15 Apr 2003

On The Cusp--Faster Machining Or Finer Surfaces?

According to developers, the main feature of this new milling method is the ability to calculate a cutter location that optimizes the orientation of a milling cutter on the surface to be machined.

15 Apr 2003

Hybrid Grinders For High-End Parts

This manufacturer now applies hybridization to the task of machining complex parts that require flexible grinding configurations. In addition to ordinary face grinding, for example, these machines also have the capability to grind bores, diameters and tapers.