Collet System Keeps Cool Under Pressure  06/01/08


Measuring Taper For Toolholders And Spindle Applications  05/01/08

Companies concerned about strict quality requirements regularly check toolholder tapers for wear or inaccuracy because these conditions can jeopardize the results of a critical operation. However, a shop can check tapers quickly and reliably with air gages. These devices can be used effectively without special operator training. For measuring taper in a production environment, few other methods can match the speed and performance of air, as multiple-circuit air jets can be placed in very small taper gages.

Beat The Heat With High-Pressure Coolant  12/01/07

In lieu of traditional flooding measures, multitasking machine operators can use high-pressure coolant strategically to improve chip control and tooling life while enhancing overall productivity. 

Introducing Partners In THINC  08/01/07
Okuma's Larry Schwartz explains the philosophy that led to the creation of the Partners in THINC facility where leading companies have teamed to creatively problem solve and develop solutions for the manufacturing industry.

Get A (Tight) Grip  07/01/07
High toolholder gripping torque reduces the likelihood that a tool will slip within a toolholder during a cutting operation. A mechanical toolholder design provides a very high gripping torque via a worm gear that compresses a shallow-taper collet tightly around a tool shank.

Boosting Machine Spindle Speed For Micromachining Applications  05/01/07
Small-diameter micromachining tools require very high rpm for sufficient cutting speed and material removal rates. This air spindle provides 80,000 rpm and an untethered compressed air interface to allow automatic changeovers using the machine's ATC.

Engineering The Toolholder Assembly Process  04/01/07
This assembly and mounting device for V-flange toolholders is designed to make it easier and safer to put toolholders, collets and cutting tools together. The device allows the toolholder to be clamped securely and rotated so that both ends of the assembly are accessible to the user in a comfortable position.

Low-Speed Machines Benefit From Tool Balancing  02/01/07
In addition to improved cutting tool life and surface finish, there are other reasons why shops should consider an in-house balancing system for toolholder assemblies used on low-rpm machine tools.

The Benefits & Techniques Of Hard Milling With Ceramics  01/17/07
MMS inMotion PresentationRon Malone, applications engineer at Greenleaf Corporation, explores The Benefits & Techniques Of Hard Milling With Ceramics. This presentation was filmed at the 2006 Mold Making Exposition. (Total time: 40:23 minutes)

Hard Milling With Tandem Toolholding  01/01/07
A combination of toolholding choices lets this die shop get the most performance from its small-diameter tools.

Toolholder Change Helps HMC Realize Full Machining Potential  11/01/06
An alternate toolholding technology has allowed a shop to achieve much higher spindle speeds on an HMC used to machine short runs of aluminum billet workpieces.

Thinking Big  06/01/06
This shop specifies large machine tools for the machining possibilities of the future. To prepare for the feed rates the shop expects to use one day, the latest large gantry mills apply linear motors on all three linear axes.

Don't Forget The Drawbar  05/01/06
The force that holds the toolholder in the machining center's spindle can weaken over time. If you haven't checked drawbar force in a while, this may be the weak link in your process.

Affordable Technologies For Aerostructure Machining  04/01/06
A research project tests the extent to which non-traditional choices related to tooling and technique can make a machining center more capable for milling complex parts.

Modular Tooling Interface Doubles As A Universal Workholding Device  03/01/06
A precision drives manufacturer uses a quick-tool-change coupling in a new way-to secure critical components for machining. This allows faster setups and provides a single workholding interface for multiple types of machines.

Making A Flexible Machine Tool More Flexible  09/01/05
Multitasking cutting tools can maximize the flexibility of multitasking machines.

A New Twist On A Toolholding Technology  07/01/05
This toolholder employs expansion technology similar to that used by high-end hydraulic toolholders at a cost comparable to collet-style toolholders.

Upgrade Your Cutting Tool Mindset  06/28/05
A handful of timely observations may boost the productivity of your thinking about cutting tools.

Lathe Toolholders For Turning Away  12/01/04
Think 'unattended machining,' and the image in your mind is probably complex - that is, some machining process that relies on automation more than the typical machining process does. But does going unattended have to involve this complexity? Instead of requiring automation, allowing the operator to step away from the machine tool might just be a matter of addressing the sources of worry that keep that operator engaged.

A Lean Enterprise Work In Process  09/01/04
This camshaft manufacturer is 7 years into its lean transformation. The journey has yielded successes, focused its view on future changes and corroborated a number of lean maxims.

New Turning Center Design Aims At Maximum Turning And Milling Rates  07/01/04
With this new series of turning centers, the builder was determined to take a fundamental approach, reexamining the dynamics of both the turning and milling processes performed by the machine. In all, a 15-person team spent 2 and a half years on the project, and the company believes the results were well worth the effort.

Air Bearing Spindles For Very High Speed Operations  05/01/04
To optimize lathe capabilities to include very high speed machining operations, this company has integrated a non-contact air bearing into its air-powered spindle design to allow speeds up to 160,000 rpm.

Single-Spindle Productivity  02/27/04
High speed, five-axis machining on single-spindle machine tools helps this aerospace shop meet the demand for rapid, single-piece work flow.

Be Kind To To Your Collets  01/20/04
Collet toolholders are too important to use incorrectly. Follow this simple advice.

The Right Tool For Milling Titanium  01/01/04
Milling titanium is different from other metals because of the risk of heat build-up. Thanks to the metal's low thermal conductivity, overly aggressive milling may even pose a risk of combustion. With titanium, in other words, there may be more than one reason why the cutting speed can't be increased. And yet the speed of production still can be increased.

A New Mechanism For Tool Changes  11/15/03
After 3 years of lab tests, this tooling manfacturer has developed an entirely new type of spindle cartridge that addresses some drawbacks of the conventional design. The company's gas spring clamping system uses gas pressure to exert gripping force on the toolholder.

Micro Milling At 1/2 Million RPM  08/15/03
Researchers aim to develop a spindle that accounts for the differences between macro and micro machining.

When Two Spindles Are Better Than One  02/15/03
Machining centers with multiple spindles offer a compromise between flexibility and productivity. Different machine designs use the multiple spindles in different ways.

High Speed Electric Spindle Rigidity Helps Company Meet Quality Challenges  11/15/02
High spindle speed is a necessity for this engraving company, but the rigidity of the spindle is another major factor in achieving quality engraved numbers, letters, logos or other characters.

Increasing Torque For A High Speed Spindle  10/15/02
Torque, not power, is the most important characteristic for determining the cutting performance of a spindle. Increasing spindle torque for a high speed machining center ultimately affects not only the choice of spindle but also the design of the machine.

High Speed Spindle Helps Mold Maker Stay Ahead  09/15/02
In the competitive arena of moldmaking, shops must produce molds quickly and within tolerance to remain profitable and attract new business. Technological advances in high speed spindles, sophisticated programming methods and high-performance cutting tools allow shops to save time and improve accuracy.

Rethinking Machine Tool Spindles  07/15/02
Through extensive research involving more than 4,000 individual tests, this company determined that unequal air pressure-caused by the location of ports around the circumference of a spindle's seals-creates adjacent zones of high and low pressure inside the seal.

For Enhanced Spindle Performance  06/15/02
There are a lot of things that a job shop can do to improve the performance of a machining tool spindle.

Up To 12 Tools In One Holder  06/15/02
Imagine a single cutting toolholder that can be used to perform 12 distinct metalcutting operations without a tool change. That's the concept behind a new cutting tool innovation designed and built by Mazak.

High Speed And Torque: One Spindle Drive  02/15/02
Most metalcutting operations divide into one of two processing camps. First is the need to remove large volumes of material using high depth of cut and relatively slower feeds and speeds. On the other end of the spectrum is high speed machining, which calls for shallow depth of cut with correspondingly high rotational speeds and fast feed rates.

Why Use Hydraulic Toolholders  01/15/02
The book on hydraulic toolholders is that they are fussy to set, fragile to operate and expensive to buy. So why do many shops choose them over other holders that seem less demanding? This Chicago mold builder has good reasons for its choice.

Beating The Heat: Temperature Control Of A High-Performance Spindle  12/15/01
For the team developing a more effective spindle, one of the design challenges was an unexpected source of heat.

HSK: Characteristics And Capabilities  10/01/01
Despite its growing use and acceptance in the United States, HSK technology remains widely misunderstood. This primer examines how HSK differs from standard toolholders and what advantages it offers.

Hybrid Ceramic Bearings Boost Spindle Speed  09/15/01
Years ago, IBAG North America used high speed spindles with steel ball bearings. But about 12 years ago, they became aware of a new technology.

Precision Balancing Protects Valuable Equipment-And The Bottom Line  08/15/01
High speed machining can be a risky proposition. At high speeds, an out-of-balance toolholder can cause costly damage to valuable spindles and workpieces.

Retooling Saves Time And Space  04/15/01
Fermer Precision machines a variety of precision parts from aluminum, cast iron, powdered metal, carbon steel and low-carbon steel for automobiles, firearms, medical products and train brake systems. The company relies on a Mori Seiki SV-500 and two OKK KVC 600 vertical machining centers for drilling, reaming and chamfering operations.

Thermally Stabilize Spindles With Air  04/15/01
Heat is the number one enemy of machine tools. The machine tool spindle is one of the prime sources for generating heat in a machine.

Toolholders Fuel Setup Time Reduction  03/15/01
This Indiana shop has been a precision automotive parts supplier to Honda America since it began operations in 1988. Among its precision machined products are fuel intake manifolds for Honda Civics, Accords and V6 sport utility vehicles. IPT produces 4,000 of these manifolds in a 24-hour workday, die casts these manifolds and does all finish machining and testing in-house.

Cutting Bench Time With High Speed Spindle System  01/15/01
Typically, large molds are rough machined on one of the large CNC milling machines, with finishing details added by EDM and bench finishing. However, this is not necessarily the ideal way to do things.

Toolholder System Gives Stable Cutting  11/15/00
There is no doubt that machine tool spindle speeds are climbing. Just look at the standard speeds offered on machining centers five years ago compared to those speeds offered as standard today.

Boosting Machine Output While Using Fewer Toolholders  10/15/00
Toolholder distortion can impede machining operations, especially if the toolholder walls collapse during high speed operation. All sorts of problems can result, from cutting tool breakage and loss of the machined parts to costly damage of the machine spindle and drawbar.

Bringing Toolholders Up To Speed  09/15/00
For the Wichita, Kansas, division of aircraft manufacturer Boeing, one aspect of effective high speed machining is finding the right balance. The division machines aluminum at speeds ranging from 15,000 to 40,000 rpm. To cut at these high speeds as effectively as possible, Boeing uses both pre-balanced and balanceable toolholders.

Toolholder Selection Makes A Difference For Large Part Machining Operations  09/15/00
Machining very large cast iron parts often requires large amounts of material removal using wide cuts and deep bores, so the speeds seldom exceed 5,000 rpm.

Quicker Tool Change For Mills  03/15/00
This article examines a retrofitted mechanical drawbar system with a preset die spring that enables an operator to manually do what a machining center does automatically--change tools quickly.

Modular Tooling Meets Requirements Of Job Shop Specizliaing In Off-Load Mach  06/15/99
Because quick response to customer needs is important, Ultimate Precision relies on agile production equipment, including CNC machining centers and flexible tooling. In producing 10-inch by 8-inch parts from raw castings for a builder of special machine tools, two ID bores and one OD surface, ranging from 3.3 inches to 5 inches in diameter, had to be finish-machined to exacting tolerances and fine surface finishes. Each of these cuts, and several other finishing operations, was performed on a 40 hp Niigata SPN-63 CNC horizontal machining center.

Cool Shrink Fit System  12/15/98
One of the neat things about metalworking is the wide variety of solutions generated for specific challenges. Shrink fit tooling is one such challenge. Much has been written and demonstrated about the advantages in concentricity, balance and ultimately accuracy that such tool-holders bring to the machining process.

Four Toolholder Quality Factors  11/15/98
Toolholders are a critical link between the machine tool and the workpiece. This article looks at four fundamental toolholder manufacturing parameters that precision metalcutting shops need to consider when tooling for a job.

High Speed Spindle Design and Construction  08/15/98
A high speed spindle that will be used in a metal cutting machine tool must be designed to provide the required performance features.

Hot Air Acutates Shrink Fit Tooling  05/15/98
Shrink fit tooling is an increasingly popular toolholding system for high speed machining and other applications where minimal runout and good balance are required.

Hold The Tool On Target  10/01/97
Toolholders deliver tight concentricity - no tramming required.

Spindle System Has Dual Contact V-Taper  04/01/97
Most CNC machining centers use one of two spindle systems. The most common system is the solid V-taper. Gaining in popularity is the hollow shank or HSK-type spindle system.

Five Key Concepts Of Modular, Quick-Change Tooling  05/01/96
A tooling system consisting of interchangeable cutting units and standardized locking units has a lot to offer users of CNC machines, whether for turning, milling, or both on a turn mill. These guidelines will help you think clearly about how modular, quick-change tooling can benefit your shop.

Retrofitting CNC Machining Center With Auxiliary High RPM Spindle  09/15/95
Adding a high-speed electric-spindle system to an existing CNC vertical machining center can improve the machine's productivity by providing quick, infinitely variable speed selection and higher rpm capabilities.