No Need For Speed  03/01/08

High speed machining makes sense at 4,000 rpm in this shop. While the disciplines the shop put in place made a new 15,000-rpm profiler dramatically more productive, high speed machining would have remained valuable even if the new machine never came. Here is why.

Workholding That Holds Off Chatter  05/01/07
Clamping fixtures can be part of the problem when chatter occurs in a high speed machining process. Researchers have now discovered that clamping fixtures can also be part of the solution. A supplier of integrated tooling systems has developed palletized workholding that uses a viscoelastic layer to absorb vibrational energy, thus reducing the tendency for a machining process to cause chatter. The benefits of this technology are improved surface finish, lower cutting forces and longer tool life.

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.

Tools For Titanium  03/01/06
With all of the titanium that will be required for a new aircraft, any of 1,000 spindles might benefit from the tools and techniques described here.

Chatter Control For The Rest Of Us  10/01/05
This shop finds stable milling speeds quickly using a systematic pattern of test cuts.

Coming: Stable Milling Speeds Determined In The Office  10/01/05
A utility available online may be the starting point toward software that can predict optimal spindle speeds outside the shop, without the user having to test or measure every tooling combination.

Ten Questions About Chatter  10/01/05
If you want to use a high speed milling spindle to machine aggressively, then information about chatter should be more than just background noise. Here are some basics.

Minimizing Vibration Tendencies In Machining  02/27/04
Precision internal machining operations are now carried out almost exclusively using hard-metal or diamond tipped cutting tools. Tool holders are available in a variety of forms to suit the specific machining requirements. The material properties of the toolholder have a large influence on both the surface quality and dimensional accuracy of the machined component (workpiece), and on the life of the cutting tool. This becomes critical when machining deep holes, because it is necessary to use a tool with large length to diameter (L/D) ratio or overhang.

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.

Sweet, Sweet Spot  08/15/03
For this aerospace job shop, harmonizing key aspects of each high speed machining process creates a "sweet spot" where productivity jumps. Harmonizing other key aspects of shop operations also creates a "sweet spot" that helps the company capitalize on this jump in machining productivity.

The Overhang Effect  01/01/03
The length by which the tool extends from the toolholder is a variable that can be used to 'tune' the machining process. Contrary to what you may expect, increasing the tool's L:D ratio may reduce chatter and result in more productive milling.

Getting The Time Out Of Titanium  08/01/01
For Boeing engineers successful at high speed machining of aluminum, the next step is to mill faster in a more constraining metal.

The Dynamics Of Better Drilling  06/01/01
Vibration is at the heart of a variety of common problems in machining holes. Mathematical analysis is helping to bring about a better understanding of hole-making processes...including how these vibrations behave, and what steps to take to bring them under control.

Maximum Aluminum  01/15/01
Speed changes the rules. To maximize metal removal rate with a high speed spindle, follow some fundamental tooling considerations and mill at just the right rpm.

Find The Right Speed For Chatter-Free Milling  03/15/00
It used to be that a little chatter was easy to forgive. Not anymore. In shops aiming to minimize hand finishing, machined surfaces have to be smooth. And in high speed machining applications, chatter itself can set the speed limit.