Cumberland Additive’s CNC programmer in Pennsylvania spends most of his time writing programs for machine tools in Texas.
Pairing a shoulder mill with a five-axis machine has cut costs and cycle times for one of TTI Machine’s parts, enabling it to support a niche racing community. Sheet Metal Rapid Prototyping
Small details and features can have an outsized impact on large parts, such as Barbco’s collapsible utility drill head.
After more than 40 years in business, this shop has learned how to adapt to stay profitable.
Recognizing the demand for automation solutions in grinding and finishing applications, this abrasives manufacturer is providing free consulting services to help shops develop automated processes.
At its 2024 Music Motion Meeting, Studer AG showed off its entry-level line of grinding machines, as well as its newest universal loading system.
Pairing a shoulder mill with a five-axis machine has cut costs and cycle times for one of TTI Machine’s parts, enabling it to support a niche racing community.
A study in repeatable and flexible workholding by one OEM for another.
Intech Athens’ inventory management system, which includes vertical lift modules from Kardex Remstar and tool management software from ZOLLER, has saved the company time, space and money.
To cut out laborious manual processes like hand-grinding, this briquette manufacturer revamped its machining and cutting tool arsenal for faster production.
Adopting PCD tooling has extended FT Precision’s tool life from days to months — and the test drill is still going strong.
Moving to five-axis machining enabled this shop to dramatically reduce setup time and increase lights-out capacity, but success relied on the right combination of workholding and automation.
Shops need to look at their people, processes and technology to get the most of out their automation systems.
Controlling variability in a closed-loop manufacturing process requires inspection data collected before, during and immediately after machining — and a means to act on that data in real time. Here’s one system that accomplishes this.
Wolfram Manufacturing showcased its new facility, which houses its machine shop along with space for its work as a provider of its own machine monitoring software and as an integrator for Caron Engineering.
Global manufacturer Fictiv is rapidly expanding its use of data and artificial intelligence to help manufacturers wade through process variables and production strategies. With the release of a new AI platform for material selection, Fictive CEO Dave Evans talks about how the company is leveraging data to unlock creative problem solving for manufacturers.
Implementing ProShop has led to a massive process overhaul at Marzilli Machine. From 2020 to 2021, revenue increased 64% without capital investment.
Hexagon has rearranged its software portfolio into five process-based suites, which include software for every step in the workflow as well as a new program that connects everything, increasing automation and collaboration.
Zeiss Quality Innovation Days brings together quality and metrology experts from all over the world to take part in industry-specific sessions.
Understanding all the things that contribute to a machine’s full potential accuracy will inform what to prioritize when fine-tuning the machine.
Fixed-body mechanical plug gages provide fast, high-performance measurement for tight-tolerance holes.
Thanks to ballbar testing with a Renishaw QC20-W, the Autodesk Technology Centers now have more confidence in their machine tools.
Tool-toolholder-spindle-machine combinations each have a unique vibration response. We can measure the response by tap testing, but we can also model it.
Measuring surface finish at the point of manufacture is often done by the same machinist who is manufacturing the part. They need tools that meet test requirements and are easy to use.
Shops need to look at their people, processes and technology to get the most of out their automation systems.
Recognizing the demand for automation solutions in grinding and finishing applications, this abrasives manufacturer is providing free consulting services to help shops develop automated processes.
Controlling variability in a closed-loop manufacturing process requires inspection data collected before, during and immediately after machining — and a means to act on that data in real time. Here’s one system that accomplishes this.
With the acquisition of PushCorp, Walter aims to help customers be more productive with robotics and automation for their material removal processes.
At its 2024 Music Motion Meeting, Studer AG showed off its entry-level line of grinding machines, as well as its newest universal loading system.
AI will become a tool to increase productivity in the same way that robotics has.
Across a range of technical presentations aimed at small and mid-sized job shops, the first-ever Automated Shop Conference (TASC) offered insights into several automated technologies, implementation strategies, shopfloor training tips, and even the untapped power of automated coolant delivery.
Automation is no longer a luxury in manufacturing today – it’s a necessity. The Automated Shop Conference (TASC) will connect job shops with experts who offer advice and considerations for this process.
The Automated Shop Conference (TASC) will give shops of all sizes and production volumes key insights and practical guidance on how to implement automation.
Looking to automate your shop floor? The Automated Shop Conference (TASC) will connect shops with experts who can advise them through this transition.
Attend TASC, The Automated Shop Conference, in Novi, Mich on Oct. 11, 2023 for a comprehensive look into how to use automation to transform your machine shop.
Staying adaptable and leading through change for 95 years and counting, Modern Machine Shop celebrates its 95th Anniversary since its first publication in 1928.
The advance toward increasingly automated machining can be seen in the ways tooling, workholding, gaging and integration all support unattended production. This is the area of innovation I found most compelling at the recent International Manufacturing Technology Show.
The renewal of collaborations, partnerships and networking opportunities created a new level of excitement at IMTS 2022 for 86,307 registrants.
Manufacturing has a multi-talented bunch of people, but who knew so many were adept in the facial hair industry? Check out the best of the beards at IMTS!
This year’s show celebrates 10 years of co-location between IMTS and Hannover Messe.
Brent Donaldson of Modern Machine Shop sits down with Supertec's Don Staggenborg to discuss what the IMTS veterans brought to this year's show.
Meet NASA mission system engineer Mike Menzel and learn more about the James Webb Space Telescope at Mitsui Seiki USA’s booth (338700) in the South Hall from 11:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. on Thursday, September 15.
Understanding all the things that contribute to a machine’s full potential accuracy will inform what to prioritize when fine-tuning the machine.
Fixed-body mechanical plug gages provide fast, high-performance measurement for tight-tolerance holes.
Safety commands help safeguard CNC applications from common programming or operation errors.
Global manufacturer Fictiv is rapidly expanding its use of data and artificial intelligence to help manufacturers wade through process variables and production strategies. With the release of a new AI platform for material selection, Fictive CEO Dave Evans talks about how the company is leveraging data to unlock creative problem solving for manufacturers.
While there are many changes to adopt when moving to five-axis, they all compliment the overall goal of better parts through less operations.
Moments of change shine a light on the priorities that have been consistent a long time, and on the worth we carry forward out of a rich past into the future.
Legacy Precision Molds takes us on a tour of their moldbuilding facility. They've recently implemented two automated 5-axis cells for metal and graphite machining that run lights out during nights and weekends.
Verifying parts is essential to documenting quality, and there are a few best practices that can make the quality control process more efficient.
Take a look inside James Engineering, a high-end CNC Deburring OEM that became a job shop when they decided to produce their own parts in-house.
Tool-holder-spindle-machine combinations each have a unique dynamic response in the same way that each person has a unique fingerprint, which can be revealed using modal testing.
Explore Tech-Max, a CNC machine shop that specializes in precision machining large and complex parts ranging from 10 in. to over 10 ft.
Jrlon, Inc. is recognized as a dependable source and leading supplier of plastic and specialty metal products. They are one of the premier PTFE processors in the United States. Jrlon's expertise also covers a wide range of other performance plastic materials and alloy steels for custom molding, machining, gear manufacturing, technical industrial coatings, welding, and sheet metal fabrication. Driven by innovative designers and engineers, Jrlon manufactures unique products vital to a wide variety of industries.
In this episode of Made in the USA, several executives and senior staff at Hardinge give their first-person account of how they formulated the plan to shift the manufacturing of its milling and turning product lines from its Taiwan plant to its plant in Elmira, New York, the major challenges they encountered and the rewards that made it worth the effort.
The L.S. Starrett Co. has been manufacturing precision measurement tools in Athol, Massachusetts, since 1880. Attention to U.S. manufacturing often focuses on reshoring manufacturing from other countries, but Starrett never left. The facility in Athol employs hundreds and produces thousands of tools that remain vital for measurement in machining and other fields.
The latest episode “Made in the USA” podcast explores a company that uses collaborative robots, one of the key tools helping US machine shops and other manufacturers compete with lower cost countries by automating production.
When Puneet and Neelam Neotia moved from India to the United States several years ago, they brought with them a family background in manufacturing and CNC machining. Now the couple is working to get their startup machine shop off the ground, sourcing new customers and getting the word out about their shop in Clarksville, Indiana. The couple — proud to publicize their "Made in the USA" parts — is leveraging family connections and manufacturing capabilities back in India, but not in the way that some people assume.
Entrepreneur Scott Colosimo found early success in China producing parts for his Cleveland-based motorcycle company in the mid-2000s. This is the story of how IP theft issues overwhelmed the business, prompting Colosimo and his team to start over from scratch — and move production back to the United States.
So far, Made in the USA has looked into system-wide effects of broken supply chains, automation, skilled workforce issues and our perception of manufacturing jobs — examining each topic through a prism of individual experiences. For this final episode for Season 1, let’s look at one more system-wide question and bring it back to personal perspectives: Is there today a new dawn, a new moment for American manufacturing?
The Top Shops 2024 survey for the metalworking market is now live, alongside a new homepage collecting the stories of past Honorees.
To combat the skilled labor shortage, this Top Shops honoree turned to partnerships and unique benefits to attract talented workers.
Doubling sales requires more than just robots. Pro Products’ staff works in tandem with robots, performing inspection and other value-added activities.
From cobots to machine monitoring, this Top Shop honoree shows that machining technology is about more than the machine tool.
Deciding to narrow down its jobs and customers was a turning point for 2023 Top Shops Business Strategies honoree Manda Machine that has led to improvements in the front office and on the shop floor.
Thousands of people visit our Supplier Guide every day to source equipment and materials. Get in front of them with a free company profile.
Legacy Precision Molds takes us on a tour of their moldbuilding facility. They've recently implemented two automated 5-axis cells for metal and graphite machining that run lights out during nights and weekends.
Verifying parts is essential to documenting quality, and there are a few best practices that can make the quality control process more efficient.
Take a look inside James Engineering, a high-end CNC Deburring OEM that became a job shop when they decided to produce their own parts in-house.
Tool-holder-spindle-machine combinations each have a unique dynamic response in the same way that each person has a unique fingerprint, which can be revealed using modal testing.
Explore Tech-Max, a CNC machine shop that specializes in precision machining large and complex parts ranging from 10 in. to over 10 ft.
Jrlon, Inc. is recognized as a dependable source and leading supplier of plastic and specialty metal products. They are one of the premier PTFE processors in the United States. Jrlon's expertise also covers a wide range of other performance plastic materials and alloy steels for custom molding, machining, gear manufacturing, technical industrial coatings, welding, and sheet metal fabrication. Driven by innovative designers and engineers, Jrlon manufactures unique products vital to a wide variety of industries.
Russ Reinhart is the company’s new U.S. national sales manager. In addition, John Kusinko has been appointed as the new regional sales representative in New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Eastern Pennsylvania; and Luis Mejia is the new regional sales representative in Mexico.
The company has expanded its offerings of solid-carbide thread mills with new products for challenging applications.
The FMB Turbo RS 4-45 bar feeder provides reduced vibration, a boost to maximum rpm, better surface finishes and the ability to hold tighter tolerances.
The 2024 Open House and Technology Days event will highlight customers who have leveraged Zoller technology to optimize their manufacturing processes and boost profits.
Zeiss Quality Innovation Days brings together quality and metrology experts from all over the world to take part in industry-specific sessions.
The KMR-MX 200 Manual Video System is well suited for a range of industries such as medical, aerospace, defense and others that require traceable and secure measurement data.
Adding robotic automation to machine tool processes can bring a level of apprehension and confusion on how, when and where to begin. Kuka offers a wide range of automation technology and industrial partnerships to efficiently and effectively bring a project from conception to completion. Considering automation early on in your machine tool buying process can not only save you money and time but it can also ensure that your machine will be efficient when it arrives at your shop. Agenda: Save time and money by automating before you get your machine tool Simplify the process: simple PLC programming, mobile robots, articulated robots and planning simulation Finding the right automation integration partner What to expect out of your automation supplier and the questions to ask Example applications and use cases
Are you ready to start your journey toward an AS9100 certification? Are you certified but looking for ways to streamline and reduce the cost of your current process? Then this webinar is for you. ProShop is committed to giving you winning strategies and expert insights to achieve unparalleled speed, cost efficiency and excellence in aerospace quality management. Whether you're on the brink of certification, just beginning your AS9100 compliance journey or are getting prepared for your recertification, this webinar is your roadmap to rewriting the standards of industry performance. Led by seasoned industry leaders and featuring a panel of shop owners who've seen game-changing success, this dynamic session will unveil actionable tactics, innovative approaches and best practices tailored to streamline your AS9100 process while upholding the highest standards of quality and compliance. Agenda: Learn the proven methodologies to accelerate AS9100 certification timelines without compromising on quality standards Discover cost-effective strategies to minimize expenses throughout the certification journey Explore practical techniques for maintaining a robust quality management system that enhances operational efficiency and customer satisfaction Gain insights from real-world case studies and success stories of organizations that have redefined excellence in AS9100 certification achievements Receive expert guidance on navigating common challenges and pitfalls in AS9100 compliance, empowering you to lead the charge toward setting new industry standards
This two-part webinar series will explore various levels of AI automation available in today’s manufacturing software. HCL CAMWorks will explore technologies in CAD and CAM software – along with presentations of workflows that save time during both programming and machining processes. This series will focus on ways to improve delivery times by speeding up your part programming and decreasing part machining time. Agenda: Learn about technologies that allow you to decrease machining time and simultaneously increase tool life Watch a presentation of revolutionary toolpaths generated by CAMWorks VoluMill, VoluTurn, and Sandvik Coromant’s PrimeTurning See details on the time-savings experienced on a variety of machines
Join Phillips for an illuminating webinar on the transformative impact of integrating 3D printing technologies into CNC machining operations, featuring insights from industry experts Jesse Cranfill, application engineer at Phillips Corporation, and Nate Samson, application engineer at Markforged. This session will delve into the substantial benefits of 3D printing, including accelerating prototype production, expanding service offerings and facilitating more intricate designs. The speakers will explore how 3D printing offers a cost-effective and time-efficient solution for creating prototypes, drastically reducing the development cycle and enabling faster iterations. Attendees will learn about the potential for new market opportunities through expanded offerings, allowing shops to cater to a broader range of client needs with enhanced capabilities. Additionally, the webinar will cover how 3D printing overcomes traditional manufacturing constraints, empowering designers and engineers to realize complex geometries and designs easily. Whether you're looking to diversify your manufacturing capabilities, streamline your prototyping process or unlock new levels of design complexity, this webinar will provide valuable insights and practical advice. Take advantage of the opportunity to hear from leading experts in the field and discover how adding a 3D printer to your CNC shop can revolutionize your operations. How 3D printing accelerates prototype production Comparison of time and cost savings with traditional methods Explore new market opportunities with 3D printing Enhance service capabilities for a broader client base How to diversify product lines and services Overcome manufacturing constraints with 3D printing Advantages in design complexity and customization Real-world examples and case studies
This two-part webinar series will explore various levels of AI automation available in today’s manufacturing software. HCL CAMWorks will explore technologies in CAD and CAM software – along with presentations of workflows that save time during both programming and machining processes. This series will focus on ways to improve delivery times by speeding up your part programming and decreasing part machining time. Agenda: See how you can maintain the digital thread through fully integrated CAD/CAM software Watch a presentation of SolidWorks and SolidWorks CAM programming with intelligence based machining Learn about powerful application programming interfaces (APIs) that streamline programming Hear how other machine shops have experienced dramatic time-savings by implementing CAD/CAM AI automation
Manual data capture continues to plague manufacturers. This band-aid approach to data-driven manufacturing not only forces operators and other personnel to capture and compile data but also leads to delayed and inaccurate information. In this webinar, a leading medical device manufacturer, Orchid Orthopedic Solutions, will share their story of transitioning away from paper-based documentation to automated production monitoring. Get an inside look at how the Orchid team is automating data capture and leveraging advanced analytics to drive daily operations with MachineMetrics. Agenda: The negative impact of manual data collection efforts How a leading medical device manufacturer transitioned to paperless data collection The value of automated data collection and advanced analytics for daily operations
SUR/FIN is the primary conference and trade show dedicated specifically to the surface technology industry. It is where leading surface technology companies connect, collaborate and contribute. And because it is the only conference and trade show sponsored by the National Association for Surface Finishing (NASF)—representing the $28 billion finishing industry—it attracts noted business leaders and prominent thinkers to a forum where relevant issues are addressed and technologies presented. Join noted business leaders, visionary thinkers and the who’s who of the industry as we delve into the most pressing issues and explore the latest cutting-edge technologies. Immerse yourself in an atmosphere of networking opportunities, enriching education and unbeatable collegiality. 2024 Show Dates: Wednesday, June 5: 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm Thursday, June 6: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm Friday, June 7: 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Explore integrated solutions that make manufacturing more efficient at ZOLLER Inc.'s 2024 Open House and Technology Days. This two-day event June 12 and 13, 2024, at the company's North American headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan, will highlight real customers who have leveraged ZOLLER technology to optimize their manufacturing processes and boost profits.
RAPID + TCT is returning to the west coast after a decade away! For more than 30 years, RAPID + TCT has defined the crucial role of additive manufacturing and empowered the establishment of an industry that continues to conceive, test, improve and manufacture new products at a faster, more cost-efficient pace. SME and Rapid News Publications have teamed up to produce the annual RAPID + TCT event, which takes place June 25-27 in Los Angeles, California. The event is for those who provide technology and for those who need to understand, explore and adopt 3D printing, additive manufacturing, 3D scanning, CAD/CAE, metrology and inspection technologies.
Laser powder bed fusion is the most widely used additive manufacturing method for metal part production, and electron beam melting is a closely related technology. For metalworking facilities contemplating a move into metal AM using technologies such as these, here is a road map for success. Speakers will cover materials, safety, part design, production workflow and differences between laser and electron beam metal powder bed fusion systems.
Understanding all the things that contribute to a machine’s full potential accuracy will inform what to prioritize when fine-tuning the machine.
While there are many changes to adopt when moving to five-axis, they all compliment the overall goal of better parts through less operations.
Consider what types of implementation your shop prefers when deciding between workpiece-handling and pallet-handling automation solutions.
When getting a grip on stainless steel, make sure you are very specific in how you talk about it and understand the pertinent information you need.
Consider these spindle attributes to make a choice that is balanced, usable and compliments your processes as best as possible.
While nearly all ER systems will have cross compatibility, they’ll have small differences across manufacturers that make their implementation at the shop level not as standard.
Newly patented technologies for controlling chatter and vibration during milling, turning and boring operations promise to drastically reduce production time and increase machining performance.
Soraluce workers assembling one of the company’s heavy duty floor-type boring mills at the new assembly plant in Bergara, Spain. (Note that Spain and Europe do not follow the same PPE and safety regulations as the U.S.) All photos by Modern Machine Shop.
If you had to choose just one accessory to bring on long flights, there is a strong argument to be made for noise-canceling headphones. It is still a common misperception that the technology behind these devices is closer to “white noise” than the actual cancelation of sound, but that is not exactly true. Active noise cancelation in modern headphones works by using a small microphone located near the ear to measure the frequency and amplitude of incoming sound waves, then emitting opposing sound waves to offset and “cancel” the incoming sound. By aligning the peaks of the “noise” sound waves with the valleys of the outgoing sound waves, you could say that noise-canceling headphones are equal parts white-noise and anti-noise devices — the sound they emit is calibrated to offset incoming waveforms and effectively remove them from your field of perception.
As frequent flyers know, noise-canceling headphones are particularly good at counterbalancing steady, low-frequency sounds such as those made by airplane engines and HVAC systems. Frequencies between 50 Hz and 1 kHz generate longer and more predictable waveforms, which is why noise-canceling headphones work well against the low rumble of an airplane engine and not so much the higher, unpredictable frequencies generated by the crying toddler in the row behind you.
This past summer on a visit to the production headquarters of machine tool builder Soraluce, I learned the same principle of physics can be used for an entirely different purpose in the world of metal cutting.
The exterior of Soraluce’s campus in Bergara, Spain.
In the Basque region of northern Spain, I visited Soraluce’s central production campus in the city of Bergara, where the 60-year-old company — well known throughout Europe and Asia for its turnkey solutions and high-precision line of CNC mills, boring machines, vertical lathes and multitasking machines — was showcasing its latest innovations. The company was also debuting its new LEED-certified 30,000 square-foot assembly plant, situated against a lush green backdrop near the Deba River.
I was invited to Soraluce by my friends at Select Machining Technologies, the company’s U.S. distributor and a division of the Morris Group, who have partnered with the Spanish OEM to help expand its reach into the United States. Taking center stage at the Soraluce Summit was the worldwide debut of its new Performance Line — an extension of its product portfolio for medium- and large-sized parts for industrial vehicles, automotive, aerospace, and the oil and gas industries.
The Performance Line machines include several notable features, including direct-drive inline motors that provide high torque in the spindle, several available setups (including massive fixed, rotary and turning tables), modular designs with countless potential architectures, and a wide range of high-performance automatic indexing heads that can handle metals and alloys from aluminum and steel to titanium and Inconel.
But what really caught my eyes — and ears — was the technology that enables Soraluce machine tools to eliminate chatter and greatly expand the performance of its machines.
The technologies behind the “active damping” system designed for thin, flexible parts, called Dynamic Workpiece Stabilization (DWS), and the system designed to increase overall rigidity of Soraluce machine tools, called Dynamic Active Stabilizer (DAS), were developed after years of research at the company’s nearby technology center, Ideko. There, scientists did something remarkable: They took the principles of physics that enable noise-canceling headphones and applied them to massive machine tools.
The difference, of course, is that canceling low-frequency sound waves in a tiny headphone speaker is one thing, while canceling frequencies on a vibrating spindle at the end of a 500-pound steel ram is something else entirely.
Part of the three palletized multitasking portal machine line custom-built for a customer in the beverage industry. The line’s centralized rack-type tool magazine has a capacity of 480 tools.
Soraluce is part of the Danobatgroup, a manufacturing co-op that collectively represents one of Europe’s largest machine-tool builders. For the past few years, Soraluce has been working with Select Machining Technologies in the U.S., with notable success.
One of the palletized multitasking milling and turning machines in its final assembly stage before being shipped to Blue Origin, whose logo is visible on the left.
During my visit to Soraluce’s new plant, more than half-a-dozen Soraluce FP multitasking floor-type milling and turning machines were undergoing final assembly before shipment to Blue Origin, the aerospace company owned by billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. A 3D-rendering of Blue Origin’s planned layout of the machines was displayed nearby, showing exactly how nine of the FPs and palletizing stations would be arranged in a side-by-side configuration at the company’s rocket engine production facility in Huntsville, Alabama.
Leading our tour group was Oier Elguezabal, Soraluce’s vice president of sales who worked for years as an electronic and project engineer for the company before transitioning into production management and his current sales role. The main attraction on the first day’s tour was Soraluce’s new Performance line of machines, a series of three machine families — the TA bed-type milling machine, the FA floor-type boring mill, and the SA fixed-table, traveling column milling machine — that share a common core structure but are highly configurable via different available architectures and alignments with peripheral equipment. All models feature a cast iron structure, linear guiding systems that can be paired with passive and active damping technologies, and direct-drive inline spindle motors with continuous power of 43 HP and speeds up to 7,000 RPM.
While the sight of several large machine tools emblazoned with Blue Origin logos generated a buzz among our group (including side conversations about whether we were allowed to publicly share this information), the tour unveiled several interesting features about Soraluce’s product line and overall production strategy:
The Soraluce PM 2500 multitasking (milling and turning) portal machine and custom-designed vertical palletizing system.
One of our last stops on the tour took us to the Danobatgroup’s research and technology center, Ideko. There, a team of more than 100 scientists (35% of whom hold PhDs) research and innovate technology-based solutions in the fields of manufacturing and industrial production. It took the Ideko scientists 15 years to industrialize Soraluce’s first active damping system, known as DAS. During the tour, Oier Elguezabal gave us a hint at how they did it.
One of the fundamental decisions that faces any machine tool builder is selecting the type of way system that will guide the moving components of the machine. Hydrostatic guideways include pressurized films of oil that provide near-frictionless contact between the rail and carriage, while linear guideways achieve smooth linear movement through internal steel bearings within the guide block. Each of these systems has inherent advantages and disadvantages that are dependent on several variables, namely the intended use of the machine.
Oier Elguezabal shows Soraluce’s direct-drive inline motor inside a ram.
Traditionally, hydrostatic guideways have been the typical choice of OEMs that build large-format CNCs, due in part to oil’s ability to dampen or reduce vibrations that occur in the spindle head. When Soraluce instead chose linear guiding systems, the company was essentially placing a bet on the advantages it saw in linear guideways — accuracy, ease of maintenance, energy savings and lower costs among them — knowing tit would need to offset the decreased damping capacity. The thinking, Oier Elguezabal said, was to combine the newer technology’s advantages with solutions that offset the main disadvantage.
The first strategy was to choose top-quality linear guideways, and for that the company turned to Schaeffler, the German supplier of high-precision components for automotive and industrial applications. Soraluce worked directly with Schaeffler to introduce hydrostatic damping pads into the guideways that greatly increase its damping abilities.
The heart of Soraluce's Dynamic Active Stabilizer, or DAS system, for chatter elimination.
But the unique innovation that the engineers at Soraluce and Ideko developed — soon patented under the name Dynamic Active Stabilizer, or DAS — was something altogether different. Much like the algorithms that invert sound waves to achieve noise cancelation, “active damping” — which is a standard feature on all of Soraluce’s portal machining centers and heavy-duty floor type milling machines — is designed to offset or “cancel” vibration and chatter that occurs at low frequencies. To achieve this, two electromagnetic actuators are installed at the end of the ram — one at the top of the ram and one on the side. These actuators read the frequency, amplitude and direction of the machine vibration, then provide,in real time, precise, inverse counter-forces that eliminate the chatter and stabilize the cutting process.
“In any machine with a ram, as soon as you extend the ram, it introduces flexibility and vibration,” Elguezabal says. “So we have two accelerometers to read the vibration, and these accelerometers send the information to a computer in the electrical cabinet. The computer reads the speed, amplitude and oscillation of the vibration and then eliminates that vibration by sending signals to magnets inside the ram that bring those movements under control.”
The Dynamics Workpiece Stabilizer, or DWS system, control box and actuators.
The same technology can be applied to the part by using the DWS system, Soraluce’s active damping technology designed for thin, flexible parts. The DWS system attaches to the part or fixture using a magnetic or vacuum system to achieve the same purpose — eliminating the chatter coming from the machining vibration.
“You eliminate the vibration without changing any cutting condition, so you not only increase productivity, you increase the life of the machine and the life of the tool because there is no vibration,” Elguezabal says. The company says its active damping systems achieve a 300% increase in productivity and 100% cutting capacity through the complete workpiece volume, including when the ram is in its most flexible position, fully extended.
I was able to catch up with Elguezabal and some of the Soraluce team this past September at EMO Hannover, where the company’s booth smartly featured a live demonstration of its DAS and DWS active damping technologies. During a milling operation on a thin, flexible part, the operator allowed the machine to run for a few seconds without engaging the DWS system. The sound of chatter was instantly recognizable. At the push of a button, the operator engaged the DWS system and the chatter stopped immediately.
Of course, it was the first thing I thought of when I put on my headphones during the long flight home.
Once seen as a specialty machine tool, the CNC Swiss-type is increasingly being used in shops that are full of more conventional CNC machines. For the newcomer to Swiss-type machining, here is what the learning curve is like.
While much focus is placed on the machinery that moves parts, the features most important for automating five-axis machining are arguably found in the machine tool itself.
Without an international standard for designating carbide grades or application ranges, users must rely on relative judgments and background knowledge for success.
Princeton Tool wanted to expand its portfolio, increase its West Coast presence, and become a stronger overall supplier. To accomplish all three goals at once, acquiring another machine shop became its best option.
Different machines offer different approaches to rotary travel, and each design has its own strengths. Here's how they compare.
Automation is only the tip of the iceberg for Famar, which also provides multitasking options for its vertical lathes and horizontal five-axis machine tools.
For Major Tool & Machine in its 75th anniversary year, confronting the skills gap involves a systemized approach focused on automation, and developing and retaining talent.
Aluminium Fabrication Sheet Modern Machine Shop is the leading publication and media brand in North America devoted to CNC machining. MMS combines unprecedented editorial access to manufacturing facilities with decades of experience to provide long-form content that is both insightful and impactful. About Us