Lean Techniques: Yokoten May 1, 2010 If you have never heard the term Yokoten, prepare yourself. It has been added to the Lean Operations lexicon as an important activity. Yokoten is being used by lean firms to help them become leaner. Yokoten is a Japanese term that can be roughly translated as “across everywhere.”
Maybe it’s Time to Try Some ‘Swiss Cheese’ November 1, 2016 These days the most important theme in superabrasive grinding wheel development isn’t the abrasive, it’s the bond. The diamond or CBN grains do the cutting, but the bond plays a decisive role in exposing the grains to the workpiece and enabling coolant to remove heat.
Faurecia Goes All In on Industry 4.0 October 18, 2016 Automotive supplier Faurecia (Nanterre, France) decided it needed to get serious about Industry 4.0 fast.
A 4-part plan to help prepare for an eventual cyber breach December 19, 2016 In a recent LNS Research study on the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and Digital Transformation, the top two challenges facing the adoption of IIoT technology are finding the budget to invest (32% of respondents) and building the business case (30% of respondents).
Why Ultrasonic Additive Manufacturing Makes Sense for Aerospace & Defense September 21, 2016 Additive manufacturing lets companies think “outside the box.” Engineers can now start to look at a part without restrictions on size, shape or material. Instead of taking 15 different CNC milled parts and brazing them together, these companies have reimagined the part entirely—to be built as one part.
Tooling and Workholding Systems August 1, 2002 “We are developing solutions for power workholding such as hydraulic swing clamps and block clamps, because the real estate on a fixture is so valuable,” says Jason Betz, product specialist for Carr Lane Roemheld (St. Louis). “This pushes the use of smaller workholding components as much as possible because the more parts on the fixture the greater the productivity.”
Solutions for Difficult Machining January 1, 2009 The machining challenges for two of the most advanced concepts in cutting tool materials are pretty well known. Cubic boron nitride (CBN) tools of varying designs are being used to cut hardened ferrous metals with or without interrupted cuts, as well as welded and clad metals.
What’s the Connection? June 1, 2004 A lot of attention is paid to the “business end” of CNC toolholders–the part that actually holds the tool.
Picking the Right Toolholder for the Toughest Jobs August 1, 2015 When sizing up an application for a milling toolholder, it is necessary to consider the materials being machined, how aggressively metal is going to be removed, and any machining conditions that are likely to present a challenge to tooling security. By now, the pros and cons of hydraulic, mechanical, and heat-assisted shrink-fit systems are well known and results well documented.
A Revolution in Gear Manufacturing June 1, 2014 Machine manufacturers are working to streamline the gear-making process, to deliver a more highly finished gear in fewer steps.