In a recent article about CNC Toolholders, we compared traditional “steep taper” milling machine toolholders to their dual-contact HSK and Big Plus alternatives. This time, we'll explore the CNC turning equivalent, a.k.a. quick-change toolholders. As their name suggests, these aftermarket devices make swapping out a broken drill or worn turning tool fast and easy. The result [...]
The rigger just called. Your first CNC lathe or machining center will arrive this Friday. You unpacked the toolholders last week. The workholding is ready. You’ve lined up the first few jobs. The big question now? What approach will you take on CNC programming? Will you buy a CAM system and sit through a training class or two? Or will [...]
High-speed machining was once a niche technology, known only to aerospace shops making large airframe components. No more. High-speed machining (HSM) use is now widespread. So are its counterparts high-feed (HFM) and high-efficiency (HEM) machining. All are now common in shops of all sizes and specialties. That said, shops wishing to pursue a more productive path [...]
Automated Machine Tending is No Longer an Option. Time to Hire a Robot! Given the ongoing shortage of skilled labor, shops everywhere are turning to automated machine tending. Doing so reduces operating costs. It increases overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), often significantly. Automation also opens the door to unattended second and third shifts, potentially allowing the company [...]
Anyone who's watched an expensive carbide drill go up in smoke knows the importance of cutting fluids. And yet, the challenge is getting these fluids where they're needed most: in the work zone. That's where through-spindle coolant comes in. A common option on some brands of CNC machining center, "coolant-thru" increases tool life, productivity, and part [...]
At first glance, gang-style lathes like this one from Kent USA appear limited in their capabilities. There’s some truth to that statement. After all, even the largest of the series—the GSL-42—boasts a maximum bar diameter of 1.6" and 6" of Z-axis travel. How many parts do you know that fall into this size range? If yours [...]
Trying to choose between horizontal vs. vertical lathes for your machine shop? There’s more to the decision than spindle orientation. Workpiece size and shape plays a big role, with vertical turret lathes (VTLs) winning the prize for large diameter parts, provided they aren’t much longer than they are wide. Traditional “horizontal lathes,” on the other hand, [...]
The two-axis slant bed lathe has long been an indispensable piece of the manufacturing equation. Machine shops use them to turn shafts, bore rings, cut threads, and perform countless other turning operations. But what if you could cut keyways in those shafts? How about drilling cross holes? Better yet, what if the lathe had a sub [...]
We would like to present our new line of Gang Style CNC Lathes which are designed for high precision and efficiency turning. Kent CNC GSL Series CNC Lathes feature a gang-type structure with an inclined bed structure design. These features effectively save tool-changing time. The GSL Series Lathes are equipped with a hydraulic six-station turret and have power-driven [...]
Twin Turrets: Making Oilfield Lathes Twice as Productive Twin turret. Dual turret Double turret. Whatever you call them, there’s no arguing that they increase productivity compared to traditional single turret CNC lathes. That's true no matter what you’re making, but especially so with very large or very long parts, like those produced by oil and gas [...]
