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Shop-smart accessories clean up on the competition

Keeping pace with modern manufacturing demands often means bridging the gap between design and production. Creative and resourceful applications of tooling and accessories, such as angle heads, can get complex parts out the door.

Here are some insights into the extra care and know-how needed to achieve success and build a successful reputation as a reliable supplier of micro machined parts.

Manufacturing miniature parts and features is not new. In the past, EDM and laser technologies were used to create these features. Although these technologies worked for low volume jobs, they are not practical for the high volume micro applications that are in demand today.

As cutting tool diameters get smaller, the acceptable amount of runout must decrease substantially.

Ansonia Manufacturing, the only machine shop in the town of Sonoma, California, discovered the EWN2-32ExER32 boring head and used it to complete a tricky hardware component job for a “live” glass art sculpture.

Shrink-fit and hydraulic holders are both useful in low clearance, tight work envelopes found in moldmaking and multi-axis machining applications. When deciding which one to use, their differences will guide your choice. Here are some of the fundamental contrasts to help you decide which holder type is best for your work.

Choosing the right tool holder for the right work is clearly of critical importance to successful metalworking performances.

If your work demands accuracy or you are looking to give your 5-axis capabilities a boost, hydraulic chucks are worth considering.

Runout is one of the sneakier issues machinists and tool managers must deal with. It’s almost impossible to recognize in-process and difficult to diagnose after the fact. We identify potential sources.

Micromachining, cutting where the volume of chips produced with each tool path is very small, is not a high-speed operation in relation to chip load per tooth. Rather, it involves a high spindle speed due to cutter diameter. The part may be physically larger, but details of the part require ultra-small profiles achieved only by micromachining. In other words, micromachining is not limited in scope to only miniature parts.

Just because you buy inexpensive tooling doesn’t mean you’re saving money. Invest in your tooling and experience the economy of quality.

To achieve efficient tool life, proper finish and productivity in high-speed work, tool holders need to be as rigid, compact and short as possible to keep the whole assembly stable. Here's what you need to know when choosing a high-speed tool holder. 

The is no general rule to cutting tool shank insertion as a multiplier for shank diameter. All tool holder types have different requirements.