Production Machining

AUG 2013

Production Machining - Your access to the precision machining industrial buyer.

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Growing Business These days, precision machine shops are often looking to expand the range of work they can take on proftably. It is not enough, in many instances, to be exclusively a turning shop. hile today's turning centers do more than turn—often milling, drilling, fne boring and tapping—a vertical machining center can provide the capability to produce larger, prismatic precision parts and also complete multiple parts in a fxture in unattended operation. Vertical machining centers are the single most frequently purchased machine tool—more than 50 percent of all machine tools purchased in the U.S. are VMCs. Tere are reasons for that. It is the basic CNC machine, descended from the drill press, and holes are the most frequently machined feature in metalworking. VMCs can be high-end machines or low-end, low-precision machines. Spindle orientation is the main characteristic of a machining center: VMCs feature a vertical spindle. In general, vertical machines are applied to precision work, while horizontal machines are typically for production and heavy-duty work. A high precision machining center for secondary operations demands a machine tool construction that is extremely stable. For precision turning shops, choosing to invest in a machining center must realize a balance between the shop's turning and secondary operations :: Machining centers can add additional processing on a turned product. If capability to traditional the shop is doing low turning shops. Well applied, quantities and simple machining centers can milling, a multi-function efciently machine work style turning machine is that might otherwise go as a no-quote. appropriate, but as more complex, higher precision operations are required, a machining center is a more efective way to handle the work. More complex, high accuracy secondary work makes sense on a high precision vertical machining center, capable of holding W :: Speed and rigidity are key to production rates and quality while side milling on a VMC. tolerances in the range 4 to 5 microns rather than on a turning machine with live tooling in the turret. In addition, the precision of the machining center must match the precision of the turning machines. A precision turning shop, because the machining center may be for secondary operations, may be inclined to look at standard machining centers. But it must consider that those machines may not deliver the level of precision that comes of the turning machines. Any work that goes through a shop should be the consistently high quality to be competitive. Tat is the reason to consider a high precision machining center. To justify even considering a machining center, take a look at the work in the shop. If volumes are in the onestwos production range, completing them on one machine is preferred. But as volume of parts increase as well as productionmachining.com :: 33

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