Production Machining

DEC 2016

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

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productionmachining.com :: 43 Ceramic End Mills Help Shops Meet Delivery Date For similar articles, visit PM's Cutting Tools Zone. LINK :: short.productionmachining.com/cutting use cutting fluid with ceramic—only an air blast—and everyone in the shop was crowded around the machine saying, 'Wow, look at that!' ere was fire shooting every- where. It was something we'd never seen before. But within the first hour, we knew it was going to work." "e tools aren't inexpensive," he says. "At one point, Lori (Ms. Albright) had around $20,000 worth of end mills sitting in her office, and we were starting to question the invest- ment. But once you calculated in the machine costs and reduced cycle time, we figured it was three to four times more cost effective to go this route. Each end mill gave us one half hour of cut time, at which time we replaced it, whether it was worn or not. e process was so predictable that we were able to run lights out. It was a drastic savings." Enjoying the Heat Best of all, Stellar delivered the parts on time with zero scrap and is now quoting a second, even larger order. Ms. Albright was quite pleased with the outcome. "is type of situation is the nature of our business. We have to react to our customers' needs and employ the best technology available to do so. at's one of the reasons why Kennametal is so welcome here. We work together as a team to solve challenges." Looking forward, Ms. Albright anticipates continued growth. Having expanded Stellar's existing facility six times, she figures it might be time to put up an entirely new building on nearby property. She also looks forward to bringing additional young people to the machining trade. "We have apprenticeship programs with several of the area schools, one of which was where my father used to teach," she says. "I find it's often our young people that drive our innovation. It's too easy to keep doing things the old way and not invest in tooling and equipment or pursue new technology. e days of high volume, round-the-clock fender clip manufacturing are gone, and it's only by continually improving their manufacturing processes that companies can succeed and grow. For us, Kennametal is part of that success." For more information from Kennametal Inc., call 800-446-7738 or visit kennametal.com. For more information from Stellar Precision Components Ltd., call 724-523-5559 or visit stellarprecision.com. Mason, OH | 513-770-4200 | cncindexing.com | sales@cncindexing.com • Zero Backlash • No Mechanical Wear Parts • Fully Compatible with Major CNC Controls - FANUC, Mitsubishi, Siemens, Heidenhain • Higher Precision driven by a built-in Angle Encoder • OEM for brands such as Doosan, Hardinge, DMG Mori, Mazak, YCM, Feeler, Leadwell, and Tongtai AUTOLOAD • Compatible with any CNC Lathe • Single or Twin Arm Gantry • Stocker or Pallet Style Loading/Unloading • Std. Gripper 0-180° - Opt. Servo Driven B-Axis 0-360° AD-170 Direct Drive Units & Gantry Loading Systems

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