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BT holder on CNC machining centers
CNC BT holder taper on machining centers The BT system is a more evolved version of the CAT taper (named after its developer, Caterpillar in the USA), developed by Japanese machine tool builders. The...
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Floating tap holders in CNC machining
CNC Why do we use floating tap holders? When we cut a thread by any method, the following rule must be maintained: Feed rate = Pitch x Spindle speed. When we write a CNC program for tapping, we program...
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Rigid tapping on CNC machining centers
CNC Rigid tapping – the better way to tap on CNC machining centers Rigid tapping, also called synchronous feed tapping, eliminates the need for a floating tap holder (see this previous post). In a...
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CNC turning – Nose radius selection
CNC Nose radius selection – no small matter Selection of the nose radius depends on the depth of cut and the feed rate that you propose to use. The nose radius decides: 1. The surface finish 2. Insert...
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Constant surface speed – benefits
CNC Constant Surface Speed (CSS) in CNC turning – ignorance can be expensive Using Constant Surface Speed (CSS) instead of constant spindle speed (constant RPM) can give you: 1. Reduced cycle time. 2....
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Money from selling scrap
CNC CNC machining – is scrap getting you money ? Do you ever include the scrap cost in your calculations of machining cost ? Sometimes the money that you make from selling scrap can be more than the...
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Built up edge in CNC machining
CNC Built-up edge in machining Built-up edge. Pic. source – Taegutec. Built-up edge (BUE) is not tool wear, but its result is a reduction in the cutting ability of the edge. The workpiece material gets...
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Cycle time reduction during tool change
CNC Reduce cycle time by controlling what the spindle does at tool change On a CNC lathe, what you do with the spindle during tool change can make a difference to the cycle time. The spindle takes some...
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Carbide inserts – coatings and colours
CNC Carbide inserts – all those beautiful colours ! Here’s the secret behind the colours of inserts. Plain tungsten carbide is grey, and various other colours are the result of the coating material. If...
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Chips, and heat removal in machining
CNC In machining, almost all of the energy spent in cutting is transformed into heat. Heat is produced: 1. During deformation of the metal to create chips. Ever felt the heat when you bend a thin steel...
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CNC milling holder tapers
CNC Milling holder Tapers (the story behind the names BT30, CAT40, etc.) The taper used generally used is the NMTB, also called NMT or NT. It was defined by the NMTBA, the National Machine Tool...
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CNC downtime – low hanging fruit
CNC Reducing machine downtime – tackle the low hanging fruit first You have two types of machine downtime on the shop floor – the low hanging fruit that can be plucked easily, and the high hanging...
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Cutting speed and RPM – difference
CNC Cutting speed vs. spindle RPM – why is the difference important ? When you rub your palms together fast, you’ll notice that they get heated up (we in fact do this to get warm when we are feeling...
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Chip breaking in turning
CNC Why don’t my chips break properly in turning ? Why should chips break anyway ? Improper chip breaking can result in poor surface finish, machine downtime to remove the chips periodically, and...
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Limiting spindle speed – what is it ?
CNC Limiting spindle speed and Constant cutting speed – what’s the connection ? When cutting in the constant cutting speed mode, as the tool moves towards the axis, the spindle speed increases. See...
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Tool life – a common definition
CNC Tool life – it’s not when the tool breaks The tool life is the duration of actual cutting time after which the tool is no longer usable. There are many ways of defining the tool life, and common...
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CNC – Threading vs. linear motion
CNC Is a threading motion the same as a linear motion ? Although threading may look like a series of linear interpolation motions, a threading motion motion is NOT a linear interpolation motion. The...
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World skills competition
CNC World Skills competition for CNC milling and turning Did you know that there is a World skills competition held every year, in a different country ? The idea is to motivate youth to compete, to...
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Ignorance of cutting tools
CNC Mera naam hai Shabnam – CNC turning In Cadem when we want to recruit an Application engineer, we interview people with experience on the shop floor. They all say they use ‘carbide’ tools, but 9 out...
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Chip shape and size, and ROI
CNC Are you getting the proper ROI from your lathe ? Your chips can tell you ! Next time you’re passing by a CNC lathe, just look at the chips. They can tell you whether your machine is giving you a...
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