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Americanmachinist 1531 Amebulletin
Americanmachinist 1531 Amebulletin
Americanmachinist 1531 Amebulletin
Americanmachinist 1531 Amebulletin

eBulletin, December 2006

Dec. 21, 2006
December 21, 2006 Newsletter Sponsor Exact JobBOSS gives you the speed and agility you need to compete and win! It is the most widely used job shop software designed specifically for job shops, and custom, high-tech manufacturing shops. ...
December 21, 2006Newsletter Sponsor
Exact JobBOSS gives you the speed and agility you need to compete and win! It is the most widely used job shop software designed specifically for job shops, and custom, high-tech manufacturing shops. JobBOSS is a complete job-based software system with the flexibility you need to respond to the day-in and day-out changes to schedule dates, quantities and part specifications. Visit www.jobboss.com or call 1-800-777-4334. Click here to find out more.
Commentary by Editor Bruce Vernyi

Using cutting tools to boost profit
Decisions on which tools to purchase shouldn't be taken lightly. The right tools are as important as using the right machine and, if they are chosen wisely, the right tools can lead to increased profit.
Read more.

Featured Advertiser
Makino — a leading manufacturer of horizontal and vertical machining centers and EDM machines — has announced a new series of online Webinars. Designed for shops of all types and sizes, the seminars are free to anyone who registers. The planned seminars are intended for shops in the automotive, aerospace, medical product and die and mold industries. In addition to metal cutting and die/mold, the seminars will cover new technologies, such as micromachining. Mark Rentschler, marketing manager, says, "Online seminars allow anyone with an Internet connection to attend without losing a day of work." The seminars concentrate on shop efficiency, lean manufacturing, asset utilization, machine tool integration and automation, machine tool technologies, and metal cutting processes. Makino's application engineers, product managers and guest speakers will give presentations. Click here for more info on upcoming seminars and registration information. Featured Articles

The secrets of working with platinum
Platinum is inert, so it doesn't react with body parts and, its use is increasing for medical products. However, platinum is gummy and abrasive on a machine, and special techniques are needed to cut parts from this precious metal.
Read more.

Securing a precious metal
A billet of platinum the size of a soda pop is worth about $1 million, and chips that might cling to a machinist's shoes could be worth thousands of dollars, so shops that work with platinum put special security measures to ensure that their profits stays in-house.
Read more.

Tiny bubbles tell a story
In machining precious metals, a shop has learned that the bubbles in an EDM help them to determine how well the job is going.
Read more.

Precious metals are pushing titanium out
While titanium has been the metal-of-choice for medical implants, doctors are calling more and more for precious metals such as platinum and rhodium because they have fewer reactions inside the human body. However, these precious metals present new machining challenges.
Read more.

Tooling manufacturers are providing process engineering help
Tool manufacturers are lending a hand to their customers, to help them to improve the returns on their investments in good tooling and to increase their bottom lines.
Read more.

Tool buying strategies
Machine shops use various ways to get the most out of the tools they purchase. Often, strategies begin with the way a shop chooses a tooling vendor and what the shop expects the vendor to deliver, including allowing a vendor access to the shop to supply tooling on an as-needed basis.
Read more.

Benchmarking - Exacting measurements for tight tolerances
The need for precise measurements has increased to match the precision that has been built into machine tools. The 2006 American Machinist Benchmarking Survey showed that 42.2 percent of all machine shops are using advanced measuring tools, and more than half of the best shops have those tools in place.
Read more.

How do you know you're a machinist?
Here are some hints: You take your scale out of your pocket to stir your coffee then wipe it on your pants and return it to your pocket. Then, someone from the front office asks to borrow your "ruler" you tell 'em you don't have one because you didn't realize they were talking about your coffee stirrer.
Read more.

Practical Machinist Forum

From CNC Machining -- What is the best smelling coolant?
"My boss gave me free reign to pick a new coolant because our shop and clothes really stink. Based on real personal experience, which coolant smells the best?"
Join the discussion and read the answers... Click here.

From General -- Uni-lateral & Symmetrical bi-lateral tolerances
"While discussing uni-lateral v/s bi-lateral tolerancing with another engineer, I discovered again, someone that thinks that if one has an OD that is 1.000" -.000 +.005. I have run across this too many times from engineers. Is it taught this way in schools?"
Join the discussion and read the answers... Click here.

From CAD/CAM -- Graphical editing of toolpaths
"I thought it might be easier to start a new thread to discuss the ability of some CAM programs to perform graphical editing. I'm trying to understand the need for this feature which some have accused my favorite software of not being able to do, when in fact I think we can accomplish the same thing, but perhaps the terminology or the methods differ."
Join the discussion and read the answers... Click here.

Click here to go to the Practical Machinist homepage.

American Machinist's Machine Shop Workshop
Use Data. Get more competitive. Increase profit. Machine shop managers will learn a systematic approach to improve operations by using AM′s benchmarking tools for Operations, Customer Satisfaction, Finance and Human Resources. Attendees leave with a plan to achieve continuous improvement, and a differentiating business strategy. Don′t miss this opportunity to improve your business. Held in Cleveland, November 7-9, 2007 at the Marriott at Key Center. Register by January 1, 2007 at AmericanMachinist.com for a 30% discount.Click here to register. Featured CalculatorThread Cutting Values
This Thread Cutting Values calculator gives you important values needed to cut four common thread forms: Unified National (UN), Acme, Stub Acme, and National Pipe Thread (NPT).Click here to try it now.
Events

Performance for Manufacturing
January 25-27, 2006
Indianapolis, IN
Click here for more information.

SME Motorsports Indianapolis Conference
January 26, 2006
Indianapolis, IN
Click here for more information.

ShipTech 2007
January 30-31, 2006
Biloxi, MS
Click here for more information.
Online Product Demonstration

If you are considering a shop management and control solution, take a close look at the industry leader: JobBOSS.
Click here to view a FREE 10-minute audio overview or interactive demo.

If you have any questions, you can speak with a JobBOSS representative at 800-777-4334.

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