Steel laps are the tool of choice for most polishers. Steel can be ground to any thinness and still allow for heavy downward pressure. Steel laps can be used with diamond compound or silicon carbide lapping compound as the cutting medium. […]
Diamond files are the next fastest cutting tools available for removing EDM from ribs after disking. Diamond files can be used in profilers, […]
Brass laps also are very popular for lapping ribs. While not quite as rigid as steel laps, brass laps are easier to work to thickness and shape and they don’t suffer nearly as much from the deep, zigzag scoring as steel laps do. […]
Take a brass lap, dress it to half the thinness of the rib, take a 220-grit, medium, hard-bond, aluminum oxide, nonoil-filled stone and slice it to half the thinness of the rib. […]
Ask any polisher what the hardest part of his/her job is and most will tell you the same thing – stoning. It doesn’t have to be that way. Here is a simple technique that not only makes stoning easier and more enjoyable, but actually cuts 30 percent off the time it takes to do a [...]
Did you know that a resin adhesive (RA) stone could be the fastest stone of all and by fastest I mean having the greatest range of finishes that can be produced? […]
The first step in the mold development process—responding to a request for proposal (RFP)—requires moldmakers to import, diagnose and repair part geometry in order to assess its suitability for injection molding, develop estimates and produce a formal quote. Because moldmakers need to complete this step before even winning the business, […]
It is somewhat ironic that software companies are promoting closer integration when an increasing number of toolmakers are separating design and manufacture by putting responsibility for CAM onto the shop floor. This approach gives a number of potential advantages. […]
High-speed machining (HSM) is usually associated with high-speed spindles (15K to 40K rpm) and higher feedrates. It is also referred to as high velocity machining. They are one in the same, as both represent machining components in the most accurate and shortest cycle times. […]
Recent years have seen a number of articles on the benefits of closer integration of CAD and CAM. Of course, integrated CAD/CAM systems from a single company have been available since 1972. The new trend is for the integration of CAM systems into CAD software from a completely different developer. The decision for moldmakers is [...]