CNC BLOG

Many turning centers, commonly called universal style turning centers, have the ability to do chucking work, bar work, and shaft work. These machines have ho...

As you know, CNC machines have extremely fast motion rates. When you're verifying a program (new or proven programs), you also know that each tool will rapid...

Setup people who get a machine ready to run production know that just about anything can happen the first time they execute a program. If certain control pan...

Almost all current-model CNC turning center that are equipped with three-jaw chucks have a way to select clamping direction. An inward (toward chuck center) ...

Today’s CNC turning centers allow very fast spindle speeds. It is not uncommon for a machine having an eight inch diameter hydraulic chuck to provide 6,000 r...

Hydraulic chucks are very common workholding devices – especially on CNC turning centers. They provide a tremendous mechanical advantage. That is, a relative...

The primary reason companies perform preventive maintenance on their production equipment is to minimize, if not eliminate, unpredicted downtime. If a potent...

As you know, G04 is used to specify a dwell – or pause – in your CNC program’s execution. With Fanuc controls, the format for the dwell command can vary base...

Most companies assume quite a bit of their employees when it comes to safety issues. They assume their employees know how to stay safe in the shop environmen...

Given the list of ten commandments presented earlier in this issue of The Optional Stop, this commandment should rank near the top: “Thou shall not engage in...

When I first started working in shops (I won’t mention how long ago), it was customary for each machine operator to have an air hose. They’d use it to blow c...

You probably have many safety-related items placed in various locations around the shop – fire extinguishers, respirators, first aid kits, safety glasses, he...

In order for the cutting tool to move to the correct coordinates, the program zero point (program origin) must be properly instated. This, of course, is done...

One of my cardinal rules is that all sizing adjustments should be done with offsets. However, I do – from time to time – see operators making sizing adjustme...

by George Bahn About 10 years ago we purchased a couple of Tsugami’s SX20 sliding-headstock machines. These machines require 2 programs to produce one part (...

As you know, the G28 command is used to send the machine to its zero return position. At the completion of a G28, the machine will be at its zero return posi...

Most machining centers have an air blowing system within the spindle. During an automatic tool change, air will be blown from inside the spindle during the t...

As you know, block delete can be used to give the operator a choice between two conditions. The operator is told to turn the block delete switch on for one o...

Submitted by Suhas L. More of Macro CNC Solutions If an operator makes a mistake with an offset entry, the results can be disastrous. While it may not be pos...

Setting up and running CNC machine tools requires setup people and operators to focus on the tasks at hand. A high degree of concentration is often required ...