Skylar Guilfoyle

Face grooves and undercuts can be challenging, especially on tiny #swisslathe inconel parts like this nozzle. Here are some tips... When making an axial groove on the face of a component, especially small parts, the bending radius of the groove will determine the curve of the tool... so ya gotta choose carefully!!! Chip evacuation can be a problem in face grooving due to the curved groove and will jam up and break the insert. Pro tip: Use the grooving tool for the *largest* diameter that fits your groove. A tool for larger diameter will be less curved, this more stiff, stable, and also improves chip control. Also, try to use a tool with the shortest possible cutting depth to have maximum stability too. Especially on tiny tools even .050" - .100" shorter tool can make a huge difference. Chip control is probably the most important factor when face grooving. The chip should be long enough not to get stuck in the groove, but... short enough not to get stuck around tool or your part either. Don't forget your tool holder too! When making an axial groove in a component, it is important to choose the correct tool holder for the insert. The tool holder must be adapted to the bending radius of the groove and should therefore be curved. Most standard face grooving tools I've seen are designed to cover a range of diameters for your first cut. Roughing... I always start on the largest diameter and work inwards to help avoid chip jamming in the narrow groove. I recommend pecking or "micro steps" if you need to have shorter chips. I like to groove at 0.5x the insert width which works really well for deep grooves. And if you have it, high coolant pressure likr 80 bar / 1200psi can also be a game changer to achieve better chip control and chip evacuation. Finishing... It is difficult to achieve good chipping when finishing, especially when it comes to machining fillets / small radii features. This is why the usual method for finishing is to make *THREE* cuts. Cut 1) Make the first axial cut close to the corner radius on the largest diameter Cut 2) Start the second cut on the largest diameter, and machine to the corner radius on the inner diameter Cut 3) The third cut finishes the inner diameter and the corner radius There are lots of good choices for face grooving and undercutting, and sometimes it depends on your geometry and clearance. For #swissmachining tiny parts in super alloy, we see a lot of success with Guhring GT104 and GT106 (4mm & 6mm shanks) quick change stick tools series 25206 with their nano-A coating. For feeds and speeds... this is really tough for stainless and hard nickel alloys, but I usually start at around 50sfm and work my way up to 150-ish range while making observations on chip control and tool wear. For depth of cut, I usually do the tool radius (ap = ~r) and feed rate ranging from .0004 to .001 IPR. Hope this helps some folks! #manufacturing #aerospace #machining

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I see a lot of posts about "pinch turning" but most of time it is NOT - they are doing "simultaneous" where a tool 2 is following tool 1 🤏⁉️ For example you could be turning and grooving at the same time with two different tools engaged. This enables faster cycle time without having to index stations but it is not "pinch" turning. You can Pinch Turn lots of ways but the method involves two tools engaged *opposite* of each other (usually slightly offset) via two turrets on a CNC lathe as example. Some old schoolers also call this "balance turning" ⚖️ Typical problem: When a tool is cutting on one side of the part there is the risk -- especially with long, slender parts to bend. However, with two tools cutting on directly opposite sides, it can reduce risk of deformation by a lot! For me, since we are #swisslathe machining typically you can do this either with two opposing gang slides or a combo of gang + turret like on one of our Star SV32Jii swiss lathes. And then we generate a pinch turning process easily by defining the turning tools for both the gang and the turret in our CAM software which is Autodesk Partmaker Swiss (now bundled with Fusion & Featurecam, which I don't use but oh well) Anyways from there I just select one of the tools I have defined and check the "Pinch Turning" check box and then define the toolpat for the turning operation, either from geomety or a solid model. Then you copy it and select the 2nd tool and duplicate the toolpath and have the two adjacent to each other in your process table so you can sync them. Takes a few seconds! On many traditional #CNC lathes you will only see code for 1 channel and a code telling the other channel to mirror the movement. Move Tool is a common but separate tool path used - where one tool could be roughing a diameter and the other finishing or profiling a radius and so on. The typical way is to just stagger, to be sure the 2nd tool does not over take the 1st. Some CAM software allows you to define "follow" distance or wait distance between both tools or "stock motion". And then some people have both tools exactly opposite of each other but just feed tool #2 faster (like 2x). Of course it is all dependent on whether or not your post processor supports this, regardless of what you can do in #CAM. Probably the biggest reason we decided to go with PartMaker in the first place was the ability to edit our own postprocessors, which I have done extensively to the point where I don't have to do any hand editing of the CNC program after posting, like zero. Fyi on my swiss lathe controls which are all Fanuc 18i-TB, it can use a G69 for "balance cut mode" and M192 to sync the feedrates of the two tools. This is a 22 year old machine by the way! Note - There are multiple methods of pinch turning and you have to decide which you prefer... as well as how to define your toolpaths so as not to pull out of the guide bushing which is mega bigly important🤓 Pinch Turn and Prosper 🖖

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I'm the type of machinist that combs an 11X17" print and clarifies all critical dimensions. I definitely give a nominal or target and include my high and low if I feel it's necessary or can vary quickly with tool wear or thermal conditions. Limit/Unilateral/Bilateral tolerancing can be enough to miss something important let alone interpreting our GD&T characteristics properly and then sprinkling in some MMC or LMC etc. I personally want a specific dimension for a feature whether I'm prototyping, small production, or production. This may take some time on the front end with questions of my engineers, quality, or fellow machinists, but it saves me on the back end when my parts pass inspection without issue.

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The turnaround time! Logistics plays a huge role as to how soon the customer will get their goods at the best value. #manufacturing #engineering #defense #defence #aerospace #technology #talent #talentacquisition

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A recent trend in aerospace machining is that parts are becoming so complex that traditional equipment and approaches are no longer sufficient. See how we're leveraging multi-axis machining with zero-point fixturing to take on the most complex aerospace machining orders: https://bit.ly/4aW9oNn #aerospace #machining

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What better way to spend a Friday than at the Arizona Tooling and Machining Association golf tournament today. #cncmanufacturing #cnc #cncmachining #cncmachinist #carbide #cuttingtools #grinding #machinist #machineshop #productionmachining #manufacturing #engineering #precisionmachining

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Quality Inspection requirements planning is just as important as programming and machining - and it really needs to happen FIRST⚙️✅ Why? Because not all customer blueprints are designed as a nominal with + / - tolerances ... such as this sensor housing shell we are #swissmachining here at Acclaim Aerospace in Georgia from 316 Stainless. Many blueprints will have features with a "max" tolerance (ex: .005" max edge break) or especially a diametrical feature like a hole or bore with a +xxx / - 0.000 or opposite to control the assembly fit consistency. If you just send these blueprints as-is to the shop floor with a program... a machinist in a hurry might accidentally make the parts with + / - tolerancence thinking they are good parts. I've made this mistake myself before and it's easier to do than you think, especially in today's "multi-tasking" and thinly staffed world. Additionally some things are toleranced nominal and the usual +/- but it may be more practical to "shoot for the lower end" or similar due to tooling wear, especially if it is a tight range. Meaning if you set up and target the nominal and hit that, as the tools "settle in" or when a little wear occurs, now all of a sudden you are on the razors age of the limit and the normal statistics of variability will probably start throwing out bad parts. When Quality Planning is done up front, especially by a team discussion to get input from shop floor (not just #engineering or in QA) then these risks can be identified and incorporated into CNC programming and instructions (even in the program and setup sheets with comments), visual guides (like a red-lined or marked up inspection blueprint). Especially here with our #swisslathe parts, where we are often dealing with super tight tolerances to begin with... we have to analyze and determine "machining targets" vs "blueprint" for a solid 50%+ customer designs. This avoids accidentally machining parts on the razors edge of tolerance and reduces the need to overinspect parts too... because armed with Process Capability / CpK statistics we know with high confidence our machined parts dimensions will fall tightly well within the blueprint range even with tool wear or thermal changes. How do you perform "Quality Planning"? Do you send Blueprints "as-is" to the shop floor? Do you incorporate notes in a QA inspection plan and/ marked up internal blueprint? Do you include these special instructions on a setup or work instruction guide or perhaps incorporate into the CNC program itself? #manufacturing #aerospace #quality

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Got the opportunity to try out the Pokolm Spinworx milling tool on some Ti6Al4V. The performance was far beyond my expectations regarding tool pressure, spindle load, vibration, and perceptible insert wear. Also tried some toolpaths that had a lot of direction changes( think volumill/optirough) and had no issues. I ran the below example with just through spindle air as a worst case and had no issues at all. Spindle load never surpassed 15% and vibration from the machine was steady at 2-3 mm/s. DMU100 P 2" w/ 5 x 16mm inserts in HSK100A holder Ae: 1.2" (30.48 mm) Ap: 0.07" (1.78 mm] RPM: 470 SFM: 246 (75 m/min) FPT: 0.012" (0.30 mm) Could've pushed it far beyond the above but was happy it outperformed on the very first run. I'm definitely going to be incorporating these tools from Pokolm into our future processes! #Pokolm #dmgmori

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In the past, program transfers typically referred to moving a mold or two. Today, the scope of program transfers encompasses nearly every aspect of the supply chain. From molds and machining to subassemblies with secondary operations and full assemblies, the opportunities are unlimited. With the right preparation and a capable partner, even complex transfers can achieve desirable outcomes. This white paper explores the best practices for a successful program transfer process. Download the Velosity white paper on program transfer today. #programtransfer #MedicalDevices #ContractManufacturing 

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What is holding you back? Obtaining your CRL or CMM is more than just attending a course and passing a test. It's time you transform the way you think about reliability. Learn more about the Omaha, NE workshop here - https://hubs.li/Q02Cks8q0 Maura Abad, Terrence OHanlon #continuedimprovement #crl #reliabilityweb #reliabilityleader #uptimeelements #reliabilityprogram

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Ever wonder how we ensure your parts are identical, order after order? It's all about our digital thread approach, which effectively... •Eliminates reliance on individual tribal knowledge •Captures best practices in our programming •Standardizes quality control processes •Ensures consistent CMM measurements That way, the parts you receive on your 100th order precisely match the ones from your first order. Our digital thread doesn't just maintain quality—it builds confidence. You can trust that every part meets your exact specifications, regardless of when it's produced. Let's discuss how our approach can benefit your production. https://lnkd.in/eRd8F3eC #precisionmachinedcomponents #productionmachiningservices

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Why don’t more small machine shops work together as a network? Imagine this... Instead of trying to be everything to everyone, each shop focuses on what they’re truly great at. Whether it’s machining a specific material, excelling in tight tolerances, or mastering a niche process. By collaborating as a network, shops could leverage each other’s strengths, win more complex contracts, and increase profitability without spreading themselves too thin. Another potential benefit... Expanding customer bases. By sharing leads and referring work within the network, shops could collectively take on a wider range of projects without turning down jobs outside their wheelhouse. It’s a win-win for everyone involved. What’s holding shops back from adopting this kind of collaborative approach? Is it trust, logistics, or something else? I’d love to hear your thoughts—especially if you’ve seen this idea work in practice. #CNCmachining #PrecisionMachining #ManufacturingInnovation #CollaborationMatters #StrategicGrowth #SmallBusinessGrowth #MachiningCommunity #FutureOfManufacturing #TeamworkMakesTheDreamWork ***Edited for silly redundant wording*** "More Smaller" Image is AI generated.

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Precision, quality, and risk management are non-negotiables in defense and aerospace machining. That’s why the RPI team proactively mitigates risk throughout every stage of production, from initial communication to machining to inspection. Our approach is built around a robust digital infrastructure, meticulous preparation, and stringent compliance standards. Learn more about how RPI tackles common risks in defense and aerospace machining: https://bit.ly/3NWqQaS #aerospacemachining #precisionmachining

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U.S. manufacturers at the forefront of innovation are the future of manufacturing. Using AI software to enhance cycle times coupled with advanced data analytics is game changing. Today’s technologies bring real-time improvements to lead times and pricing showcasing U.S. manufacturers aren’t just keeping pace but setting new standard’s for competitiveness. Here’s a company who’s embraced innovation with dedication to excellence that’s leading the future. #manufacturing #innovation #AI #USManufacturers #Competitiveness #DataDriven #machining #Lean

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It’s been a kick ass week! Nothing but these tough materials. Tool Steel S7, High speed O1, Inconel, A286, 18-3 ph, 304L. Been busy making chips. A couple all nighters, well worth it. I’ve tested inserts and pushed them to the breaking points, it’s tough on my tooling budget, but a knowledgeable investment. There are many inserts that are tried and true. I appreciate being introduced to #applitec early on, in my career. It is a Swiss world top shelf brand, I called Bernardo from TTCNA, as he is my go to for quick turn around ordering tools, Asked to send a few of these XF2’s. I’ve become a fan of it. Put it through rigorous testing and crazy depth of cuts. Reduced my cycle times, with better than expected results. It is very rare to try something, and have it perform. It’s not always all about speed, the peace of mind that it will run the order out. It’s a game changer and it is now my go to insert; for super alloys and exotic materials. Here to help the community, I understand how difficult it is when you need an answer now! If there’s something I can quickly answer or point in the right direction, I’m always happy to assist. Let’s go SwissPros! #instamachinist #marubenicitizencincom #citizencnc #swissturn#swisslathe#swisscnc #electricalengineering #mechanicalengineering #manufacturer #manufacturing #rfquote #rfq #shoplife #automotive #highperformance #waveguide #devicecharactisation#interconnect

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This big ol unit showing up today is almost as exciting as a new machine delivery. Year round climate control will not only feel great but also help keep these #hermles and #Makinos holding those tight tolerances there so good at holding! #climatecontrol #quality #cnc #cncmachining #5axis #5axismachine #5axiscnc #production #cncproduction #upgrade #machineshop

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