Users of Autodesk Inventor and HSM Works will find themselves in a familiar environment.  Solidworks users will too find the interface intuitive but a different set of terminology is the biggest curve to overcome.  On the topic of Solidworks, Fusion 360 comparatively doesn’t have the full depth of tool set of it’s French competitor, but it does boast five working environments (model, render, animation, simulation, 3D cam) at a fraction of the price.  Fortunately, any features the software lacks are quickly addressed by the Autodesk team – Expect significant upgrades at a nearly monthly basis.  In the few months that we evaluated the software, keyboard shortcuts, cam support for cnc turning and FEA simulation were just a few of the major upgrades to the software.

In our review we were able to sprint over the learning curve and designed parts within a day.  An active and enthusiastic user base along with dozens of tutorials on YouTube makes learning a personal experience.

Here’s the best part:  Fusion 360 is free for students, enthusiasts, hobbyists, and startups.  Fusion 360 is as low as $25 per month on an annual subscription, or $40 month to month for companies grossing over $100,000.  Start a free 30-day trial here and try it out on your Mac or PC. With in-product tutorials, you’ll be up and running in no time.

The TRT100 uses powerful brushless servomotors to provide 35 ft-lb of spindle torque on the tilt axis and 16 ft-lb on the rotary axis, with indexing speeds of 1000 deg/sec on both axes. The unit provides ±120 degrees of tilt and 360 degrees of rotation to position parts to almost any angle for machining. The precision-ground 100 mm platter features multiple bolt patterns and a precision through-bore for versatile fixturing, and will swing parts up to 8.4″ diameter. The maximum platter capacity is 15 lb for 3+2 machining, and 5 lb for 5-axis machining. A pair of user-configurable ports on the side of the TRT100 route air through the tilt axis to the rotary axis for operating pneumatic fixtures or other air-activated devices.

At just 20″ wide and less than 13″ deep, the TRT100 easily fits into nearly any machining center, or can be mounted on one end of a larger machine’s table, freeing up the remainder for additional fixtures or vises. It is the perfect complement for Haas Automation’s high-speed DT-1 Drill/Tap Center and Super Speed VMCs. Like all Haas rotary tables, the TRT100 can easily be removed when not needed.

The VCU is available for purchase online at http://store.piersonworkholding.com and be sure to check out their complete line of vacuum table turnkey starter packages as well.

Download a free, unlimited version of HSMExpress at http://www.hsmworks.com/hsmxpress/

True Type fonts, as well as logos and symbols are all possible with this wireless handheld printer. The MB-EBS250 below is battery operated and cable-free. The printing unit can be programmed up to 300 feet away from the computer using Industrial Bluetooth Technology. A variety of ink colors are available. Printable Materials Include:

• Paper (Cardboard, Chipboard, Coated Stock)
• Wood (Boxes, Packaging Materials)
• Construction Materials (Concrete, Stone, Drywall)
• Metal Processing (Pipe, Sheet, Barrels, Shelving)
• Plastics (Bags, Shrink Wrap, Styrafoam)
• Textiles (Flooring, Bags, Banners)
• Glass
• Steel Pipe

For more details visit Lexairinc.com.

Seems like every pocket these days has a smart phone in it.  Machinists are no exception.  Here’s our short list of recommended Android apps for machinists in no particular order:

Hobby Machinist Calculator
Developer: My Hobby

The strength of this app is it’s simplicity.  It has simple calculations for milling, turning and a handy scrolling tap drill chart.  The navigation needs a little bit of tweaking though.  For example, filling out one field and pressing the “next” button takes you to a totally unrelated field.  We’re hoping an update would fix this along with adding a metric tap chart.  Overall, not a bad app for a first time developer. Download it here

Feeds and Speeds for Milling
Developer: CamUser

The title says it all, but dig deeper and the nice thing about this app is the ability to save your machine’s max RPM, max IPM and max HP.  With this information stored, simply plug in some details about your cutter and the type of material you want to cut and the app figures out your starting figures for RPM, feedrate, radial and axial DoC and required HP.   It’s up to you to verify and tweak the numbers for your application.  Overall, very nice app.  Here’s a link to the free version, but the pro version is definitely worth the $1.99.

Speeds and Feeds Calculator
Developer: Workman Apps

Inevitably, you’ll run across this app.  It’s basic but contains all the necessary calculations for machining.  Of course, we’re biased toward our own online feeds and speeds calculator, but this is a handy one for your pocket. There’s nothing pretty about this app, but the rough interface still gets the job done and that’s what we like about it.  Download it here

Milling Speed Feed Calculator
Developer: Capacity Web Solutions

Simple and polished app that’s a great fit for new machinists.  A built in help page gives a nice description of the different calculations and the actual formulas are displayed as you enter the numbers.  Like other 1.0 versions, this one needs a little bit of polishing when it comes to navigation as the “next” button jumps to other unrelated fields.  The developer is working on adding more calculations for milling.  Still a good app that we wouldn’t turn anyone away from.  Download it and see for yourself.

MillTurn Calc
Developer: SME

The bottom line on this one… SO disappointing!  This app caught our eye because it was produced by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, a respected organization that we thought would set the bar for other apps.  The interface is ok and it has a handy materials reference page for finding the right surface feet per minute, but the only calculation in the turning section available is for… you guessed it… surface feet per minute.  Redundantly worthless!  The milling section also only lets you find inches per revolution.  Shame on a good organization like the SME for releasing the worst app we found.  Sorry, we’re not posting a download link for this one.

Machinist’s Calculator
Developer: Trades Math Calculator

We may have saved the best for last.  While the other apps we’ve covered offer basic F&S calculations, this one also solves common trigonometry in an easy to use format.  It even provides X-Y coordinates for bolt hole circles.  Yes, other apps are free and although this one will set you back $3.99, we feel it’s definitely worth every penny.  Good developers need to be supported and TMC definitely got this one right.  Buy this app here

***UPDATED***

Machining Mate
Developer: Arkatek Studios

Our faithful CNCReport.com reader named “John” turned us onto this app which is now the reigning champ.  This app isn’t perfect, but carries all  the tools a machinist would want.  The one thing we wish it did was give a two way reference for drill sizes.  As it is, you can only enter the drill letter or number to get the decimal equivalent but not the other way around.  Grab this great app for FREE here.

The double acting vise permits either OD and ID self centering clamping with no modification, and the jaw opening stroke is fully powered to assure positive opening.  Quick change top jaws are available with either hardened inserts, or machinable steel or aluminum blanks.

One nice feature is the hardened and ground chip cover which eliminates chip accumulation and prevent chips from entering the vise cavity. Any coolant entering the vise is internally drained via weep holes.

Vises may be used individually or linked together on a common fixture plate. Operation is by a control valve mounted on the vise, remote mount, or automated control for robotic loading.

For more information visit www.planet-products.com.

We all know about vertical and horizontal machining centers, but the newest innovation from Haas Automation is their Universal Machining Center know as the UMC-750.  The machine is a 5-axis 40-taper vertical machining center with an integrated dual-axis trunnion table with travels of 30″ x 20″ x 20″.

The UMC-750’s dual-axis trunnion table can position parts to nearly any angle for 5-sided (3+2) machining, or provide full simultaneous 5-axis motion for contouring and complex machining. The trunnion provides +110 and -35 degrees of tilt and 360 degrees of rotation for excellent tool clearance and large part capacity, and the 630 x 500 mm table features standard T-slots and a precision pilot bore for fixturing.

The machine’s 8100-rpm inline direct-drive spindle is powered by a 30-horsepower vector drive system. For shops wanting higher spindle speeds, an optional 12,000-rpm inline direct-drive spindle is available. Both spindles yield 90 ft-lb of cutting torque.  As of today the price tag is just short of $150k.  For more details visit Haas Automation.

This machine is definitely one to watch.  Stay tuned…