The Student Store can be found at store.gibbscam.com

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…

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In this photo you see three bars of extruded aluminum waiting to be sawed together.  Notice the different bars marked with a straight line, a squiggly line and no line.  Why?  Because not all extrusions arrive with the same exact width and this can create a big problem when holding multiple parts in a vise.  A narrow piece will be held with less force than a wide piece.  If it’s a big enough difference (0.004″ or more) an endmill might easily throw the part out of the vise and potentially break a tool(s).

To ensure you’re holding same-sized parts, simply draw different lines or colors on each bar before sawing.  One look at the markings on the saw cut pieces will tell you they came from the same bar.  Load similarly marked bars together for disaster-free milling.

In our previous review we mentioned that the cycle time cut in half, but we wanted to know if the tool lasted beyond our test.  Of course the financial bottom line is all that matters in production and in this case was the cost of the cutter worth it to produce parts faster?  The answer is an impressive YES!

The guys at Primary Cutter, makers of the TOMCAT 5, were kind enough to send us a fresh endmill to restart this longevity test with the right program running the right feeds and speeds that were dialed in after the first test.  Let’s let a chart do the talking:

It’s nice to see a company stand behind a product that performs like the TOMCAT 5. For more info visit www.supermill.com.

True Type fonts, as well as logos and symbols are all possible with this wireless handheld printer. The MB-EBS250 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 info watch this video or visit MB Metal Technologies.

The phrase

A skateboard is a pretty simple device, but an easily overlooked component known as “grip tape” is extremely important when it comes to performance.  To the non-thrasher mind, grip tape is simply sandpaper adhered to the deck of the board that adds traction between the board and the rider.  So what’s this got to do with vacuum workholding?  Let’s dig deeper…

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All vacuum chucks work on the principle of removing the air that exists between a workpiece and the vacuum chuck.  It is actually the air pressure around us that pushes the workpiece down as it tries to fill in the vacuum gap.  Because of this, smaller workpieces are held with less force.  For example, a 12″ square workpiece will be held with over 2,000 lbs of pressure, but a 4″ square workpiece will only be held with just over 200 lbs.  That’s not nearly enough to hold a part securely and expect to mill the profile with normal feeds and speeds.  The part will most likely slide laterally from the cutting forces and eventually fly off the chuck.

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Let’s get back to the grip tape.  Simply sandwich a piece of fine waterproof sandpaper (400 – 600 grit) between the workpiece and vacuum chuck and the traction between the two will be multiplied exponentially.  This greatly reduces any chance of lateral movement of the part.  Fine grit sandpaper also has a very consistent thickness of about 0.008″.

Give this week’s tip a try and skate your way to more effective vacuum workholding.

In our consumer/entertainment driven society our brains are slowly being trained to see things and well, not think about it. Take Jersey Shore for example – once it became a national obsession we knew a shift had occurred that told us we were taking everything in without outputting any useful action – with the exception of those of us who learned to weld from watching American Chopper.

So, watch this video and please do the opposite of society… THINK about your safety and the safety of others around you. Get everyone together and have a chat.  Thinking about safety never made anything more dangerous.

Run Mode

• Does everthing, but the doors have to stay closed.

Setup Mode

• Rapids 25% max
• Spindle 750 RPM max
• Must hold “Cycle Start” to run the machine with the doors open

And here’s Haas’ video for a more polished explanation:

As many of us know in the manufacturing sector, the trickle down effect of military sector spending, as opposed to the banking sector, puts money in the pockets of every company in the supply chain.  Military suppliers make real products, not paper, and a paycheck in the hands of military personnel goes to someone who earned it as opposed to sitting back and collecting government aid.  We’re weeks away from choosing a new president as well as other elected officials.  So the question is, does the track record of our current elected officials put us on the right track if they were to continue?  Sound off with your comments below.