Back Issues

Mar/Apr 2012  

Tools/ Toolholding

Top Features

Double duty: tips for Swiss tooling stations

Ever set up a Swiss-style machine and run out of tooling stations? With many Swiss machines today boasting upwards of 20 or even 30 tooling stations, it’s hard to believe you might run short. But on older or smaller machines, as well as when running complex jobs involving multiple operations, this is sometimes the case.

Read More
CFRP gets ‘tough’ love from microtools

Carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) is a corrosion-resistant and lightweight material used in everything from paintball guns to Formula One racecars. The composite material has an “ultimate tensile strength” approximately four times that of steel and unrivaled strength-to-weight ratio, meaning it’s not only stronger than alternative materials, like aluminum, but you also need far less of it by weight to do the same job.

Read More
Cutting sand: tools for advanced ceramics

Ask any archaeologist excavating an ancient village and he will confirm that ceramics have been around a long time. Ceramic was first used for making pottery over 10,000 years ago. But today’s advanced, or “technical,” ceramics are being used in ways never imagined by the ancients. They have found their way into the military, medical, automotive, consumer and electronics industries.

Read More
Tailored Technology: Micro machine tools: finding the ‘right’ fit

Choosing the right micro machine tool can be a bit of a conundrum. Machining micro parts and features doesn’t always require a machine with a small volumetric capacity, nor is a bigger machine necessarily the optimal choice. As in the Goldilocks fairy tale, however, if micropart manufacturers look hard enough, they can find a machine that is “just right” for their particular application.

Read More
Harvey Tool launches redesigned Web site

June 15, 2011—Harvey Tool, Rowley, Mass., in March relaunched its Web site at harveytool.com with a new design, more content and special features such as Stock Check. Other features of the site include product pages, an advanced search function and product reviews.

Read More
Micro tool manufacturer is ‘Wisconsin company to watch’

April 13, 2011—Performance Micro Tool, Janesville, Wis., likes to fly under the radar—something that’s relatively easy to do when you make a product that's about 1/10th the diameter of a human hair.

Read More

Top Videos

Magafor's Multi-V tools in action

The Magafor Multi-V multiple-function tools from Hassay Savage Co., Chicago, are said to be ideal for machine centers and NC processing machines. The Multi-V tools can be used to reduce in-machine set-up time as well as the amount of time needed to carry out the task. Applications include longitudinal chamfer, edge chamfer, spotting, centering, drilling, direct chamfer, V-groovee, interpolating drilling, engraving and contouring.

Watch the video
New tool grinder for microtools

Jan. 15, 2010—The Helitronic Micro grinder from Walter, Fredericksburg, Va., extends the product range for the production and regrinding of the smallest tool diameters, according to Walter's company Web site.

Watch the video
Rotary broaching tool holders

Jan. 9, 2011—Slater Tools Inc. is expanding its product line of Swiss Type Adjustment Free Rotary Broaching Tool Holders. Swiss type tools are important in manufacturing, primarily in the aerospace and medical industries, making orthopedic bone screws and small fastener products.

Watch the video

Top Products

Tungsten carbide micro cutting tools

ZECHA Hartmetall-Werkzeugfabrikation GmbH

bannerZECHA Hartmetall-Werkzeugfabrikation GmbH offers a line of low dimension tools with accuracy in diameter, concentricity and radius. A comprehensive selection of milling tools, high-performance twist drills, reamers and slitting saws is available.

View Product Details
Precision-grinding tools from 0.03mm to 2.00mm

Rollomatic

GrindSmart6 thumbProgressive miniaturization in the watchmaking, medical and electronics industries continue to put increased pressure on tool manufacturers. They are routinely required to produce ever-smaller drilling and milling tools to meet the demand for high-quality parts.

View Product Details
Walter USA expands Titex X-treme deep-hole micro drill line

Walter USA LLC

Walter drills thumbWalter USA LLC has expanded its Titex X·treme deep-hole micro drill line with three additions: the X·treme M for drilling depths up to 5×D; the X·treme DM8 for depths up to 8×D; and the X·treme DM121 for depths up to 2×D.

View Product Details
Harvey Tool offers 0.015” finisher for aluminum

Harvey Tool Co. LLC

harvey tool thumbHarvey Tool Co. LLC has released its fall 2011 catalog, which provides a look at about 400 new tools and information on additional sizes and reaches in expanded product lines.

View Product Details
Magafor micro/mini-reamer program

Magafor USA offers standard lines of carbide reamers in sizes from 0.0079” to 0.0234”, in .0002” increments (“micro”), and from 0.0236” up to 0.3760”, in 0.0004” increments (“mini”). Magafor, of France, teamed with Hassay-Savage Co.in 2001.

View Product Details