2018cnc6-7

CNC WEST June/July 2018 www.CNC-West.com 43 thinking with thinner cores and cross sections. By the time I entered the industry in the late 90’s, HSS end mills were still common but the R&D race was on. As cutting tools advanced tool holding, work holding and CAM software had to advance with it. With the creation of constant engagement roughing tool paths, tool manufac- turers found more opportunity to further advance cutting tool geometries and coatings, driving metal removal rates (MMR) well beyond what even the most optimistic experts would have imagined. T he next big advancement in cutting tool technology is tough to predict for me. I think it’s reasonable to see trends like Sandvik’s prime turning tools, cryogenic ma- chining, ultrasonic machining, and constant engagement style roughing and deduce that the next big advances in tooling will come when machine tool, cutting tool, and software companies work together. These cross-indus- try partnerships have the potential to create amazing, industry-changing developments. Could we have tool- paths that adapt to feedback received by the machine? The possibilities are only limited to our imagination and desire to move forward. I started this article as a personal reflection of how far the machining industry has pushed technology and A s I accept that 5-axis machines have become more commonplace than I ever would have imagined 10 years ago; I find myself looking around for what will be the next example of exotic turned commonplace in manufacturing. Cryogenic machining and ultrasonic ma- chining are intriguing, but will they become common in the manufacturing industry? I remember the days when a twin spindle, live tool, Y-axis lathe seemed exotic. Now I hear people ask, “why would I buy a lathe without live tools and a Y-axis?” B-axis mill-turn machines sure seemed much more exotic 5 years ago than they do to- day. Their cost and complexity might prevent them from becoming truly commonplace, but I would bet they won’t be as uncommon as many people think . Will well-es- tablished but less common processes like polygon turning, hobbing, etc. become the norm? I think the real game-changer will be how standalone additive machines and additive/subtractive hybrid equipment evolves. For additive manufacturing to become wide spread, I think it will take a closer marriage between the software and the equipment than I’ve seen in our industry so far. I look forward to seeing how the relationship between manu- facturing software and machining equipment evolves in coming years. T ooling: Solid carbide end mills surpassed HSS in the late 80s and early 90s, but they weren’t the clear winner as the cost vs performance wasn’t cost effective. Early carbide geometry was simply copied from existing HSS/M42 Cobalt tooling. As with many new technol- ogies, early adopters of solid carbide end mills had to be “believers.” Real success for solid carbide end mills came when there was a departure from conventional to use those reflections to identify where it might be headed. Much of this technology is still on the elusive horizon, and we have a lot of parts to make before we get there. A couple recent observations kept coming up as I considered where the industry is headed. The first comes from a few machine shop owner friends whose businesses are dying a slow death due to their struggle to identify and utilize technology that will help them be more productive, competitive, and profitable. My sec- ond observation comes from the “Made in China 2025” (MiC2025) initiative to reboot China’s manufacturing with a focus on quality over volume. With the help of heavy government involvement, China is set to be the largest user of robotics and lights out manufacturing practices in the industry. These two observations drive me to ponder what the future of American manufacturing will look like as our private industry continues to compete with one of the richest governments in the world. During my career, I’ve seen independent American companies lead the industry in pragmatic implementation of new manufac- turing technology while consistently growing their busi- nesses, paving the way for a reversal of the off-shoring trend. I believe that with thoughtful adoption of appropri- ate emerging technologies, American manufacturing can and will continue to grow.