Machinery’s Handbook-29th Edition of the Machinist’s Bible

February 21, 2012

Authoritative. Comprehensive. Invaluable. Practical. Updated.

Updated?

29th Edition of Machinery's Handbook now available.

I have relied on my 20th Edition copy since I entered the metalworking industry as a supervisor in the early 1980′s. It has served me well through the years, and while respectfully used, is showing evidence of ‘serious use’- missing thumb tabs, dust jacket in tatters, a host of bookmarks…

Here are 5 reasons why I’ll probably upgrade to the new 29th Edition:

  • New sections added on Micromachining, Statistics, and Calculating Thread Dimensions;
  • Expanded Metric content. The jobs we see in our shops today are increasingly metric as we serve a growing global market;
  • Easier to use- they have added tables of contents at the beginning of each section;
  • Extensive revisions to key sections including Mathematics, Gaging and  Dimensioning,  and Machining Operations
  • It has been re-typeset (including tables and equations) and many figures redrawn.

Now the problem for me is choice: Do I get the ‘regular edition’ to replace augment my current 20th edition handbook? Do I jump into the electronic age with the CD version? Or do I acknowledge I no longer have the eyes of a younger man and buy the “larger print” edition?

It’s time for me to buy. My investment in the 20th Edition sure paid off. How about you?

Which  would you  choose? What other books have you found critical to your practice in our precision metalworking field?

Machinery’s Handbook 29th Edition can be purchased direct from Industrial Press.

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Cell Phone Ban-FAQ’s Posted

February 16, 2012

The FMCSA has posted an FAQ page about the ban on hand held cellular phones by commercial motor vehicle  (CMV) drivers.

Multitasking is against the law.

“When you are at the wheel, driving safely should be your only focus.”

Here are some highlights:

Are holders of a commercial driver’s license (CDL) subject to the regulation only when driving a CMV, as defined in 49 CFR 383.5, or any vehicle?

CDL holders are subject to the Federal rule only when driving a CMV.

What is required of the employer in terms of company policy or training?

The rule does not require motor carriers to establish written policies in terms of company policy or training programs for their drivers.   However, employers are prohibited from allowing or requiring their drivers to use hand-held mobile phones.  A motor carrier may establish policies or practices that make it clear that the employer does not require or allow hand-held mobile telephone use while driving a CMV in interstate commerce.   The carrier is responsible for its drivers’ conduct.

“In the minutes before the 5:14 a.m. crash, the driver made three phone calls, the last one at 5:14.”

Is dialing a phone number allowed under this rule?

No. Dialing a mobile telephone while operating a CMV in interstate commerce is prohibited by the rule.  A driver can initiate, answer, or terminate a call by touching a single button on a mobile telephone, earpiece, steering wheel, or instrument panel – comparable to using vehicle controls or instrument panel functions, such as the radio or climate control system.

Can a driver reach for a mobile telephone even if he/she intends to use the hands-free function?

No. In order to comply with this rule, a driver must have his or her mobile telephone located where the driver is able to initiate, answer, or terminate a call by touching a single button while the driver is in the seated driving position and properly restrained by a seat belt.  If the mobile telephone is not close to the driver and operable while the driver is restrained by properly installed and adjusted seat belts, then the driver is considered to be reaching for the mobile phone, which is prohibited by the rule.

For all the FAQ’s click FMCSA_FAQ

Here is the  Mobile Phone Ban final rule (PDF)

11 People Killed Truck Crash Photo

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5C Collets Are Cool- Somma Tool

February 15, 2012

In order to machine precision parts, you need to first hold the workpiece securely, accurately and precisely. 5C collets do just that.

5C collets are the result of 100 years of continuous improvement.

Work can be held using methods other than collets- 3 and 4 jaw chucks come to mind, as well as vises-  but for continuous high volume work with barstock, collets are ideal.

Here are 7 reasons Somma Tool says 5C collets are cool:

  • Collets are easier (and faster!) to set up than chucks.
  • Collets are more concentric. With chucks, tolerances stack up degrading concentricity.
  • Collets more affordably provide higher precision.
  • Collets more affordably provide higher accuracy.
  • Collets provide high holding force. As the collet is pulled axially into the bushing, the tapered sides compress radially generating static friction (holding force).
  • Collets are versatile- they can be made to hold over capacity stock; they can have steps built in; come in extra long sizes as well as have internal stops.
  • Emergency collets are available that can be custom bored to your exact need.

Hardinge invented the 5C collet back in 1901. It became a preferred choice for precision workholding in lathes, mills and grinders. Exacting standards, special alloy steel, heat treatment and spring tempering combine to assure accuracy and durability at low cost. The 5C collet became an industry standard. 5C collets range from 0.5 mm (thats 0.0196″ ) capacity to 1-1/16″  round; 5C collets hold up to 3/4″ square and and 29/32″ hex.

PMPA member Somma Tool sells 5C collets from Hardinge.

Thanks to Matt at Somma and Tom at Hardinge  for teaching this ‘steel guy’  7 reasons why 5C collets are cool.

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2012 Top Shop Survey – Free Tool You Can Use

January 25, 2012

Is  there a swiss type machine in your future? How would you know?

Last year’s Top Shops Survey found that 24% of  the top tier (top 10%) of shops reporting in the survey reported Swiss technology in their shops. This compared to just 11% for the balance of shops reporting.  This is a trend that you probably ought to be following if you want to stay up to date on trends in precision machining.

Last year Modern Machine Shop launched its first annual Top Shops Survey. Almost 200 machining facilities took part in that benchmarking survey. The Top Shops Report of that survey’s results had a number of interesting shopfloor practices worth considering. The report also provided a number of operational and business metrics which can help a shop your shop stay competitive and become a better business.

Well worth a few minutes of your time.

The survey will be available until February 15th, so click the link to  go to Modern Machine Shop’s description of the survey which includes a link to the online survey site. TOP SHOP ARTICLE

Direct link to Survey.

PMPA co-publishes Production Machining Magazine in partnership with Gardner Publications in Cincinnatti Ohio. Production Machining focuses on our high precision, high mix, production industry.  Gardner’s flagship publication is Modern Machine Shop- which covers the broader contract machining industry.

The survey will only be posted for a short time, so now is the time to benchmark to your peers.

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Why We Have PPE And Machine Guards

January 3, 2012

Here is a safety lesson learned from one of my Facebook Friends.

So the lesson today is……Don’t take off the guard on the giant belt sander and then adjust the belt half off the guide and then duct tape it in place so you can grind that knife “Juuuuuuuus riiiight”

Another lesson is ”PPE saves your eyesight.”

Faceshield and ANSI approved Safety Glasses

Thanks for sharing ScaryDave.

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Resources: Why You Should Build Your Career in Manufacturing

December 29, 2011

Why should you consider a career in manufacturing?

Wall Street Journal: Industry Puts Heat On Schools
What the Shortage of Workers Means for Business
The Christian Science Monitor: Manufacturing Needs Workers Poll Data From the Alliance for American Manufacturing
Human Resource Executive: Filling Manufacturing Skill Gaps

My colleague Ryan Pohl at Change the Perception put this together.

Thanks Ryan. You should write more.

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Drivers of CMVs: Restricting the Use of Cellular Phones

December 21, 2011

The DOT has just finalized a rule restricting mobile phone use by drivers of commercial motor vehicles (CMV’s). The new rule goes into effect Jan 3, 2012. The rule restricts CMV drivers from reaching for or holding mobile telephones while operating their vehicles, or pushing more than one button to operate the device.

What's the problem?

This rule, which goes into effect on January 3, 2012, was adopted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, which are part of the Department of Transportation. It amends both Federal Motor Carrier Safety regulations and Hazardous Materials regulations. The rule restricts CMV drivers from reaching for or holding mobile telephones while operating their vehicles, or pushing more than one button to operate the device.

The popular Push-To-Talk (PTT) feature used by many drivers is prohibited by this new rule. While, functionally, the PTT feature is similar to the use of a CB or two-way radio (neither of which is addressed by the new rule and therefore still permissible), the final rule advises that PTT is prohibited because the device used for PTT comes squarely within the definition of a mobile telephone prohibited by the rule, and it also requires the driver or user to hold it and push a button more than once. Therefore, its use while driving a CMV is the same as that of a hand-held mobile telephone and is prohibited.

Exception: Emergencies. Using a hand-held mobile telephone is permissible by drivers of a CMV when necessary to communicate with law enforcement officials or other emergency services.

Bottom line, your driver is still OK to use the CB but using the cell phone to get back to you while driving is verboten.

More information: Fisher Phillips

King of multitasking photo

http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/administration/rulemakings/proposed/Mobile_phone_NPRM.pdf

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Five Reasons Why Cold Drawing Is Essentially Unlubricated

December 13, 2011

Yes we flood oil and sometimes put a film of lime or borax on our steel hot roll, but the fact is that our cold drawing process is essentially “unlubricated.”

The film between the die and the rod is probably less than three or four molecules thick...

Here are five attributes of Dry Friction and how they apply to cold drawing:

  1. Frictional resistance is nearly proportional to pressure. Check. In cold drawing, friction is not only proportional to pressure, it is also proportional to total area.
  2. Friction is nearly independent of speed at low pressures. While we would be challenged to identify “low pressure” s in cold drawing, the fact that we can start drawing by “pointing” the bar at low speed makes this point. Check.
  3. Friction is not greatly affected by temperature. The first draw bar of the day with equipment at ambient and those drawn mid shift when the dies are reading in the 300-400 degrees Fahrenheit range do not vary in “pull” required. Watch the ammeter. Check.
  4. Friction depends on the nature of the surfaces. If you don’t believe that this is true, just rough up the die and start drawing. This is why die maintenance is so important. Check.
  5. Friction of rest is slightly greater than the friction of motion. Again watch the ammeter. It takes just a small amount more of power to start a pull than it does to sustain the pull. Check.

Bottom line: Only a fool would try to cold draw steel without lubrication. But the fact of the matter is that the cold drawing is essentially an unlubricated process, if one thinks about the attributes of dry friction given above, as applied to our process.

 I tend to think of the “lubricants” that we apply as being inert pressure agents that merely separate the surfaces of the die and the work with a few molecules of material to physically prevent the two materials from welding under the extreme pressure. The steel never touches the die- the die just provides a backup for the lube which is really doing the deformation of the steel by hydrodynamic pressure.

Die Graphic

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Why Free Machining and Impact Strength Don’t Mix

November 29, 2011

 It is critical to understand that the selection of free machining steels goes against the ability of those components to withstand impact loads.

Charpy impact values are reduced by free machining additives.Impact values increase with increased hardenability.

 

Impact strength is often an important design consideration in mechanical components. Cost to manufacture is also an important consideration in mechanical components.

Free machining grades can reduce the cost to manufacture precision machined components. But free machining additives reduce the impact strength of the steel. Materials should be selected on the basis of complying with design requirements, not just low cost to manufacture.

The low carbon free machining steel grade 1215 exhibits a particularly low level of toughness over a wide range of temperatures. Even light impact loadings are a bad fit for this grade of steel. The principal effects of the free machining elements  (Sulfur and Manganese) added to this steel are to lower the upper shelf or ductile portion of the absorbed energy curve.

The effects of hardenability can be seen between the 4140/41L40 and 1141 steels. While the presence of lead in the 41L40 does drop the upper shelf energy somewhat, the biggest difference can be seen  to lie between the 1141 and the two 4140 grades. The lower hardenability of the 1141 on mill cooling in addition to the effect of the manganese sulfide additives explains this difference.

The greatest difference however that can be seen from this figure is the vast difference between the two low carbon steels, Grade 1215 and 1018. Even at 212 degrees F the upper shelf energy of the 1215 is roughly  only a third of that of grade 1018.

Rule of thumb: If a steel grade machines well- it probably has miserable charpy impact properties. 

Figure 1 taken  from The Assessment of The Mechanical behavior Of Free-Machining Steels, J.T. Berry and  R. Kumar, School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology; R.G.Kumble, Vermont American Corporation. 1975 ASM  Mechanical Working and Forming Division, International Symposium  on Machinability.

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Manufacturing- Good Economic News

November 16, 2011

When I grew up I learned Economics from Uncle Bob.

Uncle Bob had the family farm, and worked as a foreman in the steel mill.

This is the mill Uncle Bob worked in.

Uncle Bob taught me that wealth is created by either growing it , manufacturing it, or mining it. And since he had a working oil/gas well on the farm, he knew of what he spoke.

He grew food and raised livestock on the farm, he manufactured steel in the mill, and he sold the oil from the well and burned the gas for heat.

Then I got to college and saw that the folks with money weren’t working in mills or mines or farms. There was this burgeoning service economy.

Today, I just prepared PMPA’s Business Trends Report for October 2011. It aggregates sales and sentiment data from a little over 80 PMPA members in the U.S..

The Business Trends Indicator flattened a bit- a decline from  a value of 114 last month to 111 this month.

Woe is me- NOT!

The fact of the matter is that the Business Trends Sales Data is up 15% for the year to date. Our average is 115. in 2010 it was 99.

Precision Manufacturing- according to PMPA’s respondents are up 15 percent over last year.

So how does that 15% stack up against the interest rates that those service economy bankers are paying you on your savings, checking and Certificates of deposit? How does 15% compare to how the rest of your investments- real estate, stocks, bonds- are doing?

According to our data, Uncle Bob seems to be right. There are many worse places to be in today’s economy than precision manufacturing.

Congratulations on your great career choice!

Photocredit: Riverrat

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