Automated Machine Tending is No Longer an Option. Time to Hire a Robot! Given the ongoing shortage of skilled labor, shops everywhere are turning to automated machine tending. Doing so reduces operating costs. It increases overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), often significantly. Automation also opens the door to unattended second and third shifts, potentially allowing the company [...]
Anyone who's watched an expensive carbide drill go up in smoke knows the importance of cutting fluids. And yet, the challenge is getting these fluids where they're needed most: in the work zone. That's where through-spindle coolant comes in. A common option on some brands of CNC machining center, "coolant-thru" increases tool life, productivity, and part [...]
Let’s pretend you just bought a KVR-series machining center from Kent USA. Furthermore, your shop cuts tons of aluminum, so you opted for the 20,000 rpm high-speed spindle option. Great idea. What’s not so great is overlooking the need for toolholder balancing at these speeds. That’s because an unbalanced toolholder will not only shorten tool life, it might just [...]
At first glance, gang-style lathes like this one from Kent USA appear limited in their capabilities. There’s some truth to that statement. After all, even the largest of the series—the GSL-42—boasts a maximum bar diameter of 1.6" and 6" of Z-axis travel. How many parts do you know that fall into this size range? If yours [...]
Trying to choose between horizontal vs. vertical lathes for your machine shop? There’s more to the decision than spindle orientation. Workpiece size and shape plays a big role, with vertical turret lathes (VTLs) winning the prize for large diameter parts, provided they aren’t much longer than they are wide. Traditional “horizontal lathes,” on the other hand, [...]
The pallet changer has long been associated with high volume work on horizontal machining centers (HMCs). However, that paradigm is beginning to shift. Automakers and prototype shops alike find that machines such as Kent CNC’s KMH Auto Pallet HMC enjoy OEE levels (overall equipment effectiveness) much higher than those who swap parts by hand. Four-sided machining is possible, [...]
The two-axis slant bed lathe has long been an indispensable piece of the manufacturing equation. Machine shops use them to turn shafts, bore rings, cut threads, and perform countless other turning operations. But what if you could cut keyways in those shafts? How about drilling cross holes? Better yet, what if the lathe had a sub [...]
Best of Both Worlds – Horizontal and Vertical Trying to decide between a vertical or horizontal machining center? This Southern California job shop ordered the combo Vertical machining center (VMC) proponents say it’s the flexibility and lower cost that brought them to purchase this most common of CNC machine tools. Those who favor a horizontal machining [...]
We would like to present our new line of Gang Style CNC Lathes which are designed for high precision and efficiency turning. Kent CNC GSL Series CNC Lathes feature a gang-type structure with an inclined bed structure design. These features effectively save tool-changing time. The GSL Series Lathes are equipped with a hydraulic six-station turret and have power-driven [...]
Vertical Milling Upgrade for High-Power Manufacturing Northeastern United States manufacturing company gets a machine tool upgrade from Kent USA Unless you’re a scientist or microwave engineer, you could probably care less about waveguides. In fact, most people would have a hard time describing one. Despite their esoteric nature, however, waveguides are both more important and [...]
