The never-ending deliberation … Cycle Time Vs. Surface Finish For most machinists, it’s a constant quandary, cycle time vs. surface finish? Do I optimize for a perfect surface finish or a minimized cycle time? I know I’ve personally spent hours of programming time in order to shave off pre

The Dental Lab Network is an online community where I’m often pulled into discussions regarding titanium implant milling using medium duty, dental-specific machinery. There was recently a thread where lab owners were inquiring about the accuracy of lighter weight benchtop models.  Here i

Have you ever wanted to perform tool life monitoring on your DATRON machine? Well with DATRON V9 Expert you can! Not only can you monitor tool usage, in time or distance, you can also set limits for either. This means if you know your end mill starts to wear after 25 hours of cutting, the DAT

Mar 13, 2015 | Blog There are many factors when trying to achieve the perfect finish on a machined 3D part . I’d like to focus in on the toolpath filtering options available for CNC machines and CAM software. Toolpath Filter in CAM Software In many CAM systems you are able to s

The term “High Speed Cutting” (also known as high-speed machining) is one that has grown in the manufacturing industry significantly in the past 5 to 10 years. In spite of its newfound ‘buzzword’ status, the definition of this process remains somewhat elusive, or at best is defined loosely as

Whenever a machinist is trying to improve the quality of a part or decrease cycle time, often the focus is on the program. This is the obvious and natural course of action to take but often a change in cutting tools can also have a dramatic effect. The old adage of having the right tools fo

Faster Rapid Prototype Machining Time is money …  even more so in rapid prototype machining. Rapid prototype machining is important for bringing a design to reality. While making usable parts, this process also allows for testing and evaluating the design. In the consumer electronics

In-Source Metal Milling For Your Dental Lab Technology that allows small to moderate sized labs to mill their own PFMs understructures, custom abutments and implant bars has matured significantly in the past few years. Not long ago, an average lab had to choose to either paying top dollar

It’s amazing how technology has changed our lives in the past decade. From accessing endless amounts of information on our portable devices to checking out at the grocery store. The ability to code and scan has become such a part of lives now that our needs and demands are ever increasing of

Cutting Tools for PU Foam Recently a customer visited DATRON Dynamics to take a first-hand look at DATRON’s broad line of solid carbide micro tooling, watch a demonstration to better understand the benefits … and oh, by the way, maybe even purchase one of our high speed milling machines. I

Probing is one of the features available on DATRON high speed milling machines that earn our German engineers the greatest accolades.  But many machinists coming from traditional backgrounds using conventional CNC equipment are not certain how to employ this function in their application

Many manufacturers produce products using a family of machined parts manufactured by outside vendors. As the success of a product grows, manufacturers are often faced with the decision should they start machining the parts in-house to save costs. There are many considerations when determining if

The term aerospace often conjures images of rocket ships, space shuttles and the latest technology that NASA has to serve up. From a machinist’s standpoint, we think of complex jet engine impellers and marvel at the precision and fluidity demonstrated in the 5-axis milling of these aerosp

If you think of batch production as an endless shift of “part in, part out” you’re not alone. Certainly, machine operators responsible for loading blanks, machining them, and removing the finished part – over and over repeatedly – share the view that a shift can be mundane and at times even s

“What made you decide to mill an aluminum longboard?”  That’s a question we’ve been asked countless times by people who see our most popular high-speed machining demonstration. So, I decided to write a blog that explains the origin of this unique sample.

The ATF mandates that firearm serial numbers are engraved, cast or stamped on a gun frame or receiver in a manner that is not susceptible to being obliterated. The current required depth of engraving for a gun serial number is 0.003” in a print size no smaller than 1/16 inch. Other

As recently as a decade ago, there was discussion regarding the best process for engraved name plate production –with the main contenders being the Pantograph, Stamping Machines and Milling Machines. Since that time, the argument for the pantograph has all but gone the way of the dinosaurs. T

Finding a method to secure parts on the table of a machining center has been a challenge since before CNC was invented in the 1940’s. For years, there has been a very keen interest in vacuum table or vacuum chuck technology for securing material. Traditional vacuum systems, however, have a lo

In order to accurately assess what you need when setting up a prototyping lab, the first order of business is deciding between 3D printing vs. CNC milling. Both options have proven critical to modern manufacturing processes, with each one featuring a roster of benefits over traditional man

DC Graphics, founded in 1994 by Kevin Brandon, is run today by Eugene Prohaske, President, and Cristine Brandon, Vice President, who have a long history in the engraving industry. Eugene is a passionate engraver who has over 30 years of experience in embossing die engraving for the packaging