March 2008 Edition

MACHINING EXOTIC MATERIALS

Polishing Off the Work
Using magneto-rheological fluid cutting and polishing of materials ranging from exotic sapphire to mundane acrylic, means having a tool that never dulls. Pioneering MRF machining is a company applying it to the shop environment.

MACHINING CENTERS

Loyalty On Its Own Terms
Because of performance — not a force of habit — a tool manufacturer invested in several machining centers from the same company

LASER CUTTING

'Impossible?' No Such Word at Liberty Steel
Efficiency and flexibility, not only in its performance as a company, but in the machines it uses, lets a company specializing in prototyping stay nimble

VERTICAL MACHINING CENTERS

The Name of the Game is Change
When Tier 1 aerospace customers change the rules, a shop evolves to meet the demands

ROBOTICS

Where Reality Meets the Road
Simulating a solution provides robotic cells that work right out of the box

WESTEC

WESTEC 2008 Preview
The WESTEC show returns to the West Coast for the Society of Manufacturing Engineers' annual display in Los Angeles

DEPARTMENTS

Editor's Corner
Another bursting financial bubble could result in a recession

Industry News

From the Shop Floor
Putting manufacturers' products to the test on the shop floor is often the only way to tell reality from hype

Spotlight: CAD/CAM

New Products

The Last Word
Manufacturing is changing to meet demands; it's time regulations changed, too