Improve your machine accuracy

The economic recovery in the Middle East, together with a recovering construction market, oil & gas projects, pipeline & port expansions and several new ventures, is set to drive up demand for Middle East's metalworking, metal manufacturing and steel fabrication industry. As the economy make progress, improving machining accuracy is also essential to keep up with the upturn.
However, rapidly changing operating conditions for machine tools make it difficult to increase productivity and accuracy. Some machines are more accurate and some are less accurate, just as some machines have large travels and some have small ones.
Often overlooked is the fact that machining centre is also part of a system. The machine runs the way it's programmed or directed by the machinist. It's only as good as the machinist and/or programmer that operate it. There are many factors that come into play such as heat, material and depth of cut. So remember that the machine itself is a system that's made up of moving parts that dynamically affect one another's performance. Since everything affects machining accuracy they all have to be taken into account.
C&G Machining & Welding featured five things to look forward at when improving machining centre accuracy. These techniques let out a new or existing machining centre achieve its potential precision.
1) Chips and Chatter Control
If you want your chips flying you need to reduce your chatter. The two fastest ways to reduce chatter are having a rigid setup and finding the best spindle speed. There are diagnostic tools that are available in finding that "sweet spot" where you get the highest removal rate but still have the accuracy and finish you desire. Finding this zone will not only give you a quieter cut but longer tool life and accuracy as well.
2) Process Measurements
Quality control generally happens after a part is machined. If there is a problem it's generally fixed after the fact. The better solution is to fix the problem before it happens. The QC of the part is just a reflection of the process used to make it.
Working with the machine there will be limited number of potential error points. For example: Using a 3 axis machining center only has 21 points to check. Of course that is before work holding and tooling are added to the mix.
But still there are a finite number of error sources. Since there are a finite number of human and mechanical errors that are possible they can each be addressed and solved one at a time.
By understanding the process you can virtually eliminate out of tolerance pieces.
3) The Spindle is King
How often do you change the tool offset when you change the spindle speed?
Don't treat the tool tip as a static piece. Different speeds create changes in temperatures and centrifugal forces within the spindle. Although the spindle responds to these changes if you want a tighter tolerance you need to know the spindle's behaviour.
The easiest way to do this is to test it. Using a gage pin in the spindle at different rpm to measure values can uncover this helpful information. Then you can adjust your tool offsets for various speeds.
4) Measure Twice
One of the first things you must learn as a machinist is to measure twice, cut once. This same philosophy applies to machining centre. Just because they are equipped with a measurement probe doesn't get you off the hook. The probe can't inspect its own performance.
The best way to do this is to use a known calibrated reference object within the machining zone. Objects of the same material of the part with similar geometry can be used as a reference to capture the errors. The difference between the two would be the error and the machine can be adjusted to reflect that fact.

By doing this, you let the machine inspect its ownNike Air Flight Huarache