Hard‑milling, Cutting Wet and Dry and Graphite ‑ All on One Machine

In today's fast paced, competitive die/mold and precision tooling market, often different projects require different approaches and techniques. Some can be completed on a milling machine using hard-milling techniques. Some components and materials may require using coolant. Then there are other jobs that require the production of a graphite electrode and EDM operation to achieve the final configuration. Pressure to minimize costs - while improving machine and spindle utilization - have forced leading edge shops to reconsider using multiple, dedicated mission types of machines (i.e.: hard-milling, wet cut & graphite) in favor of a single, more economic alternative - a universal (or multi-purpose) machine.The S-56 Vertical Machining Center - known for its hard-milling capability - can be configured for both wet cutting and graphite milling. Mr. Fritz Hoffmann, President of Lunar Tool & Mold, Inc. (North Royalton, Ohio) provides some insight into the flexibility and versatility th