B & S Machine Shop Blog Archives

What is Heat Treating Used for?

Posted on February 7, 2020February 7, 2020 by southernviewmedia

There are different types of heat treatments, including annealing, normalizing, hardening, tempering and case hardening, to name a few. The number one thing they have in common is the ability to heat and cool metals, as well as many manufactured parts with varying temperatures. The material in the shop is supported by the furnace graphs and final hardness documentation. Read about why we use heat treating and how are able to provide you with heat treatment solutions for your manufactured part with diffusions in specific temperatures and timing.

Withstand Wear and Abrasion
Altering the metal material allows the parts to withstand wear and abrasion as well as for measurements in thickness. Precision and performance are improved by the changing of high/cool temperatures and tempering. Transitioning from a high temperature to room temperature will allow for toughness with materials that need it. Steel, for example, may involve the process of annealing in order for cold forming to take place. Surface hardening also helps with the erosion in order to resist shock loading.

Easy Welding
The capabilities and mechanical properties of heat treatment make for a secure post welding method. Our machines make this possible, along with taking tolerance and overall costs into consideration. The process also allows for a lower risk of residual stress and meeting proper codes/standards. Welding methods are, therefore, vital since it gives the structure enough time to get back to its beginning stage.

Improving Turnaround Times
The process of heat treating makes what would be a time-consuming process into stress relieving of fabrications and weld-repaired parts. Turnaround times are reduced due to their design and depending on the type of treatment being made. Be sure to communicate your deadline beforehand with the shop so that workflows and the manufacturers work together to deliver your product and run the furnace at an appropriate load.

Lifespan Resistance
One of the key benefits that comes with heat treatment is its ability to give the part made of steel, metal or aluminum a lifespan resistance/hardness. Its aging treatment offers a solution to hasten the alloying material in correspondence with the metal structure. Its increased strength and durability with correct temperature procedures make it a flexible product since it can be hardened or softened as well. If you are in need of improving surface, electrical or magnetic properties for your parts, heat treating is an option that gives you just that.

The B & S manufacturing team is prepared to handle any of your parts and service requirements! Please review our extensive machinery inventory, which is housed in our 12,000-square-foot building and supported by a staff that shares the same values to satisfy customer needs and requirements. Give us a call at 251-928-5291 or visit bsmachineshop.com and allow us the opportunity to serve your Manufacturing and Machine Shop needs.

What is Milling?

Posted on January 10, 2020January 10, 2020 by southernviewmedia

Milling is a process that involves cutting metal material into pieces like complex shapes using a machine/rotating tool. With the help of our CNC machines, 3D surface, conventional and vertical milling is possible. We specialize in shaft keyways, facing and milling details on castings and unique fabrications, extrusions, flow straighteners, diffusers, suction bells, rotors, keys and shaft adapters, to name a few.

Incisive Potential

Clear cutting and chipping is the main key factor in the milling process. This creates pieces for parts using adjustable inserts as needed from edges. Parts like steel shafts that require precise diameters in length for deep keyway cutting can quickly be done using a lathe machine. Exact specifications and fabricated parts will undergo the milling process (also known as the milling cutter) and then move on to post-process stages of production.

Involves Different Angled Shoulders/Slots

Different angles can be used during the milling process where the axis of rotation fluctuates during the surface being cut. Side milling, face milling, vertical/horizontal and end milling are terms used for sculpting the geometry of the parts. With different axis/spindle milling machines, incorporations of the x- and y-axis are rotated and cut in different angles. Such complex surfaces, such as seen in ball nose workpieces, use end milling as a technique.

High-Speed Process

Milling can go as far as producing duplicate parts, as seen in gang milling for high-speed efficiency. When it comes to surface finishing, the feed rate can increase depending on the distance between the ridges and for quantity purposes. The drilling and turning of the machine can reach up to thousands of RPMs with the help of our CNC machine, which is more versatile than manual milling.

Performance with Different Cuts

Different milling machines require various tools for specific pieces. This will vary among shapes, sizes and spacing. The drill bit is most commonly used with tools like a tap with vertical and horizontal machines changing as well. A professional must know which machine to use and which features correspond to the part. At B&S Machine Shop, we look at the smallest details and use milling machines that have various rotation/tilting heads and axis capabilities. We aim for big performance with speed bands that get the job done right every time. While the milling process can be a complex procedure, our team is ready to handle any repairs or replacing parts!

The B&S manufacturing team is prepared to handle any of your parts and service requirements! Please review our extensive machinery inventory, which is housed in our 12,000-square-foot building and supported by a staff that shares the same values to satisfy customer needs and requirements. Give us a call at 251-928-5291 or visit bsmachineshop.com and allow us the opportunity to serve your Manufacturing and Machine Shop needs.

Save Time by Using a CNC Machine Shop

Posted on December 6, 2019December 6, 2019 by southernviewmedia

With just the four easy steps of quote, order, parts and shipment, your parts will be ready in no time, to exact specifications with a fast turnaround time. CNC machines are known for being cost-efficient and for getting your machined product made with the clean cuts it needs. Older machines, such as routers and vertical millers, do not have the capacity as CNC machines do. Save time today by using our services that include internal keyway cutting, milling, heat treating, sawing and turning.

Accuracy Every Time

Get the precision you need with the help of our CNC machine. We carefully inspect the parts and find a solution, even with prototypes, intricate shapes and patterns. The tools we use, such as milling or internal keyway cutting, plus the techniques we use, like working at lower speeds to account for deviation, helps us get accurate results. We pay close attention to the details that matter, such as measurements that stand the par with CNC walls within the machine.

Tolerance at Full Capacity

Our CNC machines do not only operate at full speed, but offer optimized chip loads with the help of our cutting-edge tools. CNC routers are utilized with settings meant for automated solutions, which are faster than known traditional machines. The machine is built and programmed to reduce human error so that your part is delivered correctly.

Updated Software

CNC machines must be updated with the latest software as part of the manufacturing process. Doing so provides a faster production speed without overwhelming our employees with too much work. They can focus better on CNC mills without manual machines requiring all the time and attention. Different components of CNC machines can be supervised and easily monitored by few workers or even one, while other employees efficiently work on other tasks.

Quick Cycle Time

Even the most complex parts can easily be made quicker because of integrated tools and settings within the machine. It is known for its smart computer-numerical control and G-code, which helps with things like feed rate and high speeds. Metal parts are more complicated to work with; but with CNC machines, all angles of axes are generated. Manufacturers choose this form of service because it is known to have a quicker cycle time compared to conventional mechanisms which do not facilitate a guaranteed production rate or accuracy. By using CNC machines, any high quantity project of yours will seriously reduce wasted time.

The B&S manufacturing team is prepared to handle any of your parts and service requirements! Please review our extensive machinery inventory, which is housed in our 12,000-square-foot building and supported by a staff that shares the same values to satisfy customer needs and requirements. Give us a call at 251-928-5291 or visit bsmachineshop.com and allow us the opportunity to serve your Manufacturing and Machine Shop needs.

What is Keyway Cutting?

Posted on June 17, 2019August 12, 2019 by southernviewmedia

What is Keyway Cutting?

Today, most modern machines are comprised of rotating gears and pulleys. Whether it’s a car or a vacuum cleaner, most have rotating parts with a shaft fixed to a gear. Keyway cutting helps bond a gear or pulley to a shaft. Keep reading for more about the different ways to use the keyway-cutting method.

What is a Keyway?

When a gear, or something similar, needs to fit onto a rod or shaft and transfer force, in the form of rotation, a key helps accomplish this. A notch called a keyway is cut on the inside of the gear along with another notch cut, longways, into the shaft. Then and a piece, usually metal, called a key is inserted into the shaft keyway. The gear can then be fitted onto the shaft and the keyway on the gear will fit over the key, inserted in the shaft. This causes the shaft and gear to become locked together when rotating, thus transferring rotational force between the shaft and gear.

Tapered and Straight Bores

A pulley or gear can fit onto a shaft via a straight bore or a tapered bore. The engineer designing the machine will decide which is best for the application. The straight bore has a hole in the center of the gear or pulley that is the same diameter on both the front and back. The hole goes straight through. The tapered bore has a hole through the gear or pulley that has a different diameter on the front than the back; thus tapering inward or outward.

Cutting Parallel to a Tapered Bore

It is worth noting that a degree of difficulty lies in fitting a tapered bore with a keyway. Cutting parallel to the tapered bore is a task for the most trained professionals. When considering machining services, make sure the machine shop you choose has experience performing this service. This part of the build can make or break your project.

Other Keys Available

Many other types of keys are also used. The most simple type of key is called a square. It is a square-shaped rod of varying length. A flat key is a shorter version of the square. A dowel is a round, rod-like key. Similar to the square is a taper key, except it is tapered on one end. A feather key is much like the square as well, but it is rounded on each end. A gib-head key is a bit more complex, because it has a head on the larger of the two ends that prevents it from being inserted all the way. Lastly, the woodruff key has become more popular recently. It resembles a thick coin that has been cut in half.

If you need more assistance with keyway cutting, call us today at B & S Machine Shop. We have the professionals ready to handle any project.

The B & S manufacturing team is prepared to handle any of your parts and service requirements! Please review our extensive machinery inventory, which is housed in our 12,000-sq. ft building and supported by a staff that shares the same values to satisfy customer needs and requirements.

Give us a call at 251-928-5291 or visit bsmachineshop.com and allow us the opportunity to serve your Manufacturing and Machine Shop needs.

Benefits of Using a Local Machine Shop

Posted on June 13, 2019June 13, 2019 by southernviewmedia

Benefits of Using a Local Machine Shop

The advantages and capabilities of using a local machine shop for your project are that they are more readily available than regular machine shops. From custom parts to high-quality material, a local shop pays close attention to details that matter in production and that pertain to your industry. You also want to make sure you are investing as well as getting the best quote.

More Service Options

Rather you want to buy new or simply repair worn parts, a local machine shop offers fully equipped CNC turning, threading complex parts and shapes and even reverse engineering services. General machines shops are limited in offering these services or does not offer them at all, especially, when it comes to cutting stubborn pieces such as keys or splines.

Manufacturing Industrial Parts

Typical items are manufactured in power and chemical plants and include unique fabricated brackets for special projects plus special attention to detail with high rotating RPM. Marine industrial manufacturing includes replacement propeller shafts and repairing worn/corroded parts. Steel parts include Bearing Houses, Axels, Seal Glands, to name a few. Aviation manufacturing has Test Fixtures and design for Roll-Over stands for Thrust Reversers- true craftsmanship and the use of hydraulic dollies for aircraft replacement.

Larger Stocked Inventory

A large amount of inventory is stocked with material such as Machine Stock and Support Tooling in order to fulfill customers’ needs and orders. It is delivered as soon as possible for your convenience with care and safety. Plus, local machine shops have more capacity for last minute requests. You can check out a list of inventory items on our website for more information.

Better Price, Better Quality

The custom prototype pieces you are looking for are made in-house and can only be found at a local machine shop. Other general shops do not always train staff properly or have the correct machinery to do tedious work. Here at B & S Machine shop, we make sure we use the correct tools to get the part that you want as well as deliver it in a timely manner to meet your needs.

The B & S manufacturing team is prepared to handle any of your parts and service requirements! Please review our extensive machinery inventory, which is housed in our 12,000 Square Foot building and supported by a staff that shares the same values to satisfy customer needs and requirements. Give us a call at 251-928-5291 or visit bsmachineshop.com and allow us the opportunity to serve your Manufacturing and Machine Shop needs.