Smoothing the Transition From 3-Axis to 5-Axis Machining

Inside today's machine shops, having 5-axis capability is no longer a luxury; it's a must-have. To price parts competitively, and to make a good profit, shops need to have the efficiencies 5-axis provides. Many shops are planning to make this move, so Advanced Manufacturing Now engaged Errol Burrell and Wade Anderson, product specialists at Okuma America, to discuss exactly how to make the transition from 3-axis to 5-axis machining in a painless way. In a highly entertaining exchange—it even includes a dance metaphor—they look at how 5-axis machining has evolved from a machine tool user's perspective and describe the pulse of the marketplace today. They go into detail on what kind of ROI shops can expect. And they review some of the reasons shops are moving up to 5-axis.