INCREDIBLE Techniques Behind Machining Long Spline Shafts 

Beautifully machined Donnie!

@@raguramspacethank you!

Its weird that you always praise yourselfs in the comments to generate traffic or why?

Ah yes..... punch tape and trying to make any edits to the program....😡

I'm too young to have ever seen it, but it is not entirely forgotten! That technology and the transition from no computer control to all computer control is very interesting to me. Periscope Films has a channel here on RU-vid with some old product advertisements from when that was brand new technology, very interesting to watch.

Wow hard to believe that you can keep those tolerances

They work quite well, though I won't say it's easy. I've run a part with similar tolerances in copper and it worked fairly well, though it depends a lot on tooling, order of operations, and possibly most of all, how accurately and carefully it was setup. I've heard it said that in Swiss Machining "The process is the product" and I would agree. I run Citizen machines, and tight tolerances are not too big a deal, usually you fight tool wear the most, and warmup for maybe the first half hour of running. I would do your research, but Swiss would likely be a great option for you.

Behind where the stock comes out is the actually motor, it grips and holds the stock. The part where the stock comes out is not actually gripping or spinning the stock. It is only supporting it.

What you are seeing the material feed through is a guide bushing. Basically it is just a steady rest for the material. The spindle driving the material is actually behind the guide bushing so you don’t see it

I'm not familiar with a ceramic brush, sounds interesting. Of course ideally there are no burrs. You might be surprised how often deburr is unnecessary in Swiss Machining. Burrs are inherently contrary to the idea of Swiss Machining and lights out obviously. Order of operations makes all the difference!

The inner tube is not rotating, only the chuck.

@@anderspettersson7580 That makes sense

I was thinking the same thing, way too deep for a spline, at least any I have ever seen or worked with.

If they are magnetic it's easy with a magnet wand. Otherwise you have to use something like a smaller piece of bar stock, coat hanger, etc. and poke it through. Usually not too big a deal. Good question

LOL! All while squatting on the dirt floor.

Chity comment

Unlike a lathe that moves the tool along the part, a swiss moves the part along the tool, constantly bringing it in and out of the chuck. So if he turns it to size first when it moves back into the chuck to start each spline. it wouldn't be able to grip onto it.

Drill a hole through a traveling steady pad, works really well. Got to lock the 2 pads together for rigidity and drill it with a the drill held in the lathe chuck but it works well

@@duncanhalliday3655 i see what you mean but if i have to set up a lot of diffrent size's in a shot amouth of time then it is al little unhandy ( at least in my eyes) plus how cool wouldnt it be to be able to say that you have the first manual swiss type machine. plus if you make it primarely as a project and seeing if its even posible

SolidCAM excels in Swiss-type machining with its advanced Swiss-type machining module, supporting an infinite number of channels, unlike MasterCAM which is limited to just two. MasterCAM only recently added Swiss support, while SolidCAM has long provided robust capabilities tailored for Swiss machines. Additionally, SolidCAM's Machine Control Operations (MCOs) allow for precise control over machine movements outside of normal toolpath commands, essential for operations like bar pull and spindle transfer. These features, combined with seamless SOLIDWORKS integration and iMachining technology, make SolidCAM the superior choice for efficient and precise Swiss machining.

You actually want to use Esprit. Part maker is another good option, but it's no longer supported. Esprit is THE swiss CAM software. It makes syncing operations between two or more paths very simple. On a swiss or most mill/turns you have a separate program for each path. You might not want sub spindle to be near the main spindle until the cutoff cycle. The only way for both paths to know when to proceed is with a "wait code" and that's exactly what Esprit and part maker do the best. Other CAM softwares can provide a solution, but it's nowhere as streamlined. Maybe SolidCam is now, but I haven't heard of people switching

SolidCAM now far surpasses Esprit. Channel synchronization is incredibly straightforward with SolidCAM, and it offers significantly greater control through the use of MCOs. Plus, there's a dedicated post team available to integrate any custom MCOs you require.

@@michaelwybert7833 I'd love to get my hands on it.

I think Manufacturing is cool no matter from old school or new school...!!

Put simply, it refers to the size/length of the chip. You want the short curls that easily fall out of the way and don't get tangled and wrapped around stuff. If you can't get the chip to break you get long strings of chips and they get tangled and wrapped around tools and parts causing dents in parts, scratches and rub marks on parts, broken tools, and crashes. Depending on how fast the cutter is moving into the material (feed) and how fast your material is spinning (speed) the chips coming off vary in size shape and length.

Correct, but, it's not about "taking material away" it deforms the lathis of the crystalline structure of the material instead of destroying the structure.

nothing in the existence of their world can machine that material. T700 as AR700, +340ksi... making things like worm gear hypoid automatic lockers in axles posable.

wire EDM to make those...

It's all about the process. These machines are great for high production and high volume/long runs. 8-12 hours of setup doesn't matter if you then get to run for 100+ hours nonstop. It does take a while to setup, and the machines tend to be more cramped than a conventional lathe, so chip control is more important, but once it is setup all you have to do is keep the barloder loaded and tools changed.