Super sized machines are still made. IMTS (in Chicago Sept 12-16 this year) has had giant lathes in the past. I was amazed at one that had what looked to be a railroad car axle with wheels which appeared to be turned from a single billet of steel (that must have been enormous!). By the way, IMTS is worth attending if you are interested in machines (anyone here who isn’t :-) It is really a spectacle, the size and number of machines installed in McCormick Place that week and the $$$ spent by companies to be there. -Tom
> On Feb 7, 2016, at 4:12 PM, Bruce Layne <linux...@thinkingdevices.com> wrote: > > I have a friend who is a mechanical engineer at the Naval Ordnance > Station in Louisville. I inquired about the machining on these big > naval guns, and he told me that most of the drawings are from the 1940s, > and in general, the machining is manual and conventional, although the > lathes and other machinery are super sized. No doubt they do need to > make special machining tools to make some of the odder things they can't > make with large but otherwise conventional shop tools. > > When I'm using my little lathe in my basement shop, I always keep in > mind the story my friend told me about one of their most experienced > machinists who one day, for no apparent reason, reached down inside the > bore of a barrel that was slowly spinning in the lathe. The rag in his > hand wedged and he flipped around several times before the lathe could > be stopped. It didn't kill him, but it destroyed his shoulder. > Horrific stories like that have given me a great appreciation for the > hazards lurking in my own little lathe. > > Many of these large naval guns are being given a new lease on life with > modern electronics, much as old military planes such as the B-52 keep > being upgraded with new electronics. > > I have another friend who got a personal tour of Faxon Machining, a very > specialized machine shop. They have large lathes that turn some of > these huge barrels for the navy. While my friend was there, they were > turning what was essentially the drive shaft for a nuclear reactor. > > It's humbling to see people working at such scale, but also inspiring. > I was a teenager visiting a friend whose dad was an engineer. I had > decided to be an engineer a few years before but still didn't know much > about engineering. I did know that his dad had a very nice, > meticulously organized and spotless machine shop in his basement, and we > weren't allowed to go in there. I saw a large drawing near their front > door and I slipped off the rubber band, unrolled it, and sneaked a > peek. For about a minute, I tried to make sense of it but I couldn't > determine what it represented. Then, near the bottom of the 48" X 36" > drawing was an object that was about 3/4" long that I recognized as a > railroad coal car. My friend's dad was designing a new coal fueled > power plant. > > > > > > On 02/07/2016 03:15 PM, andy pugh wrote: >> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welin_breech_block#/media/File:Sailor_looking_into_the_breech_of_16_inch_gun_aboard_USS_Alabama_(BB-60).jpg >> >> I suspect an extremely specialised machine for the internal version. >> > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Site24x7 APM Insight: Get Deep Visibility into Application Performance > APM + Mobile APM + RUM: Monitor 3 App instances at just $35/Month > Monitor end-to-end web transactions and take corrective actions now > Troubleshoot faster and improve end-user experience. Signup Now! > http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/clk?id=272487151&iu=/4140 > _______________________________________________ > Emc-users mailing list > Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Site24x7 APM Insight: Get Deep Visibility into Application Performance APM + Mobile APM + RUM: Monitor 3 App instances at just $35/Month Monitor end-to-end web transactions and take corrective actions now Troubleshoot faster and improve end-user experience. Signup Now! http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/clk?id=272487151&iu=/4140 _______________________________________________ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
