CBER Proves to be a Process Improvement

I just read this article The Stem Solution : Modern Machine Shop and remembered the brothers visit to our booth during IMTS2012. They were excited about what they had seen at the show and how they could use it in their manufacturing process.

The mention of our CBER boring system as a process imporvement for Straitline Components is very gratifying.

More importantly is the underlying story of this article - two young people committed to manufacturing, improving manufacturing processes and having a joy for what they have chosen to do.

Thank you for allowing us to be a part of it.

Criterion's CBER system fit directly into ER collet holder

Enjoying Trade Shows

Many people make a living from teaching others how to correctly exhibit products at trade shows. You can learn the proper way to greet visitors, the dos and don'ts of booth etiquette, what you should do about handouts along with many other topics. I am not sure you can ever be totally prepared for what can happen at a trade show.

I have always enjoyed trade shows because it gives me a chance to catch up with friends in the industry as well as meet many new people. I can talk face to face with a customer or potential customer about why I believe Criterion's products will do the job for them. I get to hear how people envision making their products and the challenges they face making them. It gives me greater insights into the current world of manufacturing.

It is also extremely interesting watching visitors as they walk by in the aisle. They will casually walk by and then bang! something catches their attention. They may make a bee line directly to it or they may stand and stare for a while trying to figure out what it is or how they can use it. I must confess this is where I fail the classes on how to properly work a trade show because I give you time to ponder your thought before asking you any questions and trying to engage you in conversation.

Conversation at Westec 2012

Over the many years I have done trade shows always leaving with more knowledge than I began because so many people want to talk about what and how they think they can use a product. This year was no different at Westec and it makes the thought of IMTS even more exciting because manufacturing in the US has seen a nice recover from the recession. If you didn't make it to Westec, I certainly look forward to seeing and talking with you at IMTS.  

Is an Economical Solution One that Saves Money?

CBER32 Boring System in a CT40 Holder

The CBER boring system is an economical solution according to a customer I worked with the other day.

Here is his story:

A new Criterion customer called asking about the proper use of his CBER boring system. He had just received it and was preparing to bore his first .875 +.0002/-.0000" in diameter bore. I asked if he had purchased a collet nut with it or was going to use one he already had in his shop. He had purchased a collet nut but his operator had not used it. He had put an existing collet nut on the system. The existing collet nut had to be replaced with the purchased collet nut as the extractor lip interfered with the CBER system fitting in the ER collet holder properly.

We then talked about how much material was left to be bored out. He had left .010" per side put it was not enough because the nose radius of his insert was .015". I explained that he would not get the proper cutting action with the insert and if he could leave .020/.025" per side it would make it easier for him to produce the bore and the finish he required. He was going to change that for the next production run of parts he had to make.

We went on to discuss how to set the tool and make small diameter adjustments using the flat on the insert side of the boring head. We also discussed the appropriate RPM and feed rate he should be using for the material he was cutting.

The next day he called back to let us know the CBER system was exactly what he needed to do the job and was easy to use. He decided he is going to leave it set for the .875" diameter size and purchased additional systems for the other 4 or 5 size bores he makes. His reasoning was the cost of the CBER system being 1/4 of the other system he had looked at he could leave them set and reduce the cost of his set-up every time he set-up a production run. Truly, an economic solution for him.

IMTS2010 Generates a lot of Interest in CBER

IMTS Visitors discussing CBER applications

IMTS 2010 generated a lot of interest in the CBER product line. The ability to convert standard ER collet holders into precision boring systems was exciting to many of the visitors to our booth. In the past modular boring systems required special tool holders most of which we unique to the manufacturer of modular system. The special holders increased the cost of the boring systems and limited the ability of the user to use different systems because of these costs.

CBER on Display at IMTS 

A number of our visitors wanted to discuss using the CBER products in their swiss machine as well as in live tooling applications for the mill/turn centers. Precision boring in these applications has not been common in the past because of the physical limitations of the holding systems. This is no longer the case because so many of these machines are tooled for ER collet holders.







We thank all of the visitors to our booth and look forward to working with you and meeting the needs of your precision boring requirements,

When Does an Aerospace Company change the Plane?

The answer is when they have to bore a horizontal hole on a vertical machining center.

The combination of a right angle head and a CBER precision boring system allows anyone to change the plane.

Recently an aerospace company contacted us about an application they had for boring a horizontal hole on a vertical machining center. They knew were making boring heads that fit into ER collet holders so they inquired about the possibility of our producing a boring head to fit into an ER16 collet holder.  They had a right angle head that used ER16 collets and they wanted to use it for boring their horizontal hole.

We had just successfully finished our CBER16 prototypes and were beginning our first production run of parts so they would be ready for introduction at IMTS2010. We sent them one of the prototypes they asked if we could extend the range so they could bore a 1.000-inch diameter bore.  We designed an offset head to accomplish their request (The black insert holders in the photo).  An additional dilemma was discovered when the flush nut design collet nut was added as a requirement. We had to quickly do some redesign to the CBER16 so the flush nut could be used.

Again the voice of the customer has given us a new product to carry forward. We will be adding extended range insert holders to our CBER16 and CBER20 precision Boring Systems.

If you need to change the plane or stretch the limits give us a call 800.854.7441 or e-mail us at cmw@criterionmachineworks.com we enjoy the challenges

Product Line Expands because of The Voice of the Customer

A couple of months ago we were contacted by a machinery dealer who had seen our ads for the CBER boring system (you can read about it in our earlier blogs). They wanted to know if we could make ER32 to ER25, ER32 to ER20 and an ER32 to ER16 adaptors. We discussed the application, which was to give their customer a quick-change system for their turning center that was tooled with ER32 collet holders. After looking at the request we determined we could do the ER20 and ER16 sizes but not the ER25.

ER to ER Adaptor

While we were working on the design we realized this would be a natural extension for our CBER system. Our customers will be able to take advantage of the boring ranges of the CBER20 and the CBER16 products in their ER32 holders. We will not be able to have everything ready for IMTS 2010 but we will have it ready by the end of the year. If you have any questions about the CBER system or the ER to ER adaptors please contact us at 800.831.7444 or by e-mail at cmw@criterionmachineworks.com.

CBER16 is Being Introduced at IMTS2010

We will be introducing the new CBER16 size to our innovative ER precision boring system at IMTS2010. The CBER Boring System converts precision ER collet holders into Precision Boring Systems. The CBER16 will fit into most Swiss Automatic style turrets as well as many Right Angle Heads so you can now easily do precision boring where it was difficult to accomplish before.

The addition of CBER16 means the system now covers ER16, ER20, ER25, ER32 and ER40 collet holders. The system is capable of boring holes as small as .035” in diameter to as large as 1.700” in diameter. All of the CBER sizes have a standard .001” on diameter directing reading adjustment dial. The ER32 and ER40 sizes are also available with a 0.000050” on diameter Micro Adjusting Dial. All sizes will be available in a standard and a short length.

All of the CBER sizes have a locator flat for easy establishment of the adjusting axis as well as a convenient location to indicate from when closer adjustments than the dial graduations are required. The CBER systems do not require special tool holders but they do require that the collet nut does not have the extractor lip as it will prevent the boring system from properly being installed into the collet holder.

Boring Heads that fit into your ER Holders!

The CBER boring system converts precision ER collet holders into precision boring systems, the company says. The CBER16 boring system, which fits ER16 collet holders, is capable of boring holes from 0.035" to 0.944" in diameter. 

All of the CBER sizes have a standard 0.001" on diameter direct reading adjustment dial. The ER32 and ER40 sizes are also available with 0.000050" on diameter micro adjusting dial. All sizes are available in standard and short lengths.

The boring system is designed for right-angle boring heads, live tooling adapters and other machines that utilize the ER style collet system.


The CBER precision modular boring system converts ER collet holders into precision boring systems. The system fits into ER20, ER25, ER32 and ER40 collet holders and is capable of boring holes from 0.035" to 1.700" in diameter. All CBER sizes have a standard 0.001" on diameter adjustment dial. The ER32 and ER40 sizes are also available with a 0.000050" on diameter adjusting dial. All sizes are available in standard and short lengths.