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.

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.

We Can't Split an Atom but We can Split .0001 of an Inch

For years the industry standard was .0001” adjustment for “Precision Finish Boring” applications. The demand for closer tolerance Finish Bores pushed us to develop our Modular Boring Systems with .00005” (50 Millionths) adjustability. Putting this into perspective you would have to move our dial 60 graduations to equal the thickness of a normal piece of paper. We have accomplished this with a unique moving wedge design so the boring heads do not require a locking mechanism to ensure their accuracy during the cutting operation.




This Micro-Adjusting feature is an option on our Cri-Bore Modular Boring System, CB Boring Heads, Cri-Bar Adjustable Boring Bars and CBER Modular Boring System for ER Collet Holders



The Micro-Adjusting finish boring products have a .006” on diameter range for the micro adjustment. We use our standard .001” on diameter dial for making major diameter adjustments so you save time when making your initial set-up. We look forward to working with you on any of your Precision Finish Boring Applications.

Is it a Boring Head or an Adjustable Height Centering Tool Holder?

A few years ago we introduced a small boring head for use on drilling/tapping style CNC machining centers and small benchtop style machining centers. The boring head is 3/4" square and has a boring range from .035" to .580" in diameter. The direct reading dial is graduated in .001" increments.  The first cutomer purchased the boring head did so to use in a gang tooling set-up on his lathe. He was exicted about the fact that he could now adjust his tools so they would cut on center. This was an unexpected use for the tool but it spawned the idea of making an adjustable boring head that could use ER11 collets as the tool holder.

We are introducing the TMT-ER11 Boring Head at IMTS2010. This boring head has the same .035" to .580" range as the TMT-0750 Boring Head but the cuting tool shanks are not limited to 1/8" or 1/4". ER11 collets have a holding range from .019" to .275" so you can hold any type of tool in this boring head. You can now use it to boe small holes or hold small shank tools in a gang tooling set-up.

We look forward to showing it off to you at our Booth #W-2100 @IMTS. You can decide what its best use is after seeing it.

Be sure and see our booth @IMTS2010 W-2100

If you're making your plans to visit IMTS be sure to include us in your show planner.

You can access the IMTS Show Planner right on the IMTS website under Floorplans.  We're located in the West building.

We'll be displaying the the new products that you're seeing here on our blog.

This year we're talking about cycle time savings!

Check out the picture on the right.  This is where our booth is located. Our booth W-2100 highlighted in red at the right.  

When you click on our booth you can see some of the featured products.

But be sure and stop by for a first hand look at some of the newest time saving Modular Boring Products and Adjustable Boring heads for both CNC Mills and Swiss Turning machines.

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.