Custom Workholding Principles to Live By
By: John Miller
Workholding solutions can take on infinite forms and all would be correct to some degree. Follow these tips to help optimize custom workholding solutions.
#Basics
When Evaluating Gage Stability, a Picture Says 1,000 Words
By: George Schuetz
Gage capability programs can help analyze the cause of stability problems, but it can be revealing to manually sketch out histogram data to get a pictorial view of what is happening.
#qualitygagingtips
3 Rules of Thumb for Buying New Equipment or Technology
By: Udo Jahn
Follow these rules each time you make a purchase.
Digital Solutions Dominate TIMTOS
By: Eli Plaskett
At TIMTOS, many OEMs highlighted solutions designed to overcome challenges that may sound familiar to U.S. manufacturers.
Does a Five-Axis Machine Increase Business?
By: Julia Hider
Five-axis machining is enabling custom fabricator Meyer Tool to take on more complex work and helping it produce less complex jobs more efficiently.
5 Reasons Why You Should Know How to Write Custom Macros
By: Mike Lynch
Custom macros enhance what can be done in G-code programs, giving users the ability to code operations that were previously not possible.
#cnctechtalk
Tips for Investing Intelligently When Upgrading a Shop on a Budget
By: John Miller
Working on a tight budget is not easy, but these tips can help you make the most of your free capital.
#Basics
Metalworking Activity Contracted Marginally in April
By: Jan Schafer
The GBI Metalworking Index in April looked a lot like March, contracting at a marginally greater degree.
#economics
Investing in Automation, Five-Axis to Increase Production Capacity
By: Nathaniel Fields
To meet an increase in demand, this shop invested heavily in automation solutions and five-axis machines to ramp up its production capabilities.
The Cool Parts Showcase Seeks Innovative 3D Printed Parts
By: Stephanie Hendrixson
Do you solve problems with 3D printing? Enter your 3D printed parts in this contest from The Cool Parts Show.
Random Thoughts About Reshoring and Buying American
By: Peter Zelinski
What will be the effect of the supply chain disruptions of recent years? Here are several observations related to where companies produce and how we think about a manufactured product’s origins.
#zaxis
Translating a Prototyping Mindset to Production
By: Evan Doran
The experimental mindset that benefited BDE Manufacturing Technologies as a prototype job shop has given it an adaptable edge as a production facility.
How to Accelerate Robotic Deburring & Automated Material Removal
Pairing automation with air-driven motors that push cutting tool speeds up to 65,000 RPM with no duty cycle can dramatically improve throughput and improve finishing.
#highspeedmachining
Form Tapping Improves Tool Life, Costs
By: Evan Doran
Moving from cut tapping to form tapping for a notable application cut tooling costs at Siemens Energy and increased tool life a hundredfold.
Lessons on the Journey Toward Shop Automation
By: Brent Donaldson
By necessity, small and mid-sized American job shops are automating production, whether through swift, dramatic upgrades in capital equipment, or slow, methodical changes to processes and procedures on the shop floor.
#thesetup
Simulation and Tooling Secure High-Value Work
By: Evan Doran
Simulation software and careful attention to tooling parameters have enabled Major Tool to take on ambitious projects with its complex machinery.
Reinventing a Precision Shop With a Data-Driven Mindset
By: Nathaniel Fields
When this machine shop lost 90% of its business within three months, a reinvention was in order. Here's how it survived after quickly falling on hard times.
