MMS Blog

Die/Mold

Because of the Tariff on Mold Tooling, This Indiana Mold Shop’s Business is Now Booming

U.S. molders are now buying their tooling from U.S. mold builders. Precise Tooling Solutions illustrates this, and its owner makes the case for why the tariff matters.

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Shop Reins in Lead Times with Compact HMCs

Alicat Science experienced a surge in business that drove lead times to 28 days. ​​KMH300A horizontal machining centers reduced lead times to five days and gave the shop the capacity for subsequent business growth.

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Why Use Solid-State Additive Manufacturing?

New opportunities are coming thanks to 3D printing processes where the metal doesn't melt. 

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Turn/Mill

Multitasking Forms Hub of Shop’s Propeller Production Efficiency

Outsourcing machining for complex hub assemblies resulted in months-long lead times and lack of control. A Mazak multitasking machine allowed Whirlwind Propellers to bring production in house.

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Communication Clears Machine Monitoring's Morale Hurdles

When pen-and-paper methods of tracking job efficiency left AccuRounds’ engineers and managers in the dark, the shop switched to MachineMetrics. But machine monitoring brought morale challenges along with it. 

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The Three Pillars of Reliable Machine Shop Productivity

This shop looks for a systematic convergence of three disciplines in production management.

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Workholding

Workholding Material Conforms to 3D Surfaces

A porous, easily sculpted material provides even vacuum gripping force throughout the entire contact area with the workpiece. 

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Top Shops

Top Shops Then and Now

Altech Machining was a Top Shops winner in our inaugural benchmarking survey in 2011. So what’s the shop up to now?

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Laser & Waterjet

Weep Not, Waterjet Machine. Predictive Maintenance is Here.

The versatility of waterjet cutting is well known, but its reputation as a maintenance intensive technology holds it back. Predictive maintenance may change that. 

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There is More Than One Way to Find a Match

Three ways to control the clearance between critical-fit parts.

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Machine Monitoring Provides an Objective Lens

Automatic, real-time shopfloor data collection tempers the bias that blinds manufacturers to the real reasons for downtime.  

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The Challenges of Teaching Creativity in Additive Manufacturing

The extensive design freedoms offered in additive manufacturing can be paralyzing. With AM consistently pushing the boundaries of manufacturing, how do we teach people to take risks and be creative with AM?

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