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Not Every RFQ Needs Your Attention
This shop discovered the most profitable thing it could do with certain RFQs is to prevent them from ever reaching the quoting team.
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Why QC Inspectors Should Consider Gaging Fixture Spring Rates
All fixtures for part gaging will have some amount of deflection or spring rate that can affect measurement accuracy. A better understanding of spring rate can enable quality control inspectors to detect and eliminate this possible error source.
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Three Cool Uses for Directed Energy Deposition
Most machining professionals don’t like to admit that they ever make mistakes, but every now and then wouldn’t it be nice to have an “eraser” to go back and repair a gouge or fix a nicked edge? Or maybe you took off a bit too much material on that last machining pass and you’d like to add it back? Well, directed energy deposition (DED) enables you to do that and more.
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Connect, Monitor and Be Prepared
Real-world applications chart a three-step course for CNC machining operations that have yet to realize the promise of data-driven manufacturing.
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External Input for Programmed Values
Parametric programming provides three easy ways to access external data.
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The Starting Point for Machine Tool Monitoring: Data Analysis Is an Emotional Choice
For machine shops, the transformation that data-driven manufacturing promises to bring begins with machine monitoring, and there is a human component to this.
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What Is Directed Energy Deposition?
Analyzing directed energy deposition and powder-bed fusion provides a thorough understanding of the extra machining necessary for a “near net shape” versus a “net shape” manufacturing process.
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Setting a Roughness Goal and Meeting It
Subjective surface finishes have no place in today’s high-precision manufacturing environment.
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The Sign on the Wall When I First Met Mark Albert: “When In Doubt, Tell the Truth”
Not just writing, but writing with integrity, is the work and the craft to which Mark Albert gave his career.
Read MoreImproving Program Compatibility Among Your CNCs
Put in the effort to eliminate machine-specific programming methods.
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Dial vs. Test Indicators
Dial and test indicators are close cousins. They are both mechanical magnifying devices used for dimensional comparison.
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How We Misread Productivity Gains in the Debate About Manufacturing Jobs
Manufacturing appears to lead other sectors in productivity growth, but productivity measures pick up factors besides automation. Recognizing this fact changes the terms of part of the public debate.
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