Columns
Digital Comparators are More Than Just Readout Devices
Modern digital comparators often combine the performance of touchscreen phones, LVDTs, digital amplifiers and even small PCs into the size of a standard dial indicator.
Read More
An Open Letter to Kids About Machines and the World of Making Things
This is an open letter to middle- and high-school students about choices they’ll soon face. It is also an introduction to Career and Technical Education (CTE), the world of CNC machining, and a reminder that there are options outside of the traditional four-year college path.
Read More
Random Thoughts on Manufacturing, Innovation, What We Appreciate, and More
Here are several mini-columns merged into one. Take these thoughts all at once or in small doses.
Read More
Combining Functions With User-Defined G & M Codes
CNC programmers gain flexibility when using custom macros to define G and M codes themselves.
Read More
The Many Ways of Measuring Thickness
While it may seem to be a straightforward check, there are many approaches to measuring thickness that are determined by the requirements of the part.
Read More
Making the Most of Mixed Toolholder Assemblies
While nearly all ER systems will have cross compatibility, they’ll have small differences across manufacturers that make their implementation at the shop level not as standard.
Read More
The Resurgence of 'Shop Class' in American High Schools
From the 1990s through the 2010s, most traditional “shop classes” disappeared from middle schools and high schools across the U.S. — one of the many issues that helped create today’s skilled labor shortage in metalworking and CNC machine shops. Here’s one solution that deserves more attention.
Read More
4 Ways to Stop a Cycle to Allow Operator Intervention
Completely automatic operation should always be the goal, but there are situations that require operator intervention during the CNC cycle.
Read More
Causes Are Complex: The Case for Choosing the Right Failures to Analyze
The nuance and complexity of failure in bearings is enough to illustrate the difficulty of failure analysis in general, and how much consideration this analysis deserves.
Read More
Tips for Anticipating Hole Conditions
When measuring an ID with an indicating plug gage, it is OK to slow down to learn more about the hole being measured and explore for extraneous conditions.
Read More
Increasing OEM Visibility to Shopfloor Operations for the Win
A former employee of General Motors and Tesla talks about the issues that led to shutdowns on factory lines, and what small- to medium-sized manufacturers can do today to win business from large OEMs.
Read More
In Moldmaking, Mantle Process Addresses Lead Time and Talent Pool
A new process delivered through what looks like a standard machining center promises to streamline machining of injection mold cores and cavities and even answer the declining availability of toolmakers.
Read More