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Random Thoughts About Reshoring and Buying American
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.
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Lessons on the Journey Toward Shop Automation
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.
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Help Operators Understand Sizing Adjustments
Even when CNCs are equipped with automatic post-process gaging systems, there are always a few important adjustments that must be done manually. Don’t take operators understanding these adjustments for granted.
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How to Calibrate Gages and Certify Calibration Programs
Tips for establishing and maintaining a regular gage calibration program.
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Why Towns Want Manufacturing Plants
A manufacturing facility can harness and focus the native ability of people growing up in a town, and channel this into livelihoods and homes for the town’s next generation. Is this something we lost sight of and are now seeing again?
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Adjusting CAM Tolerance and Machine Modes to Fix Faceting Issues
Fixing an issue often requires fine tuning of both CAM tolerances and the machine mode for full optimization and process reliability.
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Choosing the Correct Gage Type for Groove Inspection
Grooves play a critical functional role for seal rings and retainer rings, so good gaging practices are a must.
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The Best Point of Reference for Program Zero Assignment Entries
Correctly specified program zero assignment and coordinate position values enable the CNC to determine how far to move the cutting tool during each positioning motion.
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There's Your Waste, Shaw! An Argument for Shop Reinvestment
The fictional Don Walling had it right: Innovation and long-term success for machine shops requires investments in technology and people. Not just one, but both.
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4 Steps to a Cobot Culture: How Thyssenkrupp Bilstein Has Answered Staffing Shortages With Economical Automation
Safe, economical automation using collaborative robots can transform a manufacturing facility and overcome staffing shortfalls, but it takes additional investment and a systemized approach to automation in order to realize this change.
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How to Optimize Operator Efficiency on Any Shop Floor
Striking the perfect balance of person to machine is unique to each shop and can depend on a number of factors, including the type of work a shop undertakes, the available equipment, staffing levels, scheduling and more.
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A Higbee Thread Milling Custom Macro
Higbee threads provide a full thread form at the very start of the thread. The sharp edge is removed during the machining process.
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