November 2023 Issue

November 2023

Digital Edition

Q&A: How a Self-Taught Machinist Started His Own Business

This machinist found an opportunity in a niche market and decided to learn machining and create his own business. Here's how he did it.

Features

Featured articles from the November 2023 issue of Modern Machine Shop

Toolholders 20 Nov 2023

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.

3 Nov 2023

Good Advice? Ask 5 Questions

As business people, when we are asked for opinions or advice, we are usually quick to give it up. This is rarely the best response.

13 Nov 2023

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.

Automation 25 Oct 2023

Which Approach to Automation Fits Your CNC Machine Tool?

Choosing the right automation to pair with a CNC machine tool cell means weighing various factors, as this fabrication business has learned well.

Automation 21 Jun 2023

Using Jaws as Grippers Enables Flexible, Low-Cost Automation

VersaBuilt’s automation systems significantly boosted Innovative Fabrication’s revenue. In return, the shop has helped VersaBuilt optimize its products.

Measurement 17 Nov 2023

How to Evaluate Measurement Uncertainty

Manufacturing and measurement are closely coupled. An important consideration for the use of measurement results is the associated measurement uncertainty. This article describes common metrology terms and provides an example uncertainty analysis.

Inspection and Measurement 18 Oct 2023

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.

1 Nov 2023

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.

economics 9 Oct 2023

Metalworking Activity is Nearing a Full Year of Contraction

Metalworking activity has contracted since October of 2022.

15 Nov 2023

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.