Most of you have probably gotten into lean implementations. Lean is basically about getting rid of waste—time, space, materials, and expense—within your manufacturing setup. For instance, lean manufacturing can lead to reducing inventory and reducing WIP, which is a big deal. With 5-axis machining, you can eliminate quite a bit of WIP, thanks to the elimination of setups. Finished goods inventory reduction is important because much of the manufacturing world wants smaller quantities delivered on a specific date, so you really can’t afford to invest in large volumes of inventory or overproduction.

You have the ability to produce the parts your customers need when they need them, so you can run your business with better cash flow.

Lean principles can also lead to improved part handling in staging, movement, counting, tracking, and expediting. Along with this, it can help in removing some of the waste involved in the prove-out and redundant inspection processes, thanks to the faster cycle times associated with 5-axis.

If you put all these benefits in front of you, it’s easy to see that most shops can benefit from a 5-axis machining setup to help their lean progress.