MMS Blog
Proactivity Generates Success: Takeaways from Top Shops 2025
What sets a Top Shop apart from other shops? Industry leaders explored this question at the 2025 Top Shops Conference and found a common answer: proactive, intentional purchases and systems planning.
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How I Made It: Scott Harms, President & CEO of MetalQuest Unlimited
From a farm kid with a surplus lathe to leading one of the most automated job shops in America — Scott Harms reflects on building a manufacturing business the hard way, learning from mistakes, and staying grounded in respect.
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Metalworking Index Hits Seasonal Slump in November
Consistent with previous years, the GBI: Metalworking reported underperformance in November compared to October.
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Skipping the Dovetail Saves Setup Time for High-End Parts
Relying on crimping and sacrificial frames instead of dovetails cuts operations from Novo Modo’s high-end, high-mix work. What’s more, it supports the shop’s tight features and tighter tolerances.
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AI Servo Tuning Explained: How CNC Machines Optimize Motion Automatically
What FANUC calls AI Servo Tuning is changing how machines behave before their first cut — even though most machinists will never touch it.
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Can AI Automate Automation?
New hardware and software releases from Vention’s 2025 Demo Day, including some powered by AI, are designed to make advanced automation more accessible to manufacturers.
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Why Some CNC Shops Outperform Others With the Same Equipment
Five very different machining stories, one theme: top performance comes from process knowledge, not just equipment.
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5 Tips for Machining Nickel-Based Alloys
Choosing the right tools and processes can maximize tool life and reduce production time when machining these tough materials.
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Inside a CNC-Machined Gothic Monastery in Wyoming
An inside look into the Carmelite Monks of Wyoming, who are combining centuries-old Gothic architectural principles with modern CNC machining to build a monastery in the mountains of Wyoming.
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Strange But True: Odd Things That Happen With CNCs
These oddities in the way a CNC naturally behaves can help explain some rather unusual situations that may occur during machining.
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Order Of Operations Is Where Geometry Meets Judgement
Considerations for planning tool orders and material removal sequences to keep parts stable, accurate and clean.
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Preventing Spindle Crashes with Digital Twins
With only four machine tools, high-mix shop Novo Modo needed a surefire way to prove out programs and prevent spindle crashes. But when it adopted a CAD/CAM software with digital twin simulation capabilities, it found that its benefits ran even deeper than anticipated.
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