How to Manage Cutting Tool Inventory in a Small Job Shop — The One-Person Shop #4
Working in short lead times means maintaining a large range of tools to be ready. What is the right way to stock and organize this investment?
WatchUse CAM Templates to Automate Programming — The One-Person Shop #3
Capture knowledge and speed programming time by equipping the software to generate some of the routines that are used routinely.
WatchProbing for Setup and Lights-Out Machining — The One-Person Shop Episode #2
Automatic measurement on the machine tool speeds efficiency by day and safeguards capacity at night for a small machine shop.
WatchGuarding Against Cyberattack Is a Drain on Machining Capacity
The Colonial Pipeline shutdown was a warning about the dangers of malicious use of data networks. However, as the full value of Industry 4.0 becomes apparent, isolating CNC machine tools from networks will be seen as an increasingly costly way to protect manufacturing from threats.
Read MoreHow to Turn Machine Shop Downtime Into Process Expertise
To take advantage of a lull in business, JR Machine devised a week-long cutting tool event that elevated the shop’s capabilities with aerospace alloys.
Read MoreVacuum Workholding for Thin Parts: First Episode of The One-Person Shop
A new video series looks at technology and practices for thriving as a very small machining business. In this episode, how workholding using air pressure permits rapid setup of parts too delicate to be held in a vise.
WatchChallenges Reveal Value and Vulnerability of Small Machine Shops
Small business ownership is conducive to the kind of oversight and commitment that serves machining well, but small business also relies on the support and commitment of enterprises around them.
Read MoreCeramic End Mill Achieves Long Life and High MRR at Standard Machining Center Speeds
Material advances have produced a ceramic end mill that performs well at lower cutting speeds and competes with carbide in a broad range of applications. Your shop might begin using ceramic tools.
Read MoreMade in the USA – Season 1 Episode 6: The Way Forward
So far, Made in the USA has looked into system-wide effects of broken supply chains, automation, skilled workforce issues and our perception of manufacturing jobs — examining each topic through a prism of individual experiences. For this final episode for Season 1, let’s look at one more system-wide question and bring it back to personal perspectives: Is there today a new dawn, a new moment for American manufacturing?
ListenIn the Supply Chain, Flexibility Equals Strength
Machining job shops offer lessons in supply chain resiliency. Also, goodbye and best wishes to a longtime teammate making a change.
Read More5 Reasons Why Machine Shop Ownership Is Changing
Mergers, acquisitions and other ownership changes are an effect of Boomer-age shop owners retiring, but only in part. Also important: The way we think about machining has changed.
Read MoreFor AM and Machining to Work Together, Let Them Compete
A medical device maker establishes a center of excellence for product and process development in which additive manufacturing and CNC machining both challenge and complement one another.
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