This “information automation” is critical to the efficiency of any production floor. Every operator needs to know precisely what he or she should do next in order to be of the most value to the overall process. Full Story
Your Thoughts
Go With the Flow
Have you struggled with streamlining information flow in your shop? What unusual disciplines have you put in place, or what new procedures have you come up with, that make it simpler and easier to get clear and correct instructions to operators as they are needed?
If we publish your response, you’ll receive your choice of one free book from the metalworking section of the Hanser Gardner bookstore.
To respond, send your e-mail to Pete Zelinski (pzelinski@mmsonline.com).
Inbox Insights
The Cost of Quality
In response to a
recent column on the distinction between price and cost in mold manufacturing, reader Tom Schmitt of Schmitt Design shared these thoughts:
“The kind of person who does well as a mold or die maker tends to be a perfectionist—it is almost a necessity. We all like to make a mold or die that works well, that we know will last a long time and that looks nice. Unfortunately, this last area is where many shops and projects lose profitability.
“‘Nice’ to a tool maker means something a lot different than nice to a customer concerned with the bottom line. The customer does not necessarily care about all surfaces, such as the inside of the part. This is where a common cost problem arises. To a mold maker, it is very hard to look at a cavity all nicely finished or polished and then look at the other core half and leave it in a rough-milled state, yet this is exactly what many lower-price competitors do.
“Mold makers sometimes need to do a better job learning the minimum requirements of the customer.” However, in other cases, he says, “the issue lies with molding houses who overspecify requirements for molds.”
New on MMS Online
Get in the Zone
So it’s not really new at
our Web site, but our sister publication,
Production Machining magazine, has been reorganized to better serve the high-volume precision machining industry. Zone categorization now associates content to related content on a much finer and intelligent basis. An intuitive interface allows visitors to easily drill down to the specific information they need.
Visit the new site at www.productionmachining.com and let us know what you think at mms_extra@mmsonline.com.
OUR NEXT ISSUE
EDM & CAD/CAM 
The February cover story on G&G Precision describes a shop using low-cost automation for unattended machining of high-value parts. An indexer on a low-cost VMC (shown to the right) is used to machine spinal-plate implants into the night.
Another article explains why an EDM shop acquired a submerged cutting wire machine that lets it handle larger, taller workpieces than just about any other job shop in the country. The machine’s work tank measures 81 inches by 72 inches, holds 845 gallons of deionized water and handles workpieces weighing as much as 8,800 pounds.
For more information on EDM, visit the MMS Online EDM Zone
In addition, the issue will detail a new CAM capability that allows turn-mill machines to completely turn a part in one setup using one cutting tool.
For more information on CAD/CAM Software, visit the MMS Online CAD/CAM Zone.
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