No doubt, there are good shops out there that don’t have a Web site, let alone a nice one. Chances are there are “questionable” shops that do have good sites. The Internet has become such a powerful marketing tool, that I think shops sans a site should, at the very least, consider what they might be missing. The cost to develop and maintain a Web site may be overshadowed by the revenue it generates by attracting new business, especially as we venture further through the Internet Age.
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Your Thoughts
Web Gems
How valuable is your shop’s Web site? Have you put serious thought into its content, and has it generated new business for you? Or, do you feel a Web site isn’t a necessary marketing tool for your shop right now?
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 Derek Korn (dkorn@mmsonline.com).
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Cool machining techniques generated this cool aluminum jacket.
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Inbox Insights
Full Metal Jacket
The Fonz’s cool, black leather jacket’s got nothing on this bad boy.
This slick aluminum jacket was machined by Kawanami Iron Works Inc., based in Kyoto, Japan. It won the gold prize in the die/mold machining category of Mori Seiki’s 2007 Cutting Dream Contest.
The engineers at Kawanami Iron Works used WorkNC CAD/CAM software from Sescoi to generate the tool paths. Working from a 3D CAD model, the engineers imported the jacket design into WorkNC. According to the company, the model was made entirely of free-form surfaces. It said the most difficult task was planning the sequence of operations and datum positioning.
The goal was to machine the aluminum jacket so that it had the look and feel of the real thing. Looks like they achieved that goal. The shop says it used WorkNC’s machining-between-two-curves strategy because it offered a way to express the softness of fabric in a non-ferrous metal. Other WorkNC finishing tool paths were used to create some of the fine details and to access confined areas while avoiding tool/workpiece collision.
From the Forums
Advice from Metalworkers
The forums on MMSOnline allow those in the metalworking community (i.e. you) to lurk, leave replies or launch new threads in any of 16 technology-focused forums.
This thread nestled in our Shop Management forum is interesting because the advice that responders offered to a struggling shop reverberate underlying themes found in many of the articles published in MODERN MACHINE SHOP. For example:
-“Look around for the work that no one wants to do and become good at it.”
-“You can only wring so much out of the actual machining operation, but where the cost savings really kick in is changing from one job to another."
-“You need to understand what you are good at now and what you want to be good at, and then knock on some doors. Have a good [marketing] package that clearly illustrates your capabilities.”
-“Stay up with technology, and keep your employees trained.”
-“Specialize in something.”
Consider adding your 2 cents to this or any of our other forum threads. Consider posing your own questions, too.
Metalworking Mojo
Need a Diversion?
Tired of staring at CAD images, spreadsheets or POs? Then, take a break and visit the Creative Diversions portion of Bosch Rexroth’s Web site.
Realizing that even engineers appreciate humor, the company created this Internet getaway that celebrates the fun side of engineering and office cultures. You might get a chuckle reading the Top Ten Reasons NOT To Date An Engineer and You Know You’re An Engineer If…
The site has been expanded to include music, videos and even signage related to all types of workplace humor. Its Webmaster receives numerous submissions from visitors with new “diversions” every day. Feel free to submit ideas for the Funniest Computer Viruses or the Funniest English Translation.
Take a few minutes and click through the site. We all need to take a break from time to time.
New on MMS Online
Advances in Weldless Molding 
Sponsored by Makino, this InMotion presentation demonstrates the techniques involved in weldless/seamless molding. The goal of weldless molding is to eliminate unsightly weld lines, thereby improving the appearance of high-value, plastic-molded parts. The presentation details new technologies and concepts developed by an alliance of manufacturers involved in different aspects of the plastics molding process.
View this presentation
OUR NEXT ISSUE
HSM @ Low Speeds, Shopfloor Metrology, Paperless Manufacturing, WESTEC 
Our March cover story describes a shop that believes HSM principles make sense even at 4,000 rpm. A shop co-owner tells why HSM has No Need For Speed. We also profile Hartzell Propeller’s application of shopfloor CMMs and on-machine probes to enable process control at the cell level. Another story tells how shops can benefit from the emerging STEP AP224 data-communications standard, which promotes a truly paperless manufacturing environment.
The March issue also has a hefty WESTEC show product-preview section—more than 90 products—so don’t miss it.
Be sure to subscribe or renew your subscription at www.mmsonline.com/subscribe.
