For an upcoming article, I recently visited Protofab in Petaluma, California. I wanted to learn how this small job shop got into micro-machining medical implants.
It turns out the shop didn’t win this work because it had the right equipment or because it was knowledgeable about machining tiny parts. The equipment and the knowledge both came later. Instead, this shop got the work because it was willing to make prototypes—and it was willing to make these short-run parts quickly and economically while the customer went through iteration after iteration to refine its design. Once the development work was done and Protofab got the production work, the shop just needed a new CNC Swiss-type machine to be delivered in order to run all of these parts.
Read More.
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Metalworking Mojo
The Teacher Is In
Ryan Pohl left the machine shop to learn to be a teacher. Then, he left a school job to return to the shop. Specifically, he returned to Commercial Tool & Die, where he is now part of the shop’s strategy for meeting its own need for skilled employees. The shop raises the skills of employees through an in-house curriculum that Mr. Pohl has developed.
We profiled CTD and Mr. Pohl in our April issue. Because developing employees internally is a challenge so many shops are facing, we asked Mr. Pohl to serve as one of our online experts. Ask him about your training-related challenges.
Business Outlook
Anecdotal Economics
The news media are increasingly using the “r” word—recession. However, anecdotal conversations with shop owners and plant managers don’t reveal a drop in activity. Recently, a tooling supplier observed the same thing. His customers get price-sensitive when a business decline is expected, he says, and he hasn’t seen this sensitivity set in yet.
Perhaps the reason is that many of the active markets for machined parts—aircraft, medical devices, oilfield equipment—promise to remain active whether or not there is a slowdown in the general economy.
Do you agree? See “Your Thoughts” below. Also, to find hard numbers about metalworking business conditions, be sure to regularly check the Metalworking Business Index.
Your Thoughts
How's Business?
Here is a simple but important question: How is business in your shop? If it has increased or decreased, what do you see as the reason for the change? What forces are driving how much work your shop is seeing?
Please e-mail your thoughts to pzelinski@mmsonline.com. If we publish your response, you will receive your choice of one free book from the metalworking section of the Hanser Gardner bookstore.
New On MMS Online
Turning Around?
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This isn’t milling—this is turning with a tool that spins as it cuts. See the video. |
Mori Seiki and Kennametal jointly developed a spinning turning tool designed to distribute heat and wear more effectively than the traditional single-point lathe cutter. CAM developer DP Technology recently performed a successful series of test cuts with the new tool. You can watch a video of this tool machining here.
Visit the MMS Online Turning Zone
New On MMS Online
Automated 5-Axis Machining inMotion
5-axis machining has been a hot topic lately. Automation and 5-axis machining continue to gain popularity. This seminar presented by Makino illustrates how to combine both technologies to achieve high productivity while providing high flexibility and ease of use.
View this presentation
Shop Solutions
Tube Fixtures and Other Cool Ideas
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The mating halves of the fixture clamp the tube by sandwiching it.
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Protofab, the shop mentioned above, uses this fixture for machining holes in a curved tube that would otherwise be difficult to clamp. As the photo shows, a gully conforms to the size and curve of the tube, and a stop locates the position of the tube precisely. An opening in the fixture (at the bottom edge in this photo) provides clearance for the drilling work.
To find other examples of simple, clever innovations that shops have put into practice, visit:
http://www.mmsonline.com/columns/0408one.html
http://www.mmsonline.com/articles/020204.html
Be There
MoldMaking Expo 2008
Moldmaking Expo 08, April 23-24 in Novi, Michigan, includes 25,000 square feet of exhibits focused on mold makers. A conference program includes speakers addressing moldmaking business conditions and business strategies, as well as strategies for high-performance machining. A new half-day workshop called “New Technologies In Mold Manufacturing” will include process presentations and live machining demos at the Makino Tech Center in Auburn Hills.
MMS extra subscribers recieve a complimentary exhibit hall pass or 10% discount on conference registration by registering online using the special discount code "VIP."
OUR NEXT ISSUE
Does Your Lathe Really Need to Turn?
The May issue’s cover story, “Turning Is Optional,” describes a part that would have been assigned to a machining center, except the shop discovered the part could be made more effectively on a lathe. The part involves no turning at all—except for the cutoff tool. All of the other tool positions use rotary tools. The application shows just how far a shop can go with an effective turn-mill machine.
Other articles in this issue cover magnetic workholding and measuring toolholder taper. The article also includes a report on the recent BIEMH machine tool show in Spain and the SIMODEC show in France.
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