Mazak Event to Explore Cost Reductions
The regional event will focus on decreasing costs while increasing productivity.

Mazak’s Midwest Event Focuses on Multitasking
Mazak has been presenting a series of “Discover More With Mazak” customer events at its tech centers in select locations around the country. I attended the one in Schaumburg, Illinois (Chicago area). Here’s what I found.

Mazak Discover More Midwest Event

The Five Levels of Multitasking
When it comes to multitasking equipment, one size by no means fits all. Mazak helps shops sort it out in their Multitasking Knowledge Center here on MMS Online.

Discover More with Mazak Series Planned
The company will host a series of regional events.

Taking the Long View on Short Runs
Certain jobs require a processing strategy that strikes a balance between the needs of high-volume production and low-quantity toolroom work. Reorganizing material flows and investing in machining centers designed specifically for small lots helped this manufacturer find that middle ground.

Twin-Spindle Turning Center Increases Productivity
Mazak’s Hyper Quadrex 150MSY multitasking turning center employs a twin-turret and twin-spindle configuration to provide productivity and precision.

Multitasking Machine Optimizes Programming
The Integrex j-200 multitasking machine features Mazak’s Matrix Nexus CNC to optimize multitasking programming.

Mazak Continues Expansion of Facilities
The company has completed the second of three major expansions.

Golf Tournament Raises Funds for Machine Technology Program
The annual tournament benefits a local community college.

In It for the Long Haul
Mazak is in the midst of a significant expansion that will make its campus in Florence, Kentucky one of the largest machine tool manufacturing operations in the country. Notably, that expansion is one of many announced recently by technology suppliers.

Mazak Moves Into Expanded National Technology Center
The Technology Center marks the third expansion at the company's Florence, Kentucky campus.

HMC for Machining Inconel and Titanium
The rigid Mega-8800 HMC from Mazak is designed to efficiently machine tough materials such as Inconel and titanium.

Mazak Congratulates Brad Keselowski and Penske Racing on Championship Win
Mazak Corporation (Florence, Kentucky) a technical sponsor of Penske Racing, congratulated owner Roger Penske, driver Brad Keselowski and the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Team on a winning season and on earning Penske Racing’s first-ever Cup series title.    On November 18, Mr.

What JIMTOF Had to Show Us
We present here some of the interesting and visually appealing snapshots from JIMTOF 2012.

HMC for Heavy-Duty Machining of Tough Materials
The MEGA-8800 HMC from Mazak is designed for heavy-duty machining of tough materials such as Inconel and titanium.

Moving in with a Customer
Shop owner Chris Nachtmann has established a close relationship with one of his biggest customers. In fact, he moved his operation inside that customer’s facility a couple years ago. Now, he’s making greater strides to invest in and grow his business.

Tooling, Technical Support Boost Machining Capacity
Technology and application support from cutting tool supplier Seco Tools has played a key role in various process improvements at this manufacturer of transmission and torque converter components.

Webinar to Explore Digital Simulation Software
On November 14 at 2 p.m.

Simultaneous Five-Axis Design Efficiently Machines Multiple Workpiece Surfaces
Mazak offers its versatile Variaxis i-800 machining center with full, simultaneous five-axis capabilities.

Making the Move to Multitasking
Implementing a done-in-one approach to production has to be managed carefully. This shop seems to have made all the right moves in what has turned out to be a truly transformative experience.

Mazak Showcases Machines Designed and Built in Kentucky for Global Export
The United States is a great place to design and build world-class machine tools. That’s one of the messages Mazak Corp. hopes visitors to its Booth S-8300 will take home with them.

Mazak Showcases Machines Designed and Built in Kentucky for Global Export
The United States is a great place to design and build world-class machine tools. That’s one of the messages Mazak Corp. hopes visitors to its Booth S-8300 will take home with them.

Does This School Have the Formula for Manufacturing Education?
A high school in Wisconsin runs its manufacturing vocational program as a business. Students make parts for paying customers. The program is thriving, cash flow is strong, and local manufacturers can now hire recent graduates who already have experience in meeting customer demands.

Mazak Expands Midwest Technology Center
Learn about the machine tool builder’s expanded facility in Schaumburg, Illinois.

Mazak Expands Manufacturing Campus
Machine tool builder Mazak has announced expansions to its North American manufacturing plant, its National Technology Center and Center for Multi-Tasking and Manufacturing Excellence, and its North American Parts Center.

Multitasking VMC for Long, Complex Work
Available from Mazak, the Variaxis i-700 five-axis machine is designed for complete, single-setup machining of long workpieces and parts requiring complex, curved surfaces.

Mazak Expands Parts Center
Machine tool builder Mazak has completed an approximately $1 million expansion to its North Amercian Parts Center at its Florence, Kentucky campus.

Multitasking VMC Processes Long Workpieces in Single Setup
The Variaxis i-700 from Mazak is a simultaneous five-axis, multitasking VMC.

Mazak, Delcam Partner at Technology Exhibition
Attendees will view medical and dental machining demonstrations employing Mazak machine tools programmed with Delcam software.

Multitasking Machine Combines Versatility and Accuracy
Designed for complex, mid-sized components, the Mazak Integrex i-200ST multitasking machine features a compact design, twin spindles, a lower turret and milling spindle for done-in-one productivity.

Mazak Webinars Complement Live Events
Mazak (Florence, Kentucky) says its new series of Webinars can help customers stay abreast of technology developments during the time between live “Discover More With Mazak” events at the machine tool builder’s eight regional facilities throughout North America.

Compact Multitasking Machine Provides Large-Component Capacity
The Mazak Integrex j-400 provides multitasking capabilities for processing large and complex components.

Omax and Mazak on CNBC
A report on CNBC today about the challenge of finding skilled manufacturing employees drew on the viewpoints of machine tool suppliers Omax and Mazak.

Quick-Change Chucks Offer More than Fast Jaw Changes
For this shop, eliminating the need for reboring is the most important benefit of QJR quick-change chucks from Kitagawa-Northtech.

Mazak Northeast Event Offers Aerospace, Medical Focus
Machine tool builder Mazak (Florence, Kentucky) will host a “Discover More With Mazak” event at its Northeast Technology Center in Windsor Locks, Connecticut May 8, 9 and 10 to support the growth of aerospace and medical manufacturing in that region.

Space-Saving VMC Efficiently Machines Complex Medical Parts
The Mazak Vertical Center Nexus Compact is a space-saving, high-speed, VMC designed for small, complex medical parts.

Quick-Change Chucks Boost Turn-Mill Benefits
At this Chicago-area manufacturer, quick-change chucks from Kitagawa added to the benefits of moving from multiple setups on multiple machines to producing parts in a single setup on Mazak turn-mills.

Event Exposes Students to Manufacturing Careers
To mark the occasion of its 25th anniversary, dgs Marketing Engineers hosted a mid-November educational event that exposed 25 Indianapolis-area high school students—one for each year the manufacturing-industry communications agency has been in business—to potentially lucrative manufacturing careers.   Titled “Connect with Manufacturing,” the event took place at Shelton Machinery, a Mazak distributor in Fishers, Indiana.

Why Mazak Supports MTConnect
Mazak has taken a lead in implementing and supporting MTConnect, the standardized communication protocol for machine tools and other production equipment. An exclusive interview with Mazak President Brian Papke reveals the company’s thinking behind this stance.

An MTConnect Q&A With Brian Papke, President of Mazak
Mazak has taken strides to support MTConnect. I spoke with Brian Papke, president of Mazak, to find out why.

Snapshots from Mazak’s T3 Event
Mazak’s recent “Tomorrow’s Technology Today” event in Florence, Kentucky showcased a broad range of new machine models, as well as machining processes engineered around challenging parts.

Industry Marks Passing of Teruyuki Yamazaki
Mr.

Industry Marks Passing of Mr. Teruyuki Yamazaki
Teruyuki Yamazaki, son of Yamazaki Mazak Corp. founder, was considered an industry leader and visionary. Mr. Yamazaki passed away September 15 at the age of 82.

The Need to Know Is Basic
An MTConnect-enabled monitoring system gives this shop a clear and simple picture of machine tool usage.

Automated Production on HMCs Requires Automated Gaging
An innovative approach to automated gaging helps deal with a fundamental challenge inherent to a flexible, multi-machine environment: Many machines with many operations multiply the chances for error.

Multitasking Machine Features Boring Capabilities
The Quick Turn Nexus 450-II MY is the largest of the company’s Nexus series of turning and multitasking machines developed for the oil and gas services and construction machinery industries.

Drivers Make Mazak Pit Stop
Machine tool builder Mazak recently welcomed Penske NASCAR Sprint Cup Racing Team drivers Kurt Busch and Brad Keselowski to its Florence, Kentucky production plant.

The First One
This editor’s first article for Modern Machine Shop about machine rebuilds still has legs.

Valve Machining Video…Finally
Check out video of this interesting valve production machine.

The Real Starting Line
Die-hard NASCAR fans seem to know all there is to know about the sport. But do they know where the race actually begins?

Mazak to Host Largest-Ever “Discover” Event
Machine tool builder Mazak will host the largest event yet in its Discover series is this fall at its Florence, Kentucky campus.The two-week event, dubbed Discover Mazak—Tomorrow’s Technology Today, is scheduled for October 17 to 27.

Mazak “Re-Ups” in the Southwest
The machine tool builder, located in Houston for 30 years, has opened a new, larger Southwest Technology Center to reaffirm its commitment to that area’s machining businesses.

Going Lean in Order to Grow
This shop has a plan for dramatically expanding its contract machining business in high-value markets.

Multitasking is Multiple Choice
Different levels of multitasking machine tools address different types of parts.

Multitasking Calculator
Does it make sense to replace a series of separate machine tools with a single multitasking machine that performs turning, milling and drilling all in one cycle?

Mazak Plans Tech Center Expansion
Machine tool builder Mazak (Florence, Kentucky) says the continued upswing in business in the Midwest has spurred plans to expand its Midwest headquarters and technology center in Schaumburg, Illinois.

Mazak Ramps Up Production
Having experienced a steady increase in demand during the past nine months, machine tool builder Mazak projects the monthly output of its Florence, Kentucky plant to reach 130 machine tools per month by the close of Q2 2011.

Making Customers the Focus of Customer Events
The format and focus of Mazak’s “Discover” series of events exemplifies how supplier-customer relationships have evolved over the years.

Disaster in Japan: A Spirit of Generosity Will Prevail
Despite last week’s horrendous disaster, Japan will carry on.

How Center Rock Sees Setups
The company that made the rock drills used to free the Chilean miners last year is exploring the right level of multitask machining.

High-Volume Part Production
Designed for high-volume production of small parts, the Hyper Quadrex 200MSY includes twin opposed turning spindles that deliver 30 hp and 5,000 rpm each.

Mazak Debuts New Format For “Discover” Events
Machine tool builder Mazak says a new format for its Discover Mazak series of events incorporates several interactive and customizable options that will help guests get the most out of their visit.

HMCs, Turn/Mills Aid Diversification Strategy
This company had expanded its facility, implemented Lean practices and taken other steps to improve efficiency, but breaking into new sectors such as wind energy would require new technology. Two turn/mill machines and two HMCs from Mazak enabled the company to take on new jobs and win suppliers’ confidence for more opportunities in the future.

Mazak Event Offers Energy-Industry Focus
A “Discover Mazak” event at the machine tool builder’s Southwest Technology Center in Houston, Texas will focus on new machines, technologies and services for manufacturers serving the energy industry.

Last Glance at IMTS 2010
It would be impossible to cover all of the key exhibitors at IMTS 2010—even if every booth got merely a quick glance. However, the editors of MMS did get glimpses of some interesting technologies exhibited at the show...

Mazak Expands Online Training Class Offerings
Machine tool builder Mazak (Florence, Kentucky) has expanded the online portion of its comprehensive Progressive Learning program to include four Mazak-specific programming classes, which are offered in partnership with ToolingU.com.

Mazak Promotes—and Practices—Lean Philosophy
Like many machine tool builders, Mazak touts the flexibility and efficiency of its equipment as aids to adopting “lean” manufacturing processes. However, in this case, this isn’t just a sales pitch.

Vertical Turning Center for Heavy Duty Cutting
 The Megaturn Nexus 900 is a new generation CNC vertical turning center that is suited for heavy-duty cutting of large cast iron and steel workpieces found in the construction machinery, industrial machinery and jet engine industries. 

Vertical Turning Center for Heavy Duty Cutting
 The Megaturn Nexus 900 is a new generation CNC vertical turning center that is suited for heavy-duty cutting of large cast iron and steel workpieces found in the construction machinery, industrial machinery and jet engine industries. 

Mazak Begins Construction on Southwest Tech Center
Mazak (Florence, Kentucky) has started construction on a new facility to house its Southwest Technology Center & Regional Headquarters in Houston, Texas.

Milling and Turning with Automatic Tool Changing
The Integrex j-Series performs four-axis simultaneous machining with five-axis tool tip positioning.

The Right Fit Is In The Fixtures
Custom engineered workholding fixtures are key to the effectiveness of an unusual Automated Production System (APS) recently installed at Kurt Manufacturing. It helps that one of this company’s specialties is custom engineered workholding fixtures.

Turning Center for Large Part Turning
Mazak’s slant-turn Nexus 550M CNC turning center is designed for large parts such as oil field pipes, pipeline control valves, turbine wheels, aircraft and off-road parts.

Mazak, Kennemetal Host Aerospace Event
Kennametal (Latrobe, Pennsylvania) and Mazak (Florence, Kentucky) will showcase the latest developments in multi-tasking machine tools and cutting tools for aerospace industry manufacturers.

High-Productivity, Two-Axis Lathe
Mazak’s Quick Turn Smart series of two-axis lathes is designed for high-productivity job shop environments.

VMC For High-Speed Operations
Mazak’s Nexus VCN 700D/40-II HS VMC is designed to maximize efficiency in high speed machining operations.

Mazak To Host R3 Event
Mazak (Florence, Kentucky) has announced a two-day R3 event at its Midwest Technology Center in Schaumburg, Illinois.

More Efficient Turbine Blade Milling
Video shows a multitasking machine milling a turbine blade in a cycle that few machining centers could replicate.

Moving To Magnets Doubles Productivity
Moving from hydraulic to magnetic fixtures enabled this shop to reduce setup time, improve rigidity and eliminate manual operations. As a result, productivity doubled.

A Significant Cell
Manual loading of heavy housings was this manufacturer’s prime bottleneck. It had limited experience with automated cells, but decided to install a big one. A look at the manufacturer’s $13 million cell reveals an intriguing layout and blend of technologies.

Automatic Pallet System Helps Pick Up The Pace
Racecar drivers need high-performance components to win races, but manufacturing those components requires speed, too. An automated pallet changer helped this shop boost production not only for its auto customers, but also for customers in aerospace, medical and other industries.

Turning Center Automates With Gantry Loader
Mazak’s Hyper Quadrex200MSY features two high-performance spindles and upper and lower turrets to target balanced cutting for medium- to high-volume unattended applications.

Mazak Automates Florence Parts Center
To remain competitive, manufacturers continually strive for shorter production lead times and reduced inventory, a trend that makes efficient equipment utilization important to the bottom line.

Honing On A Horizontal Machining Center
A specially designed tooling package for honing operations, along with live, on-board gaging, allows critical honing operations to move to HMCs, thereby eliminating several separate steps on multiple dedicated machines. 

Multitasking Machine Features 150-Degree-Tilt Spindle
Mazak’s Integrex e-1060V/8 II multitasking center provides full turning and milling capabilities. The milling spindle tilts to 150 degrees for both horizontal and vertical machining operations, including angle boring and milling on multiple faces.

Mazak Event Draws More Than 1,400 Manufacturers
Machine tool builder Mazak says more than 1,400 manufacturers from North and Central America attended its “Your Manufacturing Future? Refocus, Rediscover and Reinvent” event, which recently took place at its Florence, Kentucky headquarters. Also known as “R3,” the 3-day event introduced new technology and strategies designed to help American manufacturers achieve success.

Mazak Establishes New R&D Center
Machine tool builder Mazak (Florence, Kentucky) says the establishment of its new World Research & Development center could reduce design-to-market time by three to five months for new products and units, including assembly, testing and evaluation. The center occupies 73,000 square feet of a new 167,000-square-foot facility in Oguchi, Japan.

Web Site Offers Access To Mazak Resources
Mazak (Florence, Kentucky) has launched its Virtual Technology Center (VTC), an online resource designed to bring the latest advancements in machining technology, product development, training, service and support to customers’ fingertips. The VTC features machine demonstrations, applications training, online Q&A sessions with company president Brian Papke and MazakTV, an online resource with channels for industry segment content, engineering insights and machine information.

Mazak Seminar To Help Shops Plan For Future
Machine tool builder Mazak will host “Your Manufacturing Future? Refocus, Rediscover and Reinvent” (R3), a three-day event designed to help customers evaluate their positions in the marketplace and formulate plans to improve competitiveness as the economy rebounds. Scheduled for September 15-17 at the company’s National Technology Center in Florence, Kentucky, R3 will serve as the debut for more than a dozen machine tools incorporating new technologies.

If You Want to Improve Something, Measure It
This shop involves all of its employees in the daily exercise of analyzing just where time is being spent.

See The Tool's Value Instead Of Its Cost
This company is embracing high-performance tooling on its turning centers. The "sticker shock" is no reason not to do this. In one case, though, the shop found a way to limit the cost of the tool and increase productivity at the same time.

VMC Manages Long, Heavy Workpieces
Mazak’s versatile VTC-200G VMC is designed for part production of long, heavy workpieces. The 154.

Mazak Completes Facility Expansion
Machine tool builder Mazak says it recently completed a significant expansion in size and capabilities at its manufacturing facility in Florence, Kentucky. In addition to adding 50,000 square feet of floor space to the 543,000-square-foot campus, the company has installed two Versatech V100N multiple-surface, double-column, five-axis machining centers. With a spindle head that can be configured for operation in the horizontal or vertical positions or any angle in between, these machines are said to be especially useful for large workpieces.

Multitasking Machine For Small, Complex Parts
The i-150 multitasking machining center is said to combine versatility and accuracy for manufacturing small, complex components from barstock. The machine features a front-mounted, 36-tool changer; a single, horizontal main spindle with15 hp that is capable of speeds as fast as 5,000 rpm; and a C-axis control. The 6" through-hole chuck can accommodate bars as large as 2.

Software Supports Cell-Based Production Process
Implementing advanced manufacturing cells can help a shop improve productivity, but the cells themselves may be only part of the solution. That’s the case at Wilcox Industries, which combined advanced manufacturing capabilities of automated machining with the flexibility of Mastercam CAD/CAM software to keep up with continuing growth.

Bringing It All Together
Shops that serve medical instrument and implant manufacturers face special challenges. Their customers typically want precisely machined parts plus the extras such as finishing, marking, assembly and expert handling of the regulatory paperwork. That’s why this shop is focused on providing more than just the machining.

Mazak Establishes New Department
 Mazak Corporation has established Mazak Automation Systems, a new department at its North American headquarters in Florence, Kentucky. The company says the department will offer a comprehensive range of automation solutions and enable customers to benefit from the company's experience in manufacturing and machining technologies. Systems include process and software engineering, project management, application support, customer support and customer training.

The Basics Of Producing Big Parts
This Florence, Kentucky-based machine tool builder uses its own equipment to produce machine tools. Here’s how they succeed at big-part machining on a large five-axis machining center.

HMC Designed To Accommodate High Levels Of Torque
Mazak’s HCN 8800-II HMC is built to meet the needs of high productivity for large parts production. It offers a 60-tool storage magazine and a 10,000-rpm, 50-hp integrated spindle/motor generating as much as 900-foot-pounds (1,218-Nm) of torque. Options include 8,000-rpm/50-hp and 16,000-rpm/50-hp spindles. The mac

HMC With Palletized Automation

Striving To Be Partners, Not Shops
The two divisions within this business machine complex parts for the medical and aerospace industries. So in that sense they’re shops. However, in order to grow with their customers, they realized they had to be more than just providers of good parts. They needed to serve as their customers’ manufacturing partners.

Multitasking With A Small Footprint
The Integrex i-150 shows how a multitasking machine for small precision parts can combine done-in-one process with a compact structure to reduce floor space requirements. Most multitasking machines for parts of this size use a second spindle for endworking of parts after cutoff. This machine uses a swing-away workholding device instead.

Multitasking Machine For Medium-Sized Bar Work

Flexible Automation Process Helps Shop Reduce Costs
Despite hitting production goals, this shop had trouble meeting customer cost targets. It needed further automation. After purchasing Fanuc robots to service its flexible manufacturing system (FMS), the company has reduced costs enough to pay back its investment.

Multitasking For Small, Complex Parts
According to manufacturer Mazak, the Integrex i-150 provides enhanced, “done-in-one” processing for small, accurate and complex parts. With its compact footprint, the center is suited for medical appliance manufacturers and high-precision component machining involving round, square or angular features. Also, simultaneous five-axis surfacing is possible with minimum operator intervention, the company says.

Lean Manufacturing For The Job Shop
Lean practices are not just for predictable production. Here are the common-sense ways this low-volume job shop has implemented a leaner process.

Macro Economics
Instead of NC programs that are dedicated to particular parts and machines, this plant now uses macro programs that react to geometric variations across broad part families. The plant wrote these macros itself, and the return on this investment has been dramatically greater productivity.

Multitasking Turning Center With Programmable Tailstock

Simulation Saves Cost By Balancing Workflow
Although CAM programming had been automated for many years within the Morton Grove, Illinois, facility of the John Crane Inc. (JCI) Seals Division, the shop here found a way to make the process even more efficient. It found a way to get new, complex, multi-axis turning centers into production quickly, and to maximize the productivity of these CNC machine tools in cellular manufacturing.

CAM Software As A Creativity Tool
This job shop relies on its CNC programming software to unlock the productivity of its multi-axis, multi-tasking machine tools and CNC Swiss-type machines.

Ductile-Iron Towers Provide Needed Clamping Rigidity
Holding 0.001-inch tolerances while machining and removing large amounts of material from a brass part is a challenging task when the job is run at 10,000 revolutions per minute with feed rate of 240 inches per minute.

Machining’s Role In Making Cancer "History"
A machine shop in a new cancer treatment center produces components to precisely guide proton radiation to eliminate its target—cancerous tumors.

VMC With 50-Taper Spindle

50-Taper VMC

Machine Molds/Dies-No Manual Polishing Required

Cylinder Head Porting On A Turn/Mill Machine
This complex milling operation is performed effectively on a machine that does turning.

General-Purpose HMC With Robot

Re-envisioning Automation
The Future of Machining - 2005 Add vision systems to robots, and fundamental aspects of the process deserve a second look.

Multitasking Knocks Out Unnecessary Setups For Valve Manufacturer
Cla-Val is a 65-year-old manufacturer that designs and produces valves for fire protection, water works, aviation, ground fueling, marine, industrial waste and numerous other applications. Its valve sizes range from 3/8 inch to 24 inches. Most valve components are produced from precision castings delivered from its in-house foundry.

Machining Centers Reconsidered
A stable customer relationship gave this shop the chance to fundamentally change its equipment.

Multitasking Turning Center(2)

Mold Machining On The Move
Rethinking the mold machining process leads to concepts worth considering, even for applications outside mold making.

Linear Motor Drive Translates To High Velocity

Custom Fixtures Off The Shelf
Using a new software system, custom 3D fixtures can be generated automatically. The software creates 2D fixture components that can be laser cut and assembled for a fraction of the cost and in significantly less time than other methods.

Product Line Now Includes HMCs

What’s Next For Nexus?
New models in the Mazak family expand the concept.

The Knowledge System
This company sees knowledge to be a vital production resource. Capturing and sharing information are now routine functions on the shop floor. Here are lessons the company learned.

CNC Turning Center

You Can Automate More Than You Think
This shop expedites 3D milling work by reducing its dependence on employees for all of the information-related tasks that occur before the machining center can start to cut.

Prototyping Productivity
A manufacturer of hermetic compressors proves out a new strategy based on multi-process machining.

Manufacturer Slices Cycle Time 80 Percent
Most of this company's work is machined to tight tolerances and super-high finishes. It builds, assembles, tests and then ships a complete product. The many multi-faceted parts being machined typically required several setups on different machines, often with cumbersome pallet and indexing devices.

Breaking The CAM Logjam
A manufacturer of metal stampings bridges the gap between generations of hardware and software.

New Contours Of Competition
Toronto aerospace shops improve productivity with faster five-axis machining centers.

Up To 12 Tools In One Holder
Imagine a single cutting toolholder that can be used to perform 12 distinct metalcutting operations without a tool change. That's the concept behind a new cutting tool innovation designed and built by Mazak.

Controlling The Cyber Shop
In recent years, technological trends have taken the form of multi-process machines with sophisticated monitoring and control systems. The ultimate purpose of marrying advanced hardware and software is to achieve a fully automated and more reliable manufacturing process.

Manufacturer Halves Cycle Times With Machining Center
The complex shapes of the iron castings that make up the housings for this company's flow meters require machining on multiple faces. The castings undergo various types of machining operations, from drilling to helical thread milling.

Manufacturing Cell Boosts Profits And Flexibility
One machine shop owner in old New England, not far from where Paul Revere made his famous ride, saw a tight labor market as a call to revolutionize his company.

Making Short Work Of Small Lots
Multi-tasking is a word typically associated with the consequences of ever-changing human job descriptions. For the people at Mazak Corporation, however, the word applies equally to metalworking machines.

Cutting Time
This company modified its production process to cut not just metal, but also setup time, costs and the effects of the labor crunch.

Small Shop, Mighty Machines
Multitasking machines capable of completely machining complex, milled and turned parts in a single setup are powering this Chicago-area job shop's growth.

Three Steps To Succeed As A Minority Automotive Supplier
Some shops would measure a productivity improvement in terms of the extra capacity freed up on a given machine tool. Texas Arai measures its productivity gains in terms of the number of machines it no longer needs.

Manufacturer Takes Innovative Approach To Advanced Manufacturing Processes
Thousands of contract manufacturing shops across North America that produce commodity parts such as shafts, arbors, bearing races, gear splines, and so on, have one problem in common: how to do it faster and less expensively.

Unique's Approach To Mold Making
This Canadian mold making shop, Unique Mould Makers, is aptly named. Virtually every multi-cavity injection mold set made for the manufacture of caps, closures, vials and other packaging applications is indeed unique. One might think that automation and standardization would not be of interest to such a shop. Think again!

Mazak's New CNC Talks Back And Forth
Mazatrol Fusion 640 is the name for a new machine control recently introduced by Mazak Corp. (Florence, Kentucky). The control is available on the company's full line of machine tools, including horizontal and vertical machining centers, turning centers and multi-tasking machines.

Six Keys To Success In Single Piece Production
The seventh key is that the profits often come later.

Twin Spindle Lathe Increases Throughput With Better Quality
This company was growing at a rate of 25 to 40 percent per year since 1990 and needed to find a better way to produce turned parts. Now it produces from 40,000 to 60,000 parts per week.

Consider Milling On Your Turning Center
Most shops are looking to reduce throughput time. One sensible method is to eliminate multiple part handlings and work-in-process time. Advances in machine tool capability and programmability enable more job shops and general-purpose manufacturers to take advantage of turn/mill machines. Here's a look at the state-of-the-art.

Job Shop Looks To Future With Advanced Multi-Pallet HMC
By adding an advanced multi-pallet HMC to their equipment, this company now has the ability to pursue work that it would never have been able to bid on before because of the machine's unmanned manufacturing capabilities and high productivity.

Turning Three Days Of Work Into Three Hours Of Work
Read how the Arbor Department of this major manufacturer greatly reduced set-up time to deal with increased capacity.

Dispelling Small Machine Shop Myths
Many job shops start in a garage with a used mill and a manual lathe. The owners of this Utah job shop took a different tack. Along the way to a very successful business, they've debunked a bunch of myths commonly held about job shops.

Work Shifts Off-Center...And Onto A Lathe
The addition of a specialty chuck can give a wide range of new capabilities to a CNC lathe. It may even make a lathe more efficient than a machining center for many complex jobs.

Flexibility Doesn't Have To Be A Stretch
This company complements automatic machines with a versatile CNC turning center. The strategy provides many of the advantages of a fully flexible process.

High Automation for Low Volume
Many people think flexible machining cells are for high production, but this shop finds just the opposite. Here's how they've grown their cell to meet the needs of their work.

Mazak Opens National Technology Center
Mazak Opens National Technology Center

Company Saves On CNC Milling With Switch To Modular Tooling
One machine shop owner in old New England, not far from where Paul Revere made his famous ride, saw a tight labor market as a call to revolutionize his company.

Thread Rolling Heads Keeps The Wheels Of Racing Turning
During an auto race, where fractions of a second mean the difference between winning and losing, nobody wants to stop and examine the thread quality of a wheel stud. Yet wheel stud threads are extremely important, especially when you consider that the driver's safety and millions of dollars are at stake.

A Highly Evolved Fab Shop
In today's manufacturing environment, it's survival of the fittest. This fab shop found that an automated fabricating cell was a natural selection. Continuing this process of evolution, a new species of job shop may emerge.

Setting Up For Single Setups
This California shop doesn't just consolidate operations, it consolidates machines--using a lathe that doubles as a cutoff saw and machining center.

Five-Axis Machining -- Simply More Productive
Many shops associate five-axis machining with complexity. While the five-axis process can and does produce some amazingly complex workpieces, there are real advantages in applying it to less severe geometries. Here's how one midwestern job shop is using a two-machine, five-axis manufacturing cell to simplify part production.

On A CNC Turning Center, One Answer Might Be 'Y'
A fourth axis, in this case a 'Y' axis, is said to come close to transforming this machining center into an almost universal metalcutting machine tool.

• Valve Production Machine with 20-inch Turning Capability

  Mazak offers its Orbitec 20 for manufacturers of valves and similar large components.

• Video: Three-Machine Lean Cell At Richards Industries

  VIDEO. For this valve maker, a part that might have been machined in one setup on a multitasking machine tool is instead machined with greater throughput using a series of simpler machines. Company personnel explain.

• Video: Basics of Thin Wall Machining

  To mill thin walls in aluminum using fast light cuts, machine on alternating sides of the wall all the way down, jumping the wall with each new pass.

• Hole Making: Combination Tools

  This video demonstrates hole making. Hole making often involves sequential operations such as drill-then-tap. Combination tools that perform these operations simultaneously can eliminate tool changes, saving cycle time. Many combination tools call for helical interpolation. The video shows the same series of hole