Peter Zelinski Editorial Director
Peter Zelinski has been a writer and editor for Modern Machine Shop since 1997. His column, “The Z Axis,” appeared monthly in the magazine for 24 years and he is a co-host of MMS’s Made in the USA podcast. Pete is also an authority on the advance of 3D printing into industrial production. In 2012 he helped to launch Additive Manufacturing Media, and the much of his attention today is devoted to serving as editor-in-chief of this group. He is the co-host of an award-winning video series on additive manufacturing, The Cool Parts Show, and he has been a regular speaker at the Additive Manufacturing Conference, which is now the Formnext Forum. Pete earned his degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Cincinnati, and he first learned about machining by running and programming machine tools in a metalworking laboratory within what is now GE Aerospace.
The Importance of Modern Machine Shop
Moments of change shine a light on the priorities that have been consistent a long time, and on the worth we carry forward out of a rich past into the future.
Read MoreAdditive/Subtractive Hybrid CNC Machine Tools Continue to Make Gains (Includes Video)
The hybrid machine tool is an idea that continues to advance. Two important developments of recent years expand the possibilities for this platform.
WatchCan AI Replace Programmers? Writers Face a Similar Question
The answer is the same in both cases. Artificial intelligence performs sophisticated tasks, but falls short of delivering on the fullness of what the work entails.
Read MoreRandom Thoughts on Manufacturing, Innovation, What We Appreciate, and More
Here are several mini-columns merged into one. Take these thoughts all at once or in small doses.
Read MoreCauses Are Complex: The Case for Choosing the Right Failures to Analyze
The nuance and complexity of failure in bearings is enough to illustrate the difficulty of failure analysis in general, and how much consideration this analysis deserves.
Read MoreAutomation Plus Capabilities Beyond Machining Featured at Mazak Event
Friction stir welding is one example of a capability for emerging applications that changes the scope of the machine tool. Here are observations from Mazak’s Discover 2023 event.
Read MoreIn Moldmaking, Mantle Process Addresses Lead Time and Talent Pool
A new process delivered through what looks like a standard machining center promises to streamline machining of injection mold cores and cavities and even answer the declining availability of toolmakers.
Read MoreMachine Shops Move Beyond Metal Removal Rate as a Measure of Success
Metal removal rate is less of a defining factor for machining success than it once was. The reasons relate to changes in tools, processes, workpieces and machines.
Read More5 Big Themes in Additive Manufacturing at Formnext Forum: Austin
Formnext Forum: Austin, a two-day event at the end of August focused on additive manufacturing for production, includes a conference exploring important ideas in AM related to supply chains, bridge production, enterprise transformation and more.
Read MoreYou Are Not Spending Enough on Gaging
Is there an intuitive ratio shaping shops’ perceptions of how much gaging capacity is appropriate for their machining capacity? Much has changed; that ratio might need to be reconsidered.
Read MoreFor This Machine Shop, Licensing Is the Answer to the Inventor’s Dilemma
Machine shops are natural inventors, but not necessarily suited to supporting and marketing a product. This Minnesota shop with an invention related to micromolding will share it through licensing.
Read MoreRandom Thoughts About Reshoring and Buying American
What will be the effect of the supply chain disruptions of recent years? Here are several observations related to where companies produce and how we think about a manufactured product’s origins.
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