Metalworking News of Note: November 2019
Orderfox.com adds an RFQ service for its users, Sandvik Coromant begins construction on new tech center in North Carolina, and other news from the metalworking industry. 

What Can 5-Axis Machining Do for Your Shop?
If you haven’t looked at 5-axis machining lately, a lot has changed. Advancements in 5-axis machines, controls and software have made this technology so affordable and easy to use that it can benefit almost any shop.

Fabricator's Toolroom Becomes Captive CNC Machine Shop
Toolroom problem-solving yields high-production profit when a sheet metal fabricating business accepts a difficult machining contract.

Okuma Announces New Standard Warranties on Machines, Controls
The standard warranty now includes coverage for all Okuma core and high-tech products as well as OSP and FANUC controls.

Your Competitors Can Do What You Do
With the barrier to entry for machine shops so low, competitive advantage is not necessarily tied to the ability to machine parts. Increasingly, it is a shop’s ability to document and streamline digital processes that sets it apart from competition.

Is Robotic Automation the Key to Drawing (and Keeping) New Employees?
Robotic automation is transforming a job that was perhaps a machine operator’s least-favorite work assignment into one that is not a heavy lift.  

Horizontal Machining Plus Automation Prove to Be a Rewarding Investment
After watching a machinist take four hours to set up a part on a VMC, Dan Olsen of Mach Machine knew he had a problem. The solution seemed clear: horizontal machining. The automation system wasn’t expected; but the novelty was well worth it before long. 

5 CNC Apps Simplify Machine Shop Routines
Whether purchased online or made to order, custom control functions help a contract machining startup save time and avoid mistakes.

Boring Head Enables Sculpture Hardware to Be Machined on a Lathe
When small job shop Ansonia Manufacturing took on a tricky hardware component job for a “live” glass art sculpture, it realized a boring head would be needed to machine the part complete on its live-tool lathe.

Three Expectations for Robotic Automation
Shops take some modern robot capabilities as given, but a recent trade show in Japan demonstrated ways those capabilities continue to improve.

The Unattended Effects of CNC Machine Shop Automation
Automated machining and data collection have helped Custom Tool to not only grow its business through more lights-out production, but also to establish a continuous-improvement mindset that has enabled it to become more efficient in numerous areas.

New Okuma Hybrid Brings New Possibilities in Additive, Five-Axis and New Materials
The machine stands as an example of process automation within a booth showing other automation examples such as adjacent machine tools performing trunnion-to-trunnion handoff.

Shop Works to get the Most Out of Its Five-Axis Capabilities
Vertical machining centers with rotary tables helped this Indiana job shop set itself apart, but specific machine features and additional equipment have helped it use them more efficiently to grow its business.

Top Shops Winners Talk Technology, Tactics
Successful machining businesses implement effective processes and strategies both on the shop floor and in the front office. Recent chats with representatives from this year’s award-winning Top Shops shed light on some approaches they have leveraged to their advantage.

Open Mind Joins Partners in THINC
Okuma and Open Mind have collaborated on four- and five-axis projects for various Okuma machines.

MU-S600V Connects Machines and Enables Built-In Robotics
From the IMTS Technology e-Newsletter (Sponsored)

Machining Center Combines 5 Axis Milling with Laser AM
IMTS 2018: Okuma America Corp.’s MU-8000V Laser EX multitasking machine combines five-axis machining with a Trumpf laser.

NTMA Members Spotlight Shop Additions
While traveling with some members of the National Tooling and Machining Association, a few highlighted recent improvement efforts from which their operations have benefited a good deal.