CNC Machine Shop Reaps Benefits of Hiring an IT Person
A database guru combined off-the-shelf technology with an elaborate proprietary shop management software to drive efficiency throughout all areas of a machine shop.

Manufacturing Association Aids Shop’s Pivot to Ventilator Parts
After reaching out to the Austin Regional Manufacturers Association, a shop that typically serves oil and gas and heavy industry was able to quickly fill an order for ventilator parts.

Sometimes the Trickiest Part of CNC Machining Is Holding the Part
Finding a way to fixture contoured marine propellers proved to be this shop’s biggest challenge in developing an effective automated machining cell.

Okuma's Genos M660-V VMC Handles Large Workpieces in Small Footprint
Okuma’s Genos M660-V vertical machining center combines a large work table, a compact machine footprint and a CAT 40 Big-Plus spindle for machining large, complex parts.

Taking an Automated Aerospace Approach
A flexible manufacturing system helps an Indiana job shop run a high mix of aerospace work for long stretches of time and function more like a contract shop.

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.