Basics

Basics 17 Nov 2025

Roughing First: New Strategies for Blisk Machining

Aerospace shops looking to cut cycle time and tool wear on integrally bladed rotors often focus on finishing. But rethinking the roughing stage can increase how much material can be safely removed while accelerating throughput.

Basics 10 Oct 2025

Key Concepts of Machine Learning in Manufacturing

Machine learning enables the prediction of process outcomes without explicitly being programmed.

Basics 26 Sep 2025

Finding the Right Balance Between Productivity and Stability

Shop upgrades can swamp a process with change and widen the potential for chaos. To maintain stability, put a frame around your processes so your shop can keep solid wins without living on edge.

Basics 23 Jul 2025

Preserve the Craft of Manufacturing as Technology Advances

As the industry continues to move toward a digital future, be sure to reinforce the core fundamentals right alongside it.

Basics 11 Jun 2025

Understanding Process Damping in Milling Operations

Despite the advances in modeling machining operations over the past decades, process damping remains a topic of interest, including new tool designs that increase the effect.

Data-Driven Manufacturing 8 May 2025

Get with the Program(ming): 10 Articles to Help You Transform Your Data

Collecting data but not sure how to use it? You’re not alone. See how smart shops are turning raw machine data into real results—better decisions, smoother operations, and measurable ROI.

Basics 2 May 2025

Chatter and Feed Rate Scheduling

Optimizing feed rate can boost cycle times, but not if chatter gets in the way. This article explores how feed rate scheduling software interacts with tool vibration, and why ignoring chatter could undermine your gains. Learn how to balance productivity and stability with the right programming approach.

Top Shops 22 Apr 2025

Machine Shop MBA

Making Chips and Modern Machine Shop are teaming up for a new podcast series called Machine Shop MBA—designed to help manufacturers measure their success against the industry’s best. Through the lens of the Top Shops benchmarking program, the series explores the KPIs that set high-performing shops apart, from machine utilization and first-pass yield to employee engagement and revenue per employee.