This shop owner realizes that the investment doesn’t stop at the machine when developing an efficient five-axis process.
High-end, complex parts and staffing the machines that make them are perennial bugbears for job shops. In this recap of DN Solutions’ 2026 Manufacturing Without Limits event, see the technology and software the OEM showcased to meet both these needs.
This compact machine could be valuable for education and training purposes as well as low-volume production work that shops might not want to run on their traditional Swiss-types.
Making parts for a new industry can be profitable but requires a clear plan to smooth the process. Learn from three shops that have thrived since choosing to target additional markets.
Machine repair threatens to become a lost art. Methods Machine Tools is fighting this entropy with its new Center of Excellence, which is set to provide training on both top-of-the-line and legacy machine tools.
Staking out a niche can help your job shop win repeat business and steady revenue. Discover how several successful job shops have claimed theirs.
Lang’s new Wisconsin facility, which will become the first U.S. manufacturing site for the company, showcases larger modular workholding products and more compact automation.
Because tool costs can be significant, selecting a process plan that limits tool wear to an acceptable, predictable level is important for machining. Consider these metalcutting wear mechanisms to get the most out of your tooling.
Advanced tooling and tool path strategies can do just as much as a new machine tool to cut cycle times and improve tool life. Learn from tooling specialists about recent optimizations, as well as the tool paths and advanced CAM features they see improving job shops’ productivity.
High-performance tooling can make deep cuts in your cycle times, but requires the right preparations to make full use of it. Sandvik’s Chris Monroe walks us through some of the considerations for making the best use of today’s advanced tooling.
How one shop standardized repeatable setups without a toolroom by using operation-level tool lists, location discipline and a pragmatic ERP workflow.
Struggling with blind holes in thin materials? Use these drill point strategies, tap selections and clearance tips to maximize usable thread depth and meet pull-out specs without redesigning the part.
A shop can have the right machines, people and capacity — and still lose the job. The reason may be quoting speed. This AI tool is built to close that gap.
At the 2026 Zoller Technology Days and Smart Manufacturing Summit, the company highlighted its Smart Manufacturing solutions, including tool management and data handling systems.
Feature-based programming automation, advanced tool support and high-precision tool paths all share one goal: Improve the programmer’s ability to get things done. Learn more about the cutting edge of programming your cutting edge.
Coastal Machine and Supply has made great strides into defense and space work, but needed machine monitoring to keep its momentum. It may be in the early days of implementation, but utilization has already soared.
A lot of what makes modern machining difficult isn’t whether a dimension falls within tolerance; it’s whether the shape actually works once the part is in service. That’s where contour measuring instruments comes into play.
Use tap testing to generate stability maps and maximize productivity with chatter-free machining parameters.
George Schuetz has written the Quality Gaging Tips column since 1993. As he hands it off to the next generation, hear his thoughts on the column and what it has brought to his role at Mahr.
Breaking down white-light interferometry, an extreme-precision, noncontact method for measuring the most demanding surface profiles.
Acutec Precision Aerospace paired a shopfloor CMM with a robotic mill-turn cell to unlock unattended throughput without compromising a micron of quality.
Advancements in digital three-point micrometers enable more precise bore measurements with a self-aligning design, interchangeable heads and wireless data collection.
Better software, robots and AI raise the payoff for machine shops that have stable processes. But do they raise the cost for everyone else?
The “Made in China 2025” plan transformed China into a global automation supplier. What will the U.S. do to compete?
Modern Machine Shop was early to cover CNC when others weren’t. Now, as AI pushes into programming, optimization and robotics, we need to separate production-ready tools from overpromised tech.
TASC is a one-of-a-kind, two-day automation conference designed to drive efficiency, quality and scalability at U.S. job shops. Register now through July 11 to receive early-bird pricing and discover practical automation solutions tailored for small-and mid-sized shops.
The Automated Shop Conference (TASC, August 12–13) is designed for job shop leaders looking to implement automation in practical, high-impact ways — from lights-out machining to AI-driven programming and front-office integration. Here are 10 standout sessions led by shop owners, engineers and innovators who are pushing automation forward without massive budgets or unrealistic expectations.
TASC 2025 takes place in Indianapolis this August. Attendees will be able to learn automation strategies from their peers: All information—no bluster.
New U.S.-based event announced in 2021 finally debuts next year: focuses on complete additive manufacturing value chain. More at formnextchicago.com.
Chiron Group combines the best of both worlds at IMTS 2024, featuring live demonstrations of their Micro5 and Mill 2000 machines, alongside a cutting-edge virtual showroom. This innovative approach allows visitors to explore Chiron’s full product lineup without the logistical challenges of transporting large equipment.
Half of the 16 machines in the company’s booth are world or North American debuts.
Learn more about the variety of technology and machinery Hwacheon Machinery America, Inc. is featuring at its IMTS 2024 booth.
FANUC’s IMTS 2024 booth includes real-time demonstrations that show the abilities of its equipment, including robots, controllers and machine tools.
AI has the potential to reshape manufacturing software — but first, it will require data.
A test cut — justified by specific risk, designed on a clean canvas and used to confirm rather than analyze — can expose if uncommon machining traits fit your needs.
From inventory and cycle-time margins to inspection and data flow, how improved process control is changing what buffers have to carry and what happens when they’re removed too soon.
Volume machining teaches you on a delay. Some lessons are available on part one, some take a shift and some won’t show up for weeks. The timeline matters. Here’s how to read it from the first part to the last.
Lights-out manufacturing boosts throughput while ensuring machinists take on only the tasks that matter. Acutec Precision Aerospace knows this—and uses it as the foundation for an innovative, successful shop.
Addman Advanced Metals has scaled from a single 3D printer to 25 while also building out a robust array of subtractive machines. In this video, find out how the shop manages its additive and subtractive workflows — and how it combines the two into a profitable niche.
Nine machines, two machinists. What technologies have enabled Midway Swiss Turn to operate at this level of lean staffing? Find out in this shop tour.
Part programming can become a bottleneck, one that only gets longer as part complexity increases. MSP has cut down this bottleneck through AI-powered CAM software. Get the details inside.
How can a facility that requires manual work for some long-standing parts be made more efficient? Join us as we look inside The L. S. Starrett Company’s headquarters in Athol, Massachusetts, and see how this long-established OEM is updating its processes.
Grants. Software. Process consolidation. These three pillars can bring new life to a shop, enabling it to take on more complex jobs with faster turnarounds. In this shop tour, find out how MSP Manufacturing has used each pillar to solidify itself as a reliable partner for defense and aerospace companies.
In this episode of Made in the USA, several executives and senior staff at Hardinge give their first-person account of how they formulated the plan to shift the manufacturing of its milling and turning product lines from its Taiwan plant to its plant in Elmira, New York, the major challenges they encountered and the rewards that made it worth the effort.
The L.S. Starrett Co. has been manufacturing precision measurement tools in Athol, Massachusetts, since 1880. Attention to U.S. manufacturing often focuses on reshoring manufacturing from other countries, but Starrett never left. The facility in Athol employs hundreds and produces thousands of tools that remain vital for measurement in machining and other fields.
The latest episode “Made in the USA” podcast explores a company that uses collaborative robots, one of the key tools helping US machine shops and other manufacturers compete with lower cost countries by automating production.
When Puneet and Neelam Neotia moved from India to the United States several years ago, they brought with them a family background in manufacturing and CNC machining. Now the couple is working to get their startup machine shop off the ground, sourcing new customers and getting the word out about their shop in Clarksville, Indiana. The couple — proud to publicize their "Made in the USA" parts — is leveraging family connections and manufacturing capabilities back in India, but not in the way that some people assume.
Entrepreneur Scott Colosimo found early success in China producing parts for his Cleveland-based motorcycle company in the mid-2000s. This is the story of how IP theft issues overwhelmed the business, prompting Colosimo and his team to start over from scratch — and move production back to the United States.
So far, Made in the USA has looked into system-wide effects of broken supply chains, automation, skilled workforce issues and our perception of manufacturing jobs — examining each topic through a prism of individual experiences. For this final episode for Season 1, let’s look at one more system-wide question and bring it back to personal perspectives: Is there today a new dawn, a new moment for American manufacturing?
The annual data-driven benchmarking and business improvement event now includes CNC machining and industrial finishing.
Modern Machine Shop is proud to announce the 2026 Top Shops Benchmarking Survey, opening February 1 through April 10, 2026.
What sets a Top Shop apart from other shops? Industry leaders explored this question at the 2025 Top Shops Conference and found a common answer: proactive, intentional purchases and systems planning.
Learn how veteran-owned shop Win-Tech not only excels in aerospace and defense manufacturing with CMMC level two compliance, but also transforms lives by hiring veterans and encouraging students to explore manufacturing.
Discrete parts manufacturing is defined by complexity and tight margins. The 2025 Top Shops honorees show how leading shops turn those pressures into strengths, using technology, culture and strategy to compete. Join them in Charlotte, North Carolina, this November to see what the top 20% are doing differently.
Thousands of people visit our Supplier Guide every day to source equipment and materials. Get in front of them with a free company profile.
FANUC America Corp.’s CRX-3iA lightweight cobot offers a portable way to automate jobs such as welding, part handling, small assembly, screw driving, tool positioning and inspection.
Tormach’s Automatic Collet Closer for its 8L Lathe provides faster part changes, more consistent clamping and improved workflow efficiency for machinists producing small, precision components.
Nikon Corp.’s APDIS MV5X Laser Radar provides up to six times faster scanning than previous models and a lightweight form for enhanced manufacturing quality control.
Mastrex’s MX300 laser powder bed fusion metal 3D printer is compatible with titanium, stainless steel, aluminum, cobalt-chrome, Inconel and more, designed for aerospace, defense and medical applications.
Trumpf's TruLaser Tube 7000 delivers 9 kW of laser power, expanded tube size capacity and intelligent quality features to boost throughput and cut costs per part.
Wilton expands its Apprentice vise line to include six models suitable for small shop owners, automotive mechanics and MRO technicians.
In the 2026 job shop, the traditional metric of tool life is no longer sufficient to maintain a competitive advantage. As material costs rise and skilled labor remains at a premium, profitability increasingly depends on a holistic approach to grooving operations.This technical webinar examines how forward-thinking job shops are reducing costs per part by shifting focus from insert longevity to total process optimization. The first half addresses the foundational pillars of productivity. While many shops concentrate on insert savings, enhancing process stability and aggressive parameter management yields greater returns on the bottom line. Attendees will explore how increasing cutting speeds and feed rates — supported by next-generation chip control and high-pressure coolant delivery — reduces the impact of machinery, labor and overhead costs. By shortening cycle times and ensuring first-part-correct stability, shops can reclaim machine capacity and lower the total cost burden per component.The second half focuses on the unique challenges of the job shop environment. Unlike high-volume production settings, job shops must efficiently handle small batch sizes and frequent changeovers. The webinar will address strategic solutions for the limited-station dilemma, including how modular tooling and multi-functional grooving geometries can reduce the number of tools required in the turret. Attendees will leave with practical strategies for cutting cycle time, simplifying operations and improving profitability.AgendaReduced setup times: Utilizing quick-change systems that ensure center-height accuracy without trial cutsOperational consistency: Implementing predictable wear patterns that allow for repeatable, unattended machining, even on uncommon parts or difficult alloysInventory lean-out: Consolidating tool libraries to reduce the administrative and financial burden of excess stock
As CAM complexity grows, small workflow inefficiencies add up across the shop. This webinar walks through the key updates in Mastercam 2027, covering practical changes to Deburr toolpath automation, Multiaxis gouge avoidance, Unified toolpath behavior, Pocketing entry strategies and MillTurn synchronization—along with expanded global language support.AgendaOverview of key workflow improvements in Mastercam 2027 Deep dive into Multiaxis and MillTurn updates for complex part setups Review of new Pocketing and Unified strategies and their impact on cycle time
Discover how AI-powered CAM is transforming manufacturing with unmatched speed, automation and security — without the need for the cloud. See how HCL CAMWorks delivers faster programming, smarter toolpaths and complete control of your data in a fully on-premise environment.Join us to see how AI-powered CAM is redefining performance, security and flexibility in modern manufacturing, enabling your shop to stay competitive, reduce errors and bring high-precision parts to market faster than ever before. AgendaAccelerate programming with AI-powered automationAchieve lightning-fast toolpath generation and reduced cycle timesCapture your best practices to automate the programming processMaintain full data security with no cloud dependencyDrive faster ROI with more efficient workflowsProgram a wide range of machines with confidence, including complex mill-turn and Swiss turn environments
Your shop floor generates data every second. For most manufacturers, that data never becomes a decision.Tool changes get missed. Schedules drift. Supervisors spend the first hour of every shift reconstructing the last one. The gap between what your machines know and what your team can act on is the execution gap, and it is costing shops in downtime, missed deliveries and the hours their best people spend chasing information instead of running production.MachineMetrics is an AI-powered manufacturing operations platform built for discrete manufacturers. By connecting directly to machines and integrating with an ERP, MachineMetrics gives every role across an operation a live picture of production reality, so teams can stop reacting and start executing.In this session, MachineMetrics Product Manager Josh Fish is joined by Thomas Deslongchamps, director of training and continuous improvement at Pindel Global Precision, for a candid look at what closing the execution gap actually looks like inside a precision machining shop. Deslongchamps will share how Pindel is using automated workflows, Max AI and real-time OEE metrics to build a shop floor that runs on data instead of instinct.
Get an exclusive early look at what’s coming in Mastercam 2027. In this preview webinar, we’ll highlight upcoming innovations designed to make CNC programming faster, smarter and more connected across your manufacturing workflows. Join our product expert to see how Mastercam continues to evolve to meet the real-world needs of modern shops and programmers. Discover what’s next and how it can help you stay competitive.
Traditional robotic deployment methods are hitting a ceiling as manufacturing shifts toward high-mix production. For system integrators, scaling these systems often requires exhaustive custom coding and rigid environments that struggle with variability. This session presented by Trener examines the transition to AI-native application platforms and how a hardware-agnostic approach can bridge the gap between complex artificial intelligence and industrial reliability. Participants will explore how a standardized integration suite allows for the deployment of adaptive applications, such as machine tending, across mixed fleets including Fanuc, ABB, and Universal Robots. By moving away from vendor-specific silos, integrators can shorten commissioning timelines and reduce the risk of custom code debt. Agenda Analyzing why static programming fails in high-variability environments. Maintaining a single logic layer across mixed fleets to simplify staff training. A technical look at using pretrained AI for tasks like machine tending. Leveraging simulation and real-time monitoring to de-risk deployments. Methods for reducing engineering hours per cell and improving resilience. Transitioning from a labor-intensive model to a scalable automation business. A deep-dive video demonstration of the software in a live robot cell, featuring a side-by-side "before vs. after" performance analysis, technical specifications, and a first-hand testimonial from the system integrator on overcoming deployment hurdles.
CONTRAX events connect buyers and suppliers of American contract manufacturing services. From concept to contract, CONTRAX showcases North America’s premier industrial parts producers and service providers – leaders in design engineering, 3D printing and prototyping, CNC machining, casting, metal forming and fabricating, injection molding, surface treatment, parts finishing and systems integration. CONTRAX mission is to grow North American manufacturing by showcasing suppliers equipped to support the growing demand for advanced manufacturing production and services. Businesses looking to expand their supply base, take product to market or address production, services, reshoring, onshoring or nearshoring needs can turn to CONTRAX to find the companies, content and insights for solving and staying ahead of supply chain challenges.
The Parts Cleaning Conference (PCC) is a three-day event for learning, innovation, regulation and networking in industrial parts cleaning. At the Parts Cleaning Conference, you’ll gain actionable insights with practical solutions for today's toughest cleaning challenges, learn from top minds in manufacturing and cleaning technology, explore new tools, equipment and sustainable approaches and gain valuable connections.
Celebrate National Composites Week 2026! The goal of National Composites Week is to celebrate and bring attention to the myriad ways that composite materials and composites manufacturing contribute to the products and structures that shape the American manufacturing landscape today. Learn how you can participate in this year's National Composites Week on NationalCompositesWeek.com.
IMTS 2026 will be held September 14-19, 2026 at McCormick Place, Chicago.Manufacturers achieve the impossible at IMTS – The International Manufacturing Technology Show by pushing the boundaries of innovation, forming lasting connections and discovering advancements redefining manufacturing.As the largest trade show in the Western Hemisphere, IMTS draws the innovators, sellers and drivers of manufacturing technology together to connect, be inspired and find new solutions.
Presented by Additive Manufacturing Media, Modern Machine Shop & Manufacturing Connected. Additive manufacturing is transforming defense and aerospace manufacturing by enabling flexible and responsive manufacturing of critical parts. AM makes it possible to rapidly ramp up or scale production of drones, hypersonic engines, spare parts and more without the challenges of hard tooling. This half-day workshop will highlight how military contractors, aerospace OEMs and others are applying additive manufacturing to achieve significant lead time reductions, cost savings and accelerated innovation. The program is designed for current and future additive manufacturers serving the defense and aerospace markets with end-use parts.
New this year, Top Shops Conference will expand to include CNC machining and industrial finishing. Modern Machine Shop Top Shops and Products Finishing Top Shops, Gardner Business Media’s two largest and longest running benchmarking and business improvement survey programs, will join forces to host concurrent Top Shops Conference programs. In addition to dedicated conference programming, Top Shops Conference attendees will benefit from access to several shared general sessions, keynotes, exhibit rooms and special networking events enabling these two critical manufacturing service groups – CNC machining and industrial finishing - to learn, exchange ideas and make valuable business connections.
Follow these guidelines to get the most out of aggressive roughing while improving cycle times and keeping quality intact.
Most troubleshooting fails for a simple reason: rather than conducting true root cause analysis, people start assigning causes before they properly classify behavior.
The same principles that make a good low-volume process also make a good high-volume process. The difference is that production requires you to be intentional everywhere you used to rely on instinct.
