Columns

15 Dec 2023

An Open Letter to Kids About Machines and the World of Making Things

This is an open letter to middle- and high-school students about choices they’ll soon face. It is also an introduction to Career and Technical Education (CTE), the world of CNC machining, and a reminder that there are options outside of the traditional four-year college path.

1 Dec 2023

Random 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.

CNC & Machine Controls 24 Nov 2023

Combining Functions With User-Defined G & M Codes

CNC programmers gain flexibility when using custom macros to define G and M codes themselves.

Measurement 22 Nov 2023

The Many Ways of Measuring Thickness

While it may seem to be a straightforward check, there are many approaches to measuring thickness that are determined by the requirements of the part.

Toolholders 20 Nov 2023

Making the Most of Mixed Toolholder Assemblies

While nearly all ER systems will have cross compatibility, they’ll have small differences across manufacturers that make their implementation at the shop level not as standard.

15 Nov 2023

The Resurgence of 'Shop Class' in American High Schools

From the 1990s through the 2010s, most traditional “shop classes” disappeared from middle schools and high schools across the U.S. — one of the many issues that helped create today’s skilled labor shortage in metalworking and CNC machine shops. Here’s one solution that deserves more attention.

13 Nov 2023

4 Ways to Stop a Cycle to Allow Operator Intervention

Completely automatic operation should always be the goal, but there are situations that require operator intervention during the CNC cycle.

1 Nov 2023

Causes 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.

Inspection and Measurement 18 Oct 2023

Tips for Anticipating Hole Conditions

When measuring an ID with an indicating plug gage, it is OK to slow down to learn more about the hole being measured and explore for extraneous conditions.

Automation 16 Oct 2023

Increasing OEM Visibility to Shopfloor Operations for the Win

A former employee of General Motors and Tesla talks about the issues that led to shutdowns on factory lines, and what small- to medium-sized manufacturers can do today to win business from large OEMs.

Workforce Development 2 Oct 2023

In 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.