PM Blog

Machining Centers & Milling Machines 23 Oct 2017

Locked and Loaded for Further Growth in Firearms Production

Even with a strong and varied manufacturing background, it wasn’t until a few years ago that this father and son team found its way into the manufacture of weaponry components. Nonetheless, business is booming.

23 Oct 2017

When and When Not to Use Guide Bushings

In the article “Shop Opts for Choice in Swiss Machines,” a Lancaster, Ohio, shop has taken advantage of this choice. The shop’s staff discusses how the choice is made as to which parts it applies to the guide-bushed machine and which parts it runs “bushless.”

20 Oct 2017

Craftsman's Cribsheet No. 60: Decarburization and Your Precision Machine Shop

Most defects in steel workpieces encountered in precision machine shops are longitudinal in nature. While their presence alone is enough to concern us, for the purposes of corrective action, it becomes important to identify where in the process the longitudinal imperfection first occurred.

Workforce Development 20 Oct 2017

Training the Next Generation: Thinking About New Employee Outreach from the Shop’s Perspective

We are all faced with a challenge regarding today’s new workforce. We all need to think outside the box about our company culture, training systems, operational strategies and relationships with high schools and vocational institutions. Here are some other things to think about that we have found to be helpful.

20 Oct 2017

PMPA Member Laurel Steel Finds Success in Quality Products and Workplace Safety

Laurel Steel is headquartered in a state-of-the-art, 350,000-square-foot facility in Burlington, Ontario, and primarily manufactures cold-drawn steel bar products for the service center, fluid power and automotive industries.

20 Oct 2017

PMPA Membership Value

PMPA member value can be broken down into four core buckets: benchmarking, networking, savings and training.

Toolholders 20 Oct 2017

The ‘Easy’ Button for Tool Changing

Although there’s no such thing as the easy button, there are smart tooling choices you can make that lead to efficient, safe machining and other benefits. One such technology is quick-change tooling. Although there are different types of quick-change tooling systems, they all were created for the same purposes: to increase productivity, shorten setup time, provide flexibility and save money.

Data-Driven Manufacturing 20 Oct 2017

Tour Showcases Plant-Wide Connectivity

Mazak’s North American headquarters, located in Florence, Kentucky, has been manufacturing multitasking, five-axis, turning and milling machines since 1974 and was recently reimagined as a Mazak iSMART Factory concept.

Metalworking Fluids 19 Oct 2017

Getting the Most from MQL

Here's a broad view of minimum quantity lubrication along with a closer look at using MQL in turning applications.

Machining Centers & Milling Machines 19 Oct 2017

Get 5-Axis Machining on a 3-Axis VMC

Machine shops want and need to eliminate steps in the manufacturing process. Adding four- or five-axis capability to an existing three-axis VMC is a practical way to achieve five-sided machining using a single setup.

Turning Machines 19 Oct 2017

Shop/Supplier Relationship is Critical to Success

A quartet of CNC machines supplied by T W Ward CNC Machinery Ltd. play a key role in enabling Cosmopolitan Engineering to consistently be a supplier of parts of all sizes and in all metals, including tool steels and titanium, for more than 30 years.