PM Blog
Material Impacts on the Precision Machining Industry - August 2009
We believe that it is time to fasten our seatbelts as an industry. Inventories continue to decrease, foreign nations (Japan and Taiwan) are actively seeking to accumulate scrap, primary mills see no compelling reason to restart facilities, and the Chinese are "arresting" employees of the iron ore supplier companies that they are in "negotiations" with. Surcharges are volatile as a result of the 40-percent increase in steel scrap this month alone. Severstal announced it was ceasing all North American operations today as I prepared this report (5 August 2009). I cannot confirm that any BOF melt bar capacity is currently running in North America.
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One-Part Solution With Huge Payoff
Machine shops prioritize different challenges daily, but some challenges are more critical than others. Precise Products Corporation (Minneapolis) was faced with a challenge when one of its original customers asked the company to reduce the cost of a family of parts or risk losing the job.
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Selecting A VMC: Factors To Consider
A three-, four- or five-axis vertical machining center can run the gamut of capability and cost. Assessing your application requirements now and in the future can make for a much wiser machining center purchase.
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Machining In Paradise
One medical parts job shop is taking its business to the next level in Puerto Rico with the right CAM system.
Read MoreTechnical Member Profile: Northwest Oil Company
Northwest Oil Company is a supplier of industrial lubricants and specialty fluids, including cutting oils, water-based coolants, grinding fluids, cleaners, degreasers and corrosion inhibitors. The company had its beginnings as a Union 76 truck stop in Wapakoneta, Ohio, owned by Dick Mowery.
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Integrated Solutions for Chip Removal and Fluid Filtration
Shops can easily view chips simply as waste, hardly giving a second thought to the disposal process and the potential related savings. By keeping an eye on the waste and choosing the most efficient methods of chip disposal, a shop can easily add to the bottom line through substantial savings.
Read More"Mission" CONTROL
Proper use of controls provides a safe operating environment in many aspects of our daily lives.
Read MoreThe New Domestics
The automotive market is an important sector served by the precision machining industry. Until 2008, it was the single, largest market served, according to the PMPA’s Annual Business Forecast Report.
Read MoreMaking Sure Your Business Survives in the New Economy
There’s a major disconnect between companies and their lenders. While businesses are still playing by the old rules, lenders have a whole new set.
Read MoreWhat if the Work Came Back?
What would you do if all the work your company lost to low-cost countries came back overnight? Besides making a few quick "I told you so" calls, I mean…
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Diverse Applications for Ball-Style Honing
A ball-style hone is a specialized abrasive tool that is characterized by small, abrasive globules that are permanently mounted to flexible filaments. It is designed to be a low-cost tool for sophisticated surfacing, deburring and edge blending.
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Now, Even the Cleaning Aisle is Clean
When cleaning parts becomes the bottleneck of the production line, it puts both quality and profit at risk. And that’s exactly what was happening at C&M Machine Products Inc.
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