PM Blog
Multitasking Technology for Turn/Mill Lathes Evolves
From a few live tools on a turing center turret, turn-mill has developed into true multitasking machining.
Read MoreDon't Blame the Workholding
Understanding all aspects of the production process and considering how they interact is the only way to ensure problems are addressed appropriately and proper solutions can be put into place.
Read MoreWho Will Make the Nails?
It’s May and our economy is searching for a bottom thanks to malfeasance, mismanagement, greed and stupidity of people disconnected from the basic wealth production mechanisms.
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We're the People Who Make Things
I just saw a news clip that highlighted some new-found attention to "people who make things. " It seems that, in a recent speech, the President of the United States recognized the value of the "people who make things. " Well, Mr.
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Drag Finishing: Surface Finishing of Delicate Parts
For complex parts with high surface finish specs, production deburring and surface prep can be done using the Drag Finishing process.
Read MoreESOP Fiduciary Concerns in Change-of-Control Transactions
Fiduciaries of many ESOPs are now considering new transactions.
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Have Guitars, Will Travel
The two bands that performed at last month’s PMPA Technical Conference aren’t "metal" bands, but their guitarists both work with metals every day. JoBreen is an acoustic trio that includes Brian Adams of R. F.
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Are You Charging or Recharging
It goes without saying that shops and plants around the U. S. are facing intense economic and business pressures.
Read MoreLinear Motors: Practical for Your Shop?
For those of you still using a rotary motor with ball or roller screws or belts and pulleys to actuate the moving components on a machine tool, is this still the most efficient method for these applications?
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Material Impacts on the Precision Machining Industry - April 2009
The raw materials that we track are leading indicators for the precision turning industry. Prices for all of the materials that we track are down substantially year over year, as well as from their high in 2008. Inventories are tight on most materials, with Service Center inventories at 17-year lows for steel and aluminum products, according to MSCI. We urge our members to take the published "months of current supply" figures with a grain of salt. These estimates are based on current usage. When production resumes, those "months of supply" will likely evaporate in just a few short weeks. We have seen several presentations over our career that make the point that the economy usually mimics the copper market, so we are somewhat heartened by the trend in the copper and brass indicators that we track. The price of steel scrap remains depressed, offering a different take.
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Now is the Time to Assert Yourself
The key is to think ahead--beyond current market and economic conditions.
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New Business Intelligence Service from PMPA
The Precision Machined Products Association announces a new business intelligence service for members. The association has contracted with Kim Korth to provide strategic advisory services related to the automobile industry and the role of PMPA member companies as automotive parts suppliers.
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