PM Blog
Faster Change-Overs Allow Focus On Machining
A creative Midwestern shop shows that its productivity edge runs all the way down to its relationships with vendor partners. With the right clamping and centering device, the company has been able to reduce workpiece change-over times by as much as 50 percent while improving rigidity and precision.
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It's Only A Number
A person’s age is often said to be only a number, with overall health and fitness being the truly significant measures. Cutting fluids, like all industrial lubricants, should be held to the same standards—it really is condition that matters. By focusing on that philosophy, a shop can achieve immediate, sustainable cost savings.
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Digital Dumpster
One of the best pieces of advice I was ever given came from an attorney coaching me on how to respond to government questions regarding an anti-trust case. She told me, "Don’t draw lines that divide." This advice has proven invaluable to me through the years, as I tried to draw a circle that included all parties rather than define a line between parties that divides.
Read MorePMPA Retains The Franklin Partnership For Government Advocacy, Lobbying
PMPA has a new partner in its efforts to represent the precision machining industry in Washington, D.C. The association has retained The Franklin Partnership to provide advocacy, lobbying and information services.
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Plymouth Steel Corporation
Plymouth Steel Corporation is a processor of carbon and alloy cold-drawn steel bars. The company was founded in 1941 in Plymouth, Michigan by Walter J. Bothwell. Currently, his grandson John Quay serves as chairman of the family-owned business.
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Programming Lathes: Eliminate Cutting Air On The Second Pass
Cutting air benefits no one. Eliminate it in the programming department.
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The Only Way We Can Outperform
While at IMTS in September, I overheard a couple of comments about manufacturing competitiveness that made me scratch my head. The first went something like this: "The only way you can outperform other shops—those that typically have the same machines and cut the same materials you do—is to put better tools in your machines."
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Investing For Success In Demanding Markets
This company constantly strives to uphold a quality reputation, stay lean and continue to expand its business. It attributes its most recent success to the addition of three Variaxis machining centers.
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Turning Toward The Future
This new machine tool represents the lastest in a new generation of CNC multi-spindle automatics. Its development was a clean sheet approach and the results are impressive.
WatchThread Rolling: A Non-Metalcutting Operation
Thread rolling is unlike a typical metalworking operation in that it does not cut metal. Instead, it forms a thread into a mirror image of a roller die.
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Direct Drive Rotary System Reduces Cycle Time
In the early 1990s, Mr. Langlois decided to set up a shop specializing in close-tolerance aerospace parts. A friend of his recommended that he consider a colleted-spindle turning machine and suggested that he look into Hardinge lathes. Mr. Langlois purchased a used Hardinge HNC lathe and began making aircraft landing gear bushings.
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Material Analysis At The Source
Growing material costs and quality control concerns have increased demand for accurate and fast methods of analyzing alloy composition. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) handheld analyzers allow in-line testing of a variety of materials.
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