Chris Koepfer Editor Emeritus

20 Jul 2018

A Little Look Ahead

Mark your calendars for two important upcoming events: IMTS on Sept. 10-15 and Manufacturing Day, which will be held nationwide on Oct. 5.

Workholding 20 Jul 2018

Precision Workholding Matters

This article explains some of the advancements in precision workholding demands and the solutions that are available to improve production and quality in shops making precision parts.

13 Jul 2018

Milling and Turning: Blurring the Lines

This story looks at an example of one such shop that transitioned from machining center-based metalcutting to multitasking on mill-turn machines.

Automation 29 Jun 2018

Faced with a challenging customer order, Walt Machine Inc. looked to a camera-equipped robot for its part handling needs. It wasn’t a matter of replacing a person with automation, but rather reallocating resources to be better deployed elsewhere in the process.

22 Jun 2018

Earning the Business in a Captive Shop

This division of ITW Welding finds it necessary to earn its parent company’s business by operating as though the next job might be the last job.

Transfer Machines 20 Jun 2018

A Different Kind of Machining Center

If one horizontal machining center is good, then three on a single platform should be better, right? That’s the thinking behind the Multicenter concept from Italian builder, Porta Solutions. It blends the volume production capabilities of rotary transfer technology with the flexibility of a machining center in a single platform.

20 Jun 2018

Good Things are Worth the Wait

Most “new” things are not quite ready for prime time when introduced to the market. Further development is necessary and, if the concept is valid, it will be moved forward by its implementation.

Transfer Machines 20 Jun 2018

Rotary Transfer Reduces Manufacturing Steps and Opens Opportunities

This Ohio shop has installed rotary transfer machines to reduce multiple step processing, which has increased production capacity.

Basics 15 Jun 2018

Bolt-On Five-Axis Machining Capability

The ability to attack a workpiece at angles and use contouring without the need to remove and re-fixture the work is driving shops to look at how to get fourth- and fifth-axis capabilities on their standard VMC.

Horizontal & Vertical Lathes 8 Jun 2018

Programming Upside Down Lathes

This article shares how advances in programming and sensing technologies have made the use of the inverted vertical tuning center even more productive, efficient and reliable for untended or lightly tended operation.

6 Jun 2018

In the Winners' Circle

Mazak Corp., a long time technical sponsor for team Penske, rode into the winners’ circle at the recently completed 102nd edition of the Indianapolis 500.