Miles Free Director of Industry Affairs, PMPA

13 Apr 2017

What you Need to Change to Thrive in Great Times

What keeps us afloat in bad times might prevent us from thriving in better times.

16 Mar 2017

Transitioning to Unleaded Brass: Impacts on the Precision Machined Products Industry

Anything that reduces or eliminates our recovery of brass scrap dollars is a serious threat to our businesses.

21 Feb 2017

Central Bursts, Chevroning in Cold-Drawn and Extruded Steels

The compressive stresses of cold working can result in failures by shear along planes 45 degrees to the applied stress.

26 Jan 2017

RoHS Exemptions Delayed Again in EU

According to Electronics Industry Portal I-Connect007, the EU is unlikely to publish the RoHS exemptions for lead any time soon. The EU Commission is only now in the process of preparing draft legislation to be sent to the member states for consideration.

19 Jan 2017

Lockout Tagout: What Management Needs to do for Periodic Inspection

Providing lockout/tagout devices, ensuring that equipment is capable of being locked out and tagged out are other management responsibilities and are typically well in hand in the shops I visit.

Basics 21 Nov 2016

Ductility as Measured by Tensile Testing

In this article, I will describe how to measure ductility and use it to predict behavior based on values reported on certs and test reports.

21 Nov 2016

Using Standard Work to Best Serve Customers

At UPS, the standard work discipline of no left turns delivers results to the bottom line, while better meeting customer demand, increasing the safety of drivers and the public and reducing the resources used.

18 Oct 2016

NAM Documents the Impact of Federal Regulations

A new study commissioned by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) reveals the true cost of this administration’s labor regulations.

Cutting Tools 13 Oct 2016

Three of My Favorite and Most Shared Ideas to Get the Most from Drills in Your Shop

Keep the drill short; get the feed rate right; and replace the drill on schedule before it dulls.

Workforce Development 13 Oct 2016

Training the Next Generation: What Did You Do for Manufacturing Day this Year?

Manufacturing Day gives manufacturers an opportunity to open their doors to their communities, shed light on what manufacturing is and clear up any misconceptions regarding being a professional tradesperson in the modern age.