Enhanced Coverage
Although Production Machining's main focus is on high volume, small turned parts, the ever changing landscape of work in precision turning shops is good reason to include other important technologies.
With our main focus on the production of high volume, small turned parts, Production Machining isn’t known for its extensive coverage of machining centers. But as the landscape for typical precision turning machine shops has evolved to meet the ever changing demands of customers, their workload has expanded to include an increase of prismatic part production. Because of this shift, we’ve found ourselves making some small adjustments in our coverage as well to include an increase in the number of articles that discuss applications using multitasking machines, machining centers, and related workholding equipment and automation.
I’ve enjoyed learning more about the application of this technology. Here are a few of my favorite related articles from recent issues. “Smart Machining Centers” discusses how vertical machining centers (VMCs) can play a significant role in the precision turning shop and what these shops should consider in finding the right balance between turning and secondary operations. In “Hitting the Target with Creative Workholding,” we visit a shop that has made drastic production improvements through the workholding strategies implemented on its VMCs. “Multitasking Helps Detroit Shop” discusses a shop that is using a VMC with automated part loading and robotic part handling as well as a multitasking turning center in its firearms production.
