Published 1/12/2021

IMTS Spark: MMS Editors Choose Favorite Article of 2020

The editors of Modern Machine Shop share observations of reporting on metalworking facilities and their conversations with metalworking leaders.

Emily Probst

Former Senior Editor, Modern Machine Shop

Associate Editor Julia Heider’s favorite story from the past year, “Trained in a Day, Automated Inspector Performs Faster than Humans,” talks about leveraging robotic, optical, edge computing and artificial intelligence technology to produce better results than human visual inspectors in testing. Watch the roundtable presentation to find out why this made the list of favorite stories.

During the latest Modern Machine Shop Roundtable, the MMS editors gathered to discuss their favorite articles they wrote this past year. Here are the links to our favorite stories:

Use Your Machinists to Make Dies - By systemizing die making into repeatable steps, Dies Plus, a division of Otto Engineering, is using its machinists to effectively make dies. This solution relies on a paperless color-coding system to convey the tolerances machinists need to hit in order for tool and die makers to do the final fitting.
How Machine Tool Dynamics Could Become a U.S. Supply Chain Strategy - A collaborative agreement being overseen by the U.S. Department of Energy involves a deceptively simple test — a test that could radically increase throughput of the United States’ existing base of CNC machine tools.
A Job Shop Approach to Automation - Through patient research and smart investing, this job shop has slowly grown its capabilities and is moving toward lights-out manufacturing for prototype work.
Trained in a Day, Automated Inspector Performs Faster than Humans - Using recent technological innovations in robotics, optics, edge computing and artificial intelligence, MusashiAI has developed an automated visual inspection system that could free a significant portion of the automotive workforce to perform easier, more interesting tasks.
In a Machine Shop, the Labor of Lean is Data-Driven – Approximating single-piece flow in a job shop environment requires an ongoing commitment to analyzing and acting on evidence.
5G: From the Cloud to the Machine Tool Workzone - Fifth-generation wireless communications standards demonstrate the potential for process control at all levels of a CNC machining business.
Video: Hurco Machining Center Adapted into N95 Mask Production System - CNC machines can do more than we think. They are automation platforms for insourcing.
5 Hard Lessons from a 28-Year-Old Startup Machine Shop Owner – Good fortune and years of long working hours have both figured into the success of this young shop, which became its founder’s sole employment starting last year. The shop owner shares his story.