The 10 Most Popular Posts of 2019

There was a slight shift in our list of top 10 blog posts this year. Last year I reported that shops were wanting to find products and processes, but they were also paying attention to improving the front-office segment of their business. This year, it seems that front-office concerns have moved to the forefront. Don’t worry though: Learning more about new technology still plays a sizable role on this list.

Here are the top 10 blog posts from 2019:

1. Is Robotic Automation the Key to Drawing (and Keeping) New Employees? -
   Robotic automation is transforming a job that was perhaps a machine operator’s least-favorite work assignment into one that is not a heavy lift.
2. Fear Kills More CNC Machining Businesses Than Recessions Ever Will - Look at hard data to make fact-based decisions.
3. Machining, Disruption and the Years Ahead - Three major technological advancements have changed modern manufacturing. Pay attention or get left behind.
4. Meet Colossus: An Inside Look at One of the Largest Five-Axis Machining Centers in the U.S. - My behind-the-scenes tour on the shop floor of Baker Industries began and ended with its Emco Mecof PowerMill, one of the biggest five-axis machining centers in the United States. The tour also shed light on the company’s highly aggressive approach to new equipment purchases.
5. How to Become a Defense Industry Machined-Parts Supplier -Defense contractors are looking for capable shops to supply machined workpieces for a variety of major projects. To participate, however, you must have more than just top-notch machine tools and a skilled workforce.
6. 3 Mindset Changes for Lights-Out CNC Machining - Expanding capacity into the unattended hours calls for counterintuitive new ways of thinking about the work.
7. Hitting the Zone with Five-Axis Machining - By investing in five-axis machining technology, Advance CNC Machining has done more than just add new capabilities to its roster. It has found a way to achieve something that most of us strive for: a way to work “in the zone.”
8. The Global Machine Tool Boom Continues, Except in China - The latest World Machine Tool Survey finds major machine tool countries moving in separate directions.
9. Are Your CNC Machinist Job Descriptions Outdated? - Traditional machine shop job descriptions might not draw interest from the talented, young people your shop needs to grow.
10. 5 Rules for Driving Deep-Hole Insert Drills - A cautious approach, modern thinking, offline presetting and attention to coolant and chips unlock the potential of the latest replaceable-tip drills for deep CNC hole-making applications.