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Starting with the End in Mind: An Exit Strategy for Machine Shops
John Shegda and Eric Wilhelm each had different ideas about how they wanted to phase into retirement. The exit strategies for the three successful manufacturing businesses the two men operated included a mix of seeking equity groups, selling the business, or transitioning into an employee stock ownership plan. All it took was a friendly suggestion from a mutual friend to set them on a different path.
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Here Is Why Knust Godwin Decided to 3D Print Mission Critical Parts
Knust Godwin introduced metal 3D printing into its precision-machining environment nearly eight years ago. Now the company is using the capability to break through into new applications and give 3D printed mission-critical parts a renewed business case.
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When Organic Growth in Your Machine Shop Isn’t Enough
Princeton Tool wanted to expand its portfolio, increase its West Coast presence, and become a stronger overall supplier. To accomplish all three goals at once, acquiring another machine shop became its best option.
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Inside Oak Ridge’s 3D-Printed Machine Tool Moonshot
The widespread outsourcing of large machine castings led a collaborative team at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to tackle the machine tool supply chain. The first step? 3D print the largest cast component.
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Growing Closer: Machine Shops and 3D Printing for Production
Machining a large 3D-printed part for aerospace composite tooling is fundamentally different than manufacturing the part traditionally. Baker Industries knows this first-hand.
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A Methodical Strategy to Bring Additive Manufacturing into Sheet Metal Fabrication
When Wilson Tool International launched its additive manufacturing division in 2018, it had already proven 3D printing’s value through dozens of printed parts for its own line of equipment. Demonstrating that value to customers required a new, highly focused approach.
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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.
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Lessons from a COVID-19 Shutdown and Reopening
Weldon Solutions, a manufacturer of CNC cylindrical grinders and robotic automation systems, had to close its doors for two months due to COVID-19. Now allowed to reopen, the company is taking stock of the lessons learned and a path forward during the pandemic.
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An Unusual Machine for an Unusual Time: Mazak Helps AquiSense Fight COVID-19 with PearlSurface
When a company that specializes in rendering viruses and pathogens harmless via UV light looked to produce a portable disinfection device, it turned to its neighbor Mazak to move from design into production.
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CNC Machining as a Business Strategy for 3D Printing
As the additive manufacturing company 3rd Dimension Industrial 3D Printing prepares for production, it has one critical advantage over the competition: a standalone CNC machine shop.
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Lean Manufacturing Means Taking Nothing for Granted
As foreign competition undercut Valtech Corp.'s business throughout the aughts, the company had a choice to make: Switch production to CNC machining for one of its products, or abandon the product line. Starting from scratch with older machine tools has helped the company scrutinize each step of its processes.
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Autonomous Bin Picking for CNC Machining Applications
With the launch of a new application kit for collaborative robots, Universal Robots is creating a new option for lights-out machining. But the company may have tapped into a solution for a deeper problem: attracting millennials to the manufacturing workforce.
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