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.
Read MoreHow 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.
Read MoreLessons 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.
WatchAn 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.
WatchCNC 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.
Read MoreLean 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.
Read MoreAutonomous 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.
Read MoreAt Purdue University, Emergency Production of PPE and Ventilator Fittings
After campus had largely shut down, several labs and departments at the venerated engineering school organized with local hospitals to manufacture critical parts needed to fight the coronavirus.
Read MoreDoes Asia's Low-Cost Manufacturing Option Still Make Sense?
As U.S.-based companies try to stay ahead of COVID-19, global supply chains are under renewed scrutiny. Are uncertainties and delays caused by global crises worth the short-term cost savings?
Read MoreCool Tricks: How to Photograph Sinker EDM
Sometimes it takes a little extra effort and ingenuity to solve a problem. In the case of the February 2020 cover of Modern Machine Shop, it took a lot of each — and a cheap plastic spaghetti container.
Read MoreInside the Sinker EDM Process, One Spark at a Time
Successful sinker EDM operations rely on understanding the relationship between each individual spark, the electrode and the workpiece.
Read MoreWeep Not, Waterjet Machine. Predictive Maintenance is Here.
The versatility of waterjet cutting is well known, but its reputation as a maintenance intensive technology holds it back. Predictive maintenance may change that.
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