Mark Albert Editor Emeritus

1 Apr 2001

Next Best

In my February 2001 column, I lamented the fact that our industry doesn't have the equivalent of a Consumers' Guide for machine tools. Responses included several suggestions about other approaches to getting the inside scoop on what machine to buy.

1 Mar 2001

Muggles And Machinists

If you have children or grandchildren in grade school, you probably know who Harry Potter is. He's the hero in a series of highly imaginative best sellers written by J.

5 Feb 2001

Don't You Wish . . .

. .

15 Jan 2001

Teachers: Teach Love

A lot of metalworking shops are populated with talented individuals who obviously love what they do. Most of them, I'll bet, can trace their good fortune to some individual from whom they learned something essential that enabled them to discover and nurture the love that led to their livelihood.

1 Dec 2000

The Old Garage Is Gone

It's hard to tell where it was anymore. Somewhere over here where the new parking lot is.

Basics 1 Nov 2000

Why Machine Tools Matter

An important and interesting new study has just been released by AMT—The Association For Manufacturing Technology. It sheds light on some key facts about machine tools and their critical role in our economy.

1 Oct 2000

Doing Your Level Best

The playing field keeps getting leveler, so to speak. Fewer and fewer factors are influencing a metalworking company's access to technology.

EDM 15 Sep 2000

Where Wire EDM Is A Workhorse

This shop finds the process practical, productive and predictable, an indispensable technology that supports all of its manufacturing capability.

1 Sep 2000

Shop Of Fantasy And Of Grace

If such a place exists, I don't know about it. I imagine that it does and that I might retreat there once a year to be made new and whole again.

1 Aug 2000

It’s Still The Place To Be

In this age of instant, Internet-enabled communication, online searchable databases, electronic transactions and e-commerce, is it still necessary—is it still useful—to attend a trade show? The answer is, of course! In fact, access to the World Wide Web has made trade shows such as the International Manufacturing Technology Show even more valuable. Visitors to Chicago’s McCormick Place will come to IMTS better prepared, better informed and better able to evaluate technology and match it to their needs.

15 Jul 2000

Automatic Toolchanger For Auxiliary Spindles

For many shops, machine tools designed and dedicated to high speed milling are too expensive or too limited in productive capacity to justify. One approach around this constraint has been to mount an auxiliary spindle alongside the main spindle on a standard vertical machining center.

1 Jul 2000

Legacy

Over the years, the editorial staff of Modern Machine Shop has been remarkably stable, giving this publication rare continuity and consistency. Yet a look at this month's editorial masthead reveals some changes.