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Video: How to Succeed at Lights-Out Machining — Findings from Top Shops Data
Differences in machine shops’ profit margins suggest the value of improvement methodology, unattended machining and machine tool monitoring, as well as the effective combination of all three of these.
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5 Impressions of EMO 2019, from Automated to Autonomous Manufacturing
The robot show? Not quite that. But automation and the expectation of processes that can run unattended if needed are clearly core to manufacturing now.
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Increasing Employee Output Through Automation: Here is What We Found in 7 Recent Shop Visits
Modern Machine Shop editors routinely visit machining facilities to report on shops that are succeeding. Here is what our editors found on seven recent shop visits, all related to using labor more efficiently.
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Merging Advances: Lights-Out Machining Combines Automation and Focused Process Improvement
One of the most significant developments in machining right now is easy to miss because it is the union of two different advances coming together.
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10 Takeaways on How Artificial Intelligence (AI) Will Influence CNC Machining
The Consortium for Self-Aware Machining and Metrology held a promising first meeting at the University of North Carolina Charlotte. Here are my impressions.
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Are Machine Shops Doing More Plastic Parts Production Due to 3D Printing?
That is the suggestion of a survey finding. Facilities we associate with metalworking are using additive manufacturing for production of plastic parts.
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Modulated CNC Turning: How a Reversal in the Tool Path Can Deliver Greater Cutting Speed
UNCC researchers introduce modulation into the tool path. Chip breaking was the goal, but higher metal removal rate is an intriguing secondary effect.
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Can Vision and Artificial Intelligence Make Every Robot Collaborative?
That is the aim of this Boston-area startup. Last year, it came to market with technology to make even fast and powerful industrial robots safe to approach. The technology promises to eliminate the need for guarding around them — safety measures that might not be as safe as you think.
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Center of Excellence Is New Twist on Old Manufacturing Department Structure
The new Spirit AeroSystems facility for five-axis machining allows a small team to oversee a significant amount of machining capability. Is this the way of the future as machining systems become more automated?
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3 Mindset Changes for Lights-Out CNC Machining
Expanding capacity into the unattended hours calls for counterintuitive new ways of thinking about the work.
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In Lights-Out Machining, Part Loading Is Not the Problem — Here is How This Shop Handles Unloading
Correct unloading of the parts affects part quality as well as the capacity of the unattended machining system. Here is more of the experience from our “168” shop.
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Running Unattended at Night Lets Machine Shop Serve New Customers During Day
Precision Tool Technologies found capacity for diversification not by adding machines, people or space, but by freeing up time. Running unattended—running so it can machine through all 168 hours in the week—has enabled this shop to use hours when staff is present to deliver work that lands outside its established specialty. To achieve unattended machining, some of the biggest challenges have related to basic details such as chips and coolant.
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