Peter Zelinski Editor-in-Chief

Measurement 15 Jul 2003

Moving Parts, Moving Data, Keeping People

This Plant's labor-saving automation includes hardware for updating CNC offsets to adjust for gradual process changes. When the plant adopted its automated system, management thought carefully about the impact on staffing.

2 Jul 2003

Room To Maneuver

An article this month (Moving Parts, Moving People, Keeping People) took me to a region of the country I had never visited before. I knew what to expect, however—a straight shot by interstate from the airport to my destination, chain hotels and restaurants all along the way, and congenial, helpful people practically anywhere I stopped.

Cutting Tools 15 Jun 2003

Deep Thinking

A job shop that specializes in gundrilling points out the special requirements of machining deep holes.

1 May 2003

Addition Through Subtraction

The American Precision Museum in Windsor, Vermont, has historic machine tools on display. So does the Cincinnati History Museum.

CAD/CAM 15 Apr 2003

Automation's Extended Reach

The experience of a Windsor mold shop offers an object lesson in machine shop automation. In an interconnected process, automating one aspect of the process offered benefits beyond what the initial planning had led the shop to expect.

5 Apr 2003

Adding Value In America's Future

Shop owners worried about manufacturing in America often express two concerns. One is personal: Will my own shop survive? The other is broader: Can America still thrive with so much manufacturing being sent to other countries? The concerns are linked.

High-Speed Machining 15 Mar 2003

Six Advantages Of Horizontal High Speed Machining

Large monolithic aircraft parts may be machined more productively one at a time instead of three at once.

1 Mar 2003

Cash For Quality

A small change in the process can dramatically affect the performance of an expensive piece of equipment. Shops that know this look for ways to refine their process variables.

Basics 15 Feb 2003

When Two Spindles Are Better Than One

Machining centers with multiple spindles offer a compromise between flexibility and productivity. Different machine designs use the multiple spindles in different ways.

Workforce Development 5 Feb 2003

Is Labor Cost All There Is?

While this magazine addresses a great many topics related to metalworking, one topic these days seems to loom largest of all. Machining work that once might have been performed in an American shop is being sent to countries with lower labor costs, most notably China.

3 Jan 2003

What's In A Word

Modern Machine Shop’s Web site includes various online forums that allow readers to post questions and comments on the site. Most forums are devoted to specific topics in metalworking technology, but one is a catch-all titled “General Metalworking.

High-Speed Machining 1 Jan 2003

The Overhang Effect

The length by which the tool extends from the toolholder is a variable that can be used to 'tune' the machining process. Contrary to what you may expect, increasing the tool's L:D ratio may reduce chatter and result in more productive milling.