Tom Beard Former Executive VP

1 Oct 1999

ISO Quality Standards Are Changing

Those companies that have undergone the ISO 9000 accreditation process may or may not be pleased to find out that much of the standard is changing. According to Lee Bravener of National Quality Assurance, USA (Acton, Massachusetts), an ISO registrar, the change is necessary in order to allow the standard the flexibility to accommodate ongoing changes in business practices as well as the particular concerns of individual industries.

1 Sep 1999

Shop Floors And Picket Fences

We have this wooden picket fence that runs around the front of our house. My wife and I built the fence ourselves for a very practical reason when we first moved in 11 years ago.

1 Aug 1999

A Work In Process

In our last special issue on high speed machining two years ago we took a somewhat theoretical point of view. That was due in equal parts to design and concession.

1 Jul 1999

Take A Look At The Other Side

Because we've been getting so much bad news from our public schools, it's easy to get the impression that there is something seriously wrong with our system, or worse, with our youth as a group. While there is room for improvement, the general impression is nonetheless significantly out of whack with the reality.

Workholding 15 Jun 1999

Bolt-On Productivity

Retrofitting an auxiliary pallet changer allowed this shop to get 'horizontal-like' production efficiency out of a vertical machining center.

CNC & Machine Controls 15 May 1999

Long-Distance CNC Service

To most users, the talk so far about the potential of 'open' PC-based CNCs has greatly exceeded the benefits. Here's one application that delivers the goods.

Measurement 15 May 1999

Under Control

This small-parts machining operation combines superbly automated workholding and handling with total machining process management.

1 May 1999

Full Speed Ahead

I recently returned from attending TIMTOS, the international machine tool show of Taiwan. Held every other year in Taipei, the show provides a good yardstick by which to measure this nation's progress in metalworking technology, both technical and commercial.

1 Apr 1999

Technology And Craft

Something that really struck me as Mark Albert and I were working through this issue's special report on die/mold machining is how sophisticated the "tools" of toolmakers have become. From high level CAD/CAM systems to high speed machining to highly automated EDM, the technology behind the ability to efficiently machine complex 3D forms is among the most challenging to be found anywhere in the metalworking community, anywhere in the world.