Columns
6 Ways to Streamline the Setup Process
The primary goal of a setup reduction program must be to keep setup people working at the machine during the entire setup process.
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How Important is Spindle Power?
Consider these spindle attributes to make a choice that is balanced, usable and compliments your processes as best as possible.
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Artificial Intelligence, Origin Stories, Machining Strategies, and the Wild Ride Ahead in 2024
The January 2024 issue of Modern Machine Shop contains several firsts. From new features to new topics and presentation styles, the debut issue of the year reflects not only a changing landscape of machining strategies, but also the stories behind the people who innovate them.
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Can AI Replace Programmers? Writers Face a Similar Question
The answer is the same in both cases. Artificial intelligence performs sophisticated tasks, but falls short of delivering on the fullness of what the work entails.
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Automatic Sizing Adjustments for High-Volume Lathe Work
Keeping operators from having to manually make sizing adjustments will free them up to do other things for as long as each finishing tool will last, regardless of how many sizing adjustments it requires.
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Digital Comparators are More Than Just Readout Devices
Modern digital comparators often combine the performance of touchscreen phones, LVDTs, digital amplifiers and even small PCs into the size of a standard dial indicator.
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An Open Letter to Kids About Machines and the World of Making Things
This is an open letter to middle- and high-school students about choices they’ll soon face. It is also an introduction to Career and Technical Education (CTE), the world of CNC machining, and a reminder that there are options outside of the traditional four-year college path.
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Random Thoughts on Manufacturing, Innovation, What We Appreciate, and More
Here are several mini-columns merged into one. Take these thoughts all at once or in small doses.
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Combining Functions With User-Defined G & M Codes
CNC programmers gain flexibility when using custom macros to define G and M codes themselves.
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The Many Ways of Measuring Thickness
While it may seem to be a straightforward check, there are many approaches to measuring thickness that are determined by the requirements of the part.
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Making the Most of Mixed Toolholder Assemblies
While nearly all ER systems will have cross compatibility, they’ll have small differences across manufacturers that make their implementation at the shop level not as standard.
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The Resurgence of 'Shop Class' in American High Schools
From the 1990s through the 2010s, most traditional “shop classes” disappeared from middle schools and high schools across the U.S. — one of the many issues that helped create today’s skilled labor shortage in metalworking and CNC machine shops. Here’s one solution that deserves more attention.
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