It Takes An Industry

As you peruse this special issue of Modern Machine Shop, you may be tempted to think, "how do these four guys know so much about high speed machining." Well, the truth is, we didn't know as much about it as we needed to.

We did know that this is an important topic because of the feedback we've received from our readers and supporters. However, seeing the topic holistically was difficult.

High speed machining is very application specific. We'd hear stuff like "It's a great process for aluminum but we cut steel and there's no way to get through that very fast." In researching for the ten articles that make up this special coverage, we found high speed can be applied to steel and cast iron and aluminum all with very good results.

It's that research which is the point of this column. With the exception of a couple of individuals, nobody has at their disposal a universal understanding of high speed machining.

Understanding that, we set out to pull together a comprehensive look at high speed machining. In doing so, we talked to a bunch of people. Without their help it would be impossible to cover this important topic with anywhere close to the depth that we have attempted.

The generosity of our sources for this issue bespeaks an aspect of our industry that is very appealing. Our application stories are an example. These shops are doing high speed. They've made it work successfully. Many might think that it's not in a shop's commercial interest to divulge proprietary information—which high speed machining could be considered. It was a generous thing for them to share information about how they machine at high speed.

Getting the insight we did in preparing these stories for our audience of more than 106,000, demonstrates that quite a few people in our industry see the bigger picture. It's not about one shop beating out another. If everyone manufactures better then manufacturing is better for it. We all win when we all can do a better job. It's not about competition as such. What's going on with HSM is a chance to change dramatically how we design and manufacture products. If our industry together can elevate the level of its quality and efficiency, then our business is going to be an even better business in the future.

Thank-you to all of those individuals who helped us put this high speed issue together. Your contribution represents the best in industry attitude.