Hurco Engineer Publishes Book on Five-Sided Machining

Hurco Product Technical Specialist Michael Cope has published “The Power of Five: The Definitive Guide to 5-Axis Machining,” a 78-page book released in September at the Top Shops Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana. Those interested in the book can find more information and the option to purchase it at hurco.com/5-axis.

Mr. Cope says he wrote the book because the adoption of five-sided machining processes is the most efficient way for job shops to instantly increase productivity and profitability.  While there are other books about five-axis CNC technologies, he saw a need to write a book specifically for machinists.

“I’ve always seen myself as a machinist first and wrote this book with the intention of educating machinists and shop owners on the value of five-axis machining because I truly believe it is the future of our industry and the most efficient way to produce parts,” he says. “Making the transition to five-sided machining on a five-axis CNC machine solves many of the problems so many shops face: finding qualified machinists (the skills gap); excessive setup costs due to inefficiency; and reacting to pressure from customers, both pricing pressure and delivery pressure. To be blunt, five-axis saves time and money.”

Mr. Cope explains how five-axis machining addresses these issues: “Since time is money in our industry, five-axis makes each part more profitable. It offsets the skills gap issue because you can do more with fewer machines, which means you won’t need to find as many skilled employees. The technology makes the process more efficient, which means shops increase productivity because they don’t waste time flipping parts. Making the transition to five-sided machining on a five-axis CNC also helps job shops respond effectively to pressure from customers because they can switch from one job to another quickly and efficiently. Basically, you can do more with less if you select the right five-axis CNC machine.”

The idea for the book came about as Mr. Cope was preparing for the Top Shops Conference, where he was asked to speak on behalf of Hurco about five-axis CNC machine and control technologies.