Mark Albert Editor Emeritus

Mark Albert is editor emeritus of Modern Machine Shop Magazine. Mark has written about metalworking for more than 35 years. Currently, his favorite topics are data-driven manufacturing and global competitiveness. Mark’s editorial activities have taken him to numerous countries in Europe and Asia as well as across the United States many times. He is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Indiana University (Bloomington, Indiana).

CAD/CAM

How Integrated CAD/CAM Transforms Inventions Into Products

The close connection between CAD and CAM is what links creative ideas to practical production for this unique custom manufacturer.

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Give Job Shop Digitalization a Customer Focus

Implementing the integrated digital technologies and automation that enhance the customer's experience should be a priority for job shops and contract manufacturers.

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Generating a Digital Twin in the CNC

New control technology captures critical data about a machining process and uses it to create a 3D graphical representation of the finished workpiece. This new type of digital twin helps relate machining results to machine performance, leading to better decisions on the shop floor.

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Aerospace

When a Lathe With Live Tooling Rivals a Multitasking Machine

This shop is working its way up to a full-fledged B-axis multitasking machine. Meanwhile, turning centers with a Y-axis and live tooling are doing just fine.

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Aerospace

The Strategic Value of Machine Tool Flexibility

This aerospace and defense supplier has a strategy to take advantage of the flexibility in its newest and largest five-axis gantry-type machining center.

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Five-Axis

Digital Twins Give CNC Machining a Head Start

Model-based manufacturing and the digital thread enable Sikorsky to reduce lead times by machining helicopter components before designs are finalized.

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X-Ray Part Scanning as a Dimensional Measurement Process

Data-driven manufacturing gets a boost with a new class of x-ray inspection equipment that outputs a digital twin of a machined part, including complete 3D representations of internal and external dimensions.

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Workshops for Warriors Is a Blueprint for Success

The founder of this training program for military veterans sees it as a pattern for rethinking assumptions and attitudes about the skills gap in U.S. manufacturing.

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Automation

The Case for Automatic Door Operation

Automatic door systems for stand-alone machine tools require periodic inspection and maintenance, but excel in environments with automation capability or frequent door use.

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Turning Tools

Shifting Toward Preparedness and Flexibility with Turning Tool for Steel

The pandemic has taught manufacturers to reevaluate their preparedness for unexpected and drastic market disruptions. A practical example from a cutting tool manufacturer may show the way.

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Let’s Finish Closing the Quoting Gap

Sharing accurate, timely and actionable data is the key to an effective, respectful relationship between a machining job shop and the subcontracting finishing shop. Software that streamlines the quoting process can make this happen.

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Mazak Takes Entry-Level Machine Tools to New Heights

A new machine series aims to address the immediate and longer term requirements of job shops by lowering cost barriers to acquiring manufacturing technology without foregoing capability or compromising performance.

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Horn USA