#BASICS

Measurement

How to Evaluate Measurement Uncertainty

Manufacturing and measurement are closely coupled. An important consideration for the use of measurement results is the associated measurement uncertainty. This article describes common metrology terms and provides an example uncertainty analysis.

Tony Schmitz
Professor, University of Tennessee, Knoxville | Joint Faculty, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Workholding

Custom Workholding Principles to Live By

Workholding solutions can take on infinite forms and all would be correct to some degree. Follow these tips to help optimize custom workholding solutions.

Tips for Investing Intelligently When Upgrading a Shop on a Budget

Working on a tight budget is not easy, but these tips can help you make the most of your free capital.

Measurement

How to Calibrate Gages and Certify Calibration Programs

Tips for establishing and maintaining a regular gage calibration program.

Cutting Tools

Selecting a Thread Mill That Matches Your Needs

Threading tools with the flexibility to thread a broad variety of holes provide the agility many shops need to stay competitive. They may be the only solution for many difficult materials.

Automation

4 Steps to a Cobot Culture: How Thyssenkrupp Bilstein Has Answered Staffing Shortages With Economical Automation

Safe, economical automation using collaborative robots can transform a manufacturing facility and overcome staffing shortfalls, but it takes additional investment and a systemized approach to automation in order to realize this change.

What are Harmonics in Milling?

Milling-force harmonics always exist. Understanding the source of milling harmonics and their relationship to vibration can help improve parameter selection.

Shop Management Software

6 Machine Shop Essentials to Stay Competitive

If you want to streamline production and be competitive in the industry, you will need far more than a standard three-axis CNC mill or two-axis CNC lathe and a few measuring tools.

Udo Jahn
General Manager, Modern Engineering

How to Pass the Job Interview as an Employer

Job interviews are a two-way street. Follow these tips to make a good impression on your potential future workforce.

How to Optimize Operator Efficiency on Any Shop Floor

Striking the perfect balance of person to machine is unique to each shop and can depend on a number of factors, including the type of work a shop undertakes, the available equipment, staffing levels, scheduling and more.

Measurement

How to Choose the Correct Measuring Tool for Any Application

There are many options to choose from when deciding on a dimensional measurement tool. Consider these application-based factors when selecting a measurement solution.

Additive Manufacturing

Go Digital: How to Succeed in the Fourth Industrial Revolution With Additive Manufacturing

The digitalization of manufacturing is set to transform production and global supply chains as we know them, and additive manufacturing has been leading the way in many industries.

Speeding Up Splines

Moving small- to medium-batch production from outsourced, dedicated hobbing operations to in-house, CNC multitasking machines helps job shops achieve quick turnarounds and flexibility in supplying splines for the heavy-vehicle industry. Inserted disc cutters make this transition possible.

Medical

4 Ways 3D Printing Is Changing Medical Implants

Additive manufacturing provides new ways of making medical implants, but its impact is greater than this. How 3D printing is changing medical manufacturing and improving patient outcomes.

Measurement

How to Choose the Correct Fixed-Body Plug Gaging Solution

The two types of fixed-body plug gages are both accurate, fast and easy to use. Consider these factors when selecting one for your gaging application.

George Schuetz
Director of Precision Gages, Mahr Inc.

Automation

Made in the USA - Season 1 Episode 2: The Automation Puzzle

There is a fundamental question we need to answer when we talk about automation: To what extent is automation an answer to the skilled workforce shortage, and to what extent is automation vs. Skilled labor the wrong comparison to make in the first place?

Grinding

10 Things to Know About Creep-Feed Grinding

Because of the high material removal rate creep-feed grinding can deliver in challenging materials, grinding might not be just the last step in the process—it might be the process.

CNC & Machine Controls

7 CNC Parameters You Should Know

Parameters tell the CNC every little detail about the specific machine tool being used, and how all CNC features and functions are to be utilized.

Turning Machines

How to Start a Swiss Machining Department From Scratch

When Shamrock Precision needed to cut production time of its bread-and-butter parts in half, it turned to a new type of machine tool and a new CAM system. Here’s how the company succeeded, despite the newness of it all.

8 Ways to Increase Productivity on the Manufacturing Floor

When it comes to machine shop productivity, continuous improvement depends on efficient employees, equipment and processes.

Space-saving Right-angle Solution for High-power Applications

New MIXO connector modules are designed to minimize space installation requirements.

Measurement

Rethink Quality Control to Increase Productivity, Decrease Scrap

Verifying parts is essential to documenting quality, and there are a few best practices that can make the quality control process more efficient.

Udo Jahn
General Manager, Modern Engineering

Five-Axis

Choosing a Five-Axis Machine Tool With Automation in Mind

While much focus is placed on the machinery that moves parts, the features most important for automating five-axis machining are arguably found in the machine tool itself.

Five Areas of CNC Machining to Simplify With G Code

Optimizing G code to make CNC setup and operation simpler is a great way to improve CNC productivity and sometimes prevent errors.

Milling Tools

10 Tips for Titanium

Simple process considerations can increase your productivity in milling titanium alloys.

5 Tips for You To Get the Most From IMTS

Plan, explore, think of the future: Here is how to get the most from the major manufacturing event that none of us have experienced in four years, and that many will be experiencing for the first time.

Measurement

A Case for Combining Workholding with Optical Scanning

Automotive dies and die inserts are often complex, one-off parts with little room for error. Integrity Tool's investments in modular workholding tools and 3D optical scanning have allowed the company to create niche capabilities for its CNC machined parts.

How to Drill Holes With a Right-Angle Head

Drilling with a right-angle head in a machining center spindle can be tricky – doubly so if the hole must be peck-drilled. A custom macro and careful attention to positioning help ensure smooth production.

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