FEATURES

Tooling

Broaching On A Lathe

Producing a keyway, spline or similar longitudinal feature on a turned part usually necessitates an additional, time-consuming, secondary operation on a broaching or slotting machine. That means moving the part to and from a secondary operation, an extra setup, additional labor and hourly machine costs and all of the other headaches that go with secondary operations.

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Choosing the Right Buy-Sell Agreement

There are two types of business continuation agreements: cross purchase agreement and stock redemption. Knowing the ins and outs and advantages of each will help a company choose the most appropriate agreement.

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Transfer Machines

Closing The CNC Price Gap

Applying CNC technology to the manufacturing of precision parts is generally accepted as a premium that one must pay for the advantages over conventional actuation systems. Increasingly, however, the gap is narrowing as economies of scale for producing CNC equipped machine tools are incorporated in the unit price of a given machine. In other words, spreading the costs of manufacturing over a larger base of installations will reduce the price of each machine.

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Globalization And How It Affects Manufacturers

Like many of you manufacturers, I have been following the transformation of manufacturing and the world economy for the past several years. We all recognize that globalization has radically impacted the competitive balance of our businesses. And, most acknowledge that this issue is the single greatest challenge we must confront to ensure continued prosperity for our industry.

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Increasing The Value Of Your Most Important Asset

Investing in employee training pays big dividends at this Chicago area screw machine shop.

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NIMS Certification Growing Rapidly

The day is coming when automakers and other major manufacturers that purchase precision machined products will base their procurement decisions, in part, on whether a company and its employees are certified and credentialed by the National Institute of Metalworking Skills (NIMS). The movement is already underway, according to Steve Mandes, NIMS executive director.

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Parts Magnify The Importance Of Lean Setups

Lean setups are not “magic.” They are the result of a logical process. Lean setups are neither smoke nor mirrors. But, like the clever handout used by AMT Machine Systems to make the point during its showfloor demonstration, lean setups can be a lens to magnify the dollar value of the time saved by implementing lean thinking in your operations.

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PM News: Hardinge Inc.

Hardinge Inc. (Elmira, New York) has a new Web site that is solely dedicated to hard turning technology. It is appropriate for both beginning and experienced machinists who want to learn more.

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Automation & Robots

What Is The Best Bar Feed System For Production Turning?

Selecting the right bar feeder can be one of the most important decisions a shop can make. Bar feed systems help improve productivity, throughput and quality, but in order to achieve the most benefit from them it is essential that a bar feed system be matched to the particular needs of the turning operation.

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