#BASICS

Parts Cleaning

Cleaning Tips for Beginners

PCx showed that some shops are using patchwork cleaning processes.
#basics

A German Approach to Training

Have you ever wondered what Europeans are doing right to generate strong interest in manufacturing careers? Our June Last Word contributor got a first-hand look at the German approach and has some interesting thoughts on how to apply the Germans' strategies.
#basics #workforcedevelopment

Workholding

Precision Workholding Delivers Accuracy and Production Capabilities

Holding the workpiece precisely is becoming an integral aspect of the machining process. It's more than presenting the blank to the cutter; it also includes repeatability from blank to blank.
#basics

How to Contribute to the Magazine

We often are asked, “How can I get editorial coverage in Production Machining?” Stories about shops and technology are the life blood of our magazine. To answer that question, we created a Contributor's Guide for submitting materials for publication.
#basics

The Basics Never Get Old

“Bar Feeder Basics” gives the reader some factors that should be considered when justifying a bar feeder for a shop’s turning operations.
#basics

Timely Customer Service Tips for the New Year

As the new year dawns, take a moment to consider your company’s approach to maintaining its most important asset: its customers.
#basics

Parts Cleaning

Understanding the Vacuum Cycling Nucleation Process

VCN can offer enhanced surface treatment performance in both aqueous and solvent applications.
#basics

Ductility as Measured by Tensile Testing

In this article, I will describe how to measure ductility and use it to predict behavior based on values reported on certs and test reports.
#basics

Turning Machines

Programming is Key for Vertical Multitasking

This article looks at applying multitasking machines in efficient and productive ways. Moreover, it looks at how to best program the multiple operations in a sequence that optimizes production.
#basics

Cutting Tools

Tools and Technologies for Deep Hole Drilling

Understanding the challenges of deep hole drilling and knowing how to select and apply the appropriate tools will help a shop profit from this operation.
#basics

I'm Still Learning After All These Years

I've had to learn how to defy my training and write in a less formal way.
#basics

What are you Thankful For?

I'm thankful for the opportunity to contribute to articles that are particularly rewarding because of their popularity with readers. "Bar Feeder Basics" from our October issue is a good example.
#basics

Cutting Tools

When Thread Milling Makes Sense

Threading a workpiece is a fundamental metalworking process that every manufacturing engineer takes for granted.
#basics

Automation

Fast ROI Convinces Shop to Add Robotic Automation

“If we get a job that requires a process we don’t normally do, we have very few other shops in the area we can call on, so we figure out how to do it ourselves. This often means adding new technology,” says Cody Dolce, owner of Glacier Tool & Die.
#basics

Efficient Inspection on the Shop Floor

While sometimes a nuisance, inspecting machined parts is a critical function in the machine shop. Here are a few different looks at how to choose the most suitable inspection process for a given application.
#basics

Understanding Thread Whirling with a Broken Hip

Every day, injured folks benefit from bone screws machined by thread whirling.
#basics

Workholding

Subspindle Workholding Options

The advent of subspindle turning operations has impacted throughput for many shops. Understanding workholding options available for backworking can help a shop make better decisions when specifying how to hold parts for op. 20.
#basics

Reasons Why Steel is Vacuum Treated

Vacuum treated (vacuum degassed) steel is used for critical applications that require steel with an exceptionally high degree of structural uniformity, internal soundness, and other characteristics that may be impaired by the effects of uncontrolled amounts of dissolved gases.
#basics

Swiss-Types

Consolidating Operations with Swiss-Type Machines

This Ohio shop is learning about Swiss-type machines and finding how to blend the production advantages they bring into a smooth workflow. Machining parts complete in a single handling is one big advantage and a throughput goal for this shop.
#basics

Medical Machining Challenges and Solutions

This medical shop has run into several challenges, but has discovered how to work around them.
#basics