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U.S. Manufacturing Remains a Viable Global Force

For this month’s e-newsletter, I’ve attached an article that came across my desk that I think you will find interesting. In it, Dr. Chris Kuehl discusses the role of U.S. manufacturing in the global economy, and how the role of labor in U.S. manufacturing has and continues to change. This new reality has political and academic consequences that are just now being recognized.
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Speaking of Precision

When considering solutions to our manufacturing needs, we of course look at the machines and equipment that can help us to do our jobs better. We also need to give strong consideration to the processes themselves that make everything run like a well-oiled machine. In fact, even when a shop knows it can do better, knowing where to turn for ideas isn’t always as clear.

That’s where organizations such as the Precision Machined Products Association come in. Member companies—precision machining job shops and suppliers—meet on a regular basis to exchange ideas about business and production solutions that, in turn, help each other become more profitable. And now the organization has an online meeting place where these ideas can be free-flowing without limitation.

The PMPA blog is a way for the organization to facilitate the transfer of important knowledge throughout the shop floor, as well as in the purchasing and engineering departments of its customers. READ MORE

Tool Monitoring: A Must for ‘Lights Out’

Untended, lights-out manufacturing is often the goal for machine shops. To do this effectively, while producing quality parts, a reliable monitoring system must be in place to prevent tool crashing and breakage and ensure proper part transfer.

One company used free space monitoring after experiencing several tool crashes on its CNC lathe and paying $100 per crash. This monitoring system can be used in reverse logic, where an unobstructed space is allowed to be the accepted condition, while an obstructed space will generate a fault. This feature is useful for part ejection, especially for CNC lathes with a subspindle. This feature is useful for part ejection, especially for CNC lathes with a subspindle.
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