EMAIL CHRIS

Clean and Be Seen

Most shops I visit have a parts cleaning operation. Customers increasingly demand clean, burr-free and dry parts from their suppliers and go so far as to write those demands into the specification. However, many shops seem to place a lower priority on their cleaning operations by under-investing in available technology. Perhaps this is because parts cleaning is considered a cost—a non-value added operation. But so is measurement and inspection, which ironically can often be found in “clean” rooms. This is not true for parts cleaning. Generally, the aqueous, degreaser or ultrasonic equipment is tucked away in a far back corner of the shop. I have encountered some shops that have begun to realize consistently meeting clean part specs for their customers makes sense, and by reducing returns is indeed a value add.
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   EMAIL CHRIS

Online Tools Improve Customer Satisfaction

As companies look to provide the best service possible to their customers, much attention should be given to convenience. Streamlining processes through ease of operation can make a big difference when operating a machine tool. It can also increase customer satisfaction in the buying process.

ATS Systems, supplier of machine tool accessories for automation and workholding, recently added e-commerce solutions to its Web site that help reduce costs and improve customer satisfaction.

With input from customers, the company found that its sales and support process was somewhat disconnected, and therefore not as efficient as it could be. Customers wanted self-service capabilities that allowed instant access to information about ATS’ products, along with simpler methods for capturing and fulfilling orders.
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Micro-Drilling Calls for Considerations

“Tiny” usually comes to mind when the term “micro” is used. So it is easy to assume that micromachining equates to operations performed on very small parts found in the medical and electronics manufacturing industries. However, this isn’t always the case. Many large workpieces require very small features that can only be accomplished by micromachining techniques.

Jack Burley, VP of sales and engineering at Big Kaiser, says Sphinx (a product line distributed by Big Kaiser) defines micro-drilling with a starting diameter of 0.05 mm (0.002 inch) and ranging to 2.5 mm (0.10 inch). This very small drilling requires a machine tool that has very high sensitivity and fine resolution in the feed axis. Machines must also have very precise spindles capable of high speed rotation with low dynamic runout.
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