Columns

Basics

10 Reasons Why Machine Shops Vary So Much in Quoted Pricing

Many factors explain the potential 10X variation in different shops’ bids for the same machining work.

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Basics

After the Build Is Done Why Do the Bills Keep Coming?

When your additively manufactured part is done printing, you just pull it out of the machine and start using it, right? Not even close.

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Basics

The Art of Submicron Measurements

Special attention must be paid to the selection of the gage and readout as well as to mastering.

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How to Deal with Complexities That Affect Worker Skill Levels

The goal must be to keep tasks as simple as possible for those who perform them.

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Why Does My AM Part Cost So Much?

The machine, the facility and the material are just three costs behind the price tag.

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Float Your Air Plugs for Easy Part Alignment

One way to design clearance forgiveness into an air plug is to enable some float.

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A Benefit of Additive Manufacturing: No Tooling Is Required

Manufacturers need to understand the cost curves in regard to “conventional” manufacturing practices and those of additive manufacturing.

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Iscar Leader Describes Tool Technology for Machine Shops Acting on Data

As more sophisticated insight into machining performance reveals opportunities for efficiency gain, the value of tooling choices that save time will become increasingly clear.

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Latest Phase of Outsourcing Favors U.S. Suppliers

An expert with a view from both sides of the OEM/supplier divide sees the narrowing of this divide as one of the major positives favoring manufacturing in the United States.

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CNC Tech Talks

3D Printers: Using CNC Machines to Adapt Through Similarities

By thinking of 3D printers like any other CNC machine, users can find it easier to adapt to the technology.

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A.I. Will Become Our Inventor

We know how to engineer automation, but can we automate engineering? This possibility is nearer than we might expect, and it will have implications for manufacturing. 

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