Finding qualified CNC machine operators and other manufacturing personnel today can be challenging and raises questions about future workforce availability. One solution, of course, is to work with local schools to encourage students to consider a career in manufacturing and point them toward appropriate educational opportunities.
Thanks to a new programming option called Turn-Cut, users of Okuma Horizontal Machining Centers (HMC) can now avoid buying expensive special purpose machines, tooling, fixtures and other add-ons to perform turning operations on large, unbalanced parts. With it you can create bores and diameters including circular and angular features. The system is especially useful for working on valves and manifold-type parts.
In this Gosiger produced video, a Fanuc M-16iB robot unloads and stacks precision aluminum parts. The work cell is designed for long periods of unattended operation of the Okuma sub-spindle lathe that is fed 12’ bar stock by an automatic, magazine bar feeder. The Fanuc robot gripper carefully unloads the parts because the robot is programmed to apply the optimum amount of pressure. This ensures that the highly precise aluminum parts will not be damaged or distorted when removed and placed in the outgoing conveyor.
Dayton, OH – Machine Tool Distributor and Automation Systems Integrator Gosiger, Inc. has developed a new product to enable Okuma CNC machine users to seamlessly integrate a variety of peripheral devices such as bar feeders, high-pressure coolant systems, hydraulically activated fixtures and steady rests through one interface to the machine’s OSP 200 and above control.
This video explains how a Gosiger-developed aftermarket steady rest interface with an integrated operator control panel allows the CNC machine operator to control and monitor the steady rest, and provides program setup without switching screens.
No CNC shop owner or manager wants to impede production with unnecessary meetings. However, if properly conducted, purposeful meetings can actually have a positive effect on productivity and employee morale. With a little advance planning and by establishing a few ground rules up front, you can conduct more effective meetings. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
If you don’t have experience machining aluminum alloys but you’d like to expand your capabilities to solicit work from aerospace companies, here are a few points to consider:
Most of us enjoy knowing that those we report to value the work that we do. It makes us feel worthwhile and respected. And because we all have different personalities, some of us may need to hear these words of appreciation more often than others. However, if the only time employees hear they are doing a good job is during their annual performance reviews, it’s a safe bet morale isn’t everything it could be. So step one for any manager who wants to motivate his or her employees to operate at peak performance, is to make it a habit to praise them whenever the opportunity presents itself.
For many years advances in metalworking manufacturing technology centered on increasing throughput and reducing cycle times through faster spindle speeds and feed rates, improved tooling, and the emergence of multi-function CNC machining centers. Today, these factors are taken for granted as ongoing improvements in machine tool performance are expected. The current trends in technology focus less on the machine tools themselves, and more on other aspects of the manufacturing process. Here are some of the more prominent trends we see: