We all know the problem: Manufacturing, especially CNC machining, requires a different set of skills and talents than in the past, and it’s become a challenge to find capable employees. Good, experienced machinists have jobs or can easily find a new one if necessary. That means that the available pool of candidates will most likely need some training before they become productive.
There are some obvious reasons to avoid permanently marking the parts you machine, including equipment cost and adding another step to a manufacturing process. These may be valid reasons if the parts you are making are low-cost commodity items or ones that have no possibility of causing a product failure. However, if the parts you produce fall outside of those parameters, you should give serious thought to encoding them with identifying information for 3 good reasons:
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:
Robotic automation is transforming modern manufacturing by eliminating repetitive, labor-intensive functions thus freeing machine operators to concentrate on programming, setup and other important tasks. As a result, they enable manufacturers to be more productive and competitive. Here are a few facts about industrial robots you may not be aware of.
One of the most useful tools CNC machine shops have for reducing costs and improving performance is a concept called Value Stream Mapping. Typically used by companies who wish to implement Lean Manufacturing, Value Stream Mapping is a way to identify and analyze all of the activities involved in delivering a product or service to the customer. For CNC machine operations this could be anything from a single part to a complete product.