Summer is upon us and, in most parts of the country, that means heat and humidity are on the rise. For CNC machine shops, increasing temperatures and humidity levels are more than a physical discomfort. They represent a real danger for the electronic components of machine tools, computers and other shop equipment.
Any parent knows the frustration of asking a child why he or she did something they don’t approve of and getting a lame excuse (quite often: “I don’t know”). How do we typically respond? By telling the child “That’s no excuse!” and insisting the behavior be corrected.
For those who have through tool coolant delivery systems on their CNC machines, keeping the coolant pins clean and functioning, and replacing them as needed should be part of your planned preventative maintenance program. However, some shops forget about these small items and the result can be costly.
A video production from Gosiger Automation & Fanuc demonstrates a production cell that uses a Fanuc M-10iA Robot positioned at the side of a Hardinge Super Precision T-Series Turning Center, so the robot does not interfere with access to the machine tool. This is a unique configuration as the robot must reach around the machine to load and unload the workpiece.
Dayton, OH – Okuma machine tool distributor Morris South works with customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia to help improve manufacturing performance and solve production problems. When the best customer solution involves robotic-based automation, they turn to the Automation Division of fellow Okuma dealer Gosiger, Inc. (Dayton, OH).
Many CNC machine shops are looking for new markets to serve, new parts to make and new opportunities to grow their business. However, much of these opportunities hinge on the shop’s ability to perform increasingly more precise and complex machining operations at competitive prices. Additionally, many customers require shorter runs, the ability to handle large part families and the flexibility to produce a variety of parts. For machine shops that have long relied on vertical machining centers (VMC), it may be time to consider the advantages of a horizontal machining center (HMC).
Most business people rely heavily on their smartphones and tablets to help manage their personal and business lives. Which means that we use these devices to transact banking business, make travel plans, send and receive emails, access the Internet and social media sites and even transfer CAD drawings and other customer information. So anyone who gets their hands on the phone, itself, or hacks their way in has access to data that can cause us a world of hurt, as anyone who’s had a brush with identity theft or industrial espionage will tell you.
How do you go about training new workers on shop procedures, or introducing new procedures to existing employees? If you’re like many shops, you rely on more experienced employees to train others. Although this may be effective in some cases, it usually ties up valuable people and takes far longer than it should. A more cost-effective method is to document procedures on paper or electronically so they can be easily passed along multiple times, thus reducing the manpower involved.
Thanks to tougher state and pending federal regulations, if you machine brass parts that will be used to deliver potable water you are either preparing to or already in the process of machining these parts from no-lead brass. Moreover, it’s expected that in the near future lead will no longer be used in any ferrous or non-ferrous alloys. So CNC machine shops that traditionally work with leaded brass face new challenges as they switch to unleaded material.