Selecting the right source for components can save your mold design and building team significant time, labor and expense in almost every facet of the process—from design and development to manufacture and assembly. Finding the right working partner can ease the burden by shortening the design phase, streamlining workflow efficiency, ramping up productivity and speeding [...]
In many instances, configurable components may be available with optional alterations that can be specified when ordering. In other cases—where you might need to have standard items machined for a single or multiple cavity production tools—the supplier may be able to offer this service at a small additional charge. […]
Choosing an online course, so employees can take it at their own pace can be vital to retaining the knowledge long-term. They will need to build on their knowledge; otherwise it is limiting their potential. An online course should make every single machinist an expert in their trade. Every machinist should have a basic knowledge [...]
Needs analysis can be assessed in two ways: knowledge needs and skill needs. A knowledge needs assessment can be done informally by simply asking questions of your machinists that consist of what you consider to be the requisite knowledge they should have to do their job. […]
a manufacturing plant that produced gasoline fuel dispensing systems—during which we toured the plant floor with a small group of engineers and managers. we stopped in front of a punch press, asked everyone to look at the operation and determine the percentage of value adding time (time when materials are being converted, altered by either [...]
Lean manufacturing is operating your facilities with the least amount of waste at the highest state of efficiency with the least amount of investment and the lowest number of employees, the highest state of quality, the shortest timeline from order to delivery of the finished products, that you neither over nor under produce, and that [...]
This component refers to the programmers and their available options. Clearly, the software (CAD/CAM) available to the user dictates many of the programming variables from which they can choose. While an excellent software package will create various avenues to machining a part, poor software can limit machining options drastically and prevent the programmers from getting [...]
This component includes both the toolholders and the cutting tools where certain standards must be taken into account in order to be successful in HSM applications. The specified standards pertain to balance, concentricity and spindle connections. […]
Step One – Setup the first step a moldmaker must take to machine at high speeds without having to purchase a fancy piece of equipment is to reduce setup time. “Everybody can do it and it doesn’t cost anything,You have to go in stages. […]
Grinding technology has advanced significantly during the past 25 years. Unfortunately, the great majority of the machine tool industry has not kept up with those advances and has fed the industry with poor, lackluster designs that will not allow the new technologies to be exploited to their fullest potential. […]