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Produce parts faster without investing in additional fixturing. Efficiently reprogram the parts with the company's CAM software after moving part production to a multitask lathe.

Achieve tight-tolerance requirements when producing microtools. Grinding machines designed to produce microtools.

Overcoming a bottleneck caused when programming different machine tools with various CAD/CAM systems. A single CAD/CAM system that can program multiple machine brands.

My recent past has, unfortunately, included the passing away of several acquaintances, one only 38 years old. I also read an obituary in the local paper about a machinist we formerly employed, a man only in his 50s.r In addition, an employee's wife was diagnosed with cancer, completely changing his priorities.

Several weeks ago, my wife and I attended a dinner party at her sister's home. One of the guests heard I was in manufacturing and introduced himself. He's 48, married and has five children and a mortgage. He's a pleasant individual, and we spoke about his trials and tribulations over the last few years.

Real-time measurements during metalcutting can offer significant insight into machine tool performance. The parameters to be measured include position, velocity and acceleration of the axes; cutting force; sound; temperature; and acoustic emission, which is not the same as sound, but rather a high-frequency, structure-borne vibration.

A pump on a waterjet machine generates the high-pressure water needed for cutting by taking low-pressure water into a cylinder, compressing the water with a plunger and then pushing the high-pressure water out of the cylinder.

Thermal compensation of a coordinate measuring machine's principle structural components and the part being measured helps ensure measuring accuracy over an extended temperature range when the CMM is installed outside of a temperature-controlled area. Such a temperature-compensation system is comprised of temperature sensors and cabling running through the machine to its controller.

One fond memory from my long-ago youth was playing Rock'Em, Sock'Em Robots with my next-door neighbor. My parents wouldn't get me the game, for reasons I forget, but my friend Ronnie, who always got the latest, greatest games and toys, had a brand-new version.

As someone who visits job shops and manufacturers almost daily, I know why some are thriving, while others struggle. The ones that are thriving have invested and continue to invest in equipment, software, training and consulting services. Those struggling often say, "I would invest more in these areas, but I can't afford them because my competitors keep underbidding me.

All metals are not created equal. Therefore, neither are the machine tools for cutting them. Parts for extreme aerospace applications, such as in engines, landing gear and flap tracks, must be made of a heat- and corrosion-resistant metal, which typically has a high Young's modulus of elasticity and is difficult to machine.

The process of displacing metal instead of cutting it is called many things. But whether they call it form tapping, cold form tapping, thread forming, cold roll forming, roll forming, thread rolling, roll tapping or cold roll tapping, many metalworking professionals are unfamiliar with it, according to Peter Gennuso, applications engineering supervisor for OSG Tap & Die Inc., Glendale Heights, Ill.