Kip Hanson

News • October 10, 2018 • Kip Hanson

The longest flight

The International Manufacturing Technology Show was great. It was fun to actually meet some of the people I've worked with over the past couple of years, plus there were the new machine tools, Industry 4.0 and industrial-internet-of-things technology, software systems, cutting tools, robots, metrology equipment and 3D printers. My dogs were killing me every night, but I wouldn't have missed it for anything. And Chicago—what a cool town. As the saying goes, I wouldn't want to live there, but it's a nice place to visit.

News • September 28, 2018 • Kip Hanson

Why Y?

Sept. 25 marked 39 years to the day since I first stood in front of a Hardinge hand screw, scratching my head over the knobs and handles and wondering what I'd gotten myself into. To say that machine tools have improved since then is like saying this year's computers are only slightly more powerful than those of a decade ago or that salted caramel ice cream is marginally more flavorful than vanilla. Today's machine tools rock.

News • September 21, 2018 • Kip Hanson

IMTS regrets

Despite my sore feet and the cold, overpriced sandwiches, I love the International Manufacturing Technology Show. The whine of the spindles, the smell of the coolant, the machine gun sound of the chips hitting the glass—these might not be the memories the exhibitors want me to carry home, but they stick with me the longest.

Articles • September 19, 2018 • Kip Hanson

Exploring mother machines

Kip Hanson delves into what it takes to make the machines that make machine parts.

Articles • September 6, 2018 • Kip Hanson

Innovative ways to grip the ungraspable

Workholding: Suppliers develop solutions for parts that are simply hard to hang on to.

News • August 31, 2018 • Kip Hanson

Poor attendance

I'm not a morning person. If it were up to me, all alarm clocks on Earth would be rounded up and smashed with a giant hammer, their electronic corpses left to rot in a landfill far, far away from my home in Tucson, Arizona. I'm not sure what people on other planets do about the whole alarm clock situation, but I assume they are more advanced than humans and therefore late sleepers like me. Unless my dad's predictions about the looming extraterrestrial invasion are accurate, however, we'll never know.

News • August 20, 2018 • Kip Hanson

Losing my religion, part two

A blade and knife manufacturer for the lumber industry suggested that it might have to close its plant in Michigan. The largest nail producer in the U.S. has laid off 60 workers and warns that it may be forced to move its factory to Mexico. A California cannery said its profit margins could drop by up to 70 percent over the coming months. A well-known motorcycle manufacturer said it's shifting some of its production to foreign countries. What is this financial crisis that's affecting so many manufacturing companies? In each case, the Trump administration's tariffs on steel and aluminum are said to be the culprit.

Articles • August 14, 2018 • Kip Hanson

Multi-spindle machines on rise

Auto industry interest puts machine tool builders back in twin and multi-spindle production.

Articles • August 8, 2018 • Kip Hanson

Machined parts shop’s formula for success

For TNT Custom Equipment Inc., adding machining to mix became a business necessity.

Articles • July 20, 2018 • Kip Hanson

Multitask lathes edge in on machining centers

Like their 5-axis machining center cousins, 5-axis multitask lathes are breaking the traditional part-processing rules and taking manufacturers in bold new directions.

Articles • July 12, 2018 • Kip Hanson

For this shop, it’s about more than making parts

Western Precision Products backs up its commitment to high-quality service and a top-notch customer experience by investing in the equipment and technology to get the job done.

News • June 20, 2018 • Kip Hanson

Metal Michelangelos

I've had a problem recently with our vertical blinds. The damn things keep breaking. Every few weeks, I'll find a vane lying on the ground after the tab at the top busts loose, sending the 6'-long hunk of plastic flying. I know when it happens because the dog runs and hides under the bed, whining like someone said "veterinarian."