General Machining & Manufacturing Processes

Plenty of companies need specific machining done. For some, the best bet is to buy machines and work in-house. But that actually can cause turnaround to slow down. When you have to maintain machines that are expensive, large and difficult to manage, production can hit a snag out of the blue. When production stalls, consumers and clients can grow impatient. That's why you may want to take a different path. Companies that don't want to deal with the hassles that come with machining in-house can benefit by sending jobs to a CNC machine shop.

A comprehensive range of adjustable machine leveling feet is available from WDS Component Parts. With a wide range of sizes and styles to suit most application demands, the range also include nickel-plated designs for added corrosion protection.

From Vektek LLC, the TuffLink 360 degree adjustable link clamp provides full rotational lever positioning around a mounting flange.

Titanox Power endmills from YG-1 USA are for machining titanium, stainless steel, alloy steel and nickel-base alloys.

The Pentacut HP Jet line from Iscar Metals Inc. combines the cost-effective Pentacut—which can be used in multifunction applications, including grooving, parting, recessing and chamfering—with innovative high-pressure coolant technology.

Through its Cleveland brand, Greenfield Industries Inc. offers 4- and 5-flute, variable-index carbide endmills for difficult-to-machine applications. Tools are available from 1/8" (3.175mm) to 1" (25.4mm) with a square end or various radii.

Although millions of manufacturing jobs may need to be filled in the years to come as baby boomers continue to retire, many manufacturers already struggle with unfilled positions. One efficient way to combat the problem is by improving company websites, said Claudia Pennington, co-founder and CEO of DIY Marketing, Marietta, Pa.

Every day, it happens. Someone from Houston calls, or maybe San Francisco, peddling precision-machined parts from China. Then there are the emails from people with fake names—like Lily, Annie and Susan—overflowing my inbox with offers of low part costs and excellent service. Please, China, I don't want to buy machined parts from you. No metal stampings. No plastic injection molds or 3D-printed prototypes. And at the risk of offending those who do, you shouldn't either.

ABCO Automation Inc. announces the availability of Stingray, a robust, low-profile modular belt conveyor that employs micropitch plastic belts. Just as its name suggests, Stingray is powerful, yet gentle. This heavy-duty stainless-steel conveyor provides reliable product transfer, smooth transitions and product accumulation, making it suitable for delicate, small footprint or unstable products that may be damaged by a conventional conveyor.

Politics weighs more heavily on foreign companies in China than it has in nearly three decades, writes Joe McDonald, an Associated Press business writer. "The latest flashpoint was Beijing's fury last week at hotel keeper Marriott and other companies that labeled self-ruled Taiwan a country on websites or customer materials. But companies face pressure on many sides from President Xi Jinping's more nationalistic stance and twin campaigns to tighten the ruling Communist Party's political control and have it play a direct role in business."

Why shop locally for CNC machined parts? Cam Machine says they are better, from delivery/pickup speed and part quality to the support of local businesses and the ability to have firsthand knowledge of work.

Implementing a safety management system is no small task. Because safety is highly cross-functional, you will need buy-in and support from the full business, as well as dedicated time and resources to develop a plan.