Nov 7

Nov 7 Workflow in the Shop - What it Takes to Make CNC Lathe Parts

CNC Machining, CNC Programming, Engineer, Machining, Machinist, Manufacturing, Manufacturing Engineer, Manufacturing Engineers, Professional Engineer

The workflow varies from shop to shop, but we will breakdown what it might take to process a CNC lathe part.

Oct 30

Oct 30 Spartan Manufacturing - A Student Run Business

Matthew Schowalter, CMfgT

Machining, Machinist, Technical Education

Spartan Manufacturing in the School District of Superior Wisconsin is on a mission to expose students to industry and the trades in their area, and to better represent all the post high school options available to students at Superior High School. They want to remove the stigma of a two-year technical degree or an apprenticeship program.

Oct 27

Oct 27 7 Habits of Highly Effective Machine Shops

Paul Van Metre

CNC Machining, Machining, Machinist, Manufacturing

The machining industry has thousands of CNC machine shops. Many of them struggle to stay profitable and deliver on their promises, and as a result, don’t grow as fast as they want to. A small number of shops are highly effective and grow faster than the rest and go on to have amazing results. I’ve talked with thousands of machine shops around the world and seen the common themes, and of course, with our own experience growing a shop from $0 to $12M in revenue, we have a few thoughts to share today. There are many more effective habits that are also important, but here are the most important habits we’ve seen over the years.

Oct 17

Oct 17 Introducing the Younger Generation to Manufacturing

Matthew Schowalter, CMfgT

CNC Machining, Machining, Machinist, Manufacturing

Adapting to the worker shortage in manufacturing is difficult. Some shops may choose to search more aggressively for employees, while others might invest in technology that helps streamline the manufacturing processes. Then there are other manufacturing facilities that may buy another machine shop to gain capabilities. Those are all ways to overcome the worker shortage, but this article will focus on how to introduce manufacturing to the younger generation to help fix the worker shortage.

Oct 13

Oct 13 A Tech Ed Program That Teaches Professionalism

Matthew Schowalter, CMfgT

Machining, Machinist, Manufacturing, Soft Skills, Technical Education

I recently had an opportunity to work with the technical education program at Eleva-Strum School District in Wisconsin. The project that I had for the students was to modify a few parts for a mechanical clock. It was an amazing experience to be greeted at the door by a student and the student gave me a great handshake. The technical education class teaches these soft skills to the students, starting in seventh grade.

Oct 10

Oct 10 Why Become a Machinist?

Matthew Schowalter, CMfgT

CNC Machining, Machining, Machinist, Manufacturing

The machinist’s role is to setup advanced CNC machines and monitor the cutting conditions as the machine makes parts. As the machinist makes the parts, they inspect the parts with inspection tools and adjust the CNC parameters to achieve a conforming part that is within specifications.

Sep 27

Sep 27 Creating More Student-Run Businesses in Schools

Matthew Schowalter, CMfgT

Machining, Machinist, Manufacturing, Soft Skills, Technical Education

Cardinal Manufacturing in the Eleva-Strum School District in Wisconsin is a student-run manufacturing business that has repair services, welding services, woodworking services, machining services, design services, and 3D printing services.

Sep 26

Sep 26 How Manufacturers and Schools Can Work Together

Matthew Schowalter, CMfgT

Collaboration, Machining, Machinist, Manufacturing, Worker Shortage

With the shortage of manufacturing workers in the United States we must start to investigate the situation closer to fill the jobs of today and tomorrow. Besides the worker compensation, benefits, work environment, and career development topics that may influence career decisions in manufacturing, we should now look closer into the following topics.

Sep 12

Sep 12 Building Solid Employability Skills in a School Program

Matthew Schowalter, CMfgT

Machining, Manufacturing, Technical Education

A few years ago, I learned about the Cardinal Manufacturing business in Eleva-Strum High School in Wisconsin. I was invited to attend their workshop on how they built their program in their technical education department. It was such an inspiration to hear how engaged the students were and how they were learning solid employability skills.

Sep 10

Sep 10 Connecting a Cobot to a Vintage CNC Mill

Matthew Schowalter, CMfgT

CNC Machining, Cobot, Machining, Manufacturing

A cobot can add a lot of value to the manufacturing process in a machine shop. It can increase the productivity of the CNC machine, while also contributing to process accuracy and consistency. Cobots can be easy to program and are safe to use.

Aug 21

Aug 21 Machining Terms to Know

Matthew Schowalter, CMfgT

CNC Machining, CNC Programming, Machining, Machinist, Manufacturing

There are many terms to know and understand in the machining industry. If you are just getting started in the industry, we have designed this list to better prepare you for the job.

Aug 15

Aug 15 We Can Solve the Skilled Manufacturing Worker Shortage

Matthew Schowalter, CMfgT

Apprenticeship, CNC Machining, CNC Programming, Machining, Manufacturing, Soft Skills, Worker Shortage

Over the last 5 years, I have been observing the manufacturing industry worker shortage. The drastic change that I have seen over my 24-year career is alarming. While most industries change over time, I believe the changes that are happening to manufacturing are more than that. We are in a worker shortage crisis.

Aug 12

Aug 12 Which Machine Shop is for Me?

Bethmarie Leannah Simons

CNC Machining, CNC Programming, Interview Questions, Machining, Machining Interview, Machining Questions, Machinist, Machinist Interview

So, you have finished your education, either in high school or post-secondary trade school or both, and you are ready to find that machine shop meant for you. Many people do not take compatibility into consideration when completing their job search, but they should.

Jun 23

Jun 23 Fifteen Parameters to Be Considered for Lathe Machined Parts

Matthew Schowalter, CMfgT

CNC Machining, CNC Programming, Machining, Machinist, Manufacturing

There are fifteen parameters to be considered when analyzing a new part to be made in a CNC lathe. While this may seem like a lot of considerations, if you examine a part properly you will be successful in its implementation. Here are the parameters to consider and the questions to ask:

Jun 18

Jun 18 12 Ways to Collaborate Within the Community About Manufacturing

Matthew Schowalter, CMfgT

CNC Machining, Collaboration, Machining, Machinist, Worker Shortage

Communication and collaboration are important in the manufacturing industry. If we want to grow the industry, we need to keep up on the communication and collaboration. We must Communicate, Collaborate, and Connect and do it on a Consistent basis.