Oct 27

Oct 27 7 Habits of Highly Effective Machine Shops

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.

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 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.

Jun 11

Jun 11 Machining a Great Career Path - The Steps to Success in Manufacturing Technology

Matthew Schowalter, CMfgT

CNC Machining, CNC Programming, Machining, Machinist, Manufacturing

When you ask what machining means to me, I could go on for hours with stories about how I made complex parts on machines that are even more complicated than the parts themselves. Machining is by far more interesting than what most people know. From the challenges of implementing new complex equipment in the shop, to CNC programming, or even making complex parts in one setup. It is a career choice that most do not know how advanced it can be, especially the machining of today. Now, we can make parts in one setup that were once made in many setups on multiple pieces of equipment over a long-time frame. My career is a success story in manufacturing technology as I have embraced the technology of today and here is how I made it happen with six simple steps in career success.

May 20

May 20 CNC Machining Process Planning - 25 Considerations

Matthew Schowalter, CMfgT

CNC Machining, CNC Programming, Machining, Machinist

When planning a CNC machining process there are many considerations and options to choose. From cutting tool selection to cutting parameters, the choices have a major effect on the end results. Here is what it might take to define a CNC toolpath:

May 10

May 10 17 Reasons to Upgrade Your Shop Floor to Paperless Manufacturing

Matthew Schowalter, CMfgT

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

When people hear the term "paperless," they typically associate the elimination of this office resource as an act that helps the environment. And while this is true, adopting a paperless manufacturing solution can do so much more. In addition to promoting a more sustainable business, going paperless can decrease operating costs, enhance productivity and help a shop floor work smarter (and not necessarily harder).

Apr 20

Apr 20 Giving A Technical Education Class Presentation

Matthew Schowalter, CMfgT

Apprenticeship, CNC Machining, CNC Programming, Collaboration, Machining, Machinist, Manufacturing, Soft Skills, Technical Education, Worker Shortage

I was provided with a few opportunities to talk about my STEM project and my career in several schools. It can be a very rewarding experience to a part of. I never saw myself as a speaker or presenter but with my deep knowledge in the subject, I developed a passion for sharing my experiences in manufacturing.

Apr 15

Apr 15 The Basics of 1-2-3 Blocks

Matthew Schowalter, CMfgT

CNC Machining, Machining, Machinist, Manufacturing

My first project in technical collage for tool and die making was to make 1-2-3 blocks. I milled the blocks oversize to leave stock for precision grinding. After drilling and tapping the holes in the blocks, we case hardened them. The last process was to precision grind them to size. The grinding process involved both grinding to blocks to size and to a squareness tolerance.