Local News & Events | Haas Factory Outlet

There are many CNC machine shops that are relatively small in size and number of employees. However, with today’s technologies, even smaller shops can take on substantial jobs if they have the right combination of equipment and expertise. Of course to compete for those jobs, a customer must believe that the CNC shop can handle the work. Which means that the shop must project an image of competency and capability – and be recognized to begin with.

As CNC machine tool technology has evolved it’s possible to do more operations better, faster and at lower cost than ever before. These advances also mean that there are more machine components and accessories to monitor and maintain. Often overlooked are rotary or trunnion tables that reduce setup and cycle times and, in many applications, enable the machining of complex parts. Properly functioning rotaries and trunnions are essential to making accurate parts, and like other critical machine components should be checked regularly for signs of wear or damage. The most obvious tipoff that something is wrong with the rotary device is that you experience difficulty setting up a part, or begin producing out-of-tolerance parts.

CNC machine shops that produce highly complex, multi-sided parts for aerospace, automotive, heavy equipment, and other applications are typically prime candidates for 5-axis machining. However, even if you never work with such complicated parts, a 5- axis machining center may provide greater opportunities for increasing productivity and profitability.

The Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” is certainly an admirable way to go through life. However it may not be the best way to motivate your employees. The fact is, what makes us uniquely “us” is encoded in our DNA, and the way you like being treated may be very different for those who work for you.

CNC programming can be intimidating to machine shop employees who are unfamiliar with the process. The truth is that, like most unknowns, it looks more complicated than it really is. If you’re just getting started programming your CNC machine, here are a few things to think about:

Idle hands may be the devil’s workshop, but an idle machine tool is a productivity sinkhole. That’s why quick, efficient and accurate setups are so important.

Turning machines with a second spindle can provide a number of benefits to CNC machine shops. For example, they enable the machine tool to automatically transfer a workpiece from one chuck to another for secondary operations such as drilling and tapping, both axially and radially. This “done-in-one” capability greatly reduces part handling, and that translates into lower cost per part. It also improves throughput and allows unattended operation. By adding automatic barfeeders and/or robotic part handling, lights out manufacturing is also a possibility.

Marketing is typically not on the top of most CNC machine shop owners’ minds. After all, each day is filled with myriad challenges, and the primary goal is to produce more and better parts and products. Unfortunately customers don’t stay around forever, no matter how well we treat them. Companies are bought and sold, go out of business, bring previously outsourced work inside, or simply no longer require the kind of work you provide. That’s why we must constantly add new customers. But where do we find them? And how can we do so cost-effectively? Fact is there are a number of ways you can seek new customers by substituting sweat equity for dollars. Here are 4 of them:

For many years all aspects of business have been under intense pressure to drive down costs so we can be more competitive and profitable. Perhaps nowhere is this pressure more intense than in manufacturing. Of course, there are a number of ways to reduce production costs, and you have most likely addressed many of them. Even so, it’s always a good idea to take a fresh look at your operation to see if you’ve overlooked anything.

The challenges facing CNC machine shops continue to escalate, as customers demand better quality, tighter tolerances, and faster delivery. Meanwhile competition from down the street and around the globe keeps the pressure on to hold down customer costs, which impacts your profits. The solution, of course, is to optimize machine tool performance while increasing worker productivity.