February 2008 Edition

CAD/CAM

Efficiency Wins Work
The owner of Innovative Alloy discovered the advantages of CAD/CAM when he bought his first machine; it's been a love-love relationship ever since

WELDING

Murder, Inc.
A TIG inverter helps a manufacturer make wheelchairs strong enough to stand up to the abuse of "Murderball"

CNC

Taking Leads from Customers' Needs
With a "grow as they grow" philosophy, a Michigan shop added three machines to meet a new customer's business

WATERJET

Waterjet to the Rescue
When a fire truck fell victim to a fire, a waterjet used by the truck's manufacturer was able to salvage it as well as increase efficiency and save rebuilding costs

VMC

Injecting Speed into the Mold Business
Impressed with the reliability of a manufacturer's VMCs, a mold producer added a fifth machine to retain a competitive advantage

VMC

Success at More Than 300 Miles Away
Natoma Corp. isn't a shop in the middle of nowhere, although it's in an outer suburb of it. But, that hasn't kept it from prosperity.

QUALITY CONTROL

Out With the Old, In With the New
An Alabama job shop increased its throughput by saying Auf Wiedersehen to its manual coordinate measuring machine

DEPARTMENTS

Editor's Corner
Changes and additions; keeping it fresh keeps everyone's interest

Letters

Industry News

From the Shop Floor
It may be that "a poor workman blames his tools," but the right tool for the right job makes life – and work – easier

Controlling Interest
Columnist Randy Pearson steps into Norman Bleier's role with a premiere piece about the importance of training

Spotlight: Toolholding

New Products

The Last Word
Lean manufacturing lessons from big manufacturers can be applied to any shop, no matter how small