Author: carlimiller
| Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Salem Ali | Lucas Bertram | Joe Barry |
| Shawn Allen | Reid Bertsche | Liam Branch |
| Shelly Bell | Dave Borish | Paul Cabral |
| Steve Bellamy | Nathan Cizek | Brandon Curtis |
| Sarah Burns | Jason Dang | Glenn Donaldson |
| Dorain Davis | Veronica Durden | Travis Donaldson |
| Andrew Horner | Jim Goodwin | Miles Free |
| Carli Kistler-Miller | Thomas Hoster | Matt Harbour |
| Kathleen Orr | Chad Vanderbeek | Mathew Pham |
| Ashely Sample | Ginny Vanderbeek | Thomas Pham |
| Oscar Sanchez | Marc Walther | Dave Wynn |
| James Schwab | Dave James |
| Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | Group 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shelly Bell | Salem Ali | Shawn Allen | Lucas Bertram |
| Liam Branch | Dave Borish | Joe Barry | Reid Bertsche |
| Brandon Curtis | Jim Goodwin | Steve Bellamy | Nathan Cizek |
| Dorain Davis | Andrew Horner | Sarah Burns | Jason Dang |
| Glenn Donaldson | Carli Kistler-Miller | Paul Cabral | Miles Free |
| Travis Donaldson | Ashely Sample | Veronica Durden | Thomas Hoster |
| Matt Harbour | Chad Vanderbeek | Mathew Pham | Marc Walther |
| Kathleen Orr | Ginny Vanderbeek | Thomas Pham | Dave Wynn |
| James Schwab | Dave James | Oscar Sanchez |
| Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | Group 4 | Group 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liam Branch | Salem Ali | Shawn Allen | Nathan Cizek | Lucas Bertram |
| Brandon Curtis | Joe Barry | Shelly Bell | Jason Dang | Reid Bertsche |
| Glenn Donaldson | Paul Cabral | Steve Bellamy | Veronica Durden | Dorain Davis |
| Travis Donaldson | Mathew Pham | Sarah Burns | Andrew Horner | Kathleen Orr |
| Miles Free | Thomas Pham | Carli Kistler-Miller | Thomas Hoster | Oscar Sanchez |
| Matt Harbour | Dave Wynn | Chad Vanderbeek | Ashely Sample | James Schwab |
| Dave/Rosemary | Ginny Vanderbeek | Marc Walther | ||
By David Wynn
Published Issue September 2023
A few hours of preventative maintenance time now will save you an order of
magnitude in downtime later by getting ahead of problems.
By David Wynn
Published Issue July 2023
How many times have you tried to get a screw out of a holder only to have it so tight that you break the screw getting it out? You have followed the torque specs. Everything was done right, but after 40 hours of run time that screw just won’t come out. This is something I have fought for years in the shop.
This was a tip provided to me by PMPA’sJoe Gentile. I had a member shop put it into practice to see if there was a difference and they have seen a major improvement in screws not seizing in holders. Putting a little anti-seize on every screw when you change inserts has nearly fixed this problem. After a test of 100 insert changes here are the results.
Published August 1, 2023
Adria Bagshaw, co-owner and vice president of W.H. Bagshaw in Nashua, New Hampshire and Tanya DiSalvo, owner and president of Criterion Tool in Brook Park, Ohio, share their journey to manufacturing.
Adria Bagshaw’s Journey (In her own words)
When I was graduating from the University of New Hampshire, I thought I wanted to work in Human Resources. I had several job prospects, but the one that interested me the most was production supervisor for the machining department of a high tech company. I loved the company culture and most of what was described in the role was human resources: hiring, firing, developing training plans, coaching, planning, analyzing and executing.
I was a very feminine 22 year old walking into a machine shop and I always had a male supervisor as I moved up the ranks. One guy quit outright! I developed a thick skin, learned quickly that I needed to learn how to listen and rely on the expertise of the operators (which I still do today!)
I had the great fortune of being internally recruited by a woman ten years my senior who is still a mentor and friend almost 30 years later! She pushed me hard, but also recognized my strengths. I spent four years supervising before working in HR as the college recruiting manager. I was laid off shortly after 9/11, after laying off all the college recruits I had helped hire, an experience that shaped how I now approach hiring and growth planning today. I had a two year stint as an account manager at a contract manufacturer that had monthly finance meetings for the entire staff. I had no idea how helpful that monthly and review with the controller would be – I use their models today at W.H. Bagshaw.
I met Aaron Bagshaw on a blind date in early 2000, and was intrigued when I learned he was also in manufacturing. I was in the corporate world and didn’t ever imagine being a part of his family business. In early 2004, when we were having our first child, Aaron was actively leading the W.H. Bagshaw Co through some changes: customers leaving for cheap overseas vendors, implementing an ERP system. After our son was born, I had to choose between a part-time admin role at my current position, staying home full-time, or looking for something new entirely. I had experience and perspective to help with the ERP implementation so I gave notice at my prior job and went to Bagshaw Company part-time on a trial basis, with a newborn in my arms. I not only realized I could help, but that I needed to do everything in my power to help stabilize the company. I added hours and eventually became full-time. Aaron was in the process of researching automation to diversify what we could do, and I loved being a sounding board and helping validate his vision. Having worked at two successful but larger manufacturing companies, I was able to bring in the best of those experiences, while honoring the small family business mentality. We really tackled this phase as a start up…and 140 year old one. Now I can’t imagine myself doing anything else!
Tanya DiSalvo’s Journey (in her own words)
In a family business, you might think it would be easy! Sometimes there is more than meets the eye. In high school, I had to help my dad with a mailing. I stuffed the envelopes, applied a label, and sealed & stamped them. Upon inspection by my dad- he said the labels and stamps were all crooked, and it didn’t look like anything he wanted to send out from a PRECISION MACHINE SHOP. Told me to redo it. Then he promptly took my car keys and wouldn’t pay me! I sure was mad at the time….. fast forward to 1995, when Criterion moved into a new building and was looking for an outside salesperson. I jumped at the opportunity to take my experience from the automotive aftermarket and put it to work for the family business. I joined Criterion in 1998 and have never looked back. Working with both my parents has been great for our business and our family.
What do you like about your position/manufacturing?
Adria:
To this day, its the difference we can make by giving people opportunities. While yes, HR issues are the hardest part of running a business, they’re also the most rewarding. I love reflecting back on the career path and growth that I see from our employees, both inside and outside of the company. Nothing makes me happier than hearing someone was able to buy their dream home or afford a vacation with their family that was never possible before.
Tanya:
Making stuff is cool! It takes so many manufacturing processes of different types to make the world go around. At Criterion, I am thrilled we have the expertise to support the medical device and the weapons/defense industries. Promoting rewarding careers in manufacturing really gets me excited!
Advice to Women (or Anyone) Seeking a Career in Manufacturing
Adria:
It is intimidating going into a male dominated environment, but if you lean into it, and mindfully approach it leveraging the skills you have, you’ll be successful. Be a good listener and collaborator – those skills are sometimes otherwise lacking in manufacturing. Also – manufacturing is a lot more fun than people realize. There are so many ways to appreciate it – the way teams function together, there’s an analytical aspects to it, you can ALWAYS make improvements, and its tactile. So very cool! Seek out mentors, and specifically partner with women working in similar companies. Seek out opportunities to network and attend conferences or join professional associations.
Tanya:
GO FOR IT! Manufacturing companies need support at all levels. You may think just about the manufacturing flooring running a machine… but there is so much more. The quality department has a huge impact on a manufacturing company. Still heavily involved with manufacturing but focusing on the process and outputs. Engineering support is needed and requires math & computer skills. Operation support, purchasing, accounting, marketing, sales…. If you have a passion – we could use it in the manufacturing community!
Carli Kistler-Miller, MBA has over 25 years of experience with
communications, event/meeting planning, marketing, writing and
operations. Email: gro.apmp@rellimc — Website: pmpa.org.
By David Wynn
Published Issue June 2023
In today’s world it seems that all information is tailored toward carbide drills. Carbide drills are great, but how many do you really use every day? Especially in our small-to-medium quantity job shops? It is likely that we use mostly standard HSS twist drills. It is not economical to buy expensive carbide drills for shorter-to -intermediate runs. The problem is that most of the available data and recommendations are tailored toward carbide drills. It is important that we still understand the basics of twist drills. How do you know when to use what type of drill? What is the geometry you want to have? What type of flute do you want to use?
In carbide drilling it is recommended to pilot instead of spot drilling. On the other hand, with standard twist drills it is generally recommended that we spot drill. Following with
angles that are greater than or equal to the last drill point. For instance, follow a 90-degree spot with a 118-degree drill. If you drill with a 135-degree parabolic you can’t follow
with a 118-standard drill – it will walk off center. This can be especially important for parts with multiple ID dimensions, and using non-carbide drills.
When drilling in tougher materials such as stainless, high-carbon steels and most alloys, multifaceted grinds help reduce the cutting forces at the tip and help to pull the chip. This is where parabolic drills shine. Today almost all parabolic drills are made with split points allowing them to be self centering. I have found that it is better to spot drill even when using a split point drill. The parabolic drill allows chips to flow out of the hole rapidly while still allowing coolant to reach the tip.
If the hole is greater than 3 to 4 times the drill diameter, I would recommend pullouts. With HSS twist drills, pull all the way out of the hole to allow the coolant to flood the hole and remove chips. This will also allow the tip of the drill to cool before reentering the cut. On CNCs with modern G83 peck cycles, I like to pullout to .100” in front of the hole. There is a small dwell on the pullout of the peck cycle, but if you are drilling tough material it would be beneficial to increase the dwell. Write your own cycle-increasing dwell times. Also, you can get the optimum pullouts going 3.5x drill diameter first peck, 2x drill diameter on the second peck then about 1x drill diameter (1-1.5x diameter) on all pecks after the second peck. The deeper the drill goes the more difficult it is to remove chips and get coolant to the cutting tip.
It is not recommended to try to achieve tolerances less than +/-.002 without reaming or boring. Here are some recommendations for twist drills for different materials often machined in our shops. In the light metals and those having high thermal expansion, it is recommended to use standard drills because holes cut tight. See chart below.
By David Wynn
Published Issue May 2023
This is not a discussion of children coloring their coloring page inserts from a children’s book. I am literally asking how many of you out in the shop color your carbide inserts. If you don’t color them, then how do you know what edge is good? What edge is bad? This is a simple visual management tool to help our shop performers identify the edges that will result in trouble-free production. No matter when you go back to a holder, you always know where that insert stands. Visual management gives an immediate positive report on the status of the tool. No more guessing if the edge has been previously used. It looks good. How do we know?
It is often hard to tell when an insert is worn. The obvious ones are the chipped out or cracked in half. How about when you get a job that requires tight surface finish requirements and a worn insert is totally unnoticeable other than the resulting cut. This is where a paint marker designed to mark on oily surfaces comes in handy. The simplest solution is a one-color system. Red for a bad edge and that is it. But consider a three-colored approach to enable the most life out of your inserts:
Red for bad edge. You are not using this edge again no matter what. Used 90% of the time.
Yellow for reusable edge. You would not use a yellow edge on a part that needs some super surface finish or tight tolerance, but when you have a ± 0.015″ bushing and just need a cutoff insert, this will definitely work. Used about 7% of the time.
Green for good edge but has been used. This is reserved for only those times you go to the lathe and drill a hole in a 12L14 or 360 brass ejector. This drill is still brand new, but the color lets us know it has been used. Used less than 3% of the time.
The next time you go to a drawer and look at a load of holders and wonder which of these inserts are used, look for your colored edge so that you know. Better yet, put the inserts away instead of leaving them in the holder. Now you can go to a box of inserts and easily see how many edges you really have. How many times have you ordered a box of inserts only to find 10 holders with that insert already in it? Visual management by applying simple color codes to your tooling will save you thousands of wasted dollars in inserts of uncertain status, locked up in holders. So, add a little color the next time you go to change an insert. Add a little color and you will always have confidence in the status of your edge. Use visual management to give you an edge!
Recorded:
April 18, 2023 at National Technical Conference in Cleveland, OH.
Speaker:
Miles Free III, PMPA
Who would benefit: Setup, Machinist, Engineer, Estimator, Foreman, Leadman, Operator
Experience track: Mastery
Description
Back by popular demand! Creating chips s an essential step in producing first-pass quality parts. In this session, you will be challenged to reexamine your machining practice and what you think you know by earning to see and understand what the chips you make are telling you about your process. Attendees will leave with a richer vocabulary of chip types, conditions, and ow to apply this to their work in the shop.
ACCESS
Access grants unlimited online streaming. Copyright PMPA 2023. May not be distributed or copied. May be used for training of member employee personnel.
Free for NTC 2023 Attendees*
$95 for PMPA Members who did not attend.
Attendees must add the video to your cart on the next screen and checkout to get the access link.
Recorded:
April 18, 2023 at National Technical Conference in Cleveland, OH.
Speaker:
Matt Dowell, Precision Plus
Who would benefit: ALL
Experience track: Mastery
Description
Different 3D printing technologies will be discussed at a high level overview, and we’ll show how their use can complement (not replace!) the precision components we make on a daily basis. Learn which technologies you should contract out as well as which ones you can easily bring into your factory. From there we will dive deep into the technicalities of the FDM and SLA processes such as selecting your first machine, material options, preparing for a print, and post-processing of the printed parts.
ACCESS
Access grants unlimited online streaming. Copyright PMPA 2023. May not be distributed or copied. May be used for training of member employee personnel.
Free for NTC 2023 Attendees*
$95 for PMPA Members who did not attend.
Attendees must add the video to your cart on the next screen and checkout to get the access link.