Erik Anderson, president and CEO of Basin Precision Machining LLC, has determined that setups are the root of all evil when it comes to manufacturing productivity. They cause part variations, downtime, and high-percentage scrap rates.
Drilling advancements have spurred the evolution of oil and gas operations from simplistic single-well pad fields to more complex multi-well pads. Today, many producers are using fracking and lateral drilling techniques to place 10 or more wells on one pad.
I just returned from IMTS in Chicago and my first thought was, “where will I be able to rack up all those bonus steps I got last week?” On the easiest day, I walked 7.9 miles, and I topped 10 miles on two other days. It’s easy to understand why.
In a perfect CNC world, the first part is always a good one. There’s no need for extra blanks or barstock. Setup times are only as long as is needed to swap out a few tools and load a new program. There’s never a crash, never the need to reprogram an inefficient bit of code. The operator just pushes the green button and out pops a finished workpiece minutes or hours later.
This week’s Automate trade show in Detroit demonstrated the drive for flexibility on the factory floor.
Even for those well on the automation path, there can be stumbling blocks to overcome or additional areas to be automated. A new, objective view from a different source could provide a satisfying solution.
There’s a type, geometry and coating for virtually any application or material.
The range and requirements of flexible machining cells are increasing.
Where and why has the sharing of information fallen through the cracks?
The best way to solve the skills gap is to ignite the already existing and yet dormant fuel of curiosity inside of young minds.