Tag : cnc manufacturing

six sigma

Can a Manufacturing Company Benefit from Having a Black Belt Sigma on Staff?

Modern CNC companies manufacturing in USA have taken up Six Sigma training for their staff, in an effort to boost productivity. The rigorous process employees undergo before receiving a Six Sigma certificate is essential in creating an all rounded company that not only has customer loyalty but generates numerous profits.

CNC manufacturing is a steadfast cornerstone of the manufacturing industry. Having taken root in the aerospace industry, automotive, bike, electrical, drone, health, music and environmental monitoring, CNC manufacturing is part of our day to day lives. Like any other company, a CNC automation company in the US seeks to increase profits and reduce costs. For this reason, the implementation of the Six Sigma is imperative in any US manufacturing company.

How Will a Black Belt Sigma Benefit your Manufacturing Company?

The Six Sigma training has six levels, hence the name. In second place from the top, is the Six Sigma Black Belt. This means that a trainee under the black belt program has already completed four stages. Here are some of the advantages of having the Black Belt certified employee in your CNC manufacturing company.

1.      Improved Communication Skills.

A Black belt trainee is aware of the client’s importance to the CNC manufacturing industry. This means that the client’s satisfaction should be the company’s aim. Good client feedback creates goodwill for the company, an intangible asset that lures more clients in.

More importantly, a Black Belt trainee is skilled in communicating changes that need to be effected. Instead of merely pointing out what needs to be done, the Six Sigma training advocates for coaching for precision.

2.      New Business Practices.

A Black Belt trainee has deep process knowledge, which makes him/her most suitable for coming up with better strategies to improve CNC manufacturing strategies. With advanced college degrees and years of experience in the industry, a Black Belt will demonstrate his critical thinking skills in managing resources within the industry to increase productivity without an increase in costs.

Team Leadership.

With years of experience and previous training, a black belt can lead a team towards a specific goal through constant motivation and effective listening skills. A Black Belts role in CNC manufacturing is indisputable, given the different contracts of manufacturing that are taken up.

More importantly, Six Sigma Black candidates are fun loving and passionate about what they do, which makes them effective team leaders. Remember that a team in a CNC automation is diverse and a neutral leader that recognizes every employees’ skills and capacity is crucial.

In the initial stages of developing a computer program, a Black Belt will keep a sharp eye to ensure that the program is accurate to minimize errors during manufacture.

Conclusion

With the right leadership, a Black belt will help the team achieve the intended goal within a planned time. Accurate programming ensures that all the stages of manufacturing are error-free since a computer gives what it receives. Apart from that, the team is put on high alert to watch out for any malfunctions and identify products that unsuitable for the market.

CNC machining companies should also remember that a Black belt candidate is a link between the company and the client. Any US manufacturing company should take up the Six Sigma training for their employees and reap numerous benefits.

mechanical engineering

What are the Highest Ranked Mechanical Engineering Schools in the U.S.?

Though it’s a broad field of engineering, mechanical engineers are generally tasked with the design, construction and testing of everything from thermal sensors to engines to heavy-duty equipment and machinery. But before mechanical engineers can enter the workforce and contribute to the revitalization of U.S. manufacturing, it’s first essential for them to acquire the professional skills and knowledge required by employers. By earning a degree from one of the nation’s prestigious mechanical engineering schools or U.S. manufacturing schools, students will have the necessary know-how on essential skills like CNC manufacturing, CNC automation and CNC machining to propel them to success in the workforce. With that said, here’s a look at the highest ranking mechanical engineering schools in the U.S.

Top 5 Highest Ranking Engineering Schools in the U.S.

  1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT): Engineering education is somewhat synonymous with MIT. And when it comes to mechanical engineering, the school is the top ranked, according to a report from College Factual, which lists it No. 1 out of 270 colleges with such programs. In fact, at MIT, nearly 15 percent of all undergrads are working toward a mechanical engineering (ME) degree. But first you have to get in – and getting into MIT is highly competitive. According to U.S. News, only about 8 percent of all applicants are admitted.
  2. Georgia Institute of Technology: College Factual slots the Georgia Institute of Technology, or GIT, as No. 2 on its list of schools with the best ME programs in the country. Like MIT, about 15 percent of all undergraduate students enroll at GIT to pursue an ME degree.
  3. Stevens Institute of Technology: Located in the Hoboken, New Jersey, area, the school doesn’t just pride itself on having one of the safest campuses in the country, but with producing some of the best ME graduates in more of an intimate setting than the top two school on this list. For instance, in 2016, only about 150 students graduated with a degree in the program.
  4. California Institute of Technology: One of the neat things about those who graduate with an ME degree from the California Institute of Technology is that they typically see a 12.6 percent average earnings increase compared to other ME graduates. Oh, and you can’t beat the Pasadena, California, location of the school, making for great year-round weather. Another great thing about the California Institute of Technology is its extremely favorable 3:1 student-faculty ratio.
  5. Stanford: Stanford University rounds out our top 5 mechanical engineering schools list, as it offers both undergraduate and advanced degrees in the field of study. Stanford, an Ivy League school, also happens to be among the most prestigious colleges in the nation, coming in at No. 7 out of a possible 1,383 universities, per College Factual. It’s also the best university in the state of California.

Though we’ve detailed the top 5 mechanical engineering schools above, there are several more worth mentioning. Just think of these as our honorable mentions, a list that includes Kettering University (Flint, Michigan), the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, Michigan), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, New York) and Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania).

industrial lighting

What is the best lighting for the manufacturing environment?

Industries need high quality light to improve productivity and keep the workers safe. Industrial lighting needs to be durable enough to withstand the harsh conditions of industries, such as vibrations, high temperature, corrosive materials, dirt, and high humidity. In addition, industrial lighting should comply with the fire and manufacturing lighting safety requirements and be fit for the purpose for which the lighting is used.

Types of Industrial Lighting

1. High-Intensity Discharge

HID bulbs produce light when an arc passes between cathodes, making metallic additives contained in the pressurized tubes to vaporize. HID lamps are efficient and long lasting. However, they do not produce high quality light. Due to this, they are mostly used for outdoor security and area lighting.

2. High Output Fluorescent

These produce light when electricity passes between cathodes and excites mercury and other gases that produce radiant energy. This energy is then converted to visible light by a phosphor coating. They consume about 20% less energy than incandescent lights and last up to 20 times longer. The main disadvantage is that they contain mercury, and therefore should be disposed properly.

3. LED Lamps

LED lamps are an efficient, but an expensive lighting solution. LED produce very little heat. This means that they are able to convert most of the energy into light.

LED are about 1.5 times more expensive than high output fluorescent. However, studies show that businesses can recover the cost of replacing their lighting with LED in less than 3 years. The other benefit of LED industrial lighting is that they do not contain any mercury, meaning that the company will not have to worry about disposing the lamp.

Since LED is non corrosive, bright, and does not produce a lot of heat, it can be used for many industrial applications like CNC machining and industrial inspection areas that require adequate lighting.

Why LED Is the Best Lighting for the Manufacturing Environment

LED lamps are better than HID lamps, such as high-pressure sodium lamps and metal halide, due to a number of reasons.

These benefits are:

  1. LED lamps are a more efficient industrial lighting option. LED use half the energy that HID bulbs use to deliver the same amount of light. Replacing existing HID lamps with LED can reduce your lighting energy cost by half. This means that the investment in high quality LED bulbs will have a short payback time.
  2. HID have a high maintenance and replacement cost. While LED lights have an average life of 150,000 light hours, HID have a lifespan of only 20,000 hours. This means that your business will incur more costs because HID lights require more frequent replacement.
  3. Metal halides take about 15 minutes to reach full brightness when turned on and need about 20 minutes before they are turned on again once they have been switched off. However, LED get to full brightness as soon as they are turned on, and can be switched on and off at any time.
  4. HID produce a lot of heat. For instance, metal halides produce up to 350F of heat, compared LED that only produces 100 F.
  5. HID are more likely to explode during use. This makes it necessary to invest in bulb enclosure fixtures. They also increase the risk of fires in the factory.
  6. Metal halides contain mercury gas, which is harmful to the environment.
quality manufacturing

How can manufacturing employers find qualified machinists?

It is a common problem: there are jobs available for skilled workers in the manufacturing field, but there aren’t enough skilled workers to fill the jobs. When you hear reports about unemployment and jobs that are available in different fields, there is often a large discrepancy between the experience of those who are seeking employment, and the experience of employers who are seeking skilled employees.  If there are so many people who are looking for work, then it ought to be easy to find someone who can fill your vacancy, right? Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case.

In fact, in a survey of U.S manufacturing executives across a variety of different fields, including automotive, consumer goods, industrial parts, high-tech industries and electronics, it was found that finding qualified and skilled workers ranks as the number one or two issue facing manufacturing corporations today.

Why Skilled Labor Matters

The bottom line is that quality manufacturing can only happen when you have qualified workers. Unfortunately, the most difficult jobs for manufacturers to fill are the ones that are most necessary. CNC machine shops, CNC production, and CNC automation are all dependent on skilled labor. As a manufacturing employer, if you don’t know where to recruit skilled labor, then you may be faced with an issue of not being able to fully staff your manufacturing operation.

Old-fashioned methods of spreading news about a job vacancy doesn’t work anymore. You can’t rely on word of mouth or a newspaper post to bring you the candidates that you want. If you want the best people for the job, then you need to advertise the job where the best people are already looking. This means taking advantage of the internet, but more specifically than that, this means developing an online hiring strategy for your quality manufacturing facility.

Here are a few tips to help you find the right candidates for your position:

  • Advertise on employment websites. Pushing your vacancy to the top of the list via a sponsored advertisement can dramatically increase your applicant pool.
  • Be specific about the requirements. Don’t be vague when posting your job requirements. Let the applicants know what you are looking for, this way your applicant pool is full of qualified candidates who you may want to consider.
  • Utilize a social network. Over 80% of adults use social media, so it makes sense to reach out to your potential applicants where they already are. You don’t want to directly poach employees from a competitor, but by letting more people know about your vacancy you may encourage someone to apply who hadn’t thought about leaving their current job.
  • Work with local schools. By partnering with a local school, you can ensure that students are gaining the skills that you are looking for, and then you can create a candidate pool of fresh graduates who are already trained in your areas of need. Schools are often interested in working with potential employers, as it encourages students to enroll if they know there are job opportunities at the other end.

If you want skilled workers, you need to put your job advertisement out there where the skilled workers are going to see it. Finding the right candidates can reduce your training costs significantly, helping you to focus more on production and sales, which is what is going to help your business grow.

OEM

What OEM expectations from vendors have changed in the past 5 years?

As competition increases in machining across the world, it is essential to pay a great deal of attention to OEM standards – both minimum regulations and market standards. Over the past five years, OEM expectations from vendors have changed quite dramatically. Here are just a few of the modifications that you should keep in mind when you are assessing your quality control variables.

Quality Assurance

Led by the luxury automobile industry, the proliferation of precision automation manufacturing has created a higher standard for quality in OEM parts in many industries. Deliverables are now expected to maintain an extremely high rate of integration with factory parts, and OEM manufacturers are always competing to lower the error rate in batch deliveries.

Most quality assurance errors occur in high-volume production lines; however, as automation takes over for other forms of machining and general manufacturing, you can expect the QA standard to move up for bulk orders as well. In heavily regulated industries such as medicine and the automotive industry, vendors are becoming hardline about remaining in compliance with their various industry standards. Before choosing an OEM company within these industries, it is recommended to fit that company for an understanding of regulatory policy.

Continuous Improvement

Chief among new expectations from vendors is a dedication to continuous improvement. Fully accessible big data is now the norm for even the smallest startups in all major industries. It is a simple thing to quickly survey vendors on their opinions and quantifiable problems with a delivery. OEM companies now also have the luxury of surveying vendors ahead of time to take the temperature of market conditions and new product iterations.

Savvy OEM partners are gearing up for production runs on new product iterations years in advance, sometimes concurrently with the original manufacturer. When two sets of eyes are sharply focused on the market under the banner of continuous improvement, the result is usually much better for the end client.

High Volume Production

Being able to handle high volume production while maintaining a time to market and QA standard that is competitive in an industry is a feat not to be underestimated. When volume ramps up, small problems quickly become big problems. Close interdepartmental cooperation is necessary to ensure that a product does not veer off course before production takes its course.

Design Capabilities

More than ever, OEM partners need to have fit-for-purpose design development capabilities. The tenants of precise QA and continuous improvement can be quite a shock to a traditional production system. It is not enough to locate problems more quickly; the production capabilities of a company must be robust and flexible enough to handle any changes that need to be made on the fly.

The total capabilities of an OEM company become even more prevalent during high volume seasonal orders that require a high degree of precision. Vendors are being held to a just-in-time standard more often than ever, and they must demand it of their partner companies as well.

manufacturing technology

New Manufacturing Technology Means Greater Value for Customers

The Factory of the Future, as it has come to be called, is all about lean manufacturing. One of the most important components of lean manufacturing is incorporating the latest and best manufacturing technology, including machining tools and robotic manufacturing.

At the moment, probably in part because they’re leery of another economic downturn, U.S. manufacturers have been slow to embrace many of the improvements now available. This is a mistake because these advances—and many more that are just down the road—make for faster, more durable, more precise and far more productive tools. At Tag Team Manufacturing, we believe these factors together translate into greater customer satisfaction.

Taking Advantage of Today’s New Tools

Incorporating faster, longer-lasting tools doesn’t have to be prohibitively expensive. So the cost of doing business doesn’t have to go up. In fact, the new technology can increase both productivity and quality, giving customers more for their money.

How does this work? The new technology can be implemented easily and inexpensively. Programming manufacturing machinery is simplified, resulting in:

• Reduced production times and greater production accuracy

• Reduced cross-training of operators and programmers

• Greater flexibility in operations, so one piece of equipment can perform a variety of functions

All these advantages reduce our costs and, consequently, costs to our customers without in any way compromising quality. This combination of lower cost and higher quality results in greater value.

The technological advances affect just about every aspect of the manufacturing process. They improve every step, from product design through production and even packaging. Each component of the process, including human and machine, is able to communicate more quickly and more accurately, creating an integration that greatly increases coordination and efficiency.

We at Tag Team Manufacturing look every day for ways to improve our lean manufacturing processes and so move closer to the Factory of the Future. We can see ahead to innovations that are on the horizon. What does the future look like?

The Tools of Tomorrow

What’s ahead in manufacturing technology tools looks great for both manufacturers like us and our customers. Our challenge is to meet the demand for value from our customers. This challenge will be met with:

• Machining that delivers ever more precisely and efficiently made products
• Software capable of increasingly sophisticated operations
• Shorter production time

So we’re looking at software and hardware on the road to greater and greater value. The progression includes further development of things like:

Source ( characters / words)

NTN Technical Review No. 74 (2006) http://advancedmanufacturing.org/advances-cnc-technology http://www.manufacturing.net/article/2012/02/10-trends-manufacturing-technologies http://www.industryweek.com/manufacturing-day/fast-forward-factory-future?page=1

There were no Copyscape matches found.

• Multifunctional machining tools that increase accuracy and reduce machining time while, at the same time, being able to produce products with more complicated shapes

• Control hardware and software that costs less but offers “intelligent” functions that turn information into more efficient and precise production

Not all advances in manufacturing technology apply to the work Tag Team Manufacturing does. But we’re keeping our eye on every improvement to make sure we deliver the best value to our customers.

machinists

How Machinists Can Use Tools Like Tooling University for Continuing Education

Over the past few years, online education has blossomed into a fully-fledged option for learning new skills and trades. People from all walks of life are using the Internet to learn new careers, or enhance existing ones. New tools have enabled machinists to make the most of available courses and learn new skills or trades.

Traditionally, many machinists learn through an apprenticeship program with a journeyman. Tooling University has turned this practice on its head by making all of their training publicly available. No longer do you have to wait for a journeyman to accept you as an apprentice to learn a new trade. Now, you can simply start.

Existing machinists may wish to enhance their knowledge base or learn a new skill in order to advance their careers. Fortunately, Tooling University (and sites like it) have developed a training system for those in manufacturing and machinery.

A Plethora of Learning Options

You have plenty of options for pursuing continuing education courses. When it comes to machinery and manufacturing jobs, Tooling University has cornered the market on applicable training. Tooling University offers over 500 courses and classes that cover a broad spectrum of skills and knowledge. They’ve separated their courses into the following ‘functional areas’:

  • Additive Manufacturing
  • Assembly / Final Stage Processes
  • Composites Processing
  • Design and Engineering
  • Foundational
  • Leadership
  • Machining
  • Maintenance
  • Stamping / Forming / Fabricating
  • Welding

Each of these topics reveals entire courses and programs designed for new and existing machinists. Students will receive all of the training they need to advance their careers, ask for a raise or even get started with a new career entirely.

Increase Your Pay with Continuing Education

Machinists all around the world are being drawn to continuing education as way to increase their pay. Education a great way to earn more money, and Tooling University makes it easy for machinists to do just that.

  • Learn a new trade. Are you an existing welder who wants to get more into fabrication? Or perhaps you’re in maintenance and want to get started with engineering? If you’re looking for a new trade, look no further than Tooling University. You’ll be able to learn an entirely new trade with their courses. You’ll learn everything you need to know in order to start working in a new profession.
  • Pursuing continuing education courses. Of course, many machinists are happy with their existing trade. For such individuals, Tooling University can be used as a source of continuing education. Machinists can hone their skills, specialize in advanced roles and start earning more money. Tooling University and other online education platforms have made continuing education easier than ever before.

Anyone looking to increase their pay will be wise to invest in advancing their education. This is true for everyone, but it’s especially true for those in manufacturing and machinery. You’ll need to remain competitive with your training in order to climb the ranks. Don’t wait until you’ve already been passed up for a promotion to start training.

manufacturing shop

Superior Customer Service in the Manufacturing Industry can be the Difference in Winning Work

Manufacturers may work with machines, but they are working for people, and people like knowing that they are working with someone who demonstrates a genuine concern for their best interests. In many cases, this quality is more apt to win over a potential client than anything else a manufacturing shop has to offer.

Clients Remember Superior Customer Service

Superior Customer service is a good way to win over new clients, but it’s an excellent way to win repeat work from existing clients. As a general rule, clients tend to remember instances of excellent customer service for a long time, and they will reward it with loyalty and repeat work. In contrast, clients remember instances of poor customer service as well and are very unlikely to offer repeat work to a manufacturing company that demonstrates poor customer service even if they were happy with the products they received.

Customer Service is Critical to Word-of-Mouth Advertising

Good or bad, people tend to talk about their experiences with a company’s customer service, often much more so than they tend to talk about any other aspect of their experience with a particular company. With this being the case, great customer service can lead to valuable word-of-mouth marketing while poor customer service can be a serious blow to a company’s reputation. In a digital world where people are constantly connected and able to communicate to larger audiences than at any other point in history, word-of-mouth marketing ad reputation management are more important than ever before, and customer service is key to maintaining these things.

Putting Superior Customer Service to Work for You

There are a lot of aspects that go into making a manufacturing company successful, but customer service is certainly one of them. At our Denver manufacturing shop, we recognize the undeniable value of superior customer service and always strive to provide an experience that leaves our clients completely satisfied and eager to work with us again. In addition to promptly addressing any questions or comments a client may have, we believe that superior customer service entails protecting all of a client’s proprietary documents and intellectual property with the best possible security, making ourselves available at all times, and always striving to deliver high quality parts on time and at the lowest cost in the industry.

If you would like Tag Team Manufacturing to put these qualities to work for your business, let us know how our manufacturing shop can help you today by contacting us at 303-841-5697.

manufacturing automation

Making Every Component Once and Making It Correctly  

Your clients require, indeed demand, quality and minute accuracy in the parts you provide for them, as well as timely delivery. And you try to do your best to provide that for them, because the future of your business depends on it.

That’s why you have to have suppliers that can deliver every time, the first time. And that’s what Tag Team Manufacturing can do for you.

The Cutting Edge Of CNC Manufacturing

When you need quality machining, Tag Team Manufacturing is your go to source. We are devotees of the cutting edge of manufacturing automation technology. It’s what we do. We utilize current technology, including robotics, to produce the perfect OEM part, with continuing and consistent quality. We represent the future of CNC manufacturing.

The secret to our success is our highly qualified team of professional machinists, quality inspectors, and finishers. We only hire the best, people who not only understand the intricacies of CNC manufacturing automation and business processes, but who also understand the technology behind it all that makes it work. That’s a hard order to fill, but we’ve put together a team that is second to none in the industry. They combine their knowledge and expertise together into a highly coordinated whole to provide you with the high quality OEM parts you need to keep your business running at the peak of success, and your customers happy.

Superior Quality Management

Tag Team Manufacturing utilizes a sophisticated and highly effective Quality Management System that is fully compliant with the guidelines of ISO 9001, ensuring that our products meet all customer requirements consistently. We do this using a variety of advanced software and manufacturing automation.

Our E2 software system comprehensively tracks every phase of the manufacturing process, and clients can log into the system to check the status of their order at anytime.

The automated coordinate measuring machine (CMM) constantly checks to make sure parts have been manufactured with the required tolerances, and a report showing key measurements can be generated for the client and submitted upon delivery if desired.

These, in conjunction with the MasterCam CAD/CAM CNC programming software, and the SmartScope Flash 200 automatic measuring system, ensure the highest quality parts achievable by current technology, with much less scrap and at a lower per-piece cost.

Excellent Customer Service Is A High Priority At Tag Team Manufacturing

Customer service is more than just manufacturing the highest quality parts at the lowest cost, delivering them on schedule, and being available to consult and answer questions at any time. It also means protecting a client’s documents, digital files, parts, and all intellectual property with the highest level of security 24/7, both inside and outside the facility, and providing near flawless document control. We go to great lengths to provide the best customer service we possibly can, because we care about our clients, and our reputation within the industry.

We believe Tag Team Manufacturing is your best choice for CNC manufacturing. Let us show you what we can do for your business. Call us at 303-841-5697 or contact us online for more information.

Denver Manufacturing

The Search for Talented Machinists

As a Denver Manufacturing company with over 30 years of experience serving customers of all shapes and sizes, Tag Team has always prided itself on being a forward thinking and tech-savvy organization. We’ve employed a wide range of different techniques to guarantee that our customers can expect to receive a quality product every time, with CNC machining being just one of them.

What is CNC Machining?

Short for “computer numeric control,” CNC manufacturing involves the automation of tools that can be programmed very precisely using computers and software. With CNC manufacturing it’s possible to automate every aspect of component design, for example, through the help of not just CAD and CAM systems but also the types of tools that needed to be controlled manually just a few short years ago.

For a Denver Manufacturing company like Tag Team, CNC manufacturing is about more than just saving time. It’s about increasing production in a meaningful way. It’s about boosting product volume and delivery figures. It’s about delivering the type of consistent quality that our customers have come to expect and depend on, helping to drive the success of their own businesses and forge the types of relationships that will last a lifetime.

We’re Always Looking For Talented CNC Machinists

Tag Team is ALWAYS looking for passionate individuals who have the skills and talents necessary to take our CNC efforts to bold new heights. Our CNC machinists are senior level positions, as without them our operations would cease to function. In addition to three to five years of real-world experience both programming and operating CNC mills and lathes, we’re searching for talented machinists who:

  • Have experience in the operation of CNC horizontal mills
  • Have at least one year of experience programming MasterCam and/or SurCam, the state-of-the-art CAD/CAM programming system that guarantees the speed our customers need with the accuracy they deserve.
  • Have the ability to produce parts from a set of engineering prints to develop things like fixtures, jaws and more
  • Are ready to bring fresh and new ideas to the table in an effort to minimize run time
  • Are efficient at burr removal techniques for most materials, including but not limited to ones like aluminum, steel, titanium and more
  • Are excellent at reading detailed engineering drawings and who know how to correctly interpret key dimensions, finishes and more
  • Have the ability to set up and edit jobs fast, efficiently and accurately

More than anything, Tag Team is looking for the type of person who is never satisfied. Someone who understands the power that CNC manufacturing already brings to the table and is always looking for new opportunities to do better work at faster speeds with higher quality. Someone who is ready to not just start a career, but to become a part of a family – who excels in the type of working environment where everyone can truly come together and help Tag Team become the living, breathing whole it was meant to be.

Tag Team Manufacturing

If you’ve got the skills necessary to become a CNC machinist and are looking for the perfect opportunity to put those skills to the test on a daily basis, you’ve come to the right place. Contact our Denver Manufacturing Company, Tag Team Manufacturing, today to find out more about available positions, job requirements, training programs and more.