Tag : machine shop

manufacturing marketing

5 Valuable Online Resources for Marketing Your Manufacturing Business

In a short period, the marketing landscape has changed dramatically. The internet, social media, and inbound marketing capabilities have assured that manufacturing competition is now global. Staying ahead of trends and having a substantial online presence bolstered by quality content is now mandatory. The reality is that your manufacturing marketing, and or, salespeople probably need some guidance to compete at this relatively new game. Here we will highlight five quality online resources that provide insights and instruction for marketers in the manufacturing sector.

Hubspot
Personalized advice & resources for your inbound business Hubspot is a fantastic resource if you or your marketing department are new to, or struggling with inbound marketing efforts. They offer different levels of service, tailored to your specific needs and allow you to upgrade the services as your marketing efforts grow. To start, Hubspot provides a vast array of services that you or your team can use to learn more about, and engage the inbound marketing approach. The free tools and courses alone, available for both sales and marketing teams, will get your manufacturing business up to date with the current trends of effective online and content marketing.

Content Marketing Institute

Leading global content marketing education and training organization Content Marketing Institute was founded by author and content marketing guru Joe Pulizzi, as part of an on-going effort to educate the masses about the present and future of marketing. CMI has an impressive list of companies with which they have worked. In addition to direct consulting services, CMI offers workshops, podcasts, events, a digital magazine, blog posts and an online University to provide you with the resources that you will need to expand your inbound manufacturing marketing strategy.

Thomas Marketing
With Thomas Marketing you will find a group that focused marketing strategy that is specific to manufacturing and industrial industry. According to their website, as many as 57% of business purchasing decisions are made before the first personal contact. These decisions are made solely on the content that you provide. At Thomas, they understand the importance of a robust inbound marketing strategy and where it fits into your industry. The Thomas Network allows you to list your business, with a limited amount of information for free, and Thomas Insights offers white pages, case studies, and articles so that you can stay up to date and get inspired.

Advantage Business Media
Having developed from a company focused on publishing to offering full-service marketing solutions, Advantage Business Media as an advantage over others concerning content creation. They create high-quality content in-house, and regularly collect and utilize data to ensure that they are targeting your ideal audience, and justifying ROI. The Blog and Playbooks, on their website, offer valuable free information and insights into inbound strategy and marketing efforts.

Marketing Profs
A massive platform offering information for manufacturing marketing individuals and teams, Marketing Profs is a go-to source for informative articles, podcasts, courses and interactive workshops.There is an abundance of helpful info available with their free membership. However, for a small membership fee, three members of your marketing team can access significantly more tips, tools, and discounted courses. Although not a manufacturing industry specific site it will be an excellent match for a manufacturing company with an established marketing team in place that could use help with the newest B2B marketing trends.

cad cam

Recent Improvements of CAD CAM Software in Manufacturing

The capabilities of CAD CAM software has greatly improved over the recent years, thanks to faster multicore and embedded processors backed by cloud-based innovations. Manufacturing firms are hard-pressed to keep up with the competitive advances in CNC machining, with each day introducing a new tool path creation, new software for simulation, multi-task machining, and CNC automation tools.

In terms of quality assurance, CAD CAM is fast moving into the footprint of surface finish measurements and part inspection. Parts design has also seen an integration of FEA capabilities for testing and predicting how different materials machined on prototypes will actually perform. Here are some of the recent improvements of CAD/CAM software in manufacturing:

Five-axis Machining

Five-axis machining has seen new capabilities with the introduction of new CAD CAM software solutions. They come with a broad range of 5-axis strategies that enhance roughing and finishing, improved point distribution, faster calculation periods, and simpler data management capabilities. The new roughing strategy now incorporates CNC machining (through a curve or line orientation) and programming based on a reference surface. The developers have put in massive smoothing algorithms to enhance more even point distribution as well as subtle vectors moving. Manufacturers can also avoid costly and time-consuming reworks on parts by utilizing the higher quality surface finishes.

Advanced Milling and Mill-turn Machines

Many US manufacturing firms have introduced a new functionality to enhance simultaneous 4 and 5-axis milling using the latest mill-turn machines. The technology has improved drilling methodologies to automatically find and machine holes on conical and cylindrical faces.

The advanced mill/turn machines have brought enormous improvements in productivity for many manufacturing firms in the USA. New software allows businesses to optimize their investment by availing the full range of 4 and 5-axis cycles in the CNC manufacturing process. Currently, more mold and die users are beginning to utilize 5-axis machining as the costs of such machines continuously drop.

Multi-axis CNC Software

The new multi-axis functionality and tool paths for hard milling and HSM have greatly improved CNC machining. The updated machining software brings a new dimension to the improved multi-axis tool hence providing customized and streamlined interface that can be fine-tuned to different applications like turbine blades and impellers. The same technology has now been introduced in many US manufacturing schools and mechanical engineering institutions to further advance the skill.

Advanced 3-D simulation Capabilities

US manufacturing companies have demonstrated various full-machine simulation modules that aim to provide photorealistic 3D models of cnc machine tools in operation. Based on 3-D solid models, the simulations can help manufacturers pinpoint potential collisions and errors in complex turn-mills with multitasking capabilities or Swiss-type turn-mills.

The new simulation modules offer improved collision detection and error-checking functionalities hence allowing manufacturers to perform more robust simulations than what is currently offered by CAM suppliers. Now, the simulated machine models can incorporate machine specific tool holders to ensure early detection of collisions on the user’s PC.

Summary

With global competitive pressures facing the manufacturing industry, mechanical engineering institutions, US manufacturing firms, and mechanical engineering schools are working overtime to produce the highest-quality finished parts by forming partnerships with machine tool programmers to develop workpieces that need little to no rework. Five-axis machining, advanced 3-D simulation, and cnc automation are some of the technology advances opening up new capabilities in manufacturing in USA.

Precision Machining

Precision Machining for Medical and Aerospace Industries

Most industries are concerned about quality machining for manufacturing industries. In the same way, precision machining for medical and aerospace industries is very important. And did you know that aerospace and medical machined parts should meet certain criteria of quality and tolerance for them to perform efficiently?

Tag Team manufacturing company has been in the manufacturing business for a considerable amount of time. We started this company in the year 1987, and since then, we have continued to grow and develop our experiences as well as processes. For that reason, we can produce even the most challenging and intricate medical and aerospace industry machining parts.

Why work with Tag Team Manufacturing?

We have a team of specialized industry experts who are passionate and dedicated to their job as the core of our company have been with us 10+ years. When you reach out to us, one of our well trained and specialized staff members will attend to all your machining needs from blue print to completion.

Tag Team Manufacturing has access to a wide range of secondary vendor services as well as quality machining capabilities, and that gives an upper hand when it comes to producing demand products. Therefore, if you are looking for a company that can cater to all your needs, Tag Team is the place to be.

To make sure we deliver blue print specific designs, our team will review the design and discuss any questions before we begin your project. From there, our developed CNC automation and CNC precision machining will ensure that we deliver aerospace and medical machining that meet your expectations. You can rest assured that we will use all the available modern technology to craft what you need made.

Lastly, we have a quality department that ensures all products and services meet the required statutory, customer and regulatory standards. With this department in place, you can relax knowing that any product you get from us is of good quality. We always ensure that all the processes and procedures are followed to the later. In that way, we ensure that all the products have the right measurement and match your blue print exactly. Nothing leaves our facility without inspection.

CNC Machining services for medical Industries

The medical industry is very precise on what kind of machines they need regarding quality and design. Even the smallest machine parts are essential to the success of various lifesaving progresses in health care. Before we give you the end product, we always make sure that it meets your expectations and blue print 100% as the medical machines are very sensitive and are used for very crucial things.

CNC Machining services for aerospace industries

Tag Team Manufacturing has had extensive experience in CNC Machining of components for the aerospace industries for over 30 years now. We can produce even the smallest instrumental parts needed to kick off any project. We work with most of your alloys among other materials needed by the aerospace industry, including aluminum, stainless steel, carbon steel, brass and copper.

And just like in the medical industry, we always make sure every part made for aerospace meets your expectation and the specifications 100%. So, if you are looking for high precision machining in the aerospace industry, Tag team is the place to go.

Contact Us

If you are in need of quality and high tolerance precision machining for medical and aerospace industries, do not hesitate to contact us. We offer you quality products and services and at a competitive price and on time. Therefore, do not miss out on this opportunity, give us a call today at 303-841-5697.

machining classes

Why community colleges are now adding machining classes to their curriculum

There are plenty of reasons why students would choose attending a community college rather than choosing the traditional four year college experience. One of the top reasons why many people prefer community college is the fact that it is more affordable than university education. Academic flexibility is the other major reason why people would choose attending a community college.

Manufacturing industry has been evolving quite rapidly the past few years. This can be attributed to the fact that technology is ever changing. The traditional lessons at the community college where students are taught how to handle tools, no longer cut it in the industry. It is for this reason that many community colleges have added machining classes to their curriculum.

CNC skills are in demand
One of the main reasons for adding machining classes is the high demand of CNC skills in the market. By using CNC, a machine is operated by an accredited operator and this increases productivity and reduces human error and the demand in CNC skills. To give their students a chance to get a good job after graduating from community colleges they must instill the relevant skills required in the industry. With a CNC programming course where the students divide their time between lectures and working in the labs they get to learn how to program as well as use different CNC machines.

Seize opportunities in manufacturing industries
CNC is the basis on manufacturing and there are plenty of jobs available in different industries such as machinery, aerospace and nuclear among others. With CNC automation training, students increase their chances of landing a job. Not only do they increase their chances of landing a job but they also receive a higher salary. It is imperative for the colleges to offer CNC courses to students so they can seize the many opportunities.

CNC machine training equips students with the right skills to start off their career on the right foot. Giving them the skills to take up ready employment and set for great work. A career in CNC machining is not only satisfying but also challenging. Entry level wages for a certified CNC programmer are higher than other entry level jobs in other industries.

With the proper programing and operating machine courses, students are equipped with skills to work in different positions. In most community colleges, their curriculum now covers the basic course and also advanced courses in CNC machine shops. In the basic classes, students learn how to handle routine maintenance, translating specifications for quality manufacturing of products as well as installation of devices. In the advanced classes they handle more sophisticated tasks such as turning grooving, facing among others. The advanced courses ensure that the operator is proficient and can handle any machine.

As the manufacturing continues to be shaped by new technologies, there is a high demand for well-trained machinist in the industry. To fill this gap, community colleges have introduced machining classes equipping students with the skills they need to get started in their different fields.

inspection equipment

What inspection equipment is crucial in manufacturing today

Increasingly complex production processes and ever-accelerating production rates, make the human obsolete for executing the multifarious lightning-fast inspections  necessary to ensure compliance with today’s numerous quality and regulatory requirements. Inspections by human eyes and hands are manufacturing processes of the past. With manual inspection, corrupted products may pass through the entire production process without being discovered until much later. Such a management flaw can put consumers at risk and cause manufacturers enormous recall costs, brand damage, and waste costs.

Automatic inspection processes detect errors at an incomparably higher rate than people can accomplish, bolstering efficiency of production lines. Automated inspections afford reliably repeating inspections. And, they offer precision in capturing performance data, such as rejection rates. These benefits spur quality and conformance improvements that become very significant contributors to customer upgrade and repeat purchase rates, profit margin, and market competitiveness.

Inspections are conducted at so many points along production processes, and by so many interested parties, that it’s dizzying to consider just the number of kinds of tests conducted throughout  the manufacturing industry on an average day—from shop inspections, to second and third party stake-holder site inspections, to ISO and government inspections. Inspection costs alone can represent a significant expense. And, increasingly strict quality standards along with ever-accelerating production rate requirements further increase the cost.

On the other hand, cutting corners on inspection costs predictably prove to be a costly error, escalating risks of comparatively high quality control failure rates and nonconformance rates that can jeopardize a manufacturer’s competitiveness. Optimizing inspection systems doesn’t necessarily mean spending more. However, it does mean manufacturers need to get the most for their investment in manufacturing inspection equipment and processes.

From robotics, to medical equipment and supplies, to food production, inspection and testing plans for incorporating inspection equipment are now driving what has become a robustly innovative inspection equipment industry.

Kinds of inspection

A manufacturing test is performed as part of a particular inspection process for PQR, or for any one of myriad in-process purposes. Just listing, much less explaining, all the tests required for manufacturing is a project far beyond the scope of this article. But, here are listed just a small number of industrial tests, to give merely a sense of how vast the range of inspection types is across the manufacturing industry.

  • Bend, impact, and tension tests
  • Inspection (testing) equipment calibration
  • Radiographic tests
  • Weld Destructive Testing for WPQ
  • Pump, valve, compressor, and pressure vessel inspections
  • Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) of equipment under construction
  • Annealing Heat Treatment, testing temperature change rates and metal properties
  • Corrosion resistance testing
  • Magnetic Particle Inspection (MPI)
  • Dimensional inspection
  • Ultrasonic testing
  • Hot working metal properties analysis
  • Electromechanical tensile testing of non-ferrous materials
  • Surface smoothness test (AARH test)
  • Identify breaks or other physical defects on finished products
  • Product mass measurement
  • Package seal inspection
  • Code validations
  • Label affixed and positioned validation
  • Tamper seal closure tests
  • Vision inspection for product conformance and overall packaging integrity
  • Container content and fill level measurement
  • Food, beverage sorting consistency with packaging
  • Product counting

Kinds of inspection equipment

Of course, some inspection technologies can be better investments than others. The challenge is to identify those that can be expected to advance your process improvement and quality objectives, and yield the highest ROI. This is especially true in today’s dynamic environment, in which innovations are so rapidly advancing process capabilities, that state-of-the-art equipment can quickly become obsolete. We have identified a few that appear to have the broadest range of applications across manufacturing, and the greatest overall value in terms of ROI and contribution to branding goals.

1. Barcode scanner

Barcode scanners are used at throughout the supply chain, materials management, production, packaging, warehousing, and shipping, processes, and further at wholesaling and retailing points of sale. Scanners can be linked to materials management systems in order to increment materials inventory counts as products are being produced. As material inventories are depleted, stock counts are updated in real time. Scanners can even interface with database software to confirm a match between a product unit and the barcode assigned to it. Scanners can be used for barcode inspections on:

  • Individual items in bottles or cartons
  • Pallets for X-ray inspection
  • Adhesive printed label sheets for later application
  • Inventory tracking lists and paper ledger entries containing barcodes
  • Stamped or printed barcodes

2. Vision

Vision inspection system equipment automatically identifies a vast array of quality problems that human inspectors cannot detect with comparable consistently. And, these automated camera processes are increasingly fast and wider ranging in the numbers of tasks a camera can manage. The equipment is advancing to produce ever-higher resolution to capture subtle defects. This reduces rates of false rejections by the automated system. Additionally, a vision inspection system can be integrated into automated line processes to catch errors that might otherwise ruin entire lots. This benefit may be enough to account for enough loss savings to realize a favorable ROI.

3. Checkweigh

Checkweigh inspection systems consist of automated checkweigh equipment, usually stationed at the end of the production line. The checkweigher rejects underweight or overweight product units and immediately removes them from the line. The rejection triggers an alert that prompts line workers or supervisors to attend to the fill weight problem, before perhaps thousands of nonconforming products are produced. Some features and benefits of automated checkweigh equipment are:

  • Meet AQS as well as non-AQS (UTML) requirements (But be aware of retailers’ standards.)
  • Constrain tolerances to ensure increased fill process precision
  • Reduce waste to increase profit margin, which cumulatively can add up to staggering savings

4. X-ray

Bits of debris such as rubber, metal, glass, stone, and other opaque that contaminate products can be detected using X-ray technology fitted for manufacturing applications. X-ray equipment can see through a product and its packaging to assess density of contents to distinguish foreign materials from product. X-ray inspection can be used with many packaging types, including cans, jars, bottles, foil, and pouches made of a variety of materials. And X-ray machine is higher priced than metal detection equipment, but it precisely locates the contaminant and shows the line operator exactly where it is to be found inside the product. Modern X-ray equipment is optimal for high-speed manufacturing lines and for producers who need to minimize contaminates to guard against recalls. Today’s sophisticated X-ray equipment for manufacturing quality control can be stationed in-line to:

  • Detect contaminants
  • Identify physical defects
  • Detect broken products
  • Detect missing products
  • Validate integrity of package seals
  • Measure products’ mass

5. Metal detection

Currently, a major issue in food production is contamination by stainless steel and other metals. Modern metal detection equipment for manufacturing can detect metal contaminants in products with high fluid volume. This product inspection equipment is good for use in production systems with need to inspect only for metal contaminants in products. Metal detection equipment is usually stationed at or near the end of the production line to inspect the final product. They are not useful for products in tin cans, or in foil or aluminum packaging, or metallic film. Metal detection machinery works well for inspection of:

  • dry goods like sugar, flour, salt, and others
  • frozen food products
  • numerous other products

For your QM team to ensure quality in daily operations by confirming that processes are optimally efficient in conforming to Operating Procedures, manufacturing inspection equipment affords ideally controlled repeatable inspections. Updating your Quality Management Program technology with automated inspection equipment can take your program a great distance toward:

  • ensuring customer satisfaction
  • overall efficiency of QC systems
  • reduce operating cost
  • minimize material waste
  • reduce instances of product non-conformance
  • reduce risk to customers
  • reduce risk of recalls
  • improve regulatory conformance
  • accomplish PI objectives

If your plant is still using outmoded manual inspection processes, it is probably time to discuss with your SME in manufacturing machinery, possibilities for implementing quality and conformance inspection and identification technologies. You may discover that it is more affordable to procure the equipment and implement its use than it is not to do so.

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.