We review a lot of great products but this one has us scratching our heads… in a GOOD way. Fusion 360 is a fresh yet comprehensive approach to product development sure to give all CAD competitors a change of underwear. Users of Autodesk Inventor and HSM Works will find themselves in a familiar environment. Solidworks [...]
A new law beginning on July 1, 2014 allows California based manufacturers to obtain a “partial exemption of sales and use tax” certificate for certain manufacturing equipment purchases. The certificate is much like the current resale certificates that most manufacturers have. To be eligible under this law, you must meet all three of these conditions: [...]
Since its launch in 2009, Kickstarter has provided an instant a preemptive marketplace for projects to raise capital through individual investors. The practice is known as “crowdfunding”. This is HUGE for machinists. We’ve all seen good ideas floating around the shop but the two biggest hurdles to turning an idea into a product has been [...]
We’re posting a gnarly video below (PG13) that is bound to cause any one of the following reactions: horror, shock, laughter, amazement, fear, anger, sadness, judgement or frustration. You might experience one of the aforementioned, but does it end there? In our consumer/entertainment driven society our brains are slowly being trained to see things and [...]
We receive plenty of press releases, but when we saw one claiming an endmill that could machine steel at feeds and speeds usually used with Aluminum, we had to investigate further. Primary Cutter, LLC introduced the SUPERMILL TOMCAT 5 flute carbide endmill line designed to run at high RPM and high feed rates providing rapid [...]
The best thing about a new year is new products. Pierson Workholding has expanded their SmartVac II product line with new vacuum chuck sizes. Sizes are 9 x 14, 13.5 x 13.5 and 13.5 x 20. The 13.5 x 20 size more than doubles the size of the original 9 x 14. Optional top plates [...]
So often, shops have no company website. Moreover, their email address is from any number of generic sources; machineshopperson@att.net, anothershop@yahoo.com, i-need-a-website@hotmail.com. There’s really nothing wrong with having such an address, but using an email that includes your company’s name is much more professional. In today’s information age, the necessity of having a company website cannot [...]
The ability to turn and mill complex parts and perform multiple operations on one machine increases throughput, reduces handling, and improves accuracy. The Haas ST-10Y is a small-footprint Y-axis turning center that provides 4″ of Y-axis travel (±2″ from the centerline) for off-center milling, drilling, and tapping, and comes standard with high-torque live tooling and [...]
A short while back we introduced the cold air nozzle from Silvent. This technology involves converting compressed air into a stream of cold air 40 degrees colder than what entered using no moving parts. Intrigued? Absolutely! But the real question remained… How would this fascinating technology help us solve real world problems. We first found [...]
In President Obama’s recent State of the Union address he introduced a plan for $30 billion of TARP money to be lent to small businesses through the banking network. This shot in the arm is exactly what small business needs to regain working capital for new investments and expansion. Too bad the average small business [...]
