Things to know before you open a Machine shopTechnology by Paul Petersen - December 25, 20190 Fire risks are present in machine shops and depending on the type of equipment or machining operations, CNC machines could also be at a higher risk of fire Many of these other hazards are addressable with good housekeeping measures and having processes for regular equipment inspections to keep the shop floor and employees safe. A machine shop can be a capital intensive business, because the purchase of equipment can require large investments A machine shop can also be labour-intensive , especially if it is specialized in repairing machinery on a job production basis, but production machining (both batch production and mass production ) is much more automated than it was before the development of CNC, programmable logic control (PLC), microcomputers , and robotics It no longer requires masses of workers , although the jobs that remain tend to require high talent and skill Training and experience in a machine shop can both be scarce and valuable. There isn’t space to cover the complete history of machine tools, nor to delve into saws, grinders, electrical discharge machining (EDM), and other ancillary equipment, but one key aspect any part designer should know is that most metal-cutting machines (they also cut plastic, by the way) can be roughly classified as either mill or lathe.Job shops build customized or modified standard products in low volumes such as aircraft, machine tools, and construction equipment in complex make-buy-assemble operations. These shops are also more apt to use toolpath simulation software (54 compared to 43 percent) due to the complexity of their parts and the more challenging machining operations they are more likely to perform on equipment such as five-axis machines and turn-mills. The machine tools typically include metal lathes , milling machines , machining centers, multitasking machines, drill presses , or grinding machines , many controlled with computer numerical control (CNC).This highly-productive company is renowned for producing the world’s best parts with High Micro Finish” and Very Tight Tolerance Machining.” The types of equipment used in their production at the machine shop would include single spindle, escomatic, multi spindle and CNC machines. Innovations in metal casting have allowed for tighter tolerances throughout the manufacturing process, but it’s still up to CNC machine shops to be at the forefront of innovation in delivering the most accurate and precise parts possible. Setup and operate CNC machines, lathes, mills, grinders, welders, saws, buffers, drills, and vertical machine tools to make parts per engineering specifications Fabricate production and custom parts using metal, plastics and wood Design and build jigs, tooling and machinery for production and custom projects Understand and edit CNC G. A very important part of running a machine shop is automation. You can learn more about xyz robots at www.intellidrives.comSilicon Valley Machine Shop With Fortune 500 Customers This machine shop specializes in precision CNC milling with an excellent reputation for high quality work, on time delivery and reasonable pri… More details » In my machine shop career I have worked for two tool and die shops that made molds for plastic injection molding; I worked in a maintenance machine shop for a power company that machined 8′ diameter pump housings and 27′ long pump shafts along with map brackets and any other parts of the field techs needed; I worked for a company making parts for benchtop educational milling machines; I worked for a machine shop that machined nothing but man-made sapphire (interesting stuff by the way); I worked for a company that produced bridge and communications systems for the U.S. Navy, and I worked in a machine shop that made parts for commercial printers.Innovations in metal casting have allowed for tighter tolerances throughout the manufacturing process, but it’s still up to CNC machine shops to be at the forefront of innovation in delivering the most accurate and precise parts possible.