It’s a classic American tale of hard work and enduring success.
What started as a tool and die shop in a garage has evolved into a world-class CNC precision machining operation recognized globally for its excellence.
And this year, Stecker Machine Company celebrates 50 years in business.
Once you understand that CNC machining parts are repeatedly machined to extreme precision, you may assume that once a shop has capabilities, they can make any CNC machined parts. Not so!
To sound impressive, many CNC machine shops claim to manufacture “complex” parts, but that’s not always true. So, let’s discuss what a complex part really is and uncover the skills required by a shop to work on them. Here are six different conditions that could cause a part to be classified as “complex,” with photos from actual Stecker Machine projects.
We’ve said it before, and we’ll continue to say it: Quality is everything in CNC machining.
It’s the reason why manufacturers use CNC machining to produce precise parts. Of course, every CNC machine shop will say that they highly value quality and meet quality requirements. But, how do you know for sure?
In part 1 of our series on cost-effective, on-time CNC precision machining we explored how to go from RFQ to a successful project.
Tedious. Exciting. Frustrating. However you think of RFQs (Requests for Quote), it’s a standard business practice that’s here to stay. In fact, it may be becoming a bigger differentiator within manufacturing than ever.
Choosing a new CNC vendor is challenging. Evaluating a current CNC machine shop relationship is equally important (and even tougher) because a relationship has developed. This vendor may have been a trusted extension of your team for quite a while, so seeing a clear picture isn’t always easy.
When do you know it’s time to evaluate a current CNC machine shop relationship? Have you properly monitored this vendor’s performance so you can make a wise choice? How can you add one to your list (or drop one)?
So much time and effort is put into machining CNC parts and components: designing, planning, casting, machining, deburring, washing, controlling quality, managing inventory … plus all of the coordination required. Yet, without properly shipping the finished CNC machined parts, all of this effort could be wasted.
Shipping CNC parts — some reaching tolerances to 0.001” — requires the right methods and materials to ensure they arrive undamaged and ready to perform. “Metal” sounds hard and unbreakable, so protection may not seem like a priority … but it is.
Precision CNC machining is a mainstay of modern American manufacturing. Its extreme accuracy, automation, and cost-effectiveness far surpass traditional machining technology when producing complex parts.
Although completed parts are the main goal, finding the right CNC machining service supplier to meet your specific requirements involves many factors.
In production manufacturing, efficiency is king. Any opportunity to reduce production time gets immediate attention.
CNC machines are an important tool for automating the production of mechanical parts to increase throughput while maintaining consistent quality. CNC machine centers play a critical role in a machine shop’s efficiency.
This article explains five big advantages of CNC machine centers and shares some experienced insights from a leader in CNC machining.
QA, PPAP, APQP, CMM, PSW, etc. Wow, the world of quality assurance is an alphabet soup of abbreviations.
