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More from Joe Thompson
Technology Spotlight: Solid-carbide End Mill
- By Joe Thompson
- May 23, 2017
- Cutting Tools
- Article
The tool’s dual functionality comes from its design, which incorporates three cutting edges to remove material and three burnishing edges to compact the material.
The Conversion Conversation
- By Joe Thompson
- May 22, 2017
- Management
- Blog Post
When the word Juno is used in Canada, it typically refers to a Normandy beachhead stormed by the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division on June 6, 1944, in an operation the world knows as D-Day. This summer, however, the Juno Jupiter probe – named for the Greek god Jupiter’s wife, not the Ellen Page...
Manufacturers Predict Growth
- By Joe Thompson
- May 17, 2017
- Management
- Blog Post
It’s a time of change for the Canadian manufacturing sector, and new markets, new industries, and new products will all be part of the change. Change can be good because it can lead to previously unknown customers, both domestically and internationally. It’s like author and business consultant...
Building Your Business Means Building Relationships
- By Joe Thompson
- May 15, 2017
- Management
- Blog Post
Building relationships is hard. They are fluid and can at times be volatile. But when you attain a good relationship – with a client, a supplier, or employee -- it’s a good idea to hang on to it like a life preserver. Like any relationship, a business relationship starts with trust. If your...
Technology Spotlight: Safety Laser Scanner
- By Joe Thompson
- Apr 27, 2017
- Management
- Article
Scanning an area to help keep workers safe is an important task. But it’s also important to track, trace, and understand what is causing shutdowns
Don’t Push Me ’Cause I’m Close to the Edge
- By Joe Thompson
- Apr 18, 2017
- Management
- Blog Post
At a time when we all just started getting used to using terms like Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things (IoT) in our everyday life, we get another batch of computer theory terminology to chew on. Next up for the manufacturing world is edge analytics. For those of us without advanced computer...
The Clutch Debate: Who Built It Better?
- By Joe Thompson
- Apr 10, 2017
- Management
- Blog Post
In post-World War II Italy, like in most of Europe, there was a lot of rebuilding to be done, and this created opportunities for ambitious, clever individuals to make their mark. After the war, recently unemployed air force mechanic and bull-fighting enthusiast Ferruccio Lamborghini returned to his...
Put a Little Control in Your Quality
- By Joe Thompson
- Mar 22, 2017
- Management
- Blog Post
A recent trip to Switzerland taught me a lot about quality. Whether it applies to the $25,000 Swiss-made Omega watch I briefly had on my wrist or the high level of service at the region’s hotels and restaurants, the Swiss certainly know a thing or two about quality. But how do they get that way?...
Going Deep
- By Joe Thompson
- Feb 27, 2017
- Metalworking
- Article
Producing a deep hole with a good finish, accurate diameter, and straightness control is the goal of deep-hole drilling. Hole quality is key to the development of high-quality products.
Turn to Coatings
- By Joe Thompson
- Feb 22, 2017
- Cutting Tools
- Article
As manufacturers begin to machine new materials it pushes cutting tool manufacturers to develop new coatings and new ways to apply coatings to support these demands.
Finding Zen One Book at a Time
- By Joe Thompson
- Feb 21, 2017
- Management
- Blog Post
In his book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, author Robert Pirsig describes his 17-day motorcycle ride from Minnesota to California, revealing the many philosophical discussions he had along the way. In some ways the book is an homage to Eugen Herrigel’s Zen in the Art of Archery, which...
The Die/Mould Dilemma: Milling Graphite
- By Joe Thompson
- Jan 26, 2017
- Metalworking
- Article
Graphite typically is the standard electrode material for most electrical discharge machine (EDM) applications because they enable faster roughing cycle times and cost less than copper electrodes.
Appropriation Process Should Never Be Inappropriate
- By Joe Thompson
- Jan 23, 2017
- Management
- Blog Post
Lewis Carroll, he of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass fame, once wrote that life is but a dream. If he was right, I think I’d like to wake up now. The reason? To paraphrase another famous British author, this time the Bard of Avon himself: This is the winter of my discontent. As...
Technology Spotlight: Large 5-axis Machining
- By Joe Thompson
- Jan 5, 2017
- Metalworking
- Article
No matter if your work is in tool and mould construction, the aerospace industry, or the energy sector, a clear trend in all of these production environments is the creation of highly complex, high-quality workpieces with large dimensions.
2016: A Spatial Thinking Odyssey
- By Joe Thompson
- Dec 9, 2016
- Management
- Blog Post
When Robert Burns penned “Auld Lang Syne” in 1788, a work that was itself based on an even older oral verse, he probably didn’t envision the tacky party hats and annoying noisemakers that accompany that song today. In fact, the Bard of Ayrshire was posing an interesting philosophical, and...
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