Gosiger Blog

In a recent article from Modern Machine Shop, Senior Editor, Julia Hider highlighted a groundbreaking advancement in Swiss-type machining. Swiss-type machines are champions of efficiency and versatility in precision manufacturing. These machines have long been admired for their ability to handle intricate parts with unparalleled accuracy. Among the leading innovators in this field, Nomura DS has recently made waves with its groundbreaking NN-20J3XBTC model, especially noted for its unique dual B-axis feature. 

Photos by Julia Hider, MMS.

Swiss-type machines represent a pinnacle in the machining industry, renowned for their ability to produce complex parts with high precision. These machines excel in applications requiring tight tolerances and intricate geometries, making them top-performers in a variety of industries ranging from aerospace to medical device manufacturing.

Are you hesitant about incorporating automation into your small or mid-size machine tool job shop? Despite reservations, even low-volume operations can capitalize on current automation trends. While high-volume machine shops have long embraced automation, it's time for smaller enterprises to recognize the advantages.

Change is inevitable, and to maintain audience interest, one must be skilled at adapting and comfortable with the trial-and-error approach. Learning from events is constant, provided you remain open to criticism.

Attaining a top-notch, glossy surface through machining requires precise coordination of various elements. The part setup, tool choice, and cutting parameter adjustments all play a role in determining the machining outcome. The motion of the CNC machine tool holds significant importance, with sudden changes in feed rate and irregular movement typically having a negative impact on material cutting and the resulting finish.

Hosting an event is much more personable than you may believe. From coordinating on the back end, it is easy to lose the connection of keeping the audience at the forefront of your planning. When hosting an event, measuring the success lies far beyond just the amount of tickets sold. Attendee engagement and enjoyment are key factors when determining the event’s overall achievement. 

Networking is like building powerful friendships that can supercharge your career. It's the key to meeting people who can open up exciting opportunities for you. In this blog, we'll guide you through the steps to become a networking pro.

Event planning and coordinating sounds like an easy gig until you begin to dive deeper into the logistics behind organizing events. Navigating your event can take more toll on you than you had initially intended. This is why you must be very diligent in your process. From inception to execution, orchestrating an event that leaves a lasting impression demands skill and dedication.

It’s no surprise that the better your machine runs, the more productive and profitable you will become. Through Gosiger's Engineered Systems Division, we provide a wide variety of industry-leading engineering services to our customers to help them overcome their challenges and improve how they manufacture. From turnkey systems to engineering support, we bring multiple solutions to tackle any obstacles you may face. But what can you do to improve your operation today?

No matter how dependable a machine can be, the likelihood of problems occurring is greater than zero. Gosiger provides unmatched technical support for every machine sold while prioritizing keeping your operation running! Purchasing a machine takes planning, energy, and finances to expand your shop floor, so why not make sure you get the most out of that investment? Using Gosiger’s support resources such as preventative maintenance plans, training, spare parts and technical service will help keep your operation running at its best.

What Brian Stall says about Jingdiao High-Speed Mills

As the Gosiger 3D Application Engineer, I spent over 500 machining hours during an 8-week period evaluating the Jingdiao 5-axis mill at our Dayton headquarters. The Jingdiao engineers supported me during the entire process. If they couldn't answer a question, they would have it the next day. I was extremely impressed with their technical skills and response time.

For a firearm to be effective, it needs to be reliable, durable, consistent and accurate. When finished parts have burrs or other defects, the detrimental impact it has on the gun is severe. With Swiss machining, you avoid these issues and provide a product that can be trusted when needed most.

Deciding if automation is the right fit for your business can be a daunting task. Whether it's your first automation project with us or you're a returning customer, our experts are here for the entire process.

In January 2021 MODIG Machine Tool applied for a new patent on a paradigm­ shifting machine tool innovation. We are proud to present the world's first Inverted machine tool.

Gosiger’s West Coast applications expert answers a question about parts counting, asked by an Okuma turning machine user, in this video.

Providing machine tools, factory automation, engineering services, applications assistance, and more to manufacturers is a rewarding career choice. It means being part of the fabric of the American economy by helping customers make the products we all need and use.

While none of us like facing our own mortality, as a conscientious CNC shop owner you’ve likely given thought to what would happen if you were suddenly no longer there. Hopefully, you’ve put a succession plan in place, shared your last wishes and financial information with your family, and provided instructions as to where your business successors and heirs can locate the important documents they need going forward.

Although Lean manufacturing is often thought of as the province of major companies like Toyota, the basic concept is applicable to any CNC shop. In essence, Lean is about analyzing a manufacturing process to eliminate wasted time, labor and material.

Productivity is an important objective when setting up a part program, and often means maximizing spindle speed and feed rate. However, tools selected strictly on the basis of cutting speeds, may also produce chips that are difficult to manage.

Two serious challenges for many CNC shops are reducing cost-per-part and finding skilled CNC machine operators and machinists. Both problems can be addressed by applying automation solutions.

It happens every 2 years in Dayton Ohio: Gosigerfest – a gathering of manufacturing professionals who are serious about taking their shops to the next level.                              

No CNC shop or any other business is immune to crisis. Although we hope it never happens, when something goes terribly wrong a company’s very survival may hinge on how well it handles the aftermath. That’s why every CNC shop should have a crisis plan in place. Right now.                                                                            

Developing the next generation of manufacturing professionals requires investments in programs that help students learn the real-world skills they need to succeed. As a firm believer in this approach, Gosiger provides equipment and training to several colleges across the country, sponsors lunch-and-learn and other events that bring students and professionals together, and works with tooling, software and other providers to support educational programs.

Celebrating 35 years in America, Okuma hosts the 2019 Summer Showcase event on July 24 – 25 in its Charlotte, NC headquarters. Gosiger CNC and automation specialists will be among those meeting one-to-one with attendees in the Okuma Tech Bar. This is an opportunity to discuss critical production challenges with Gosiger experts who draw on 95 + years of manufacturing experience.

In addition, the Summer Showcase includes:
• Industry-specific Okuma machine demos
• Special guest speakers
• Access to applications engineers
• Learning about efficiency-improving APPs

Okuma machines available for up-close-and-personal examination:
• GENOS M460V-5AX
• GENOS M560-V
• LB3000 EX II-MYW
• LT2000 EX-2T1MY
• LU3000 EX
• MU-4000V
• GA26W
• GENOS L2000-e
• MU-5000V
• MU-S600V
• LB3000 EX II BBW
• MB-4000H
• LB3000 EX II Gantry
• 2SP-150H
• MULTUS U3000

In the 1870’s the demand for Swiss watches required high volumes of precise parts for their coveted timepieces. Fixed head turning machines of the day were not capable of holding the tight tolerances required for these small diameter parts. So the Swiss watchmaking industry developed a different kind of turning machine.                                           

Is a standard, 3-jaw chuck or a collet chuck a better choice for your CNC turning machine? The answer is (as is true with so many decisions): It depends.

CNC shops across the country are struggling to find capable machine operators and machinists. Meanwhile, industry leaders project that by 2025 there will be a shortage of 875,000 skilled manufacturing professionals.

As a business owner, you probably receive unsolicited calls and other contacts from people who want to sell you something on a daily basis. Lately, you may have been inundated with robocalls offering quick and easy access to lines of credit. Many sound like this: “I’m calling to follow up on the offer we sent to you for a $500,000 line of credit…” 

All Okuma turning centers with an OSP-P300 or later control include a soft jaw process program. Like many such programs, knowing a few shortcuts can save a lot of trial-and-error time. In this video, a Gosiger West Coast Okuma specialist takes you step-by-step through the setup. 

Attention to detail is often what separates exceptional products from those that are simply “good enough.” This is particularly true of machine tools. The more precisely crafted and robust a machine’s components and assembly, the better it will perform initially and in the long run – without requiring undue service. 

Okuma OSP CNC control systems use the Windows®-based open architecture platform to optimize programming efficiency. There are many functions within the systems that provide shortcuts for streamlining production. Among these is the LIB (library) file that holds a group of macros residing within a single program. 

Nomura Swiss-style CNC machines are ideal for precisely machining complex parts, extending tool life, and making it easier to deal with challenging materials. A new series of videos  on the following models clearly demonstrates the abilities of these sliding headstock machines. 

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) provides incredible opportunities to improve productivity and increase profit margins for CNC shops. However, just as in our homes, the more machines interconnect, the greater the opportunity for hackers to steal critical information. 

Getting the most out of CNC machines and other production equipment often requires a careful analysis and refinement of the manufacturing process. Many CNC shops can benefit from working with an engineering services partner that has expertise,  in-house resources and years of experience to apply to virtually any machining challenge. 

For PMTS 2019 Gosiger High Volume presents the latest technologies for precision parts manufacturers. Nomura Swiss-style CNC machine Product Manager, Guy Metz, will make in-booth presentations and answer questions about Nomura Swiss-style CNC machines and applications.

Gosiger recently opened a new Manufacturing Technology Center in Wyoming Michigan, a suburb of Grand Rapids. The 6,000 square foot facility showcases Okuma, Hardinge and Nomura CNC machine tools for customer demonstrations, applications assistance and training.

The new, compact Load & Go self-contained robotic CNC machine tending system is so simple, versatile, reliable and affordable, it fits into any size CNC shop. 

No CNC shop owner wants to believe his trusted employees would steal from the company, but the reality is that employee theft in the US is estimated to be as much as $50 billion annually. 

1. Robots never take breaks, days off or vacations. They never fail to show up or become distracted. They continuously load and unload parts until you tell them otherwise, and modern industrial robots require minimal maintenance. 

Over time, the most successful CNC shops are those that adopt new technologies to reduce cost-per-part and improve productivity. Of course, shop owners must always balance risk and reward when considering capital investments.

The end of one year and the beginning of another is a good time for reflection. As another successful year serving the manufacturing community closes, it’s important to reaffirm the values that underlie our commitment to customers, Gosiger team members, and supplier partners. 

All Okuma lathes and mills include a Tool Life Management function within the OSP P300 control.The program collects information about specific tools that accurately determines when those tools must be changed. The machine then continues running while the tool is automatically changed, thus eliminating any interruption in production, scrapped parts or damaged tool holders. 

The newly introduced Okuma MU-S600V vertical machining center is a flexible 5-axis machine that is a mere 55 inches wide, yet easily handles 600 mm workpieces. Even more impressive is the unique ability to connect multiples of these machines for unattended and lights-out production, utilizing built-in robotics. 

Investing in machine tools and other manufacturing equipment is not something any CNC shop can take lightly. Not only is the initial price tag significant, but the wrong choice can be extremely costly in lost production and less-than-desired results. 

CNC shop owners are famous for putting a tremendous amount of time, money, thought and perspiration into starting and running their business. Unfortunately, many are also notorious for neglecting to plan for retirement. According to financial experts, about 1/3 of small business owners don’t have a retirement savings plan. 

We talk a great deal about management skills in manufacturing. In fact, many job titles include the word “manager”: Production Manager, Plant Manager, Shift Manager, Parts Manager – you get the idea. The fact is, if your job includes overseeing people as well as things, you need more than basic management skills to be truly successful. You need to be a leader.

Removing material from a workpiece to make a part or product is a cornerstone of manufacturing, and has been for centuries. Today, in addition to these traditional subtractive processes, manufacturers are looking for opportunities to use additive techniques as well.

Okuma’s OSP-P300 CNC control is filled with user-friendly tools to make any machining process easier and more efficient. For example, the Easy Operation run screen displays all operator functions on one screen, and the shared database eliminates redundant data entry.

Scam artists have been exploiting the power of the Internet from its very beginning. Lately, you see fewer of the signature bogus emails written in broken or misspelled English promising big rewards if you just send money now. This doesn’t mean these phishing schemes have gone away, they’ve simply become more sophisticated.

Now that so much of our personal information has been hacked by cyber criminals, being concerned about password security may seem like closing the proverbial barn door after the horses ran off.

Hiring new employees for your manufacturing business can be frustrating. As one shop owner put it: “First you have to find someone who has the right technical skills. Then they have to pass the background check and drug tests. If you hit the trifecta, you hire them on the spot. The problem is, you won’t know if they’re really good until they’re on the job.”

A number of privately owned manufacturing businesses in the U.S. have more than one family member on the payroll. That’s not surprising when you consider that many people who start or buy a business do so for the good of their family.

On Thursday, September 28, 2017 House Speaker Paul Ryan visited one of our customers to highlight how the upcoming proposed tax reform plan can benefit manufacturers. During his speech, Speaker Ryan pointed to a robotically loaded cell designed and built by Gosiger Automation as well as a BTB transfer machine. These are the types of investments that will benefit from the new tax code and help to reinvigorate American manufacturers.

Every so often you may find it necessary to fire an unproductive or troublesome employee. It’s never a pleasant situation but you recognize that, if done properly, it’s ultimately in the best interests of everyone involved.

While cybercrime in many forms continues to escalate, the fastest growing threat is ransomware, in which your data is held prisoner until you pay off the cybercriminals. According to the Web site Fight Ransomware, these attacks increased 300% from 2015 to 2016, with over 4000 attacks now occurring each day.

It’s safe to say that most manufacturers recognize that their greatest asset is their people. They may have the latest and greatest technology, but it is the skills, experience and dedication of those who work for them that make the company what it is.

Occasional employee absences or tardiness, although inconvenient, are part of the human condition. However, an employee who habitually arrives late, calls out or simply doesn’t show up is being unfair to everyone who has to take up the slack. Not to mention impacting production schedules, customer deliveries and productivity.

Whether you own a CNC shop or are responsible for bringing in business for your employer, you’ll be more successful if you move beyond basic sales tactics to developing and implementing marketing strategies.

Few of us like to think about the end of things, especially a business we’ve just started or have been nurturing for some time. Plus, with all of the other day-to-day workplace challenges, who has time to plan that far ahead?

Most of us like to think that the buying decisions we make are based strictly on facts and figures. We look at specifications, evaluate the differences between options and make a perfectly logical choice. The truth is, every buying decision is also influenced by our emotions.

Social media is not a panacea for building your business, but it is an important part of an integrated marketing program. Along with personal selling, a strong Internet presence, advertising and public relations, social media can help you increase orders from existing customers and introduce your shop to new ones. Here are 5 other reasons to use social media:

Confident that the U.S. economy is on firm footing, the Federal Reserve Board has begun gradually increasing interest rates and plans to do so at least two-to-three more times this year with additional increases in 2018. Along with the average consumer, businesses will soon begin to feel the effects in some obvious and not-so-obvious ways. This is especially true for small business (defined as those with 500 or fewer employees) who own or employ about half of the American workforce.

There’s no question that finding good employees for your CNC shop is challenging – as is holding onto them. Employees leave companies for a variety of reasons including uncertainty about their financial futures, particularly their ability to someday retire comfortably. One way to relieve this concern is to establish a 401 (k) plan. The IRS has specific guidelines for such plans, but in general here’s how they work:

Many who run small to mid-size businesses tend to think of cybercrime as only a big business problem. While it’s true that large corporations, governments, banks and retailers are likely targets for Internet based crimes, smaller businesses – including CNC shops – are not immune. According to the 2016 Internet Security Report from Symantec, 43% of cyberattacks last year targeted small businesses.

Let’s say you’re a CNC shop owner looking for new ways to compliment your existing business. Or, perhaps, you have an itch to add a new business to your portfolio. In either case you can start from scratch, or acquire an existing enterprise.

Succession Planning Question 10: What will you do after you sell your business?

Succession Planning Question 9: Are you investing in innovation and R&D?

Succession Planning Question 8: What is your company’s culture?

Succession Planning Question 7: How dependent is your business on you?

Succession Planning Question 6: What about insurance and buy-sell agreements?

Sometimes even an employee with good job skills and experience can create problems with fellow employees that drain enthusiasm and impact productivity. That’s why it’s important to consider a job candidate’s personality and track record before making a hiring decision.

Succession Planning Question 5: How sound are your financial statements?

Succession Planning Question 4: How can you retain key employees.

Succession Planning Question 3: How much is your business worth?

In the past few years, businesses waited all year long to find out if Congress would increase the standard 179 deduction limited from $25,000 to a larger amount. This made it difficult to plan significant year-end purchases—often leaving buyers scrambling to negotiate deals and take delivery in the midst of the holiday break.

CNC shop owners tend to be independent types. After all, that's why they run their own businesses. For some, this independent streak also means they seldom take advice from others. However, few of us are skillful in every aspect of owning and operating a business. That's why it makes sense to consider developing a board of advisors made up of people with various talents that compliment your own.

Succession Planning Question 2: Do you plan to sell the business? If so, to whom?

Succession Planning Question 1: What is your personal vision and timing?

Most manufacturing business owners are much more interested in starting and running their shop than planning for the day they step away from it.

Sometimes we make things more complicated than they need to be. When it comes to bringing in new customers and keeping the ones you have, the simple truths you learned as a child are still the basis for effective marketing. In fact, they’re the foundation for true success in all aspects of business. So take just a moment to remember what Mom, Dad and your teachers told you:

When you run a CNC machine shop there’s always a lot on your plate. You deal with employee issues, job deadlines, working with suppliers and, of course, keeping the pipeline filled with work.

Business people who run manufacturing companies make many decisions every day. Unfortunately, we don’t always make the best decisions. There are a number of reasons for this, and we’ve listed the top ones here along with some tips to help you improve your decision-making batting average.

The thieves who use computers instead of weapons to draw money out of business bank accounts are increasingly targeting small to mid-size businesses. Once, if you weren’t a billion-dollar company, you were less likely to be hacked by cyber criminals. That’s no longer the case. Consider these recent statistics:

As managers we’d like everyone in our workplace to get along and for things to run smoothly. However, whenever you have a group of people working together there are bound to be occasional conflicts. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Healthy conflict can often lead to better ways of making parts or other improvements.

In a perfect world a manufacturing company owner or supervisor would simply give employees orders, walk away and enjoy the results. After all, people should be self-sufficient, take pride in their work and always do their best. In the real world, of course, we all have our ups and downs, we make mistakes and we don’t always get along with everyone. In other words: We’re human beings.

As has become its pattern, the United States Congress waited until the 11th hour of 2015 to approve the Section 179 deduction of business equipment for 2016. The good news is that this means you can write off up to $500,000 of manufacturing equipment put into service by December 31, 2016. Had this legislation failed to pass and be signed into law by the President, the 179 deduction limit would have been capped at $25,000.

There are lots of big names in the news that wish they weren’t. They’re newsworthy because their databases have been hacked, putting employees and customers at risk. Not only have many major retailers been hit, but also institutions we thought were the most secure, including the Department of Defense, Homeland Security and other government agencies, have recently suffered major data systems breeches.

Typically owners of businesses like CNC machine shops put off thinking about the future of their company once they’re ready to retire, move on to a new challenge, or something unexpected happens. Let’s face it: few of us like to think about these things. We own our business because we like what we’re doing, we enjoy being our own boss, and we don’t want our success to depend on anyone else. We’d much rather focus on resolving today’s challenges, planning for growth and investing in new technology.

Video productions are one of the most powerful forms of communications and a proven sales tool. As a consumer you already know the power of video. And you’re not alone. In a 2011 survey, e-commerce consultants, The e-tailing Group, interviewed 1,039 participants about their video habits. Among their findings:

When a new employee comes on board you commit significant time and money to developing what you hope will be a team member who will make meaningful contributions to your business. Obviously you’ll do your best to check on a candidate’s background and work history, but many times it’s difficult or impossible to get a straight answer from previous employers, or a balanced appraisal from hand-picked references. That’s why the interview questions you ask and the prospective employee’s answers are so important.

Keeping any business open is challenging, and CNC machine shops of all sizes are no exception. According to the Small Business Administration 50% of businesses fail within the first five years, and two-thirds fail within 10 years.

Running a CNC shop, or any business for that matter, is usually more than a 40-hour-a-week job. In fact there never seem to be enough hours in the day. So how do you make time for family and for yourself?

Generational differences can have a profound impact on the workplace. The values, drives and personality differences between CNC shop owners/managers from previous generations and their Millennial employees (born between 1980 and 2000) are significant. This is not to say that Millennials are better or worse employees, just different. Which means their supervisors need to understand some basic Millennial characteristics so they can maximize their value to the company and to themselves.

There are 170,500 CNC machine shops in the U.S. This is what your business could be up against in finding employees with the skill sets needed for exceptional productivity and quality.

Getting more business for your CNC shop is a lot easier if you let potential customers know who you are, remind past customers you’re still around, and make current customers aware of all of your capabilities. Hopefully you’re doing this through personal contacts, email marketing, and inbound marketing using blogs and your Web site.

When Gosiger sponsored the first Executive Roundtable Discussions last February with a dozen shop owners and managers in southeast Ohio, the three top of mind issues that came up were: (1) Finding and keeping good employees; (2) Pricing to be both competitive and profitable; (3) The desire for help from suppliers when tackling difficult problems.

A CNC shop owner recently lamented that the machining business is a perfect example of “feast or famine.” It’s true that shop owners have a tendency to actively look for new jobs only when the pipeline is emptying. Otherwise they’re focused on getting work out the door as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible.

There may be some sadistic types out there who actually enjoy firing people, however most of us don’t look forward to such acts. Certainly if an employee has stolen from our CNC shop or committed an egregious act we’re less likely to feel bad about the firing. Most of the time, though, we have to let people go because their performance isn’t up to standards or their behavior is disruptive. Regardless, firing is stressful, painful and could come back to haunt us if done improperly. So here are 5 important considerations when it’s time to pull the plug:

As the new Congress takes shape there will likely be a number of tax issues that will be impacted by legislation. Like it or not, new tax laws and extensions or curtailments of existing programs may affect your manufacturing business. It’s best to keep in close contact with your trusted tax advisor as you move into 2015. Here are 7 important areas to keep an eye on:

We’ve all been there: That big order was suddenly postponed or canceled. Even our best paying customers take their sweet time sending the check. An unexpected expense drained our cash reserves. Whatever the cause, slow cash flow keeps us up at night.

Although social media, online advertising and other digital promotional tools get star treatment these days, it’s a fact that email is still the most widely used business communications vehicle. As such, email is also one of the most accessible and cost-effective ways to get more CNC machine shop business.

One of the key findings of the annual Top Shops surveys conducted by Gardner Business Media is that the higher performing CNC shops invest more in employee training than their counterparts. Like any other business CNC machine shops must invest in continuing education to stay abreast of current manufacturing practices and technologies. Here are 7 reasons to invest in employee training:

One of the most unpleasant tasks a manager or shop owner faces is dealing with problem employees. In a more perfect world we’d all come to work with the desire to do our best to help our companies succeed. In fact, most employees do just that. Sure, we all have those days when we’re not at our best, but most of us take pride in our work, so long as it’s appreciated.

Unfortunately, there are exceptions:

• The Prima Donnas who think they’re better than their co-workers and should be treated “special”
• The Drama Queens who throw tantrums whenever something goes wrong
• The Specialists whose mantra is “That’s not my job”
• Houdini – the worker who has mastered the art of disappearing from his or her work area and magically reappearing just before quitting time
• Mr. or Ms. Innocent who is never at fault, never takes responsibility, but always finds something or someone to blame when things go wrong

Many business leaders agree that one of the keys to success is having the right people in the right jobs. Therefore we tend to focus on technical expertise, experience and intelligence when evaluating potential employees. Although these are all significant issues, it’s equally important to hire people who have the right personalities and attitudes.

If yours is a large manufacturing company you may well deal with a union. If not, you most likely have created a work environment in which the employees don’t feel the need to belong to a collective bargaining organization.

A wise machine shop owner once said that his most valuable assets walk out the door at the end of each shift. We all know that our employees are the lifeblood of our companies and one of our largest investments. Which means making good hiring decisions is critical to our success.

Life is full of stresses, many of which we can easily handle. In fact, some stress is good for us. What psychologists term Acute Stress is that feeling we sense when met with the unexpected. This is the famous “fight-or-flight” response that helps us work through difficult situations and avoid danger, such as a potential accident. Our heart rate increases, our muscles tighten and we feel that rush of adrenaline that quickens our reaction times. Once the episode passes, our bodies return to a normal state.

The National Small Business Association (NSBA) recently released a survey of 780 small business owners (businesses with 500 or fewer employees) across a number of business types including manufacturing (15%).