Small manufacturing operations with less than twenty employees make up a large part of the American manufacturing industry. But at trade shows and in trade publications (including engineering.com!) the focus is on cutting-edge, high-end technology and equipment that may seem out of reach or irrelevant for these smaller shops.
One such technology, however, is very much in play in small job shops, and that's five-axis milling. While these machines are more expensive than traditional three-axis machines, the benefits outweigh the costs for some applications.
Preben Hansen, president of Heimatec, inc. (now called Platinum Tooling Technologies, inc.) advises manufacturing professionals interested in five-axis to think about tooling and workholding sooner in the process, rather than leaving it as an afterthought. Without the right tooling in place, it will take longer and be more expensive to get a new machine up and running.
Check out the video to see our full conversation with Hansen.