April 2011 – Aluminum Mania

Last month’s newsletter was an overview of some of the different types of tools used in the turning process. This month we are going to share some thoughts about our favorite metal – Aluminum. Thank you very much to Jon Edwards for this month’s newsletter. In December of 2008 we spoke a little about materials…

December 2010 – Year End Wrap-Up

Last month’s newsletter was a case study of a part who’s cost was greatly reduced with some DFM work. This month we are going to have a brief wrap up of 2010 and wish you all a Happy Holiday. We started January with a case study of a part with great DFM potential that wasn’t…

October 2010 – Case Study # 4

Last month’s newsletter discussed title block tolerances. This month we are going to look at another case study like the ones we did back at the end of 2009 and beginning of 2010. The expression “The proof is in the pudding” has never been more applicable than with this part here in figure A. We…

September 2010 – Title Block Tolerances

Last month’s newsletter discussed surface finish roughness. This month we are going to talk about title block tolerances and significant digits. This topic was suggested by Lou at Brookhaven National Labs. Thank you Lou! Nearly every drawing format in use today has a title block with a standard set of block tolerances. The purpose of…

August 2010 – Surface Roughness

Last month’s newsletter discussed a broad overview of DFMA in the supply chain and presented a white paper on the topic. This month we are going to talk about surface roughness on machined parts and how that affects cost. This is the second topic suggested by Larry V. at Lockheed Martin – thank you Larry!…

June 2010 – Optimal Corner Radii

Last month’s newsletter discussed some ideas for making drawings simple for machining. This month we are going to revisit the topic of inside corner radii and talk about a new detail not previously discussed. This topic was suggested by Larry V. at Lockheed Martin – thank you Larry! For many parts, the length of time…