PRECISION MACHINED PRODUCTS ASSOCIATION

Trainer and trainee

Secure Your Company's Future with PMPA-MFG

By: Sterling Gill, III -Precision Machined Products Association (PMPA)

PMPA-MFG provides the essentials to support a standardized training program. The program enables you to train and certify new and current employees in three easy steps.

chart shows types of materials and their level of machinability

Craftsman's Cribsheet: Relative Machinability of Materials

By: Miles Free -

Machinability of different materials is generally expressed as a percentage compared with a known standard.

a classroom with students sitting at desktop computers

Training the Next Generation: How do you Feel about Online Programs?

By: Sterling Gill, III -Precision Machined Products Association (PMPA)

Solutions to ensuring the successful integration of technology involve the time and effort that individuals are willing to invest in themselves and the organization.

machines lined up in a shop

PMPA Member Swissline Precision Finds Success in Equipment Investment and Employee Training


Swissline Precision is a technologically advanced machine shop headquartered in Cumberland, Rhode Island, in a 36,000-square-foot facility with more than 60 machines. The company is currently the largest Tsugami CNC Swiss operation under one roof in North America and primarily serves the medical and aerospace industries.

metal chips

What Machinability Means Depends on Where You Are

By: Miles Free -

I am often asked my opinion about a material’s machinability, and I have found that I have to assess the person’s motivation, job title and location before I can answer the question.

7 Causes of Quench Cracking in Steel

7 Causes of Quench Cracking in Steel

By: Miles Free -

Failures of steel parts in service or production occur infrequently. However, when steel parts fail, the consequences are dire. Here are seven ways that steel can fail as a result of quench cracking from heat treatment.

Horn workers huddle around laptop computer

Training Through German Eyes: Not What You Expect

By: Sterling Gill, III -Precision Machined Products Association (PMPA)

HORN pays strict attention to assure the people that the company understands the importance of, and are capable of, working with others. Its focus is on using the strengths of each person for the benefit of the whole.

mono-crystalline diamond-milled part

Technology or People?

By: Miles Free -

In your shop, do your people operate your machines? What impressed me the most was the implicit, built-in assumptions at HORN that it was the people leading the machine tools, rather than the machine tools leading the people.

stress crack

Stress Cracks in Steel Bar Products

By: Miles Free -

Stress cracks are often seen in locations that experience bending or straightening. They are also referred to as “cross cracks” or “transverse cracks.” Originally, they were identified in mill billet and bloom products prior to rolling.

students posing for picture on Student Day

Training the Next Generation: What a Difference a Student Day Can Make

By: Sterling Gill, III -Precision Machined Products Association (PMPA)

At PMTS 2017, more than 300 students from Ohio and surrounding areas came to learn about precision machining and the careers available in our shops. Community colleges, tech schools, career centers and vocational schools brought their students to see firsthand the breadth of our industry.