There is a wide range of important modern industries that rely on custom-made machines and automated control processes for their business. If we had no factory assembly lines, for example, mass production of goods would come to a standstill, and the global economy would falter. But even these machines and tools of industry require repair and replacement parts. Furthermore, how are those custom machines built in the first place, and by whom? If you have received funding for a new Kickstarter project, for example, and you require new tooling and custom-made machines on a small assembly line to manufacture a brand new product, how would you go about that?
The World on an Assembly Line
Clearly, automated systems make our global consumer economy go around. In China alone, there are thousands of factories operating to churn out product after product for export to places as diverse as the USA, Australia, the UK, and continental Europe. There are even entire towns in China that revolve around such factories, and are home to thousands of workers looking to earn enough to survive.
But even in places like the US, where manufacturing is not as commonplace as it once was, there are independent machine shops that specialize in engineering tools, parts, and entire machines that are designed, prototyped, and constructed according to precise client specifications for industries as diverse as:
- Medical imaging and optics
- The technical sector, including computer manufacturing
- Food packaging
- Plastics and paper
- Electrical
What to Look for in a Machine Shop
Before deciding on a machine shop, you will find it useful and valuable to ask the following questions and consider the following points before jumping in:
- Do they have a long history of success in serving customers?
- Do they know your particular industrial sector or have experience servicing your business niche?
- Can they offer a complete client service that moves smoothly from concept through to prototyping and project completion?
- Do they employ an experienced and professional team of engineers skilled in CAD, prototyping, design, automated systems, industrial controls, specialized tooling, and custom-built machines (either for the large factory mass market-oriented assembly line, or boutique niche industries with minor capital investment)? If you run automated systems in Minneapolis, for example, can they provide reliable service?
- Do they offer services where they can manufacture and fabricate specialized parts to improve your existing machines and automated systems processes?
- Do you feel comfortable asking them questions?
- Can they answer your questions confidently and knowledgeably?
Experience Is at Hand!
Machines and assembly lines may make the global economy go around, but we also need to maintain those systems and manufacture new ones for new product lines. Experienced and reliable machine shops and workshops are the key to this industry, and serve as its backbone. Without experienced engineers to service our existing machines and design and manufacture new ones, our entire economy would slow down and falter.
