by Phil Kerner | Apr 23, 2018 | Members Only: The Tool Room, Real Manufacturing Experiences, Set-Ups, Shortcuts and Time Savers, The Apprentice
Interesting: working with my apprentice, Mike, helping him with his NIMS certifications and pre-test questions, we got into an interesting conversation this past week during our weekly session. I am happy to report that one of his lessons was on the lost art of...
by Phil Kerner | Mar 17, 2017 | Members Only: The Tool Room, Real Manufacturing Experiences, Set-Ups, Shortcuts and Time Savers
During my first 25 years in the trade, I very seldom used my edge finder, as most injection mold drawings are dimensioned from the center line of the plate to be machined. Usually I just used my dial indicator and digital readout to sweep both sides of the block and...
by Phil Kerner | Mar 2, 2015 | Members Only: The Tool Room, Shortcuts and Time Savers
I've always taken a lot of pride in my work area. These days, it's called LEAN. We used to call it "being organized." Here's a few little tips to get your work area looking and being a little more efficient.
by Phil Kerner | Jul 29, 2014 | Members Only: The Tool Room, Real Manufacturing Experiences, Set-Ups, Shortcuts and Time Savers
One of my favorite techniques that I've added to my collection of tricks is to request that my small parts - and even some of my larger parts - be cut from stock that's at least 1/8" thicker than the finish size. This allows me to square up (5) sides in just one...
by Phil Kerner | Jul 5, 2014 | Members Only: The Tool Room, Real Manufacturing Experiences, Shortcuts and Time Savers
Almost every single day, I take pictures of some of my work. Some are used for more in-depth lessons, while others are just useful just to use as little reminders and to give you guys a few new ideas on some of your own projects. Every few months, I go through all of...
by Phil Kerner | Jun 19, 2014 | Members Only: The Tool Room, Set-Ups, Shortcuts and Time Savers
Not a week goes by where I'm not challenged to figure out how to find the center of a part that just doesn't fit into my conventional methods. Huge round parts, offset radii, and hexagons. In that regard, mold making was a little easier because all of my material was...
