Check Out These CNC Machining Resources

Over time, many of us in the CNC machining business develop a “go it alone” attitude. While self-reliance and initiative are certainly great qualities to possess, sometimes it’s equally important to know when to ask for help. Sometimes it’s not help you need. Perhaps you just need some ideas about how to process a part or improve an existing process. Maybe you just want to learn a new “trick.” There are many online CNC machining resources you can consult, and most of them provide free info on their websites. If you’re a machinist, engineer, or business owner you should definitely check these out.

Online Forums

A great place to look is in the online forums. Users will ask questions and other users will suggest solutions. Many of these forums are used by Okuma and Okuma distributor personnel. Often, users will just share some technique they’ve found helpful in their day-to-day activities. One popular forum is Practical Machinist, which logged more than 10.6 million unique visitors over the last year. This is an excellent place to learn new techniques, get answers quickly and discuss common challenges with your peers.

Tooling, Workholding and General Resources

Don’t forget your tooling vendors. Their catalogs are online along with helpful formulae and cutting data guidelines. A great example is the online catalog from one of our partners, Sandvik.

For workholding, you can go to sites like the one that Modern Machine Shop maintains. Of course the rest of their site contains thousands of other useful articles and resources as well. In the MMS Webinars section you can access past webinars or register for upcoming sessions. In fact, on November 10, 2015 Okuma will be presenting on the topic Enhancing and Enabling Productivity with an Open-Architecture Control. You can register here (it’s free of charge).

Okuma-Specific Info

Of course you’re already looking at our blog, but have you delved into all the info available on Okuma America’s website? Our contact information is there, but let me also encourage you to explore all the content on this site. In particular I recommend checking out a section called Resources. Here you’ll find Case Studies, Testimonials, Blog and White Papers. You can take advantage of lots of helpful CNC machining information in these documents.

When you’re looking for products or require immediate applications or service assistance, your distributor should be your first contact. All of them have very talented and knowledgeable people who are ready and willing to help you. We at Okuma America are here to back them up when they need it. From our website, you can access all of our distributor’s websites and their contact information, simply find your area on this map and click on it.

For the Visual Learner

Some folks like to grab a quick read, while others find it easier to watch videos to learn about a particular topic. YouTube has some great instructional resources. Okuma America’s YouTube channel contains hundreds of popular videos, and you can also investigate what’s available on the channel from Okuma Corporation Japan.

Yes, Even Facebook

Believe it or not, even Facebook can serve as a resource. Okuma’s Facebook page has links to some interesting and helpful content.

What’s Your Favorite?

The sites referenced above are not all that’s available. There are many more. All you need to do is search a bit. While we might enjoy the videos of frolicking monkeys, cute cats and “jackasses” wiping out while riding a grocery cart off of a roof, we shouldn’t forget that there’s some really useful information to be found on the web.

What are your favorite industry websites? Please comment below and share your go-to resources.

Dennis Nichols is Senior Applications Engineer, Okuma America Corporation.