MDM Machine & Technology: One-stop Shop for Machine & Manufacturing Needs St Louis

MDM Machine & Technology: One-stop Shop for Machine & Manufacturing Needs St Louis

Our job shop St Louis caters to a diverse consumer base that spans across a large array of industry including Defense, Aircraft, Medical, Telecommunications, Alternative Energy, Transportation, Commercial Applications, Agriculture, Pharmaceutical and many more. We provide machine and manufacturing, production, reverse engineering and assembly services and put special emphasis on problem solving and new-age innovation techniques in a bid to provide our clients with satisfactory, comprehensive and cost-effective solutions.

The core set of axioms that drive our efforts at our machine shop St Louis include quality production, fast production times, lean production, solution-focus and customer-orientation. Regardless of the nature and scope of the project, we view every single project as a mean to develop a long-term relation of trust and value between us and our customers. It is this value-driven approach which sets our job shop St Louis apart from a number of similar facilities from and around the region.

Let us break it up a bit.

Quality Production and Fast Turnaround Times: Quality production is, of course, the primary requirement of a job. With 50 years of experience in machining and manufacturing and with a large number of highly qualified and experienced programmers and engineers working as part of our overall team, we are able to devote proper attention and expertise to every project that we handle. Once we are able to pinpoint the specifications and requirements of a project after our initial assessment, our production team will take over and will ensure quality and quick turnaround time. Our machine shop is equipped with the most current innovations in the machining field which include CNC machining with the help of CAM, CAD, and other current software applications. At the same time, it also helps that our staff is highly qualified in manual machine and manufacturing process—a skill that comes to great aid even when you are performing tasks with computer-controlled tools.

Lean Production: This is a term which first came into circulation in the aftermath of Second World War and the Japanese company Toyota is normally credited with the introduction of this concept in the field of assembly line production. A lean production method diverges from the traditional Ford assembly line production in the way it does not involve maintaining any prior and anticipatory resources. On the contrary, all resources necessary to production (materials as well as tools) are ordered and supplied closely in line with the requirements of any particular project. The basic idea here is to minimize waste so that the cost of production can be kept to a minimum, too. At our machine shop St Louis, we can apply the philosophy and method of lean production mainly thanks to our diverse fields of action which allows us to build partnerships with suppliers of all hues and descriptions.

Solution-focus and Customer-orientation: Another important part of our approach is to keep customer’s preferred performance indicators always in focus and fabricate the project at our machine shop St Louis according to the same. Be it prototype development, reverse engineering jobs, rebuild and repair, or precision machining, programmers, developers and engineers at our job shop St Louis will always give greatest attention to customer specifications and will custom-design each project keeping in mind the customer requirements. Yet another point that sets us apart in the machine and manufacturing industry.

MDM Machine & Technology: Bringing Value to Customers Through Most sophisticated Lean Production Practices

MDM Machine & Technology: Bringing Value to Customers Through Most sophisticated Lean Production Practices

MDM Machine & Technology is a machine and manufacturing company operating out of St. Louis, Missouri. We like to define ourselves as a technology-driven modern machine shop serving a wide array of industries for their machine, manufacture, design, reverse engineering, production, assembly, and training requirements. As a CNC machine shop, we harness all the benefits of the new-age innovations toward streamlining our different production processes following the principles of lean production so that we can offer the best value to our customers. At the same time, our vast knowledge of and experience in the machine & manufacturing sector and in manual machining, derived from our 50 years+ presence in the industry, means that we can bring this knowledge to exploit best the modern technologies available at hand. This way, we bring the best of both worlds and fuse the same to ensure optimum quality and value to the services we offer.

At our St Louis machine shop, we serve a diverse base of clients covering industries like Telecommunications, Transport, Aircraft, Defense, Medical, Pharmaceutical, Industrial Solutions, Alternative Energy, Commercial Applications, to name just a few. At our precision machine shop St Louis, we also work with a diverse range of materials that include aluminums, brass, mild steels, tool steels, bronze, copper, cast irons, surgical steels, stainless steels, plastics, titanium, inconel, exotic plastics, phenolic, PEEK, ABS, GPOs, derlin, nylon, UHMW, PTFE, composites, woods, ceramics, graphite, and more. This gives an idea of the high-mix capabilities of our CNC machine shop, custom machine shop St Louis, and auto machine shop St Louis. At the same time, MDM is also open to orders both high-volume and low-volume and aims to provide equal value to every job it handles.

The core services that our precision machine shop St Louis offers are:

Custom CNC MachiningPrecision CNC MachiningCNC Production MachiningPrototype DevelopmentSpecialized TrainingReverse EngineeringFinishing and Assembly

Each of the above sectors covers a lot of ground and a wide array of activities and processes. At our CNC machine shop as well as our auto machine shop St Louis, we work with 2- and 4-axis CNC lathes, 3- and 5-axis CNC machining centers, 5- and 6-axis SWISS turning, CNC mill, CMM measuring, Wire EDMs, auto CAD, Solid Works, master CAM, surf Cam, etc. At the same time, we also host facilities for manual production and manufacture working with manual mills, grinders, manual lathes, etc.

In addition, we also offer specialized training programs especially for companies with in-house machine shops looking for specialized skilled labor for handling the machines and machine parts involved. We custom-tailor our training programs to fit the machines, production, and processes specific to our clients’ needs. This helps create a quick and effective workforce—something that even the best local tech schools cannot provide all the time. This becomes possible since our engineers and programmers have real-time experience of handling a diverse array of functions and activities and therefore, when they communicate this real-world knowledge to students, the latter often find it of great value. There are very few St Louis job shop facilities that offer training programs and this in itself should speak volumes about the highly qualified knowledge and experience we claim to have and benefit from at MDM.

Since our client base is diverse and we are always looking to expand our scope and build long-term relationships with our customers, we maintain a stance that enables the addition of new machines, staff, and processes to meet manufacturer’s needs. This, again, is something very few St Louis machine shop facilities can claim to do. In fact, there is a tendency prevalent in the industry that when a machine shop, even when it has diverse capabilities and experience to benefit from, looks to narrow its scope of operations once it has landed a large and consistent customer from a specific industry. Similarly, many shops handling high mix, low-volume jobs for a long time gradually narrow down their scope owing mainly to their inability to find an effective way toward lean production. And the ones that refuse to go down this path invariably suffer a reduction in growth rate and revenues and this ultimately leads to lower quality in production.

In stark contrast, MDM can continue to provide the greatest value to its customers thanks to our considerable investment in lean research which does not only track and review essential flow metrics, but also advices us on how to use that material flow metrics to streamline our various production processes in a way which will minimize waste and maximize value to our customers. This, ultimately, allows us to provide greater value to our clients than various custom machine shop St Louis and St Louis job shop facilities which work for specialized industries/areas.

Custom Machining for the Hobbyist: Advantages of Owning a Personalized Machine Shop

Custom Machining for the Hobbyist: Advantages of Owning a Personalized Machine Shop

A functioning home or custom machine shop housing smaller versions of industrial-type equipment enables a hobby machinist to perform a variety of tasks. No matter whether you are a model builder, an amateur machinist or a do-it-yourselfer, a self-sufficient custom machining shop with a few basic machine tools and equipment would open a world of possibilities to you. Entrepreneurs, car restorers, vintage tool fabricators, inventors, artists, astronomers—all of them can reap rich benefits from a personal hobbyist machine shop. They can make good use of it to complete their own projects and complement their particular pursuits, but it is also a fact that once the basic tools are in place (both manual and CNC machines and those helping you to work with materials like metal, plastic, glass or a combination of them), they will also encourage many different ideas and will act as a veritable aid to widening your scope of interests and activities.

Hobbyist Machine Tools

Some of the most common hobbyist machine tools include mini-mills, mini-lathes, grinding machines, bandsaws, different custom parts, as well as hobby CNC machines, all of which are smaller versions of large industry style machining devices. It is a fact that many ideators who do not have direct access to machine shop services or have very little knowledge of actual machining skills and processes, suffer from this lack of knowledge and access in the way their designs and ideas often turn out to be unnecessarily complicated. This means that if they approach a machine shop for building a prototype of their design, either they get rejected or the costs go up to an impractical amount. The result is that the ideas remain unrealized in a majority of the cases.

However, when you have the basic tools and acquaint yourself with their functioning, you will have a better idea of the whole process and consequently, your designs will become simpler and more practicable. There are many hobbyist and amateur machinists out there who regularly come up with beautiful models of their own thanks to their hands-on knowledge of custom machining and machine shop operations.

We are talking off-road vehicle & R/C parts, weapons accessories & gunsmithing, making receivers, model steam engines, astronomical clocks, electronics equipment, motorcycle and clocks accessories—in fact, the activities and products manufactured are just as diverse as they come. Some of the hobbyists are also devoted to producing home-made machine tools and CNC machines from the scratch and if you can follow them, you can save up huge by building your own machine tools for your home custom machine shop. And the wonderful thing is that many of these individual entrepreneurs share their knowledge with the machine enthusiasts out there through their blogs and websites, so that you can benefit well from their experience. A very valuable database of these blogs/websites can be found here at http://www.cnccookbook.com/CCResourcesInd.htm.

In addition, if you are living in St Louis, Missouri, you enjoy the special advantage of buying custom parts and other small-scale machinery at a cheaper rate than other parts of the country. Thanks to its convenient location in the Midwest and its excellent connectivity through road, rail, air and water, the town of St Louis, Missouri avails the cheapest shipping rates for obtaining raw materials and this directly helps all the machine shops in the region—big or small.

Products of Precision Machining—Medical, Aerospace, Automotive & Metrology

Products of Precision Machining—Medical, Aerospace, Automotive & Metrology

When it comes to modern machine shops, one can find shops of all hues and descriptions. There are general machine shop facilities that will concentrate on high mix, low-volume jobs offering their services to clients from different industries while there are others who narrow down their operations to cater to only high-volume jobs. In contrast to both, the most highly sophisticated machine shops serve a diverse range of customers, accepting offers of varying volumes and at the same time, offering the best value to the customers. This is made possible by the use of complex lean production strategies and techniques that are particular to the work specifications of the machine shop in question. Without going into the details of that, in this article, we will rather discuss the product requirements of industries as diverse as medical, aerospace, automotive, metrology, etc.-all of which, however, can be effectively managed by a state-of-the-art high mix modern precision machine shop.

Precision machine shop

No matter whether it is medical drilling devices, aerospace equipment, or custom automotive tools, all machineries or parts of them require some level of precision machining skills. Most modern shops perform their precision machine works with the help of software programs such as TurboCAD or AutoCAD. These programs prepare computer-generated 3D blueprints which need to be adhered to the very last detail to ensure the integrity of the product. Every general machine shop requires to perform a good deal of precision machining since it reaches to all industries and every technology.

Medical Machine Shop

A medical machine shop needs to tackle challenges which are often specific to the manufacture of medical parts. The medical parts include all kinds of orthotic devices, surgical implants and the plethora of other medical instruments. The challenges faced by a medical machine shop involve machining titanium, small-scale machining, machining plastic, small-batch machining as well as custom machining.

Automotive Machine Shop

Products and work operations of an automotive machine shop likewise cover a great range. There is auto parts manufacturing, motorcycle parts, engine rebuilding, design services, prototyping, industrial machining, to name but a few. Most modern machine shops will normally integrate these different activities following the principles of lean production.

Metrology Machine Shop

The most common products manufactured in a metrology machine shop include small, medium, large, shop floor and horizontal arm CMMs, automated solutions, laser scanners, hand tools & gauge, laser trackers systems, industrial theodolites, multisensory systems, and more.

Aeorspace Machine Shop

A typical aerospace machine shop will cater to aeorspace and defense industries. The most common products include Actuators, Bushings, Housings, Panels, Castings, Splined Shafts, Gears, Valve Bodies, Couplings, Connectors, etc. Manufacturing processes involve mechanical and electrical assembly, complex turning and milling, gun drilling, grinding, kiting, EDM, etc.

St. Louis Top Machine Shop

St. Louis Top Machine Shop

St. Louis Top Shop

The process of Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Machining streamlines precision manufacturing by CNC machine shops of pieces that with exacting detail. Computer control allows for complex three-dimensional shapes designed using Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) and Computer Aided Drafting (CAD).

At MDM Machine & Technology in St Louis, we are proud to offer top of the line simple to complex reverse engineering, machining, manufacturing, production, and assembly services to St. Louis and across the country. Our CNC machine shop can handle a wide variety of jobs, from the big jobs for the aircraft industry to laser engraving. But, we also understand that great customer service is the cornerstone to any good job shop.

Visit our online machine shop at www.mdm-machine.com to get your project started. From there you can follow the links to learn more about our precision machine shop, finishing and assembly, or creating a unique design using our custom machine shop and prototype development. The online machine shop page can also be used to contact us for a quote or with any questions.

Our CNC machine shop is proficient with metals and plastics, as well as other materials. It is really the versatility of our experienced and specially trained engineers and programmers that sets MDM Machine & Technology above the rest. Their ingenuity allows our precision machine shop to become an automotive shop, engine machine shop, metal or plastic manufacturer, or whatever you, the client, requires.

Whether in the St Louis area, or across the country, our custom machine shop is available to you. For custom machining needs, our online machine shop and e-machine shop will walk you through the process. You can either use the traditional process of Discovery Phase, Quote, Prototype and development, and Production or download our free design software and use the e-machine shop.

MDM Machine & Technology knows you want to receive a product that is ready to go, not one that needs more finishing or assembly. We are a manufacturing partner and a one-stop shop. That’s why the cleaning, assembly, serialization, marking, or any other finishing needed is assessed as part of the process for every job. We have staff specially dedicated to assembling your products and checking them for quality control and functionality.

A well trained workforce enables any precision machine shop or custom machine shop to run more quickly and efficiently. Our specialized workforce is one of our top assets and we know it, that’s why we offer specialized training programs. Allow our knowledge to benefit you. Training programs are created specific to your machines, processes, production, and needs. Programs are available at our Fenton location or we can come to you.

In the end, all of our equipment and training means nothing without you, the client. At MDM Machine & Technology in St Louis, we are dedicated to not only meeting your needs and expectations, but exceeding them. Whether you are in the St. Louis area or across the country, contact us today. Let’s Build Something Together…

Machine Shop

Machine Shops are a Catalyst to the Quality of Modern Life

Machine Shops are a Catalyst to the Quality of Modern Life

How Machine Shops Work as a Catalyst to the Quality of Modern Life

Over the space of last 200 years or so, the machines have become an integral part of our everyday life. In our day-to-day life, we make use of a great many objects which are machine-produced, be it our car, the toothpaste holder, the utensils in our kitchens, or that carbonated drink we so much crave for. However, the machines which produce these objects are themselves in turn produced and assembled by a prior work process. This is where the machine shops come in.

The machine shops are basically work units where the machining is done. Machining is the process of manufacturing different parts which go into the assembly of different machines as well as repairing parts of existing machines or equipment. A shop will typically consist of workrooms containing a number of machine tools relevant to the machining job the shop in question specializes in and skilled labor qualified to handle those tools. Many businesses have their internal or in-house job shops whereas the others will order the necessary parts and equipment from the stand-alone operations and will also outsource their repairing jobs to such units.

The shops will typically produce parts of materials such as glass, plastics, metals, etc. and will then sell these products to their clients in the car industry, machine industry, airplane industry and so on. The production process generally involves cutting, drilling, shaping, finishing, painting and coating, etc. Some shops will do both repair and manufacture jobs, while others specialize in the one or the other.

When it comes to a machining shop, there are also different kinds. At a CNC machine shop, the manufacturing tools are controlled by computer, hence the name CNC or Computer Numerical Control. Computer-controlled machine tools used in machining jobs at a CNc machine shop include the likes of mills, grinds, lathes, routes, etc. Many of the shops are also custom machine shops where the facility will provide services such as creating prototypes, performing rebuilds and repairs, and other jobs according to custom specifications. A custom machine shop will typically involve more skilled labor as well as machining tools and will be able to provide a more varied range of services than a regular machining shop.

These days, we will also find a great number of online machine shops or emachine shops and this gives the customers a greater freedom in terms of choice since they can now order parts and jobs from the companies regardless of where they are located, although at times this may mean paying higher costs in shipping and transportation. But with online machine shops and emachine shops becoming norm, the competition has become more stiff and subsequently, the standards of manufacturing all across the industry are expected to rise, too.

Machines and manufacturing play a great role in our modern civilization in the way they directly affect the quality of everyday modern life. We have become so accustomed to this whole phenomenon that we may often fall oblivious to this, but the fact remains that without precise machining being there, our lives may fall out of gear any day. No matter what products we are using, as long as they are produced by a machine, they owe their existence to machining and manufacturing. And this in itself will appear to speak volumes about the importance and necessity of high quality, precision machining shops in our day.

Machine Shop