MakingChips

A podcast dedicated to & created for metalworking professionals to educate, enlighten, and empower our listeners for professional growth. #MetalworkingNation

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Today, we pause to recognize the brave men and women who have served in the United States Armed Forces.

Their courage, sacrifice, and commitment to protecting our freedoms deserve our gratitude not just today, but every day.

At MakingChips, we're proud to be part of an industry built on hard work, dedication, and service. We recognize the veterans who continue to make an impact in manufacturing and in communities across the country.

To all who have worn the uniform, thank you for your service, your sacrifice, and your strength. 🇺🇸

#VeteransDay #ThankYouVeterans #MakingChips #Manufacturing #AmericanManufacturing

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What if high schoolers could try on a career before committing to it? Veronica Gutzmer of District 155 on micro internships that put students on the shop floor. From the MPC Intern Celebration at McHenry County College. #Manufacturing #Workforce

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Connecting a machine over MTConnect should be plug and play. Mehul Shah of Ground Control says it's still often a full-day project for a software engineer. From our IMTS talk with Mike Padilla of DN Solutions. #CNC #MachineMonitoring

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Please welcome Jeremiah Llewellyn to the MakingChips team as our new Social Media Manager! Say hi when you see him in the comments. Welcome aboard, Jeremiah! #MakingChips #Manufacturing

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Before a chuck, coolant system, or bar feeder makes DN Solutions' price list, it has to prove itself on the machine. Mike Padilla on what it takes to become a DN Solutions Verified Product. #CNC #Manufacturing

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Shops are precise with their parts and loose with everything else, including sales. From our talk with Gabe Draper of Factur: what you don't define and manage is what comes back to bite you. #Manufacturing #Sales

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Not every student knows what's next after high school. Sharmella of Scot Forge says that's exactly why manufacturing belongs in the conversation, as a real path to explore. #Manufacturing #NextGenManufacturing

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Revenue flat for years, not making money, and buying machines at IMTS. Gabe Draper of Factur says that shop could add ~40% revenue just by filling the machines it already owns. #Manufacturing #CNC

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Gabe Draper of Factur: if you're already on a customer's approved supplier list, why are you only in one plant? Farm the customers you have before you hunt for new ones. #Manufacturing #Sales

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Medical device shops can't just update their software. They have to validate it, input by input, or fail their audit. Theo Saville and Jason Bowes of CloudNC on building software shops can trust. #Manufacturing #CNC

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Why can't you just fire a STEP file into a CNC machine? Theo Saville of CloudNC says the problem is too hard to jump straight there, so they built an AI that handles 70-80% of the CAM grunt work first. #CNC #Manufacturing

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"It's easy to vibe code something that sort of works. What's really hard is knowing what to actually build." Theo Saville of CloudNC on why quoting and CAM can't run on a weekend prototype. #Manufacturing #AI

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World War II documentaries made Ethan Crane fall even harder for machining. The production it took just to keep up showed him how much this trade mattered then, and still matters now. #Machinist #ManufacturingHistory

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Two weeks in, his new hires are touching off and changing tools. Four weeks in, they're running full setups. Jason Davis tells Ethan Crane why young machinists close the gap fast, if you keep giving them the next step. #Machinist #Workforce

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Is manual machining dead? Ethan Crane doesn't think so. On a manual lathe you learn X and Z, you see the cut, you feel what the insert is doing. Skip that and we lose a great on-ramp for the next generation. #ManualMachining #Machinist

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"I want to see the brush strokes." The more AI shows up, the more people value handmade work. Taylor Schultz, Carey Hart, and Satya Kraus on craftsmanship in an automated world. #Craftsmanship #Manufacturing

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Timmy didn't get into the manufacturing internship program his sophomore year. So he did a 4-day summer tour of local plants, loved it, and applied again. This summer he interned at Jessup Manufacturing through the Manufacturing Pathways Consortium. #NextGenManufacturing

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Some parts go in a piston that moves up and down. Some go on a loud, beautiful custom motorcycle. Either way, every product at IMTS started with a machinist. Satya Kraus, Carey Hart, and Taylor Schultz on building around what you love. #Machinist #MadeInAmerica

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The best booth at IMTS 2026 felt like an experience, not a sales pitch. Carey Hart, Taylor Schultz, and Satya Kraus explain how Kennametal's custom Indian motorcycle build started with a few phone calls. #IMTS2026 #Manufacturing

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One vise in the middle of a five-axis table leaves most of the envelope empty. Mark Christopher of DN Solutions: load the pallet with clamping stations, run all night, and come in for the morning harvest. #CNC #Automation