As famous as the Disney company is now, there was a time when they were struggling to make ends meet. But Walt was convinced that investing in his employees would give him the edge he needed to set the standard in animation. “The first thing I did when I got a little money to experiment,” Walt recalled, “I put all my artists back in school.” Walt was an unconventional thinker for his day. A generation or two ago, career paths…
The Willemin 408MT is a multi-process machining center dedicated to machining parts with complex geometry from bar stock or slugs. We spent a few minutes talking with Willemin expert, Scott Goudie, to learn why the Willemin is so efficient and what advantages it brings to SPM’s customers. When did you get your first Willemin? Exactly 2 years ago in 2018. We were trying to get into some of the more intricate medical parts. It gives us a little better edge…
Severe scoliosis, left untreated, leads to significant spinal deformity resulting in pain and damage to internal organs. It is caused by an abnormal development of the bones of the spine and nearly always requires surgery. The surgical treatment for scoliosis begins in our shop in Wheeling, IL. Our work starts with the spinal hooks, bone screws, and implants that must be made with body-friendly, but often difficult to machine materials. Before bones in the spinal column are attached to a…
For years numerical control machines made the automatic control of machining tools possible in a basic way. They were controlled by G-codes that positioned the tools, but it wasn’t possible to change the parameters which limited the features of the end product. The first computer-aided machining systems became available in the 1970s and by the 1980s, CNC machines were standard on shop floors. Today, recent advances in smart manufacturing and AI are transforming the way precision parts are manufactured. The…
COVID-19 Press Release from Swiss Precision Machining, Wheeling, IL For Immediate Release Date: March 17, 2020 Contact: Joseph A. Haupers, Sales Director jhaupers@spmswiss.com C. 847.530.7689 O. 847.647.7111 Protective Measures in Response to COVID-19 As we address the challenging and rapidly changing circumstances caused by COVID-19, our top two priorities at Swiss Precision Machining (SPM) are the safety and well-being of our employees and minimizing the impact on our customers’ businesses where we can. Many of our customers supply critical medical…
As we celebrate our 40th year in business, Swiss Precision Machining is pleased to announce that Stephanie LaVezzi has joined the company as our new Sales Manager. Stephanie comes to SPM from LaVezzi Precision where she had been developing and growing their medical machining business since 1992. Stephanie began her sales career at the company that her great-grandfather founded in 1908. When she started, they were focused on manufacturing high precision machined components for the motion picture industry. Stephanie was…
Back in 1979 gas was 88 cents a gallon, a newspaper would set you back two dimes, and you could buy a 1971 used Ford Pinto for $750. Also in 1979, Swiss Precision Machining was founded by Mike Haupers with two machines and two employees. Mike had grown up in the business. His father was a dental instrument maker who had “magic hands” and ran a machine shop out of their basement. When Mike started SPM, he had been machining…
As the year comes to a close, SPM is looking back at the state of manufacturing in 2019 and looking ahead at the trends that will shape our future in 2020. Here is what we’re paying attention to. Manufacturing in 2019 Overall, executive confidence in the future dropped in 2019 compared to 2018. However, a recent study of Minnesota manufacturing companies found that financial confidence remained at record high levels in that state, with 93% of respondents confident in the…
Computer numerical control (CNC) programmers develop programs for precision CNC machines in order to cut and shape component parts for manufactured goods such as cars, airplanes, and medical devices. In a nutshell, their work instructs machines to produce parts. “To determine the sequence of actions needed to make a part, CNC programmers evaluate the specifications for a particular part that is to be machined. The programmers make calculations based on raw material and physical production such as what kind of…
In the 21st century, we take metal for granted. Not just steel and aluminum and copper, but titanium and the multitude of steel and copper alloys that make modern life possible. Complex surgical devices and permanent implants in the human body have been made possible by the evolution of sophisticated metals and alloys. The surprising thing about metals is not how many of them we have today, but how many thousands of years it took for us to move beyond…