In our ever-growing world of automation and machine technology, coupled with economic and supply chain uncertainties, working efficiently and accurately while minimizing waste and rework is more important than ever.

First off, what are some of the pain points companies are facing that might be causing increased waste or rework?

As I think of my experience at a cabinet shop, some of our pain points were small part handling and dealing with more porous materials. Onion-skinning and tabbing helped with minimizing damaged parts and remakes... but the added time on the machine or extra manual machining and handling of parts to be trimmed by hand seemed counterproductive. Often times labor costs more than material. So, are we to just bite the bullet and plan on waste and rework and order extra material?

There have to be better ways to solve these types of problems.

So, I pose these questions to the community:

What kinds of solutions have others come up with? Do those solutions revolve around nesting and machining processes (small parts to center, multi-pass tools, onion-skinning and tabbing, etc.)? Do the solutions revolve around machinery and advanced options (better vacuums, roller hold downs, etc.)? Or, are the solutions a combination of both?

Small parts and porous materials are just a simple example of some pain points, are there others that companies are dealing with and have they found solutions?

I'd love to hear, as I'm sure others would as well, what companies are doing to improve their processes and increase their quality and efficiency!

Please share your experiences and knowledge on this subject!