out of a vice to machine it on another side, that is a chance for inaccuracy and mistakes to creep in, like having a small chip get left on the parallels because the operator did not blow them off just perfect before re-clamping the work piece. Certainly you would not expect to hold sub- thousandth of an inch tolerances on features made on different vice clampings.

Everybody says that innovation is a key thing about making our world a better place. But nobody seems to understand that single-day machining services are a huge enabler of innovation. By turning things quickly, you can see what needs to be done and better yet, the marketing people can show things to the customers to make the product even better and more innovative. With outfits like First Cut, ForeCast3D, and Protomold giving you mechanical parts in a few days, along with Sunstone, PCB-Pool, Proto Express and Advanced Circuits giving you circuit cards in a fews days, along with Screaming Circuits and Advanced Assembly putting those boards together from parts they or you get overnight from Digi-Key, Mouser, Jameco, Newark, and Allied, well, this is the real revolution in innovation. By turning product development into a months-long effort instead of a yearlong one, these outfits will do more for innovation than all the futurists and pundits combined.

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