04/06/2026
Getting footage of our machines in action sounds simple enough. Finding the time to set up cameras between customer deadlines and a busy shop floor is another story entirely.
Thanks to the help of a few of our setters, I'm slowly building a collection of short clips from around the workshop. This one is a straightforward operation: parting off a component so it can be machined on the reverse side.
It also highlights one of the biggest challenges when filming machining... coolant.
Coolant is absolutely essential to protect tooling, manage heat, and maintain part quality. Unfortunately for anyone behind a camera, it also makes it nearly impossible to see what's happening at the cutting edge.
Whenever you see machining footage without coolant, there's usually some extra work happening behind the scenes. In many cases, the setters have adjusted the program to allow a short filming opportunity while making sure the process remains safe for the machine, tooling, and component.
Not every machining video needs flying chips and dramatic sparks. Sometimes a simple parting off operation tells the story just as well.
