Lathes
Why round parts, tight tolerances, and critical fits all start on a lathe. If mills are about shaping metal from the outside in, lathes are about perfect balance. Instead of the tool doing all the moving, the part itself spins, sometimes slowly and deliberately, sometimes at thousands of RPMs, while material is removed with remarkable […]
Vertical Mills
Why they’re the everyday heroes of the shop floor—and the go-to choice for hundreds of industrial parts. If horizontal mills are the bruisers built for heavy lifting, vertical mills are the agile all-star athletes of machining. They can pivot fast, switch between totally different parts without blinking, and handle everything from delicate contours to deep […]
“You Shaftin’ Me?”
You did everything right. You installed the new shaft. You aligned it. You even gave it a pep talk. But now it’s vibrating like a caffeinated jackhammer, your bearings are screaming for mercy, and your production manager just used the words “catastrophic failure” in a meeting. It’s not you. It’s the shaft. Shaft Failures: Not […]
“You Can’t Handle the Shaft!”
Cue dramatic voiceover In a world where machines grind to a halt… One job shop dares to answer the call… With lathes so long they barely fit on screen… This summer… it’s time… for Shaft Redemption. Shaft Problems: The Hidden Villain of Industrial Downtime Let’s be honest… Nobody wants to think about shafts until they break. […]
How to Outsource Fabrication Without Losing Control
Outsourcing fabrication can feel risky. You’re handing off more than a drawing — you’re trusting someone else to deliver on your quality, schedule, and reputation. If they miss? You’re the one who hears about it. At General Machine, we hear this concern often. And we get it. We’re not just fabricating parts — we’re stepping […]
Build It Once, Stock It Smart:
Spare parts are critical to customer satisfaction but managing them can be costly and inefficient — especially when those parts are low volume, irregularly ordered, or difficult to manufacture in-house. At General Machine, we help OEMs simplify this challenge by providing small-batch, on-demand production and stocking support for spare and replacement parts. This approach helps […]
Stock Smarter, Serve Faster:
In the world of equipment manufacturing, speed and service can make or break a deal. Or an ongoing customer relationship. When your customer calls needing a critical replacement part, they’re not asking for a lead time — they’re asking for a solution. Right now. At General Machine, we help equipment manufacturers stay ready by producing […]
Custom Metal Fabrication in St. Louis
Welcome to the world of custom metal fabrication — where steel meets creativity, and deadlines meet their match. At General Machine, we like to think of it as the art (and science) of turning “how are we going to do that?” into “we got it done yesterday” for companies all around Greater St. Louis. Whether […]