Machine Tool Tariffs in 2026: What the Section 232 Machinery Investigation Means for EDM Buyers
Shops quoting a six-figure EDM purchase this year are working around an open question that did not exist two years ago. On September 2, 2025, the Secretary of Commerce opened a Section 232 national security investigation into imports of robotics...Continue reading→
The EDM Operator Shortage Is Reshaping How Mold Shops Buy Machines
The hardest number in metalworking right now is not a tolerance. It is 49,300. That is where the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects tool and die maker employment will land in 2034, down from 55,200 in 2024. The occupation losing...Continue reading→
Die and Mold Industry Trends: Record Capital Spending Meets a Capacity Squeeze
Three federal data series are telling die and mold shops the same thing from different angles this summer. Equipment output is climbing. Order backlogs keep stacking up. Factories are not running anywhere near full. That combination has a specific meaning...Continue reading→
The 2026 EDM and Precision Machining Forecast: Automation Powers the Second Half
Iron Machine Tool — Advanced EDM and precision machining technology for Midwest manufacturers, backed by Mitsubishi Machinery Systems. US metalworking machinery demand is running far ahead of what forecasters expected entering 2026. New orders reached $2.77 billion through the first...Continue reading→
Aerospace and Defense Backlogs Are Rewriting Demand for EDM Hole Drilling in Late 2026
Iron Machine Tool — Advanced EDM and precision machining technology for Midwest manufacturers, backed by Mitsubishi Machinery Systems. The aerospace and defense industry crossed a threshold in 2025 that will shape supplier order books deep into 2026: for the first...Continue reading→
The Machinist Shortage Is Forcing Shops Toward EDM Automation Through 2026
Iron Machine Tool — Advanced EDM and precision machining technology for Midwest manufacturers, backed by Mitsubishi Machinery Systems. US manufacturing has a demand problem it can’t hire its way out of. The Manufacturing Institute and Deloitte project the sector will...Continue reading→
The EDM Recast Layer Problem: Why Surface Integrity Decides Aerospace and Medical Part Acceptance
Iron Machine Tool: Advanced EDM and Precision Milling Solutions | Minneapolis, MN A part can measure perfectly and still fail. In aerospace and medical work, the dimension on the print is only half the acceptance criteria; the other half is...Continue reading→
Thermal Error Is the Hidden Enemy of Micron Tolerances: What Shop Temperature Really Costs You
Iron Machine Tool: Advanced EDM and Precision Milling Solutions | Minneapolis, MN Ask a shop why a part drifted out of tolerance overnight and the usual suspects come up first—tool wear, a bad offset, vibration. The real culprit is often...Continue reading→
The Hidden Cost of Wire EDM Wire Consumption: Brass vs. Coated Wire Economics
Iron Machine Tool: Advanced EDM and Precision Milling Solutions | Minneapolis, MN Most shops evaluating a wire EDM purchase fixate on cut speed and accuracy and barely glance at the one cost that runs every single hour the machine is...Continue reading→
Inside the SD-750 and AD6L Submerged: Production EDM Hole Drilling for Minnesota’s Toughest Jobs
At Iron Machine Tool, we supply Minnesota shops with production EDM hole drilling machines built for aerospace, medical, and high-volume work. Production EDM hole drilling is no longer a niche capability for Minnesota precision shops. Specifically, the highest-margin aerospace and...Continue reading→