All Episodes
Lights Out: Technology and Automation Podcast by MakingChips — 51 episodes
Zero Setup Time: Inside Norbert Kempf CNC-Technik GmbH's 23-Machine Automated Shop | Ep. 49
Your Machines Have a Heartbeat: Here's What It's Telling You | Ep #48
You Can't Automate What You Can't Find: RTLS and the Data Foundation for Lights-Out | Ep. 47
Inside Conexus Indiana: The Industry Network Driving Manufacturing Tech and Talent | Ep. 46
Don't Automate Chaos: Running Lights Out with Sarah Wierman of Fastems, Ep #45
You Don't Have a Capacity Problem — You Have a Visibility Problem, Ep #44
Before You Buy Another Spindle, Use the Ones You Have, #43
The 20-Hour Machine: Automation, Throughput & Smarter Capacity Planning, Ep #42
Lights Out Lenses: Engineering, Quality & the Leadership Behind Automation (Part 2), Ep #41
Lights Out Lenses: Inside an Automation Journey from the Operations & Production Frontlines, Ep #40
DIY Automation That Actually Works: How One 80-Person Shop Cracked High-Mix Lights-Out Manufacturing, Ep #39
Lights Out, Level Up: Inside Imago's Next Phase of Automation and Time Freedom, Ep #38
Additive Manufacturing on the Shop Floor: Hype, Reality, and Where It Actually Works, Ep #37
Lights Out Jeopardy: Additive, Automation, and Absolute Chaos, Ep #36
Who Killed the Cobot Dream? The Truth About Collaborative Robots, Ep #35
Hybrid Manufacturing: Why Additive vs. Subtractive Is the Wrong Debate, Ep #34
Lights Out at 20: Inside a One-Man, Multi-Axis Machine Shop with Michael King, Ep #33
From ROI to Reality — Measuring Success After You Automate, Ep #32
How to Calculate Automation ROI — The Right Way, Ep #31
The Automation Adoption Boom: Why ROI is the 2026 Metric That Matters, Ep #30
Facing the Future: Automation Truths from 40 Years on the Shop Floor with Mike Gamache, Ep #29
From SWAT to Spindles: How Johnny Goode Led MSP Manufacturing's Lights-Out Transformation, Ep #28
The Real Takeaways from EMO: Monitoring, AI, and the Changing Face of Automation, Ep #27
Coached—Not Just Monitored: How the Best Shops Turn Data into Action, Ep #26
Adaptive Over Aggressive: Redefining Lights-Out Manufacturing with Camoren Schley, Ep #25
From Fixed to Mixed: Mindset Shifts That Power Lights-Out Manufacturing, Ep #24
Carrying the Legacy Forward: Yuto Matsuura on Family, Precision, and the Future of Automation, Ep #23
The Automation Trap: Turning Struggle into a Lean Legacy, Ep #22
The Automation Trap: Saving a Shop with Systems, Not Spindles, Ep #21
The Connected Advantage: Solving Real Problems with Hexagon's Digital Workforce, Ep #20
The Automation Trap: One Shop's Hard Lesson in Lean Thinking, Ep #19
The Automation Trap: Why Automating Chaos Won't Save You, Ep #18
Dimming the Lights: How to Build a Shop Ready for Automation, Ep #17
Is Coaching the Key to Lights-Out Success? Ep #16
The Quiet Cut That's Loudly Threatening Small Manufacturing
The Juice-to-Squeeze Ratio: Why Time Freedom Isn't Optional for Shop Owners, Ep #15
Automation: The Key to Time Freedom in Machining, Ep #14
The AI Revolution: Rethinking Automation with Al Whatmough, Ep #13
Make the Right Chips, Do the Right Work, Ep #12
The Throughput Mindset: How Automation and Culture Drive Success, Ep #11
Business Moves at the Speed of Trust with Wade Anderson, Ep #10
Chip and Coolant Management for Machining Automation with Blaser Swisslube and Hennig, Ep #9
Are You Even Prepared to Run a Lights Out Shop? Ep #8
Connecting Advanced Machining Strategies to Business Results Part 2
Connecting Advanced Machining Strategies to Business Results Part 1
A Samurai's Journey to Automation, Ep #5
How to Prioritize Flexibility when You Invest in Automation, Ep #4
How a Prototyping Shop is Shattering the Status Quo with Automation, Ep #3
Automation 101 with Chris Luecke Manufacturing Happy Hour, Ep #2
Training Machinists with an Automation Mindset with Titan Gilroy, Ep #1
Lights Out Intro