Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchLow Overhead, High Conviction: A 20-Year-Old's Approach to Manufacturing
Episode 512
At 17 years old, Michael King bought a brand-new CNC machine despite never having seen one in person. With no formal trade school background or appre…
6 months, 3 weeks ago
Building a One-Man Shop with Big Vision: Walter Peters on Low Overhead, Automation, and Freedom
Episode 511
In this episode of MakingChips, we continue our young founders series with a story that challenges the traditional growth narrative in manufacturing.…
6 months, 4 weeks ago
Reindustrializing America: How Zane Hengsperger Is Reinventing the Metal Supply Chain
Episode 510
What happens when a 26-year-old machine shop kid decides the real bottleneck in American manufacturing isn't machining—it's metal supply?
In this epi…
7 months, 1 week ago
Achieve the Impossible: Inside IMTS 2026 and the Power of Six Days
Episode 509
Recorded live from McCormick Place in Chicago, this episode marks the official kickoff of the MakingChips journey toward IMTS 2026. With nine months …
7 months, 2 weeks ago
Workplace Safety Is Non-Negotiable: Addressing Violence, Harassment, and Responsibility in Manufacturing
Episode 508
This episode of MakingChips is different from most conversations we have on the show, and it needed to be.
In late 2025, the manufacturing community …
7 months, 2 weeks ago
Never Too Young to Be Taken Seriously: Building Credibility with Discipline and Systems
Episode 507
Starting a machine shop doesn't always begin with a perfectly laid business plan, a polished facility, or years of hands-on experience. Sometimes it …
7 months, 3 weeks ago
Advice You Can't Google: Larry Robbins on Building Shops, Careers, and Character
Episode 506
Launching a CNC shop young comes with no shortage of advice — but not all of it comes from experience earned the hard way.
In this episode, we bring …
7 months, 4 weeks ago
Starting Young, Thinking Long-Term: A New Generation of CNC Shop Owners, 505
Episode 505
Manufacturing doesn't always start with a perfectly funded plan or a shop full of machines. Sometimes it starts in a garage, with curiosity, grit, an…
8 months ago
Workforce Is the Foundation: What New Manufacturers Can Learn from North Carolina, 504
Episode 504
As new manufacturers step into ownership, one challenge shows up faster than almost any other: building a team.
Before you can scale production, inve…
8 months, 1 week ago
More Than Words: Defining Our Core Values for MakingChips, 503
Episode 503
Kicking off a new year often comes with big goals, bold plans, and fresh momentum. But before chasing what's next, we decided to slow down and focus …
8 months, 2 weeks ago