Finding Ways Large and Small to Maximize Metal Fabrication
One of the reasons we understand the needs of our customers so well is that, like them, we are in metal fabrication ourselves. As makers of metal fabrication products, we face many of the same challenges that they do on a daily basis. Our goal is to help them increase productivity and efficiency in their businesses by providing the best possible machines, tooling and engineering support possible.
In a similar fashion, we constantly look at our own operations through the same lens. What steps can we take to increase the throughput in each manufacturing process? How can we make them faster, more productive, more accurate or easier for our employees? Can we bring a process in-house to control quality and turnaround? Often the answer to these questions comes in the form of a new piece of equipment. In this article, we will take a look at just a few examples where a capital expenditure on our part has made a big difference on the shop floor.
CNC Additions
We’ve recently added new CNC equipment to our production floor. One of the things we’ve done to increase production capacity and utilization rates is to incorporate automation with our brand-new horizontal machining centers by way of multi-level pallet systems. These allow us to respond to production floor needs quickly since the system is ready to run with fixtures that can be put into operation with minimal setup time. They also allow our machining equipment to run unattended, opening up time for our highly-trained shop talent to work on other projects during the run time.
We've brought in new heavy-duty equipment like double column ram type machines that have table capacities of over 60,000 lbs to better handle our press brake main members, along with a few vertical turning centers to better output cylinder components.
Crown Fork Truck
We can hear you. “What, you didn’t have a fork truck?” A little bit of background may be in order. We have been in our current facility for a long time. A really long time. There are actually tracks embedded in the floor where railcars can move huge pieces like major press brake members, housing, rams and reflection beams. The rails weren’t going anywhere, so we used them to stage materials along their path. From there, we used cranes to carry the material to where it’s needed. Again, we were limited by the arc of the cranes and their placement. It would also take 12 to 15 rigging operations using the crane. Not to mention the thrill of having tons of steel swinging around in the air.
It wasn’t until we found a Crown with its 12’ long forks that we achieved true flexibility and mobility in our shop. It picks up 8,000 pounds of plate with ease and deposits it right where it is needed. There’s zero rigging needed once the material is on the lift. It seems like a simple thing, but we are now free to roam, and that was really a game-changer for us.
Home Grown Value
We don’t have to go very far to update some equipment on our production line. We just look in our own inventory. After all, we only want the very best for our shop floor. For over 20 years, we had a CL-707 CO2 laser system that we relied on to cut components for our gauge and laser covers. We recently switched over to our CL-960 high-speed fiber laser and the difference is night and day. We are now able to do more of the process in-house.
Sometimes, all it takes is a little TLC to bring one of our machines up to tip-top performance. One of our 1,500-ton press brakes still sees daily use. In fact, we couldn’t make frames for our laser systems and press brakes without it. We recently re-machined and resurfaced the RAM and updated the control. A fresh coat of paint and it’s good to go for years to come.
Oldies but Goodies
As you can tell, despite our recent rash of acquisitions, we still appreciate the old school equipment in the shop. Some items, like the press brake mentioned above, we just find irreplaceable. It’s not sentiment, it’s practicality. These machines still earn their keep.
For example, we still produce long stick tooling for our press brakes that require the use of planers, so those are still around. There’s also a 40-year-old radial arm drill we use for low volume jobs and a manual open jaw lathe that we use to tie rods on our 20’ long powdered metal presses.
And don't forget we're still supporting CI machines that have been out in the field for more than half a century. That’s another good reason to hold onto our older machines on our own production floor.
The point is, we don’t make capital expenditures on a whim. As they say, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” But if we see the opportunity to increase production and produce a better product for our customers by buying a certain piece of equipment, we don’t hesitate.
Maybe you’ve recently found a spot on your shop floor where new CI equipment can make a big difference. Click or call so we can chat about what we can do to upgrade your operations and maximize your productivity.
