The Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” is certainly an admirable way to go through life. However it may not be the best way to motivate your employees. The fact is, what makes us uniquely “us” is encoded in our DNA, and the way you like being treated may be very different for those who work for you.
McConnelsburg PA-based Fulton Precision Industries, Inc. makes transmission shafts for Caterpillar and rock drill bits for Atlas Copco. The 94 separate Caterpillar parts range in diameter from 2” to 5.5” and in length from 27” to 42”, with individual shafts weighing up to 235 pounds. Lot sizes are relatively small, and each shaft has complex geometry that must be machined to tolerances of +/- .0007 of an inch.
According to Fulton’s President, Walt Barmont: “When we considered adding two new L 470 Okuma CNC lathes to our shop, Gosiger Factory Automation proposed automating our process by adding a Fanuc 165F robot to load and unload parts. Gosiger Factory Automation worked with us to make sure the system would not only increase productivity, but would deliver the accuracy and repeatability we require.”
Energy Dynamics, Inc. (EDI) is a nearly 30-year-old Illinois precision CNC machine shop that specializes in making hydraulic components and assemblies for a variety of major OEMs. The cylinders, pistons, electro control shafts and other items EDI produces find their way into heavy equipment, assembly machinery, aerospace applications and more.
Conceived as a personal gadget for Internet access, e-reading, playing games, and managing music, photos and more, iPads are now finding their way into the business world. But do they belong in a manufacturing setting? They just might. In addition to tens of thousands of apps, the iPad’s size, lightness and instant-on capability make it more convenient than a typical laptop, and easier to protect from harsh environments. There are several ways machine shops can use iPads to improve productivity. Here are three:
Accurate Grinding and Manufacturing Corporation and its Accurate Fishing Products division is a family business run by Jack Nilsen and his twin sons David and Douglas, Accurate began as a small CNC machine shop in 1950 and developed into a successful precision operation catering to the aerospace industry. In 1990, David and Douglas parleyed their passion for saltwater fishing into a line of high-end fishing gear that use the same close-tolerance manufacturing techniques they apply to their aerospace work.
DGP, Inc. is a medium-volume Tulsa, Oklahoma CNC machine shop with key customers in the oil exploration and production industry. Among other products, the company makes a family of three control valve components for one customer at the rate of 900 – 1200 pieces per month. Owner Jay Taylor surmised that he could reduce his cost-per-part by automating the process. But what was the best approach, and how could it be accomplished most cost-effectively? For the answers he turned to Gosiger Factory Automation.
Every new part brings its own set of challenges to the machinist. Not the least of these is the metal to be cut, milled or drilled. Extremely hard metals like H-13, S-7, M-2, or CPM, and exotic metals like Titanium, Inconel® or Incoloy® can be particularly difficult.
The chief problem manufacturers run into when dealing with these kinds of materials, is failing to look at the whole picture. Our tendency is to “make do” with what we have and rely on a new fixture or different cutting tool to solve the problem. As a result we may be able to produce the part, but not as efficiently as we would like. And as we all know, efficient operation means greater productivity, less scrap and rework and a stronger bottom line.
Should your next CNC machine tool be a vertical machining center (VMC) or a horizontal machining center (HMC)? The answer depends on the kind of work your shop typically performs.
The phrase “Work smarter, not just harder” takes on new meaning as Gosiger helped convince Okuma to apply the company’s vaunted THINC system to the Hardinge-built Bridgeport VMC GX 1000. This enhanced version is named VMC GX 1000 OSP.
The idea is to make this rugged, affordable, Vertical Machining Center (VMC) with optional rotary 4th axis even more productive and versatile, while providing a common control system for Okuma machine users who need a value-priced VMC. It’s an idea that has taken off as customers recognize the uncommon value this marriage of technologies represents:
Dayton, Ohio – Gosiger, Inc., a leading machine tool distributor and factory automation provider, announces that it can now supply the Hardinge VMC GX 1000 vertical machining center (VMC) from Hardinge equipped with the Okuma THINC control system. The result is a value-priced VMC with enhanced capabilities and, for Okuma CNC users, the additional convenience of a common control system.
Adding THINC increases the VMC GX 1000 maximum feed speed to 1417 ipm (36 m/min) from 392 ipm (10 m/min) and makes acceleration and deceleration faster and more precise. Additionally, THINC enables the VMC to increase throughput by reducing processing time from control to tool to a mere 3-5 milliseconds, increases power to allow machining of harder alloys to 60 Rockwell, simplifies part programming with on-board capabilities, and increases program storage to 2 GB.