Page 31 - MetalForming March 2012

machines (three of which are dedicat- ed to toolroom activities, the rest for production machining), allows full- depth cuts to be made in one pass with surface finishes to less than 1 Ra.
In addition to new equipment, lean processes installed in recent years have allowed the firm to surpass industry standards for lead times, says Rugaber.
“We’re building the same number of tools per year that we were 5 yr. ago, with a build cycle that has gone from 18 to 20 weeks down to just 8 to10 weeks today,” he says. “And scrap and rework are down significantly.”
Asked to cite where these improve- ments are coming from, EDM manag- er Jeff Ambrose quickly cites the imple- mentation of automation—robots and palletizers, for example—throughout the EDM department.
“We have the same number of wire- EDM operators we had 5 yr. ago,” says Ambrose, “but now send 30 to 40 per- cent more product out the door. One
operator can run eight or nine machines, if we strategically schedule the workflow to allow for unattended machining.”
Ambrose’s department is stocked with a variety of EDM machines, including 16 wire and seven sinker machines; another six wire machines are installed at the company’s Costa Rican plant. Each machine make, says Ambrose, is geared toward a specific category of operation, from basic roughing to fine machining.
“We’ve got the latest machines from Charmilles, Sodick and Mitsubishi.” he says, “and while there’s some overlap, each machine has its place. By carefully selecting the right machine for the job at hand, we optimize productivity throughout the EDM shop and keep our costs down.”
High-Speed Machining, Too
Wallace notes that the rest of the toolroom functions similarly, calling out its high-speed machining opera-
tions and noting that for Oberg, high speed truly means high speed—we’re talking up to 40,000 RPM.
“We’ve acquired more than 25 new four- and five-axis machining centers since 2007,” he says, “eight for tool- room support and the rest for produc- tion machining,” noting a trend toward stamped parts requiring value-added machining. “There’s no manual machining left here.”
“In the past, a die section would require multiple steps across multiple machines,” Bachelier adds, “perhaps to finish the tops and the sides. Now, a multiaxis machine can complete a die section in one handling. Cycle times are greatly reduced, and we eliminate setups and queue time. This has reduced machining time by 60 per- cent—setup time alone is reduced by 2 to 3 hr., so that a section that once took a total of 10 hr. takes just 4 hr. now. And, we can achieve a net or near- net finish and eliminate grinding in some cases.” MF
“We know die tooling. We know machining. We have the capabilities.
And we deliver precision.” Irvin Swider – President, Future Products
• Complete CNC Precision Machining • 5-axis Machining • Wire EDM
• Sinker EDM •Turning • Milling
• Surface Grinding • Jig Grinding
Let us quote your
next job info@future-products.com or 1-800-237-5754
Die tooling for Metal Stamping and Metal Forming
Machined Components for Medical and Aerospace
885 N. Rochester Road Clawson, MI 48017 Phone: 1.800.237.5754 Fax: 248.588.7303 www.future-products.com
www.metalformingmagazine.com
MetalForming/March 2012 29