Page 26 - MetalForming May 2013

Mining Nuggets of Gold
Along the Fiber-Laser Learning Curve
Since Premier Tooling & Manufacturing brought previously outsourced laser-cutting work inhouse, via the acquisition of a 3-kW fiber-laser cutting machine, it’s been able to gain unexpected benefits from process improvements such as pierce-less cutting.
The 170,000-sq.-ft. metal stamp- ing and forming operation of Premier Tool & Manufacturing, Peosta, IA, took on a whole new look in mid-2012, when the firm welcomed the area’s first fiber-laser cutting machine. Focused for most of its 23-yr. existence on building and running dies for high- and low-volume work,
Premier’s business model took a turn toward low- or no-cost tooling about 3 yr. ago. The company’s vice president of operations Brian Seemann says that “the market shift to zero-tooling-dollar work has created significant opportu- nities for us, so investing in laser cut- ting made sound business sense as we expect this trend to continue.”
Premier Tooling and Manufacturing launched operations in 1990 with nine employees in a 5400-sq.-ft. plant. Now its 170,000 sq. ft. of operations, includ- ing a 40,000-sq.-ft. die shop, employs 150. The firm is home to 45 stamping presses, to 1500-ton capacity, as well as CNC production-machining centers, weld booths and assembly cells.
In 2011 the firm brought in a CNC turret press to react to the upswing in zero-tooling or low-volume fabrica- tion opportunities coming its way. But to really attain the process speeds required, outsourcing such work to local CO2-laser-cutting job shops gained favor.
“While we have some great options nearby to outsource laser cutting,” shares Seemann, “in 2012 we decided that we wanted to gain more control of this critical process, and no longer rely on the schedules of outside suppliers.”
CO2 or Fiber?
Early into its mission to select a laser-cutting machine of its own, Pre- mier’s search team concluded that fiber-laser technology, rather than CO2, fit better into its mix of customers and products. So says industrial engineer Jeremy Kaiser, who notes that its busi-
BY BRAD F. KUVIN, EDITOR
Premier’s 5- by 10-ft. Fibermak fiber-laser cutting machine, from Ermaksan, boasts a 3-kW laser source that the firm has been able to push to 1180 in./min. when cutting 16-gauge mild steel.
24 MetalForming/May 2013
www.metalformingmagazine.com