Page 29 - MetalForming December 2013

shop consistently, without delay. We want to eliminate idle time so that when a job comes in, we enter the order, set it up and release it to the shop, all within a day or two.”
Cross-Functional QRM Team
MPE created a cross- functional QRM team that includes two that can use Jetcam to pro- duce sheet nests and send them to the floor for processing. Overall the company employs a dozen associates trained to use the software.
Processing occurs at
any of six CNC machines
—three Mitsubishi laser-
cutting machines and
three Amada punch-laser
combination machines
—the newest of which
is an Amada EMLK punch-laser combo added in 2011. The industrial engi- neers at the Milwaukee headquarters also develop tooled-up part files for the firm’s laser-cutting and turret- punch presses at its Mexican plant in Apodaca, Nuevo Leon.
QRM not only pays dividends with- in the walls of MPE; its customers see the difference as well. Example: In Feb- ruary 2013, the firm earned Global Sup- plier of the Year status for 2012 by its customer Draeger Corp., selected from a pool of 3000 global vendors. Recog- nition came due to MPE’s “ability to take complexity out of the supply chain and manufacturing processes along with its robust quality system and sound processes,” said Adam Nesbitt, Draeger director of strategic sourcing.
Faster, and Easier to Learn
MPE is a good case study in dynamic nesting—combining parts from more than one job, of like mate- rial type and thickness, onto shared sheet nests. This practice, compared to static nesting of only one part design onto a sheet, contributes as much as anything else to improved material utilization, and to fewer con-
MPE processes orders for fabricated sheetmetal parts and assemblies at any of six CNC machines—three Mitsubishi laser-cutting machines and three Amada punch-laser com- bination machines. Forming occurs at an array of press brakes, from 20 to 275 ton, including an Amada Astro robotic-bending cell.
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MetalForming/December 2013 27
cerns about inventory management. “Before we brought in Jetcam (sup- plied by reseller NestOne Solutions, Kansas City, MO),” recalls Grundel, “we were using static nesting. Our pro- duction team would take the part designs generated by our engineering group and fit as many of the parts onto a sheet as possible—regardless of
embosses, forming fea- tures, lances and the like. We want to ensure that the parts are processed the same way every time they run; we don’t want to leave that process
design to chance.”
Once the process plan for contour-
ing the parts (typically done by laser cutting) and punching interior part features is complete, the program is released to the production team for nesting. Here’s where the user friendli- ness of Jetcam really comes into play. MPE employs three floating seats of
actual order quantity. So, we’d either have to inventory leftovers or ask our customers to take them. Now, the production team using dynamic nesting with Jetcam can combine parts from multiple jobs and more efficient- ly use the material.”
The MPE engineer- ing team “tools-up” each individual piece part, Grundel says, because “we have a lot of custom turret-press tools in our inventory specially designed for our customers’ unique part features. These include special shapes,
Industrial engineers at MPE’s Milwaukee headquarters facil- ity develop tooled-up part profiles for all of the firm’s CNC machines, including those at its Mexican plant, using Jetcam Expert Premium software.