Page 32 - MetalForming-May-2018-issue

Press Controls For All Presses
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Press Pilot 150 Control
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www.ToledoIntegratedSystems.com 800-T-Toledo 419-867-4170
Fabrication
The head, calibrated within 0.0015 in., allows him to cut complex parts such as vehicle exhaust header flanges.
Price, who has made parts for win- ning vehicles in nearly all motorsports, singles out a particularly memorable job. “Two years ago, parts that I pro- duced here were on the pole-sitting car for the Indy 500.”
One-day Turnaround
Generally, the RPM Design shop schedule is booked for a week or a week-and-a-half in advance. “Depend- ing on the run time of a job and the scheduling, jobs usually are completed in a day,” Price says. He notes that he may complete 10 or 15 jobs per day, with some jobs consisting of 10 to 20 pieces, while others can range from 1500 to 3000 pieces. Currently, 30 to 35 percent of RPM’s work is repeat busi- ness, with the number of new cus- tomers increasing.
As a one-man shop, balancing the shop’s work schedule is Price’s biggest challenge. “Managing work flow is the same as in any job-shop situation,” he says. “You get a job one day with a 4- or 5-hr. cycle time, then you get a job the next day with five different mate- rials and you’re running different piece parts.” On days with longer runs, he does programming, invoicing and prep work.
The accuracy and reliability of the Maxiem machine, says Price, enables continuous, uninterrupted operation, “Iputa4by8-ft.or5by10-ft.pieceof material in the machine in the morning and let it cut all day,” he says.
“With job size and complexity at RPM ranging from multi-thousand- piece runs for industrial companies to small runs for a signage company, the thing that blows my mind every day is the versatility of the waterjet,” Price continues. “I even cut tiny wrenches out of stainless steel for an artist that polishes them to make bracelets and rings. The gamut of jobs coming through here amazes me on a daily basis.” MF
Article submitted by Omax Corp., Kent, WA; www.omax.com.
30 MetalForming/May 2018
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