Cutting Tool Manufacturer Helps Growing Shop Improve Efficiency
While nearly always desirable, growth can bring its own set ofchallenges. A case in point is Tri-K Machining, a shop that isseemingly on the fast track to success. Business has increased by morethan 300 percent during the past 12 months. However, management soonrealized that keeping up with this added work would require improvedoutput and reduced costs.
Searching for a way to increase efficiency, plant manager ErnieSmith pinpointed cutting tools as one specific area that neededimprovement. Equipped with an aluminum oxide coating designed toprolong tool life, Walter USA’sturning inserts, milling cutters and drills performed admirably in aseries of tests and were soon incorporated into the shop. Since then,reductions in tool costs and cycle times have enabled the company tocope with its increased workload.
Walter’s technicalsupport capabilities also played a role in the shop’s decision. “Weneeded partners who can educate us about technology that is changingpractically every day,” says company President Gary Caulk.“Understanding overall tool management systems only added to theircredibility.”
Specializing in rough and finish turning,milling, drilling and boring, Tri-K manufactures machine components forthe agricultural, automotive and commercial tool markets. When Mr.Caulk bought the company in 1999, it had a 10,000-square-foot facility,four employees and three machines. Since then, the shop has grown toinclude 40,000 square feet of floor space, 53 employees and 18machines.
Mr. Caulk says the shop’s rapid growth is a result of finding a nichein small-quantity part orders. While large-quantity orders are oftenshipped overseas, he explains, smaller orders often remain in theUnited States. Filling the gap left by companies pursuing large ordersallows Tri-K to save on shipping costs, control part quality and offertimely delivery. “It just makes more sense to do that work here in ourcountry,” he adds.
The shop tested cutting tools from three separate suppliers beforesettling on Walter. In one test, a Mazak Dual Turn 20 machine wasfitted with Walter’s WPP10 insert grade. Processes included roughturning the face as well as rough and finish turning the OD of ahelical gear blank in 8620 steel. According VCMT Insert to the manufacturer, a keyfeature of the insert is its aluminum oxide “Tiger-Tec” coating, whichis designed to provide long tool life at high surface footages.
Compared with the tool the shop had previously used for thisapplication, the results were “phenomenal,” Mr. Smith says. In additionto a 45-percent reduction in cycle time, the shop realized a 25-percentincrease in feed rate, and cutting speed increased from 750 to 1,050surface feet per minute. Chip control improved, and tool life more thandoubled. Machine cost per workpiece decreased from $1.44 to 81 cents,and overall machine cost savings for yearly production of 5,000 piecesamounted to $3,140. Total cost savings for the application amounted to$3,247.
Mr. Caulk says the inserts helped Tri-K achieveits two primary objectives: freeing up machine time to WNMG Insert cope with theconstantly increasing workload and lowering tool-change costs. In fact,after integrating the inserts, the company realized a 50-percentdecrease in actual change-outs per tool.
“We candeliver the product 30 percent faster, and we can free up machine timeby 200 hours a week,” Mr. Caulk says. “When you are working like weare, that can make an enormous difference in productivity.”
However,Mr. Caulk emphasizes that Walter provides more than just cutting tools.“We also needed a company that could educate our shop people aboutusing the right turning inserts, milling cutters and drills for eachapplication to increase efficiencies,” he says. “Walter has helped usstay focused on keeping our machines running continually. Theyunderstand tool management, and they can help educate our staff abouthow to use the technology for optimum performance.”
by abrahamboy | 2024-01-18 17:21
