Small shops have unique concern in choosing the right EDM machines. For an Indiana spare tooling manufacturer, success comes in all sizes. |
Success in today's tool and die industry often depends on two critical elements: production speed and end quality. This is true for both small businesses and global giants alike. For smaller tool and die manufacturers, the key to success is achieving maximum productivity on the least possible number of machines. For that reason, it is essential that small shops invest only in machinery that improves productivity and can actually produce revenue for the shop. Swiss Craft Precision Grinding in Berne, Ind., is doing just that.
Swiss Craft Precision Grinding began business in 1982, employing just five people. Today the company employs 21. Swiss Craft builds spare tooling such as punches and inserts for electronics and automotive dies. It also produces some spare tooling for molds, but Swiss Craft is not in the business of building molds or dies. Because its focus is on spare tooling, grinding and wire EDM are essential parts of its business. In the last year, Swiss Craft has added two new wire EDM machines to its production process. The difference in technology of today's equipment and the machines purchased in 1985 has made a remarkable difference in production and quality, according to Swiss Craft's president, Todd Nussbaum.
"We had jobs sitting on the shelf waiting for the older machines to finish," Nussbaum says. "Now, we can get them out the door more quickly and with less hassle." That is because the two machines Swiss Craft recently purchased allow for a greater amount of work to be done on the wire EDM, work that Swiss Craft used to grind by hand. Additionally, before acquiring the two new wire EDM machines, polish finishing was also done by hand. Now, hand polishing time has been greatly reduced and the savings in process time are noticeable."
NEW TECHNOLOGY FOR BETTER EDM
The new equipment Swiss Craft chose were two U32K high-precision submerged wire EDM machines from Makino. These, in addition to three Makino machines purchased in the mid-'80s and in the early '90s, have helped improve Swiss Craft's production times and finish quality. Says Nussbaum, "We are really happy with the new machines, and we expect good things from them. The machines are doing everything we were told they would do, and we are hoping to see more work come into our shop as a result."
The U32K design is the result of a new concept in CNC wire EDM technology, based on the award-winning U-Series from Makino, the wire EDM machine series that introduced the "drop-tank" design to the EDM industry. This design offers the end user many advantages, including operator efficiency and safety, elimination of dielectric weight shift during operation and improvements to servo reaction speed and precision.
The original decision to purchase new wire EDM machines was based on Swiss Craft's growing need to add to its surface finish capability. Says Nussbaum, "We bought the first U32K mostly for small work using the 0.004 wire, and since then we started getting orders, requests for better finish than we were able to do with the older machines. So, in order to keep up with the work in the fine-finish area, we purchased another machine. These new machines seem to be doing the trick."
The U32Ks are responsible, primarily, for wiring out punches and die inserts. Because the U32Ks offer four-axis programming, Swiss Craft has been able to do work it was not previously able to accomplish by EDM. But four-axis programming was not the only criterion Swiss Craft used in selecting their new equipment.
Roughing speed is about twice as fast with the new equipment, and finishing speed is significantly improved over the hand finishing Swiss Craft used to rely on. Still, Nussbaum emphasizes, speed was not the primary motivating factor in choosing the new equipment. "Speed is a factor, but it's not the only factor, or even the most important factor to us. Accuracy and surface quality are most important."
There were other considerations as well. "Obviously, being a small shop, price was part of it," Nussbaum explains. So, he and his colleagues compared machines with similar specifications and found that the Makino U32K delivered the best product for the money. "We compared it to comparable competitors' machines, and most of them were higher priced." Ultimately, price helped drive the decision to choose the Makino machines, and Nussbaum says it is a decision they have not regretted. "We went ahead and purchased the Makino, and so far it's been doing everything the higher-priced machines would have done for us."
Customer service also played into Swiss Craft's decision. "I have been using Makino for 15 years now," Nussbaum says, "and they have always been very supportive. The phone support is very good-someone always gets back with us the same day. Makino has treated us very well." In addition, installation of the new equipment was expedient. "We did not need a lot of training when we put the machines in," he adds. "Makino was very prompt, and two days after the machine was on the floor, we were already making parts off of it."
Since working with the new equipment, one feature stands out in Nussbaum's mind. "I am really pleased with the surface finishes we are getting," he says. "The U32Ks burn 0.004 wire for us beautifully, and so far we have had one machine set up almost exclusively on that, which is something we have not been able to do in the past."
Swiss Craft is able to use its U32Ks for nearly every job in the shop, meaning productivity is definitely enhanced. If work picks up as hoped, it is likely Swiss Craft will be in the market for a sixth machine. Nussbaum says if this happens, Swiss Craft would again choose Makino. "We are thrilled with the U32K machines, and we have not had any real problems. I am pleased with Makino. I see no reason to switch." Nussbaum adds the Makino U32K is one machine no tool and die shop should be without.