Krieger Craftsmen Moves Forward With Technology

Tim Krieger took a number of steps in his journey from toolmaker to president of his own operation. Krieger Craftsmen, Inc., in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has developed from a garage business into an innovative and flexible manufacturer of tooling for various industries.

Since being founded in 1993, this high-tech tooling facility now employs 15 people and serves the medical, aerospace, automotive and electronics markets. Along the way, Tim grew to understand the benefits of working with a professional equipment company.

"I'm convinced that the financial investment—once I realized this equipment was in our financial range— was something I should have done earlier. I could have been further along in my business had I invested in the Makino technology sooner," says Krieger.

This investment in technology, and the acquisition of a complete shop of Makino machinery including Ram and wire EDM, graphite milling and hard milling, has helped Tim save time and money in a number of areas. He has cut tens of thousands of dollars in outsourcing, reduced EDM electrode production time by 50 percent, and reduced lead time to customers by over 50 percent from the company's previous standard.

Investing in a Partner [back to top]
As the business grew, demands also grew for additional equipment. And this new equipment had to provide flexibility, speed and accuracy required by the company's customers. Krieger started off with the purchase of an EDNC65 Ram EDM, the first of five Makino machines in his shop.

The EDNC65 provided immediate cost savings with an automatic electrode changer, allowing the company to reduce costs through lights out burning. "This was a major improvement from our previous method of manually changing electrodes," says Krieger. "We began cutting electrodes for the EDNC65 in a vertical machine that was not set up for that kind of work. It had maximum of 8,000-rpm spindle, no vacuum and no thermal spindle control. It was messy and not very accurate.

"So to better support the EDNC65, we invested in the Makino SNC64G/S graphite machining center. It has a 30,000-rpm, core-cooled spindle with an automatic tool changer, Blum laser and Erowa tooling system. We can now produce electrodes for EDMing 50 percent faster than before."

Krieger noted that the combination of the two Makinos really opened up a whole new world for the company. "There has been quite a bit of work that we would not have been able to take on without having purchased these machines—not only because of the accuracy, but because of better lead times."

Additional Capacity [back to top]
After proving the investment in the Makino technology to its customers, more work was being awarded to Krieger Craftsmen, Inc. With the increased workload came a need for more sinker EDM capability.

"We are now able to produce a two-cavity production mold with lifters and hardened inserts with a 19-day turnaround, less than half of the time we previously spent."

Krieger Craftsmen purchased the Makino EDNC43S Ram EDM, with the patented HQSF™ technology. This allows the machine to produce exceptional surface finishes that do not require polishing. It not only helped fill the equipment need for the increased workload, but it also gave the company additional capability and allowed the shop to pursue work in new markets.

"At the same time, we procured the Makino EDGE2 Ram EDM machine," says Krieger. "This gave us three 'burners' with tool changers. It allowed us to gain unattended and compounded machine time by having one person run all three machines, as opposed to having nine employees working three shifts to do the same job. That is a significant cost savings for any shop."

Krieger adds, "The marketplace has changed over the years, and that 'Made In America' pride that used to be central to this industry is not what it used to be. However, this total machinery investment helped us gain some of that back."

Technology Investment [back to top]
The benefit of this investment in technology continues to pay off for Krieger Craftsmen.

The company now produces new molds for artificial kneecap parts for a medical industry injection-molding customer. At one time, Krieger could not handle the tight tolerances of such a job. Now Krieger can maintain high tolerances and accuracies with modern, technologically advanced Makino machine tools.

"We built four different kneecap molds, with the parts being dimensionally approved at first shot. Since the procurement of our Makino arsenal, my confidence level in taking on high accuracy challenges has grown," said Krieger. "These jobs no longer intimidate us.

"We are now able to produce a two-cavity production mold with lifters and hardened inserts with a 19-day turnaround, less than half of the time we previously spent. With the investment in the Makino, we were able to make our electrodes come out so well that we got a letter of gratitude from our customer."

The company also recently took on some military work. In conjunction with a local aerospace sheet metal fabrication supplier, Krieger Craftsmen developed a process utilizing the combination of a unique and innovative electrode design, cutting and burning for a swirler assembly for the jet engine of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

One complex part had undercuts in 20 places. This required simultaneous C- and Z-axis burning that the company simply could not previously produce had it not been for the Makino Edge2.

"Our experienced and knowledgeable employees were able to utilize the maximum potential of the Makino equipment to get this job done," says Krieger. "With the state of the world today, we are extremely proud to be a part of the research and development that keeps our nation on the leading edge of defense technology."

Electronics Product Innovation [back to top]
Krieger Craftsmen has also had the opportunity to produce some tooling to work on innovative and advanced research and development projects, such as an electro magnetic interference (EMI) shielding for automotive industry seat motors.

Because of the unique capabilities and open attitude of Krieger Craftsmen, the customer commended the company as a major contributor in building molds for this very unique program. This process involves inserting a very thin wire (0.002 inch) mesh into the molds while controlling the location in all three directions, which the customer notes can only be accomplished with superior mold tolerances.

This product also shields police radios and cell phones from interference caused by other energies. Krieger Craftsmen was awarded the work due to some previous projects the company had done for this particular customer, and because it had the Makino machines at the ready.

Precise Work With Better Lead Times [back to top]
"After outsourcing wire EDM work for 10 years, we then took the step to invest in the Makino SP43 wire EDM," says Krieger. "It began to pay for itself quickly, and we gained a lot of jobs that formerly were going overseas. We immediately saved tens of thousands of dollars of out-of-pocket costs."

Previously, the company outsourced its wire work and was dependent on other companies' schedules and time frames, along with higher cost. "We are now easily able to put sub-inserts and vents on the molds ourselves, exactly where we need them," says Krieger.

Some of the automotive part molds that Krieger Craftsmen manufactures for an optical laser refractor device manufacturer require a very shiny and clear plastic part. The job demands the Makino HQSF finish in order for the material to be clear enough for light to reflect through it.

"With the HQSF process on the EDNC43S Ram machine, we were able to attain an acceptable surface finish for the customer," says Krieger. "This customer had never been satisfied with a conventional EDM surface finish. And, we would have never taken on any job with that kind of precision before we purchased the HQSF process.

"The time to manufacture and burn electrodes is now measured in hours, not days like with other processes. We simply get things done faster. The investment led to the difference between mediocre and excellent work. "

Technology Continues to Grow the Business [back to top]
The support Krieger Craftsmen receives from Makino is ongoing. "I have developed a great trust in the people and service from Makino. We are able to get help, if needed, which is essential when dealing with the intense delivery expectations of today's customers.

"This level of assistance has been excellent. Makino actually sent someone here on a Saturday to work with us all day. This was critical to success, and also impressed our customer." Makino technology and support have been a welcome benefit to Krieger's business.

"I tried for a while to stay competitive on old technology, but it just cannot get the job done. I use the phrase 'putting a bandage on it' to describe using older machinery. I tried that process, and am glad I ended up converting to advanced technology."

"Makino machines can run unattended, with fewer man hours and more productivity," says Krieger. "Our employees do not mind popping in on a weekend or holiday to check on something or to load the tool changers, because they know they will be in and out in a really short period of time.

"They also know they are not walking into an all-night commitment. It allows our people to have a life other than work. That has been very important."

"In hindsight, I could have jumpstarted this operation a lot sooner if I would have invested in Makino," says Krieger. "But that is ultimately what we did, and that changed our service capabilities dramatically.

"We want to continue our expansion—turning down work is not something I like to do. With Makino, we can get any job done well."

For additional information on Krieger Craftsmen, and how the company can service your needs by driving out operational costs using Makino equipment, contact Tim Krieger at 2720 Three Mile N. W., Grand Rapids, Michigan 49544. Phone: 616-735-9200, Fax: 616-735-9201, E-mail: tim@kriegercraftsmen.com.

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