6/16/17: JD Machine Partners with HAIMER for Continuous Improvement
JD Machine, based in Ogden, Utah, has been providing its clients with high quality manufacturing services since 1979. You don’t stay in business that long without a corporate culture that stresses a daily effort to strengthen every facet of the business for better results.
It was this search for continuous improvement that led the company to HAIMER. They were unhappy with the size capacity and reach of the units they had on the shop floor. They decided to make a wholesale change and invest in some high-speed machines with 20,000rpm spindles and a wide variety of toolholders. The machine tool dealer specified an HSK taper and highly recommended they look into a shrink fit system, which led them to go shopping at IMTS.
Quality, Performance and Value
“HAIMER’s reputation led us to their booth,” said Chris Peterson, JD Machine’s Director of Engineering, “but it was the wide range of machines they offered that really caught our eye. The other companies we looked at had one or two models. With HAIMER, we were able to select a model that gave us the performance we needed at a price that fit our budget.” The engineering team was also impressed by the fact that HAIMER holders and shrink fit technology can easily shrink high-speed steel, something other systems can’t do. A bonus was the elimination of cleaning processes for collets and torque specs for collet chucks or mill chucks. “We are not big fans of ER collets,” said Peterson. “If we could, we would shrink everything."
An Expensive Lesson on Balance
JD Machine turned to HAIMER again after a high-speed spindle failed. Since these units run into the $25 to $50K price range, this was unacceptable. Chris and his team did an extensive analysis on the situation. Their HAIMER toolholders were balanced, but they were using a variety of others that were not. The consensus was that balance was the probable cause of the failure.
“I don’t think we fully realized the importance of balancing tools prior to losing that spindle and starting to scientifically study the reasons why it failed,” said Chris. “That situation made us realize: balancing is not a luxury – it’s a necessity.”
In general, if something doesn’t look or sound right, most operators will slow down the machine by default. As a result, many shops are operating slower than they otherwise could because they don’t have balanced tooling. “Since we installed the balancing unit, we’ve seen a much higher metal removal rate through improved speeds. The harmonics sound better so you feel comfortable to turn the machine up and push it harder. We also saw a big difference in the quality of finish.”
Chris says there have been no spindle failures in the six years since JD Machining installed the HAIMER balancing unit. He concluded, “We just didn’t realize all the implications that balancing has on the applications we run. It even keeps us from eating up tools when machining titanium and also gives us excellent results with helical interpolation of holes.”
A Long Term Relationship
As long as JD Machine continues its quest for better speed, quality and customer service, it is safe to say that HAIMER products will continue to be a part of the equation, thanks to their excellent service and the high performance of their products.
For more information on this topic, or any of our precision products, contact us.
