Refurbishing toolmaking productivity

END USER: The Yankee Corp., (800) 343-2404, www.yankeereamer.com.
CHALLENGE: Reduce equipment uptime and improve productivity when friction welding cutting tool shanks to heads.
SOLUTION: Replacing an old friction welding machine with a refurbished one.
SOLUTION PROVIDER: Thompson Friction Welding, (586) 466-6180, www.thompson-friction-welding.com.

Reducing material costs without lowering product quality provides a competitive advantage. For about half of the reamers and other cutting tools The Yankee Corp. produces, the toolmaker firmly fuses a low-carbon steel shank to the tool steel head where the flutes are, using a friction welding machine instead of making the tools entirely from the higher-cost tool steel.

“It saves thousands of dollars a month in steel costs, which translates to savings for our customers,” said Tony Olson, plant manager for the Fairfax, Vt., tool manufacturer.

Courtesy of Thompson Friction Welding

Yankee’s friction welder midway through the refurbishment process at Thompson.

However, that savings is only realized when the toolmaker’s friction welding machine is up and running. That frequently wasn’t the case with the company’s dilapidated machine from a defunct foreign builder that never had a U.S. presence. “As the machine deteriorated, we couldn’t get parts or support for it,” Olson said, adding that Yankee experienced frequent downtime ranging from an hour to a week or more. “We had the machine down for 3 or 4 weeks at a time when we couldn’t get parts.” The faulty parts included spindles, brakes and hydraulic units, as well as the CNC.

He noted the toolmaker considered having a machine rebuilder refurbish the friction welder, but determined it wasn’t worth the time, effort and money. “It was problematic [even] when we first got it.”

Olson conducted an Internet search for a friction welding machine builder with a U.S. facility. He found two and, after speaking with both, determined Thompson Friction Welding, Sterling Heights, Mich., had the most to offer. “We liked what they had to say,” he said.