Streamlining work flow: Drilling Performance

CHALLENGE: Reduce setup and cycle times while meeting customers’ demands for high-quality parts.
SOLUTION: Two horizontal machining centers.
END USER: Reinhold Industries Ltd., (780) 434-8552, www.rilflo.com.
SOLUTION PROVIDER: Methods Machine Tools Inc., (877) MMT-4CNC, www.methodsmachine.com.

From reducing cycle times to deploying automation, part manufacturers are working to make their operations run as efficiently as possible while still producing high-quality parts. One such manufacturer is Reinhold Industries Inc., Edmonton, Alberta, which produces flow control components in its 26,000-sq.-ft. facility. The parts range from ¼”(6.35mm) to 16″ (406.4mm) in diameter. Processes vary from drilling and milling wellhead components to producing aluminum parts for the plastics industry.

With such a broad array of parts, sizes and processes, achieving a high level of accuracy and efficient machining times had become big issues because of the need to perform multiple setups in various machines. These factors led the company to seek ways to streamline its operations and improve work flow, according to Reinhold President Marcel Klutke.

Reinhold Industries machines plastic-injection cylinder bodies held on a KIWA tombstone in a KIWA HMC. Image courtesy Reinhold Industries.

One part of the solution was to find a machine tool that could produce parts to meet customers’ stringent specifications and deliver them on time. “Our customers depend on us for quality and reliability,” Klutke said.

As part of the decision-making process, he looked at horizontal machining centers over a 6-month period, touring several machining facilities and speaking with owners and operators.