Article by Seco Tools LLC

Without a fully optimized manufacturing process, individual machines and entire manufacturing operations fall short of their full productivity and cost-effectiveness potentials. To avoid this fate, shops should take advantage of engineering and process optimization support services typically offered by those well-equipped and truly capable manufacturing equipment suppliers. Such services can encompass just a few lines of code for a cutting program or a comprehensive, turnkey solution for the development and maintenance of an entire production line.

For many shops, "process improvement" begins and ends with the purchase of a new machine or component. The approach is simple, but expensive, and frequently results in just replacing a suboptimal process with just a newer suboptimal process. The sophisticated technology in the latest machines, fixturing and tooling requires equally sophisticated process management.

Photos courtesy of Seco Tools

Those shops that make continuous improvement a core part of their strategy should seek out a process optimization partner. Whether beginning work on a new family of parts or making large capital investments in the form of state-of-the-art machines, process optimization experts can make recommendations on tools, CAM software or even entire machine lines to reap the greatest potential return on investment.

One example of an OEM that has prioritized process optimization services is Seco, which utilizes its wide-ranging expertise on behalf of customers via its Engineered Solutions and Custom Products divisions. Between the two teams, Seco can provide anything from a quote on tooling options to a complete production solution. As a result, its customers can achieve complete process optimization with their existing tooling partner from part to complete process.

In a free initial consultation, the Seco Engineered Solutions team evaluates the scope of the project, discusses customers' requirements and establishes a provisional timeline. While this stage is particularly useful for customers who need comprehensive process management services, companies with their own engineering staff can also benefit from a consultation with Seco Engineered Solutions, which can provide advice and quotes on standard or custom tooling packages to improve existing processes.

Those who want the greatest benefit, however, should bring in the team at Seco during the inception of a new metalcutting application. For instance, one might cut a pocket using dynamic milling, high-feed milling or plunge milling. Unfortunately, what frequently happens is that most shops simply opt for the cheapest available machine or an easily implemented process. A process optimization specialist, on the other hand, would, in this instance, point out that a high-precision, high-speed milling cutter used to plunge will cut pockets poorly, while a long-edge tool that performs dynamic cutting would work best.

The initial evaluation phase identifies the combination of tooling, fixturing, machines and cycle times that will result in the most cost-effective and efficient process. After optimization experts collect the information, they produce a proposal that covers everything from the necessary equipment to the cutting data, as well as any required custom tools.

By applying their own know-how to the customer-supplied data, the Engineered Solutions team can evaluate cost per unit, projected cycle times, machine capacity and other factors to create a documented process with recommended cutting data. The Custom Products department fabricates and assembles any products required by the process at Seco's Troy, Michigan-based production facility. The team then assembles, balances and certifies the quality with a final inspection document prior to shipping so that everything arrives ready to run off on a customer's machine.

This approach to process optimization is nothing new, but it has become much harder to accomplish in-house for all but the largest of companies. For everyone else, retaining the engineering and operational talent necessary to craft optimal processes is more difficult than ever. Few manufacturing suppliers offer turnkey process solutions with their machines, and most shop managers are uninterested in process optimization when they have worn-out machinery to replace.

Because of this, shops have more reasons than ever before to seek out a manufacturing supplier with process optimization expertise, especially those that work in the most competitive industries. Automotive manufacturers, for example, frequently improve their processes on a continual basis. An automotive OEM might redesign its vehicle wheel styles twice a year, and in those instances, machine tool optimization would ensure that they find a reliable set of standard tooling that will allow them to execute those changes without buying a new tool for every new wheel rim design.

At the other end of the spectrum, an aerospace company may produce fewer components per year, but each one will see daily use for many decades. Dedicated process managers can oversee changes to tooling, technology and processes over the lifetime of these components so they can solve any hiccup in production with the utmost expediency.

Naturally, Seco supports its engineered process solutions by drawing on its global network of engineers, CAM experts and other customer service specialists, which enables the company to help implement its provided solution and offer assistance throughout the rest of a project's lifetime. As a result, the average customer sees an overall improvement in productivity of 25 percent.

Today, manufacturers must have the process mentality. It is no longer enough to simply buy the best machines or hire the best operators – to stay competitive, companies have to design and implement optimal processes. With the help of an optimization service, these manufacturers can close the loop from programs to machines to tooling and arrive at a process that obtains the best possible results.