Zoller Inc. selected the winners of its inaugural Toolroom of the Year competition during the 2024 International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago.
Atlas Fibre, a premier manufacturer of thermoset composite materials, won first place at the ceremony held Sept. 12 at the Zoller booth. Based in Northbrook, Illinois, Atlas Fibre specializes in high-mix, high-volume machining for the aerospace, semiconductor, electrification and defense industries.
MetalQuest Unlimited, a precision machining company based in Hebron, Nebraska, earned second place, while Primetals Technologies, a global manufacturer of steel mills with offices and a facility in Sutton, Massachusetts, took third place. ProCam Services LLC, a full-service CNC machine shop in Zeeland, Michigan, received an honorable mention.
"At Zoller, we are committed to advancing precision, innovation and excellence. The Toolroom of the Year competition offers an opportunity to celebrate companies that share our vision for more efficient and connected manufacturing," said Alexander Zoller, president of Zoller Inc. "Congratulations to all the winners for epitomizing what it means to be a toolroom of the future."
Launched in summer 2023, the Toolroom of the Year competition highlights companies that leverage Zoller technology to optimize and manage processes around cutting tools. A seven-judge panel of Zoller experts and industry leaders evaluated entries based on criteria such as organization and set-up, interfaces to CAD, CAM or ERP systems, storage system interfaces, data exchange and overall integration in the manufacturing process. Judges also considered tool availability, stock transparency and the scope of the tooling database.
The panel included Jeremy St. Pierre, chief operating officer at Deco Manufacturing; Joseph Forsyth, director of advanced manufacturing at Intech; Rick Melvin, president and co-owner at Powell Tool Supply; Cedric Hasenfratz, North America tool management solutions sales and partnership manager at Zoller Inc.; Felix Kanbach, national service manager at Zoller Inc.; Dietmar Moll, director of sales at Zoller Inc.; and Rita Conroy-Martin, director of marketing and customer experience at Zoller Inc.
The panel praised Atlas Fibre for its exemplary use of Zoller technology to make data-driven decisions on toolroom management, resulting in shorter set-up times, greater process reliability, reduced machine tool downtime and higher profits. Zoller systems for presetting, tool management, data transfer, tool balancing, heat-shrinking and tooling are implemented throughout the company's 120,000-square-foot facility.
"We are incredibly honored to be named the inaugural winner of the Zoller Toolroom of the Year Award," said Atlas Fibre CEO Max Egan. "This recognition is a testament to our team's commitment to excellence and our dedication to optimizing every aspect of our toolroom operations. Zoller's cutting-edge solutions have played an instrumental role in enhancing our capabilities, and we are excited to continue pushing the boundaries of innovation and precision with their technology."
As part of its first-place win, Atlas Fibre will receive a paid trip for two to the Zoller global headquarters and Smart Factory in Pleidelsheim, Germany. MetalQuest Unlimited will be awarded a Zoller »keeper« tool cabinet, and Primetals Technologies will receive a Zoller tool cart. All of the finalists will also be featured in videos highlighting their operations.
Related Glossary Terms
- computer numerical control ( CNC)
computer numerical control ( CNC)
Microprocessor-based controller dedicated to a machine tool that permits the creation or modification of parts. Programmed numerical control activates the machine’s servos and spindle drives and controls the various machining operations. See DNC, direct numerical control; NC, numerical control.
- computer-aided design ( CAD)
computer-aided design ( CAD)
Product-design functions performed with the help of computers and special software.
- computer-aided manufacturing ( CAM)
computer-aided manufacturing ( CAM)
Use of computers to control machining and manufacturing processes.
- precision machining ( precision measurement)
precision machining ( precision measurement)
Machining and measuring to exacting standards. Four basic considerations are: dimensions, or geometrical characteristics such as lengths, angles and diameters of which the sizes are numerically specified; limits, or the maximum and minimum sizes permissible for a specified dimension; tolerances, or the total permissible variations in size; and allowances, or the prescribed differences in dimensions between mating parts.
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