Achieving First Part Precision - BIG KAISER Precision Tooling Inc.

Achieving First Part Precision
Boring a 3.206” diameter hole with an 8” depth of cut,
while holding a tolerance of +/- 0.0025”.
Gearench produces more than 40 different product lines
for the oil industry that are used for exploration, drilling,
production, refining and completion. To keep up with demand for these unique products, Gearench faced the challenge of increasing production while maintaining its high
quality standards.
According to Zack Fehler, Manufacturing Engineer,
Gearench, the adjustments required for modular and adjustable tooling systems left too much potential for error, resulting in long set-up time and scrapped parts. The company
sought a way to eliminate these problems.
Gearench’s solution was to implement a tool presetter,
which enables precise pre-setting of adjustable round tool diameters (i.e., boring bars, eccentric drills). The company selected the Speroni MAGIS 400 tool presetter for its precision
and ease of use.
On average, Fehler sets two boring heads per job. In the
past, touching off each tool in the machine, making a test cut
and adjusting each tool would take about 20 minutes, for a
total of 40 minutes per job. This was all downtime on the machining center, which is valued at $75 an hour.
Presetting each tool on the MAGIS Tool Presetter takes
2.5 minutes, for an average total of 5 minutes per job. This
means less time spent by an operator, and no spindle time is
taken away from an active machine. Using the MAGIS con-
trol, the operator is able to “dial in” a boring head to the exact
offset the program requires. This eliminates the test cut, adjustment and re-machining steps—contributing to a 60% reduction in set-up time
“By using the MAGIS presetter, we are able to circumvent many issues that spawn from manual tool setting,” said
Fehler. “These issues include set-up part repair, re-machining
of repaired workpieces, or even scrapped set-up parts. Calculating the time savings alone comes out to $335 per set-up—
and this is not even accounting for the value of possible
scrapped parts.” In Gearench’s case, with only two tools preset per job and two critical jobs per week, the company saves
$81,640 annually.
The presetter has not only reduced set-up time, but has
also completely removed the need for allocating additional
raw materials for set-up purposes. It has also increased product quality by allowing the company to set, monitor and
maintain high tolerance diameters on adjustable round tools.
The quality of finished products has increased because of the
presetter’s ability to prevent out-of-tolerance holes due to
over- or under-sized cutting tools.
Ease of use was another important factor in the choice of
this presetter. Fehler explained, “When it comes to integrating new technology, it is important that the end users are able
to understand and take advantage of that technology, regardless of their technical background. With the Speroni, this was
a smooth process. We began benefiting the day the unit was
installed and we have continued to find new ways to use its
features throughout various production processes.
“The MAGIS has become a valuable asset to our production process and will continue to be utilized as a major quality engineering tool in our machining processes. The Speroni
Tool Presetter has allowed us to maintain our supreme level
of quality while simultaneously cutting costs.”
Continued on Page 2
Simultaneous insert inspection and verification of tool diameter.
As Seen in October 2014
MANUFACTURING NEWS
SOUTHWEST
SOUTHEAST
NORTHEAST
MIDWEST
WEST
www.mfgnewsweb.com
isfaction through continual improvement of its products,
services and quality management system.”
For more information contact:
Zack Fehler, Manufacturing Engineer
Gearench
4450 Hwy. 6 South
Clifton, TX 76634
254-675-8651 ext. 242
zfehler@gearench.com
www.gearench.com
BIG Kaiser Precision Tooling Inc.
2600 Huntington Blvd.
Hoffman Estates, IL 60192
888-TOOL-PRO
847-228-7660
bigkaiser@bigkaiser.com
www.bigkaiser.com
Modular boring heads, which without the
use of a presetter require costly fine tuning.
Located one mile south of Clifton, TX, Gearench has been
producing products for the oil industry for almost 75 years.
Its first patented product, the Gearench, is a hand tool for use
on small diameter pipes. The company also serves mining,
power generation and general industries. It recently added a
gear milling facility capable of manufacturing high precision
gears of standard and custom tooth geometries with a current
size range up to 58” O.D. It maintains a quality system compliant with ISO9001-2008 standard and API Spec Q1.
“Gearench manufactures and distributes an ever-increasing number of high-quality, safe and effective products by
utilizing the latest innovations in applied engineering, manufacturing process improvement and quality assurance,”
said Fehler. “Our goal is to produce products that meet or
exceed customer expectations, as well as applicable statutory
and regulatory requirements. In pursuit of our goal,
Gearench will remain fundamentally committed to developing and implementing policies and procedures that support
and encourage safety, honesty, integrity and respect for all
employees and our environment. Gearench is committed to
meeting customer requirements and increasing customer sat-
Page 2
Fehler measures, inspects and adjusts a boring head in
2.5 minutes on the Speroni. In the machining center it was
taking 20 minutes—time that is now used to make parts.