NEW TOOLING: TICKET TO STARDOM

New tooling technology can profoundly influence fabricating productivity when installed in either new or existing fabricating equipment. For example, take United Support Solutions (USS; Cedar Grove, NJ), a leading East Coast screen printer and finishing company that recently expanded into full service fabrication and branded products manufacturing. In early 2007, USS acquired its third CNC punch press from LVD Strippit and tooled it with Xcel thin turret tooling from Mate Precision Tooling (Anoka, MN), more than tripling tool life over previously used tooling while improving part quality and setup times.

The switch came after a simple tool test of a Mate tool run over a 45-day period and comparing setup time requirements, part quality and frequency of sharpenings with a different brand of tooling that USS was using. The results were astonishing, according to Joe Ostering, president of USS, and led to a phasing in of Xcel tooling on all three of the company's Strippit presses.

"Tooling is extremely important to us," reports Ostering, "because it has a major impact on all aspects of our operation, everything from quality and fabricating speed to efficient labor utilization and ultimately profitability. We punch 10 tons of sheet metal a week. Most of the material is 5052 and 6061 aluminum in thicknesses up to 3/16 in. We punch up to 2000 parts an hour. This latest tooling, as we've experienced, really impacts our punching operations for the better. By constantly upgrading our tooling and using it in innovative ways, we perform a ?smarter' service for our customers that translates into a better, more cost-effective product."

USS is a fast rising star in the metal fabrication industry, committed to reinventing its business in order to capitalize on new opportunities. With 75 employees, USS reported 80 percent growth in the last year alone. The company is a great example of an aggressive, intelligently run job shop and product manufacturer, seizing opportunity and out-performing competition. Integration of the latest tooling technology on this journey is increasingly important to USS diversification and growth.

The USS philosophy of utilizing the latest and best technology began when it did in 1980. The company quickly became northern New Jersey's premier finishing shop with complete powder coating, alodine conversion and screen printing. While this business thrived, president Joe Ostering said that providing a complete fabrication service made even more sense as it expanded into fabricated assemblies for military, telecommunications and medical OEM customers. This expansion included all areas of fabricating, with new systems and processes added for CNC punching, laser cutting, forming, welding, drilling, tapping and component assembly as well as metal finishing, graphics and marking.

Along with this expansion, USS developed and marketed (in 2005) an innovative branded product line called "Radiant Wraps" decorative metal enclosures for baseboard heating units. Now accounting for 15 percent of overall USS volume, the product line has been a big hit in commercial building and residential markets and is the leader in this product category. Similarly, USS' military fabricating work has grown rapidly with a very heavy reliance on Mate Xcel tooling to punch the wide range of complex assemblies. The tooling allows for fast setups, top quality punched features and quick turnaround.

Rapidly growing demand for CNC punched parts led USS to look for ways to improve its punch press operations with a focus on tool utilization. "We heard about the new tooling for Strippit presses," remarks Ostering. "Glen Winters, a sales engineer, gave us a tool to try. The first thing we noticed was that we weren't sharpening this new tool as often as the others we were using. We were getting much better run times and the daily savings were really mounting up. The decision was made to convert the entire Strippit Global 1225 model (30 stations) to the Xcel tooling system early last year. We installed basic square, oval and rectangle tools, which immediately gave us setup time reductions of over 75 percent and more than tripled tool life. We haven't looked back since."

"The new tooling is a ?setup dream," explains Ostering. "The push-button design not only allows length adjustment of the punch length, it allows us to change the angle of the punch within the guide to 0 deg, 45 deg and 90 deg without the need to remove and reinstall the punch. That feature alone saves 10 minutes per tool, so with five of these assemblies in the turret, the setup time savings add up fast. Time is money, plus the initial cost of these new tools was significantly less expensive than our earlier tools."

This equipment is a high performance, full-featured tooling system designed to reduce setup time, improve piece part quality, and maximize productivity. It's an easy tool system to phase in because these components are compatible with conventional thin turret tooling inventory. USS was able to work its way out of its old tooling while gaining immediate benefits from the new tools. The system they chose includes: a canister assembly for the 1-1/4 in station, a punch guide assembly for the Strippit Style 3-1/2 in station, together with punches, strippers and Slug Free? dies.

With many exclusive features, the one that made an immediate impact was the canister assembly designed with a push button length adjustment mechanism. This allowed USS to make punch length adjustment in 0.008 in (0.20 mm) increments for quick and precise tool setup without disassembly. This exclusive design feature ensures rapid tool change and maximum productivity, giving USS immediate setup time savings.

Stripper guides are hardened and ground with superior angularity and concentricity for reduced friction and longer tool life. Punches are made with DuraSteel^? for superior hardness and toughness, more features creating immediate payback for USS with triple the tool life and far fewer trips to the tool grinder. The exclusive Slug Free die geometry is another exclusive feature aiding USS' productivity by eliminating slug pulling to improve piece part quality and increase tool life.

USS press operators like how easily the new tooling sets up. The new canister positively locks onto the guide to hold the punch and stripper with greater rigidity than other tooling. The entire system snaps and locks together as a unit without the shims and tiny set screws required by other tool assemblies. According to Ostering, setting tools up for a job with its old brand of tooling is a slow, complicated process. It requires removing the tool assembly from the turret, setting the punch length, measuring, shimming and re-checking the punch length and then locking up the assembly with set screws. Not so with this new tooling, he says.

By standardizing on the new tooling, USS says it will stay ahead of its expanding tooling needs with the many options and accessories within the tool system for new punching requirements. The system has the answer with 3 station and 8 station Multi Tools, cluster assemblies with replacable inserts, multi-function maintenance fixtures for assembling and adjusting tool components, and alignment tools for aligning each turret station.
With an 80 percent growth rate in the last year and operating its punch presses two 40-hour shifts, USS says it continues to need on-the-spot tooling ideas and service for new projects.

United Support Solutions, 134 Sand Park Road, Cedar Grove, NJ 07009, 973-857-2298, Fax: 973-857-4943, www.unitedss.com

LVD Strippit, 12975 Clarence Center Road, Akron, NY 145001, 800-828-1527, www.lvdgroup.com.

Mate Precision Tooling, 1295 Lund Boulevard, Anoka, MN 55303, 800-328-4492, www.mate.com.