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| The
new cleaning lines at Profiles offer the company greater versatility by ccommodating
multiple cleaning and coating operations. It also allows for various combinations
of the two.
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Simple wire
shapes are cold-rolled and drawn. For intricate, precision shapes, however, machining
or the use of powdered metal is the expected manufacturing method. Such is the
common wisdom. The uncommon wisdom is that precision die making techniques and
controls, along with the willingness to think differently about how to achieve
a given result, can produce intricate parts with exceptional consistency-and that
this can be achieved at substantially less cost.
Profiles, Inc. (Palmer, MA) precision draws steel and stainless steel, as well
as some non-ferrous metals. The company, now in its 25th year, is best known for
its work with medium- and high-carbon steels, including M50 and 52100 bearing
grade alloys. It also provides cleaning and finishing of many of the parts it
produces.
Some of the world's largest manufacturers of vehicles, medical equipment, recreational
goods and MRO products, such as pumps and power generators, outsource parts to
Profiles. Sometimes these are small quantities; more often they are million-plus
runs. The reasons include cost savings, faster turnarounds than would be possible
with machined parts and high quality requirements. Profiles specializes in the
manufacture of parts with tight dimensional tolerances and stringent finish requirements.
According to the company's president, Bob Brock, the key is expert carbide die
making and engineering teams that are encouraged to think differently. "Our
greatest challenge in the marketplace is purchasing agents who cannot get out
of the box and think creatively," said Mr. Brock. "For any alternative
to be workable, development engineers have to communicate directly with customers'
engineers and essentially say, 'Look, there may be a more effective way to get
the results you are looking for. Here is something to consider.'"
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| Precision
die making techniques are used to produce intricate parts with exceptional consistency.
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When consideration
is given, results can be dramatic. One example is a component used in advanced
microsurgery. This highly intricate, triangular part allows the surgeon to simultaneously
cut, remove tissue and suture. It formerly cost the OEM $200 per piece to machine
due to 4 hr of wire EDM work. By implementing minor changes to the prints, changes
that did not affect metallurgy, dimensions or product performance, Profiles was
able to draw the product as a shape, effectively creating a near-new product and
rendering unnecessary any additional machining operations. The savings was 99%.
The unit now costs $2.00. The surgical instrument company is currently negotiating
with Profiles to finish manufactured products, in addition to components.
One of the
nation's most recognizable manufacturers of hand tools approached Profiles with
a component similar in shape to an I-beam. "We engineered a prototype, and
they added requirements for cutting, hole-punching, heat treatment and zinc plating
for corrosion protection. We took several of these outsourced processes and found
we could offer advantageous pricing along with vastly simplified logistics,"
said Mr. Brock.
Profiles
was able to provide all of these services in one shop after its move to a new
facility in 2000, where a state-of-the-art pickling house was engineered, built
and installed by M.E. Baker Co. The system consists of two parallel lines for
cleaning and coating. The new 1,700-gal process tanks allowed the company to effectively
double its single load capacity. To help facilitate drawing of its highly intricate
shapes, Profiles selected an integrated chemical system engineered and supplied
by Heatbath Corp.
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| When
installing the new line, the company also installed a batch waste treatment system
to meet all its discharge requirements.
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The new
pickling line consists of 28 tanks. The line configuration gives the company unlimited
flexibility in choosing a custom coating based on surface preparation, coating
and drawing requirements for incoming material. Pretreatment chemistries in the
lines consist of alkaline cleaners, scale conditioners and inhibited acids, any
combination of which may be used to remove oils, oxides and scale prior to coating.
Oxylate
coatings are then used for stainless steel, while nitrite accelerated phosphate
coatings enhance the retention of lubricants, which facilitate cold drawings.
Finally, a reactive stearate lubricant combined with a specifically chosen draw
box lubricant will prevent seizing and galling of the base metal when drawn and
will significantly increase die life.
Profiles
also incorporated several supplementary steps into its new lines. The use of a
conditioner prior to phosphating nucleates a uniform, fine-grained phosphate crystal,
which will not scratch dies. Neutralizing steps are also included to provide added
corrosion protection to the work and achieve extended bath life of the stearate
lube.
Rinse tanks
are abundant in the new lines. Using a dunk rinse followed by a fresh water spray
between each processing tank virtually eliminates cross contamination, greatly
extending bath life, decreasing maintenance downtime, reducing chemical and waste
treatment costs and most importantly, improving the overall quality and performance
of the coatings.
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| "The
key is in the die and what people know," according to Bob Brock, president
of Profiles. "The main requirement is consistent run-to-run tolerances of
+0.0002 inch more economically with less waste.
|
Profiles
has also installed a new semi-automated waste treatment system. The three-stage
batch treatment system incorporates pH neutralization, polymer additions and filtration.
The system was designed for simplicity of operation and can easily handle the
volumes of wastewater generated.
The operation
of Profiles' cleaning house, from titration of tanks to temperature controls as
well as all other design and manufacturing processes, is well defined within its
ISO 9001 parameters. Profiles achieved ISO certification in 1997.
Mr. Brock
believes the company's competitive advantage comes from its ability to act quickly
and with agility. "Our organization is flat. Our engineering teams are knowledgeable
and creative. Our key suppliers function like partners when we need to work together
on a customer's problem. These attributes are particularly beneficial when you
need to redraw customers' prints and give them a workable alternative for getting
the required results.
"Design for manufacturing is a big deal," he continued, "and good
design becomes good engineering. Recently, we began supplying a new customer with
wire for use in commutators. When we quoted the job, the former supplier's reject
rate was 50% based on tolerance. We developed prints drawn to their specifications,
and the rejections dropped to zero.
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| Profiles
President Bob Brock reviews process capability with draw bench operator.
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"Sometimes,"
he continued, "these changes happen in midstream such as when a customer's
design-in product changes. We are setup to make tooling modifications within hours.
It is that flat organization at work again. We design die geometry to situations.
Our claim to fame is approaches that produce parts that are as repeatable on the
second pound of material as they are a million pounds after that.
"Cold-drawing
and rolling is known, but not well understood," concluded Mr. Brock, "at
least not in terms of what is possible today. Powdered metal and rows of machining
operations are still what most product people think of first. What is worth knowing
is that there are proven, repeatable, cost effective and fast ways to produce
intricate shapes-from dental brackets to ventilator plates for power generators.
The key is in the die and what people know. Because producing this way, persuading
material to flow consistently and with precision, in a certain way and in a specific
direction, is an art form. You cannot buy machines to do it. It is all in the
design, the die, the lubricant and the finishing chemistry.
