Larger Equipment Helps Expand Vision
The largest vertical-capacity Carl Zeiss CMM in the Western hemisphere and four large boring mills from MAG Giddings & Lewis prove critical to machining massive wind turbine components at Three-M Tool and Machine.
Share
Mike Gray, quality manager at Three-M, says he appreciates the machine’s Calypso software because it simplifies programming. “In one window, you are able to check and change probes, clearance groups, retract distances and many other settings,” he says. “The ability to change settings on whole groups of features at once saves time and helps check the program for any errors before ever even having a part on the machine.”
The company had its eye on more than just one contract when it invested in the new equipment, and in the years since, that investment has paid off, Mr. Medwid says. He recalls one instance in 2010 when two employees from ZF Industries visited the shop to review its capabilities for producing gearbox housing prototypes. “After two hours they called their boss and said to quit looking because they had found their new supplier,” he says. “I believe that having the Zeiss CMM gave them the confidence in our commitment to quality, and along with our new G&L machines, our processing, and our ability to build our own fixtures, that won the business.”
Related Content
4 Ways to Establish Machine Accuracy
Understanding all the things that contribute to a machine’s full potential accuracy will inform what to prioritize when fine-tuning the machine.
Read More
6 Machine Shop Essentials to Stay Competitive
If you want to streamline production and be competitive in the industry, you will need far more than a standard three-axis CNC mill or two-axis CNC lathe and a few measuring tools.
Read More
The Many Ways of Measuring Thickness
While it may seem to be a straightforward check, there are many approaches to measuring thickness that are determined by the requirements of the part.
Read More
Process Control — Leveraging Machine Shop Connectivity in Real Time
Renishaw Central, the company’s new end-to-end process control software, offers a new methodology for producing families of parts through actionable data.
Read MoreRead Next
Machine Shop MBA
Making Chips and Modern Machine Shop are teaming up for a new podcast series called Machine Shop MBA—designed to help manufacturers measure their success against the industry’s best. Through the lens of the Top Shops benchmarking program, the series explores the KPIs that set high-performing shops apart, from machine utilization and first-pass yield to employee engagement and revenue per employee.
Read More
AMRs Are Moving Into Manufacturing: 4 Considerations for Implementation
AMRs can provide a flexible, easy-to-use automation platform so long as manufacturers choose a suitable task and prepare their facilities.
Read More