Case Study
Command Technology
RequestInformation
Problem
Slow and costly process of bonded assembly that is required for aerospace customers.
Solution
New machines and equipment to increase production by decreasing downtime, waste, and assembly
Results
• Reduced time and cost by 60% per assembly.
• All assembly components were now being machined simultaneously in just one machine cycle.
• Mostly unattended second, third, and weekend shifts were added to production.
Return on Investment with New KIWA Machines
Command Technology, Inc., in business since 1986, machines and bonds components for aerospace, defense, and telecommunications industries, among others.
Command Technology is known worldwide for their aluminum chemical bonding, investment castings, and brazed assemblies. However, preparation for this specialized process utlimately slowed down production.
George Braswell, owner of Command Technology, reached out to Steve Norcio of MTA Company, Inc. — Methods dealer/partner covering Delaware and Maryland. Steve and George spent time reviewing Command’s current operations and discussing various solutions available.
The mutually-agreed upon solution developed was a multi-phase project featuring multiple KIWA horizontal machining centers, and retrofitting the ATC and APC in the machines that Command already owned.
“One Kiwa KH-4500-6APC takes the place of six or more VMC’s. The KIWAs are allowing us to achieve our delivery dates with superb accuracy and virtually no scrap”.
The KIWA Difference
In phase one, Command purchased (2) Kiwa KH-4500 horizontal machining centers with 6 pallets and 220 tools each.
The investment paid immediately. All assembly components shifted to simultaneous machining in just one machine cycle. Accuracy increased and production time decreased. Gone were the days of waiting for multiple machines to complete various parts of an assembly.
Existing VMCs were transitioned to other jobs that didn’t require bonding or brazing. As Command expanded, phase two involved the purchase of a KIWA KMH-300A PC6, while taking an existing KIWA KH-55 and retrofitting both ATC (tools) and APC (pallets) in the field.
KIWA’s unique design allows for convenient retrofitting in the field to increase pallets (APC) from PC2 to PC6 or even PC8 and number of tools (ATC) from 60 to up to 220 with little downtime. With this purchase and retrofit, in addition to the previous machine purchases, Command added unattended second, third, and weekend shifts to production.
Command Technology’s Customer Base
Command Technology is no stranger to the high demands of the aerospace, defense, and telecommunications industries. These verticals require individual components joined together in one final piece.
Command was faced with machining parts on multiple machines before they could enter the bonding stage. Six or more VMCs were run to create each assembly. Braswell noted, “We would utilize whole machines with multiple setups to try and complete just one component of an assembly”.
Significant time and specialized labor was used to man these machines, increasing the company’s costs and cutting into profits
60% Reduction In Time And Cost
“One KIWA KH-4500-6APC takes the place of six or more VMCs. The KIWAs are allowing us to achieve our delivery dates with superb accuracy and virtually no scrap,” stated Braswell.
“Our customers require our assemblies to be delivered in split-LOT quantities per month. With the Kiwas we can have all the components of one or more assemblies on one machine setup all the time. This eliminates having to setup the same parts over and over again in multiple VMCs. This reduces time and cost by at least 60% per assembly.”
