Rimrock Corporation
APPLICATION: Maximizing Capacity of a New Vertical
Machining Center
BACKGROUND: Founded in 1956 as a manufacturer of
automatic lubrication systems, Rimrock has expanded to supply products including
ladles, sprayers, extractors and complete turnkey robotic systems. As an exclusive
integrator for ABB robots, Rimrock designs, manufactures and installs systems for
applications ranging from material handling to parts finishing for the die casting,
forging and foundry industries. Rimrock customers rely on the company’s 24-hours/day
accessibility, a consideration in all aspects of the Rimrock operation, including
design, manufacture and service.
ISSUE:
Rimrock manufactures industrial spray equipment, including several handheld spray
guns that require machined castings for the bodies. These castings were machined
on a Brother® TC 229 vertical machining center (VMC) using a progressive, manually
loaded fixture that finished one spray gun per cycle with separate setups required
for each spray gun model. According to Rimrock Machine Shop Manager Wes Dodge, "Moving
each different part through progressive fixtures tied up the Brother TC 229 which
we also use for manufacturing many other parts. We were challenged to keep up with
sales demand with short lead times – this was a real problem."
- 2-1/2 days required to set up and run kanban loads for each of three spray gun models
- Ongoing machine operator overtime costs to maximize machine usage
Machinist Jason Richardson agreed with Dodge, "We were always playing catch up to
try and free up the Brother TC 299. We needed to find a better way."
SOLUTION:
Rimrock purchased several new Hardinge® VMCs, one of which was dedicated
to machining these spray gun castings. They also purchased a Jergens 4” monoquad
vise with a round base for use with a Troyke NC-10-B indexer. In addition, Rimrock
precision-machined the Jergens full-faced vise plates to exactly accommodate the
dimensions of the spray gun castings.
This combination of new machine and workholding enabled Rimrock not only to access
and machine all operations on multiple models without moving the parts through progressive
fixtures, but also to free up availability of the Brother TC 229 for other parts
manufacturing. As a result:
- Cycle time improved by 60%
- Actual manned labor hours reduced by 50%
 |
|
ABOVE: Jergens 4" MonoQuad Vise with Round Base |
|
 The
greatest impact of using the Jergens vises together with the new machine was overall
throughput," said Dodge. "We now comfortably meet our customer requirements.
— Rimrock's Machine Shop Manager, Wes Dodge |
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