Scanning Technology Helps Small Manufacturer Generate New Business During Uncertain Economy
Anticipating future customer needs and subsequently taking risks with capital expenditures can be very challenging for a company and requires great confidence, particularly during volatile economic times. For Evden Enterprises however, the decision to purchase a new coordinate measuring machine (CMM) was the logical next step in expanding their Precision CNC Machining capabilities. They knew from past experience that staying ahead of the competition and generating new business meant having the right technology and equipment in place.
Since it was founded in 1980, Evden Enterprises, located in Ukiah, California, has grown from four employees to 24. Evden manufactures custom components, primarily for Fortune 500 companies in the mineral, mining, and oil drilling industries. Using detailed customer specifications, Evden transforms a variety of materials - including stainless steel, aluminum, brass and plastic - into precision parts used in applications as diverse as drilling equipment sampling systems and ophthalmology instruments.
Moving to the next level
Evden already owned an ECLIPSE CMM with a ST touch - trigger probe from Carl Zeiss IMT Corporation purchased in 1988. "In the past years, increasingly tighter tolerance requirements and more complex parts have become standard. We needed to measure parts with extremely small hole sizes and realized that in order to satisfy our customers' needs, we had to move to the next level, "said Vice President of Manufacturing, Stephen McGrath. In 2002, McGrath decided to replace the ECLIPSE with a ZEISS CONTURA active scanning CMM using a VASTXT probehead.
"I've had already a good experience with the accuracy and reliability of our ZEISS CMM, so I didn't even bother looking at other manufacturers. The scanning capability of the CONTURA and the programming flexibility of the CALYPSO software allow us to inspect multi-faceted parts. With the VASTXT we can now perform the required roundness checks and inspect features smaller than 2 mm in diameter. We are also able to measure the complete part. Before we were only able to measure the key features and the rest would have to be checked in a cumbersome manual process."
Evden performs in-process inspections and uses the CONTURA to check each individual operation. "There is no final inspection before the part goes out the door. We rely on all the different operations and steps to be accurate right on the spot." McGrath wanted to meet targeted true position tolerances down to .05 mm (.002 in). "With the scanning VASTXT probehead collecting thousands of data points in just a few minutes, we are able to achieve accurate and reliable results on extremely intricate parts such as drilling equipment components used for excavating and evaluating core samples. I can't stress enough how important it is being able to analyze your parts and better the processes, essentially because you have a lot more data to work with."
The CALYSPO CAD-based software allows operators to perform complex measurements in a very short time reducing programming time by 50%. After participating in a training class, McGrath trained some of his lead men who, in turn, trained other operators-saving travel cost and valuable time away from work. "The software is pretty intuitive. With CALYPSO you don't need operators with a 'PhD in Geometry'. It is by far the most user-friendly software we've used.
Continuous improvement of processes and capabilities
While other manufacturers experienced a decrease in production in recent years, Evden was able to maintain its output and has remained profitable even in a tough economy. "Customers are interested in how you're keeping up with technology and if you are improving your processes. We have several larger companies that are ISO certified that review us on an annual basis and that's important to them. Purchasing the CONTURA opened the door to more orders. This shows that continuous improvement of processes and capabilities can lead to new business and increase profitability."
New Additions Bolster Evden's Machining, Inspection Capabilities
Ukiah, CA-Dennis McGrath founded Evden Enterprises nearly 23 years ago to provide state-of-the-art CNC machining, an objective that the company still fulfills at its climate-controlled 15,000-sq-ft facility in Ukiah, California. Making judicious use of advanced technologies, Evden manufactures precision-machined parts from materials such as plastics, brass, aluminum alloys, stainless steels, and various high-temperature alloys. Custom parts produced by the company are used in applications ranging from gyros for satellite reception, to guidance systems for oil and gas exploration; eye inspection instruments, test valves, and analysis machines.
Along with its emphasis on precision CNC machining and quality inspection, Evden Enterprises is equally committed to providing timely and dependable customer service. The firm's customer relationships are based on a partnership approach that draws deeply on Evden's experience, attention to detail, and technical insights. It's evident that McGrath takes pride in the company's ability to work with a customer's engineers to create a better, more cost-effective product.
"We're able to work with design engineering to evaluate new designs for manufacturability and cost," says McGrath, a manufacturing engineer and advocate of high-tech machining whose years of experience in tool and die manufacturing continue to inform his analysis of manufacturability issues. "If necessary, we may suggest easier ways to machine a feature, or methods that can eliminate a couple of tools. And we can talk about alternate ways of attacking a problem." Suggestions may also involve consolidating the number of parts in a given operation or, conversely, dividing a part up into two components.
Evden recently made several important additions that have increased the productivity and quality of its manufacturing operations, McGrath says. The new additions include two Matsuura MAM72-3V 5-Axis Programmable Machining Centers. These are precise machines with a rigid gantry-type design and an integrated 40-position pallet changing system. "All of the pallets are incorporated on the machine itself," says McGrath. With 5-axis capabilities, Evden can machine five sides of a component in one operation while maintaining accuracies of all features within ± 0.001 inch. To augment its milling and turning capabilities, the company also acquired an Index 9-Axis and an Index 12-axis Milling and Turning Center.
Another new addition is a Zeiss Contura HTG Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM) with VASTxt probe technology that enables Evden to measure a wider range of feature tolerances. Measurements of the smallest features are possible with a probe tip diameter as small as 0.3mm. "It's a fast, reliable, and accurate machine that gives increased accuracy on small-diameter holes and features," says McGrath. The easily programmable machine is especially useful for parts with many features to inspect. Jobs that previously required an hour and a half for inspection can now be completed reliably and accurately in less than 10 minutes, McGrath adds.
The above piece appeared in the Industry News section of Design-2-Part Magazine's January 2004 issue (then called Job Shop Technology), pp. 46-47. |  |
