In This Issue...
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Introducing Our Newsletter
Welcome to the premier issue of Progressive News to Die For, Atlantic Precision Spring's newsletter. Our intention in producing it is to increase communications with our customers. Through this publication, we plan to acquaint you with key members of our staff, introduce new capabilities and keep you informed of industry trends. From time to time, we will also include "case history" articles on customers' applications. Since Progressive News to Die For is edited for you, the reader, we would welcome your comments on this first issue, as well as your suggestions for future articles. We look forward to receiving your input. |
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Savit Pleased with New Stamping Process
When Savit Corporation - an engineering firm that provides technical experience in the field of military weapons to the Department of Defense - needed to produce a new design for a collapsible butt stock for an M249 machine gun, their staff of highly experienced engineers considered many options. The engineers at Savit could see that there was difficulty with the endcap as it was originally manufactured, as it was expensive and time-consuming to produce. It was one piece but it was very complicated to construct due to the many operations necessary to produce it. Savit contacted four other coining and machining companies but selected the stamping process recommended by Atlantic Precision Spring. Joe O'Neill, Mechanical Engineer at Savit Corp., evaluated the companies on price, quality and ability to find a creative solution. Savit provided a drawing of the finished part and Atlantic offered their creative, new solution: to utilize a 2-part fastener that performed as well as the expensive machinery part previously used.
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Finished endcap as it was produced for Savit Corporation |
There was a tight tolerance for this part that Atlantic was able to hold to comfortably. At Atlantic, Neil and Brian Fries realized that the task Savit had set before them was not going to yield their desired results. They determined that it would not be cost-effective to produce a part that had such a small starting hole. It would be impossible to extrude this amount of material out of the part, making it thinned and excessively work hardened.
Atlantic recommended a PEM®
fastener thread assembly in the hole, using two separate pieces to create the new endcap. It was actually easier to manufacture because it eliminated many of the complicated steps. The new piece performed the same function and reduced the cost considerably. The solution gave Savit a much stronger thread in the endcap and a more consistent part. Atlantic introduced another valuable suggestion; they put an identification stamp on the part, ensuring that all the fasteners would be inserted in the punch side of the hole. This simple step identified the best surface for assembling the pieces together, allowed for maximum strength of the part and maintained its consistency.
Atlantic's solution provided Savit with a better part at a lower cost than they started with. Joe O'Neill was especially pleased with the effort Atlantic put into the project, saying that "everything went smoothly. Atlantic did a great job." They would be happy to work with Atlantic again. Atlantic quoted and committed to an 8-week lead time and they finished in less than 7 weeks. "They even exceeded our expectations when they delivered prototypes within a few days," he said.
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Right off the machine-
heavy burr |
After tumbling operation-
no burr- bright surface
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After assembly-
finished part |
In-progress photos demonstrating the manufacturing
process of the 2-part fastener created for Savit Corp. |
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Our New Brochure-
Get It In the Mail or Online |
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| Atlantic Precision Spring's new brochure outlines our numerous services and capabilities. From print to prototype to production, we have the staff, equipment and experience to meet your part making needs. Our brochure is available in print - call us for a copy - or you can download it in PDF format (1.5mb). |
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Our FLEXIBILITY Helps Keep Our
Customers Satisfied
A recent poll of our top customers revealed that the overall level of customer satisfaction is 95.6%. The credit belongs to the two individuals who are in charge of Customer Service, Linda Belcourt and Evelyn Zack. Together, Linda and Evelyn have over 30 years of experience at Atlantic Precision Spring. They are able to analyze production on a daily basis and monitor all open orders with subcontractors to give customers accurate and immediate updates for their orders. The working relationships that they have developed with our vendors through the years allow us to expedite orders through the heat treating and plating operations, when specified. The rapid vendor responsiveness accommodates customer schedules that change without warning and, most importantly, prevents production lines from shutting down.
Some of our customers have acknowledged Atlantic as "Supplier of the Year," "Supplier of the Quarter" and "Preferred Supplier." In fact, one customer that recognized us as "Supplier of the Year" received over 6 million pieces (25 different parts) in one year - with zero defects! Several have also established dock-to-stock and Kanban programs with us. These accomplishments obviously require competitive pricing and outstanding quality, but there is something more: FLEXIBILITY. Atlantic has the ability to adapt to adverse conditions and overcome unforeseen circumstances. One final note about our service: we do not offer voice mail. Voice mail gives you the opportunity to leave a recorded message, but you are left with the uncertainty that it will be heard within 24 hours. During the course of the business day, you will always get a warm friendly voice to talk to and get the answers that you need in a timely fashion.
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Customers Find that Reel-to-Reel Provides Them with Real Savings
To assist our customers in their quests to be as efficient as possible, we offer our precision stampings on continuous carrier strips. These strips of breakaway parts are designed for automated Pick and Place assembly operations. We wind the strips on either disposable or reusable reels that enable the end user to automate the process of getting the product to the assembly in the proper orientation every time.
Reel-to-reel also allows for the plating of delicate or tangle-prone product that might otherwise be subject to distortion in the barrel plating process. Efficiency, quality and ease of handling all contribute to the cost savings experienced by customers who use our reel-to-reel stampings.
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Fourslide Tooling or Progressive Die?
The ability to build both fourslide tooling and progressive dies, along with the capability to run production for each, helps separate Atlantic Precision Spring from the competition. While many manufacturers attempt to concentrate on one or the other, APS has managed to excel in both areas. Our design team evaluates all projects, with an eye toward production efficiency that will result in the most cost-effective method of manufacture. Atlantic's engineers consider variables such as material thickness, overall size of the part, production volume and other intricacies in order to present the best value to our customers.
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Completed Large Progressive Die |
Fourslide tooling, as its name implies, has four individual slides, each with its own tool mounted on it. They are timed to form the raw material against a centerform, thus creating the part. Many variations are possible, including the use of a fifth slide that can perform additional operations. Fourslide equipment has the ability to form flat strip, round wire and shaped wire into an endless variety of configurations. Typically, production from a fourslide has minimal scrap as a result of gutting. A fourslide tool is usually less expensive because the fourslide machine already has the motion of the 4 slides 90° apart built into the machine, whereas progressive die requires these motions to be built into the tool.
Progressive dies generally offer lower piece price because the parts can be run at a higher production rate. With a progressive die, the material advances to each station necessary to create the part. Where warranted, the tooling can be designed to produce multiple parts on each stroke of the press, thus increasing the production rate substantially.
We encourage an open dialog between our design team and each customer's purchasing and engineering staff. This will ensure that the customer is presented with the most cost-effective solution to their complex stamping requirements.
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