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TCI Precision Metals today announced the installation of its newest high tech milling machine. The new Amada, THV800 is the latest in precision duplex milling and adds to the line of optimized milling machines used by TCI Precision Metals in the production of Machine-Ready Blanks. The THV800 will continue to shorten customer lead time and handle increasing demand for Custom Machine-Ready Blanks.
TCI Machine-Ready Blanks are milled in width and length, using the THV800’s specially designed twin spindle, in one setup instead of two. This reduces set up time and increases efficiency. One or more Machine-Ready Blank can be produced together, up to the machines' overall dimensional capacity of 31,59"W x 31,59"L x 9.06"H. The value is passed to TCI customers through shorter lead-times and competitive pricing.
“At TCI we continuously refine our equipment and processes to maximize quality and efficiency. As a result, we are able to provide customers with cost-effective, high value, Machine-Ready Blanks that can reduce a shop’s overall cost by as much as 25% on a given production job,” said Ben Belzer, President of TCI Precision Metals.”
Custom Machine-Ready Blanks are precision milled to the customer’s net specifications and can be furnished as close as +/-.0005” dimensionally and as close as .0002” in flatness, squareness and parallelism. Each Machine-Ready Blank is deburred, cleaned and vacuum packaged – ready to go directly from receiving into CNC machining centers. Machine-Ready Blanks eliminate material prep, reduce set up time, part movement, scrap and wear and tear on machine tool inserts and cutters used to square material in process.
Founded in 1956, TCI Precision Metals is a family-owned, wholesale, Machine-Ready Metals Distributor, producing precision Machine-Ready Blanks from aluminum, stainless steel, and other alloys. Sawing, Grinding, Milling and Finishing operations with the added benefit of being a plate and sheet distributor make TCI Precision Metals a one-stop source for quality aluminum, stainless and other alloy blanks. TCI Precision Metals offers customers rough CNC milling and turning services when large amounts of material need to be removed or features added to solid parts or castings. Complete-to-print components can also be s. TCI serves the needs of the medical, oil & gas, aerospace, industrial equipment, defense, food packaging, semiconductor, and many other industries.
Helping our customers do more in less time is what we are all about at TCI Precision Metals, but sometimes even we need to be reminded that without efficiency, busy is not always better. The old adage of ‘we’ve always done it that way’ no longer applies. Today we need to constantly challenge the status quo, and consider new ideas and methods, not just in manufacturing, but in every aspect of business, and life for that matter.
In a production environment, Identifying and eliminating bottlenecks, time-consuming low-value processes, and general inefficiencies can go a long way towards improving the bottom line. For example, using equip that is not optimized for a particular operation can translate into busy work that is not profitable.
Taking our own advice, we recently invested in several new pieces of equipment with the sole objective of doing more in less time. The added productivity is passed on to our customers in the form of expanded capabilities, shorter delivery times and competitive pricing.
We know you’re busy; we invite you to take a step back to see if you can be more productive.
Thanks for reading -
Ben
Raptor Workholding Products and TCI Precision Metals have announced the availability of Raptor-Ready Dovetail Blanks, produced for patented Raptor Workholding fixtures and available directly from TCI Precision Metals. Raptor Workholding fixtures are designed to add value and efficiency to 4- and 5-axis CNC machining centers in use today. The key to the Raptor design is a patented dovetail, which is added to one surface of the material prior to production machining.
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Custom precision blanks, ready to load directly into CNC machining centers, can increase shop throughput up to 25% and eliminate in-house sawing, grinding, flattening, squaring, and outside processing. Blanks arrive deburred, clean, and cut to customer specifications: guaranteed as close as ±0.0005" dimensions, ±0.0002" flatness, squareness, and parallelism.
TCI Precision Metals has introduced precision machine-ready blanks, including dovetail blanks. "Machine-ready blanks from TCI Precision Metals help shops increase throughput up to 25% allowing them to ship finid parts fast and get paid quicker," said Ben Belzer, President and COO.
Feature-Added Blanks from TCI Precision Metals provide customers near-net Machine-Ready Blanks that include one or more features. Feature-Added Blanks eliminates the need for material prep and can include drill, bore, turn, mill, rough and hog out features as specified.
“Taking our concept of Machine-Ready Blanks one step further, Feature-Added Blanks provide customers with excellent gains in productivity, while saving wear and tear on their machining centers inflected by removing large amounts of material,” said Ben Belzer, President of TCI Precision Metals. “Customers receive precision Feature-Added Blanks that are ready to go directly from receiving into their CNC machining centers, which removes bottlenecks and allows the customer to focus on the high-value service of finish machining,” added Belzer.
TCI Precision Metals is a wholesale, Machine-Ready Metals Distributor for Alcoa, Kaiser and Hulamin Aluminum, including 6061, 2024 or 7075 aluminum plate and sheet, stainless steel plate, and several other alloys; stocking over 500,000 lbs. of material for quick turn-around on customer requirements.
The difference between TCI Precision Metals and other metals distributors is, TCI adds value to every order shipped, making the material Machine-Ready. Specialized equipment is used to cut, grind, mill, flatten, and straighten material much more efficiently than most shops can do it on site.
Each blank arrives deburred, clean and to customer specifications – guaranteed as close as +/- .0005” dimensionally and as close as .0002” flatness, squareness, and parallelism. Customers can use the time they previously spent on material prep, and hog outs or roughing operations for more productive use of CNC machining centers, increasing productivity and throughput.
Founded in 1956, TCI Precision Metals is a family-owned, wholesale, Machine-Ready Metals Distributor, producing precision Machine-Ready Blanks from aluminum, stainless steel, and other alloys. Sawing, Grinding, Milling and Finishing operations with the added benefit of being a plate and sheet distributor make TCI Precision Metals a one-stop source for quality aluminum, stainless and other alloy blanks. TCI Precision Metals offers customers rough CNC milling and turning services when large amounts of material need to be removed or features added to solid parts or castings. Complete-to-print components can also be s. TCI serves the needs of the medical, oil & gas, aerospace, industrial equipment, defense, food packaging, semiconductor, and many other industries.
Today, many shops believe the only way to increase throughput is to invest in more capital equipment, and the resources to run it all, which further increases overhead.
Not so fast; shops that consider all possibilities before running out to buy more equipment will often realize greater benefits in the long run, including sustained profitability and increases in overall productivity. This possibility is amplified when there is a question as to the growth state of the industry, as there is currently. Jumping in too quickly with investment spending could backfire, leaving you with too much capacity that you now have to support.
When assessing whether or not to add equipment and human resources everything should be on the table for consideration, after all, what good is growth if it is not profitable? Too often shops fall into a rut I like to call “we’ve always done it that way.” While I am also a fan of “don’t mess with success,” I believe every process should be challenged, from time-to-time, if for no other reason than to maintain a commitment to constant improvement and efficiency gains - both of which leads to happy customers and a better bottom line.
When rethinking production machining, consider these three ‘Ps of Productivity’ and try to be completely objective with your assessment, the end result and positive effect it can have on your business may surprise you.
Process Mapping
This is nothing new, but it is easy to become complacent. If you are not regularly looking at every touch-point and process associated with moving jobs through your shop chances are you are losing time and money, somewhere.
Proficiency
Know what you do best, and more importantly, know which processes represent the highest value for your shop. For example the high value of finish machining vs. the relatively low value associated with material preparation.
Partners
Key vendor partners that are committed to your success and share your common values, especially when it comes to quality and on-time delivery, can be critical to improving your overall productivity and throughput. Removing the distraction, time suck, and bottlenecks associated with low-value processes will allow you to spend more time on high-value work that will provide the greatest return.
Something to think about.
Thanks for reading -
Ben
TCI Precision Metals in collaboration with the National Tooling and Machining Association (NTMA) and Tormach has donated a Tormach, PNC 440 mill to the Downey High School, California Striking Vikings robotics team. The new addition will help the team machine and fabricate their battlebot robots, which they enter into National Robotics League competitions.
Until now, I never considered the fact that we had such a great metaphor for hard work and achieving goals right here in our own shop. Grinding seems like such a harsh term, but by providing repetitive product quality, and consistency in the way customers, employees, and vendors are treated, the proverbial ‘daily grind’ will hone your company into something you can be proud of.
It doesn't surprise me that metalworking terms like bending, shaping, and forging are used by many companies to describe the process of creating their brand value; personally, I prefer grinding; if you are patient and good at it the results are well worth it.
Here at TCI Precision Metals, we use this double entendre quite literally to effect change upon aluminum, stainless steel, and other alloys, getting them to conform to exacting customer specifications. Quite often this includes flattening and relieving hidden stresses that are the cause of unwanted part movement during finish machining, especially with flat material.
We have expanded our grinding services to keep up with the demand for precision Machine-Ready Blanks, shipped coast-to-coast, and to maintain high service levels when grinding customer supplied material. Capabilities include Blanchard grinding, double-disc grinding, surface grinding, lapping, flattening, and straightening. Read More...
Thanks for reading -
Ben
According to the Gardner Business Index (GBI): Metalworking registered 51.6, marking growth, but at its slowest rate of expansion since 2017. Index readings above 50 indicate expanding business activity while a value of 50 indicates no change and a reading below 50 indicates contracting business activity. Prior to May, readings in the year-to-date period moved in a narrow range, averaging 53.4. Gardner Intelligence’s review of the underlying index components observed that the Index (calculated as an average of its components) was supported by expanding activity in supplier deliveries, production, employment, and new orders. Exports and backlogs lowered the Index.
According to data provided by respondents to the Business Index Metalworking survey, all six of the Index’s business activity components have trended lower over the last six months. Among them, the backlogs component has contracted the most, falling 32% from its February 2018 peak. For perspective, new orders and production readings have decreased by 23.7% and 19.0%, respectively. During the initial market downturns of 2012 and 2015, backlogs began contracting consistently faster than exports. By comparison, in the year-to-date period, backlogs have contracted faster than exports in two of the last five months, and both components have reported readings at or below 50 in four of the last five months.