Turner Machine Uses Misumi Configurable Components

"Misumi USA, Inc. has offered its configurable components for factory automation and assembly operations to many companies, over the years, saving them time and money in the process," said a company spokesperson. "This fact largely derives from the company's unique CAD Configurator, which allows a machine designer to configure parts online, download native CAD files to confirm the fit or functionality, then place an order for even just one part, with never a tooling charge or minimum order. That scenario is repeated thousands of times daily, as the configurable component has begun to empower engineers in their search for improved methods of doing business. The Misumi model simply saves time and money in the design, procurement and production cycles, plus it maximizes the efficiency of the customer's machine shop, allowing it to be better utilized for more complex parts. This is the testimony of one satisfied machine shop outside of Nashville that has reinvented its own business practices, owing it to their use of the Misumi CAD Configurator for a growing number of its mechanical components needs.

"Many small- to mid-size machine shops can benefit from the Misumi business model because of its no minimum order quantities or set up charges for a product portfolio of 500,000 metric and inch components. In addition, these machine shops use the online CAD Configurator to configure components and download native CAD files so no drawings are required. Misumi components also have a 99.95% on-time delivery rating and most products ship in three to six days. Next day and even same day shipping is also available for some products. Price and delivery are published in the catalog and on the web site for the entire product portfolio and components can even be ordered using the web ordering system at Misumi's web site (listed below)."

"The Misumi model, to be very direct, has changed the way we do business here," said Turner Machine President Jeff Turner. "Their ability to provide configured components that are essentially 'off the shelf' items and would normally be considered custom tooling by our customers has proven itself through decreased costs and lead times. These savings translate directly to our customers, as well our own bottom line. Plus, the efficiencies of this model have dramatically improved our own design, purchasing and production methods."

Jeff Turner founded Turner Machine in 1995 to better serve the local business need for a variety of machine shop services and has since grown into a full-service automation house with customers nationwide. The company supplies automotive and other consumer product manufacturers with a wide range of products and services, including machined and fabricated parts and weldments, as well as single-operator, custom-built machines and fully automated equipment for the most stringent requirements.

The company is located in Smyrna, TN, just outside of Nashville, and currently has over 30 full-time employees in its 17,000 square-foot facility. Here, all the design work, manufacturing and assembly is done for the company's growing lines of assembly machines, automated dispensing equipment, automated welding & tooling, function testing stations, leak & flow testers, robotic automation devices, staking & forming machines, vision systems, process and production line control stations, medical-grade automation devices as well as the various dedicated machine shop services Turner provides to its customers. A common requirement for this multi-faceted shop is the recurrent need for precision mechanical and motion control components in low volumes and very specific accuracies, to meet the demands of its customers.

Several years ago, the engineering department at Turner received a Misumi catalog on CD. This began a journey that, today, sees the company regularly using the Misumi website for a wide variety of component needs, usually in low quantity and in tight tolerances.

Brian Johns, Turner's engineering manager, said, "Our engineering department is a diverse group of individuals with experiences in many industrial disciplines. Utilizing SolidWorks 2008 and AutoCAD, we utilize both top-down and bottom-up design methodologies to create very unique and successful designs for our customers.

"We began using Misumi in 2003 on a joining (staking) machine we were producing for the metal stamping industry. A variety of posts, supports, bushings, bearing and shaft were required. Today, Turner Machine engineers use the Misumi website every day, incorporating all types of configurable components, including those mentioned plus locating pins, timing pulleys and more into our automated machine designs."

Turner currently purchases components from over 75% of the Misumi product families of linear motion, rotary motion, mechanical and machine hardware products in the metric and inch catalogs, using them in a variety of end products produced at this diverse shop. These include jigs, fixtures, assembly & check cells, hydraulic presses, leak testers, roll forming machinery, robotics, vision systems, dispensing devices and other application-specific builds.

A typical project at Turner, if such a term can be used at this shop, usually involves a relatively short lead time, often just 12-14 weeks. During that span, the entire cycle must be accomplished, according to Randy Gough, operations manager.

"Complete project management, mechanical design engineering, control engineering, procurement, machining, fabrication, tooling, assembly and test are all put on the line, for nearly every job we do. Our design engineers are able to use the Misumi catalog and its wide-range offerings of product lines to exceed our customers' expectations for quality, function and reliable performance, while simultaneously meeting their delivery schedules."

Dan Westerdale, mechanical engineer at Turner, said, "We really find that the Misumi model and all their services are very easy to use, whether through the catalog, website or direct sales personnel. We find consistently good customer service practices in place. They always have application ideas for their products and this helps us serve our customers much better, too."

Westerdale also said that the CAD Configurator is a "must" in today's market, given the need to "drag and drop" components into design and timeline criteria has never been greater. The Turner purchasing department works directly with Misumi representatives, either in the field or from the Misumi customer service department, to gather accurate cost and delivery data.

"With SolidWorks 2008, the ability to download native files is a significant time saver, as the translation process is bypassed each time a new product is incorporated into one our machines,"

Westerdale said, also relating how the Misumi navigation protocol in its catalog and online are very straightforward and helpful, with an emphasis on easy use.

Westerdale describes how a typical part is obtained from the Misumi CAD Configurator: "We usually have some rough idea of what we need, be it a shaft, bracket, support, bearing, pulley or even just a machine rest. We can quickly search the Misumi categories of product families, find what we need, then order it or go to the Configurator. Each configurable parameter of length, diameter, machined surface or mounting hole can be quickly selected, then imaged in a compatible CAD format for uploading to our assembly. Once the right part is determined, it's a few clicks to add the part to the order with full shipping info and price already shown, regardless of the complexity of the configured component we select." He also said that the ability to revisit previous orders and reuse configured components from one machine on another build is a significant time saver and cost upside to the Turner engineering department.

Company President Jeff Turner said, "Our ability to purchase configurable components has really impacted Turner Machine in two key areas. The first is mechanical design time, where an engineer would previously have spent an hour or two on a custom piece of tooling, by the time the part is modeled here in CAD and then part prints are created. Even on a machine build with just ten Misumi components, the time savings alone on the CAD Configurator are significant. The second benefit to us is in machine shop savings. We keep all but the most customized components and structures out of the machine shop to allow our automation side to operate much more efficiently, freeing up machining time for our proprietary print work business."

Ultimately, according to Jeff Turner, the cost savings to his company from the configurable components they buy from Misumi can be directly calculated on a per piece basis. Since an average project at Turner might contain 10-100 unique Misumi part numbers, he multiplies the number of uses for each of those products by the one or two hours saved in engineering time alone and the result per machine or system build can be substantial, Turner said. He also notes this savings allows his company to submit very competitive quotes to its customers: "Plus, there's the quality of the Misumi parts, which is excellent and makes our machines just that much better in the end."

The Turner Machine motto is "Your Blueprint To Success," and Jeff Turner credits the relationship forged with this particular vendor as a significant contributor to making that promise more viable for his customers, every day.

For more information contact:

Misumi USA, Inc.

1105 Remington Road, Suite B

Schaumburg, IL 60173

800-681-7475 / 847-843-9105

Fax: 800-681-7402 / 847-843-9107

www.misumiusa.com

E-mail: inquire@misumiusa.com

Turner Machine Co., Inc.

603 Swan Drive

Smyrna, TN 37167

615-223-6500

Fax: 615-223-1939

www.turnermc.com

E-mail: contactus@turnermc.com