Nelson Machine Products Achieves Diversification with New Equipment |
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Since 1970, Monte Dick, founder and owner of Nelson Machine Products, concentrated his time in the manufacturing of fishing towers for yachts and racecar chassis. Monte Dick, with the support of his wife, Betty and teenage son, Robby, were working around the clock to complete placed orders. The use of a Bridgeport mill was utilized in the manufacturing of those parts at that time. As the parts became more sophisticated and the need for higher manufacturing capabilities became greater, Dick began his search for newer machining equipment and technologies. The company was also growing as a result of new business and Nelson Machine Products began hiring additional staff as well as making capital equipment investments. "Again in 1990, we were challenged with the need of a machine that could meet our increasing production demands producing high quality components,” said Dick. “When I looked at all of the machine types offered at that time, I narrowed my decision down to two brands, one being an Okuma machine," said Dick, who purchased his first Okuma LB-15 CNC lathe in 1990. "The conversational control on the Okuma LB-15 helped me make my decision. It was so easy to go into the machine and write the programs. I did not have to spend additional dollars to purchase an off-line system or a PC when I started, and the learning curve on the Okuma LB-15 was very short." Dick received a job for valve bodies from a local company. "The reason our shop was getting this work from them was because this other shop was manufacturing the part on cheaper machines," Dick said. "These were close tolerance parts, and I knew that we had made the right decision on purchasing the Okuma LB-15. I have always felt that you will get your money back within the first year if you initially invest in a better machine." The Okuma LB-15 is still used in the Nelson Machine Products shop today and continues to produce parts on a daily basis. With strong business continuing, Dick quickly realized that he and Nelson Machine Products were building a diverse customer base with a wide selection of manufactured parts. Not long after acquiring the Okuma LB-15, Dick purchased the Okuma MC-4VAE CNC Vertical Mill with A-axis. "We were producing after-market automotive underline pulleys. We were running machines around the clock and needed a machine to reduce our set-up times on recurring parts." Dick and his staff were designing and manufacturing a wide variety of parts including electronic chassis components for down-hole instrumentation, components for medical diagnostics systems, parts for high-voltage switchgears and components for turbocharger systems. "We are a true job shop," said Dick. "We do all kinds of different things. We are making after-market parts from billet manifolds for the car and motorcycle-racing industry to gate hinges for the iron/metal industry. For over 20 years, we have manufactured over one million pounds of gate hinges a year for a local, Houston-based steel company." Along the way, Dick decided his manufacturing processes were in need of a new CNC lathe. During his research for this new machine, Dick began his relationship with Hartwig, Inc. Dick knew of Citizen machines and knew of their technologies but needed more. Dick attended a local Hartwig, Inc. open house event to find out more information on Citizen lathes. "I judge a machine a lot on the quality of how it is built," said Dick. "Hartwig's presentation and knowledge of the Citizen lathes provided a quick sell. Hartwig representatives provided us with some initial time studies and we purchased the Citizen M323Y Swiss-type CNC lathe with 13-axis live tooling capabilities. Compared to all the offerings in the market, our relationship with Hartwig is very important. This relationship is hugely based on the number of machine tool manufacturers that Hartwig represents. Our shop is mainly based around Okuma machines, and it is very important to me, and to Nelson Machine Products, to have a relationship with someone that has knowledgeable sales people and that can also provide the service after the sale. Hartwig, Inc. provides both of these." During the tasks of manufacturing various parts and components, Greg Abbott, Nelson Machine Products General Manager, introduced Dick to waterjet cutting technology. "We had jobs coming into the shop that required very thin parts," said Dick. "Through our research, Greg and I decided we needed a machine to assist us in reducing set-up time for the parts but at the same time, hold close tolerances. We felt that a waterjet machine was the best way to accomplish this. We worked with Flow International and Jim Fields assisted us in choosing the right waterjet machine for our application. Our first waterjet machine was the Flow Robotics I-6012 Dynamic water jet. At that time, there was a shortage of raw materials. We ended up buying plates of aluminum and began cutting out our own aluminum strips on the water jet. Soon after, we started pulling parts off of the vertical machines and running them on the water jet machine. Within two years, we had four Flow waterjet machines. We added another Flow Robotics I-6012 and also two Flow Robotics I-4400 ST waterjet machines." The newest addition to the Nelson Machine Products shop is an Okuma MA-500 CNC Mill with a 15,000 RPM spindle, through spindle coolant, full B-axis and a 10-pallet APC. "Again, we needed a machine that helped with a reduction in set-up time on recurring parts," said Dick. "We manufacture parts that have monthly requirements of 20-50 pieces and the ability to produce these parts as needed with minimal set-up time allows us to be more competitive. Seventy-five percent of parts being made on several machines are now produced on the Okuma MA-500. This now frees up the other machines and allows us to manufacture other parts." “The Okuma MA-500 has improved our aluminum gaging capabilities and has also allowed us to apply modern tooling and toolpath strategies to the parts that we machine," said Nelson Machine Products General Manager Greg Abbott. "Prior, 1-1/2-inch R X 28-inch long shafts with cross-drilled holes required a saw, lathe and mill operation. The lathe operation was eliminated by placing the sawed bars on an arrayed fixture in the Okuma MA-500 and using in-process gaging to locate the bar ends for drilling. We cut a lot of aluminum and the Okuma MA-500 has allowed us to implement high-speed machining techniques related to these aluminum parts. The majority of our stock sizes for aluminum parts have been reduced down to three different bar sizes thus allowing us to streamline our procurement. The Okuma MA-500 has a large magazine with 200 tools. We basically have no set-up time, our processing time on the part has a proven 20% reduction, and the quality has improved with better dimensional accuracy.” Many changes have taken place for Monte Dick and Nelson Machine Products since the early days. A handful of part types have now turned into a huge variety representing several industries. Small quantities have grown into larger numbers. Ten additional Okuma machines, four Flow International waterjet machines, a Citizen M323Y Swiss-type CNC lathe, a TRAK DPMV5 CNC vertical mill and Hyd-Mech H-12, H-14 and S-20A saws now accompany the first Okuma LB-15 CNC lathe. "We at Nelson Machine Products have a passion for making parts," said Dick. "What helped me build this company and what stays true today is that we take on complicated jobs that no one else wants." For more information contact: Monte Dick, CEO/Owner Greg Abbott, General Manager Nelson Machine Products 7131 Jackrabbit Rd. Houston, TX 77095 281-856-7693 Fax: 281-200-3520
Chuck Mapes, Sales Engineer Hartwig, Inc. 4727 South Pinemont, Suite 100 Houston, TX 77041 713-749-9600 Fax: 713-747-7287
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