Case Study – Technical Advancement

A Case Study

Skyway Precision Inc. is a comprehensive CNC World Class Machining operation, located in Plymouth Michigan. It is Skyway’s commitment to provide their customers with experienced machining processes and quality products that are delivered on time with an industry competitive cost.

Established in 1968, Skyway prides itself by making their mark on the preferred supplier list of many major global manufacturers and has forged a reputation as an industry leader in the production of machined components.

Problem:

After working with Skyway on several projects, they asked E-Z Burr to provide a solution to a deburring challenge to reach the backside of a large 80lb component. The Nodular Iron component is an 11.6 inch Hub with 22 holes, 10 @ .425 diameter and 12 @1.093 diameter.

Skyway was removing the 80lb hub from the Hyundai-Kia Hi-V50D machine, and placing it on the workbench to manually deburr the rear of the holes by using a countersinking tool in an air drill. This method proved to not only be cumbersome, but also time consuming and costly.

The weight of the hub required heavy lifting and positioning while performing this secondary operation by hand on the workbench. The extra handling required further man-hours and was a challenge in maneuvering. In addition, the countersink tool was expensive, and the life of the tool was very limited. The tool would wear quickly and required re-sharpening or replacing often. This extra operation was an added cost to the machining process.

Solution:

The E-Z Burr Carbide Series Tool offered Skyway a variety of options designed to do the rear of the holes while the hub was still in the machine. “While we have a standard selection of diameters and lengths available off the shelf, we designed a special 9” long tool for this unique application. “The tool was tested at 550 RPM @ 8.8 IPM (1.087 hole), to accommodate their specifications”, says Robinson. “This gives them the ability to deburr the backside of the hole efficiently while the hub remains in the machine.”

For the smaller holes on the hub, a standard length tool at 1750 RPM @ 11 IPM (.425 hole) is used to deburr both the top and bottom all in one economical pass.

Skyway prefers to use the more aggressive E-Z Burr carbide insert that is also a standard option. The increased angles and positive cutting features provide just the right amount of pressure and engagement to produce the desired chamfer.

Results:

The introduction of the E-Z Burr Tool to the process eliminated the need to remove the part from the machine to do the rear of the holes.  The danger and additional manpower was dramatically reduced with the new process. In addition, the time spent using the countersinking tool and the cost associated with the tool were eliminated and resulted in more profit to the bottom line.

Eliminating the need to remove and transfer the part created a safer working condition for the machine operators and a better job quality allowing the operator to focus on performance while meeting production schedules.

This solution led to productivity, saving Skyway 15 to 20 minutes per part. While the countersinking tool would last a day or two, the E-Z Burr carbide insert proved to run a month before the need of replacement. The tool itself remained in the machine while the insert was being replaced adding to the ease of use and gained efficiency in manufacturing.

This process then led to further engineered improvements by using a short pilot drill to start the hole and chamfer the top of the large holes. The pilot hole eliminated the “walking” and breakage problems and prolonged the life of the expensive long drill to perform its function.

“E-Z Burr prides itself on more than just providing superior deburring tools. We get involved with our customers to solve production problems where deburring parts are an important measure in the final product,” says Robinson.  “Problems should not be a roadblock and time is a precious commodity in production. We have the ability to accommodate tight timelines of days or weeks. The particular tool we customized for Skyway was designed and delivered in less than 2 weeks.”