CDP Diamond Products, headquartered in Livonia, MI, is a diamond tool manufacturer that specializes in wire electrical discharge machining (EDM) for a variety of industries. Polycrystalline diamonds (PCD) and polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN) are some of the hardest materials on earth.
Cutting them is even harder. Machines and tools wear out quickly, and excessive cycle times often complicate already intricate processes. Depending on the job, it often takes three hours for one machine at CDP Diamond Products to produce one tool.
Steve Dillon, Vice President of CDP Diamond Products, wanted to increase throughput using the latest technology, but knew he could not shave a single second off of the three-hour cycle time.
"You have to keep up with the times," Dillon said. "Because if you do not keep up with the times, the times are going to pass you by. And you still have to be competitive."
Dillon reached out to his longtime machine tool supplier Kevin Fite, the General Manager for Methods Machine Tools' Wixom, MI, location. Fite and others at Methods have been working with CDP Diamond Products for more than two decades, supplying the shop with FANUC's wire EDM product, the RoboCut. Today, Dillon estimates RoboCuts account for half of the machinery on the shop floor.
The RoboCuts have delivered better finishes, fewer wire breaks, reduced cycle times and do not need as much maintenance compared to Dillon's other machines.
"They do pretty much everything," Dillon said. "If something's working that good, you do not go somewhere else. Especially given the support I have gotten from Methods."
When it came time to increase throughput at CDP Diamond Products, Fite and Dillon knew the answer was automation.
Methods worked with CDP Diamond Products to design, create, test and integrate a custom turn-key automation cell comprised of a FANUC CRX collaborative robot (cobot), two FANUC RoboCut C600-series and an infeed/outfeed system.
Initially, not everyone at CDP Diamond Products was on the same page. CDP Diamond primarily engages in high-mix/low-volume work. Some employees were not convinced Methods could automate the toolmaking process, or that automation was the answer. Once the chips started flying, however, everyone realized the benefits of automation.
"That solution has done nothing but boost my throughput," Dillon said. By his estimation, the automation cell increased productivity by 75% on the RoboCuts. The shop runs the cell unattended on nights and weekends. While the three-hour cycle times remain, CDP Diamond Products accomplishes more while competitors' shops are closed. "I am getting more work because I am able to produce more," Dillon said.
The company has received so much more work, some employees are coming in on weekends to ensure the cell is set for the next production cycle. And operators at CDP Diamond Products can address other problems while the automation system produces high-tolerance tools.
While the technology and products Methods has offered over the years kept Dillon coming back, the relationship between the two companies goes deeper. Having a Methods branch close to CDP Diamond Products has been beneficial. If Dillon needs support or service, Methods shows up on time and ready to solve his problems. Moreover, Dillon said, its Methods' industry expertise and technical knowledge that have helped CDP Diamond Products reach new levels.
"Methods has helped my company grow," he said. "It has just been a terrific experience."
As for the shop's future, Dillon and others at CDP Diamond Products are looking to take full advantage of the automation cell by taking on new contracts.
"It has been a win-win for everyone," Dillon said. "We are motivated to get more out of the cell. Bring it on."
For more information contact:
Methods Machine Tools, Inc.
65 Union Avenue
Sudbury, MA 01776
877-MMT-4CNC (877-668-4262)
sales@methodsmachine.com
www.methodsmachine.com
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