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Engine Components |
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Outsourcing Creep-Feed Grinding |
| Abrasive-Form
believes many companies fail to consider the complete picture |
by Dave Bode
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Outsource creep-feed grinding
-- a process used in high-volume turbine part production, among other
things --or keep it in-house? When
contemplating outsourced manufacturing versus in-house capability, many
companies fail to consider the complete picture as they try to determine
whether outsourcing their creep-feed grinding requirements is preferable
to keeping the operation in-house. In
order to make a more informed analysis and decision, a number of factors
must be examined, including
cost, delivery, quality, flexibility and risk reduction. |
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| Explained John Harig, president of Abrasive-Form, Inc, one of North America's largest creep-feed grinding outsources, "In the current economic | View of various sized turbine airfoil components made by Abrasive-Form suggests the company's range of capabilities for various industries and a wide range of geometric requirements. AF machines parts as small as 2.5 mm and as large as. 838 mm long. |
| environment,
we see a growing interest among top level manufacturing executives and
managers to revisit existing processes and look for new ways to trim
production costs. But often, however, we find that many of
the real costs of in-house creep-feed grinding are overlooked, such as
the overhead associated with direct labor costs, costs of purchasing and
maintaining inventories of consumables, training costs, and management
of ancillary operations like deburring or heat treating, among others.
"Many of the most profitable manufacturing operations
outsource creep-feed grinding so they can better concentrate on their
core competencies. In fact,
what we do best is take a project from the drawing to full implementation.
Abrasive-Form has the most extensive track record with creep-feed grinding
in North America and has been a partner to |
such companies
for more than a quarter of a century."
Headquartered in Bloomingdale, Illinois, USA., Abrasive-Form, Inc
(AF) was founded in 1976 by CEO Ken Kummer to specialize in close
tolerance linear form grinding. Back
then, linear form grinding, as well as creep-feed (CF) grinding, were
relatively new processes in the U.S., Kummer noted.
Little was known about their true economic value to manufacturing
and the ability to eliminate processes by grinding forms from the
heat-treated solid, as well as CF grinding's use in difficult-to-machine
aerospace materials. In the 1980s, the company converted itself into a production shop and purchased its first CNC creep-feed grinder, which enabled it to pursue a new tier of repetitive-run production parts. Also in the 1980s, AF began machining turbine components, which ultimately led to |
its recognition
today as a leader in high-volume turbine part production.
In the 1990s, Abrasive-Form dramatically increased its capacity
through the addition of machines, capable machine operators and support
staff. In 2000, the company
merged with Roselle Tool, Inc., giving it an expanded capability to engineer
and rapidly fabricate tooling for new projects. Also
in 2000, AF moved into a modem 5760 m2 facility to accommodate its
growth and currently has 38 machines and some 80 employees serving
customers worldwide in industries as diverse as gas turbines, diesel
engines, hydraulic pumps, hand tools, medical equipment and clipper
blades. |
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