Process Improvement Strategies for HMLV Manufacturing

Secrets to <1hr setups ✅⚙️ "Hey I need #swisslathe parts but is small quantity ok?" 👈 This is a question customers ask a lot and thanks to #leanmanufacturing our setups are fast (often 20-30 mins) which means HMLV (high-mix, low-volume) projects are no big deal. Fyi, we don't even charge for setups when estimating = customer gets super low cost! Swiss Lathes are sort of notorious for tediuous, all day long setups because of the many adjustments which some say is an "art". While yes, tight tolerances and the nature of the sliding headstock can add complexity to cause lengthy setups... it doesn't have to be this way. Or at least you can greatly mininize it through #lean and #standardization methods. While too long to expand in detail, here are a few highlights of the Lean methods we use to keep Swiss setups to <1hr here at Acclaim Aerospace: 1) 5S Workplace Organization - the foundation for any lean system is critical. You can't have quick setups if you are walking all over the place looking for your tools, inserts, collets, etc with stuff in random drawers and misplaced. Organized and designated super easy to see tooling locations so that there "a place for everything and everything in it's place" 2) Standardizarion - since we mainly focus on harder to machine alloys, we pretty much have a standard tool list and have done a lot of testing to use same tools across the board. And then we designate certain stations on every machine for the specific tools from cutoff to profile & grooving insets to drill and boring bars. This makes programming and offset adjustments super fast at the machine since these tools are already in their stations and dialed in (example DCMT32.51 always in T3) or only need a quick swapout like a different size drill. 3) Quick Change Tooling - Standardizing locations helps a lot but sometimes you don't have enough stations for all the variety. That's where quick change tooling comes in handy. All of our stick tools use an interchangeable head, so that if you need to swap out a grooving head to a laydown thread insert... it's only a couple of seconds. This also means super fast replacement of a fresh insert when one wears out too. Having a spare head already set up with a fresh insert (think spare tires & rims at a NASCAR pit stop), you'll only have a few seconds of downtime as you swap the old and new heads. 4) Work Cells - For us we have multiple 20 and 32mm swiss lathes that all have standardized tooling which helps a lot, but we go a little further and try to dedicate certain machines to specific sizes -- meaning we run all the 1/8" diameter materials on a specific machine and it is always doing that. So many times there is *zero* setup, just load the new program and GO! Of course not everyone can just dedicate a machine to 1/4" diameter bar stock all the time, so maybe think about *range* of sizes like 1/4 to 3/8 or all common materials for example. Lots more but hope some of this is helpful 🤓👍

One hidden cost in many production systems is changeover time. When a machine needs hours to switch from one product to another, companies often produce large batches to compensate. But large batches create other problems: more inventory, less flexibility, and slower response to customer demand. This is where SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Dies) becomes powerful. The idea is simple: Reduce setup time so production can run smaller batches, faster, and more flexibly. A few key principles make the difference: • Analyze the current changeover process carefully. • Separate what must be done while the machine is stopped from what can be prepared in advance. • Convert as many internal steps as possible into external ones. • Simplify and standardize the remaining setup activities. • Continuously improve the process with small incremental changes. Behind this method is an important mindset: Long setup times are often accepted as “normal”. Lean thinking challenges that assumption. When setup time drops, flexibility increases, inventory decreases, and the whole production system becomes more responsive to demand. Sometimes, operational excellence does not come from doing more. It comes from changing faster and smarter. #LeanManagement #SMED #OperationalExcellence #ContinuousImprovement #Manufacturing #ProcessImprovement

Manufacturing Automation – Lot size One Made to order, the automation Holy Grail! Referred to as LOT SIZE ONE manufacturing, implying MASS CUSTOMIZATION with PREDICTABLE lead times while meeting the ECONOMICS, is still the order of the day for HiMix – LowVolume processes. Unlike high-volume manufacturing, automated decades ago, this type of process resists automation as it’s characterized by: -         High(er) Labor Content. -         Multiple changeovers. -         Customization demands. -         Inputs availability and minimum order quantities constraints. -         Higher unit costs and lower profit margins. -         Other challenges associated with Mass Customization. Challenges include: -         Difficult to meet ROI. -         Technical challenges in accommodating a range of products. -         Worker training as frequent cross-operational skills may be required. -         Maintaining a low, per unit, cycle time as change overs or setups consume a disproportional amount of the manufacturing cycle, increasing costs. -         Minimizing disruption to the process flow. Whether a small part of the manufacturers volume that can be addressed through a SPECIALS line with manual labor THROWN at it, or business as usual as is the case in JOB SHOP environments, the GOAL is always to MINIMIZE finished goods INVENTORY as neither the manufacturer nor the end-user wants to carry that on the books. Solutions to these challenges, now complicated by changing SUPPLY CHAINS and worker AVAILABILITY, include: -         Process re-design so that steps can be switched ON/OFF as needed. -         Menu driven, a-la-carte product design. -         More complex, UNIVERSAL systems, requiring a higher capital investment. -         Simpler, point of use automation tools in the hands of CROSS-TRAINED workers. -         Other techniques focused on automating individual process steps rather than the entire product. Made to order, the automation Holy Grail! -- “In summary, the automation of high mix, low volume, primarily manual operations can be achieved by rejecting the notion that automation can’t be justified. It’s possible to meet the challenge with creative process semi-automation that addresses the full range of the target product family and seeks to minimize, optimize and eliminate direct labor content while maintaining or improving quality. Custom semi-automated fixtures that remove operator skill and variation and increase productivity in the target operation can be introduced.” -- How do you apply automation in HiMix – LowVolume manufacturing? Your thoughts are appreciated and please share this post if you think your connections will find it of interest. 👉 Comment, follow or connect to discuss how to collaborate and plan your automation for increased productivity. https://lnkd.in/eV55EvBF #industry40 #automation #productivity #robots