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New machine is born! THANKS!!!

Thanks everybody for all the pieces-parts advice! Carbide grades, DC motor controls, linear bearings, Bridgeport sympathy, shaft timing, 1-way clutches, air cylinder spring, tool steel properties, machining tricks, roller chain knowledge, and about twenty other situations that I got great wisdom from you people! Nine months of metalworking.

The machine is producing:

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The new machine supplements the machine I built two years ago that we are running 4 hours a day overtime. Both machines can make the above brush and this smaller one:
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But now, each machine will be dedicated to one style. The new machine addresses all the little things we didn't like about the first machine, although it only has a 2% down time. I wonder what NEW PIAs I've created??? So, we made the first six good parts in a row before the first failure. A DC gearmotor took a dump! What do you expect, it was BLUE!!! Rather than even opening it up, it took a quick ride to the motor shop. I suspect the brushes aren't great and the commutator looks scored-up, it doesn't smell bad. If I didn't have a goof, I'd be scared!

I found out from a friend at a German machine company that they were approached to quote a machine to make these products.

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quoted at $280,000 and stated they didn't want to do it! Flat wire is a BITCH!!! The customer passed on the deal...THANK GOD!!! The entry fee into this little niche market is high. I'm already planning the next version that will be CNC with a bunch more improvements it whatever annoys me in this version. Solidworks, baby! I've already shut one manufacturer down and they now buy from us; two more to go! I had to hire three more people, gave across the board raises and posted the best month ever in 127 years! (We think) Wait 'till this machine kicks in! The bank might actually start to see some of their cash back now. If you owe the bank enough, they are actually nice.

Thanks again for all the help! ...and donated parts!!!

Reply to
Tom Gardner
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I'd post some pictures, but too many secrets, I'm getting a bit reserved. You would be VERY surprised by the phone calls I've gotten from lurkers here. DOD people, foreign people, BIG supply houses, etc.

Reply to
Tom Gardner

Yeah, I figured, when all I saw was the brushes. Hmm, $280K - there must be serious money in these brushes. Maybe I'm in the wrong business.

Jon

Reply to
Jon Elson

Darn. I was wondering how you solved the carbide chipping problem.

Are the brushes marked Made in U.S.A.?

Wes S

Reply to
clutch

Kennametal engineers were on the ball and figured the whole thing out. They transferred me to their "Wear" division rather than "Cutting tools" division. But, they wanted $112 ea for 3/4" inserts in small quantizes, 6 pieces. At 30 pieces it dropped to $21 ea. My buddies at "Basic Carbide" recognized the grade and are making 6 pieces for $30 ea. In the mean time, I made some inserts from some old High Speed Steel wood shaper knife stock. They seem to work well, but won't last as long.

"Are the brushes marked Made in U.S.A.?" ...You're kidding, right? They're made in Ohio and we haven't succeeded from the US...yet!

Reply to
Tom Gardner

Tom - what is the grade of the new tooling?

Hul

Tom Gardner wrote:

Reply to
Hul Tytus

Reply to
c.henry

I have no idea! I have 20 pieces of HSS, 1/4" x 4" x 2" that is etched with the name of a company that closed in 1960. The steel blanks were for our wood shaper knives. I'd guess M-2.

Reply to
Tom Gardner

Tom - I was wondering what grade of carbide you're using now.

Hul

Tom Gardner wrote:

Reply to
Hul Tytus

The grade on the other machine is a custom from "Basic Carbide". It's their BC-12c which happens to translate to that same grade Kennametal recomended for the new machine. It seems I have come full circle. You probably saw that comming!

Reply to
Tom Gardner

Tom I saw a segment of a dicovery channel program here in Canada call 'How it's Made', on brush making. It looked pretty complex so I can understand you pride of acomplishment :-) Sounds like a job well done. I just started work with a new company as a designer, mostly fixturing and tooling, a nice mix of my cad and machinist skills. So I can appreciate your work :-) Its nice to see an end product of your imagination.

James Crombie

Design Engineer Silent Exhaust Systems

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Reply to
James P Crombie

Reply to
kfvorwerk

Thanks Tom - your effort finding a suitable carbide looked like a mystery story.

Hul

Tom Gardner wrote:

Reply to
Hul Tytus

Oh, I hope I see the show! Lot's of great brushmakers in Canada...love to retire there and "consult" for them, whilst fishing!

Reply to
Tom Gardner

We've built a lot of our own machines for ever. Employees are my most valuable assets. We are a family business for four generations and we are a family oriented business where we work together, not only making products but getting all the kids through school, dealing with personal issues and supporting each other. We're small so we can do that.

Reply to
Tom Gardner

My friend works for one of those large multinational corporations that only cares about how much product they can move.One small example. It's a beverage company and it charges the employees the same price you can buy the soda for at Costco for soda drunk on site at the factory during the work day. He wishes he could work for someone like you. Karl

Tom Gardner (nospam) wrote:

Reply to
kfvorwerk

On the other end of the scale is a friend of mine that retired from a major brewery company, here in Canada. Part of the agreement on benefits included a free case of beer every (IIRC)week. As a non drinker, he took the case of beer and sold it to one of his coworkers. It financed his metal shop tools and his fishing boat, among other things. He still is eligible for free product as a retired worker.

Reply to
Trevor Jones

If I was willing to move north from Hawaii I'd be looking for a job there. Karl

Trevor J> > My friend works for one of those large multinational corporations that

Reply to
kfvorwerk

Something makes me think their employees won't stick around for a few minutes at the end of a day to finish a task...

Chris

Reply to
Christopher Tidy

When I was a silly servant supervising construction projects on airports, a lot of people thought that I would be eligible for free air travel, and I was, provided, of course, that it was between my office and the project site and was cheaper than keeping me on site over the weekend. Other people used to point out that their income tax paid my wages; my answer was to show the three montly overtime check stubs from a job where I worked 12 hours per day, 7 days per week. This was an emergency "rush" job where if I wasn't on site, no access to airside was permitted. My income tax deducted on the overtime pay alone came to just over $9,000.00, and this was 1985. Gerry :-)} London, Canada

Reply to
Gerald Miller

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