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MATE ON-SITE SUPPORT LEADS TO OVER 20% SETUP TIME REDUCTION, INCREASED THROUGHPUT

Circa Metals is both a contract manufacturer for leading companies and a manufacturer of electrical and communications equipment enclosures. The company acquired two Prima Power punch presses with the intention of streamlining operations and increasing output. To help them achieve their objectives, Circa turned to Peter Visser, Mate Regional Sales Manager.

TOOL PLANNING & UTILIZATION TO MAXIMIZE OUTPUT

Circa’s new Prima Power turret presses automate nearly everything form material handling to secondary operations. A long-time customer, Peter knows that Circa understands the importance of using the correct tooling to maximize punch press utilization. Peter also is a strong advocate of using special applications tooling on as many operations as possible to increase productivity.

After reviewing what Circa was going to manufacture with the presses, Peter developed a plan, recommending two forming and two tooling applications:

• Mate Ultra QCT™ quick change tooling, that saves front-end setup time on new projects
• Mate Ultra IMT™ fully indexable multi tools that consolidate smaller diameter tools into one, saving turret space for other tools
• Mate VariBend™, which bends sheet metal tabs at any angle up to 90 degrees to eliminate part moves to the press brake
• Mate EasyTap™, which produces threaded holes, eliminating secondary drilling and tapping operations

REDUCED SETUP AND INCREASED THROUGHPUT

According to Peter Schagen, Circa Metals Engineering Team Leader, Circa saves “at least 20 percent setup time” with Mate QCT tooling. He also noted that the M4PM® steel used in QCT gives them “up to 100 percent more wear resistance over conventional tool steels.” Schagen continued by stating that by “using Mate’s UltraTEC® holders with QCT, our setup time is often cut in half.”

Using Mate IMT indexable multi tools frees up space and enables them to add more tools in the turret for V-line stencils, countersinks and other forming tools. Having this additional capacity means overall more “green light production time for the press,” according to Schagen.

Mr. Schagen also praised the savings from EasyTap and VariBend. Circa taps 5,000 holes per month on various projects, so “there’s no lost time moving the parts to another machine for tapping operations.” VariBend is used mostly on their custom fabricating work and “saves many trips to the press brake for bending,” says Schagen, adding “that’s where this tool pays off the most.

Circa Metals also says that having Peter Visser as their Mate sales engineer helps make the improved productivity possible. Mr. Schagen says the Peter “really helps us understand the true value of the tooling, the quality of the fabricated parts and how the tooling contributes to the bottom line.”