The process of finishing parts and gears before assembly comes with a set of its own unique issues. This manufacturing process is vital and cannot be skipped, or else assemblies would fail due to poorly prepared parts/gears. Finding simple, efficient solutions to these issues is crucial, as it ensures overall effectiveness and quality of an assembly.
We interviewed Jim Richards, the founder of James Engineering, and asked him what he finds to be the top three part finishing challenges. Richards has been at the forefront of the deburring industry for a little over forty years and is seasoned when it comes to overcoming a challenge.
1. Conflict with Customer Prints
“One of the biggest challenges is meeting customer requirements within blueprints,” Richards says. “Sometimes, the people writing these specifications don’t understand the tooling that is required with deburring or how it works.” Richards later goes on to say that this particular issue is not only the hardest one to solve, but the most common one faced within the deburring industry. The process of deburring is very complex, and if blueprints aren’t drawn correctly, deburring can seem impossible on that specific part because of the ultimate limitations that come with the process. “Sometimes we don’t have the kind of tools to do what the blueprints ask of us,” explains Richards, “but we’ve learned to solve these problems over the years.”
What Richards has learned is that collaboration and adaptability are key when it comes to sidestepping this conflict. The engineers at James Engineering are in constant contact with their customers in order to meet their requirements in achievable ways. “Sometimes we get companies who send in drawings that we absolutely cannot change,” Richards adds, “Take Pratt & Whitney for example. That’s a big company that requires consistency, we can’t just up and change what they’ve sent us. So we have to do what they’re wanting us to do. But we’ve learned to do the job.”
2. Cost of Consumables
“Understandably, you can’t build a quality part with cheap materials,” Richards starts, “Sometimes you have to spend a little more to get a better part.” Richards explains that every James Engineering machine is built with the intention of using particular brands or items. If these specifications aren’t followed, the final quality cannot match what is promised by one of their machines. “The quality of chamfer we need and produce is from running a finer grit grinding wheel,” Richards explains when asked for an example. “The wheels we use are made of cotton, which don’t last as long as these tiger claw, aluminum oxide coarse wheels. Well, these coarse wheels remove metal fairly easily, but they leave a really jagged finish. People run these wheels for economic reasons, because yes, they’re cheaper, but they will destroy a part.”
James Engineering machines are known for producing beautifully precise and consistent chamfers. This is greatly due to the kind of grinding wheels they use, which are comprised of cotton and resin. The idea of using cotton in a grinding wheel is surprising to many, but in terms of chamfering, this kind of wheel is a champion of it. The cotton acts as a dampener, meaning these wheels’ tendency to bounce is extremely low, especially compared to woven fiberglass wheels. While the cost of running these coarse fiberglass wheels is smaller up front, it will actually cost a greater amount in the long run due to a high rate of scrapped parts. This is a great example as to why using the intended tools is extremely important for overall production. “We have to establish what we’re going to use and that has to be followed.”
3. Consistency of Parts Presented
The third most frequent challenge Richards has seen is the consistency of parts presented. “We often get sample parts from customers, and their conditions will sometimes change. So then we have to take samples of burrs and look at their size and decide what we can and cannot do. I’ve seen samples come in with burrs an inch and a half tall!” Essentially, machines are manufactured to handle a consistent, established size of burrs for specific parts. For example, a company will send in a dozen samples of the same part. Eleven out of twelve of these parts have burrs roughly the same size, but the twelfth will have a burr substantially larger than the rest. This twelfth part wouldn’t receive complete deburring using the same specs as the other eleven parts—it would require an entirely different set of measurements, tooling, and time. But this issue is easily avoidable as long as customers take care of one particular aspect: changing the part cutter on their CNC machines.
“When you’re making a gear or part, the hob cutter will start off as razor sharp, but it eventually wears out, naturally. We [at James Engineering] have to make sure we qualify when you change your cutter. Operators can’t be running their cutters down to total wear then give us huge burrs. So we need to establish the point of which they change their cutter so we receive parts that we’re capable of deburring.”
This may sound laborious and costly, but again, this ultimately saves money in the long run. If cutters are changed regularly, the predictability and consistency of their parts becomes manageable. This then makes it easier for James Engineering to manufacture machines that work perfectly for a shop’s needs. If the cutter is not changed frequently, extra tools must be added to a shop’s machine, costing them more in money and processing time. “You’re better off to change the cutter and leave our process simpler,” Richards explains.
So, how avoidable are these challenges?
“These are all very easily avoidable!” says Richards. “With consistency of parts presented, we just need to qualify the part that we’re going to deburr and establish that in writing. With the cost of consumables, we have to establish exactly what we’re using and write it into the warranty. Conflict with customer prints is always trickier, as we sometimes can’t change anything about the blueprints we’re sent. [We just] have to be adaptable.”
James Engineering prides itself on being a thorough and precise business—these values can be found at the core of the company. They are what make their machines so consistent and products so repeatable. There’s a reason why their deburring systems are at the top of the market.
What are the ultimate solutions?
With each customer comes a new challenge, but conflict with customer prints, the cost of consumables, and consistency of parts presented are usually given. However, after decades of dealing with the same issues, Richards and those at James Engineering have found that the following are the top solutions:
· Adaptability
· Reliability
· Flexibility
· Thoroughness
· Consistency
· Communication
By adhering to these six simple values, no challenge is too much for James Engineering.
To learn more about their machines, click here.
To send any sales inquiries or further questions, email Sales@James-Engineering.com