Large 5 axis CNC with nothing to do. Industries that can use its' ability?
Large 5 axis CNC with nothing to do. Industries that can use its' ability?
(OP)
Hope I don"t get beat up too bad here but a local shop I am involved with owns a large capacity, 5 axis horizontal mill that is paid for but has been put in storage due to a lack of work. It is rather sad as the machine has very little use and very capable and highly accurate! I know of several of these same machines building the Ti landing gear for Airbus!
I realize this may not be the right forum but many here seem to be very inactive. I ask here only because MEs seem to know parts, materials, and dimensions. The downfall here is the shop currently is not ISO or AS certified or approved as a top tier vendor for any OEMs and I found that most shops want to keep any suitable work in house.
This machine can easily machine a 4ft cube or more and hold .0002" doing it. Just curious if you guys happen to have any thoughts of industries to call on to find something for it to do?
I realize this may not be the right forum but many here seem to be very inactive. I ask here only because MEs seem to know parts, materials, and dimensions. The downfall here is the shop currently is not ISO or AS certified or approved as a top tier vendor for any OEMs and I found that most shops want to keep any suitable work in house.
This machine can easily machine a 4ft cube or more and hold .0002" doing it. Just curious if you guys happen to have any thoughts of industries to call on to find something for it to do?





RE: Large 5 axis CNC with nothing to do. Industries that can use its' ability?
RE: Large 5 axis CNC with nothing to do. Industries that can use its' ability?
This seems to me the facto for this shop. I know of a couple aerospace contracts that were awarded after finally bidding to ridiculous numbers, then the customer was not happy that certain tooling was not afforded because there was no funds for that!
Yes sir! Seems to be a long list of people that would happily put parts on it and watch the company go down the drain, then move to the next.
This is a situation where if profitable work cannot be located, it would be smarter to just leave it in storage or just sell it. This is NOT a situation where cheap work needs found just to keep the lights on.
RE: Large 5 axis CNC with nothing to do. Industries that can use its' ability?
RE: Large 5 axis CNC with nothing to do. Industries that can use its' ability?
It is seriously rigid, designed for hard metal cutting. It would be perfect for Ti cutting, has linear scales throughout, and probing system to do its own inspection reports. It is a pallet machine and designed to run full production 24/7 and I know of one that has never stopped running since the day it was installed.
Hard to cut it loose I guess....
RE: Large 5 axis CNC with nothing to do. Industries that can use its' ability?
RE: Large 5 axis CNC with nothing to do. Industries that can use its' ability?
Have you considered contacting the owner of that one about leasing time on yours? If the agreement is done properly it could be a work-around for the lack of ISO paper on the wall.
The manufacturer might have some suggestions as well.
RE: Large 5 axis CNC with nothing to do. Industries that can use its' ability?
You can eventually pick up work from renters. I have done it.
Chris, CSWA
SolidWorks 14
SolidWorks Legion
RE: Large 5 axis CNC with nothing to do. Industries that can use its' ability?
It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.
RE: Large 5 axis CNC with nothing to do. Industries that can use its' ability?
My only fight to keep it is I just know we are going to stumble into a need for it as soon as it is sold! the replacement costs are MUCH higher than keeping it. But boss is paying storage and not seeing things down the road.
I really makes me wonder how to even market such ability rather than phone calls.... Work seemed easier to find a decade ago.
RE: Large 5 axis CNC with nothing to do. Industries that can use its' ability?
There is a whole universe of large things that require machining without great precision.
Big castings such as pump casings, engine blocks, turbine casings, electric motor frames.
Fabrications for railroad truck frames, bridges, flood control gates.
RE: Large 5 axis CNC with nothing to do. Industries that can use its' ability?
RE: Large 5 axis CNC with nothing to do. Industries that can use its' ability?
The core issue we found is the cert really does not gain you a thing as still staying a sub-tier mfgr, and to gain top-tier approvals gets even more difficult as each OEM will have a list and that list usually requires, big/nice/expensive/new building, machines, inspection equipment, etc. The list goes on.
I have already heard all the claims of new means better parts are being made but just not the case. Our parts still end up in OEM assemblies everyday! It just becomes an image thing I am afraid. This shop is older but we take our inspections and quality very seriously.
RE: Large 5 axis CNC with nothing to do. Industries that can use its' ability?
RE: Large 5 axis CNC with nothing to do. Industries that can use its' ability?
There are places like MFG.com or quickparts that will feed you work for a commission.
RE: Large 5 axis CNC with nothing to do. Industries that can use its' ability?
AS9102 is a standard form/process for performing a first article inspection of a component in the aerospace sector. There is no certification required for performing an FAI, but the facilities and equipment used for the FAI need to meet specific standards (such as calibration, environmental controls, etc).
If you wish to serve as a supplier to an aerospace OEM then you'll need to get an AS9100 certification, which can involve quite a bit of time, effort and expense. In addition to AS9100, most aerospace OEMs also require their suppliers to develop in-house capabilities to perform work conforming to the OEMs specific practices, including functions like engineering, manufacturing, accounting, etc. This can be a huge cost burden for a small business, and unless the OEM is sending lots of work, the expense may not be justifiable.
RE: Large 5 axis CNC with nothing to do. Industries that can use its' ability?
I personally believe that making the tools dull keeps the wits sharp. Taking break-even work is acceptable, when it keeps both the operator and the machine in good condition, and ready for the gem when it comes along. Much better than dragging it all out of mothballs in a panic and finding "some guy" to run it on short notice.
STF