Importance of Process Improvement for Subcontract Machining Companies

by | Apr 13, 2023 | Latest News

In the current climate it has never been more critical for CNC machining companies to look at improving processes. With electricity prices at an all-time high we have shifted our focus to increasing production efficiency and improving machine utilisation. When we talk about machine utilisation this means using the capabilities of the machine correctly. For instance, in a subcontract machining shop this can often be overlooked due to workload pressures or ease of getting a job up and running. As we only sell machine capacity it is our focus to look at areas where we can improve on a continual basis.

Reducing Machining Times

Don’t get me wrong as every machining company probably regards this as the number one factor already but there are always further improvements to be made. Many of us have been guilty of not trying new tooling technology. This can really help in terms of being able to machine at higher cutting speeds hence reducing cycle time. Sometimes it can also be that a new tool can allow you to turn 2 operations in to 1 giving a real saving by reducing both cutting and non-cutting time.

Machine Utilisation

We touched on this topic in the first paragraph but I’m going to go in to more detail. At M&M (and like many others) we have categories of machine based on capacity and capability. Generally, the bigger capacity CNC machines tend to be more energy intensive due to having larger spindle and driven tool motors. Smaller machines such as sliding head lathes use less power and are geared for smaller diameter components requiring less metal removal. It is vital to aim the components at the correct machine in order to achieve maximum efficiency and profitability. Sometimes this can be overlooked when companies are under pressure to meet delivery dates on orders or don’t want to interrupt long running jobs.

Thanks for reading!!