MACHINING & MACHINERY
MOLDMAKING
UNISIG
MULTITASKING MACHINING CENTERS
DOUBLE THROUGHPUT, CUT COSTS
Concours Mold Inc. (Lakeshore, Ontario,
Canada) makes it a priority to keep its
machinery and equipment up to date
to ensure competitiveness. From its
enterprise resource planning (ERP) system
and advanced scheduling system, to its
radio frequency identification (RFID) tool
management system, to rigorous quality-
check procedures, not to mention five-axis
machining centers, the company does
whatever it can to continually improve
its processes. In fact, the company
recently invested millions of dollars in
new equipment, but one machine, the
UNISIG USC-M, has so improved Concours’
machining processes that, according to Ed
Ergun, corporate sales manager, it has been
a game changer.
CONCOURS MOLD INC.
Problem: The efficiencies in standard
machining processes at Canada facility
due to multiple setups required on each of
two machines (boring mills and gundrills)
necessitated more outsourcing of work to
keep up with deliveries.
Solution: Addition of a UNISIG USC-M50
and two UNISIG USC-M38 multitasking
machining centers.
Results: Significant reduction in setups,
virtually eliminating down time between
setups. Faster machining, better accuracy
and fewer mistakes reduced lead times,
allowed first-time quality and enabled more
time to handle more work coming through
the machines.
Concours specializes in building small
to very large injection, compression and
hydroforming molds as a primarily Tier-
One supplier to the automotive industry
and has additional locations in Cullman,
Alabama, and Puebla, Mexico. All locations
run 24/7. Molds built for interior automotive
parts produce instrument panels, door
assemblies, A, B, C and D pillars/assemblies
and much more, while molds for exterior
parts produce such items as fascias, grilles,
spoilers and rockers. The balance of the
company’s business encompasses building
molds for heavy-truck parts and consumer
products.
Still, it is the automotive OEMs that
dominate Concours’ customer list and, as
108
PECM Issue 39
Increase your mold manufacturing versatility
using the power of gundrilling with the
leaders in deep hole drilling, UNISIG. Offering
complete solutions for everything from
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machines help moldmakers improve
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outstanding part-processing versatility at an
exceptional value.
anyone who has experience with serving
Ergun says. “The USC-M Series machine is
TAKE industry
YOUR
MOLDMAKING
much a multitasker and has reduced
the automotive
knows,
high quality very OPERATIONS
our lead times by roughly 30 percent.”
is expected, and mold deliveries are tight.
FURTHER
WITH said
UNISIG
“As our company
announcement
when TODAY.
we launched our third UNISIG USC-M in
IT’S ABOUT REDUCING COSTS
February 2018, the USC-M series brings
Concours regards the time spent setting
unmatched capabilities in a single, game-
up jobs as throw-away costs. “There are so
changing machine,” Ergun says. “This is our
Find out more at www.UNISIG.com
many setups involved on just a boring mill
tomorrow.”
alone, it adds up to costs that we have to
absorb, plus a crane and any employees
IT’S ABOUT THROUGHPUT
required to work on it,” Ergun says. For
GAINED
example, to set up a block in the boring
mill, he says it would take half an hour to an
Boring Mill. Gundrill. Before purchasing its
hour, depending on the setup, to bore/drill
third UNISIG in February 2018, Concours
five holes, then lay it down and set it up to
utilized these machines every day,
complete another series of holes and so on.
repeatedly, during the mold building
process. “Anything that came into our
OUR SETUP TIME HAS
facility basically hit these machines at one
DECREASED BY MORE THAN 50
time or another,” Ergun says. He adds that
PERCENT.
each machine would need to be reserved
in the schedule as needed to complete that
“Now we have the five-axis positioning
portion of the build, to keep blocks and
components moving and on schedule. If any capability of the Unisigs and FCS clamping
systems along with automatic pallet
issues arose that prevented movement of
changers on each machine, which is a
the workpiece, then the scheduling would
100 percent time-saver when it comes to
be off, and machining delayed till the next
switching a tool from one setup to the next,”
available slot opened up. It was a constant
Ergun says.
struggle to update and revise the schedule
to remain current.
THIS IS OUR TOMORROW.
“Now, instead of reserving a boring mill for
three days, and then the gundrill another
three days, we can take care of all the boring
and high-speed gundrilling on the UNISIG,”
Further information on all machines
of the B series and the complete
UNISIG machine program is available
at: www.unisig.com or follow the
company on LinkedIn and Twitter (@
UNISIG).