Total Eclipse – CNC Machining
Cleveland Ohio was in the path of totality for the total solar eclipse on April 8th 2024. This has nothing to do with CNC Machining but it was an event that will not happen for another 200 years so we had to celebrate. Gent Machine stopped for about 1 hour…
Cleveland Ohio was in the path of totality for the total solar eclipse on April 8th 2024. This has nothing to do with CNC Machining but it was an event that will not happen for another 200 years so we had to celebrate. Gent Machine stopped for about 1 hour to take in the sights of the sun being completely blocked. Everything went dark, it dropped about 10 degrees and all the street lights turned on. After about 3 minutes, the sun peaked out and the darkness quickly subsided.
This was a sight to behold and an experience that was neat to witness in our lifetime. Again, this had nothing to do with CNC Machining but we had to post about it in our News site. If you were also in the path of totality, hopefully you got out to witness this amazing phenomenon.
Interns make big impact in CNC Machining and Hydromat departments
In the dynamic world of manufacturing, the integration of cutting-edge technology and skilled personnel is crucial for staying competitive. Like many companies, Gent Machine recognizes the value of fresh perspectives so we started an internship program with several schools and organizations. The program is going far better than anticipated and…
In the dynamic world of manufacturing, the integration of cutting-edge technology and skilled personnel is crucial for staying competitive. Like many companies, Gent Machine recognizes the value of fresh perspectives so we started an internship program with several schools and organizations. The program is going far better than anticipated and these students have made an enormous impact in our CNC Machining and Hydromat departments.
Currently, we have 3 interns that operate machines in our CNC and Acme departments. Two of the three students work just 3 days a week and take classes in the evening. The third student is from a trade school and he works a full 40 hours. All 3 of these students make a huge on our production, even if it is for just 3 days.
We believe in this newly found experiment of using interns. Afterall, the internships provide students with hands-on experience, allowing them to apply theoretical knowledge in a real-world setting. In the CNC department, interns have the opportunity to work with precision machinery, hone their programming skills, and understand the intricacies of manufacturing processes. This practical exposure not only prepares them for future careers but also adds a valuable resource to the company.
The symbiotic relationship between seasoned professionals and college interns fosters a culture of collaboration and knowledge exchange. Experienced CNC operators can share their practical insights and real-world experiences, while interns can introduce novel ideas and alternative approaches. This exchange not only benefits the interns but also enhances the overall effectiveness of the CNC department.
Internship programs are a strategic investment in building a talent pipeline for the future. By exposing interns to the world of CNC machining. Companies can identify promising individuals who may eventually become full-time employees. This not only ensures a pool of skilled professionals but also fosters loyalty and a deep understanding of the company’s values and processes.
We have begun the process of interviewing for summer internships. If you know of anyone that may be interested please send your information to info@gentmachine.com and note the reason. We look forward to helping develop the next generation of machinists.
Gent Machine purchases Escomatic NM6 Flexi CNC machine
In the ever-evolving landscape of precision machining, investing in cutting-edge technology is paramount for staying competitive. That is why Gent Machine recently purchased an Escomatic NM6 Flexi CNC machine. This state-of-the-art Swiss-style turning center will introduce a new style of coil fed machining that is a new concept for us….
In the ever-evolving landscape of precision machining, investing in cutting-edge technology is paramount for staying competitive. That is why Gent Machine recently purchased an Escomatic NM6 Flexi CNC machine. This state-of-the-art Swiss-style turning center will introduce a new style of coil fed machining that is a new concept for us.
The decision to purchase the Escomatic NM6 Flexi CNC machine stems from a large order from a new customer. The customer requires over a million terminals per year and our current equipment could not keep up. In addition, our bar machines were producing a 10″ remnant from each bar. The Escomatic uses a coil instead of bars so we will eliminate 10″ remnant loss and gain uptime from not having to load a bar.
Key Features of the Escomatic NM6 Flexi CNC Machine:
Swiss-Style Turning Excellence: The NM6 Flexi is renowned for its Swiss-style turning capabilities. It allows for the production of complex, small-diameter components with unparalleled precision. Its ability to handle a variety of materials, including alloys like Nitronic 50, aligns perfectly with our diverse machining requirements.
CNC Precision Control: The integration of CNC technology provides a level of precision and repeatability that is indispensable in today’s competitive market. The CNC controls of the NM6 Flexi empower our operators to achieve intricate geometries and tight tolerances consistently.
Versatility and Flexibility: The term “Flexi” in the machine’s name isn’t arbitrary. The NM6 Flexi offers a high degree of flexibility, accommodating a wide range of part sizes and complexities. This versatility is a key asset in adapting to the dynamic needs of our clients and expanding our service offerings.
High-Speed Machining: The NM6 Flexi enables us to enhance productivity without compromising on precision. The higher speed turning and loading will assist in meeting deadlines and optimizing overall operational efficiency.
Efficient Material Handling: The machine’s design incorporates an efficient material handling system by using a coil. This will contribute to reduced setup times and increased throughput. This efficiency aligns with our commitment to delivering quality products in a timely manner.
The acquisition of the Escomatic NM6 Flexi CNC machine will be a great compliment to our Citizen bar machines. As with all of our machines, we anticipate growing with Escomatic as it opens new doors. It will make us more competitive on high volume, small parts with the reduction of raw material costs. We are confident the NM6 Flexi will play role in our future success and excellence in the dynamic world of precision manufacturing.
Oil Spill on CNC Machine
Producing parts to the proper dimensions is enough of a challenge but when you add in machine issues the production process just gets harder. See the image below of a recent oil spill we had on one of our CNC Machines. To make matters worse, this oil spill did not…
Producing parts to the proper dimensions is enough of a challenge but when you add in machine issues the production process just gets harder. See the image below of a recent oil spill we had on one of our CNC Machines.
To make matters worse, this oil spill did not occur during an attended shift. It happened after second shift had left for the evening and set the machines for unattended operation. Like all of our CNC machines, this one is equipped with high pressure oil to assist with breaking chips and coolant thru drills. The high pressure hoses run from the oil pumps to the high pressure pumps and then into the machine. One of these hoses wore a hole and sprung a leak (of course, while no one was around to catch it) and the oil kept pumping out of the machine and on to the floor. The oil kept flooding the floor until the machine’s reservoir was empty and it ran out of oil.
When first shift arrived at 5:45am, they walked into a mess. Thankfully we have a great staff that jumped on the issue immediately and got it all cleaned up. They used a shop vac to vacuum it up. After each time the shop vac would fill up they’d dump it in the filtration system and then resume vacuuming. Once all of it was vacuumed they mopped and used the floor scrubber to clean the slick floors. After about 2 hours, the result was a clean floor and a lot of oil to filter. We are fortunate to have a good filtration system so all oil like this gets reclaimed rather than having to be hauled off by an disposal service. Hopefully, this is the last oil spill we experience while no one is in the shop.
A celebration of 47 years! Herb Young’s retirement
Today Gent Machine celebrated the retirement of one of it’s longest standing employees, Herb Young. He started with the company in 1976 as a young man out of the Marines. He was a helicopter mechanic in the service and showed a lot of mechanical aptitude so when he got out…
Today Gent Machine celebrated the retirement of one of it’s longest standing employees, Herb Young. He started with the company in 1976 as a young man out of the Marines. He was a helicopter mechanic in the service and showed a lot of mechanical aptitude so when he got out of the service his Dad helped him get a job at Gent Machine.
He learned quickly on the job, learning about the operation and mechanics of the Davenport Machine. The Davenport is a 5 spindle automatic screw machine and Gent Machine had 20+ of these machines at the time. In no time, Herb ascended up to the title of “Shop Foreman”. As the shop foreman he oversaw the production of all of the Davenport machines. If a job was difficult he would help engineer the process so to work. If the machine was not running well, he was in charge of making it run well.
As Gent Machine grew and acquired additional Davenport experts, Herb moved into the role of maintenance. He would fix and rebuilt machines and outfitted them with counters and automatic shut offs. All of these small improvements ensured jobs would run better and not break tooling during the day.
Herb not only became the master mechanic of these machines but also a “Mr. Fix it” to the whole shop. He would fix cars, boats, computers, conveyors, two motors, lifts, chip spinners and the list goes on. It became the saying that if something needed fixing “go see Herb”.
Now, the Herb era at Gent Machine is winding down. He was an invaluable member to the company and a key piece to the growth of Gent Machine. We are fortunate to have had him and thankfully he is still willing to come out to fix cars, motorcycles and boats when we need. Besides this, we are lucky to have 47 years with him and we wish him luck in his retirement.
Gent Machine to add more Screw Machine capacity
Gent Machine is in the process of potentially acquiring a local screw machine company. This would add to our Davenport machine capacity and also bring in a book of business. The negotiations have been going on for several weeks now but there appears to be an end in sight. The…
Gent Machine is in the process of potentially acquiring a local screw machine company. This would add to our Davenport machine capacity and also bring in a book of business. The negotiations have been going on for several weeks now but there appears to be an end in sight.
The owner of the company is looking to exit the industry and sell off his equipment and book of business. He contacted us, knowing we operate the same type of equipment, and asked if we’d like to discuss a purchase.
If the deal goes through Gent machine would purchase his 8 machines, add them to our list of 38 Davenports, and take over the work for his customer base. The part list is comprised of a family of automotive parts that are ideal for the Davenport machines.
More to come as the discussions look to wrap up soon.
Gent focused on automated CNC machining
The latest edition of Production Machining magazine features an article on Gent Machine and our automated CNC machining. To better serve our customers as well as help with the labor shortage, we have been looking for ways to automate a process. For one specific part, we purchased a Takamaz J-Wave…
The latest edition of Production Machining magazine features an article on Gent Machine and our automated CNC machining. To better serve our customers as well as help with the labor shortage, we have been looking for ways to automate a process. For one specific part, we purchased a Takamaz J-Wave which is an automated solution for turning smaller parts.
The Takamaz J-Wave has an autoloader with grippers that pick up the part off a conveyor. The gripper places the part in the main spindle collet and the machining process begins. After machining is complete the part is ejected down a chute or the gripper arm can pull the part out while placing a new part in the collet. In our specific application we chose for the gripper to remove the part from the collet while then putting a new part in the collet. Although this machine can turn, drill, bore, as a whole host of other operations we are just facing and drilling these parts.
We chose this machine because of it’s small footprint, it’s integration to a bowl feeder and it’s fast cycle time. As you can see in the article the machine uses a smooth transition of the bowl feeder onto the loading conveyor which makes the process seamless and running nearly non-stop. This machine is truly our first solution to an automated machining process.
A link to the article can be seen below.
https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/high-volume-machine-shop-automates-secondary-ops
Gent receives Best in Cleveland manufacturer award – CNC machining
Gent Machine received a Best in Cleveland award for the manufacturer category. Gent Machine is a contract manufacturer or screw machine parts and precision CNC machining. The press release can be seen in text below and in the link below. https://cleveland.cities-distinction.com/PressReleaseub.aspx?cc=DMN9-ZB4U-RJSS Press Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE The Gent Machine Company…
Gent Machine received a Best in Cleveland award for the manufacturer category. Gent Machine is a contract manufacturer or screw machine parts and precision CNC machining. The press release can be seen in text below and in the link below.
https://cleveland.cities-distinction.com/PressReleaseub.aspx?cc=DMN9-ZB4U-RJSS
Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Gent Machine Company Receives 2023 Best of Cleveland Award
Cleveland Award Program Honors the Achievement
CLEVELAND October 1, 2023 — The Gent Machine Company has been selected for the 2023 Best of Cleveland Award in the Manufacturer category by the Cleveland Award Program.
Each year, the Cleveland Award Program identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the Cleveland area a great place to live, work and play.
Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2023 Cleveland Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the Cleveland Award Program and data provided by third parties.
About Cleveland Award Program
The Cleveland Award Program is an annual awards program honoring the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the Cleveland area. Recognition is given to those companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value.
The Cleveland Award Program was established to recognize the best of local businesses in our community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to recognize the small business community’s contributions to the U.S. economy.
SOURCE: Cleveland Award Program
CONTACT:
Cleveland Award Program
Email: PublicRelations@cities-distinction.com
URL: http://www.cities-distinction.com
Gent Machine making headlines in Northern Michigan
Press releases have been made and publications are picking up the story of Gent Machine purchasing NPP, Northern Precision Products. We announced the purchase several weeks ago and the Middle Michigan Development Corporation picked up on the news. From their release, the Big Rapids News website also released their own…
Press releases have been made and publications are picking up the story of Gent Machine purchasing NPP, Northern Precision Products. We announced the purchase several weeks ago and the Middle Michigan Development Corporation picked up on the news. From their release, the Big Rapids News website also released their own story, https://www.bigrapidsnews.com/news/article/northern-precision-products-leroy-sold-gent-18290138.php.
This is great PR for both companies. We expect the word to continue to travel around middle to Northern Michigan. The more publications and websites that pick up the story the better it is for name awareness of the both companies. This comes at a good time too as we see the economy begin to slow. Although we don’t expect a lot of work to be generated directly from the press releases we do hope this helps our linking campaign.
CNC availability open
The CNC department at both Gent Machine and NPP (Northern Precision Products – https://www.northernprecisionproducts.com/) is open and has capacity. Please contact us for your CNC turning and milling needs. Gent Machine’s capacity was scarce at one point, with each machine being booked for several months. We were fortunate to move…
The CNC department at both Gent Machine and NPP (Northern Precision Products – https://www.northernprecisionproducts.com/) is open and has capacity. Please contact us for your CNC turning and milling needs.
Gent Machine’s capacity was scarce at one point, with each machine being booked for several months. We were fortunate to move 2 individuals to start a 3rd shift and since then our lead times have decreased significantly. Instead of just 80 hours of production per week in our CNC departments, we are now able to offer 120 hours of production which significantly helps minimize a large backlog.
NPP has had a good amount of capacity for a while now. Their CNC lathes and mill are starving for work and we have been searching for it. This week NPP is actually shutdown for their annual summer shutdown, however, things will be back to normal next week. Unlike Gent Machine, NPP’s specialty in CNC is more around the mill and larger conventional style CNC parts.
Please contact us today for any parts you may need.
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