The Davenport multi spindle screw machine is the fastest screw machine on the market. Gent machine has 38 Davenport machines on the production floor with another four off-line. In the last month we set up a part for a customer to make Bases for a 9mm round (ammunition). The material is 7075 aluminum, and we are making a part every 1.4 seconds. By the end of May we expect to have four machines running this part producing about 1 million parts per month.

The tolerances on this base part are tight for a screw machine. The ID tolerance is .001”. Typically, this would be too tight but since this is aluminum and the diameter is small, we have been able to hold the .001” tolerance. It is also possible because this part is running on a recently rebuilt Davenport screw machine.

About three times a year we strip a Davenport screw machine down to the base. Every part is taken off the machine and the core is sent to Meagher Machine in Rochester NY. Meagher Machine bands and bores the machine, and a new head is placed into the machine. From there, the core with the new head is shipped back to Gent Machine. Our experienced rebuilding staff puts each spindle, shaft, slide and bearing back into the machine to ensure the screw machine is brought back to like new. Having rebuilt machines on our production floor ensures we can meet the required tolerances on customers prints.

With the purchase of our first CNC milling machine, a Hwacheon Vesta 660, we expected to be producing parts to make money. However, just having the machine on our floor is opening up new opportunities for us. These opportunities may not always add to sales but more so decrease our costs to suppliers.

Take this cap for example. I know you can’t see the part but it is a cap for a battery case. We make about 15,000 caps per month for a customer. Each part needs to be anodized, but not completely. The part must only have the top or “cap” side of the part is anodized. The rest must remain bright. In order to do this, the bottom half of the part must be covered during the anodizing process.

To cover the thread portion of the part, the anodizer currently screws in hundreds of parts into a fixture. The fixture blocks the bottom half of the part from being anodized. They dip the fixture in to the anodizing bath and  then unscrew the parts from the fixture and send to back to us. Naturally, the labor to screw in and unscrew each part is costly to the anodizer so we are billed for this time. Now that we have the CNC Milling machine we are able to produce our own fixture. Once this is done we will be able to screw in the parts to our fixture, send it the anodizer, who will just dip the fixture and then send back to us. We are removing their labor cost which will create a sizeable savings in the end. 

Gent Machine is fortunate to have several Master Level Davenport screw machinists and CNC machinists. Dave recently shared his experience as a 40-year veteran of the industry. His machining journey started after he decided to answer an advertisement in a machine shop in Cleveland that read, Machinist Wanted – Will Train.  Dave’s favorite part of machining is starting and finishing a set up and having it run well. For those new to machining, setting up a new job is quite a process and a very valuable skill. First, a machinist has to tear down the last job. This means removing all the tools, tool holders, cams, collets and pushers, as well as the gears. Once the machine is bare, the machinist is ready to install what is required for the new part being produced, adding new tools, tool holders, cams, collets and pushers, and new gears. The machinist determines all the parts needed by looking at the set-up sheet or layout provided. This requires knowing how to read print specs, how a particular machine runs, and understanding tool wear.

Running screw machines can be frustrating when it comes to getting a job to run correctly. Of particular angst can be both internal and external threads that have extremely close tolerances.Dave possesses key attributes to deal with the frustrations required for a successful set-up including:

• patience
• the ability to realize the everyone has issues with machines at times with a focus on the big picture.
• solid basic math skills
• top notch trouble shooting. Understanding what is not causing a problem is as important as understanding what could be causing a problem. This understanding saves time and creates focus on the issue.
• reading blueprints
• knowing how to use gauges, such as micrometers, digital dial indicators, and plug gauges

Gent Machine’s customers benefit from Dave’s valuable input on jobs. Dave knows it is not his input alone that makes the Davenports hum. He appreciates how everyone in his department helps to train each other. There are many skilled individuals willing to slowly bring new machinists along in their new roles. Working on a screw machine can be truly monotonous at first, but like any new skill, repetition is how a person slowly evolves into a master.

Dave was one of only a few screw machinists who helped with the set-up and running of ventilator parts at the beginning of Covid. He said wearing a mask has been awful, especially with the summer’s hot temperatures. Overall, he said it can be loud and oily, but good music, the ability to make a good living, the love of working with his hands, and the ability to make a machine hum bring him to Gent every day.

Gent Machine is long steeped in CNC machining tradition. Not only is it in our blood, passed down from one generation to the next, but often within our employee’s families. Looking down the hallways of our office, pride is evident in the long line of images starting with the company’s start in 1880 in Rockford, Illinois. The company then moved on to Richmond Heights in 1927 and South Euclid in 1941. The pristine black and white photographs are hung with absolute precision, emphasizing the precision in every part and every detail the company endeavors to embark upon. The row of pictures ends with the latest acquisition and current home located on Kirby Avenue in Cleveland OH. Gent strives every day to continue the tradition and magic of all things machining within its sphere.

While the davenport, acmes, and swiss cnc machines toil hard daily, there is one special piece of equipment that specifically performs to mark the special occasions in the shop – a Union Pacific Rotary Snow Plow Brass Lunkenheimer Steam Locomotive Whistle. The brass whistle shines with pride and signifies to all that a special event has occurred when its roar is heard. We celebrate daily occasion’s such as a new job coming on line, as when we were honored to machine ventilator parts and do our part in the fight against Covid-19. We celebrate passing our IATF 16949:2016 audit. We celebrate the service of our employees. This past week, Herb Young pulled the cord and the whistle blew in honor of his distinguished 45 years of service to the company. Thank you for your service to Gent Machine and to your country, Herb. We are honored by your integrity and that you chose to spend your career with us.

Gent Machine understands that its long machining history is the foundation of its future. Years of experience have helped us hone in on what we specialize within the machining industry, turning bar stock ranges from 1/64” to 2” in diameter to meet our customer’s blue prints. As precision machinists, we do more that turn stock. We keep people safe in their automobiles, ensure our troops have precise equipment needed to defend our country, and provide solid jobs in the Cleveland community. All reasons to whistle, indeed.

The Smart Buiness (https://www.sbnonline.com/) organization announced in August that Gent Machine Co. is a recipient of the 2020 Family Business Achievement Award! The achievement awards were given to successful family owned business that are growing for the next generation. As a 4th generation precision machining company, Gent Machine was excited to be listed among other well known Ohio businesses.

Unfortunately, due to COVID, the award ceremony was moved to an online affair. Invites were sent out via Eventbrite.com and all were welcome to join. Below is the formal invitation that was sent out to all able to attend.

Join us as we celebrate this accomplishment and network at the virtual 2020 Family Business Conference presented by @Cuyahoga Community College and hosted by @Smart Business Network! #FamilyBusiness #SBN #networking #virtualconference Register for free here.