4. Transfer the required radius to a fl at piece of wood.
There are very few systems in the construction products industry that has benefi ted more from the introduction of technology over the last 20 years as much as metal composite material panel systems. Over the next few months we will be looking at some of the technological innovations in the area of MCM panel systems and the methods used to penetrate the market for these systems.
Some of the areas of technological innovation we will address are:
• Computer Aided Machining • Use of AutoCAD for Approval Drawings • Lead Tracking • Procurement of Contract Documents • Field Dimensioning
This month we will take a look at Computer Aided Machining. When we began fabrication of MCM panels
back in 1989-1990, we purchased “state-of-the-art” machining equipment. At the time, that was a vertical panel saw for cutting the MCM sheets to size and a vertical panel saw with a solid backboard for routing the folding fl anges of the sheets to form panels. These pieces of equipment for machining the
sheets were very accurate and did a great job; for rectangular panels only. However, whenever we had parts that had to
have a radius panel in plan, we had to become inno- vative. For example, when we had a very large radius to duplicate:
1. We would clear out a large area on the production fl oor.
2. Assemble a series of long extrusions that was as long as the required radius.
3. Strike an arc with a marker on the production fl oor of the required radius.
6. Then with the wooden template and a jig saw; cut the MCM sheet to the proper size.
7. Then use another wooden template to cut the notches in the curved folding fl anges with a plunge router.
Excellent quality panels can be made this way,
we have the completed projects to prove it, but it takes an extraordinary amount of planning, time and energy to accomplish what has been now made simple by the introduction of technology. Around 1994 we worked with a machinery bro-
ker and, to our knowledge, were the fi rst company to utilize a Three Axis–Computer Aided Machin- ing Center for the machining of MCM panels. The machinery that we chose was originally developed for the woodworking industry, and working with the machinery broker we were able to adapt the equipment for the machining of MCM Panels.
This was a major investment for our fi rm and
at the time this machinery cost about a quarter of a million dollars. However, from this point forward we were able to produce panels with complex geometry almost as easily as rectangular panels. After a few years there were other entries
in the Three Axis–Computer Aided Machining Center industry and the cost of the machines dropped dramatically and therefore the barriers to entry into MCM Fabrication were diminished substantially and created many competitors in the fi eld. These technological innovations, and the oth-
ers we will be studying in upcoming months, have gone a long way to make MCM Panel Systems one of the most technologically advanced building materials in the construction industry. As we explore these benefi ts; please feel
free to drop me an email at: ted.miller@millerclap perton.com to remind me of others.
Ted S. Miller is the CEO of The Miller Clapperton Partnership Inc., Austell, Ga. For more information, visit www.millerclapperton.com.