CUT 200 wire EDM, we can quickly and accurately burn ex- tremely complicated features on round parts to eliminate any secondary operations on a turning or milling machine. Plus, we are NADCAP certified in EDM.” He continued saying that the shop has experienced signifi-
cant production improvement with about 30 part numbers now done on the HSM 600U LP. One part, for instance, re- quired about four operations on a horizontal machining cen- ter and five separate ones on a knee mill. It is now machined complete in only two operations on the HSM 600U LP. For an aerospace titanium end cap part that transferred
over to the HSM 600U LP, processing previously required three CNC operations and three manual drilling operations. Te five-axis machine not only completes the part in just two operations, but also reduces cycle time down to 75 minutes from a previous two-hour run time. According to Peck, much of the shop’s part-processing im-
provements can be attributed to the shear speed of the HSM 600U LP, in addition to its five-axis capability.
From Humble Beginnings Patrick Christopher’s father and uncle started Christo-
pher Tool & Manufacturing Co. in 1951 as a traditional tool and die shop. In 1965, the shop got its first introduc- tion into the aerospace/aircraft industry when asked to help manufacture a new displacement pump for defense aircraft. The shop played a significant role in developing the pump that could withstand the ingestion of abrasives, such as sand, and still function properly. Then in the mid-1960s, Christopher Tool got another major opportunity from a huge hydraulics and pneumatics supplier. The company was launching a new gas turbine engine division, and the shop was contracted to manufac- ture spools and sleeves for the CFM 56 jet engine. At this time, the shop had very little experience with high-production volumes, being a low-volume job shop. So with accepting the engine parts job, the shop had to rethink its business plan and ramp up to medium-to-high- volume manufacturing.
The shop continued to manufacture hydraulic valves (flow nozzles), which expanded its presence in the hydrau- lic and pneumatic fields. The shop then made a critical decision to aggressively pursue that type of work. And with the decision, it invested in CNC machining technol- ogy and in a new manufacturing facility. Today, Christopher Tool occupies a 66,000-ft2
(6138- m2
) facility and experiences 4% annual growth. It has added to its hydraulic and pneumatic operations with the manufacturing of complex components for a variety of industries in addition to aerospace and defense and continues to provide customers with the best products and service possible.
“Te machine’s 36,000-rpm spindle allows us to machine
much faster,” he said. “We now take very light depths of cut, but at extremely fast feed rates. For instance, the heaviest cut we take is 0.125" (3.175 mm). However, the machine is feeding at 200 ipm [5080 mm/min]. Tis capability has significantly reduced cycle times for all the parts now done on the machine.” Christopher Tool typically uses small-diameter solid-carbide
tools on the HSM 600U LP, which are mostly ballnose end mills held by Rego-Fix powRgrip mechanical toolholders. For these particular endmills, the machine’s simultaneous five-axis motion (tilt/rotation) keeps them in a constant optimum position during the cut and prevents any machining with the “dead points” at the top of their radii. For an aerospace turbine shaſt component pre- viously farmed out, this capability will allow the shop to machine the part’s intricate vanes with a 0.046" (1.168-mm) diameter end mill, and do so at drastically shorter cycle times than would be the case if the part was done on a four-axis milling machine. Te HSM 600U LP processes all Christopher Tool’s impel-
ler parts for the Joint Strike Fighter. For the engine, the shop manufactures about 20 part numbers and two main assemblies each with about 25 part numbers of their own. Before the five-axis machine, the shop was producing other parts for the project, but not the impellers. “As the project ramped up, we realized we could no longer
rely on outside vendors for our five-axis machining,” said Peck. “And when we looked at the HSM 600U LP, we knew its fast, high-accuracy linear motor technology would give us a significant advantage in machining speed and precision, but service and application support is what really convinced us. We conducted some inquiries, and many shop people we know praised the support from GF AgieCharmilles. For us, the company was very instrumental in getting us up and run- ning quickly. Tey walked us through our first impeller, and by the second one, we were doing them on our own.” Additionally, the machine has pallet changing. And accord-
ing to Peck, the shop oſten has three or four completely dif- ferent jobs—both long and short running, as well as multiple parts on single pallets—set up on the machine at one time. It then basically works around the clock (23 hours per shiſt), five-and-a-half days per week and mostly untended. “Such capability to do more with less through state-of-
the-art technology and automation,” added Christopher, “will further increase our agility to quickly meet changing customer demands. Te disciplines we’ve acquired from our experience in the aerospace industry are benefitting us as we expand into other industries. For these new customers, we can provide them the same care and attention we give our aerospace work and at a much more competitive price, thanks in part to manufacturing innovations such as those from GF AgieCharmilles. ✈
Feature edited by Yearbook Editor Michael Anderson from information provided by GF AgieCharmilles.
Aerospace & Defense Manufacturing 2013 69
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