How solving design problems can improve efficiency

A big part of what makes Edmo so popular is our wealth of design and engineering expertise. In this case, our technical team helped a customer to boost their production efficiency and cut costs with a carefully considered tooling redesign. Punch press problems The customer in this case – a leading name in the UK horticultural and forestry markets – was new to Edmo in 2017. They came to us on a simple aluminium extrusion supply arrangement: we began to provide them with a range of extruded aluminium profiles, both in mill finish* and powder coated lengths, which they would then fabricate in-house. Find out about our powder coating services During a meeting with the customer, we found out that there were significant problems with their production efficiency, caused by an issue with the tooling on their punch press. Poorly designed for the job at hand, the tools kept breaking and holding up production. There was also a significant level of wastage and scrap due to the tools breaking mid-process. This faulty tooling was costing our customer money by: Slowing production Damaging materials Needing to be replaced regularly Our design and technical team is made up of engineers with decades of combined experience in aluminium extrusion fabrication. The customer asked if there was anything we could do to help them improve their punch press tooling and, as a result, their overall production efficiency. Our design support solution Once we’d found out about the challenge our customer was facing, our design support team set to work coming up with a solution. After speaking to the customer and finding out their exact requirements, we came up with a new power punch press tool for their machine. The new tooling was bespoke, based on the shape of the extruded aluminium profile we supplied to them and taking into account the fabrication requirements – in this case, large notches and holes that needed to be punched out of the extrusion in a particular pattern. “Production has improved significantly, with no interruptions” The customer is delighted with the results of the new tooling design: a simple change has led to a significant increase in production efficiency and has all but cut out the costly interruptions the old tooling caused. The next time we spoke to the customer, they commented that they wished we’d designed all their tooling for them, as there are other areas causing them issues. We’re currently working with them to redesign their other tools, and look forward to hearing about the positive results. Got a similar problem? Find out how we can help. Contact a member of our design and technical team to find out how our turnkey aluminium extrusion solutions can help your business. Aluminium extrusion glossary *Mill finish: we supply a large number of customers with mill finish aluminium extrusion. This simply means extruded aluminium profiles that haven’t been treated or finished: they’re likely to be treated later on during the fabrication process (e.g. by being anodised, painted or polished) to make them more hard-wearing and/or attractive. Edmo’s main activity is the specification, sourcing and supply of customer specific aluminium extrusion components and products. We are able to supply our customers with a range of types of goods, from fabricated components through to sub-assemblies and finished goods complete in final packaging. For more information on any of our aluminium extrusion fabrication services, please contact us.