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feature Here is a homemade workhandling device. Floating pieces of wood slow down parts that fall from the machine, so they enter the water gently and don't collide with other finished pieces. Company founder Dan Hogge Sr. devised this solution. These are just a few areas in which the shop adapted its technology and thinking for unattended production. It also implemented quick-change Capto tooling from Sandvik Coromant at tool turret positions subject to frequent change to speed setup of new jobs at the end of the day shif t. Cer tain other changes are proprietar y, because staff members overcame some glitches in imaginative ways that they hope competing shops won't figure out soon. The creativity of Hogge Precision Parts' employees was among the enabling factors that made the move to unattended production possible. In fact, the commitment of these employees was vital. The staff itself had to change. Various senior employees date from when the company was a screw machine shop. Their mechanical experience came fully into play, because the imperfections that had to be addressed to bring the CNC machines into unattended production generally were mechanical problems. But at the 3. Part unloading is at least as important as same time, the mindset this staff brings to produchow the part goes into the machine. When large tion had to shift to embrace going lights-out. production quantities run without an operator to Gone, now, is the expectation that human eyes retrieve parts by hand, workpieces falling onto or human hands will be involved with any job as workpieces can cause damage. A workhandling it runs. "The question for us is no longer, 'Can I run device that prevents this, a device the shop embraced as part of its journey into unattended this job unattended?'" Mr. Hogge says. "The machining, is the Rota-Rack unloading carousel question now is, 'How long can this job run unattended?'" from Royal Products (see page 93). 4. What level of thermal stability does any given machine provide? Mr. Hogge says the answer NEW OPTIMAL STAFFING might surprise you. His most thermally stable Mr. Hogge remotely checks in on after-hours machines have proven to be some of the older production via cameras mounted throughout the ones in the shop. Knowing which machines hold shop. "I am looking for green lights," he says. their positioning is valuable for running lights-out, Today, he almost always sees them. because temperatures change considerably That hasn't always been the case. Even after during the course of an unattended shift. As a it had begun to succeed with lights-out machinresult of studying this problem, he says the shop ing, the shop aimed for 65 hours per week of this now knows more about the thermal temperament production. Getting that much unattended machinof its machine tools than ever before. It knows ing was an achievement. which machines are stable enough to run the Today, he says it's a disappointment to get finest-tolerance jobs through the night. less than 80 hours per week on most of the shop's 96 MMS September 2013 mmsonline.com