Expanding Our CNC Machining Services to Better Serve Customers
As a shop that provides CNC machining services for forward-thinking customers, it’s critical that we keep pace with our customers’ innovations. That involves continuously upgrading our equipment and services to accommodate increasingly complex requirements.
In recent years, we’ve made these key investments:
Added an Okuma GENOS M460V-5AX 5-axis machining center to reduce setups and maximize efficiency on our shop floor
Added a Keyence IM-8030T visual inspections system to take our quality assurance to the next level
Added a Gravotech fiber laser to bring laser engraving services in-house, resulting in shorter lead times and enhanced quality control
Sent two employees to Oregon to become Certified Cerakote Applicators
Here’s a look at some other investments we plan to make in 2024.
Planned Areas of Expansion
We’ve identified two important steps we can take next to better serve our customers: expanding our lathe department and strengthening our Cerakote capabilities.
Expanding our CNC lathe department
Our advanced Okuma LB 3000 EX II lathe serves us well, enabling us to achieve low and mid-volume productions with speed and precision. Live tooling capabilities further enhance our ability to meet customer demands.
However, there is always room for improvement, and as we take on more parts with milled and turned features, we plan to invest in a multi-axis lathe that can perform both milling and turning operations. With a multi-axis lathe, we’ll be able to run either round bar stock or square stock and complete milled and turned features on the same machine, resulting in better quality, costs, and lead times for customers.
Strengthening our Cerakote capabilities
Cerakote is a durable, thin coating that provides exceptional corrosion, abrasion, and chemical resistance. It’s commonly used on firearms and sports and fitness equipment, such as the barebow risers we manufacture frequently. In fact, Cerakote was in such high demand that in 2023, we paid for two of our employees to undergo a rigorous two-day training session to become Certified Cerakote Applicators.
They’ve mastered the art of applying Cerakote in solid colors, so now it’s time for them to take the next step in their training: learning to apply the coating in patterns. Soon, they’ll have the expertise to apply camouflage, American flag, and other high-demand patterns.
We Want to Hear from YOU!
Area Tool & Manufacturing, Inc. is committed to being a one-stop shop for our customers, providing CNC machining services and more. So, as we continue expanding our equipment and capabilities, we want to hear from you: What capabilities would you like to outsource to our shop that we don’t already have?
We have a 20,000-square-foot facility with plenty of space for new machines and departments. Let us know what we can do for you!
