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PSP’s milling department is filled with a variety of machining centers like Mori Seiki, Mazak and Okuma. Four and five axis mills dominate every corner of department.
just adding a machine or two big but opening a second manufacturing facility big. I can’t reveal all the details yet, but we will have 50,000 sq.ft. of space on the east coast and 5,000 feet of that will be a clean room for all our implantables. This building is becoming a cricket field of all things so, PSP West’s base of operation will also be revamped into a new building down the road. This gives us the opportunity to customize each location to maximize production and best serve our customers.” Some of PSP’s machines from the current shop will travel to the new location, but as of the time of writing PSP East can count on at least half a dozen brand new machining centers in the initial buildup of the east coast plant.
“Six new machines are in phase one of the new facility,” explains Norbert. “First up are three fully loaded Star Swiss screw machines. I’m talking every bell and whistle, Factory Wizard, as well as a frequency measurement system. Next is one Matsuura 5 axis mill with a large pallet pool, a ton of tools and robotic automation. I know I want another multi- axis lathe too, maybe even a pair of them. I’m not 100% decided yet on the make and model, but it will be fully loaded with all the features available. We have Nakamura’s on the floor right now and I like those a lot, but we are also talking to CNC Solutions about the top- of-the-line offerings from Index Corp. as another option.”
Both of PSP’s new facilities will have more automation across the board. PSP is at a point where they don’t need as many low-cost laborers, but they are helping employees directly affected by the additional automation find other positions within the organization. “Most of the employees have been very receptive to the changes and have jumped at the chance to learn new skills,” details Norbert. “By offering training programs to anyone interested we are helping them transition into new roles with better pay, and hopefully more job satisfaction. I am automating as much as I can. A perfect example of this would be a new recycling system for chips, coolant and oil. It starts by employees safely placing the barrel of chips into a designated area. The robot then effortlessly deposits the waste into the receptacle where it is squeezed, filtered and put back into use. Dumping chips is one of the most likely places for an employee to get injured. They can slip on fluids, try and lift too much and hurt their backs, all sorts of issues are possible doing what should be an easy task. By adding automation, we are not only are we making it a safer workplace for everyone, but the new system enormously reduces the amount of waste. It is a win-win.”
“I’m excited to expand PSP into two locations,” concludes Norbert. “It is a dream come true to see the company flourish like this. I know we will face some
added challenges, but all our recent improvements will hopefully minimize the learning curve. I see the two locations as an insurance policy for customers. Redundancy is important, if some force of nature shuts down one facility, we can move stuff around. The likelihood is not high of course but giving customers an added sense of security is a bonus. Who’s to say in a few more years we won’t have a third location somewhere in the middle. Our trajectory is up, and I don’t see that changing. We keep adding customers and they keep adding more parts. Here at PSP, we love what we do and soon we can do more of it.”
PSP are ISO 9100 and ISO 1345 registered. Their quality lab is filled with state- of -the- art measurement tools from the most respected names in quality.
28 www.CNC-West.com
CNC WEST June/July 2021