2018cnc4-5.2

you get. Tony orders his 4020 machines with 24 tools since most job numbers require fewer than 11 tools. Each ma- chine comes with a 10,000 RPM spindle and 15 HP motors. “The Fadal is a solid platform,” tells Tony. “They will remove a lot of metal quickly. We typically don’t do giant hog outs, but the speed difference was noticeable right away. The new machines just zip along. There are a ton of upgrades on the new generation of Fadals. Repeatability and accuracy have been improved to go along with the better speed.” Martin- dale Manufacturing still has three more of the older units that are next in line for replacement. “The gains we’ve seen have been night and day, easily 30%,” claims Tony. “A part that was taking 10 minutes now is under 7. Even with the added speed I don’t have to sweat the tolerances that I used to worry about because it just works, works really well.” Martindale Manufacturing doesn’t make millions of the same part, so they don’t chase gains of seconds, but when you see minutes shed off production times it is probably a safe bet that you made a good decision.” Martindale Manufacturing mills, that’s what they do, and do well. Their top priority is providing the highest level of service for their customers. “We really shine when it comes to customer relationships,” concludes Tony. “What we do here is not rocket science, even though parts find their way onto rockets. The day-to-day communications required to service our customers properly is a big part of what we do. Obviously delivering a quality part on times is mandatory, but without all the back and forth communication our abil- ity to deliver would be more difficult. Customers like the flexibility we offer. Part of that flexibility comes from hav- ing a shop full of the same Fadal machining centers and the rest of it comes from my team of dedicated and talented employees.” Martindale Manufacturing uses custom vacuum fixtures to hold the ultra thin material in place. They have a variety of styles depending on the part they are making.