Lee Emanuel, owner and GM at Precision Magnetics Inc. with his new Supertec Master 818 grinder.
With half a lifetime of experience in the electronics business under his belt, Lee Emanuel knew it was time for a change, accepting a general manager’s position in an industry he had no real knowledge of. “Leading up to my first day as GM I was learning as much as I could about magnets and how they are used,” tells Precision Magnetics Inc. owner and general manager Lee Emanuel. “Obviously I knew what a magnet is, but I spent weeks researching uses other than hanging your kids’ drawings up on the fridge. In that short time, I saw possibilities I didn’t know existed. Magnets are used in everything: implantables, satellites, window locks, microphones, car clutches, the possibilities are endless.”
With 10 employees, a handful of manual and CNC machines Precision Magnetics is not a big place. But they supply to the military, medical and automotive sectors with a variety of specialty magnets made from difficult to machine Neodymium Iron Boron, Samarium Cobalt, Ferrite, and Alnico. Their niche is that nothing they make is over an inch in size and their standard practice is plus zero, minus .001”, and nearly everything is a consumable. “I treat every customer like they are the only one I’ve got because I never know when I will lose one,” touts Lee. “Customers are hard to replace, and I value every one of them regardless of the industry and the quantity of parts they order.”
Utilizing slicing software PMI can program in a multitude of cuts in a single setup. Prep begins by sizing the material and then using hot wax (left) to glue them to the fixturing. In this case, the Master 818 with slowly makes ten cuts while the operator preps the next fixture and cleans the last batch. The product is cleaned and ready to be sorted. The result is this small part that is ready to be packaged (right.)
Lee’s attraction to magnets began in a polarizing way. In what can almost be described as a James Patterson thriller, his tenure as the company’s GM didn’t quite go as planned. With family drama, international intrigue, and ultimately betrayal, his takeaway from the experience was a passion for magnetics. “I came on as GM and just made basic changes,” tells Lee. “They were just generally horrible at business, and the customers were not being serviced. I made simple modifications when I came on board that made a big difference in overall sales and profitability. The changes didn’t go over well with family members and high earners that were milking the company. So once the numbers were good and they were actually making money I was discarded. The short version is there were contract disputes, legal battles, and eventually, I let it all go and sought retribution elsewhere. My lawyer was the one to really put things in perspective for me. A couple months into the legal battle he was like “Lee what are you doing? What is your plan.” I thought about it. My plan was I like this business. I like what I’m doing. This is what I want to do. I was already getting calls from former customers because things were going sideways without me. Ultimately, Success is the best revenge and within a couple weeks I was up and running out of my house as Precision Magnetics. I liked the work, the customers, the challenge. I started this company with integrity, I didn’t steal a single customer, didn’t poach a single employee; they came because they knew who was getting things done.”
The precision magnets business is still an artform. It is a mixture of CNC and manual processes that take years to learn. “You need the right people and the right machines to do what we do,” explains Lee. “Every job can best be described as tedious. A lot of value is added to what seemingly appears to be a simple part. My employees are the best. You can spend a lifetime in manufacturing and CNC machining, and you would still need extensive training to do what they do. It’s such a nuanced job that requires an intimate knowledge of the materials and the machinery. There is a lot of skill and tribal knowledge in every part we make. There are so many processes required before we can even think about shipping a part. Some parts we do manually, some we can use the CNC grinders/slicers, but most parts require a combination of both. Even something seemly simple like packaging necessitates the most delicate touch and years of experience.”
A typical Ferrite part from Precision Magnetics is small, thin, has multiple features, and specifies a grain direction.
When it comes to their CNC grinders Lee relies on his long-standing relationship with Supertec. He purchased his first Supertec grinder back in 2009 when he landed a new account that couldn’t be done analog. “I got this job, and we couldn’t do it manually,” tells Lee. “Supertec are a local Southern California company, and I knew them from my past employer. The brand has been around for decades and is regarded as one of the finest Taiwanese machines out there. I needed a CNC grinder that also excels at slicing, and they had just what I needed. That machine has run two shifts almost every day since I bought it. Only recently has it begun to need a little more attention in the maintenance department. Supertec is great to deal with, and their service team is quick and dependable, but it reinforced what I already knew, we were due for a new machine.”
In February, Lee and Andy Chu at Supertec put together a deal for a Master 818. The Master 818 is part of Supertec’s lineup of compact but powerful CNC grinders, known for their robust construction and user-friendly control systems. It’s a high-precision surface grinding machine designed to handle intricate components with tolerances in the ±5 micron range and meet the demanding needs of industries that require exceptional accuracy, repeatability, and automation. “Andy hooked me up with a great price on one of their demo machines,” tells Lee. “They had to send out for the upgraded slicing software to match my other machine, but it was online quickly. They spent two days training us and we hit the ground running. We utilize our grinders a little differently than most. Sure, we use them to grind, but primarily we use them to slice. It is a quick changeover from grind to slice and back to grind, but most days you will find a .030 blade slicing away at thousands of pieces of brittle material on at least one of the machines. The factory settings allow basic slicing, but many of our operations require more than 16 programmed cuts to the material. The upgraded software is paramount to our operations. Even then it’s a slow process because if we put any pressure on the material the parts will chip and break. The slicing software is invaluable, allowing the operator to multitask while the machine runs its cycle unattended. There’s a lot of prep work and cleaning involved in magnets, so maximizing my employee’s time is key to a productive day. It’s already a monotonous job with so many processes, not having the ability to automate operations would make it unbearable.”
Left – Mai is head of QC. With decades of experience, she inspects every part using tweezers and a magnifying glass before putting them into packaging. A single order can be 250,000 individual pieces. Right – Manual processes are still necessary. It takes the experienced feel of operator Chris to finesse down the flatness of the material to the same thickness. His material removal can be considered stingy at best. With both hands working in perfect sync, he can probably skip arm days at the gym.
Some of the key selling points of the Master 818 are work envelope, easy to use Fanuc controls, overall rigidity, and the high-speed spindle. “What immediately stood out to us was the stiffness of the machine,” says Lee. “When you’re working on sub-inch parts, vibration is the enemy. This grinder doesn’t flinch. We don’t need a monster of a machine, so the size fits perfectly in our shop and the 6” wheel matches effortlessly with our needs. The 8”x18” table is the right size for our parts, anything larger than that is wasted space and makes the materials prone to breakage.” The same praise is heaped upon the spindle. “We needed a spindle that can handle brittle magnetic materials without compromising on finish or accuracy,” continues Lee. “The spindle goes to like 60,000 RPM and boasts a runout of less than 2 microns, delivering superior surface finishes and highly accurate dimensions. Which brings me to the Fanuc controls. All my operators do their own programming. Fanuc is an industry staple so most knew it before coming here, but it is also easy to learn. Cross training is key when you have a shop of this size. Everyone can run all the machines thanks in part to the straightforward user interface on the controls.”
Lee sources materials from around the globe, and these days that comes with some uncertainty. But if you ask him if there’s any place he’d rather be, I’d bet he says no. At 71 he doesn’t come across as a guy who is here just because he needs the money. You can tell by the smile on his face how much Precision Magnetics brings him joy. “I think back about how angry I was back in the day with how I was treated by my previous employer,” concludes Lee. “At some point, you must let go and move on. And you know what? Every single day I thank them. I thank them for what I have here. Without them I wouldn’t have found this career, this passion, and I am truly blessed and grateful to have my customers, this team of talented people, and the success that comes with all of it.”