At Superior Thread Rolling, our company is roughly split into two different departments based on our specialties–thread rolling and CNC machining. Together, these facilities allow us to make a wide range of pins, fasteners, bushings, bolts, and much more for our partners in Aerospace equipment manufacturing. Although we have offered CNC lathe machining for several decades, our shop has evolved significantly over the years thanks to the investment in new technologies and production methods, as well as the adoption of cellular manufacturing processes. This investment has allowed us to provide improved turnaround times, better quality components, and competitive pricing.
Cellular vs. Non-cellular: how we organize our CNC shop
Superior Thread makes use of a process called cellular manufacturing. This subsection of lean manufacturing involves creating manufacturing ‘cells’, each organized around a family of parts–components that share similar characteristics. That includes workstations, equipment, parts bins, tools, and other relevant resources, all of which are physically organized to optimize the flow of production of a single part from one piece of equipment to the next. This improves the efficiency of the production process, minimizing waste and logistical effort.
Want to learn more about cellular CNC machining? Check out our blog on the topic!
The parts we make on our CNC Lathe machines
Our CNC shop is organized to accommodate several different families of parts. These were developed over the years based on the needs of our customers, and the different parts that we commonly manufactured. These families include:
- Large Fuse Pins
- Clevises, Rod ends, Hooks, and Latches (Rectangular Bar)
- Landing Gear Components
- Small Bolts
- Medium-Sized Fasteners
- Large Bolts
- Small Bushings
- Large Bushings
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We also have a cell that is dedicated to secondary operations that are typically completed after thread rolling, such as machining hollow ends, cross-holes, and keyways.
Investing in the latest technology
Superior’s most recent is in a new CNC lathe built for large diameter parts and heavy machining. As demands for Aerospace landing gear components move to harder stainless steel materials, we have also adjusted our capabilities in order to accommodate roughing and machining hardened stainless steel, typically well over 50 HRC. This new machine can accommodate up to 15” diameter parts, and is equipped with a high-pressure coolant system, including coolant chiller to extend tool life when cutting these demanding materials.
This lathe has been paired together with another large-diameter lathe to enable cellular roughing for landing gear components, improving our efficiency. We also have an overhead crane above these machines to improve the safety of the operators due to the size of the material we’re working with.
Superior Thread Rolling: dedicated to producing better products at better prices
All of our efforts in organizing our CNC lathe machining cells, improving our process, and investing in better technology, is done to improve the service and products that we deliver to our customers. By improving our shop’s efficiency, we can offer better quality components at competitive prices.
Interested in working with us? Check out our website to request a quote or to learn more about how we can serve you.