A Gripping Tale of Production

Ohio manufacturer depends on Makino for reliability and productivity

In a production environment, machine reliability is essential. As machines are often taxed 24/7 due to lean production requirements, when they start to age the repairs to keep them operational often outweigh the cost of buying a new machine.

Zaytran Automation was founded in 1980 in Elyria, Ohio, and has become a global leader in the development of robotic gripper assemblies. Since the company first opened, management has done its best to stay competitive with the technology it uses.

It recently became evident to the company that some of the older machines on the floor were either going to require significant investment in repairs, or would need to be replaced. They turned to their staff for recommendations, and plant supervisor Gerald Hawley suggested that they look to Makino. He had attended the 2002 IMTS show and was very impressed with the a51 horizontal machining center and its potential to help them deliver top quality robotic grippers. So that is exactly what they purchased through their local distributor, Technical Equipment Sales.

Investment Performance [back to top]
The reliability of Makino was a key driving factor that encouraged Zaytran Automation to invest in two Makino a51 horizontal machining centers. The added capability, responsiveness and reliability of the a51s have made a difference in the company’s ability to serve the technologically advanced robotic gripper marketplace that is its primary product line.

All of these customers demand the quality and accuracy that Zaytran is getting with the a51s

These grippers range in size as well as in the material the a51s mill. Some of the grippers are made from tool-hardened steel, while others are made of an FDA-approved PET, food-grade plastic. According to Jerry Williams, production engineer and CNC program developer, Zaytran is the only manufacturer of cleanroom grippers available as a stock item. And they are producing both of these kinds of grippers on the a51s with great success. The company also manufactures hydraulic valves and locating pins used in welding and assembly operations.

Zaytran sells through a limited distribution channel to its customer base. It is comprised of automation and hydraulics integrators for products serving the big three automakers, the semiconductor industry and the aerospace manufacturing industry.

All of these customers demand the quality and accuracy that Zaytran is getting with the a51s. The machines provide quick axis movement and fast spindle acceleration and deceleration. The rugged a51 was the right choice for an operation like Zaytran’s where fewer moving parts and simple operation fit in well on the production floor, with minimal downtime and required maintenance.

Holding Tolerances [back to top]
Zaytran Automation runs nearly around the clock. To support this workload, in addition to the two Makino a51 horizontal machining centers (HMCs), the shop runs three other HMCs and one vertical machining center (VMC).

Before the introduction of the Makinos into the shop, the operators and management were quite satisfied with what they had. But today they are even more pleased with the Makino a51s. The resulting machine performance and productivity has reduced the company’s part cycle times as much as 40 percent.

"The tool changer is so fast that you have to really be looking at it to see the tool changeout," said Hawley. "I’ve been looking right at it before and not been able to determine which tool it changed to in the program until it’s actually cutting again."

One major selling point for Zaytran was the tight tolerances that the a51 could hold. "A few years ago when we bought the first HMC on our floor, it was a Makino competitor. We bought it on the contingency that it would produce a product line and hold tolerances time and again," Hawley explained.

We got them in place and loaded one of our existing programs directly into it. Everyone said ’Wow! Look what these things can do!’ We immediately saw a 40 percent decrease in cycle time.

"After we had them in here a few years, that wasn’t happening anymore and it became apparent to us why they were less expensive than the Makinos—they didn’t perform over time. We weren’t looking at anything specific at that time, we just had machinery going down that we decided to replace instead of putting more money into expensive and extensive repairs. I recommended a Makino based on the demos I had seen at IMTS. We were able to get two Makino a51s at the same time for a very reasonable price, and so we did."

Hawley continued by explaining how impressed everyone from the operators to the management was once the machines were installed and running. "We got them in place and loaded one of our existing programs directly into it. Everyone said ’Wow! Look what these things can do!’ We immediately saw a 40 percent decrease in cycle time."

The performance that the Makino a51s have provided is seen in the enhanced productivity of a number of production parts, as noted above. This net part productivity enhancement ranges from an improvement of 14 percent up to 146 percent.

Ease of Operation [back to top]
Hawley and Williams both agree that the operators who run the Makinos truly like to run them. Steve Maxwell, who is the lead person/programmer for Zaytran, had run a Makino in a previous position. Hawley says it was very easy for him to jump right onto the a51 and start cutting.

He adds that compared to the other HMCs on the floor the Makinos definitely stand out. "They rapid at incredible speeds. If a guy is used to running a machine at 800 inches per minute (ipm) and he jumps onto a Makino at 1900 ipm, that’s a huge difference. Within a couple of days we had acquired enough confidence that they just sat back and watched them work."

Because Zaytran does a lot of macro and specialized programming, Williams and Maxwell have attended an Advanced Macro Programming class at Makino. Both said they got a lot out of the training, and they will definitely look into more training through Makino in the future.

Hawley said one of the things he has been most impressed with in working with Makino and his distributor is the bottomline results he has seen. Zaytran has reduced maintenance expenses, enhanced productivity and decreased cycle times with the investment in the a51s.

With this ongoing savings of time and the continued increase in holding accuracies and tolerance, the Makino a51s continue to impress. So much so that Hawley and Willams both indicated that in the future Zaytran will definitely look to Makino for its machine needs.

And, the company will continue to look to save money on investing in new equipment as opposed to spending to repair outdated equipment.

To contact Zaytran Automation, visit the company website at www.zaytran.com. Or, contact the company at 440-324-2814, fax: 440-324-3552. Zaytran is located at: 41535 Schaden Rd., Elyria, OH 44035.