Success Stories: Dana Corporation

“Dana saves 2.57 minutes, or $4.73, each time it threads a carrier.”

Production engineers will always adopt anything that shaves time off of a high-volume application's cycletime. Being a production engineer, Mike Cadwallader, who works for Dana Corp.'s Spicer Heavy Axle and Brake Division in Morgan, NC, had been looking for a way to thread holes in a cast-iron carrier housing in less time.

He was told by his tool distributor how much faster and less expensively a 14-flute thread mill from Advent Tool and Manufacturing could cut threads.

To thread the holes, which measured at 6-5/8" diameter each, a thread mill has to cut 41.63 linear inches. Spicer's machinists were doing the job with single-flute tools installed in seven 20-hp horizontal machining centers. The single flute tools took 3.96 minutes to machine the two holes.

Dana's machines, which produced about 15,000 parts a year when running at full capacity, consumed approximately 76 inserts. At a price of $50 each, these 76 inserts cost Dana $3,800. Also because of the rapid and inconsistent wear present, the operation demanded the machinists' constant attention.

The Advent Advantage

Further discussions with Advent Tool's engineers convinced Cadwallader to give the Advent thread mill a try on one of his machines. The Advent Tool engineers recommended running the thread mill at certain SFM and IPM's. This made it possible to increase feed rates and the through-coolant design and the rigidity of the tool's one-piece construction also made it possible to produce high-quality threads with a faster feed.

The shortened machining time has saved Dana thousands of dollars. According to Cadwallader, the operation's time has dropped from 3.96 minutes to 1.39 minutes, Dana saves 2.57 minutes, or $4.73, each time it threads a carrier. A machine producing 15,000 carriers at faster machining rate could save Dana up to $70,950 over the course of a year.