When you rely on a precision machine shop for complex machined parts, you simply can’t afford to compromise on quality.
So much happens from the moment you request a quote to the moment the completed parts arrive at your door. It’s important to work with a shop you can trust to ensure the highest level of quality every step of the way.
At Wagner Machine, we pride ourselves on guaranteeing better quality parts than your average machine shop. Our attention to detail and careful processes allow us to get your parts right the first time—every time! Becoming AS9100D and ISO9001:2015 certified demonstrates
our commitment to the quality of parts we have always been proud to manufacture.
Common Quality Risks at Machine Shops
We like to make sure our customers are aware of common quality risks, whether the risks originate when you submit a print or on the shop floor.
Top quality risks customers can help mitigate:
- Prints that lack critical dimensions. If the critical dimensions aren’t called out on your print, that’s an obvious quality problem waiting to happen! If we suspect critical dimensions are missing, we will always circle back with you to get the information we need, but you know what matters, so it’s better to provide that information up front.
- Prints that list too many dimensions. There is such a thing as providing too many dimensions. When you over-dimension your print, you risk ending up with conflicting dimensions and tolerance stackup issues that can compromise the functionof a part. Too much noise also makes it difficult for us to understand the design intent of a part and can lead to overlooking truly critical features. In general, we suggest minimally dimensioned prints. Overall dimensions and critical features with special tolerances should be specified, but features with print tolerances are not marked.
Top quality risks on the shop floor:
- Damaged parts. Parts can easily become scratched, dented, or otherwise damaged on the shop floor. We proactively prevent damage by maintaining organized work areas, using standard containers, and separating parts with foam sheets during production. From the machinists to the quality inspection team to the shipping department, it’s important to work with a machine shop that’s always on the lookout for these issues.
- Tool wear. A broken or worn tool has the potential to ruin an entire production run. Sometimes wear isn’t obvious so machinists must be diligent to pay attention to the small details. If a shop isn’t carefully monitoring tools, quality suffers and customer orders can be delayed.
How Wagner Machine Ensures the Highest Level of Quality
No matter where a quality risk originates, our team is prepared with proactive solutions, such as:
Communicating with customers during quoting. We’ll never leave you hanging trying to sort out critical dimensions or tolerances on your own. We do everything we can to bridge the gap between design and manufacturing. Don’t be surprised if we ask clarifying questions about your quote. It’s just our way of understanding your design intent so we’re clear on the functionality of your part.- Tool breakage detection. We use tool breakage detection features on our machines to monitor tools as we go. If, for example, we’re drilling and tapping holes, we will set up the machine to check the drill before it runs the tap to make sure it didn’t break off. This feature is especially useful for automated production. If a tool breaks midway through, the machines will stop so we don’t end up running 12 hours of scrap parts overnight.
- Dedicated quality inspection training. Every new hire at our Illinois machine shop goes through a week of training in our quality department, regardless of what their role is. Our commitment to quality spans our entire company, from our machinists to our administrative and shipping employees.
- Advanced inspection technology. Our optical inspection machines, like our KEYENCE IM-7030T, allow us to measure and inspect parts with extreme speed and accuracy. This piece of equipment can take an image of a part and measure all the dimensions we’ve programmed it for simultaneously, providing up to 200 measurements in 2 seconds. It can also check multiple parts at the same time.
We don’t just check parts during final inspection. We also provide in-process checks that are faster and just as accurate as using a CMM. With the KEYENCE IM-7030T, we’ve been able to increase the frequency of our in-process checks and perform more comprehensive inspections each time without slowing down operations.
Don’t trust just any shop for your complex machined parts. Come to Wagner Machine and see for yourself just how serious we are about quality. Request a quote today!