Who is the company

From its modern 120,000 sq-ft facility in Peabody, Massachusetts, A&A provides clients with cutting-edge manufacturing services in the medical, aerospace, and semiconductor industries.

What is the product

5-axis CNC programs and custom manufacturing process design and management.

Who is the founder/main contact

Gary Mardiros

What was the problem they were trying to solve

A&A Industries is at the forefront of manufacturing in New England when it comes to CNC machining. They needed to supplement their existing manufacturing capability to meet their clients’ needs.

Why did they approach MACABItech

MACABItech was hired to provide turn-key manufacturing programs for 5-axis machined parts.

What was the process used to develop a successful solution

Due to the complexity of A&A Industries’ request, several factors had to be considered when developing the delivery strategy.

CAD and Drawing Review

MACABItech reviewed parts to account for complex geometries, datums, critical dimensions, and other geometric relationships that represented major costs in manufacturing. This review process allowed MACABItech to work with A&A Industries to address the feasibility of a design change request, or fine tuning of the manufacturing process to increase the project’s profitability.

1. Production Management:
   
   Fixturing design and implementation:
   In order to maximize A&A Industries’ net income, MACABItech facilitated a site-wide review of existing part fixtures that were potentially compatible with the new part and process. This information was collated into a database, from which process commonalities could be extracted. The result of this analysis was the reassignment of multiple parts to a singular fixture, thus improving throughput and process efficiency.
   
   Trend Analysis:
   The client’s end to end machining operations were analyzed to generate data sets, which highlighted areas where process improvement could be made. The results of this investigation, when combined with MACABItech’s innate manufacturing knowledge, were significant: a 20% increase in insert life, and a 9% decrease in total run time for large volume semiconductor chamber machining, both directly improving profitability and efficiency.
   
   Specialized Tooling:
   MACABItech’s experience in delivering effective machining solutions meant that the use of costly specialized tooling was reduced throughout the clients manufacturing process. For example, custom made 5/8in diameter x 24in long gun drills were replaced in certain regions by reorganizing machine operations and utilizing extended length carbide coolant through drills, representing a savings in tool cost of 60%. MACABItech always considers that the correct specification of tooling and process is vital at the onset of the project to limit rework and improve the margin on machined items.
2. Process Control:
   Having established an intimate understanding of the A&A Industries’ manufacturing process, MACABItech complemented the existing process controls to further improve throughput. Working with project managers, engineers, and machine operators at A&A Industries, a well-defined process was documented in the traveller system. This process detailed vital part information including identifying process steps, material removal operations, the timing of critical features, and the implementation of any specialized tooling. This effective process control implemented by MACABItech ensured that the sequence of operations were efficient, maintainable, and repeatable.
3. CAM programming using Siemens NX:
   Siemens NX is regarded in the manufacturing industry as the gold standard for CAD/CAM packages. Used by notable companies such as NASA, SpaceX and Mercedes-Benz; A&A Industries could rest assured knowing that MACABItech was delivering their projects using the best tools available. MACABItech’s expertise with the CAD / CAM capabilities in NX filled a critical gap in A&A’s capabilities.
4. Prove-Out of first parts:
   In order to mitigate the risks associated with the creation of new parts and to ensure the delivery of quality parts, MACABItech carries out an exhaustive prove-out process to guarantee success from the moment the tool hits the part. Digital and physical validation is carried out on the process to ensure that the program, equipment and operators interface faultlessly. 
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5. Quality Control:
   MACABItech ensured that throughout the manufacturing process, concurrent Quality Control and Assurance was undertaken at every critical step.
   In-process inspection reports were created after each operation. Furthermore, final first article inspection reports were released after the prove-out to validate all process improvements and control parameters allowing the client to benchmark MACABItechs intervention against quantifiable Key Performance Metrics.