Model Shop upgrades decrease production time and lower cost

  • Published
  • By Janae' Daniels
  • AEDC/PA
Arnold Air Force Base, Tenn. --  Arnold Engineering Development Center's (AEDC) Model Shop recently finished a $5.5 million new equipment upgrade that is projected to reduce production time and cost by up to 80 percent.

According to Dave Simmons, branch manager of the Model Shop, the Model Shop supports AEDC test, investment, plant and maintenance operations with precision machining, fabrication and product installation support services. There are approximately 150 machine and fabrication assets.

These machines are capable of producing machined products small enough that the average person would need a magnifier to perform certain operations or as large as 35 feet in diameter and weighing up to 40 tons. Products produced include test models, balances, stings, flexures, thrust stands probes, rakes and ducting.

"We have fabrication equipment that can bend and shape metals up to three-inch thickness and capabilities are only restricted by the size of our overhead doors and the capacity of the cranes, 40 tons," Simmons explained. "The Model Shop assets were aging, averaging 38 years old, and the downtime was driving up not only the maintenance costs but adding cost to the customer's product due to continuous downtime."

So a decision had to be made -- do we keep the capabilities of the shop and invest in new equipment or does AEDC get out of the business?

"The real concern to us was the impact to schedule that would be experienced by eliminating these machines and their capabilities," Roger Kraft, Model Shop section manager and 30-year veteran of the Model Shop, said.

A significant portion of the work performed at the Model Shop is concurrently produced while being designed or what is known at the shop as concurrent engineering.

"This means the engineer or project manager can provide some initial information and we can get the process started while awaiting the final design or specification," Kraft explained. "This also reduces cycle time significantly and helps us meet critical test and maintenance schedules."

According to Kraft, the shop's overall cycle time is anywhere from 40 to 60 days faster when compared to outsourcing. The engineer or project manager can work hand-in-hand with craft personnel, which allows them to see what the product looks like while it is being produced and tweak the requirement to ensure that the best possible product is provided.

"Without the right equipment, however, we couldn't make this happen," Kraft said.
Simmons added, "We sat down with ATA and Air Force financial folks and shared our concerns with them and the potential impact to the center that would result from the loss of this capability. We had strong advocacy from both groups."

Alan Fleenor, Air Force resource adviser, was glad to help with this initiative.

"These are some of the hardest working and most under-recognized folks on the base and they perform tasks that are vital to our test operations," Fleenor said. "When the Air Force project managers and Simmons approached me for help, I jumped at the opportunity."

Inside machinist for the Model Shop Norman Smith is thankful to all those involved who showed interest in the Model Shop upgrades.

"I know we have had a lot of support from Dave Simmons, the Air Force and various test customers. Without their support we would still be using machines from the past attempting to keep up with the present," Smith said.

"With the purchases of the new machines and the recent upgrades to some of the older machines, we have gained easier set-up, faster machining, better repeatability, safer work area and some capabilities we did not have before."

The machines identified for upgrade would not only sustain the core capabilities of the Model Shop but provide new technology that would benefit the AEDC customer. This investment strategy began in fiscal year 2005 with the purchase of a new electrical discharge machine, Wire EDM, at a cost of $360,000. Since that time, 16 new machines have been added. This includes a new 30-foot horizontal machining center and a vertical machining center.

"These machines provide a short return on investment due to the efficiency and reduction of maintenance costs," 2nd Lt. Jason Lackey, Air Force functional manager for the Model Shop, said. "The machine set up time has been reduced by 50 percent and the time to complete the machining process has been reduced by up to 96 percent over conventional, manually operated machines."

According to Kraft, these upgrades will not only help AEDC customers, but help the craftsmen who work on the machines on a daily basis.

"We have always had talented craftsmen and I believe the best anywhere in the world," Kraft said. "We now have machines to compliment that talent."

According to Numerical Control Programmers Paul Denton and Joel Gregory the machines proved to be everything that was advertised.

"We have example after example where the new equipment has reduced costs. Parts that in the past took up to eight hours per part are now being produced in minutes," the men said.

These machines are also helping AEDC designers to design parts on the leading edge of technology while reducing and simplifying the part.

"We have been seeing an increase in business from other Air Force and government customers also," Jim Myers, 704th Maintenance Squadron director, said. "Many of these bases no longer have machine and fabrication facilities. We currently are producing parts for Langley and Edwards and have produced parts for the Army. We just finished a prototype part for Edwards that if all goes well could bring a significant amount of work to the AEDC Model Shop."

What does it mean for AEDC and its customers?

According to Simmons, these investments will enable the Model Shop to provide unmatched capabilities to AEDC and other outside Air Force and government sources. Not only can more aggressive customer schedules be met, the parts can be provided at a greatly reduced cost than experienced in the past.

"We invite our customers to come by and discuss their needs with us," Simmons explained. "I believe that they will be pleasantly surprised at the new capabilities and the potential advantages that can now be offered by the Model Shop."