Within the dynamic aerospace and defense sectors, changes to part specifications and quantities can be frequent and unpredictable. As a result, clients require a machining partner that can quickly adapt to design and production changes, and can scale up to “lights-out” manufacturing when needed.
“Aerospace and defense customers may prefer large machining operations,” said Tony Doan, CEO of Halcyon Manufacturing, an ITAR-registered and AS-9100/IS-9001-certified machining shop based in San Jose, Calif. “But size alone does not equate to capacity. Smaller shops can have an advantage when a client needs a machining partner to also be nimble and flexible. For our clients, the ability to adapt and problem solve is incredibly important as complex manufacturing requirements frequently evolve and change.”
Aerospace machining involves a lot of low-volume, high-mix work. “The reality is not every machine shop wants to take on small orders or highly complex jobs,” Doan added. “A client needs a machining partner that really embraces this kind of work in addition to the high-volume orders.”
When evaluating the capacity of a precision machine shop, the capability to respond to changes in specifications and production is a key factor. Nowhere is this more acute than when an aerospace client has a priority aircraft-on-the-ground (AOG) machining order. Until the AOG is filled, an aircraft will not be able to operate, which makes response time incredibly important. Unfortunately, an AOG order isn’t predictable—it can happen at any time.
Staff cross-training is one way a machine shop can improve its ability to respond to AOGs and other unexpected and time-sensitive machining needs. While many machine shops have a mix of high-tech precision CNC equipment, each requires trained staff to manage, maintain, and operate.
“A lot of aerospace machine shops will assign an operator to a specific CNC machine,” Doan said. “This can create a situation where a particular operator has to be available, and not working on other orders, to operate a given machine.”
Having the ability to move people from machine to machine—as well as line to line and shift to shift—without interruption enables a machine shop to respond to changes in demand more quickly.
At Halcyon, which machines parts made from a variety of materials (bar grade 6061 aluminum, brass, copper, titanium, stainless steel, and plastics), the entire staff is cross-trained to work across all equipment to maximize the company’s capability for scale up.
“We have not only cross-trained our team, but we all work multiple shifts, and we have the same controls throughout our shop,” Doan said. “It makes it easy for our people to be able to move around as needed. So, when a client needs something over a weekend, we don’t have to completely rethink how we’re going to schedule. We can easily plug in people for surge hours or increase manpower as needed.”
The company made the decision to further enhance cross-training through its selection of machining equipment as it expands. Unlike shops that purchase a variety of types and brands of CNC equipment over time, for example, Halcyon intentionally purchases the same model of 5-axis CNC machine from Doosan Machine Tools America Corp., Montville, N.J., with Fanuc controls, reducing the learning curve for employees.
Nimbleness and adaptability also are needed to quickly scale up production. Halcyon operates on a 24/7 basis, enabling it to connect with customers outside of traditional office hours.
“Lights-out manufacturing takes scaling up production to the next level,” Doan said. “CNC operators can set up the equipment to run on its own without supervision overnight. This capability means smaller shops can maximize their capacity without adding more staff.”
The approach a partner brings to precision aerospace machining also is important. “It starts with the culture of the shop and the problem-solving mindset they bring to a project—particularly for complex, precision parts,” Doan explained. “You also need a machining partner to be proactive. By engaging early in the process, an aerospace machine shop can anticipate and resolve machining issues before any parts are produced.”
One example: Halcyon recently had a customer deliver what appeared to be a simple part but could not find a machine shop that wanted to take the job. The part had a 152-mm, threaded shaft with a hex head. There was an 8-32 thread across the outside diameter (OD) of the shaft.
“Most lathes aren’t able to cut those threads across six inches [152.4 mm],” said Doan. “We had to get creative since we could not use round stock, which is generally used when cutting OD threads.”
The team determined how to form the threads while accounting for the “growth” that occurs when threads are formed on plate steel to meet the tight requirements. For it to run on a CNC machine, they also had to create a modified thread using a cut die to create a formed thread.
“We took the challenge on and were able to meet the client’s deadlines with parts that met spec when no one else could do it,” Doan asserted. “It takes more than the equipment and know-how; it also means really having an appetite to take on these kinds of complex challenges.”
Flexible, precision machining is crucial for aerospace manufacturers and their partners to address complex design problems and production scale-up needs. Through cross-training, lights-out manufacturing, and a problem-solving mindset, smaller machine shops are well equipped to meet the demand.
For more information about Halcyon, visit halcyonmfg.com, or call 408-520-4655.
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