ARTICLE

Building the perfect fixture is a balancing act to see how many parts you can fit into the machine at once without disturbing the tool path or exceeding the limitations of your machine tool. 

“We know how to push the design of a fixture, accounting for tool path,” says Bill Scandlon, who owns Parkn Manufacturing of Litchfield, Ohio, with his brother, Bob. “One of the easiest ways to reduce the cost per part when you're talking machine time is to optimize the number of parts you can get into the machine. But from years of working with fixtures, we know that some machines limit you on how much of the workzone is actually usable.”

So when Bob and Bill Scandlon started Parkn Manufacturing, they knew they needed a machine capable of handling their creatively designed fixtures. They needed to use the whole workzone for precise features.

“When you have to account for the flaws of the machine when designing your fixture, it can severely limit your productivity,” adds Bob. “If the machine won't let me cut accurately at the top of Y, or the pallet isn't held firmly and the Z-axis thrust causes us to scrap a part, we have to hold the process back, and that's not acceptable in a job-shop environment.”

A History of Fixturing

At the age of 12, Bill and Bob Scandlon began helping their father build complex fixtures at his northwest Ohio machine shop. While their father's shop exclusively manufactured fixtures for a variety of industries, the brothers saw the financial potential of manufacturing fixtures and producing parts. As adults, the brothers founded Parkn Manufacturing in 2005.

“We saw the opportunity to not only provide the fixture but also machine the finished part,” says Bob. “We can utilize our fixturing abilities and lifelong machining experience to control the whole production process, allowing us to produce better parts faster than most.”

Parkn's revenue grew from $30,000 its first year to nearly $1 million in its third year of business. The Scandlon brothers admit they will do any job, but the company specializes in parts that other companies have trouble manufacturing on time. They are able to succeed where others fail, often thanks to the brothers' background as complex fixture builders and the technology that allows them to utilize that background.

Today, Parkn Manufacturing specializes in high-accuracy parts for the sporting goods, defense, and automotive industries. They typically run jobs of 10,000 to 30,000 parts annually, though they have the capability to run thousands more.

Adding Technology to Win a Lucrative Contract

When Parkn first opened its doors, Bill and Bob bought a commodity vertical machining center to get things going. They quickly realized that this machine couldn't handle the type of work they hoped to gain and didn't allow them to fully utilize their fixturing skills. When they found an opportunity to produce parts for a crossbow manufacturer, they began looking at horizontal machining centers.

“We needed a machine that would allow us to quickly produce multiple parts on one fixture very accurately,” says Bob. “This was impossible to do with a vertical, even with an indexer.” The Scandlons also wanted a machine that would show potential customers they were serious about production when bidding on a project, and one that would have everything they needed as a total package, including a BTSOMA, laser checking, full 4th axis, training, and excellent local support. They found Makino's a51 was the right fit.

“The Makinos were the fastest coming out of corners. They profile quickly and are very accurate, and the machine included everything we were looking for in one package,” says Bill. “Not to mention that we knew from being in machining our whole lives that Makino was a brand that gets people's attention. If you have a Makino, they know you're serious and probably very capable.”

Most important, Bill and Bob knew that Makino HMCs were capable of machining accurately all the way to the top of the Y-axis and used a cone-pallet holding system that allows full Z-axis thrust at the top of Y. Makino's HMC design would let them optimize the number of parts that could be loaded onto each side of the fixture.

“We went back and forth with the customer for a few weeks. We said, 'If you give us the job, we'll buy the Makino.' And they responded, 'If you buy the Makino, we'll give you the job.' We finally just bought it, and as soon as we showed them the purchase order, we got the contract,” says Bob. “We got to work producing the fixture, but immediately ran into a problem. Neither of us had ever programmed a horizontal before.”

Every Penny Counts

Like most small businesses, Parkn believes that every dollar saved is important. For Parkn, tooling was consuming a great deal of their bottom line. Since the Makino a51s provide the ability to use through-spindle coolant, Parkn's tools last about 75 parts, compared to three to four parts per tool on other machines.

“We actually went out and found new tools that would maximize our speed and keep up with the machine,” says Bill. “It gave us the opportunity to get more efficient and more accurate tooling, and saved us a significant amount overall in the cost of tooling.”

Another advantage Makino provided was financing the tooling along with the machine tool.

“When we bought the machine, our biggest worry was being able to afford all the stuff that goes along with the machine: installation, tooling, accessories, training, and other things like that,” continues Bill. “Luckily, Makino Capital Finance understood everything we needed to get started, and financed it all along with the machine.”

Chris Lyle, Makino's Customer Finance Manager, helped Parkn acquire the financing they needed to get started, even permitting a 90-day payment skip that allowed Parkn to learn how to use the machine, and even earn some income using the a51, before making their first payment.

“For a small business—just two brothers starting a shop—working with a financier who understands manufacturing makes a huge difference,” says Bob. “We went to our normal bank and no one could understand what it takes to get started in machining. Chris understood and got us running without an issue.”

The Secret to Parkn's Success

Parkn is not a large shop. Including Bill and Bob, the total number of employees can be counted on one hand. But their size isn't an accurate reflection of their capabilities.

“When we first started the company, we were working 12- to 18-hour days, sleeping in the shop to get things up and running,” says Bill. “With the Makinos, we can run unattended much more efficiently, allowing us to go home to our families.

“We use creative fixturing to get as many parts on the tombstone as possible without disturbing the tool path,” continues Bill. “We usually fit six to 10 parts per face of each fixture to get the job done right. Because we are confident using the whole workzone of the Makinos, we know we can optimize the number of parts, even cutting critical features high in Y.”

This fixturing ability enables Parkn to produce large batches of parts very quickly if needed. They can also set up the fixtures to run separate parts on the other side, if smaller batches are required.

The secret to Parkn's success isn't complicated. “We use Makino machines and creative fixturing,” explains Bill. “That's all it takes.”

Parkn Manufacturing LLC, Litchfield, OH
Phone: 330-723-8172, www.parkn-mfg.com