Category Archive: American manufacturing

All About Metal Fabrication

What Is Statistical Process Control?

Statistical Process Control (SPC) is a way of controlling production or processes with the help of certain statistical techniques. With the right statistical control process, you’ll be able to effectively monitor all process activity, proactively identify and address any internal issues, and determine the best methods for fixing them at any point during production.

G.E. Mathis Company implements rigorous SPC tools and procedures to optimize our products and services. We serve companies across a variety of industries, with capabilities like precision laser cutting, welding, and other custom OEM solutions.

Statistical Process Control

In most cases, statistical process control relies on certain types of control charts, such as the IX-MR and X bar R charts. These charts are prepared in advance for machine operators, who would take measurements of a product characteristic and make measurement entries on the control chart. Using simple math, they plot points and draw lines from one point to the next. In the process, operators would be able to notice any potential issues based on the patterns present, including trends, freaks, and shifts in data.

Once they recognize these patterns, operators can then take the necessary steps to correct any out-of-control conditions present. As a result, processes benefit from improved performance, leading to high-quality output and reduced waste and rejections. The SPC procedure translates to customer satisfaction.

Statistical Process Control Tools

The following statistical tools are the most common ones used in business today:

Statistical Process Control Benefits

SPC offers numerous advantages that make these solutions worth implementing.

Reduced Defects, Waste, and Rework

One of the main benefits of SPC is the development of streamlined processes that make it easier for operators to identify issues and correct them before they can develop into bigger problems. The end result is significantly reduced waste, a lower risk of defects, and the eliminated need for reworks.

Enhanced Product Quality

Another benefit of statistical process control is better product quality, as the SPC tools you use can help spot any problems during production. You can then begin correcting these issues, creating a continuous process that optimizes product quality while preventing shutdowns and downtime.

Elimination of Process Variation

The software and charts you use for the statistical control process will help you determine if there are any process variations to address. You’ll have access to comprehensible data in a graphical format that makes it easy to identify irregular patterns, enabling you to correct them and improve the process.

Compliance With Customer and Regulatory Requirements

SPC software also facilitates compliance with both industry regulations and customer requirements. Businesses can then maintain their operations without concerns over regulatory violations while providing customers with high-quality products that keep them happy.

Reduced, Controlled Expenses

Statistical process control tools help identify and mitigate imperfections in products and processes, helping to minimize the costs associated with rework.

Why Choose G.E. Mathis Company

As a contract manufacturer and job shop that implements SPC procedures, G.E. Mathis Company is committed to delivering high product quality and complete customer satisfaction. With our ISO 9001:2015 certification, we have a fully qualified management system that gives customers much-needed peace of mind. This certification, paired with our SPC tools, ensures we always produce the components you need at the quality and timeline your project requires.

Contact us today to begin your next project with us.

What Is the Production Part Approval Process (PPAP)?

G.E. Mathis Company is in the business of precision. We fabricate and supply high-quality parts, perform machining and contract manufacturing services, and help our clients create innovative solutions. Since our company’s start in 1905, we’ve been a leading provider of more than just manufacturing and fabricating services—we’re also committed to quality control, excellent customer service, and ensuring each part we supply is built to last.

Establishing robust quality control processes is essential to our mission, and Production Part Approval Processes (PPAPs) are a critical aspect of this. A PPAP is a standardized way to communicate about designs and production techniques throughout a manufacturing project in the aerospace or automotive industry. Learn more about the role of PPAPs in the industry, their benefits, and how to get the most value from them during your next manufacturing project.

When Are PPAPs Required?

PPAPs are the final step in a broader Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) process. Its core purpose is to ensure parts manufacturers can scale up production to fulfill an order while still maintaining consistency, quality, and adherence to design requirements. PPAPs come in different levels of stringency, and customers can request their own requirements for a successful PPAP. For example, PPAP documents may include a detailed part dimensional inspection report so parts can be mapped to a layout, or they can just set general expectations.

Some of the key information a PPAP document provides includes:

• Details about part approval processes to ensure standard practices are followed
• Processes for approving part changes or method changes
• Required information that will be shared regarding part conformance and related data
• Record of conformance, including measurement of drift
• Design records that can be used to trace part design status throughout the project

While it occurs near the end of the planning process, customers can request a PPAP—and specify the details—early on in the business arrangement, such as in the provided Supplier Quality Assurance Manual (SQAM) or in a purchase order. In terms of the total manufacturing project, PPAPs are required when:

• A change is made to a planned production process
• Parts undergo a change
• A customer requests one (at any time during the product’s lifespan)

PPAP Benefits

Having a production part approval process that is standardized and fully understood by all parties can ensure a project goes smoothly and everyone has appropriate expectations for every stage of the manufacturing process. Key benefits include the following:

• Consistency: Stakeholders can use a standardized part approval process that is well-documented and offers consistency throughout the project.
• Conformity: Customers can be certain that approved parts meet their defined requirements.
• Documentation: Customers have evidence that the process is stable, remains consistent, and will follow established norms throughout production.
• Controlled Approval Process for Changes: Stakeholders can retain control of the process, even if it undergoes changes. PPAPs establish controlled approval mechanisms and channels so no changes threaten nonconformity as the project continues through later production stages.

Levels of a PPAP Submission

PPAPs can be customized to meet unique customer requirements, or they can operate within one of the five standard levels of PPAP submissions. These five levels are:

Level 1

This is a basic level. Submissions include a Part Submission Warranty (PSW) and no other documentation.

Level 2

This level requires a PSW, as well as product samples and some degree of agreed-upon supporting data.

Level 3

At this level, documentation includes a PSW, product samples, and comprehensive supporting data.

Level 4

This level offers more customized requirements. Along with a PSW, customers can set their own requirements for additional data and samples.

Level 5

This is the highest level. Documentation includes a PSW, product samples, and comprehensive supporting data. The information will remain available for stakeholders to review at the manufacturing site.

Manage Higher Quality Processes With G.E. Mathis Company

Quality control is our top priority at G.E. Mathis Company. Our company is ISO 9001:2015 certified, and we provide the following services to maintain a high level of product quality:

• Capability Studies (Statistical Process Control)
• Conflict Minerals Reporting Template (CMRT)
• First Article Inspection Report (FAIR)
• Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) (all levels available)

Our clients trust our dedication to high-quality manufacturing services and quality control management. Reach out today to learn more about quality assurance processes, metalworking capabilities, and more before starting your next order with us, or request a quote for pricing details.

Announcing the Addition of the 8-kW Fiber Optic Laser Cutting System

As an industry leader in the fabrication of long, close-tolerance components, G.E. Mathis Company is committed to continuously expanding its service offerings. Most recently, we’ve added an 8-kilowatt fiber-optic laser cutting system—one of the largest pallet-changing laser formats in the industry—to our facility. This new addition allows us to increase the efficiency of our processing operations for materials as large as 100 inches wide by 240 inches long as well as offers several other improvements to our laser processing capabilities.

Features and Capabilities of the 8kW Fiber Optic Laser Cutting System

The integration of the new 8kW laser into our facility has greatly increased and improved our laser processing capabilities. Employing a 3-axis flying optic (or hybrid) positioning system, LoadMaster automatic sheet loading system, and BrightLine Fiber adaptive laser beam in a full enclosure, it accommodates the following project specifications:

• Manufacturing type: prototype, contract manufacturing, and fabrication
• Materials: carbon steel, stainless steel, abrasion-resistant (AR) steel such as HARDOX®, high-strength steel such as STRENX®, aluminum, and other alloys.
• Material thicknesses: up to 1.25 inches for carbon steel and up to 1 inch for stainless steel
• Tolerances: starting at +/- .015 inches
• Volume: Prototype to production
• Delivery/lead time: 1 to 2 weeks
• Industry standards: 1SO 9001:2015
• File formats: AutoCad, Inventor, PDF, DWG, DXF, STEP

Benefits of the 8-kW Fiber Optic Laser Cutting System

Using the new system for our laser processing operations provides us with a number of benefits, including:

• Broader material capabilities. The laser system allows us to cut a variety of steel and steel alloys in greater thicknesses (up to 1 inch for stainless and 1.25 inch for carbon).
• Higher cut quality. The system’s BrightLine Fiber adaptive beam mode facilitates the production of higher quality cuts in even thick plates, simplifies the removal of individual parts, and reduces the contours created throughout cutting operations.
• Safer and more environmentally sound operations. As the system’s critical components are fully contained within an enclosure, laser processing operations that employ it offer a lower risk to personnel and the surrounding environment.

Industries Served by the 8kW Fiber Optic Laser Cutting System

Equipped with the new system, we are able to provide more advanced laser processing services to the following industries:

• Aerospace
• Agricultural
• Contract manufacturing
• High-quality component manufacturing
• Military
• Construction
• Mining

Laser Processing Solutions From G.E. Mathis Company

At G.E. Mathis Company, we are dedicated to providing high-quality laser processing solutions to our customers. Craig Mathis—President of G.E. Mathis Company—best states how we go about achieving this goal: “We continue to invest in the latest fabrication technology which enables us to deliver value-added products to the industries we serve.” Our current processing equipment includes three different types of lasers (including the 8kW fiber optic laser) and large-capacity gantry-type and pallet-type processing systems, which allow us to cut a wide range of designs and geometries in materials ranging from 16 gauge sheet to 1.25 inch thick plate.

In addition to being an ISO 9001:2015-certified manufacturer, G.E. Mathis Company can provide the following services:

• PPAP (Production Part Approval Process) – All Levels
• FAIR (First Article Inspection Report)
• Capability Studies (Statistical Process Control)
• CMRT (Conflict Minerals Reporting Template)

In addition to our top-of-the-line laser processing services, we also offer secondary and finishing services. As a one-stop shop, we provide faster turnaround and reduced manufacturing costs. For more information on our laser cutting equipment and services, contact us today.

New Website for G.E. Mathis Company

G.E. Mathis Company recently launched a new website. This new site is completely redesigned from top to bottom. In addition to easier access and a totally new design, what else can you expect when you visit G.E. Mathis Company’s brand new website?

Here’s an overview of the latest updates:

1. Improved accessibility

Our new drop-down navigation menu makes it easier to browse our valuable resources and company information. The navigation menu is conveniently located at the top of each page. Users can easily access our services, industries, case studies, photo gallery, and more.

2. More user-friendly experience

With over a century’s worth of experience, we at G.E. Mathis Company pride ourselves on delivering quality services and capabilities to our customers. With that in mind, we’ve ensured that our new website offers the best possible user experience. We’ve achieved this goal by implementing a completely new and more appealing design. We have also given the site a responsive design. This makes it simple to access our site on any desktop, tablet or mobile device.

3. Enhanced information

We know when users visit a website, they want to find relevant information quickly and easily. Our new website highlights past projects we’ve successfully completed by showcasing them in our portfolios. These feature jobs in laser cutting, forming, plasma cutting, and welding. We also provide the most up-to-date information on all of the services we offer, including:

• Laser Processing
• High-Def CNC Plasma Cutting
• Precision Forming/Bending
• Welding
• Hardox® Wearparts Fabrication

In addition to being an ISO 9001:2015-certified manufacturer, G.E. Mathis Company can provide the following services:

• PPAP (Production Part Approval Process) – All Levels
• FAIR (First Article Inspection Report)
• Capability Studies (Statistical Process Control)
• CMRT (Conflict Minerals Reporting Template)

We encourage you to browse our new website today to learn more about the intricate and close-tolerance fabrication services we provide. These cover a vast range of industries from construction, agricultural, chemical, defense, mining, trailers/truck bodies, contract manufacturing, and much more. You can also always request a quote, or contact us with any questions or learn how we can assist you with your next project.

How It Works: 3 Key Factors for Metal Forming

What to Consider for Your Next Project

Metal forming, or bending, is one of the most common types of metal fabrication. The process manipulates flat sheets of steel, aluminum, and other high performance metals by bending or pressing around a straight axis to obtain a new three-dimensional shape. These shapes can then be deburred, polished, or otherwise customized to create specialty metal components, either as part of a greater system or on their own.

Here are three major factors contribute to the success of a formed metal component.

1.  Have you compensated for spring back?

When planning a design and evaluating material choices, it’s essential to remember spring back: a material will always tend to bend back to its original shape. Fabricators can often take this into account and compensate by over bending the material beyond its desired final radius, allowing the metal to “spring back” into the proper final position.

2.  Minimum Inside Bend Radius: Avoiding Material Fractures

To avoid material fractures or weakness in a bent component, careful material evaluation needs to be considered from the start. Each material type has a unique recommended minimum. Inside Bend Radius is critical to evaluating its radii — as the thickness of a material increases, so does the minimum inside bend radius. Every material has its own ratios, which can help to determine the best fit for a project.

3.  Bending Direction: Optimizing Natural Ductility

When sheet metal is milled, it’s stretched in particular directions. The resulting grains impact the nature and strength of the material in a given direction, so be sure to note whether a sheet is being formed with (longitudinally) or across the grain.

By bending with the grain, fabricators work with the material’s natural ductility and apply less bending force, but projects are more prone to outside cracking. By bending across the grain, more tonnage will always be needed for forming, but can create a much tighter inside bend radius for the final project.

Types of Custom Formed Metal Components

Metal forming specialists craft the critical components needed to support almost every industry — aerospace, military, automotive, medical, food service, manufacturing, communications — the list goes on and on. At G.E. Mathis Company, we produce a wide range of large precision components, including:

• Channels
• Angles
• Formed Pan sections
• Transition segments
• Bump Formed Sections
• Cones

Precision Metal Forming at the G.E. Mathis Company

With over a century of experience in specialty metalworking, the G.E. Mathis Company is known for commitment, professional certifications, and the highest quality precision work. Our eight precision press brakes can handle a full range of capacities, from 400 to 1,000 tons, with thicknesses of up to two inches. We offer metal fabrication beyond bending and forming, too — precision laser processing, plasma cutting, and welding are a few of our capabilities.

Our team forms components for heavy equipment, frame rails, wear parts, and so much more. Contact us to discuss your next project with one of our metal forming professionals or learn more about our capabilities today.

Welding Capabilities for the Construction Industry

Welding is instrumental to the success of a construction project. Not only is it a handy repair tool for broken and damaged machine parts, it is the mainstay of production supplying any construction endeavor with the required raw materials to progress at the desired pace.

It is undertaken by skilled operators and has to be performed according to pre-defined mandates and a set of compliance rules in order to ensure that the joints are strong and immune to jostling and rust.

WELDING, ITS IMPORTANCE AND IMPERATIVE IN CONSTRUCTION

All kinds of welding rely on generating an arc that is capable of raising the temperature of the parent material to the melting point. It is then fused with a filler metal which by rule of thumb is chosen to be structurally

stronger than the original base. Ranging from sub-merged arc to metal active gas to manual metal arc, different welding processes are leveraged at construction sites around the world to serve unique needs. Special ventures in the aerospace and naval industries have progressed to laser arc hybrid welding and electron beam technology.

An operation team manipulating welding equipment must be knowledgeable of the nuances of this technique in order to ensure the integrity of welded joints and thus by association created products. A large scale construction project is only as durable as the quality of its individual components.

Also according to the Consumer Justice Group report, welding tasked to untrained labor is an extremely hazardous proposition. Thousands of injuries occur right on-site because of careless handling of equipment or experimentation by unskilled staff.

SOME BEST PRACTICES TO KEEP IN MIND

As far as possible, complicated welding responsibilities must be left to professionals. Construction projects call for the employment of AWS (American Welding Society) certified welders who are cognizant of the involved risks and capable of handling them expertly.

Especially for the frequently used MIG (Metal Inert Gas) welding:

• Care should be taken to ensure that welders wear protective gear (including an auto-darkening face shield) to eliminate the riskofcontact burns and blisters
• Cotton is the chosen material because it doesn’t melt like polyester
• Be on the look-out for splatters of molten metal and grinding sparks which can cause a fire
• Avoid using galvanized steel as the parent material since it gives off carcinogenic vapors

G.E. MATHIS COMPANY AND ITS HISTORY OF EXCELLENCE:

G.E. Mathis Company has been an industry renowned name in the field of precision arc and MIG welding. We have perfected our craft over 100 years of rigorous practice assisting construction companies, OEMs, independent projects and manufacturers with their welding and rolling needs. ISO 9001:2015 certified, we are the gold standard in the welding and precision services domain.

Feel free to request a quote, or contact us today at 773.586.3800 and we will be glad to discuss how our fabrication and welding capabilities may help with your next project

American Manufacturing in 2014 and the Outlook for 2015

Generalizations regarding the state of US Manufacturing are rife! For the first time in almost 50 years, the growth in the GDP was outpaced by actual, tangible growth in the manufacturing sector. The last time the two were at par was before the milestone year of 2000 after which offshoring came into its own and became the dominant trend of the industry.

Pundits are attributing this ‘revival’ of US manufacturing to three main reasons:

• Because of the sophistication of the fracking process, the US is now the largest producer of oil and natural gas in the world, trumping Saudi Arabia to claim the elusive title. The implications of this feat are profound leading to a significant drop in transportation as well as electric costs within the country.
• Because of the innovations in the field of robotics, the rote work of wrench turning has now been delegated to industrial robots and other precision instruments. The main issue with labor in the US was availability of reliable and competent blue collar workers for the minimum wage rate. Thanks to the automation of certain processes, human ingenuity and logic can be better rewarded with higher paying jobs of supervisors and managers.
• United States can now boast very low cost of raw materials leading to a dip in overall manufacturing investment as well.

The US manufacturing sector alone is the 8^th largest economy in the world, and this trend is likely to sustain in 2015 and even beyond.

The main focus of the coming years is going to be the Re-shoring vs. Offshoring battle. The global labor pool has become more aware of its rights, and the cry of improved wages is resonating from all corners of the world. Pay has risen by a significant 10% in China and were likely to spread to other countries as well.

Most probably the industries which are not labor intensive and suffer from the often prohibitive costs of long transportation routes (like chemicals and metals) will move back to home soil in order to take advantage of the boom in oil production and the easily available rich reserves of raw materials.

Ventures with high foreign demand and the pressing need for a lot of affordable labor to keep production running will continue to go the offshore way, especially if the manufacturing skill gap is not remedied.

The future of US Manufacturing is bright! But only time can shed light on the dominant trends which will re-shape the sector for the coming decades.

Our Metal Forming Skills are a Work of Art

Throughout the manufacturing industry, there has been a lot of discussion around what is known as the “skills gap.” The skills gap –essentially the lack of workers with appropriate skills for the industry—is becoming more of a problem as the baby boomer generation is beginning to retire and the younger workforce are finding careers in other fields. Not only is the skills gap affecting the bottom line, but’s it’s also providing manufacturers with a major challenge.[1]

Here at G.E. Mathis Company, we understand the importance of these technical skills, as they allow our craftsmen to perform at the highest levels. Take, for example, our forming capabilities. Our advanced equipment and expertise allow us to process metal in a variety of dimensions and shapes, even up to 2” thick. Taking our forming services to the next level, we can bend long parts up to 48 ft. long.

Forming metal is an art, a skill acquired through observation and instruction. It is a skill that needs the human touch, one that cannot be completed by a robot or machine. Our skilled craftsmen pride themselves on their ability to form almost any shape. Some of the special shapes that we form, such as cone segments, cannot be processed through automation; instead, the operator needs to form the radiuses in the component using our unique equipment, working the metal blank to form the shape to the customer’s specifications. There is a complex process that we go through to form these complex parts.

This process requires a lot of technical skill, something that is becoming more and more unique, as we have seen due to the skills gap. However, our shop team continues to put this high level of skill into each part that they make, no matter what the customer’s specifications are. In fact, two recent projects we worked on exemplify the type of skill needed for metal forming: eccentric cones and elbow transitions.

Eccentric Cones

Unlike more traditional concentric cones, where the center points of each end of the cone are the same, the eccentric cones have these center points offset.

Elbow Transitions

Elbow transitions are used where a pipe needs to make a turn in an assembly. These also require a very specific and high level of skill to be able to fabricate and fit together with precision.

Neither of these projects had straight-forward dimensions, nor could they simply be made by an automated machine. Instead, they required specific radiuses that needed to be formed by a skillful hand. Rising to the challenge, our craftsmen have the skills to do so. G.E. Mathis Company will assure that these skills never become a lost art.

Making a Case for an American Manufacturing Resurgence

With over 110 years in the precision metal fabrication business, G.E. Mathis Company has seen plenty of ups and downs in the manufacturing sector. As the third annual National Manufacturing Day recently rolled around, we’d like to take a moment to look at the state of manufacturing in America.

It’s been well-documented that manufacturing was on the decline for a few decades across the nation. Outsourcing of jobs, companies on the move, and a developing skill gap were all seem as part of the problem. Another issue that arose was the decline of students interested in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.

However, things are not as bleak as they may sound. Thanks to efforts like Manufacturing Day, businesses across the country are opening up their doors to the younger generation, who may not have seen a career in manufacturing as a possibility. With this opportunity to see what goes on behind the doors of G.E. Mathis and other manufacturers, we feel there is hope for the regrowth of manufacturing in the near future.

The rebound of manufacturing is being helped at many levels. For example, the U.S. government has taken part by funding various manufacturing hubs, known as “Manufacturing Innovation Institutes.” These hubs aim to focus on particular fields of manufacturing and technology and to attract a new generation of workers.[1]

While we don’t know if manufacturing will ever reach its high points of the past, there are good signs that manufacturing will rebound and settle in to a steady period of development and innovation, spurred on by a new generation of bright, hardworking, innovative individuals. G.E. Mathis Company will do its part to spur the American manufacturing renaissance, and we hope you will too.

[1] http://www.forbes.com/sites/techonomy/2014/07/21/innovation-hubs-are-accelerating-american-manufacturing/