Moldmaker Finds Value in Swiss-Type Machining

Eden Manufacturing was established with a Swiss-type lathe and automated injection molding machines as a way to bolster the support of medical industry customers with fellow brand Eden Tool, manufacturer of injection mold tooling. The envisioned ideal customer-support scenario might be to machine a complex metal part on the Swiss-type then create the tooling to be used in the injection molding machines to overmold plastic features on the machined part. (Photo credits: Creative Technology Corp.)

During my 16 years writing for sister brand Modern Machine Shop, I often reported on the trend of “conventional” machine shops adopting multifunction Swiss-type turning technology with an eye toward producing highly intricate, small parts ideally complete on one machine.

That trend continues.

During that time, though, I don’t recall encountering an injection mold tool maker that had purchased a Swiss-type sliding headstock machine. I recently learned of one, though, by way of my colleague, Christina Fuges, editorial director of another sister brand, Moldmaking Technology (MMT).

The idea for this company wasn’t to use a Swiss-type to machine mold components. Rather, it was to be an enabling technology, with the addition of injection molding capability, to more thoroughly serve the medical industry.

The ultimate example would be to machine parts on the Swiss-type and then overmold plastic onto those parts using the company’s own tooling and injection molding machines. All this could be completed under one roof in a vertically integrated structure.

In truth, though, we’re talking about two roofs on a single manufacturing site, one topping a building that is home to Eden Tool and the other to the recently created Eden Manufacturing.

The Path to Vertical Integration

New Freedom, Pennsylvania’s Eden Tool location, was established in 2000 by Mike Eden to produce plastic injection molds primarily for the medical industry. This shop continues to thrive in this arena thanks in part to its expertise in hard milling.

A second building was created for Eden Manufacturing on the same site as Eden Tool in New Freedom, Pennsylvania.

In fact, David Tomic, who knew Eden for many years, had offered Eden’s shop guidance with respect to hard milling. Tomic also had experience in production machining and stamping. Ultimately, in 2019, the two partnered to form Eden Manufacturing to be located a parking lot away from Eden Tool.

GBM Brand Collaboration

I began this article mentioning that I learned about Eden Tool and Eden Manufacturing from Christina Fuges, editorial director of sister brand, Moldmaking Technology (MMT). In fact, she has framed this article about these two operations for her magazine’s May issue as has Tony Deligio, executive editor of another sister brand, Plastics Technology (PT). The complementary nature of this advanced manufacturer’s tale — tool making, injection molding and Swiss-type machining — warranted this treatment and made for a fun, interactive project.

And in case you weren’t aware, these are just a few brands that comprise Gardner Business Media (GBM). Others media brands include Additive Manufacturing, Composites World, Modern Machine Shop and Products Finishing. All highlight technology, equipment and processes dedicated to helping discrete parts manufacturers become more efficient, effective and profitable. If the information provided by any of these brands piques your interest, visit gardnerweb.com to learn more about them and to subscribe to their print publications and/or online offerings.

Eden Manufacturing was launched to complement and expand upon Eden Tool’s tooling support of the medical device industry . Although Tomic started designing the new building in December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic delayed its completion to July 2023.

But in the midst of all this, Mike Eden, essentially Eden Tool’s “management team,” unexpectedly passed away in December 2021. Today, Tomic serves as the president of Eden Tool and Eden Manufacturing, which are operated as separate businesses, and Mike’s son, Jake, serves as the vice president of both entities.

Tomic says ISO certification was the first goal in establishing Eden Manufacturing. It has since achieved both ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 13485:2016 on the plastic injection molding side of the business and has four automated Milacron FANUC Roboshot injection molding machines capable of running unattended 24/7.

Eden Manufacturing’s first medical part machining job was to be a threaded drive component for a surgical device that required wire electrical discharge machining (EDM) work to create an intricate feature. Having years of experience with wire EDM on the tooling side (using equipment from Makino), that operation wasn’t a problem to complete while delivering the requisite accuracy and high-quality surface finish. But while the proof of concept was established by way of multiple wire-EDM samples, its OEM customer ultimately gave the job to another shop.

The Eden Tool facility includes hard milling and sinker and wire EDM equipment from Makino, a CNC tool grinder from Amada and related toolroom equipment. These capabilities enable the company to perform hard milling of mold base features, thread grinding, production of gear components for unscrewing cores and molds, and profile and form grinding for intricate mold core pins.

After a few months, though, it was clear that the other shop could not validate the part due to the complex wire EDM work. At that point, the OEM reconnected with Eden Manufacturing to learn how it could add Swiss-machining capability needed in combination with wire EDM to produce the parts realizing the wire EDM work was the most difficult aspect of production.

“That’ll be easy,” Tomic thought.

This Star CNC SW-12R11 is a 12-mm Swiss-type with Y-axis cross slide and two auxiliary 50,000-rpm high-speed electric spindles from NSK America. It was purchased with an FMB bar feeder to enable long stretches of unattended operation.

It was at that point that he contacted George Bursac, the general manager/vice president of sales for Star CNC, who he knew very well. Star CNC happened to have a demonstration Swiss-type lathe in its facility highly configured just as Tomic wanted. Within a week, Star CNC provided samples to Tomic which he offered to the medical OEM as proof of concept, and Eden Manufacturing was awarded the job.

The model Eden Manufacturing purchased was an SW-12R11. This is a 12-mm Swiss-type machine with Y-axis cross slide, dual sub spindles and two auxiliary 50,000-rpm high-speed electric spindles from NSK America for drilling micro holes. It is also fitted with an FMB bar feeder to enable long stretches of unattended operation.

Eden Manufacturing, which currently employs eight, hired a manufacturing engineer to take the lead on the Swiss-type machine. There is a learning curve, but Tomic points to the relationships he and others have made with companies such as Star CNC and Makino.

“Where this concept really comes together is machining parts on the Swiss-type then overmold them after that, combining all the expertise we have in terms of tool making, injection molding and machining.” — David Tomic

“It’s been our policy that when we go into a new type of machining platform, it is well configured and tooled,” Tomic says. “When it comes to new work, we tend to look for ‘parts in crisis,’ so having advanced machining capability gives us the best options to deal with that type of work in the future. Where this concept really comes together is machining parts on the Swiss-type then overmolding them after that, combining all the expertise we have in terms of tool making, injection molding and machining.”

David Tomic (right) serves as the president of Eden Manufacturing and Eden Tool, which are operated as separate businesses, with Mike Eden’s son Jake, serving as the vice president of both operations. In addition to the Star CNC Swiss-type lathe, the Eden Manufacturing facility includes four automated Milacron FANUC Roboshot injection molding machines capable of running 24/7.

Eden Manufacturing has had discussions with another potential customer with a part in crisis. Tomic says this leads to discussions explaining the value of the manufacturer’s vertically integrated structure as the component would combine mold making, Swiss-type machining and injection molding capabilities. “These are precisely the types of conversations we want to have,” Tomic notes. “We’re trying to be all about vertical integration of advanced manufacturing technology.”

And this company’s tale validates what I mentioned at the beginning. Most of today’s machine shops are much more than companies that simply machine parts per customers’ specifications.

The Value of Electric High-Speed Spindles

In an article at gbm.media/speed-524, Mike Gabris, industrial sales manager for NSK America, mentions that compared to high-speed pneumatic, coolant-driven and gear-driven spindles, electric spindles, such as those used on the Star CNC Swiss-type lathe at Eden Manufacturing, might be a less-known option.

As he explains, some spindles of this type in the market can achieve speeds as high as 100,000 rpm. What is nice about these types of spindles is that the speed of the spindle can be controlled in increments of 1,000 rpm. Some brands have a closed-loop system that will always adjust to maintain desired rpm while the motor and spindle are under load. This feature helps to ensure that cutting tool capabilities are maximized. An electrical interface also allows for feedback to and from the CNCs in which they are used. These spindles do not require rotation from the machine tool spindle, do not require upgraded coolant and will not consume as much air as an air-driven spindle. Electric spindles do require a cord, however, which might require manual intervention when it comes to tool changing in a milling machine. (The version shown above is designed for a CAT 40 milling spindle interface.)

Landscape Source: Creative Technology Corp.