You are here

News

True Precision Machining; Making Complete Parts from Stock

True Precision Machining (TPM) located in Buellton, California was featured by Doosan Machine Tools America as a Doosan Shop success story. Since 1998, TPM has continuously delivered high quality parts with consistent precision, value, and fast turnaround to industries like aerospace, medical, military, and more. The ability to compete and win is no easy feat, but TPM utilizes their expert in-house design, engineering, manufacturing, and quality assurance teams to do it.

Reliable Machines and Support

When Todd Ackert founded TPM, one of the first machines they took a chance on acquiring was a Doosan (DAEWOO) PUMA 12S lathe. After benefitting from 10 years of reliability and machine tool support from the Ellison team, they continued to acquire three additional Doosan machines including the PUMA SMX2600ST mill-turn center, PUMA TT1800SY horizontal turning center, and DVF 5000 five axis machining center.

“[Todd] But the first Doosan (DAEWOO) we bought was a PUMA 12S lathe. Ten years later, it was still running without a hitch.”

The company now has a mix of new and high-end Doosan machines working side-by-side with some “Old Reliables” from back in the day. “The Doosan machines are a good value with excellent quality,” Todd said. “Plus, we have an excellent support system right with Ellison Technologies right nearby. That’s why we’ve bought several new machines in the past two years.”

Capability and Profitability

As a manufacturer and machine shop supporting a wide range of industries, it was important for TPM to continue to expand their machining capabilities and productivity. The PUMA SMX provided 9-axis capabilities while the DVF equipped with an automatic work changer (AWC) provided simultaneous 5-axis and automation capabilities. The PUMA TT was equipped with a barfeeder and offered twin turret, sub-spindle, y-axis, and lights-out automation capabilities. These added features allowed TPM to increase their productivity and profitability through automation and reduced operations and setups for simple and complex parts.

The 80-tool magazine is another big performance feature. Marv Rodriguez, VP of Operations, explains “We had an air conditioning/cooler part for a major aerospace corporation that took four operations totaling about two hours of cycle time. With the PUMA SMX2600ST, it’s now down to 20 minutes per part in one operation.”

A DVF 5000 plus AWC (8 pallets) and 120-tool magazine is another recent acquisition. “We had a competitor’s 5-axis machine,” Todd said. “But we wanted something with a pallet pool.” The AWC gave the company an increase in capacity, reducing job setups for minimal turnaround time. “The 120-tool magazine capacity allows us to be tooled up and ready for any kind of work in the future,” Marv added. “That other 5-axis is getting closer to the exit door by the day.”

“We didn’t have any machines with bar feeds or twin turrets, it was new to us,” Marv said. “But it’s been helpful for us to have both of those additions. Even with one less machine, we increased productivity by running more parts faster through the PUMA.”

To read the full story about why TPM chose Doosan and trusts the reliable support of Ellison Technologies, visit www.doosanmachinetools.us.

CAPTCHA