POSTED ON 4/15/2020 – Multi-Tasking adds efficiency to every aspect of manufacturing production. Because it enables start-to-finish production of parts that require a multi-axis approach to multiple processes, it cuts production lead times and part costs by eliminating, in many cases, the need for multiple clampings and multiple machines. That same single-setup ease and convenience also increases machining accuracy and part quality because parts stay on one machine rather than moving from one machine to the next involving numerous part setups.
Freed from the need for long multi-machine production cycles and even some outsourced processes, shops can use Multi-Tasking to adopt a just-in-time approach to part production to shorten the delivery-payment cycle as well as to increase throughput for larger volume orders with shorter pay cycles.
With more processes on fewer machines, shops can boost their production capacity and respond efficiently to a wider range of jobs, ramping up their profitability through reduced overhead. At the same time, Multi-Tasking reduces a shop’s need to invest in redundant fixturing and tools, and enables them to produce more products with fewer workers – or to increase production without hiring more operators.
Multi-Tasking puts the functionality of multiple machines on as few as one piece of equipment, doing more with less, freeing up shop floor space and enabling operators to get more done in a single shift. It also optimizes part designs to make them easier to manufacture – and harder to copy, thereby protecting company’s intellectual property. All this efficiency gives shops more options for pricing structures and greater profit margins on existing parts, boosting competitiveness and differentiation from other manufacturers.