Midwest Manufacturing News • Nov 19 • Pushing the Limits

In 1987, Robert Fowler began machining parts in his backyard in Spartanburg, SC. In 2000, he outgrew the space and moved to a shop space just a few short miles from Interstate 85, convenient for shipping out the numerous parts his shop had been manufacturing. Now run by his son, Robbie Fowler, Hi- Tech Machining Company, Inc., has grown immensely. This expanding company serves its clients through the design, machining and repair of custom parts and molds. Most of its work involves repairing highly specialized components. President Robbie Fowler calls Hi-Tech’s focus “industrial support.”

Fowler shared that the only CAD/CAM software that Hi-Tech uses is Mastercam (CNC Software, Inc., Tolland, CT), and it has been that way since 2000. “A friend had introduced me to it and I just stuck with it. Once we got more CNC equipment, we purchased our own version of the software,” he said. The company is on a Maintenance plan with Barefoot CNC (Morganton, NC), their local Mastercam Reseller. Fowler calls Jimmy Wakeford, Barefoot President & CEO, whenever his team has a problem. Wakeford is always more than happy to help and even urges him to call more often. The team at Barefoot keeps Hi-Tech’s Mastercam Mill, Mill 3D, Lathe and Wire seats up-to-date and helps programmers navigate the complex problems they face every day.

The first step to Hi-Tech’s process is creating a program from the models that the customer provides. Often the customer cannot provide a model, though, and the team instead draws a new model within the software. “We rarely ever get repeat jobs, so most of the time it is the first process we do in manufacturing the parts. We hit Mastercam and create a program,” Fowler said. “The software is a huge part of our first few steps. With its 3D pictures, we did not realize it was as good as it was or we would have started using it much earlier.” When the programmers repair molds, they either remachine the whole part or just cut sections from it. “Sometimes it was an engineering error where the previous manufacturer left out too much material, so we go back and re-machine,” he added. “Sometimes it requires removing a section of it and bolting a new section in or welding a section up. It just depends on how the part has been damaged.”

The programmers also incorporate the software’s Model Prep features (which are a part of Solids) when making precise adjustments. “We use it several different ways. A lot of times you bring just your blank material in and see how it machines it. And then if you are concerned with over-machining it or removing material that you should not, we will just call the model stock and see what kind of discrepancy we get between the two,” said Fowler. Although this is a powerful troubleshooting feature, Hi-Tech also finds the Backplot and Verify features useful. Both simulate the machining process and predict any issues that may occur. “It will show you exactly where the stock is sitting in the vise,” said the newest programmer, Caleb Knight. “If you made some kind of a mistake, it tells you exactly what it is.”

Once they have modeled and simulated the part, the six machinists rely on Dynamic Motion technology to ensure efficient machining. This feature, also referred to simply as Dynamic, continuously monitors the material as it is being cut. Proprietary algorithms allow the feature to anticipate and avoid air cuts, tool breakage and material damage before it occurs. As a result, programmers can run parts at astonishing rates. “We push them pretty much to the top of the limit with Dynamic. It took a while for us to trust what it was doing, but once we did it was great,” said Fowler.

“This part is kind of complex,” said Knight, “because zeroes are usually on the part or the zero is at the center of the rotary axis. So instead of touching the part off, you have to move the part to zero. That can be kind of tricky, but the software really helps in trying to see your parts.” Knight pointed out that he can see exactly where the stock is sitting in the vise. “You can bring the actual curve vise in. Then we get a stock model,” he said. As long as the tools are in the right place, any mistakes are obvious. The new programmer marveled at the fact that the whole part could be made with the same 3/8” end mill. The radius is later built out with 1/8” and 1/16” end mills. The ability to create stock models and modify them as needed saves significant time when machining new parts for new customers. Common parts such as special nuts, bolts, washers, bushings, etc., can be machined quickly and easily.

With operations running so smoothly, Fowler is looking to the future. The first step of his plan is to add new machines. “Our largest machines are 40 inches in X and 20 in Y and Z. We are looking at getting bigger equipment to see if we can get our shop rate up a little more,” he said. “It seems like there is a lot of competition in the size that we have now. We are trying to separate ourselves from mom-and-pop shops.” To match these increased capabilities, Fowler also plans to invest more resources to marketing. He explained, “At least 99% of the work we get just comes to us. We are ready to take on more.”

Once Hi-Tech’s machining capabilities and customer base have evolved, Fowler hopes that the company will start manufacturing larger quantities of parts. Currently, a 1,000-part lot is considered big because Hi-Tech does not stock pre-engineered material due to space constraints. That should change soon with the acquisition of more shop space. With a solid plan and reputation for excellence, though, Hi-Tech will be