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Twin spindles, two turrets, and Y-axis In a small town in the northeast part of Colorado is a company that has not heard the rumor that long-run jobs have left and went to China. In this small town community where the population of cows is more than people, you will find the most sophisticated and efficient type of equipment out on the market. The company is Barry E. Walter, Sr. Company, and they make replacement plumbing parts and specialty items. Barry Walter's father, Lauren Walter, founded the company over 50 years ago. After World War II, Lauren's father started making plumbing replacement parts in his garage part time. The business grew because it was difficult for plumbers to find replacement parts for ancient fixtures.. Over the years the company has grown into a successful family run business. The company consistently tries to find new ways to become more efficient. The company had several parts that had two or more operations, and they knew that this was hurting them, not only in labor, but also the delivery time and profit. When Barry E. Walter, Sr. Company started to look for machines, they knew that a traditional chucking lathe was not the answer. Hartwig, Inc., the Miyano distributor, came in to help them in choosing the right machine for their parts. The company decided on a BNE 51SY. This lathe has two turrets and twin spindles with a Y-axis. Barry Walter, Jr. told Hartwig that they "picked the machine because of the rigidity." They do not chuck any parts and needed a bar machine with a solid heavy casting. "We do not have to worry about chatter, because of the Rigidity of the machine and the box ways" said Barry Walter, Jr. There were also some other options that made this machine the right choice. "We are rigid tapping unusual course threads, and we have not found a machine with the horsepower or torque to cut them," said Barry Walter, Jr. Barry E. Walter, Sr. Company also wanted to decrease operations on their parts. Walking through their shop and seeing boxes and boxes of second and third operation parts on the floor was frustrating to them. They needed those parts on a truck, not on the floor. With a two-spindle two turret machine with a Y-axis, they did just that. Barry Walter, Jr. says, "We took a large family of parts that had a cycle time of sixty seconds, and after that they sat in a box waiting for the other two to three operations. Now we can drop the part off complete in seventy seconds." Picking the Miyano was a great choice for Barry E. Walter, Sr. Company. They now have fewer parts in boxes on the floor, and now they can drop more parts off complete. Barry Walter, Jr. is amazed at the capabilities of the machine. "We are able to tap 5/8, 8 threads per inch, double lead, 29 degree acme stub threads and similar." They also added a Polygon milling attachment and now they can do a hexagonal shape in a matter of seconds, which eliminates time in the machining process. No matter how you look at it, this machine is a great addition to their shop. So the next time that you are driving through the sleepy little town of Fort Morgan, Colorado, stop in and say hi and ask them, "Got Parts?" You can contact Barry Walter, Sr. Company at 970-867-3858. |
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