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MOLD MAKER
C

Vol.17 / No.1

Looking Across the Northern Border

Mold makers of Canada

Knowledge, experience and commitments
to high-performance machining technologies drive
Canadian mold makers to a full-speed recovery.

out front

Contents

Special Edition: Looking Across

the Northern Border

Vol.17 / No.1

In each issue of Competitive Mold Maker, we like to share several compelling stories from mold manufacturers all
across North America. To recognize the achievements of our neighbors to the north, specifically the mold makers
of Windsor, Ontario, we decided to take a closer look across the border for this special Canadian issue. With
decades of experience working with many of the worlds largest automotive manufacturers, the mold makers of
Windsor have created one of the largest mold manufacturing centers in North America.
In this special issue of Competitive Mold Maker are five unique stories of Canadian mold manufacturers that took
the market decline as an opportunity to invest in new machines, processes, tooling, automation systems and
software to build for a brighter future.
Redoe Mold made profitable investing a science with a lean cost-justification model that ensures highly accurate
ROI calculations. Using a team of leaders from various positions across the shop floor, the company analyzes the
true value a potential investment can have by its impact on secondary machining operations, handwork, spotting
and other post-processing labor.

tough times call for

added capabilities

16

Lens Tool and

Mould Finds Niche

20

Hardened Veterans

26

Accurate, Comprehensive
Cost Justification

Omega Tool Corp. and Cavalier Tool and Manufacturing have transferred many of their vertical machining center
processes to high-performance horizontal machining centers, resulting in dynamic improvements to speed and
quality. In addition, both manufacturers are reporting incredible levels of machine utilization, oftentimes in the
90 percent range.
For Lens Tool and Mould, opportunity has come in the form of specialty EDM applications. The companys years
of experience with Makinos HQSF sinker EDM technology have given it a widespread reputation across North
America for high-quality surface finishes in complex speaker-grille molds. This specialty work now represents
over 50 percent of its business.
Little Lakes Machine and Tool attributes much of its success to staying on top of the latest trends in machining
technology. With approximately 80 percent of its powdered metal tooling falling between the 55 HRc and 65
HRc range, recent investments in automated high-speed hardmilling capabilities have enabled the company
to reliably produce accuracy and finish qualities that require little to no secondary operations before going in
the press.
With the economic recovery under way and rising production demands in the automotive industry, these mold
makers are reaping the benefits of their savvy business investments. Their commitment to improving capabilities
and performance is proof that manufacturing is sure to remain a cornerstone of the Ontario economy just as it
always has been.
Andre Ey
Vice President
Makino Die Mold & EDM Technologies
(248) 232-6203
andre.ey@makino.com

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Omega Tool Corp Takes

Back Whats Theirs

12

Front
Special Edition:
2 Out
Looking Across the

25 featured
technology
MPmax

Northern Border

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31 technology
solutions
MCC-VG and a61nx

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feature STORY

Accurate, Comprehensive

Cost Justification
Redoe Mold builds detailed ROI calculations
to find the true value of its investments

Justifying large investments in machining equipment is a difficult

but necessary task that all manufacturers encounter in their mission
to remain competitive. While several factors should influence these
investment decisions, none is quite as significant as return on
investment (ROI). For Redoe Mold of Windsor, Ontario, smart
purchasing decisions are key to its long-standing success and
financial stability.

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Determining an accurate return on

investment extends farther than just the
machines performance specifications,
says Eric Leene, Redoe Mold shop
foreman. You have to also consider
the financial impact a machine has on
other aspects of your shop floor and
ultimately the service you provide to
your customer.
To ensure the most accurate ROI
calculations, Redoe Mold has refined
its investment process by assembling a
lean manufacturing team comprised of
leadership from various positions across
the shop floor. Together, they discuss
how the performance of a potential
machine investment could influence
secondary machining operations,
handwork, spotting and other postprocessing labor.
If youre investing in capabilities that
just simply get the job done, you may
have dollars slipping through the cracks
in other areas of your shop floor,
says Leene. Our investments in high-

performance machining centers from

Makino have taught us that the speed,
accuracy and flexibility of a machine
can offer dramatic savings even outside
of the work zone. So when youre
cutting out anywhere from 30 to 50
percent in manual labor on some jobs
like we are, theres a dramatic change
in the profitability and return on
investment the machine can offer.

Making a Dollar Go Farther

Redoe Mold was established in 1969
under the namesake of founders and
friends, Ed Regan and Pat Endo. In the
early days, the two men commonly
found themselves serving several
different roles for 20 hours a day, seven
days a week, to keep the business
running smoothly. They frequently
faced difficult financial challenges due
to limited savings, but quickly learned
the value of smart investments.
Financial considerations have always
been critical to this companys success,

says Leene. We do all that we can to

make sound investments that add or
improve capability to the shop floor
while ensuring profitability. By being
wise and responsible with our finances,
weve always been able to keep
reinvesting in the business.
With over 40 years of experience,
Redoe Mold has now become a wellknown and respected name across
North America for its dedication to bestin-class on-time delivery, quality and
service. The companys knowledge and
skills have provided it with the expertise
for design and production of high-end
injection molds and prototype molds.
Redoe Mold specializes in surfacecritical, multi-material and multi-color
molds for plastic components, including
automotive headlamps, taillamps and
reflectors.

High-Speed Return on
Investment
When youre working with optic
lens molds, accuracy and finish are
imperative, says Leene. Even the
slightest inconsistency can be detected
by light-refraction tests. For this reason,
we needed to invest in new capabilities
that could provide the best finishes
possible, straight out of the machine.
Starting in 2002, Redoe Mold began
investing in new high-speed machining
capabilities to enhance the quality of its
molds. The first purchases included a
Makino V77 vertical machining center,
MCC2013 horizontal machining center
and SP64 wire EDM.
Because these machines were adding
new capabilities and eliminating several
outsourcing procedures, it was easy
to justify the investment, says Leene.
What we didnt anticipate was the
long-standing, dynamic impact these

Redoe uses the high-speed rib-head technology of the EDNC157 and EDNC85S
to produce extremely fine details such as thin ribs and deep cavities.

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By investing in the MCC2013VG, Redoe is expecting to reduce semi-finishing and finishing times of cores and cavities by 50 percent,
and eliminate almost 100 percent of its previous secondary machining operations and associated setups.

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investments would have on our overall

shop efficiency. In several jobs, we
were able to eliminate secondary
machining operations and handwork
altogether.
These machines provided a huge
benefit with our optic lens molds,
where we were previously receiving
results that varied between 0.004 and
0.010 inches, and required extended
hours of manual labor in order to meet
required accuracies and finishes. Even
after nearly 10 years of service, these
machines are still providing bench-free
surfaces and tolerances under 0.002
inches.

Developing a Lean Cost

Justification
After witnessing the results produced by
its V77, MCC2013 and SP64 investments,

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Our investments in high-performance

machining centers from Makino have
taught us that the speed, accuracy
and flexibility of a machine can offer
dramatic savings even outside of the
work zone.
Redoe Mold began to take a closer
look at how it calculates its return
on investment.
For each investment moving
forward, we decided to assemble a
manufacturing team who could discuss
current bottlenecks, share specifications
and determine projected performance
across the entire part process,
says Leene. Upon gathering this
information, we can accurately quantify

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how much the process is costing us

with current equipment and the cost
savings that could be realized with
proposed equipment.
The first investment opportunity to use
the new, lean cost-justification process
came in 2007 with the replacement
of three vertical machining centers
used in the production of small mold
components.

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outdated graphite mill, says Leene.

However, the machines accuracy and
repeatability provided us with the ability
to completely eliminate benching and
CMM verification from our electrode
production. We took the opportunity
to go bigger and better by adding
subsequent investments to build a
robotic cell that could directly feed fresh
electrodes to an EDM.
The EDNC85S investment was a
simple decision. A test piece made
from P20 featuring a 0.027-inch rib
with 0.5-degree draft and a depth of
1.6 inches was sent out to six different
EDM suppliers. The size of the rib did
not permit manually finishing, so we
needed a machine that could achieve
a 12 RMS finish throughout. Makinos
EDNC85S with HQSF [high-quality
surface finish] and rib-head technologies
was the only machine surveyed capable
of meeting our requirements fully
unattended.

Redoes part designs are continuously growing in complexity with longer, deeper three-dimensional shapes and fewer draft angles.

The manufacturing team determined

two significant issues with our current
process that needed to be resolved,
says Leene. It was no longer feasible
to have an operator stationed at each
machine throughout the day, and
inconsistent part quality was resulting
in long hours of hand-finishing and
spotting. As a result, we knew we
needed a machine that could provide
high productivity and exceptional
accuracy and finish with little operator
attention required.

After conducting thorough market

research and gathering data from friends
in the industry, Redoe Mold decided
to invest in a Makino a61 horizontal
machining center.
Operating nearly 24 hours per day,
seven days a week, the a61 has
delivered more than what our three
previous machines ever offered, says
Leene. Its automatic pallet changer
combined with tombstone fixturing
allows us to produce several jobs in

Go Big or Go Home
The success of Redoe Molds lean cost
justification continued in 2008 with an
investment in a robot cell featuring a
Makino E33 graphite machining center
and EDNC85S sinker EDM.

Overall, the a61 has saved us

nearly $300,000 per year.
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a single setup with fewer operations.

The accuracy and surface finishes it
produces have reduced EDM and handfinishing by up to 50 percent and fitting
and spotting times by over 70 percent.
Overall, the a61 has saved us nearly
$300,000 per year.

The E33 was intended to be a standalone investment to replace our

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In 2010, Redoe Mold was on the market

again to replace its large work-zone
sinker EDM. With 70 percent to 80
percent of its large mold applications
featuring deep ribs, the investment team
quickly reflected on its experience with
the EDNC85S and Makinos high-speed
rib-head technology.

its no coincidence that Makino

has frequently come out on top.
The products and services they
provide reflect the same quality
and service we aim to provide for
our own customers.
After our previous EDM broke
down, we were forced to outsource
several large EDM applications, so
it was imperative that we made an
investment decision quickly, says
Leene. And while we typically
conduct thorough evaluations for each
machining investment, we knew from
our experience with the EDNC85S
that Makinos rib-head technology
could reduce our rib roughing times
by 80 percent or more. This led us to
invest in an EDNC157, one of Makinos
largest sinker EDM machines. With
performance like that, no other machine
could compare.

Designed to eliminate the traditional

compromise of speed versus accuracy
in sinker EDM machining, Makinos
high-speed rib-head technology uses a
linear motor-powered W-axis located
within the Z-axis to achieve jump cycles
up to 1,600 ipm, which is eight times
faster than a stand-alone Z-axis. This
high-speed motion, in turn, reduces
the length of roughing processes, cuts
down on out-of-cut time and flushes the
workpiece more effectively, especially
in smaller details, thin ribs and deep
cavities.

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Investment Demonstrates
Commitment
Automotive part designs are
continuously growing in complexity
with longer, deeper three-dimensional
shapes and fewer draft angles, making
it increasingly difficult to meet timesensitive orders with 3-axis machines.
In order to meet these demands, Redoe
Mold also needed to invest in multi-axis
machining capabilities.
When it came to our more complex
multi-axis jobs, we were sacrificing
time and money by outsourcing
3- and 5-axis work and using less

Redoe benefits from bench-free surfaces and tolerances under 0.002 inches,
even from Makino investments made nearly 10 years ago.

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Makino
efficient methods, such as picker head
machining, that required us to perform
several setups on multiple machines,
says Leene. Neither of these solutions
delivered on the quality, lead-times
or competitive pricing our customers
have come to expect from us. To
maintain our reputation as industry
leaders and reinforce our commitment
to quality and service, we assembled
our manufacturing team to research a
machine that could truly set us apart.
Redoe Molds manufacturing team
spoke with several machine tool
manufacturers and visited several
other shops to determine the features
and technologies they wanted from
their investment. In order to produce
the highest quality possible, they knew
they needed a single, large multi-axis
machine that could complete even
their largest jobs as a one-piece
fixture assembly.
During the search, Redoe Mold heard
that Makino was working with a large
car manufacturer to develop a new
technology for machining complex,
limited-draft deep-section tooling,
similar to their lighting molds and
fascias. In reaching out to its local Single
Source Technologies representative,
Redoe Mold found out about the
Makino MCC2013-VG 6-axis horizontal
machining center.
The MCC2013-VG was very
similar to our current MCC2013 but
included several unique features and
technologies that we hadnt seen
anywhere else, says Leene. While
many of our competitors have invested
in 5-axis machines, no one in North
America had the 6-axis capabilities
of the Makino VG technology, with
respect to accuracy and rigidity. We
knew that a machine like this would
not only meet current market standards,

F5 Vertical Machining Center

See Redoe Molds

MCC2013 significantly
reduce secondary
operations in its
optic lens molds at
moldmakermag.com/
Redoe or by scanning
the QR code.

but create a new market advantage that

would exceed our competitors current
capabilities.
To determine the impact the MCC2013VG would have on our shop floor, our
manufacturing team worked closely
with Makino to test several of our most
complex 3-D applications. The results
were nothing short of astounding.
By investing in this machine, were
expecting to reduce semi-finishing and
finishing times of cores and cavities by
50 percent, while eliminating almost
100 percent of our previous secondary
machining operations and associated
setups. These new capabilities will
also allow us to substantially reduce
outsourcing and cut out all related
handwork and spotting. As with all
our high-speed CNC machines, we
anticipate it will run close to 24 hours a
day, seven days a week, for a total cost
reduction of 35 percent with full return
on investment in approximately three
and a half years.

ability to calculate the true value of a

machining center enables the company
to continuously improve its efficiency,
profitability and competitive stance in
the global marketplace.
Even if you go to a bank, you have
to show some type of justification and
return for your investment; a machine
shop shouldnt operate any differently,
says Leene. And while we always
conduct thorough evaluations for each
machine purchase, its no coincidence
that Makino has frequently come out
on top. The products and services they
provide reflect the same quality and
service we aim to provide for our own
customers.
Redoe Mold
Windsor, Ontario
(519) 919-7855
www.redoegroup.com

view these webinars

> Large Mold Manufacturing Part 3
... Variable Geometry Technology

A Guarantee for Success

> Buyer Beware: Are Specifications

For Redoe Mold, investing in capital

equipment is more than just meeting
expectations. Its a sure-fire way to
secure the future of the business. Its

Really What They Seem?

Familiar Makino performance and quality at a not-so-familiar price. The new F-Series
Vertical Machining Centers from Makino feature a high-performance spindle, robust

Go to makino.com/library

construction for superior accuracy and SGI.4 for unparalleled surface finish on cores
and cavities. Thats a lot of hardmilling performance in a machine any shop can afford.
Get more familiar with all the features at makino.com/F5.

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