Sieber Tooling Solutions has provided process solutions, tools, and service in metal forming technology for a variety of applications and industries worldwide for more than 50 years.
We give shape to your ideas, using our design expertise, material offerings, and prototyping capabilities, no matter how simple or complex they might be.
We have a list of 30 manufacturing techniques available for producing almost any tool for metal forming or applied technology solutions along with the consistent quality demanded by the industry. Not long ago, a large manufacturer of hydraulic hose fitting for earthmoving equipment tested our capabilities, and the results added to our strong reputation as industry leaders.
The Tooling Solutions Challenge
This manufacturer needed professional assistance from Sieber Tool regarding the feasibility of producing two different groups of parts from 17 unique components on a single cold header. They also needed help identifying a suitable cold header to accomplish their objective.
The challenge to find the right header involved a range of variables and challenges, including welding the parts to form an assembly. Currently, both groups of parts were machined from solid bar. Additionally, the process for full production included custom manufacturing of the presses, design, and tool building.
The client had faith in our engineering team’s reputation to solve their problem and placed total confidence in our capacity to provide the right solution.
Sieber Tool’s Capabilities
We chose a variety of equipment and processes to meet this challenge:
- Applied/Processes: CNC milling, CNC soft turning and hard turning, surface grinding, CNC I.D./O.D. grinding, lapping and polishing, honing
- Manufacturing Equipment Used: CNC lathes, CNC mill, CNC I.D./O.D. grinder, honer
- Tightest Tolerances: +/-0.0001”
- Material Used: all tool steels, stainless steel, plastics, carbide, high speed steel
- Material Finish: 2-3 microns polished
- Industries for Use: automotive, hand tools, plumbing, canning, hydraulic fittings, propane, gas lines
- In Process Testing/Inspection Performed: profilometer, optical comparator, vision system
- Delivery/Turnaround Time: 5-6 weeks
The Solution
Our team began by searching for a press manufacturer that could provide an off-the-shelf header or custom build one to fit our unique criteria. We quickly decided to custom build the header, due to a lack of suitable OTS models on the market. Collaboration between the client, press machine engineers, and Sieber Tool engineers led to the construction and purchase of two Macrodyne 800 ton, 3-station, hydraulic presses, installed approximately 10 feet in the ground and projecting about 20 feet high.
We then developed the design sequence and seamless switching process from solid bar to cold-headed hollow tubing during manufacturing. The process design called for manufacturing most of the parts using common tooling processes with lower production costs and easier changeovers in mind. The latest FEA and CAD software played an important role in tooling design and product verification.
The Results
Our process design was not only successful in creating the quality results expected by the client, but it also eliminated machined scrap, allowing the customer to pay for the entire project from gains in material cost savings. The small amount of scrap generated was from a small puck measuring approximately 26 mm x 6.5 mm, which the client re-used in a deburring process elsewhere in their facility.
With more than 55 years of experience, Sieber Tool’s capacity to provide our clients with solutions to their challenges rests upon a foundation of providing quality parts for a variety of industries.
Difficult challenges require successful tooling solutions—something Sieber Tool strives to provide daily. We met this hydraulic hose fitting challenge with a satisfying, cost-effective solution, and we can give shape to your ideas too, using the same level of experience, manufacturing techniques, and equipment. Contact us to learn more about our design and manufacturing solutions and to get started on your project.