When an automotive customer asked Coldwater Machine Co. to bid on tooling and machines to produce a vehicle exhaust tube, Coldwater engineers analyzed the entire five-step process and presented the customer with a more efficient overall solution that transformed the process from batch production to one-piece flow.
The original RFQ line and process layout spelled out five operations to produce the component, which required unique bending to accommodate a structural cross-member. According to the RFQ: The process begins with 2.5-in.-dia. type-409 stainless-steel pipe stock undergoing a bending operation, with the pipe loaded into a bender and bent in four places to create an offset. Starting at one elevation…
