"Each pass of the rod couldn't be too hot or too cold; otherwise the material would crack. It has to do with knowing and using the right coeffi- cient of expansion for this particular metal. We reduced the turnaround time on the casing by 50% and saved them tens of thousands of dollars on the part."

The next part attempted was an insulation housing that goes inside theTomahawk rocket. The OEM was having trouble finding someone that would attempt the work due to its complexity. "We helped them design and engineer the component, one that had some very complex radiuses and angles," Kartsonis insisted.

Bends had to be formed left and right and then top to bottom, before the whole part was rolled into a 20 inch diameter. Fixtures were very complex because of the close tolerances on the thin sheet metal (310 stainless steel, 0.030-inch thick, for high-heat applications). "We reduced the cost of the part 200%, bringing it down to $400 per part for 22 pieces," Kartsonis continued. "And we turned it around in five weeks, for a job they were previously told would take eight weeks, which is a 37% savings in time.”

Kartsonis brought the company into existence in 1981 with a variety of different types of manufacturing equipment. He insists that the key to his success is employing highly skilled craftspeople, most of whom have been with the company for a long time. "We have a profit-sharing plan, which is a good incentive for high productivity," Kartsonis points out. "But what really helps is the fact that my guys understand the concept of customer service as much as I do."

Dynamic Fabrication offers engi- neering and design assistance, as well as manufacturing troubleshooting, as value-added services. If the part's application is known, says Kartsonis, DFI can help OEMs design for maximum cost efficiency and productivity. This heightened productivity was recognized recently when the company received the TRW Gold Supplier Award for 100% on-time work with high quality.

Dynamic Fabrication is also on the preferred supplier list for several aerospace companies, such as Adams- Rite, Rockwell, and General Electric.

Tradeshow Booth Highlights Design and Production Expertise

One unique job required Dynamic Fabrication to design and fabricate, within a very tight timeframe, a tradeshow booth for BMW Mini- Cooper. The two-story booth had to be strong enough to hold a Mini- Cooper on top of it, yet lightweight. It would also need to be durable and cost-effective at the same time. One section had steering wheels on it, so it had to be safe enough for children and strong enough to be handled roughly by adults.

"We designed it to be very light- weight, making it cheaper to ship, faster and easier to install, and easier to store after use," Kartsonis recalled."It also had to be very physically appealing, so we powder coated it in several designer colors to give it a real nice look."

There was a little bit of machining and assembly, but a great deal of sheet metal forming and welding. The booth was made out of 5-inch, square aluminum tubing with sheeting attached. Dynamic Fabrication made the weld joints and splices extra strong to handle the added stress, and added some structural rolling where they were spliced together. The jobber completed the job in five weeks, in- stead of eight, another 37% reduction in time. In doing so, Dynamic Fabrication saved BMW $15,000 to $20,000 on shipping, installation, and storage costs when it was finally in operation.

Another component, a high-water-pressure digger, was constructed to enable an environmental firm to dig, safe holes for street lights or other large fIxtures. Dynamic Fabrication helped design the large tube-like structures, and then built the 6-inch diameter aluminum tube with a stainless steel manifold that houses 15 separate water nozzles faced at different angles. The water jets had to be designed in such a way as to make the blasting of the dirt very

efficient. Some of the parts, such as handles, clips, and flanges, had to be welded to the tube; others, like the manifold, were machined and assembled later. The company had to machine hydraulic fittings for hose connections before assem- bling them. Half couplings had to be welded to the manifold, before screwing in the high-pressure nozzles. Dynamic Fabrication was able to promptly deliver 20 of the diggers for this customer on a very quick, one-week turnaround.

With everyone wanting everything better, cheaper, and faster, Kartsonis feels that Dynamic Fabri- cation is an asset to short-staffed OEMs. "I like to think of ourselves as a one-stop shop," he says. "They can make one phone call, and we'll handle the whole project. We can either do separate tasks, like machining, or we can do the whole part or component, no matter how big or how small it is."

Diverse Equipment Necessary for Extensive Workload

Dynamic Fabrication utilizes con- ventional machining equipment, mills, lathes, and surface grinders, as well as CNC machining centers. For sheet metal fabrication, the company has a variety of press brakes, shears, CNC punching equipment, rollers, and tube benders.

In welding, about 70% of the work uses the gas tungsten arc pro- cess, and the remainder, gas metal arc welding. The company has several high-tech, precision machines capable of handling Mil-spec welding on many different types of metals, including stainless steel, aluminum, InconelTM, Hastelloys, titanium, nickel alloys, and brass and bronze. For fin- ishing, the company does its own sanding and polishing. However, electropolishing, powder coating, painting, passivation, honing, anod- izing, and heat treating are sent to outside vendors. Tolerances vary greatly, depending on the size and complexity of the part or component and the processes involved. The fIrm's aerospace and medical workrequires the most precision and attention to quality.