BACK TO THEIR ROOTS

Paragon Die & Engineering (Grand Rapids, MI) recently installed the largest milling machine of its kind in North America for large-scale precision tooling and machining. This is the largest double gantry 5-axis milling machine from Fidia SpA (San Mauro Torinese, Italy) on the continent, a machine about the size and length of a car wash that can easily cut the entire fuselage of an F-22 Raptor fighter jet within a hair’s width of tolerance.

“Our new milling machine represents a significant leap forward for us as we supply industries that demand highly precise molds and machined parts that are also very large,” says David Muir, president of this manufacturer that serves the aerospace, alternative energy, automotive, heavy truck, nuclear, and other industries. In addition to cutting large 3D shapes from aluminum, steel, composite, or other materials, the enormous milling machine can be fitted with sensors so that it can precisely measure the shape of very large objects – allowing the company to help customers reverse-engineer existing parts, such as helicopter cockpits and airplane tail structures to produce replacements.

Purchased and installed a cost of $3.5 million, the double-gantry 5-axis milling machine has a table 60 ft by 12 ft with virtually unlimited weight capacity. As a five-axis machine, the Fidia precisely controls the position of cutters as they move along the length, width, and depth of the material, but also as the machining head is rotated along two additional axis.

“The capabilities of this machine will allow us to fabricate very large parts and molds with very sophisticated shapes,” notes Muir. “This is particularly important in the aerospace, automotive and any other industries that require curved surfaces to accommodate the aerodynamics of their products.” He said that same manufacturing capability has direct application to make components for heavy-duty machinery used in alternative energy, mining, agriculture, large-scale metal casting, and marine industries.

The company has spent much of the winter preparing a foundation for the machine at its Grand Rapids plant, first digging a rectangular trench 75 ft long, 30 ft wide and 8 ft deep, then filling that with a mixture developed by Michigan State University of concrete and small metal fibers to give extra rigidity as the base for the machine tool, allowing for its remarkable tolerance of .0015 in over a 60 ft distance. The thickness of the finest human hair is about .0015 in.

But the cost of site preparation and the machine tool itself are only part of the investment that Paragon has made in the new technology. “We’ve also made a significant investment in our team members,” explains Muir. “We have a very deep pool of machining knowledge here, so we are really leveraging the team approach to projects. That team approach is making a huge difference with our customers.”

Since the company was purchased in 1962 by Muir’s grandfather, Fred M. Keller, Paragon D&E has established a strong reputation as a full-service mold supplier with engineering and build capability that has consistently invested in new technology. With annual sales of approximately $30 million, the company now employs about 140 skilled toolmakers, machinists and support staff in Grand Rapids.

“In a very real sense, the investment in equipment like the Fidia and the organizational changes we have made over the past few years are really going back to our roots as a leader of cutting edge technology,” he said. “My grandfather was known in this industry as an innovator, and the Paragon team has taken this to the next level.”

For instance, one advantage of the new machine tool is that it can operate both gantry heads simultaneously using the same program, which means it can precisely position two milling heads to cut on the same job. That capability makes it possible for the Fidia to machine both sides of an aircraft fuselage at the same time or for one cutter to perform rough milling, followed immediately by a second cutter that performs finish milling. The result: some jobs can be performed in half the time it takes other companies.

“We do have some projects now for the U.S. Defense Department that are slated for this machine,” adds Muir. Along with being AS9100-certified for the manufacture of aerospace components, Paragon is ISO-certified and also registered under International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) as a secured facility for defense component manufacturing. As part of its program to break into new markets, the company is seeking NQA-1 qualification so that it will be able to work on materials and components used by the nuclear power industry.

Paragon D&E, 5225 33rd St. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49512, 616-949-2220, Fax: 616-949-2536, www.paragonde.com.