Ellison Technologies, Inc

Budde Precision Machining Achieves Unmatched Efficiency with PUMA TT Turning Center from Ellison Technologies

Specializing in intricate machining for heavily regulated industries, Budde Precision Machining of Dayton, Ohio recently bolstered their capabilities with a new machine tool acquisition to handle an especially demanding production run. 

“It’s a defense project that we’ve engineered to the gills,” says Mike Budde, Owner of Budde Precision Machining. “We’re taking a twelve pound stainless steel disc and whittling it down to less than three pounds in eight and a half minutes. And we make 16,000 of them a year, all on one shift.” 

When it comes to this application, Budde’s weapon of choice is the PUMA TT by DN Solutions.

Budde DN Solutions PUMA TT

Budde Precision: Your Partner in Complex Machining

Budde Precision Machining serves the most demanding companies in industries including defense, aerospace, medical and automotive. They’re ISO 9001/AS9100 and ISO 13485 certified, as well as ITAR Registered. They are fully committed to exceeding the highest quality standards, maintaining robust traceability practices and safeguarding sensitive information. 

“Risk analysis is core to our production philosophy,” said Budde. “Between parts and automation, we seek to understand and outguess everything that can go wrong. And then we proactively mitigate so it doesn’t happen.” 

One additional differentiator for the company: their personal touch. “We’re in manufacturing, but machining companies are service companies. That’s not lost on us,” says Budde.

Budde Precision Parts

Unleash the Power of the PUMA TT

With its dual spindles, twin turrets, and exceptionally rigid boxway structure, the PUMA TT is ideally suited for complex, high-precision tasks in challenging materials. The team at Budde Precision thoroughly researched before selecting the PUMA TT, comparing it against various machine tool brands and performance levels. "The PUMA TT offers the capabilities and performance of high-end brands at an impressive price point," said a representative from Budde.

“We also looked at twin spindle, single turret machines as well,” said Budde. “While they probably would have done the job at a better price point, we invested in the additional capabilities of the PUMA TT for two reasons. The first is that we gained additional productivity to run a titanium prototype job in addition to the full stainless steel production job. Secondly, the twin turrets allow us to add redundant tooling to run lights out.”

Ellison Technologies was instrumental in the selection of the PUMA TT for this application. “They helped us spec out the PUMA TT,” said Budde. “I know and trust our Sales Engineer, and I feel comfortable that our project is not going to fail with him involved. Period.”

Features and Performance

Budde Precision is capitalizing not only on the performance of the PUMA TT, but many of the standard features as well. “We’re utilizing in-machine probing, tool load monitoring, tool life management and more to really manage and control the cell and parts. Risk mitigation is what we’re after.”

One example: the stainless steel defense production part application referenced earlier involves plunging a 2.5” drill into stainless at a rapid rate. “Our concern was if we’re not paying attention, what’s going to happen?” said Budde. “Between the standard load monitoring and tool life management functions, we’ve dialed in the process. Any variance shuts the machine down and alerts us. This gives us the comfort level to flip off the lights and walk away while the machine makes parts.”

Additionally, in a 2 OP handoff application like this one, operators may be worried that the part is fully seated. “Traditionally, we would use air seat detection, which is an added system and cost,” said Budde. “But on the PUMA TT with this application, the combination of force sensing in the spindle and comparing the actual position to the expected position gives us the confidence that the part is fully seated. All of this came standard on our TT.”

The results? High productivity and unbeatable precision. “The lowest Cpk is above 10 for this application,” said Budde. “People don’t believe us when we tell them, but the results don’t lie.”

Discover the twin power of the PUMA TT

This turning center is one of the top performers in the comprehensive DN turning center line. Take it for a twin spin and you’ll clearly see why. To learn more about the PUMA TT—or any other machines - contact us today.

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