Carolina Shop Makes "Intelligent" Choice for Cutting Tools
Intelligent Tool Corp is a precision machine shop and manufacturing company located in Concord, NC. Serving a variety of industries including automotive and aerospace, they offer a wide range of services from model and prototype development to part manufacturing. Two years ago, they switched cutting tools -- and that intelligent decision led to more material removal at less cost.
Originally founded in 1993, Patrick Godwin purchased Intelligent Tool Corp in 2017 after the founder went into retirement. Prior to assuming leadership at the company, Patrick spent numerous years in manufacturing technology with industry leaders such as SpaceX and Siemens PLM/Digital Industries Software.
After moving back to North Carolina after several years in Los Angeles, he encountered many manufacturers hesitant to embrace new technology in their shops. Godwin had grown accustomed to working in a climate that valued investing in high quality equipment and fostering work environments encouraging growth from within. This drove him to focus on shifting the company culture and practices at Intelligent Tool Corp to better support growth by utilizing technology and developing top-notch supplier partnerships.
Intelligent Tool Corp now prides itself on only seeking out the best equipment to increase productivity and lower costs. Godwin recognized the investment in new DMG MORI milling and turning machines also meant the investment in the latest and greatest tooling technology to achieve optimum performance. "We are always evaluating cutting tools from different companies," explains Godwin. "We do this quite regularly as we have become a test site for many different tooling manufacturers."
While Godwin was aware of the HAIMER product line, he did not bring it in for testing until Regional Sales Manager Joe Cerniglia joined HAIMER in 2020. Cerniglia connected with Godwin right away to see if he would be willing to run some test cuts with the new tooling so they would see the HAIMER MILL in action live.
"I have known Joe for a long time prior to him working for HAIMER," states Godwin. "He understands how we treat things and goals for the company." The partnership has also benefited Cerniglia by creating a venue to familiarize himself with the new HAIMER MILL cutting tools he would now be selling.
The tool being tested was the HAIMER MILL corner radius solid carbide endmill. The HAIMER MILL product line focuses on the essentials in terms of product characteristics and represents HAIMER's entry level cutting tool when it comes to efficient machining. HAIMER MILL solid carbide endmills can be used in almost any material and are primarily suitable for roughing and finishing operations.
Concurrently with the HAIMER MILL testing, Intelligent Tool Corp also tested other cutting tool leaders in the industry. However, Godwin noticed the HAIMER MILL cutting tool was providing something the other tool manufacturers were not.
"We found success in the HAIMER cutting tools by increasing our cubic inches of material removal per minute," describes Godwin. "We also found that our costs were lower compared to other offerings or, in other words, the HAIMER MILL was faster and less expensive."
After seeing such great results, they decided to take the plunge and replace one of the standard tools with the HAIMER MILL. "I don't buy things just because it is Joe selling it," states Godwin. "I buy it if it is right for us and the HAIMER MILL tool is right for us." The last time Intelligent Tool Corp switched cutting tool brands was two years ago -- this was the first time they came across something that provided incentivize to change.
The HAIMER MILL is now the standard tool inserted into the machine tool for a majority of parts for Intelligent Tool Corp. As they continue to use the HAIMER MILL tool, they are able to remove 17% more material per given time with HAIMER tooling compared to the other leading product used in the shop.
Their team also found that it was 20% more affordable per unit as well. "It was a big surprise to us to see what HAIMER could do given the geometry of that cutter compared to what we were able to do before," explains Godwin.
When speaking to other machine shops in the area, Godwin often shares his experience with the HAIMER MILL solid carbide endmills. "HAIMER cutting tools are for people who want to advance their tooling technology applications," describes Godwin. "I think a lot machine shops with high-end machine tools can really utilize the HAIMER technology to push the envelope and run at their maximum productivity level, like we have here at Intelligent Tool Corp."
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