1.5months in at the new job and so far so good. This company is local to me but was purchased by a huge danish company about 2 years ago. Our parent company wants to start sourcing more machined and fabricated parts in the states, especially for customers in the states, and that's a large part of my position. I got an email about a week ago at 2:30pm on a Friday, they asked if I could source a replacement shaft for one that broke in a machine, and they needed it in exactly 1 week.
I wish I could post the print of this shaft but sadly you will have to use your imaginations. It is a 1,200mm (47" freedom units) shaft with its main diameter being under 12mm. It then has grooves every few inches that go down to 6mm diameter and it has to be food safe so it's made out of a nice soft 303ss. It also has some ratcheting teeth milled into it.
The print I was sent was very confusing and it made it look like the teeth were machined along the entire part! In reality they were only machined along 2 5mm sections. I asked for a CAD file right away but they said not to get my hopes on that.
I started reaching out to a bunch of shops I have used already and some new shops. Immediately start getting replies that my deadline is not possible, I would ask what a deadline is they could make the part in and they would tell me its a no quote. 15 shops no quoted me on this! not a single shop would touch it. Tuesday I had a quick call with our parent company to talk about this, they then informed me that this Is for a very large and well known candy manufacturer and that they have kinda dropped the ball on this part. It has needed to be replaced since last April (9 months ago) and the manufacturer is rightfully upset about it, so much so that if they don't have this part by the line shut down date (the following Monday, aka 4 business days away now) they would likely lose them as customer.
They also clarified some details of the shaft that were unclear in the print and let me know they did have someone working on a cad model and were hoping I would have it that same day. Wednesday morning comes and the no quotes from shops are still coming in and no cad model to be seen. I let them know time is running out, if I can't get a cad model today our chances are going to go from almost 0 to 0.
Around lunch time Wednesday a cad file finally hits my inbox but it is a eDrawings file which is basically just a picture. You can look at the part but you are not able to actually take measurements or anything of it. Thankfully within 30 minutes I was able to get an actual step file and I was back to the races.
I reached out to a shop I use to work at, I talked to my old boss who had already no quoted this. I told him if he can do the turning I will handle all the milling here in house but I need it done by Friday morning so that I can finish it Friday. I told him that is any way possible for him to name his price and we will pay it, not having the part isn't really an option. He told me he would knock it out himself Thursday evening and then I could pick it up first thing Friday morning. Perfect!
10:30pm Thursday night I got a call from him.... He was un able to make the part, he went through the material I supplied and some he had in house. $#%^$
Only option now was to make it myself on machines I'm not familiar with.
It wasn't the easiest but it wasn't as bad as I thought either. Made a couple small mistakes that I wish I had the time to make a second one but they said it will work.
I just did a few inches at a time, It was crazy how much it would sag when I would remove the tailstock. After 43" I flipped it to finish the other end. I was very worried about it bending in the spindle and it would not fit in just a standard sleeve. So I printed up some pieces that would fit on it by locating in the grooves. I split it into halves and then made a collar that would slide over to hold it together. Quickly printed it Friday night so I could finish it up Saturday.
Somehow worked perfectly. Lastly was the ratcheting teeth, I made a clamp that had 7 sides so I could locate off it for the 7 teeth. Put one on each end so they were in line with each other.
It all worked out, the part was hand delivered yesterday morning and hopefully it fits and works ha.