When Ken Fangman joined Die Makers Manufacturing in 1997, the company had recently bought its first Sodick machine and was looking for operators that could easily onboard to their new technology. Since that first purchase in 1996, Die Makers Manufacturing has been a dedicated Sodick partner and currently runs four Sodick Wire EDMs on their shop floor.
Die Makers Manufacturing began making tools and dies in 1994 and now boasts a state-of-the-art, 30,000-square-foot facility filled with the latest equipment and software. The family-owned business is a complete manufacturing solution provider that is dedicated to providing customers with the highest quality products in line with their exact specifications.
Why Sodick?
“They trained me on Sodick, and that’s all we’ve ever bought since,” Ken said when asked about his history with the company; “We’ve never seriously considered trying other machines.” For Die Makers, reliability and accuracy are key, and since 1996, the market has changed tremendously. Tolerance requirements are getting stricter, and customers are looking for the most cost-effective, time-conscious solution. Die Makers has been able to stay on the leading edge of innovation as Sodick continues to develop new, ground-breaking technologies. However, their primary reason for staying with Sodick after all these years? The reliability of the machines and the experts behind them.
“Customers demand tighter and tighter tolerances all the time, and Sodick machines are able to do what we need them to do. No one questions our precision, the accuracy is always there, the finish is nice, and they are very affordable machines.” But the machine tools are not the only pull for Ken and his team. Throughout the partnership, what has stood out to Die Makers is the reliability and expertise of the Sodick team. “The people at Sodick are friendly and knowledgeable, and they want you to be happy with the machine. If you have an issue, they do everything they can to make it right, whether it be service, applications, or consumables.”
A History of Problem-Solving
In the competitive industry of tool and die manufacturing, Die Makers Manufacturing is always looking for ways to improve efficiencies and cut costs while maintaining the quality their customers rely on.
“We keep our machines for roughly 7-10 years, and it’s fun buying a new one because the improvements are smart. The threaders get better every generation, the finish gets better year after year, and the accuracy gets better, especially on taller blocks. So we’ve always been satisfied with our Sodick purchases,” Ken explained. Because Sodick is dedicated to consistent advancement and innovation, Die Makers has been able to grow alongside them, creating more efficient processes as the machine tools on their shop floor become more productive.
For Die Makers, the automatic threaders and the improved reliability have been game-changing. With automatic wire threading, production continues overnight, realizing immense cost savings and highly efficient processes; “Let’s say you have a block on with two big openings that will take 7-8 hours to burn, you can do that at night and come back during the day to cut the slugs off.”
For Sodick, continuing to improve machine tools and software is critical. With consistent enhancements and new technologies, Sodick is able to support manufacturers through industry growth, market changes, and new applications by advancing alongside the competition, not behind it.
Partners Through All Phases
27 years later, Sodick and Die Makers Manufacturing continue to work together to bring the best quality products to market. Sodick’s dedicated service team has helped Die Makers cut down on cost, troubleshoot software, and maintain accuracy in each run, and as Die Makers continues to expand, they continue to purchase Sodick machines.
By partnering with Sodick, Die Makers transformed their production process and continues to evolve alongside their customers and industry. To optimize your own operation, connect with a Sodick representative and start a partnership that prioritizes your success.
