Editor
- FMA
- The Fabricator
- FABTECH
- Canadian Metalworking
Modular fixturing brings benefits to John G. Wilson
by Jerry CookEmploying modular fixturing systems has improved productivity and reduced costs for welding operations for a large program at John G. Wilson Machine Ltd., Princeton, ON (jgwilson.on.ca).
- By Rob Colman
- March 27, 2009
- Article
- Welding
“We were awarded a substantial package (of work) from a customer that
involved very low volume builds of parts but the (overall) scale of the
program was very large. We talked about what our best ideas would be
for fixturing and (one option we considered) was modular fixturing,”
says Tom Wilson, engineering manager with John G. Wilson. John G.
Wilson, which began operations in 1953, has approximately 90 employees
at its 105,000 sq. ft. facility. The company is a job shop that does
production machining and fabricating for a variety of customers in
various markets. For example, some of the products that the firm
manufactures include strapping dispensers for material handling
applications; components for plastic injection molding machines; parts
and components for lift trucks; and more.The firm provides an
extensive array of services including CNC machining, CNC turning, laser
processing, metal fabrication, production welding, and metal spinning.
In general, the firm’s part runs range from one-offs and prototypes up
to 1,000 pieces. On the fabricating side, John G. Wilson is typically
working with material thicknesses ranging from 22 ga up to 1 in. The
company’s sales are split 60%-40% between domestic and export sales
respectively. According to Wilson, building dedicated fixturing
for the new program of work wasn’t feasible. “We could have built
dedicated fixtures but they would have cost thousands and thousands of
dollars. The program involved a dozen different families of parts and
it would have been very expensive.”As a result, the company began
evaluating various modular fixturing systems before selecting two
Demmeler D-28 modular fixturing systems from Bluco Corp., Aurora, IL
(bluco.com). “We had some familiarity with Bluco modular fixturing from
other local companies who were using their modular systems,” says
Wilson.The D-28 modular fixturing system tables that John G. Wilson
purchased are 1200 x 1200mm (4 ft. x 4 ft.) and feature 28mm (1 1/8
in.) bores on 100mm (4 in.) spacing. The fixturing systems are ideal
for heavier industrial grade weldments and offer over 125 standard
components. Tables can be joined together for larger parts.According
to Wilson, the Bluco modular fixturing systems have provided a variety
of benefits for the firm. “The Bluco systems were a good investment to
cover all the work that was involved with this program without having
to make dedicated fixturing.”However, building dedicated fixturing
for the major product families was only part of the problem, points
out Reg Henry, CNC/tooling manager with John G. Wilson. “Not only would
we have had to make dedicated fixtures for each of the dozen product
families but because of the way these components were we would have had
to build fixturing to do sub-weldments to put into weldments. With the
Bluco systems we were able to combine everything into one weldment. The
Bluco systems have increased productivity.”Another benefit of using
the Bluco fixturing systems is that part design modifications can be
accommodated much more easily, adds Wilson. “We have probably revised
these parts three times since we started the program which would have
required retooling and modifying the fixtures each time. Using the
Bluco fixtures has meant huge savings in terms of accommodating design
changes. That has been a major benefit to us.”Henry also singles
out improvements in dimensional tolerancing that the Bluco modular
fixturing systems have provided John G. Wilson. “Every part that goes
onto the Bluco fixturing table comes out right. If the setup is right
and it has been qualified, it doesn’t matter which operator puts the
parts in the fixturng, they are always the same. Sometimes with fixture
building, one of your biggest problems is that each operator can load
the fixture a little differently and suddenly parts start shifting and
not every part is coming out the same. There is a big benefit in terms
of repeatability with the Bluco modular fixturing systems.”Since
installing the modular fixturing systems, John G. Wilson has also taken
advantage of Bluco’s in-house engineering and CAD support that it
offers to customers as an option. “Bluco offers support in the design
and layout of the system for a new job. For a small fee, Bluco will
layout the table and fixturing for a new job. The technical support
that Bluco offers in terms of helping to lay out the fixtures and lay
out the structure to make the parts has been fantastic. Such things as
on-line net meetings (have been critical) in allowing us to build the
structure for this project at a very low cost. This has been a huge
cost saving for us,” says Wilson.”Bluco’s engineering and CAD
support for the modular fixturing systems has also resulted in a
reduction in lead times, he adds. “In some instances, it can take weeks
to build a dedicated fixture. Instead, I will have a program within a
week from Bluco including estimates for costs of tooling and I can
issue a purchase order and be up and running in days.” Both Wilson
and Henry feel that the Demmeler modular fixturing systems are meeting
the company’s expectations in terms of performance.bluco.com
About the Author
Rob Colman
1154 Warden Avenue
Toronto, M1R 0A1 Canada
905-235-0471
Robert Colman has worked as a writer and editor for more than 25 years, covering the needs of a variety of trades. He has been dedicated to the metalworking industry for the past 13 years, serving as editor for Metalworking Production & Purchasing (MP&P) and, since January 2016, the editor of Canadian Fabricating & Welding. He graduated with a B.A. degree from McGill University and a Master’s degree from UBC.
subscribe now
Keep up to date with the latest news, events, and technology for all things metal from our pair of monthly magazines written specifically for Canadian manufacturers!
Start Your Free Subscription- Stay connected from anywhere
Easily access valuable industry resources now with full access to the digital edition of Canadian Metalworking.
Easily access valuable industry resources now with full access to the digital edition of Canadian Fabricating & Welding.
- Industry Events
Automate 2024
- May 6 - 9, 2024
- Chicago, IL
ANCA Open House
- May 7 - 8, 2024
- Wixom, MI
17th annual Joint Open House
- May 8 - 9, 2024
- Oakville and Mississauga, ON Canada
MME Saskatoon
- May 28, 2024
- Saskatoon, SK Canada
CME's Health & Safety Symposium for Manufacturers
- May 29, 2024
- Mississauga, ON Canada