COBRA METAL WORKS STORY

New Technology and Teamwork Keep Cobra Metal Works in the Lead

In 1997, with one Miyano BND34s lathe and the confidence that he could provide high quality, tight tolerance machined parts for the automotive industry, Anton Hirsch opened the doors of Cobra Metal Works. A decade later, a workforce of 200 in Illinois, North Carolina, Mexico and Poland, operates more than 150 machines making critical parts for the automotive, aerospace and medical device industries.

Keeping the latest technology on the shop floor, coupled with teamwork, is Hirsch's formula for success. "No company can be successful unless there is complete teamwork," said Hirsch. "Team" to Hirsch means going far beyond his engineers and operators. Teamwork at Cobra extends to Arthur Machinery, supplier of the lion's share of Cobra's machine tools, Arthur Machinery's ability to work with machine builders to support Cobra, and IMTS - The International Manufacturing Technology Show to learn about and observe new technology.

"As we are selling projects we are constantly determining the best technology to accomplish the job," said Hirsch. "IMTS is where we can do that. Our philosophy of keeping the latest technology on the floor is what makes us the most competitive."

For Hirsch and the team, the machines purchased as a result of IMTS 2006 have meant significant productivity increases.

The Hydromat EPIC R/T rotary transfer machines Cobra invested in after IMTS 2006 have netted a 500% increase in productivity. Now, one EPIC does the work 10 CNC machines did in the past and one operator can manage the work of five. "The parts we make are typically engineering intensive in their development," noted Hirsch. "The way we are structured allows us to use our CNC machines to help a customer immediately and then when the design is final and in production we can move to a more automated process."

After IMTS 2006 Cobra invested in Staubli robots. Before that, each CNC machine had its own operator. Now one operator can manage three machines and the robot resulting in a 200% productivity increase and payback on the investment in less than one year.

At IMTS, the team witnessed Miyano's BNE line of CNC turn-mill machines capable of completely machining turned and milled parts in one setup, and saw how they could use the two-turret, two-spindle machines to achieve faster cycle times on turned and milled parts. In addition to turning tools, the upper turret can accommodate six rotating tools and the lower turret five tools, enabling the machine to perform a full range of milling and drilling operations on the part in addition to turning operations. As a result, most parts can be completely machined in one setup, eliminating the need to move the part to other machine tools for secondary machining operations.

Based on what they saw at IMTS several years ago, the Cobra team decided that they could improve their tooling production process. With the broad range of materials Cobra's operators and machines face - stainless steel, cold rolled steel, titanium, brass and a myriad of aerospace alloys - tooling can be a challenge. Cobra makes most of their tooling in-house using lathes equipped with boring bars and a five-axis Walter CNC grinder for finishing. STEP application protocols ensure data exchange is accurate and eliminates errors. "Our goal was to eliminate the variability that came with manual grinding.

Hirsch is quick to point out that although their machine choices have increased productivity, Cobra's operators are still the backbone of the operation. "The combination of automation and our aggressive training program, gives our operators much more opportunity to move to a new level within our team and contribute more to our success," he said.

For IMTS 2008 Hirsch and his team already have plans to shop the floor. "It's on our calendar."

Cobra Metal Works was founded in 1997 with the mission of providing superior quality machined parts for the automotive industry. The skills of Cobra's engineering team earned the company a patent on a part critical to automotive air bag operation. Cobra Metal Works' attributes its success to its commitment to quality and customer relationships. In 1998 the company achieved ISO-9000 registration which became the backbone of its management system and the framework for growth. That commitment continued with ISO/TS 16949 registration in 2003.

Company Information

Cobra Metal Works
1140 Jansen Farm Drive
Elgin, Illinois 60123
847-214-8400
www.cobrametalworks.com/

IMTS 2008 Exhibitors Mentioned in the Story

» Hydromat Inc. - Booth A-8435, Metal Cutting Pavilion, Hall A
» Miyano Machinery USA, Inc. - Booth A-8717, Metal Cutting Pavilion, Hall A
» Walter USA Inc. - Booth F-2257, Tooling & Workholding Systems Pavilion, Hall F