A-dec is on deck with new hot press.

A-dec likes jobs it can sink its teeth into. One of the largest dental equipment manufacturers in the world, A-dec designs, builds, and markets a wide array of equipment, from chairs and stools, delivery systems and lights, to cabinetry and accessories.

Based in Newberg, OR, A-dec supplies products to authorized dealers and customers in more than 100 countries. The company's mission statement is simple: "Make A-dec the preferred choice of dental equipment for our distribution partners, dentists, hygienists, schools, and government organizations worldwide by providing innovative, simple solutions and services that deliver superior value to the customer."

For A-dec, the superior value begins with the machining process at its 60,000-square-foot facility.

It was about 1 1/2 years ago that A-dec realized it needed to increase its capacity, flexibility and turnaround time on the laminated components. With the company's 175 employees working three shifts to produce product, a bottleneck had developed at the cold press. The long amount of press time needed was posing problems on several levels and the cold press was already being utilized at near maximum capacity.

A-dec's solution: To switch the manufacturing process from a cold press to a throughfeed hot press with vacuum stacking from Joos.

"We wanted something with shorter cycle times that would offer a little more flexibility in terms of when we could lay up material," said Brian Bowman, manufacturing engineer for A-dec.

"Material in our cold press had to be in the press for four hours. Also you had to run a stack that was roughly 26 inches of material. When we had a board with a flaw and needed another one quickly, unless we had one already laminated, the replacement was at least four hours away," he added.

Since installing the Joos hot press, the average press time for products has decreased significantly--to mere minutes, Bowman said. "Some of the material includes lead core for X-ray protection, and is in the press longer. But for most of the material we run, the total time spent for the process, from indexing through the press stacking, is approximately two minutes per board."

Bowman added that the Joos press also gives them the flexibility and fast turnaround time the company needed. Also, he said, "If a part gets damaged and we need a replacement quickly, we can get another one in five minutes."

INTEGRAL TO PRODUCTION

Bowman said the Joos press runs approximately four hours per shift and has been a great success at A-dec.

"The Joos press is a very sound machine. It is one of those machines you take for granted, but it is actually crucial to our operation. It supplies material used by the rest of our shop."

"We are happy with the machine. The press is robustly built and functionally, it is simple to run. The Joos press does what it is supposed to do every time and does it well."

The Joos press is PLC controlled for all the press cycles. "Operations-wise, the machine is very simple. Joos made an infeed and outfeed custom matched to our requirements. The vacuum stacking unit avoids the need to slide material against other material. Some of the laminates we use are susceptible to scratching, so this feature offers an added degree of protection," Bowman said.

Joos USA Inc.

Phone: [phone]

www.joosusa.com

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