Estes Philosophy: State-of-the-Art Technology

Estes Philosophy: State-of-the-Art Technology

At Estes Design and Manufacturing, we’ve invested in the highest-quality technology available for our customers’ metal fabrication needs. Our philosophy is to profitably produce fabricated metal products with a level of service and quality preferred by the customer. The philosophy has four main areas of focus:

1. Creative, Innovative Thinking
2. People of High Character
3. State-of-the-Art Technology
4. Continuous Improvement

The focus of this blog is our technology.

Estes’ Technology: Delivering on cost reduction, quality, and speed

In this blog, we follow the path a part could travel in our shop, from initial sheet to final product, highlighting three key machines whose unique capabilities benefit our customers through cost reduction, improved quality, and reduced lead-time. These machines are the:

1. Salvagnini CNC Shearing/Punching Cells (S4)
2. Salvagnini CNC Panel Benders
3. Prima 3D Laser Welding System

Salvagnini CNC Shearing/Punching Cells                    

The first stop in our part’s path is our Salvagnini CNC Shearing/Punching Cells (S4s). The S4 combines the punching versatility of a turret press with the blanking capabilities of a shear to punch features into the blank and then shear the perimeter of the blank to separate it from the sheet. Sheets of raw material are automatically brought from our materials warehouse as directed by the S4, and punched parts are automatically unloaded onto a tray.

Since these machines are fully automated, we can run them around the clock. The increased throughput aids in reducing lead-times for clients with time-sensitive projects. Not only does the S4’s automation provide around-the-clock activity, but customers also benefit from cost reduction that would otherwise go to pay for labor.

Salvagnini CNC Panel Bender                                                                                   

The second stop in our part’s path is our Salvagnini CNC Panel Benders. As the name implies, their primary function is to bend punched blanks into their final panel shape. The bending function of our panel benders is also fully automatic. An operator loads a flat blank and unloads a formed part, but the machine does all of the forming and rotating.

Eliminating the chance of human error in the forming process greatly improves the consistency and accuracy of the formed parts (a panel bender can achieve +/- .004” repeatability and +/- .008” bend dimension tolerance), which provides customers with a higher quality product.

Prima 3D Laser Cutting/Welding System

The final stop in the path is our Prima 3D Laser Welder. 3D laser welding uses concentrated energy to fuse metal parts into a very precise joint that is strong and highly aesthetic. Because the laser beam is only .005” in diameter, the forming accuracy of the panel bender is critical to a successful weld.                                                                                                                                                    With our Prima 3D Laser Welding system, we can offer 3D laser welding as a differentiating service that offers cost savings and improved weld quality to customers. The welding process itself is faster (10X faster than traditional MIG welding and 40X faster than traditional TIG welding), and the resulting weld requires little to no post-weld cleanup. Faster welding and minimal finishing means a reduction in cost to the customer and a higher quality product.

Estes Design and Manufacturing: Fast track your next project with our innovation, people, and technology

Now that we have addressed the high character of our people, innovative thinking, and technology, we can begin to see how each of our philosophy’s pillars influence each other. We employ people of integrity who think creatively and are knowledgeable enough to push our technology’s capabilities to its limits, even designing new capabilities to improve our overall process and benefit the customer. To see all of the technology we use to fabricate high-quality metal parts at Estes, visit our state-of-the-art equipment page or download an equipment list.

With over 40 years of history in the metal fabrication industry, Estes has the resources, the experience, and the character to take your project to the next level. If you are looking for a partner that will treat your product like its own, contact us today.