Virtual tool shop provides new options
A
Misumi product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Apr 23, 2007
Misumi USA caters to custom manufacturers with an online part catalogue powered by 3D PartStream.NET
In assembly automation, companies design specialty products that often require a variety of custom components in small quantities.
Misumi USA caters to that market with an online part catalogue powered by 3D PartStream.NET.
The virtual tool shop allows buyers to configure bushings, linear shafts, locating pins and other parts to their exact needs.
The system generates a part number and a SolidWorks part model on the fly.
In the past, if a buyer wanted a specialty part, they had to order a minimum quantity of standard parts, create a CAD design of the new configuration, and then machine the part onsite or outsource it to a machine shop.
Misumi saves its customers time, hassle, and money by delivering custom components within eight days.
The coding system that allows buyers to specify the material, dimensions, and finish of the parts was developed by Misumi USA's parent company in Japan.
"We are well known in Japanese circles, but in the US we are not as well known", said Kaz Ishida, President of Misumi USA, who launched an inch range of components nine months ago.
Misumi USA offers the inch version of its parts catalogue "Custom Mechanical Components for Assembly Automation" online.
To meet the demands of the North American market, Misumi turned to 3D PartStream.NET.
"Most of our buyers in assembly automation are Solidworks users, so 3D PartStream.NET was a good fit", said Ishida.
The part maker now features 4000 assembly automation parts in its online catalogue.
75% of the parts are configurable to meet custom requirements.
As part of the 3D PartStream.NET service, Misumi also gets exposure to the SolidWorks user base through 3D ContentCentral(SM), a website for manufacturers and Solidworks designers to share CAD models.
"The beauty of 3D PartStream.NET is that it's intuitive", said Ishida.
"A designer can go to our website and choose the part he wants and then configure all the critical dimensions just by clicking a series of buttons".
Most suppliers of linear shafts offer a 1.8288 or 3.6576m cut length, but users run into difficulty if they want to order a 114.3mm linear shaft with a 50.8mm diameter and female and male threads.
These users can go to Misumi's online catalogue and select "linear shafting" from the mechanical product list.
A list of standard types appears.
The users selects the one closest to what they want.
When the product comes up, the users is given a series of options, including diameter, length tolerance, thread type, and finish.
When they are done configuring your part, they click on 3D model to get a downloadable SolidWorks model with a part number in seconds.
The Misumi catalogue is a boon to assembly automation design firms, such as Shamrock Engineering in Evansville, Indiana, which specialises in robotics and factory work cells.
Factory automation designers can order custom configured locator pins in small quantities through Misumi USA.
"I can go to their catalogue and click on locator pins, and it defines all the different kinds of locator pins".
"I go into one of those and start specifying sizes and it generates a 3D model in minutes", says Paul Head, Machine Designer at Shamrock.
"I throw the model in my design, and if it doesn't work, I can go and get another one".
Shamrock used to manufacture its own linear shafts.
Now it gets them from Misumi.
"I can get a shaft for US $7 or US $8 at Misumi, whereas making it from scratch would take five or six hours, and at a shop rate of US $40 to US $50 an hour, you can save hundreds of dollars", says Head.
"Misumi saves us time", says Jesse Shrimpf, Mechanical Design Engineer at Engineering Specialists in Brookfield, Wisconsin.
His company uses Misumi parts to speed design of assembly machines.
"Other vendors don't have the models you need on their website, so you have to model it yourself".
Linear shafts are a popular item in the Misumi USA online inch catalogue.
In the past, if a part was not available in a catalogue, Engineering Specialists had to design the part and send it to an outside vendor.
"It's a lot more work than just going to the catalogue and finding the part you want", says Shrimpf.
"And with Misumi, the price is fixed, so you don't have to order ten parts to get that price".
"We went live at the end of September", says Ishida.
"If I look at October's data, we've had 3500 views where people have configured parts on the website, and 800 downloads of drawings".
"And we are just getting started".
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