Case Studies

The CADDIS device is the leader in measuring machine uptime, improving efficiency and generating the data your business needs to provide you the profit you expect.

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M.A. Ford Case Study

By: Adam Sidlinger, Production Engineering Manager

CLIENT
M.A. Ford
PRIMARY INDUSTRY SERVED
Aerospace, Automotive, Medical
PRIMARY EQUIPMENT
High-Performance Cutting Tools
DOMESTIC PRODUCTION FACILITY
Davenport, IA

M.A. FORD improve their utilization, OEE, and production management

A case study on how CADDIS Systems helped M.A. Ford improve their utilization, OEE, and production management.

What was the challenge M.A. Ford was looking to solve by integrating CADDIS?

M.A. Ford did not have any machine monitoring software so we were left with approximating cycle times, efficiency, machine downtime, and the ability to monitor live data for what machines were currently running at any given time.

How did CADDIS Systems help M.A. Ford overcome the challenges you were facing?

With CADDIS, we are able to easily capture important information about each machine, and even entire departments to review data pertaining to production that helps us make better decisions moving forward. Before CADDIS, many man-hours were wasted manually tracking approximate machine uptime and downtime.

What machines have you installed the CADDIS on?

M.A. Ford has CADDIS devices installed on several different platforms of 5 axis CNC grinding machines, OD grinders, lathes, and others. These brands include ANCA, Rollomatic, Walter, Shigiya, Saacke, and DMG Mori.

Why did M.A. Ford choose to move forward with CADDIS Systems instead of another machine monitoring system?

M.A. Ford was initially working with a different machine monitoring software and was about to pull the trigger on launching their devices throughout our shop. Once we saw what CADDIS had to offer, we immediately made the switch over to them. This decision was easy because of a few reasons.

Cost. CADDIS offers competitive data and capabilities at a better rate than almost every machine monitoring software we have looked into.

Location. CADDIS is a US company with its headquarters only a few miles away from MA Ford.

Development. We were very pleased with everything CADDIS has to offer to immediately integrate into our products; but what we were more excited about, were the plans for future development. CADDIS was willing and able to work with M.A. Ford to implement new features, make additional changes, and continuously improve their product so we can get the most out of their devices and software.

“M.A. Ford has been able to make important decisions with confidence knowing exactly how our machines are running and what they are capable of, thanks to CADDIS.”

Adam SidlingerProduction Engineer Manager, M.A. Ford

Case Study Of LeClaire Manufacturing Hydraulic Units

By Chris Moore, Vice President Marketing, LCM2M

The Challenges LeClaire Manufacturing Was Trying To Solve By Implementing Caddis Systems

Using the type K thermocouple port that is found on all Caddis devices, LeClaire was able to capture the temperature of the hydraulic fluid at a frequency of every machine cycle.

The built-in alarm functionality of the Caddis system allowed LeClaire to set temperature thresholds that when violated, text messages and emails would be immediately be sent out to maintenance personnel.

Additionally, the built-in outputs of the Caddis device allowed for real-world indicators (strobe light/sirens) to be tripped when the same temperature thresholds were violated so anybody near the machinery, regardless if they were subscribed to the text/email alarms, would be alerted to the abnormal condition.

The immediate notification to this abnormal condition provided the appropriate personnel with the information needed to take preventative action prior to excessive machine wear or catastrophic failure.

CLIENT
LeClaire Manufacturing
PRIMARY INDUSTRY SERVED
Agriculture, Transportation, Medical, Marine, Railroad, Military
PRIMARY EQUIPMENT
Hydraulic Mold Machines
DOMESTIC PRODUCTION FACILITY
Bettendorf, IA

How Did Caddis Systems Solve The Problem Of Excessive Oil Temperature

Monitoring the oil temperature of the hydraulic system to prevent machine downtime and reduce capital expenditures on new hydraulic pumps.

Real-time temperature monitoring of the working fluid found in a closed-loop hydraulic system. The excessive working fluid temperature has been associated with premature pump failure, cylinder seal failures, machine repeatability issues, and excessive unplanned production downtime.

Why Did LeClaire Manufacturing Choose CADDIS Systems Over The Competition?

Actionable metrics focused on driving improvement
Simplicity of installation
Flexibility of system to integrate with any and all types/brands of machinery
Metrics easily deciphered and easy to share with all levels of an organization
Flexible pricing options allowing for system to be deployed in stages
Superior customer support

RESULTS: Over a one-year time frame, the results clearly speak for themselves

COMPANY PROFILE

CUSTOMER PROFILE

Troy Zimmerman, Operations Manager of Aluminum Casting Foundry & Machine Shop

LeClaire Manufacturing is single-source sand and permanent mold aluminum casting company. We offer a streamlined, vertically integrated process that eliminates the middleman — and the markup — and lets you source your entire project through a single shop, LeClaire Manufacturing. From molds and patterns to leak testers and machining fixtures, we make them all in-house and subsequently produce the sand castings, permanent mold castings, CNC machining, and ship parts to print to our customers. Bring us your ideas, projects, and even transfer tooling — and let us solve your aluminum casting challenges.

Case Study: Shot-Blast Dept.

CADDIS Systems improves machine utilization and increases output, improves consistency, manages cycle times to improve efficiency while maintaining quality requirements.

Caddis offers great value when compared to similar systems on the market. The approachable price point allows users to scale the system as the need grows. The total initial investment is based on the user’s defined needs and units required to meet those needs.

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“Utilizing Caddis to monitor excessive operating temperatures up-front has saved us tens of thousands of dollars in replacement hydraulic pumps, and drastically decreased machine downtime, which translates into more savings. Thanks for delivering a wonderful product!”

– Troy Zimmerman, Operations Manager, LeClaire Manufacturing

Results:

Data was gathered from March 4,2018 – June 3, 2018.

Weekly Utilization increased by 7.5% for all five machines from the baseline data. This increase in utilization was equal to 15 additional product hours each week, with a weekly value of $597 in potential profit generation. For the time period that was analysed, the total profit generation equaled $8,352.15 or $29,828.92 annualized.