b'Productive TimesCHASING PROFITABILITYAmanufacturerneverEND USER SOLUTION PROVIDERparts wants to tell its biggest cus-tomer that it cannot deliver partsConcept Metals Group Inc. Quality Chaser Co.on time because the manufac- 616-647-9200 586-752-5555turer cannot get a cutting tool.www.conceptmetalsgroup.com www.qualitychaser.comThat was the potential scenario for Concept Metals Group Inc.s ma- Thread shafts with a screw machine using thread chining division in Comstock Park,CHALLENGE chasers that are not too expensive and dont Michigan, said Engineer/Supervi- have long lead times.sor Chad Schwierking. Use a thread chaser from a toolmaker willing to make He said Concept Metals GroupSOLUTION alterations.produces about 50,000 of those shaftsperyear,whichrequire 5/16"-8 threads on the ends of them. The manufacturerYour inserts need to be cutting freely and accurately threads them on a manual Brown & Sharpe cam- andin order for the gauging to work, he said.gear-driven screw machine. The parts are made withIt might seem logical for an end user to continue 12L14 or 1215 steel. searching for another tool manufacturer to find a solu-Schwierking said the thread chasers that Concepttion, but based on his 25-plus years in the machining Metals Group was using had unacceptably long lead times and an inflated price tag. The company needed a better option. AMERICAS LEADING We just (kept) working with him andCNC COLLET CHUCKSgiving him feedback for what was going on with the insert so that they could make some adjustments and then give us another iteration to try.I just started to try and find other companies that were making chasers that could be delivered in a reason-able time, not 16 to 18 weeks, and they werent going to charge us three to four times normal pricing, he said.Schwierking tried to obtain the thread chasers fromRoundSmoothRoundSerratedHexSquareEmergencyat least three other companies but determined they were distributors of the chaser that Concept MetalsRoyal Quick-Grip Group already was purchasing. He eventually found Quality Chaser Co. in Romeo, Michigan. 10-Second Collet ChangesUltra-Precision Accuracy0.0002" Proudly Quality Chaser was the first one I had run across thatMade was actually making the chaser, he said. Widest Gripping Range0.062" in U.S.A. Schwierking requested and received chasers to test.Outstanding Tool Clearance & Grip ForceHe tried the first style on the Brown & Sharpe machineExclusive Royal Risk-Free Performance Guarantee and said he noticed go/no-go inspection gauge issuesIn-Stock for Same-Day Shippingin which either the go wouldnt go on or the no-goCheck out the video atwould. In addition, there were finish problems, such aswww.colletchucks.comthread tearing and hairs on the threads.ctemag.com/cteguide.com57RP_QG_CC_CET_Ad_892.indd 1 12/4/22 3:42 PMProTimes.indd 57 3/16/23 2:04 PM'