Every part that goes into a piece of agricultural equipment has potential to affect its performance, and that’s why these manufacturers have peace of mind when working with Stecker.
A diesel engine manufacturer, frustrated with their current supplier, reached out to Stecker (already a partner on a different project) for CNC machining. The production supplier was failing both on quality and delivery, as the challenging engine casting was leading to limited production builds on the assembly line.
This diesel engine venturi was difficult to cast, machine, and weld. Yet, because Stecker had previous design solution success with this customer, they were willing to complete a design review. Stecker teamed up with a trusted partner foundry and created a prototype tool to test alternate material alloys utilizing specialized coatings and weld processes post-machining. After numerous rounds of testing for strength, durability, and salt corrosion, Stecker helped the customer determine the best solution.
Stecker built tooling and performed an initial PPAP from the casting, machining, coating, and welding in a very tight timeframe, and several challenges were solved on this complex part prior to production. Working alongside partner suppliers and the customer, Stecker’s engineering and quality departments ensured that prior quality and delivery issues were solved. Current machining is performed using a macing cell. A skilled CNC Machine operator runs a 400mm Horizontal CNC Machining Center, at CNC Lathe, pressure tests all in cycle. Efficiently running a group of machines in parallel results in substantial part cost savings.
The customer was so satisfied with the results that they implemented this new design in all of their diesel engine series models, and the part design received numerous awards for innovation.