FEATURED PROJECT

TRUCK/ON-HIGHWAY EQUIPMENT: CHANNEL PLATES

White Truck

Overview

Truck transmission components must be precisely machined. Fail, and another shop will step up. For an engine casting, a production supplier’s quality and delivery were unacceptable (leading to limited production builds), so Stecker was invited to solve the dilemma.

Recent, successful small-volume projects had built trust with the customer, allowing Stecker to complete a design review and propose a transition from A356 permanent mold aluminum to lost foam, a difficult change.

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Challenge

Even with a critical deadline looming, Stecker was well positioned. With vast complex machining experience of mid-volume parts, Stecker invested in a robotic cell for two reasons:

  1. To achieve the tight tolerances of the channel plates (truck transmission components are notorious for requiring precise machining) and
  2. To build a robust automation process to meet the customer’s needed volumes while maintaining quality throughout
AOH_TransChannelPlates_CNC_Machining

Solution

Stecker’s internal cross-functional teams focused on engineering and quality along with leaning on a strong culture and core values. From quoting to full tech review to tool building, it required Stecker’s united team to plan the process (including PPAP) and install the multi-machine robotic cell.

Stecker was able to achieve critical flatness tolerances through machining and superior fixturing. Previously performed by a manual hand operation, this change reduced time and saved on costs.

Stecker provided additional cost savings by introducing an alternative method of casting the parts. The success of this project opened up more opportunities to review, quote, and be awarded more projects while solidifying a relationship and becoming true partners.

Truck/On-Highway Projects

See more Truck/On-Highway projects in the Stecker Machine Photo Gallery, a collection of CNC machined parts and projects. Look for the green bar filtering system to help you quickly find what’s relevant to your specific interest.

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