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Micron recently sold its Mori Seiki, making room for a new machine to take its place.

While the Mori Seiki is in good working order and produces good parts, the decision to sell it came about as part of an initiative to standardize machines used in the shop.

Micron will soon fill the empty floor space with a Miyano BNX, which will be the third Miyano machine on the floor. Once we achieve this changeover, the shop will run parts on Citizens, Miyanos, the Mazak, the Hurco mill, Escos, and Acmes.

Benefits of Standardization

Having one less machine type within the shop increases the degree to which Micron is standardized. Within a precision machining setting, there are a number of specific benefits standardizing brings about.

Among them:

• Interchangeable tooling
• Similar programming languages
• Service from fewer machine builder distributors
• Common machine controllers
• Faster training
• Better Knowledge retention

With these advantages in mind, swapping the Mori Seiki for a Miyano is a step forward that will ultimately benefit our customers.

Streamlined training

By reducing the number of machine types on the shop floor, Micron is simplifying the learning curve for our machinists. Additionally, our Citizens and Miyanos both have Mitsubishi controllers. Training machinists to use both is simpler due to this commonality alone.

“We’re running a lot leaner on manpower than we used to and basically accomplishing more production with fewer people,” engineer Alex Puff says. That makes it all the more important to be able to allocate machinists to different areas of production according to need. With easier cross-training, “now we have more people to move where the workload is.”

Wide Open Spaces

An additional benefit to the change from Mori Seiki to Miyano is more space on the shop floor.

The move itself was quite a sight to see. A forklift alone was not enough to move the Mori Seiki. It required additional rolling supports to lift and move, and lots of careful maneuvering.

For now, a large empty space fills the shop floor where the Mori Seiki used to run parts. Within the coming months, we are looking forward to the addition of the new Miyano and the additional production capacity it brings.

Micron welcomes Matt Zaleski to our team as a sales and estimating specialist.

Matt is a husband and father of three, the oldest of whom studies civil engineering at Western Michigan University. Originally from Great Falls, Montana, Matt has lived in Michigan for over 20 years. A move from Gaylord to Croton Pond allowed him to start looking for work in Grand Rapids. And fortunately for us, his search led him to Micron.

The Path to Precision Machining

A recent hire, Matt has experience across multiple manufacturing disciplines, including stamping, tube-bending, and thermocouple assembly. Working at Micron is Matt’s first experience in precision machining. He says he’s impressed by the “natural eye of machinists — the ability to look at a print and see the tooling required, challenges, and need for clarification or additional detail. Some of the details on these prints are just incredible.”

Matt is no stranger to prints and modeling. He started out working with 2-D modeling, which he learned in pursuit of his degree in Manufacturing Engineering at Ferris State University.

As design technology became more advanced, Matt taught himself SolidWorks. This in turn allowed Matt to demonstrate 3-D modeling to the thermocouple company he worked for.

Using the SolidWorks trial version, “I was able to quickly create a part for them that took a full day in 2-D software,” Matt said. That trial was enough to convince Matt’s former employer to upgrade their software, which greatly improved their efficiency in creating models and prints.

At Micron, Matt is currently familiarizing himself with the company’s processes and systems. “The systems in place at Micron are fascinating. A lot of companies strive to get to this level or organization,” Matt said.

Curiosity, Adaptability, and an Overall Good Fit

Company owner and CEO Mike Preston is excited to have Matt join the team. During the hiring process, Matt’s enthusiasm and adaptability stood out.

“He asked the right questions in the hiring process and continues to ask the right questions during training,” Mike said. “He asks why we do things the way we do.”

Mike also thought Matt’s personality would fit well with the employee culture of Micron and the sales and estimating position. Likewise, Matt’s choice to work at Micron affirms this.

“He chose us because of what he thought was a good fit,” Mike said. “I felt good about the fact he got other offers and chose us.”

Though this is Matt’s first experience working in precision machining, Mike thinks Matt’s background is “a benefit, really — you have the same processes whether you’re fabricating or machining.” Moreover, “he wasn’t fearful about learning something new even though typically engineers like to stay within their discipline.”

Matt and Mike agree that Matt’s first 90 days at Micron will focus on Matt developing familiarity with the company’s processes, systems, and quoting and estimating procedures. Once fully familiarized, Matt will become the main contact for customers requesting a quote.

If you are seeking a quote from Micron in the future, you very well may have the pleasure of working with Matt.