Based in Puyallup, Washington, Hydraulic Repair and Design (HRD) is one of the largest full-house repair facilities in the United States. With a focus on hydraulics, HRD (h-r-d.com) has the capabilities to repair, remanufacture, or create any hydraulic component used on today’s machines.
PROBLEM:
HRD measures OEM and aftermarket parts used with hydraulic pumps, motors, and valves. These parts range in size from 0.25” to 24” and have tolerances up to ±0.0002”. They used hand tools (calipers and micrometers), but these were unable to inspect critical features. They occasionally even used an outside source for CMM services, but that was neither economical nor efficient for time-sensitive projects.
HRD needed an effective inspection program that afforded them the flexibility to inspect parts on the shop floor in real time, to qualify incoming inventory from suppliers, and to rework existing inventory.
SOLUTION:
These needs were all answered with one tool, the FARO Gage-PLUS. With its ease-of-use and simplicity, the Gage is used by HRD on a daily basis. It provides them the flexibility and durability to be used on everything, in every environment, and quickly provide accurate and reliable results.
Remanufactured pumps are very price sensitive and aftermarket parts are often used to control costs. It is important that supplier parts have interchangeability with OEM parts. With no means to check critical dimensions and tolerances, non-conforming product could be used in remanufactured units. Now, such parts are identified, before they are inventoried, and HRD can insure good quality parts are shipped to customers. They avoid countless hours of rework, additional build time and testing, and focus more on making process improvements to increase profit.
ROI:
Before acquiring the FARO Gage, HRD did not have an adequate quality control process in place. The investment in setting up an inspection process with the Gage was far less than if they had purchased a CMM, will be much less to maintain, and is easier to use.
Where the Gage really pays off for HRD is in avoiding problems by identifying them earlier in the process. They can also use the Gage to inspect and rework many parts that were once considered unusable, saving the cost of purchasing new parts.
“For what we do here at HRD, the FARO Gage is the perfect tool and the price was right,” said Quality Systems Manager Ken Smith. “When everyone sees it in action, they are totally blown away. I estimate it will be just six months for us to show our ROI.”
Customers rely on HRD to provide quality hydraulic repair solutions and the FARO Gage-PLUS helps them confidently stand behind their commitment to quality and go after new opportunities.
Click here for a printable version
