NWI Precision, Doosan and Ferro Technique: Reliability Leads to Success

When it comes to machining exotic alloys to high geometric accuracies, Toronto-based NWI Precision has carved out a niche. There are not many other companies that can machine the parts they’re producing at the moment.

Brett Hansen, Director of Engineering, joined NWI in 2016 as a Production Manager, bringing plenty of experience to the role. Six years and one company name change later, Brett is still there. The reason is pretty simple: his team is a real pleasure to work with and he enjoys being part of manufacturing such important parts. An ideal work environment for almost anyone, we’d say.

NWI predominantly machines parts for the aerospace industry. Critical flight safety systems, aero engine gas turbine shafts and a whole lot of long, cylindrical components are all within their skillset. They also do some commercial work for parts like engine mounts and nuclear pressure vessels, along with working with hard metals and exotic alloys like Inconel and Nitralloy.

Enter Ferro Technique

Brett’s relationship with Ferro Technique started when he joined the NWI team back in 2016 when they were still known as Triumph Gear Systems Toronto. Since then, he’s worked closely with Ferro technicians on a lot of engineering support, projects that were over and above and on integrating various engineering solutions into the machines.

In that time, he’s been incredibly impressed by not only the dedication and skills of the employees he works with, but with the Doosan machines NWI purchases from the distributor as well.

“Our continued relationship with them has been a combination of Ferro coming through where others have failed when it came to service and support. Anyone can sell a machine, but what can you do after the sale?” Brett said.

Turn up the Doosan

NWI has a machine from just about every manufacturer on their floor, but has 14 Doosan machines and another one on the way.

Brett’s first introduction to Doosan was two PUMA 800L turning centers that a previous manager had just purchased shortly before he came aboard. It was their holding accuracy and reliability that really gave him a good flavor for the Doosan brand.

However, what really sealed the deal was the ability to standardize the machinery, interfaces and programming language—FANUC, to be specific.

“We have 10 different manufacturers and 6 or 7 different programming codes. That makes it tough to operate on multiple machines with programming, tool holders, etc,” Brett said.

When they started looking for the perfect machines to suit their needs in 2019, they found that Doosan was a great value for the capabilities they provided. The service and support that Ferro Technique was able to provide along with their machines was the cherry on top of a very attractive machine tools sundae.

“One of the biggest advantages of working with Ferro is their optional services. They can provide integrated solutions customized to our specific needs. They’ve provided engineering support for steady rest orientation, coolant delivery at the steady rest and a lot of other customized requests. They really put their money where their mouth is and followed through on that,” Brett continued.

Up for the challenge

NWI’s SMX 3100Ls were an install where Ferro Technique’s levels of support exceeded expectations. After spending a good amount of time learning how to sync the spindles and doing elevated programming, Ferro was able to make the machine work perfectly. They were also able to provide unique programming solutions to support the complexity of the work that NWI was using them for.

“The SMX is pretty awesome for turning, milling and staying accurate. Ferro was really helpful, and I was impressed by how much time they invested and how many technical issues they overcame to make sure the project was a complete success,” Brett complimented

More on the way

NWI doesn’t plan on hopping off the Doosan train anytime soon, with another SMX hitting the floor in May. And despite the number of installs Ferro has done for NWI, there are still interesting challenges ahead. The new addition needs to be identical to the other SMX machines they already have.

“Our SMX scope is complex, and so are the add-ons. My requirement for making them identical down to the last line of code and the last nut and bold is a pretty big challenge for Ferro, one which they are fully committed to achieving,” said Brett.

Much like NWI’s confidence in Ferro Technique’s ability to achieve whatever customizations they need, we’re confident that after experiencing what a Doosan is capable of, you’ll be just as pleased as Brett and the rest of the team. Locate a distributor near you to get started.