Job Shop and Custom Machining
There are generally two types of machine shops. First, there are production machine shops. These shops generally run the same part over and over and they often have only lathes or only mills. As a general rule, production machine shops are contracted to make specific parts and they are not willing or able to take on work outside of those contracts. Second, there are jobs shops, which typically have a variety of machines and specialize in designing parts, creating drawings, programming machines, and setting up machines.
Spring Creek Machining is unique because we have two sides to our shop. One side of our shop focuses on production machining for contracted work and the second side of our shop focuses on job shop work, with small quantities and design work. We have different types of machines in our job shop and we have a range of sizes of machines so we are able to machine and fabricate almost any part that you may need.
For job shop work, it’s very common for our clients to bring us a broken part, a part that they want us to copy, or just a verbal description or hand-drawn sketch.
In these situations, we will start by creating a drawing using CAD/CAM software such as Autodesk Inventory and SolidWorks. When needed, we have a FARO arm that can help with difficult to measure curves and angles. Then our team will create the program for the part, set up the machine, machine the part and then inspect it.
3D CAD Software
If the OEM is no longer in business, if you want to improve the OEM’s part, or if you don’t want to pay the OEM’s price, send us sample part and we can create a drawing for you. Let us know if you want a part number engraved on the part and if you want any coating. For carbon steel parts, we recommend black oxide coating to minimize rust. If your parts are for food processing, let us know if you will need USDA-certified Delrin.
cnc mills and Lathes
Our Job Shop has 3-axis mills, 5-axis mills, and mill-turns (or y-axis lathes).
Mill-turns or y-axis lathes can make parts with cylindrical portions that have slip fit or press fit bearing tolerances and also have non-cylindrical portions. Using a mill-turn or y-axis lathe can reduce the run time and cost significantly, especially when machining hundreds or thousands of parts.
custom fabrication and welding
Our fabrication shop can cut parts using a saw, a shear or a waterjet and we can form metal parts with a press brake and a power roll. We can weld on carbon steel, stainless steel, and aluminum. We offer MIG (GMAW) welding, TIG (GTAW), and stick (SMAW) welding. If you’re not sure what you need, don’t worry, we’ll take care of it.
Many of the parts that we weld are also machined. We use the welding process to create the structure of the machine, and then we machine the welded assembled to bring the critical surfaces to the exact dimensions required. One example is the part below, where pieces are cut out on the waterjet, then moved to a 3-axis mill, then welded, then moved back to a 3-axis mill to bring critical surfaces into tolerance and to thread holes.
precision grinding and surfacing
We can also offer grinding services with our surface grinder. A surface grinder can assist with making opposing surfaces parallel and improving uniformity across groups of parts. Of course, most parts won’t require a surface grinder, but if you need tolerances down to 0.0001”, let us know.
Shaft repair and replacement
Our lathes are busy all day making and repairing shafts. We frequently re-make broken shafts. If you bring us a broken shaft, it will be helpful if you can also bring the bearing that goes with the shaft and please tell us if the bearing is a press fit or a slip fit. If you don’t know, we’ll ask you a few questions so that we can figure it out. If you don’t have drawing, it’s no problem, we’ll make one. We can also cut keyways in the shaft and create weldment shaft couplings.
Many shafts that have been damaged by seized bearings can be repaired by building up the marred surface with weld bead and then turned down to a bearing tolerance.
wire edm cutting
Spring Creek Machining has one of Norwest Arkansas’ only wire EDM services. Wire EDM technology allows us to create parts that can’t be made in any otehr way. Wire EDM is especially useful for very small precise cuts on small parts as well as creating very small and exact keyways / broaches for pulleys and creating gearing.
black oxide coating
We recommend that any carbon steel be coated with black oxide. The black oxide coating will provide mild corrosion protection, and it’s only a few molecules thick so it will not change the dimensions of your part.