Western trailer manufacturer boosts productivity through automation
Above: Horse trailers are one of the types of trailers that Trails West manufactures
July 2023- Western trailer manufacturer boosts productivity through automation
Trails West Manufacturing of Idaho Inc. is a manufacturer that is always trying to progress, become more efficient and, ultimately, provide better quality products. That’s according to Jon Reeder, general manager for the Preston, Idaho, company founded in 1987 by his father, Steve Reeder, who’s the CEO.
Initially, Trails West Trailers focused on producing stock trailers, which the company still makes, but now also manufactures horse trailers, including ones with living quarters; snowmobile, or toy hauler, trailers; and the trailer brand RPM Freeride, which is available in gooseneck and bumper pull styles. The company builds its horse trailers on solid steel frames encased in aluminum skins similar to the way aircraft and vehicles are manufactured, with strength and durability as the primary goals.
“We are going on the fourth year as the No. 1-selling horse trailer manufacturer in the United States,” Reeder claims.
The band saw at its main production facility, however, was not as efficient as the company wanted, he notes. The company has two production facilities, one with about 115,000 square feet and the other with about 40,000 square feet, as well as some additional buildings. About 65 percent of the production is performed at the larger facility.
Trails West’s Hydmech V-21/26APC automatic vertical band saw operates about eight hours a day.
One of the biggest issues is the band saw would only angle one direction when cutting a workpiece. If the workpiece required angled cuts on both ends of a workpiece, the operator would have to unload the material, flip it, load it back onto the machine and cut the second angle.
Consuming too much time wasn’t the only issue when making those angled cuts, Reeder says. “It didn’t give us the best quality because there are some inconsistencies when you load and unload.”
SOLUTION QUEST
The company researched some band saws to determine which one would provide the best combination of price and performance, Reeder says. “What could give us the best bang for our buck?”
Reeder notes that he previously worked for an industrial distributor that carried saws from Hydmech USA Inc. in Conway, Arkansas. (Hydmech Canada Corp. is in Woodstock, Ontario.) “They were considered the upper echelon of saws. I felt very comfortable with Hydmech’s reputation, and our guys said that’s the saw they wanted to purchase.”
About a year ago, Trails West Trailers installed a Hydmech V-21/26APC automatic vertical band saw. The saw features automatic programmable mitering with “go to” angle functionality from 60 degrees left to 60 degrees right, Hydmech reports. The saw has a capacity of 26 inches high by 21 inches wide, a 1.5-inch-wide blade and a 10-hp motor. The motor and gearbox are bolted together to enhance the transfer of power between the two moving parts.
The manufacturer runs four 10-hour shifts a week, and the band saw operates for about eight hours a day when part loading and unloading is not occurring, estimates Jason Andersen, production manager. “If it can be running, we want it running, so we try to unload and load as quickly as we can.”
Andersen cites the automatic multi-indexing capability on the band saw as another beneficial feature. According to Hydmech, the machine indexes material quickly and accurately, up to 60 inches or optional 120 inches in a single stroke. The shuttle carriage moves on linear bearings and is driven by a rack-and-pinion servomotor.
For example, the manufacturer might want to saw tubing into multiple lengths—69 inches, then 74 inches and then 52 inches.
“It will cut the tubing bunk and then it will slide the material out and cut the next. It’ll do that until that bunk is used up, so we’re not having to stand there and make adjustments on the machine,” Andersen says. That capability allows the band saw operator to perform other tasks.
He adds that one worker is dedicated to operating the band saw, but four others are trained operators to fill in as needed, such as when the main operator is on vacation or out sick. “It’s always a challenge to retain people but our machine operators typically stick around.”
The Hydmech V-21/26APC band saw has the ability to miter cut from 60 degrees left to 60 degrees right.
INTO THIN AIR
One option that Trails West Trailers ordered for the machine is mist lubrication, Andersen says. The previous band saw applied a stream of coolant. “It just sprayed all over the blade, which created quite a mess on our material after we got done cutting it. Coolant was all inside the tubing, and it would get on the floor.”
Mist lubrication applies a mix of air and mist to provide blade lubrication and cooling, and no coolant recovery is required as the mist evaporates. In addition, a mist lubrication system significantly reduces coolant consumption.
Andersen adds that the vertical band saw extends the life of the manufacturer’s bimetal blades compared with the previous saw, in part because of mist lubrication. In addition, the vertical band saw enhances down pressure on the workpiece material. “We get better blade life if we can keep everything tight.”
Hydmech reports that the band saw’s 4-degree canted head improves blade life, as well as allowing for efficient cutting.
Like the vast majority of manufacturing operations, safety is important to Trails West Trailers and the band saw provides multiple safety features, Reeder says. For example, the machine has safety door interlocks.
So far, the trailer manufacturer has not had any issues with the V-21/26APC automatic vertical band saw and, therefore, has not required any support from the saw manufacturer, Andersen says.
Hydmech USA Inc., 877/276-7297, http://hydmech.com/
Trails West Manufacturing of Idaho Inc., 208/852-2200, http://trailswesttrailers.com/
