Quality Control from Start to Finish in the Prototyping and Final Inspection Process

At MultiSource Manufacturing LLC, our network of multiple facilities across the upper Midwest serves a wide range of industries. From the rocketry components we fabricate that are selectively used by aerospace and defense customers to the financial processing assemblies used daily in retail centers across the globe, our products affect a broad number of industries. Because of the range of products and assemblies we create for OEMs in several industries, we understand the importance of quality control (QC) at every stage of the production process. From the beginning stages of design and prototyping to the final tests and inspections, MultiSource engineers, technicians, and other team members are dedicated to supporting QC and improving our practices on a daily basis.

 

In order to support QC in the production process and promote continued improvement across the board, MultiSource facilities are well outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment operated by skilled and knowledgeable team members. Each of our six locations provides standard prototyping programs, computer numeric control (CNC) machines, and assembly equipment as well as specialized tools for complex or unusual projects.

 

Our QC standards are applied to every step of the production process, and a standard part will move through that process and pass through each operation with thorough QC inspections.

 

Part Movement from Prototyping to Shipment

 

  1. Design and Prototyping: Before production begins, our engineering team works with the customer to develop a drawing with computer-aided design (CAD) programming and runs virtual simulations to test the function. Then we create a prototype and run additional simulations. When these prototypes pass QC inspections, the fabrication process begins.
  2. Component Fabrication: MultiSource utilizes CNC machining centers for horizontal, vertical, and multi-axis part manufacturing in addition to specialty mills, lathes, and Swiss CNC machines.
  3. Component Finishing: To complete components before assembling, our technicians employ a wide range of finishing services, including heat treating, anodizing, grinding, bead blasting, fastener insertion, honing, laser marking, and more.
  4. Assembly: Our assembly technicians provide standard mechanical assembly as well as electronic and electromechanical assemblies. The precision and quality of machined components is critical for an effective, reliable assembly.
  5. Assembly Finishing: Fine-tuning, cleaning, lubricating, and overall readying assemblies for integration into customer systems allows our team to begin final inspection and testing procedures.
  6. Inspections and Testing:  The final inspections are one of the most vital QC processes we apply to all components and assemblies before they leave our facilities. Our testing processes include non-invasive tests, such as thermography or vibration analysis, as well as invasive testing, such as stress limit testing, when needed.
  7. Packing and Shipping: When a component or full assembly passes our QC inspections and all applied tests with 100% accuracy, our packaging and shipping team can pull, pack, and ship our products to OEMs and other customers around the globe.

 

To learn more about our QC practices and standards from the start of prototyping to the end of inspections, contact MultiSource at (952) 456-5500. You can request more information and also request a quote online.

Uses and Benefits of Swiss-Type CNC Machining

In the past 10 years alone, the use of Swiss-style machining has increased across a wide variation of industries. Though the equipment is often more expensive than other types of CNC machining, the benefits of Swiss machining are many and enough to explain the rapid expansion of its use.

 

MultiSource Manufacturing LLC utilizes Swiss CNC machining for many production operations daily. From intricate components used in medical devices to large assemblies for U.S. defense organizations, the MultiSource network makes use of Swiss machining to provide OEMs and other customers the skills in manufacturing they need.

 

While the MultiSource network utilizes many different methods of CNC machining with success, including vertical and horizontal lathes, mills, and more, our Swiss machining centers are unparalleled in several aspects:

 

  1. Swiss machines are able to perform more complex machining operations than any other type of CNC system. Because Swiss machines use a collet and guide brushing with tooling movement across the Z-axis rather than the more simplistic structure of most other machines, they can operate with extreme accuracies with tolerances as tight as a few micrometers.
  2. In addition to extreme accuracy, the tooling movement of Swiss machines can handle slender components with diameters as slim as .008”. We utilize Swiss machining for components with diameters from .008” to 1.250”.
  3. Swiss machining operations are also more rapidly performed than other types of machining. Because Swiss machines often have a secondary spindle in addition to the main operating spindle, they can combine several operations into one. Specifically, a secondary spindle collects a component as it is cut and transfers it to the second operation, finally ejecting it into a collection bin. This eliminates the need for a technician to physically transfer components from one operation to the next.
  4. The MultiSource network’s Swiss machines also provide live tooling capabilities that increase the speed of the production process overall. Live tooling works with rotary cutters that work independently of the main spindles. They offer increased intricacy in the machining process and increased speed towards final production.

 

The MultiSource network’s Swiss machines provide more accurate, complex, slender components with speed and efficiency. Our CNC machining operations are improved completely with the use of our Swiss machines, but like all our other production, quality control relies on continued maintenance of equipment. Swiss machines and all other equipment are kept on a strict yearly maintenance schedule to maintain peak conditions and provide excellence in manufacturing.

 

For complex components on rapid production schedules, look no further than MultiSource Manufacturing. To learn more about our capabilities in CNC machining, contact us at (952) 456-5500, or request a quote or more information online to get started with us today.

Security and Accuracy in Financial Processing with High-Quality Credit Card Manufacturing

In today’s digital age, payment cards are the primary purchasing method worldwide. While this has revolutionized commercial transactions and put new meaning to the term “credit,” they have also created new security risks for buyers. To protect users from credit card related crimes, the financial processing industry continually develops improved card reader devices and software, and credit card manufacturing must keep up with the latest developments in security.

 

As a supplier of precision machined components designed for secure credit card manufacturing, MultiSource Manufacturing understands the importance of security, quality, and reliable solutions that can be easily integrated into the development of newer and better credit card systems.

 

The financial processing industry utilizes many different tools to support card data reading machines as a whole. The most secure of these devices are made with the highest quality precision machined parts. That’s where MultiSource comes in. Our team of engineers strive to continually design and machine precise parts involved in financial processing equipment, including the tools and production machines implemented in the credit card manufacturing industry.

 

Credit card manufacturing may seem straightforward when you look at those small plastic cards, but the production process demands some very specific operations that support security and accuracy. Some of the components we manufacture in the MultiSource network go into the production process of the most secure cards available.

 

These safer payment cards are made secure with the application of several steps in production. Typically, the security aspects of the average payment card include:

 

  1. Magnetic strip and EMV chip: All payment cards are embedded with a magnetic strip or, more recently, an EMV chip. The magnetic strip contains specifically-arranged iron oxide particles that provide encoded information to the card reader. Today, most cards contain an EMV chip in addition to a magnetic strip. The EMV chip holds an integrated circuit that relays information to the card reader. Both the magnetic strip and the chip contain unique, exact information about the payment card, minimizing the chances of fraud.
  2. Card number: The payment card number is also a form of fraud protection. A number for each card is embossed or stamped onto the surface of the card, correlating to the information the magnetic strip and the chip contain. These numbers often range from 13 to 20 digits to make it almost impossible for criminal activity to generate a random number successfully.
  3. Signature strip: Finally, the signature strip is the last bastion of built-in protection for your card ownership. Once you sign the back of your card, nobody can remove that signature without removing the unique panel underneath the signature strip. If the panel is removed, a card reader can alert the card company to the possibility of fraud.

 

With the precision machining we provide OEMs and other customers in the credit card manufacturing industry, the MultiSource network is able to support the continued efforts to make payment cards more secure. To learn more about our services in financial processing and other industries, please request a quote, or request more information.

What We Learn about a Part from the CNC Prototyping Process

When it comes to manufacturing precision-based components and assemblies, planning ahead is key. Planning ahead for precision machining entails highly rigorous and exacting prototype fabrication. The prototype created for any given precision machining project will inform engineers and technicians throughout the production process as a whole, whether it be a component or full assembly. At MultiSource Manufacturing, LLC, we provide in-house CNC prototyping for all components and assemblies that we manufacture for a wide range of industries.

With multiple locations fully outfitted for state-of-the-art CNC machining and our team of skilled engineers, the MultiSource network has both the equipment and workers necessary to build high-quality, precise prototypes. Creating these prototypes gives our engineers the opportunity to learn everything they need to know about the parts they will manufacture.

Utilizing the CNC prototyping process as a learning opportunity, our engineers are able to gain information about a part, including the following:

 

  1. Three-dimensional geometric properties of a component and a full assembly that follow the exact specifications and needs of our customers
  2. Which materials will be best suited to the design of a part or full assembly
  3. Demands of the function the part will perform and how the part will meet those demands
  4. Limitations of a part or full assembly, given its form, function, and material
  5. How the part and full assembly will react to certain stresses, factoring in both daily and unexpected stresses
  6. Which machining centers and operations will be best suited to an efficient, quality manufacturing process
  7. What additional finishing operations will be needed to complete the part or full assembly production
  8. How to safely package and ship a part or full assembly with reduced waste
  9. How customers can easily and effectively integrate a part or full assembly into their own operation systems or products

 

In a nutshell, our CNC prototyping builds a complete foundation for any part or full assembly made in MultiSource facilities. The prototype we build must be exact to the final production piece because it will tell our engineering team everything it needs to know to build a reliable, high-quality precision-based part or full assembly.

With over 20 years of experience designing, prototyping, and manufacturing high-quality machined parts and building assemblies, the MultiSource network is an industry-leading provider for OEMs and other customers across the country.

Get started with MultiSource Manufacturing, LLC, and request a quote today, or request more information about all of our services, including CNC prototyping!

Making Medical Implants Safer and Stronger with Precision Machining

With medical devices and manual tools developing every day, the medical manufacturing industry must grow to match these advancements in order to provide hospitals and clinics with safe, high quality, FDA-approved products. The medical production services MultiSource Manufacturing, LLC provides follow strict standards of design, fabrication, assembly, and integration for all our components and complete products. Our team of skilled engineers, technicians, machinists, and assemblers understands that any lapse in procedure or any failure to inspect a part may change a life-or-death situation for the worse. When you work with the precision machining experts at MultiSource for medical manufacturing, you can always expect a reliable, high-quality product that promotes safer medical treatments and operations.

We provide a wide range of medical device and medical tool production, including implantable devices. Implants are one of the most utilized components and one of the most dangerous to the patient if failure occurs, thus they require the most exacting attention during the production process.

MultiSource is committed to providing reliability and quality when it comes to all our products, including implantable devices, and it’s an ongoing concern of ours that we continue to make safer and stronger implants.

Common Implants Made with Precision Machining

The number of implanted medical devices and components used across the U.S. increases as production capabilities and technology advance. Today, there are many commonly-used implants from electronic devices to metal supports. The most-used implants made with precision machining capabilities include:

 

  1. Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) and pacemakers used to remedy cardiac arrhythmia
  2. Spinal fusion hardware, including artificial discs, rods, screws, and pins, to remedy spinal injuries and back problems
  3. Traumatic fracture repair hardware including screws, plates, rods, and pins to remedy a wide range of severe body trauma
  4. Hip replacements for patients with damaged joints, degenerative osteoarthritis, or severe bone and connective tissue damage
  5. Knee replacements for patients with knee cap injuries, general wear and tear issues, and severe knee damage

 

These implants can save lives, treat severe pain issues, and keep patients of all ages and conditions safe and healthy, but in order to successfully treat patients in need of an implant, those devices must be made with extreme precision, quality, and long-term reliability. The MultiSource network strives to uphold practices that provide the medical industry with the best and most-trusted medical implant manufacturing possible.

All our facilities are regularly updated, inspected, and controlled for continued production of parts with tolerances as low as +/-.0001” (+/- .0025mm), and our machining processes are certified for even the most difficult, complex medical device and implant manufacturing.

To learn more about our full services available to the medical industry, please request a quote or request more information about our precision machining services.