The Making Of A Series: Made In The USA
Read through the articles presented here for a behind the scenes look at how this series evolved from concept to finished work.
National Die: Made In The USA
Over the next few blog entries, I plan to document the creation of a new project/series. This may become my most ambitious, out of my comfort zone, project to date.
Tool And Die: Session 1
Today was the day I visited the shop to begin my work. There are six employees and two administrative. After my friend took me around to meet the guys, he left me with Mike, one of the toolmakers, who gave me a tour of the shop and necessary background information that describes its high-level purpose and operation. He told me there use to be as many as 34 people and three shifts years ago, but the economy and industry changes forced many cutbacks.
Tool And Die: Session 2
The second session started with a tour of the Tool Room. This is Dave’s room since he is responsible for making any new or replacement punches, dies, or gauges as they wear or break.
Tool And Die: Session 3
After a conversation I had with Michele, the bookkeeper, and Paul, the president, I decided that I would try to highlight the production of the Shop’s biggest product, the eyelet used in the Ziggity watering systems for chickens.
Tool And Die: Session 4
Today’s session will feature Shipping/Receiving activities. This part of the shop is controlled by John and actually involves two areas: shipping/receiving and a material storage area.
Tool And Die: Session5
Quality is very important to the Shop, which is why they were ISO 9001:2008 certified. This certification must be renewed every three years. Annual audits review the Shop’s manufacturing procedures and testing records. Warren says they are dedicated to following the policies, procedures, and customer specifications to create the highest quality deep drawn metal stampings available.
Tool And Die: The Last Sessions
The final three sessions of the day to day operations of the National Die Company, a small tool and die shop, are covered here.