SIGMA and Unique Wire Weaving Company Collaborate on Redesign that Boosts US Industrial Productivity
How do American manufacturers compete effectively in the industrial wire weaving business that supplies the medical, electronics, filtration, process and other industries? First, take a proven machine design; second work with the right US based design engineering/manufacturing firm; third, be creative and redesign the machine to double output using the same floor footprint; and four, manufacture and assemble the machines in the USA. This is the exact story of how two New Jersey companies - Unique Wire Weaving Company, Inc. of Hillside, New Jersey and Sigma Design Company of Middlesex, New Jersey collaborated
Redesigned Loom 16 for Unique Wire Weaving Company, Inc. to double US productivity through successful reengineering and production of a redesigned "Loom 16 Machine".
Unique Wire Weaving Company Inc., located at 762 Ramsey Avenue, Hillside, New Jersey is led by Mr. Ken Beyer, a fifth generation wire weaver. In business since 1946, Unique Wire produces and supplies wire mesh and filter cloth in specialty alloys and exotic metals, weaving wire as fine as 0.0008" diameter. They are known for their strong technical capabilities and quality products and are committed to producing in the USA for supply to the medical, electronics, filtration, process and other industries.
The challenge for Unique Wire was that it had several 1950s looms that worked well, but they needed these machines to have greater precision and higher production speed thereby adding capacity at their existing facility at minimal cost. For this machine conversion project, Ken Beyer turned to Sigma Design Company, LLC, a company that offers comprehensive services - including prototyping and mechanical design engineering through machine and product manufacturing, validation and assembly at its 'Technology Commercialization and New Product Manufacturing Center' in central New Jersey.
The result was that Ken Beyer and Sigma Design developed and built a modified loom - Loom 16, using the common base, but completely redesigned and built a new wire feed system and drive train assembly. This allowed a two-fold increase in both production speed and production volume using the same machine footprint that had been used for years - thus increasing productivity in the same space. The redesign also improved controls to allow them to broaden the products that are manufactured on this machine - such as weaving precise tungsten mesh that was previously not possible on these machines.
Sigma Design will continue to work together with Unique Wire to find ways to help them to build more capacity with solid ROI. This type of ongoing collaboration, four years to date by these two New Jersey companies, is the foundation of creating a New Manufacturing Era for New Jersey and the USA.
Sigma Design Company - Collaborative Engineering for Improved USA Productivity
