Process Fab Inc. - Latest News

Market Briefing

As orders and deliveries indicate both Boeing and Airbus had another significant year in 2006 for Aircraft orders. For Boeing its net total of 1,044 orders is another record for the company. Boeing Commercial Airplanes has 28.5 billion in revenue for 2006. Boeing and Airbus have both published 20 years forecast for the Commercial Aircraft market valued at 2.6 trillion Dollars. U.S. Defense spending will continue to rise over the next two years. $598 billion for 2007 and $623 billion for 2008. Not included is $212 billion in procurement and R&D. Over the next ten years Rocket and Satellite business is valued at over 3 trillion.

New Capabilities Expansion

Process Fab is pleased to announce that last year was a record year for product shipments. In support of our customers increased business activity and program forecasts PFI has invested now for the future. By acquiring additional staff in all departments, by investing in multi million dollar machinery acquisitions and acquiring additional facility space we can offer a wide range of turnkey solutions as a leader in Manufacturing, Tooling, Weld Fabrication, Composites, Assembly and Engineering / Design.

In conjunction with our manufacturing expansions we have Upgraded our Net Work Main Frame and Operating Systems to offer stronger compatibility with customers data sites, greater data retrieval capabilities, greater legacy storage, stronger management tools, improved security and scalability. Our operating systems are migrating in a parallel fashion from conventional to ERP/MRP “Job Boss” Software systems. The implementation of flexible systems will aggregate and distribute real time data to users across the entire company for analysis and decision making.

We are clearing ground for our 3rd New Nicolas Correa 5 axis FP 50/60 CNC Machine with Nutating Head and RMP probing capability. This new machine offers greater capabilities than our (2) existing large Nicolas Correa 5 axis CNC Machines. The new machine envelope encompasses 300”x 144”x 87”. (Oct 2007 Delivery)


Additionally, we are making room for a New PARPAS High Speed (27,000rpm) 5 Axis CNC Gantry Milling Machine. This machine envelope encompasses 197” x 119” x 60”. (Sept 2007 Delivery)

Also we have added a New Pacific 600 Ton Press Brake. This increases our capabilities over our 400 Ton Press Brake.

#2 New Nicolas Correa 5 axis FP 50/50 CNC Machine with Nutating Head having greater capacity than our #1 large Nicolas Correa 5 axis CNC Machine. The new machine envelope encompasses 12’x 25’x 83”.

Our very large 6” Giddings & Lewis Horizontal with 4th axis rotary table has been fitted with a (50-taper) 5-axis Nutating Head.

Additionally we have added another Kia horizontal with 4th axis rotary table.

Also new is a SCHEISS NEW CENTURY CNC Vertical Turret Lathe. (80” Plus Swing)

Since the opening of our Metrology Department in building #5, we now have a 6’ & 12’ Faro Arm, (3) Leica Laser Trackers, a CMM and Digital Product Definition / Model Base Definition Certification.

We have also added 30 new people to the team at PFI pushing our total employment to over 130 people. New personnel covers Metrology, Quality Control, Tooling, Project Management, Purchasing, Engineering Staff, CNC Operators, CNC Programmers, Fabricators and Assemblers. PFI is eager to quote your new and upcoming requirements. Please don’t hesitate to contact myself or our experienced and knowledgeable team members to discuss your requirements. We value you as a customer and will work diligently to demonstrate that PFI always provides good value and excellent workmanship during production. If you have any questions or would like additional information please do not hesitate to contact my office and or visit our website at www.processfab.com .

2005 NEWS New Additional Talented Staff PFI has recently acquired additional staff in all departments including Fabrication, CNC Machine Shop, Assembly Shop, Composite Shop, Tooling and Quality. Recent closures and layoffs at nearby facilities like Aircraft Engineering, Square Tool, Boeing and Northrop Grumman have afforded PFI the opportunity to bring in additional talent to our team. New VMC'S Machining Acquisitions PFI has added three (3) Vertical Machining Centers, SNK 5-Axis 10' cap, Hass 4-Axis and a Fadal 4-Axis. These additions will allow more capacity enabling us to better meet our customer's short lead-time. New HBM'S & VTL Machining Acquisitions PFI has added (2) Horizontal Boring Machines, a new KBN 135 5-Axis with 15’ capacity and 6" Spindle. A new 5-Axis AC head for our CNC G&L Bar giving even more options for our customers short schedules. Our newly acquired Toshiba 160" Swing Diameter machine allows an even larger turning capability for your larger turning requirements. Hydraulic Press PFI has upgraded its hydraulic press and bump forming capabilities to include a newly refurbished 400-Ton Press capable of handling 12’ parts. PFI can now bump form ISO grid panels and mold tooling face sheets as well as plate and sheet metal forming. We have also purchased over $30,000 in new tooling for this machine and created a new press bay. Shearing & Forming PFI has added a 1/4" x 12' Cincinnati Shear & Niagra 100-ton CNC Controlled Hydraulic Press Brake. Composites PFI has recently increased the size and capabilities of its Composite, Fiberglass and Plaster Pattern Department that include the design and production of both Tooling and Aerospace parts. Also added was a 12’ Vacuum Curing Oven, gas fired with calibrated controls. Refurbishing In response to Prime Contractors cutbacks and cost saving decision-making throughout the industry, PFI has found a niche in refurbishing Tooling and GSE etc. including Re-Designing and Re-Engineering to assist our customers in achieving quality refurbishment to meet their budgets. Quality PFI became AS9100B:2004 / ISO9001:2000 Certified and Registered in December 2004 (This is an upgraded revision of ISO 9000 that all Aerospace primes are requiring). Facility Addition PFI has acquired another building for a total of (5) buildings in a 100,000 sq. ft. facility. This allows PFI with even more capacity to give our customers seclusion for proprietary programs. Within our facilities, we have added (5) new overhead cranes for more mobility with large products. In addition to our vehicle fleet, PFI has purchased a new 20-ton flat bed truck to eliminate any bottlenecks in our Transportation Department. Awards PFI was given an award by Northrop Grumman for Outstanding Supplier 2004 for F-35 Tooling. PFI was nominated by Lockheed Martin for the SBA Small Business of the Year and received an SBA Excellence Award. PFI also received a Boeing Supplier of the Year 2003 nomination. PFI Operates Two Leica LTD 500 Laser Trackers (Click pictures to view larger image) The Leica Laser Tracker being portable makes it easy to use off site at customer's facilities The Laser is fully calibrated and traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The Leica LTD 500 is equipped with Absolute Distance Measurement (ADM) and Spatial Analyzer software that allows Best-Fit Analyzing right at the Laser. PFI Laser operators are factory trained and certified.
Leica LTD 500 Laser Tracker Accuracy The individual accuracy distance resolution for the interferometer is 1.26 microns. (Translates to .001 of an inch at an 83’ foot length for one axis.) The combined angle resolution of the encoders is .14 arc seconds, 0.7 for azimuth and 0.7 for elevation. (Translates to .001 at 25’ feet for each encoder.) This converts to a combined linear accuracy within a 17’ foot cube at .001 of an inch. The Laser Tracker has a measurement range of a 115’ foot radius, maintaining remarkable accuracy for a portable measuring system. Within a 25’ foot cube, a linear accuracy of .0017 can be easily achieved. For distance of 35’ and beyond accuracy continues to be reduced but not at linear constant. The accuracy for a 35’ cube should realize a .0028 of an inch for the entire working envelope. The Tracker is a quite versatile providing for a wide range of applications such as Large Tool Fabrication, Layout of Tooling and Parts, Reverse Engineering, Machine Verification and Mold Line Analysis. In summary, the Laser Tracker is an extremely accurate portable device with measuring capability of up to 230’ feet diameter. The Leica Laser Tracker is NIST certified from the factory and is recommended by Leica to have a re-certification yearly at the Leica Service Center located in Huntington Beach, CA which is also approved as a NIST Certification Center for Leica Laser Trackers and Theodolites.