Gear Inspection Automation

Slone Gear International, Inc.

Company Profile:
Slone Gear International, Inc. based in Tipp City, Ohio, develops and distributes gear metrology products, both standard and custom gaging solutions for the most challenging gear and spline measurement applications.

We were impressed with the support we received throughout the project, the quick response time, and the level of engagement. We worked closely with our manufacturing advisor and couldn’t be more grateful for time he spent with our team. He was knowledgeable, professional, and we hope to work with him again in the future! The FastLane group helped Slone Gear take our product to the next level, increase our revenue, and reduce our costs. What a great team!." Patricia Kukulka, President

Situation:
Automotive OEM’s want to fully automate gear inspection and inspect 100% of the gears during the production process. By monitoring and controlling their manufacturing process using this new laser based measurement system, automotive companies can catch suspect gear quality issues at the grinder and avoid costly consequences further down the line.

Solution: 
The next generation measurement system enhanced performance and lowered the manufactured system cost, helping to justify the use of one system at every gear grinder on the shop floor. Slone Gear built a measurement system for integration into a gear manufacturing cell for 100% inspection of gears that is fully automated. This new system required two (new) critical components: (1) mechanical alignment device to repeatedly and accurately align the laser head to the gear, and (2) a work holding arbor to hold the gear precisely in place as it is measured. FastLane helped the client select a supplier to design and build these critical components to meet their technical requirements. Successful early field performance of this new system has enabled Slone Gear to pursue new business with numerous other automotive companies.

RESULTS

1

New Jobs

$2.1M

New & Retained Sales

$27K

Cost Savings

$370K

New Investments