Modular fixturing system helps customized building manufacturer improve efficiency

Situation

When customized building manufacturer Hostetler Construction developed its unique steel truss system more than 50 years ago, the goal was to help customers build their dreams. Recently the company’s engineers had a dream of their own: to take production to the next level by improving efficiency, safety practices, and final part quality.

To do that, they knew they had to move away from traditional shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) and find a new method for fixturing.

“We were using old-fashioned fixturing that we welded for each project, and it got to be extremely time-consuming,” said Lead Engineer Micah Swartentruber. “Too many fixtures only worked for one project. We wanted to be more efficient and flexible.”

Resolution

The project started when the crew at Hostetler called on Fronius to help with the conversion from SMAW to gas metal arc welding (GMAW). With that conversion underway, Fronius introduced the Hostetler team to Andersen Industries, the manufacturer of WeldPro 360 MIG Booms, which would integrate with the new Fronius equipment while eliminating cord clutter.

Swartentruber wanted to check out the booms in person, so Andersen referred him to Bluco’s Validation Center in Naperville, Ill., where he could see multiple booms in use. Before making that trip, though, Swartentruber called Bluco Senior Sales Engineer Todd Bennett and described Hostetler’s fixturing problem—one Bennett had seen dozens of times and knew how to solve.

Bennett then visited Hostetler for a hands-on demo that let the team fixture and weld one of their trusses on their own shop floor. They also tested a compatible FARO laser projection system. Seeing how laser outlines could guide component placement helped the team envision even greater efficiency.

While Swartentruber’s team was impressed, Hostetler Construction doesn’t take investment decisions lightly. “We basically check into every company out there, interview them, and make sure the ownership group is confident that we selected the correct partner,” he said. As part of that process, the team visited Bluco during an open house that featured Bluco’s industry partners, including Fronius, Andersen, and FARO. “That really helped us make the final decision on both Bluco and Andersen,” he said.

Once the team decided to go ahead with a modular system, Bluco’s engineers worked with them to design a single system to handle every joist, rafter, and truss that they built.

After installation, it was clear that the fixed anchoring of the table legs was limiting the fixture’s efficiency. Immediately, Bennett and his team got back to work and came up with a first-of-its-kind fix: a curved floor rail that allowed Hostetler to adjust the table’s position instantly to fit an infinite variety of part sizes.

“It works like crazy,” said Swartentruber. “We can do different pitches, legs, and everything on that. It makes for fast setup, too, because we can anchor to a specific hole and just go right up to it.”

The final system brought a big improvement in efficiency. “Some of the setups would have taken up to two days. We’ve cut the time in half for some of those larger setups,” he said.

Every fixture is saved as a STEP file in SolidWorks. Moving a component to fixture a new part is as easy as counting holes on the modular base to match the drawing. “There’s days when we do five different barns, and there was a ton of setup the old way. This is much more efficient.”

In addition, the system holds each part straighter and ensures the tabs welded to each post and truss are precisely located every time. As a result, roof boards can be cut to nominal lengths without layout or measuring. Outer steel panels, roof sheets, and internal finishing now fit together flawlessly. “If you match hole to hole and spacer to spacer, there’s just not a lot of room for error,” said Swartentruber.

The team also found it easy to learn how to use the modular system. “It took about a month of production before we got really comfortable, whereas in the past the training period would have been a year, so it’s just amazing on that side,” he said. “Now there’s way less of management’s help and time needed out on the shop floor, because we have guys that have never done setup go out and do a fixture in a very short time. It’s just a tremendous benefit.”