When George Barnes opened Foldens Machine Works in 2001 in Tillsonburg, ON,
little did he know that he would soon be helping to save American and Canadian
soldiers’ lives. Barnes, a 30-year veteran machinist, manufactures
military training devices—e.g. suicide bombs—used mostly by Canadian and
American soldiers, but also used by soldiers in other parts of the world such as
Estonia and Turkey. The military training products he makes include Improvised
Explosive Device simulators (IEDs) and parts for suicide vests. The training
devices help soldiers evade or diffuse situations they encounter in places like
Iraq and Afghanistan.
The military training device business makes up only about 20 percent of his
business, but Barnes plans to increase that percentage and has purchased new
equipment to accommodate this—a second multi-tasking machining center from
Doosan Infracore, the Puma MX 2500ST, purchased through Doosan’s Eastern Canada
distributor, Ferro Technique, Mississauga, ON. Other key markets Foldens serves
are the industrial lift products area, which represents about 45 per cent of his
business, agricultural equipment, 15 percent and heavy truck, 20 percent.
Barnes was so impressed with the Puma multi-tasking lathe he purchased last
June for the tight tolerance military work that he ordered a second Puma MX
2500ST. “We’re happy with the Doosan machines and they’re comparable to some of
the other higher end machine tools. We’ll definitely be purchasing more Doosan
machines in the future.” Barnes says that the Doosan multi-tasking
machines were “a step up” for his operation. He’s impressed with the Doosan
machine tools, but he admits that part of his decision was a result of following
the salesperson, John McGonigle, who moved from SMS to Ferro Technique. “I’ve
had an 18-year relationship with John and I respect him and believe in long-term
relationships when it comes to suppliers. I do that with my tooling as well,”
says Barnes. Initially, Barnes says he wanted a twin turret, twin-spindle
lathe when he began his search for new machinery for his shop. “But it
wasn’t available soon enough so Ferro offered me this machine, a twin spindle,
single turret lathe with milling capabilities. It turns out to be a much better
choice for my shop.” 
An understated individual, Barnes becomes animated as he explains why a part
he holds in his hands—a right-angle head, one of four heads for a suicide
vest—is made on the multi-tasking machine. “The new machine is a nine axis lathe
with milling capabilities, so we can do complex parts. The machine is
equipped with a 40-tool tool changer on the milling head and a 12-station turret
on the lower turret for the turning tools. The milling head has the ability to
turn, so we can have turning tools in the head, giving us more
flexibility.” The milling head rotates 60º either side of centre, allowing
machinists to drill holes, mill or thread at angles.
A feature that Barnes finds useful is the ability of the milling head to lock
so that you can turn with it. “So a lot of our parts get turned
simultaneously. We turn one side with the top milling head and turn the other
side with the turret, all at the same time.” While there was a learning
curve involved in going to a multi-tasking machine, it took Barnes about two
days to figure out the machine and about a month for the operator who does the
set-up, although the machine tool came with a three-week training package.
Barnes estimates that Foldens has reduced cycle part production time by 30 to 40
percent.
One of the things that sets Foldens apart from other machine shops is its
ability to design parts as well as machine them. One of his key military
customers, Mil-Sim-FX International, provides Barnes with an idea and he takes
it from there. Barnes creates the design and a prototype using MasterCam X2
CAD/CAM software and creates the toolpath program right off of the drawing. His
computer is connected to the machine tool, so the toolpath is sent to the
computer. “What I like about the machine is that it cuts down the number
of set-ups and handling of parts. A blank goes in and a finished part comes out.
We can do this robotically, but at this stage, we’re manually loading the parts
into the machine,” explains Barnes.
Currently, Barnes is no stranger to Doosan products. In addition to two
Puma MX 2500ST’s (purchased in 2007 and 2008), they have also purchased a DMV
6025S (2006) and a Puma TT1800-SY (2009).
And he’s set to expand. His new Pumas will be working in a larger machine
shop. Barnes will be taking over two more bays in the building where Foldens is
located and adding another 4800 sq ft to his current 9600 sq ft shop. “We have
42 people in this shop, including six apprentices, three journeymen and the rest
are operators or inspectors. We’re looking to grow to 70 people in the next five
to six years and we’ll definitely be buying more Doosan
machines.”
For Additional Information Contact:
John Ross
Doosan
Infracore
8 York Avenue
West Caldwell, NJ 07006
(973)
618-2500
john.ross@doosan.com
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