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Careful planning allows this Batavia, New York–based company to minimize lead times without carrying excess inventory.The company offers stocking programs for a variety of items, but tailors them to meet individual customer needs.

Industry Profile:

Brach Machine, Inc.Meeting customer needs and getting it right

Brach Machine, Inc. was founded in1985 by Bill and Nancy Brach tomanufacture products for the die cast-

ing industry: specifically, shot-end tooling.The company is located in Batavia, NewYork, which was home to the one-time diecasting giant, Doehler Jarvis.

Nancy contributed her expertise in busi-ness management and finance, while Billdrew upon his process engineering back-ground. He had worked on improving themetal delivery systems for both hot and coldchamber machines at several custom diecasting facilities. He found that even withthe modern shot-end controls and monitor-ing systems that were emerging in the in-dustry, machines without properly designedmechanical components did not have con-sistent metal delivery.

Brach Machinebegan workingwith die casters toreduce the vari-ables related toshot-end tooling.

Getting ItRight

At Brach Ma-chine, every cus-tomer is unique.There are no twodie casters that ap-proach the processin the same way.Although they maybe running identi-

cal machines, metal deliv-ery requirements can varywidely. “We have learnedthat to get it right, youcan’t just make hundredsof standard shot-end partsand expect everyone touse them.” says BillBrach. “We offer stock-

ing programs for a variety of items, but tai-lor them to meet the individual needs ofour customers.”

A key factor that separates Brach Ma-chine from other shot-end suppliers is itsfirsthand experience with the die castingprocess. The entire staff has toured a customdie casting plant, and has seen both hot andcold chamber machines in operation. Thisgives everyone at Brach Machine a betterunderstanding of how shot-end parts areused, and helps them to communicate moreknowledgeably with customers.

Brach Machine operates a wide vari-ety of CNC machine tools, and utilizesseveral engineering software packages tocommunicate with both customers and

Brach Machine, Inc., 4814 EllicottStreet Road, Batavia, N.Y.

Brach Machine shop interior.

22 February 2002 DIE CASTING MANAGEMENT

Brach Machine…

machines. In addition to standard metalcutting equipment, they also have twomodern gun-drilling machines, and candrill blind holes up to 48" deep. A cylin-drical grinder equipped with a digitalreadout allows precision grinding to.0001", and an on-site heat treat depart-ment allows prompt turnaround for itemsrequiring thermal processing. The mostrecent addition is a 2500° F. hardeningfurnace, for high-speed steel products.

“Our specialized equipment enables usto be uniquely competitive in our market.We are able to maintain control over op-erations that most shops would need tooutsource,” says Bill. Employees of the10,000 sq. ft. plant take pride in marketingonly products that are manufactured in-house.

Brach Machine maintains a substantialinventory of the certified tool steel and al-

loy bar used to manufacture its various shot-end products, and draws on some of thelargest specialty steel producers in the worldfor both raw material and technical support.

Incoming material is in-spected, color coded, andchecked into inventory,ensuring traceability ofeach order from start tofinish. “We put a lot of ef-fort into controlling ourstock of both raw materi-als and finished goods,”says Steve Harvie, produc-tion coordinator. “Careful

planning allows us to minimize our leadtimes without carrying excess inventory.Our goal is to make sure we have sufficientmaterial in stock to meet anticipated cus-tomer needs.”

Designs That Make Sense

Brach Machine manufactures nozzles,noses, plungers, and couplings for conven-tional hot chamber machines. The size of

Small gun-drilling machine.

Cylindrical grinder.

Heat treat area.

DIE CASTING MANAGEMENT February 2002 23

these components can range from severalounces for miniature casting machines, towell over 100 lbs. for larger conventionalmachines.

Shot rods for cold chamber machinesare manufactured on a large capacity CNCturning center. This machine is capable ofmachining parts up to 80" between centers.Although some manufacturers use smallerequipment to manufacture shot rods, this

method guarantees concentricitybetween all critical features on thepart. Shot-end alignment is im-proved, while shot sleeve andplunger tip life are maximized.Brach Machine also reconditionsused shot rods, helping to prolongtheir usefulness. Often repairingthe threads, clearing the waterpassages, and replacing cooling

components will keep a shot rod in servicefor years.

In addition to more commonly usedshot-end tooling, Brach Machine has alsodeveloped a variety of custom shot couplingconfigurations for cold chamber machines.These “quick-change” designs facilitateeasy and efficient removal and replacementof the plunger rod / plunger tip assembly,which reduces the loss of die temperature,and the downtime usually associated withchangeovers. In addition to these benefits,the custom design approach can be used toaddress alignment issues, to facilitate theaddition of shot control and monitoringequipment, and to optimize shot rod con-figuration to provide maximum cooling.“We have retrofitted this coupling on ma-chines manufactured all over the world, andimproved the performance and durabilityof the original couplings, all while being

competitive with O.E.M. costs.” says Bill.“We work with our customers to developthe design that makes the most sense fortheir operation.”

Better Customer Service

During the recent NADCA Congressand Exposition in Cincinnati, BrachMachines’ sales force was updated on thelatest products and newest services avail-able to die casters. “Our sales force is onthe front line,” says Nancy. “The betterinformed they are, the better service theycan provide to the industry. Whileproviding precision parts at a reasonablecost is important to us, we also take theresponsibility of customer support and

A sample of Brach Machine’s finished goods.

Quick-change coupling.

CNC lathe turning shot rod.

24 February 2002 DIE CASTING MANAGEMENT

Brach Machine…

providing technical information very seri-ously. Bill spends a good deal of his timeassisting customers in this way. Some prob-lems, while new to a particular customer,are not unusual and we can often provide

advice that can help them to eliminate areal headache.”

Brach Machine constructed its websitewith this in mind. In addition to a descrip-tion of products and facilities, the site alsofeatures frequently asked questions, whichaddress common problems, along with theircauses and solutions. The site also containslinks, which provide technical informationfrom a variety of sources.

While important, technical assistance isjust a part of how Brach Machine takes careof its customers. Chad Rudolph, a ten-yearveteran employee, gives his view of cus-tomer service at Brach Machine. “When acustomer calls, and they have a machinedown, they know we will do whatever wecan to get them up and running as quicklyas possible.”

When calling Brach Machine, custom-ers often speak with Julie Mullin. In addi-tion to taking orders, Julie can helpcustomers by checking on order status,tracking packages, or helping with billingquestions.

Making Big Strides byThinking Small

Several years ago, Brach Machineidentified another need in the industryand began to research the shot-end tech-nology of miniature zinc die casting ma-chines, in particular four-slide type

machines. Brach Machine was alreadyestablished as a premier supplier of as-sociated shot-end parts for this type ofequipment.

The parts require close tolerance ma-chining of tough materials, and meetingthis challenge meant focusing on processcontrol and establishing high quality stan-dards. Continuous improvement has al-lowed Brach Machine to emerge as oneof the most reliable suppliers of thesedemanding shot-end products. But pro-ducing these high quality componentswas not enough.

Customer feedback indicated therewas not a satisfactory aftermarket pro-vider of goosenecks for these miniaturemachines. Brach Machine recognized theneed for a quality source for new and re-conditioned goosenecks that matched theprecision of their mating parts. This typeof gooseneck requires different materi-als and far greater precision than goose-necks for conventional machines.

Commitment to this project meant theaddition of a variety of dedicated manu-facturing equipment. Thermal process-ing, precision bore finishing, andspecialized material handling are among

Brach Machine, Inc. booth at NADCA Show 2001.

Bill Brach, Nancy Brach, and Julie Mullin.

DIE CASTING MANAGEMENT February 2002 25

dcm

the new capabilities that were added tocomplete the process. After receiving a

New gooseneck.

gooseneck for resleeving, the part islogged in, and surface zinc is removed.

The clean gooseneck body is then in-spected for obvious flaws that wouldprevent it from being reconditioned.After the inspection is completed, it isheated to clear any zinc that might re-main in the passages, and the sleeves andhardware are removed. This completesthe disassembly process, but consider-able work remains.

The sleeve bores must be checked forbore size and geometry, and correctedto meet manufacturers specifications.Then, a partially finished sleeve is takenfrom inventory, and fit to the newly re-conditioned bore.

After rough grinding the sleeve to fitthe new bore, the sleeves are fully hard-ened, tempered, finish ground, andhoned to provide the proper fit with thegooseneck. The new sleeves are installedinto the gooseneck and the sleeve boresare honed once more to give the final fitand finish required.

“There are a lot of steps that we haveto take to insure the quality of ourfinished product, but they all pay off,”says Bill. “We are receiving excellent re-ports on both life and performance ofthe goosenecks that are in service.”

Records on each new and reworkedgooseneck are on file so that their life canbe tracked. By keeping these records,Brach Machine hopes to learn moreabout the factors that affect gooseneckperformance.

Brach Machine will continue to iden-tify areas where its expertise can helpsupport the die casting industry by us-ing common sense solutions, progressivemanufacturing techniques, andmaintaining its commitment to customerservice.

Manipulator removing gooseneck from furnace.

Brach Machine, Inc., 4814 EllicottStreet Road, Batavia, NY 14020; Phone:585/343-9134; Fax: 585/343-1292; Website: www.brachmachine.com; e-mailbrach@hfent.com.