Posted to News on 20th Jul 2012, 16:49
System delivers custom noncontact displacement sensors quickly
Lion Precision's lead times for custom capacitive and eddy-current displacement sensors have been reduced by as much as 80 per cent by a new system called "CUSTOM.' The "CUSTomer-Oriented Manufacturing' system improves communication and project tracking through sales, design engineering, and manufacturing. Don Martin, company president, says: "Our stated purpose is to "work with customers to provide optimised sensing solutions,' and that is something we've always done. We just took a step back and looked for ways to improve what we were already doing."
Over half of the company's orders are customised in some way. As an ISO9001-registered company, continuous improvement and close examination of internal procedures are standard practice. Brooks Moening, manufacturing manager, led a team of representatives from each department to develop CUSTOM. Describing the new system, Moening says: "Rather than three separate systems with inputs and outputs between each department, we created a single custom order system managed by a single person from beginning to end. No need to a train different manager every time a project is handed off to the next department."
To help customers get the best outcomes as quickly and easily as possible, existing custom designs can now be viewed on the company's website. Users can browse for an existing design that may be a good fit for their application. Using an existing design reduces cost and lead-time associated with developing a completely new design; alternatively, an existing design can be used as a starting point for further modifications which may also reduce cost and lead-time.
Custom orders can involve simple changes like probe cable length or modification of calibration parameters to enhance one specific aspect of sensor performance; or moderate changes like modification of probe size and shape to fit a certain space; or complete custom systems with entirely unique probe designs and custom electronics.
The company has created a new website section dedicated to the CUSTOM system at www.lionprecision.com/customSensors.
