Video: Between Casting and Machining from Solid Is Extrusion
The Machined Direct Drive Pedal from DW Drums realized design improvements thanks to machining, then cost improvement as result of moving one step further.
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A theme for Modern Machine Shop this month has been machining from solid, or machining hogouts. The cover story of this month’s issue focuses of machining hogouts as an alternative to casting. Yet these are not the only two choices. As DW Drums’ Vice President of Manufacturing Rich Sikra explains in this video, the drum maker formerly manufactured drum pedals using cast components, but shifted to machining from solid because of the engineering changes this move allowed. Then, to reduce the amount of machining required, the company went to what Mr. Sikra sees as an in-between option: starting with extrusions to realize aluminum workpieces that are initially somewhat close to the intended shape.
Here is even more detail about working with extrusions.
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