Timney Triggers is a second-generation, family owned Phoenix based manufacturer of aftermarket triggers. It has been building triggers since 1946 with a mission of providing a lifetime of accurate shooting by producing the best quality precision trigger, according to the company. By innovating and listening to its customers, Timney is now producing more than 170 models of triggers for bolt-action rifles, shotguns, AR rifles and semi-automatic rifles.
Timney was first introduced to Methods Machine Tools Inc., Sudbury, Mass., in 2012 when it was looking to solve a production issue by reducing time on a per part basis while being able to retain the quality it has become known for. Bob Nakash, sales manager for Methods, worked with Calvin Motley, new product development at Timney Triggers, on a time study to demonstrate the capabilities of the FANUC RoboDrill, which is represented by Methods.
After purchasing a few RoboDrills and seeing the performance first hand, Timney decided to increase its production capabilities by pairing the RoboDrills with Methods Automation and the Job Shop Cell. Timney worked with the team at Methods Automation, which designed a turnkey operation to fit Timney’s needs. The Timney cell includes an infeed conveyor, an outfeed tray, a re-gripper station, and a LR Mate FANUC robot with three grippers to handle the raw material and finished parts. The robot’s third gripper hand and re-grip station allows the part to be flipped over and placed back into the RoboDrill so the backside can be milled.
The RoboDrill Job Shop Cell has helped Timney decrease its per-part-time by 30 percent, which is extremely important as Timney is running thousands of parts daily. The RoboDrill JobShop Cell allows Timney to load up a block of 6061-T6 aluminum and end up with a finished part.
By stocking the infeed conveyor, Timney can expand its production to run unattended overnight. “For the overnight production we realized that if we slowed down the process it reduced wear and allowed the machines to be more effective and run continuously through the night without stopping,” said Motley. Timney is currently running one shift so the ability to run the RoboDrills overnight without stopping allows it to keep up with production needs.
“There are a lot of great machines out there but the service at Methods has led us to get machine after machine,” said Motley.
Calvin Motley, new product development at Timney Triggers. The shop uses a RoboDrill JobShop Cell to run unattended overnight.
The FANUC RoboDrill is a high-performance machining center and can perform a wide variety of milling, drilling or tapping jobs. Reliability has also been addressed in all areas of the machine design, according to Methods. The RoboDrill can be coupled with the latest FANUC31i-B5 control.
“We’ve stuck with Methods and the RoboDrill platform because of the success we’ve seen. Once you’ve gotten one or two, you see why you need to stick with it,” said Motley.
Learn more about Timney Triggers by visiting www.timneytriggers.com.
For more information on the FANUC RoboDrill platform visit www.methodsmachine.com.
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