Company at a Glance
LOCATION: St. Charles, IL
FOUNDED: 1982
WAZER customer since: 2018
DEC Tool is a manufacturing service provider to the automotive, dental, and medical industries; with an emphasis on accuracy and fast turnaround.
More than just another industrial-quality waterjet, the Wazer is a small-footprint problem solver. When outsourcing required 2 weeks, one midwestern company turned to WAZER and raised the bar by keeping the work in-house and using the right tool for the right job. They turned a potential loss into same day delivery.
About Dec Tool
Dec Tool is a one-stop service provider to the automotive, dental, and medical industries. Their shop features 15,000sf well stocked with wire EDM machines, CNC milling, CNC turning, CNC grinding, stamping machines, and much more. They specialize in die building and maintenance, jig grinding, and reverse engineering services; they also offer fast turnarounds with highly accurate work.
We recently spoke with Josh O’Brien, the shop foreman who has more than 23 years with the company. He shared his experiences using the WAZER in their daily operations. Dec Tool was an early adopter of WAZER, having purchased their unit in 2018.
The Challenge
Even though there was a clear need for waterjet cutting from a production standpoint, the company was hesitant to install a waterjet in their facility due to concerns with the large footprint and complex infrastructure required. The high cost, noise created during operation, and the possible contamination of other nearby equipment such as the wire EDM and CNC equipment in the surrounding shop areas were also major issues. For that reason, Dec Tool outsourced its waterjet needs, or made do with available CNC tools ill-suited to the job; but that came at a heavy price in profit margin and delivery times.
Enter The WAZER
After seeing the WAZER informational video, Dec Tool realized that WAZER is different from other waterjets. They purchased a machine, based largely on its cutting capabilities, small footprint, modest support requirements, and enclosed design which allowed it to be placed near other equipment without issue. Josh felt that the WAZER fit exceptionally well into the existing shop, and was very simple and efficient to operate, with the WAM cutting software being “super easy” to use. “It’s a great tool for the price point” he added.
This change in production for short run items such as shims and fixtures increased the company’s bottom line immediately. They eliminated the need for outsourcing and added job cost, and reduced their turnaround to same day delivery by keeping the work in-house. Josh felt there was “no difference in quality between the WAZER and outsourcing.”
Conclusion
Josh felt strongly that there was no need to move up to a large footprint waterjet machine. “They’re loud, messy and require specialized infrastructure and training.” He went on to add “the Wazer has exceeded my expectations,” and “Wazer support has been great and super helpful with advice and replacement parts.”
We went from shipping in 2 weeks to sending out finished parts the very same day!
Waterjet was the superior technology for their cutting needs, and WAZER provided an industrial-quality solution at a market leading price point.
We would like to thank Dec Tool and Josh O’Brien for sharing their story, and for the valuable feedback they’ve provided to us.
