So What Happens To the Tooling?
So What Happens To the Tooling?
Always wondered what happens when an equipment manufacturer like Deere ceases production on a model. Take the 420C, are the casting molds and tooling still sitting on a rack in some giant warehouse someplace with an inch of dust on them, or do they do a spare parts production run and then scrap everything when a model gets superseded?
Re: So What Happens To the Tooling?
What was told to me by a tour guide at the Deere foundry many, many years ago was that Deere has all of the patterns for all the parts stored somewhere. He also claimed that they would tool up a piece if someone needed it. Now my assumption is that he was incorrect at least on the last part, or at least you will need to take 50 of them at an exorbitant price. I also question that they still have the patterns, but I guess it is possible. I can see no reason they are keeping patterns for example of a casting for a small combine that was made 75 years ago. Storage has a cost, and any company that has a cost with no possible return would get rid of that cost, big company or small.
Lavoy
Lavoy
Parts and restoration for antique and late model John Deere crawlers.
Owner and moderator www.jdcrawlers.com
Owner and moderator www.jdcrawlers.com
Re: So What Happens To the Tooling?
Well as a welder and assembler of some of John Deere products I can say that once they determine that a product is obsolete now they buy a certain amount of service parts then scrap the fixturing. The company I work for does several sub assemblies for John Deere and once they decide to change to a new model they either buy 5-7 years worth of service parts or pay us to keep fixtures for 5-7 years. After that they say scrap them. Of course this is weld fixturing not castings
Scott S
Scott S
Re: So What Happens To the Tooling?
Makes sense. In this day and age, at least all the new stuff is saved for posterity in digital files that truly do have almost zero storage cost. And now it's easy to scan an old part and create a file, so hopefully things will only continue to get easier for us fans of the obsolete to keep our stuff running.
Re: So What Happens To the Tooling?
If a casting was needed badly enough, you could always use an original part as a pattern. A molder at a foundry that does custom castings would add the necessary channels to feed metal, let gas out and allow for expansion/contraction. It might take a couple of tries with a more complex part to get the iron in all the corners and skinny areas with enough time to cool gradually. There might even be hardened areas such as thread bosses that would be created by a rapid cooling. A very experienced molder would be able to figure it out, but their craft is becoming a dying art with the advent of computer aided manufacturing and button-pushers.
Then you'd have to have a machine shop duplicate any milled areas.
Then you'd have to have a machine shop duplicate any milled areas.
- CuttingEdge
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Re: So What Happens To the Tooling?
I am not sure about John Deere, but when I worked for Douglas Dynamics as a welder, they had every pattern every made so that a person who had a 1950's Willy jeep and needed a mount for their old snowplow, could still have the part made. It would be a one-off part, but there was welders in the factory who did that, and only that.Lavoy wrote: ↑Thu Aug 15, 2019 12:03 pmWhat was told to me by a tour guide at the Deere foundry many, many years ago was that Deere has all of the patterns for all the parts stored somewhere. He also claimed that they would tool up a piece if someone needed it. Now my assumption is that he was incorrect at least on the last part, or at least you will need to take 50 of them at an exorbitant price. I also question that they still have the patterns, but I guess it is possible. I can see no reason they are keeping patterns for example of a casting for a small combine that was made 75 years ago. Storage has a cost, and any company that has a cost with no possible return would get rid of that cost, big company or small.
Lavoy
Douglas Dynamics makes Fisher, Western and Blizzard brand snow plows.
I have no intention of traveling to my grave in a well manicured body; instead I am going to slide into heaven with a big power turn, totally wore out with busted knuckles, jump off my dozer loudly yelling, Woo Hoo, another Shepard has just arrived!
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