Case Studies
Making the impossible… possible. 
A medical equipment manufacturer was searching for a supplier to make a difficult-to-manufacture part for them. They had been to several suppliers who had either turned them down or had failed to successfully make their part. The last supplier said, “It is just impossible to make.”
The customer came to Skild and asked, “Can you provide us with a production part (approximately 1,000 pieces per year) having various slots and holes, etc. that requires one face on the part to be Teflon coated, and then lapped perfectly flat so that it will not leak gases when it is rotated against a mating metal part?”
Skild Machining, Inc. made it possible. We were able to develop a successful manufacturing process of machining, Teflon coating and flat lapping to meet all of our customer’s requirements.
Over 20 years later, we continue to make this impossible part…. possible.
Less waste means a more affordable part. 
A custom seal manufacturer for the aerospace industry came to Skild in search of a more cost-effective method for machining a difficult part. They were trying to create thin wall, hardened stainless steel mating rings that were used in a metal-to-metal sealing application. The rings are approximately 8″ diameter with less than .200 wall and tolerances of ±.00025 on many features, and faces that are flat and parallel within .0002.
The challenge was that the process could not prevent excessive warping during heat treating even with fixturing. In addition, too much machining stock had to be left on all surfaces making conventional grinding too costly.
Skild developed a method of manufacturing that allowed us to hard turn the parts while keeping them straight, round and flat in the free state. We created the rings to exact tolerances and saved our customer money.
When you need it FAST – Skild is ready. 
A valued customer in the construction tool industry came to us on a Friday morning desperately asking for our help. They had a vendor in another state who was providing them with a machined casting and – although the vendor had previously assured them they would be delivering parts the following week – the vendor had just notified our customer that they could not deliver as promised. Without these parts, our customer would be forced to shut down their production line at a time when they could not afford to be delayed.
Our customer needed parts the following week.
The part in question involved two turning operations, a milling operation and deburring. Because it was a casting, tooling fixtures were necessary in order to properly hold and orientate the castings during machining. Skild’s experienced staff worked through the weekend – creating a manufacturing process, writing CNC programs, making tooling fixtures and setting up the equipment. When our customer arrived with the castings on Monday, we were able to immediately start cutting chips (making parts). We delivered – as promised –that same week.
By helping our client through a difficult situation and meeting an extremely tight deadline, we now have an ongoing relationship and an extremely loyal customer. Ten years later, we are still running this production part.
Giving customers more than they want – BEFORE they want it. 
Great customer service is about meeting and exceeding customers’ needs. At Skild Machining, Inc., we give our customers more than they expect and fulfill their orders before they even need them.
For over 20 years, we have been partnering with a major medical equipment customer to take inventory control to the next level. Each month, our customer provides us with an updated forecast of their monthly requirements for all the parts they purchase from us.
In return, we always have enough parts available to supply at least one month’s demand.
This special arrangement allows our customer to only carry inventories at levels they will use within the month and gives them the flexibility in schedules to match their demand fluctuations. In addition, the customer is able to maintain better pricing stability while giving us the forward vision and flexibility to schedule our resources more easily and under less time constrains.
Several customers have now entered into similar Long-Term Purchasing Agreements (LTA’s). Our customers have up to 18 months to use this inventory.
Our goal is to give customers more flexibility and better pricing, while controlling inventory and exceeding delivery deadlines.
info@skildmachining.com (847) 437-1717