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Pax Machine Works Growson Foundation of Quality

Built on the simple philoso-phy of “care and pride inworkmanship” Pax Machine

Works, Inc. has become recognizedas one of the most modern andcomplete stamping plants in theUnited States.

Taking root in a small out-buildingon the family farm near Celina,Ohio in 1948, Pax has seen threegenerations of growth, innovationand success. Recently the compa-ny took delivery of press serialnumber 30,000 from The MinsterMachine Company.

The E2-1000, equipped withMinster’s Alternative SlideMotion (ASM) is the 21st MinsterPress at Pax.

“We need presses that give usuptime and reliability. That’s whywe look at Minster,” said the compa-ny’s President Emeritus Francis Pax.

“Thirty-four years ago we bought a100-ton press with a four-inchstroke from Minster. It was a P2-100,” Francis continued. “Thepress was designed to run at 160strokes per minute. Today, wehave the capability of running thatpress at 230 strokes per minute,and I don’t think we’ve changed athing on it.

“I couldn’t tell you how manyparts we’ve run on that press,” headded. “At one point we were run-ning a million parts a day, and

Pax Machine Works near Celina, Ohio.

A panoramic view of the Minsterpresses at Pax Machine Works.

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we’ve never had amechanical prob-lem. The onlything we’ve everdone to that presswas put on a newcontrol and wire insome upgradedstandards. That’swhat I mean whenI say we need thereliability ofMinster Machine.”

President MikePax said that Paxprovides a fullcomplement ofmanufacturingcapabilities withits biggest cus-tomers being Tier Iautomotive suppliers producingsuspension and mounting compo-nents, safety restraint devices andOEM and after market oil filterparts.

“Our niche is in parts that requirehigh accuracy and repeatability,”

Mike said. “Our capabilities rangefrom small intricate parts, to largecomplex progressive die stampings.”

Pax designs, develops and main-tains tooling for its customers inaddition to offering a variety ofsecondary operations, including:nut and bolt staking; vibratory fin-

ishing; tapping; threading andassembly. Pax also has the capa-bility for complete prototyping,packaging and warehousing.

The ability to respond quickly tothe needs of their customers isimportant to Pax.

This Minster E2H-350 press includes a completely integrated coil line featuring a Minster Feed, Straightener and Reel.

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“The integration we get fromMinster’s press, control and feedline is very important to us,” MikePax said. “The PMC control isvery easy to use, and it integrateseach job with the Minster feed,reel and straightener. This givesus the versatility weneed to react andrespond to our cus-tomers’ needs.”

“The precision we getwith the Minsterpresses is also impor-tant,” Mike said. “Wedon’t have a press outthere that we won’tput a tool in becauseit’s not accurate. Thistoo makes us very flex-ible, and that’s atremendous asset.”

Pax Machine Workshas a rich tradition of technologi-cal innovation. In fact the com-pany has spun off a subsidiary --Pax Products -- which markets dielubrication systems and conveyors

that have been developed andproven in Pax’s own press room.

Pax will take a Minster press anduniquely integrate it into theirown system of manufacturing.

“The main reason we work withMinster is that they don’t sell a

cookie cutter machine,” said PlantEngineering Manager Bryan Pax.“Minster has always been willingto work with us to tie in the tech-nologies that we want. The engi-

neers at Minster are very knowl-edgeable and very willing to workwith us.”

With technical support fromMinster, Pax is able to get themost out of its equipment.

“We have an 800-ton machinewith a six-inch stroke running120 strokes per minute,” Bryansaid. “Considering the ton-nage, we have some of thefastest machines in the world,and we could only accomplishthat with Minster presses.”

Service and parts availability isanother issue for Pax.

“Uptime is very important, andthat means it’s vital to getdependable service and parts.”Francis said. “Minster hasexcellent availability for parts.They can supply any part forany press. With Minster, you

call them up, give them a serialnumber, and usually the part is onthe way.”

A small sampling of parts produced at Pax.

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Serial No. 30,000Installed at Pax

The Minster Machine Company produced its firstmechanical power press in 1926. Through the yearsMinster has produced thousands of presses. Each of thesepresses have been assigned serial numbers in sequentialorder.

Early this year, Minster reached a milestone when pressSerial No. 30,000 -- an E2-1000 -- was delivered to PaxMachine Works. The E2-1000 features a 168-inch bedand is equipped with Minster’s Alternative Slide Motion.

Because of its size, the press had some special installationrequirements at Pax. Holes had to be cut in the ceiling ofthe manufacturing facility.

After the major press components were stacked, mainte-nance personnel at Pax completed the press setup with aunique system for installing the tie rods.

A temporary crane was erected with the supports built ontop of the press itself and a scaffolding was set up on theroof of Pax’s press facility.

Each of the four tie rods were lifted up though the holes inthe ceiling, and then lowered into the press. Supports for roof-top crane constructed on top of press.

Tie rod is hoisted through a hole cut in the roof.Bryan Pax (right) inspects as tie rod is lowered into pressby maintenance personnel at Pax.

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Pax LubricationReclamation System Brings“Efficiency” to New Levels

From the press foundation to finished parts, PaxMachine Works has revolutionized the use of in-dielubrication.

At Pax, improved lubricant systems have not onlyresulted in more efficient, cost-effective applications,but have also led to increased productivity, less mainte-nance, cleaner operating conditions, and even a prod-uct line of lubrication systems.

In 1980, Pax began manufacturing stock/die lubricationsystems which were developed and designed by skilledtool and die craftsmen and tested in Pax’s own stampingfacility. This development led to the creation of PaxProducts, Inc. which also manufactures in-die conveyorsthat were originally designed for use in the Pax stamp-ing facility.

But when it comes to the overall efficiencies of lubri-cants in the manufacturing process, the Pax LubeSystem is just a small part of the Pax philosophy whichstresses continuous in-house improvement.

Lubricant reclamation begins with the press foundation.The press is mounted in a stainless steel pit that is inte-grated into the foundation. The pit is designed suchthat when the press is placed into the pit, the top of thebolster is at a specific height above the floor. Doingthis ensures consistent setup and easy access for theoperator. Most of the Minster presses that Pax machineowns are mounted in this fashion, and is standard on allnew installations.

“We use stainless steel to create a sanitary operation,which maximizes the life of the lubricant,” said PlantEngineering Manager Bryan Pax. “The stainless steelwill not rust, it’s very stable and it inhibits bacteriagrowth which can create an unhealthy and unpleasantsituation.”

Once the lubricant is dispensed into the die, it drainsthrough the center of the bed via cutouts in the bolsteror special troughs on the outside of the bolster. Boththe cutouts and the troughs are custom features that areadded by the Minster Machine Company.

Pax also custom designs its own die doors, which areslanted toward the bed, directing any lubricant towardthe bed troughs and eventually into the stainless steeltub below the press. The lubricant drains to the bot-tom of the tub where it is pumped directly back intothe lube system reservoir, filtered and used again.

The Pax Lubrication System begins with the pressfoundation. Once the pit is ready, a layer of anti-vibrationmaterial is applied. This helps reduce the vibrationthroughout the press room.

The maintenance personnel at Pax fabricate a stainlesssteel holding tank for the lubricant. Each tank is custombuilt to fit the Minster press being installed.

The maintenance personnel at Pax also construct an elabo-rate re-bar system that will be placed into the pit. Thestainless steel tank is placed inside the rebar which willthen support the concrete poured into the pit.

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The lubricant is constantly agitated in the reservoir withair, which keeps the lubricant well mixed and reducesthe chance of stagnation.

The lubricant that does not end up in the press pit endsup on the finished part. This can be another source forlubricant reclamation. Pax uses specially designed partdrainers that actually tip the basket of parts over anddrains the lubricant off of the parts. This lubricant isrecovered, filtered and re-used in the process.

The moisture vapor that comes off the parts during themanufacturing process in the work area of the press isalso recovered using a centrifugal filter. The moist air isdrawn from the die space into the filter. The moisture iscondensed and flows into the pit below the press. Thefilter exhausts dry, filtered air into the pressroom. Thisprocess helps to maintain a clean environment in thefactory.

Depending on the press and the application, Bryan Paxsaid there can be anywhere from 15 to 50 gallons oflubricant being recirculated, of which very little is ulti-mately wasted.

“We never intentionally throw lube away,” he said. “Weperiodically check the concentration in order to main-tain the exact lubrication characteristics required to per-form the specific job. We maintain the proper concen-tration by adding necessary mix to replenish the waterand oil lost in the process.”

Pax Products offers several models of lube systems. Thenewest model features electronic adjustment for bothvolume and timing.

“This allows for maximum versatility,” Bryan Pax said.“Each point on the new lube system can be customizedto dispense at any time in whatever volume the userchooses. The PLC on the lube system receives a strokeposition signal from the press. Depending on the pro-gram set-up, the lube system reads this signal and dis-penses the lubricant in the necessary volume determinedby the program.”

Pax maintenance personnel make final preparations to thepress foundation before the concrete is poured.

The lube reclamation pit is now ready for the press.

The Pax-designed and manufactured Lube System is theheartbeat of the entire operation.

For More Information About Pax Products:

Pax Products, IncP.O. Box 2575097 Monroe RoadCelina, Ohio

Phone: (419) 586-6948; (800) 733-6930Fax: (419) 586-6932

www.paxproducts.com