TCI Precision Metals recently announced support for lights out manufacturing with close tolerance materials that are Machine-Ready for Production (MRP) Guaranteed. MRP Blanks are custom made to order and eliminate the need for in-house sawing, grinding, flattening, squaring operations and outside processing. Each blank arrives deburred, clean and to the customer’s net specifications as close as +/- .0005” dimensionally and as close as .002” flatness, squareness, and parallelism. Ready to go from receiving to machining.

 

Shops can choose from four different types of MRP Blanks to best suit their machining centers and established processes. 1) Flat Blanks are made FLAT to +/-.002″ and designed to stay that way. Parts arrive stress free to avoid movement, or potato chipping, during machining; 2) Block Blanks are close tolerance square, flat and parallel precision blanks that are custom made and arrive ready to go from receiving to machining; 3)Dovetail Blanks maximize 4-, and 5-axis milling throughput with custom sized material that includes a pre-machined dovetail to match the brand and model of dovetail work holding to be used; 4) Feature-Added Blanks have custom features added to save even more time – roughing, stepping, hog outs, drill, bore, turn, mill and more. 

 

“MRP Blanks are consistent part-to-part and suitable for lights-on, human interaction, lights-off robotic handling, or anywhere in between,” said Ben Belzer, president of TCI Precision Metals. “Shops are reporting increases in throughput of 25% and more using MRP Blanks. It really comes down to improving both productivity and quality, lights-on or lights-out.”

 

MRP Blanks are produced and shipped fast. Orders can be delivered all at once or just-in-time to match customer production schedules.