Northwest Tool & Machine, Inc.

It's amazing how effective 3D printed prototypes are for discussing design and manufacturing considerations with the end user. These center guides were printed with PLA filament directly from the design model.

We're growing! Our wire EDM department is now operating with three precision Mitsubishi machines. The latest addition is an MV-1200S equipped with linear shaft motor technology, with circular accuracy within one micron.

On a daily basis our toolmaking staff is holding .0002" accuracy in the manufacture of tight-tolerance prototypes, gage components, fixture details, and small batch production. Programming and set-up are the keys to success in the wire EDM world, and our experienced staff is now even more well-equipped for providing world-class quality.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We are thankful for our dedicated team of toolmakers, CNC machinists, and support personnel for technical, office and facility. Our success is built upon our employees' desire to continue learning and improving.

We wish everyone a safe and relaxing holiday weekend.

(Photo near Crested Butte, Colorado)

We regularly work with grades of stainless steel such as 303, 304, 316, 17-4 PH (630), 420 and 440 for automotive, aerospace, medical and packaging industries. This job was a successful collaboration between our toolmakers for producing a tight tolerance component for a work-holding application: turn, mill, wire EDM and final inspection. And the tine thickness is only .020" thick. Nice job!

Whoever said "you can't put a square peg in a round hole" obviously did not have a wire EDM in their machine tool line-up. We have two high-precision Mitsubishi wire EDM's that we program with Mastercam software. We can perform continuous burns within a 19.7 X 13.8 X 11.8" envelope. Once the machines are dialed in, a tolerance of +/-.0002" (+/-.005mm) can be held all day long.

Enjoy the Labor Day weekend!

At least the heat and humidity have been good for the flowers...and we are all thankful for our air-conditioned facility this time of year.

We are actively recruiting candidates to interview for the following positions:

* Part-time custodian to maintain offices and restrooms

* Full-time CNC machinist/toolmaker for Lathe Department

Interested persons (who like working in air-conditioning) can call our main line at 517-750-1332 to request an interview.

We always have a wide variety of parts to make as we service customers across many industries. We specialize in components that are used to locate, nest and clamp parts. If you can design it, our toolmakers can build it.

Check out this custom-gripper detail machined from alloy steel. We just have to flame harden the serrations and it will be ready to ship.

We are hiring a Toolmaker!

If you are interested in joining us to work in our precision grinding department, please send an email to [email protected] to learn more about the position. We are growing and need to expand the capacity in our surface grind and cylindrical grind areas. Preferred candidates will have at least four years of experience working in a job shop environment, building tight-tolerance machine, fixture and gage details. In addition to being a proficient grinder, it is beneficial to have turning and milling experience.

To learn more about Northwest Tool & Machine, check out our website at

Northwest Tool & Machine, Inc. Northwest Tool & Machine is a precision machining and custom toolmaking company supplying multiple industries across Michigan and the United States. Our diverse Customer base includes the automotive, consumer products, food processing machinery, gas & oil, hydraulics, metal working, packaging of foo...

CUSTOM WORKHOLDING FIXTURE
Our toolmaking team successfully built a saw fixture for blanking an irregular-shaped aluminum extrusion. The second photo shows the side view of the larger detail block, and you can see the outline of the aluminum extrusion with the seven small tines. By utilizing our wire EDM (electrical discharge machining) we were able to precisely control the location and size of the clamping surfaces on the extrusion, and allow for a hassle free operation by the customer. Nice job!

HIGH VARIETY, LOW VOLUME
Over the years we have developed our skill set to handle a wide variety of precision tooling, machine details, gage & fixture components, and assemblies. Here's an example of a compact cutoff die that we built for an automotive customer, consisting of fourteen details made from A2 tool steel, 4140 alloy steel, and bronze. We usual emphasize how all the parts are finished within tolerance and mate perfectly together...but this one just looks so cool!

It's spring time, and for a short while the memorial tree planted for Kent Pickett Sr. by our employees is in full, glorious bloom. We are so thankful for the team of gifted toolmakers and dedicated support staff that continue his legacy.

A new turn/mill center to brighten up the day.

Even though it was raining yesterday morning, it was sunny and bright at Northwest Tool as we received our new Haas ST-30Y turning center with live tooling. We are excited about this new technology and expanding our capabilities of precision turning and milling. Gerotech will bring the new machine online for us.

Thanks to the crew at Miller Truck & Storage for rigging the machine. Thanks to LM Electric for providing the electrical service. And thanks to the many individuals at NWT for re-arranging the floor layout, prepping the work center area, and managing all of the details that make the overall process flow smoothly.

HIGH RISK MACHINING PROJECT COMPLETED!
Experienced toolmakers know stainless steel is not the most fun material to work with, especially the 300 series. Check out this 4-axis milled prototype component with an airfoil cross-section. For perspective, the part is 7-1/2" tall and only .060" wide at the trailing edge. Thanks once again to our toolmaking staff for delivering on a challenging part with such irregular geometry. Nice job!

Here are photos of a completed industrial sink mold project. Construction materials were aluminum, commercial clamps and fasteners. It's difficult to tell from the photos the smooth finish that was achieved on the molding surfaces in order to avoid any imperfections during the mold process. The machining and polishing operations went well, and the end customer was satisfied. Nice job!

We are manufacturing a batch of slide rails made from hardened alloy steel. All of the datums have to be surface ground and held within +/-.0005". All of the dowel holes are precisely located and held to +/-.00025" on the diameter. Overall length of the slide rails on the full order ranges from 12 inches to 28 inches. Nice teamwork by our VMC, grind, and wire EDM departments to deliver the finished product to our quality assurance staff for final certification.

~ GEM OF A PART ~
We are manufacturing another batch of custom die details that require a 4 microfinish on all critical surfaces. As you can see quite the mirror finish was achieved on this part made from hardened tool steel. With the polished luster the reflection of the CMM probe is easily seen in the top of the part. Nice job!

Our 4th Annual Chili Cook Off is in the record books. For the first time we had a repeat winner. Congratulations to Tim O. for taking the top prize. We had a great variety of chilis this year, and it was difficult to pick one winner with all the delicious recipes entered. Thanks to all of our contestants!

Our Tool Room is always ready to build whatever onesie-twosie details our customers need for their assembly, testing, inspection, or printing machines. We are well-equipped to handle larger lot sizes as well. We can CNC mill, CNC turn, surface grind, OD/ID grind, jig grind, wire EDM, weld, lap, polish, assembly, DeVlieg jigmil, and CMM inspect. If you can design it, we can build it.

Our Wire EDM department is keeping busy as always burning intricate shapes and holding ultra tight tolerances on our Mitsubishi machines. We are currently finishing features on a hardened D-2 part with only a window of +/-0.0002". On both of our wire machines, the upper and lower arms operate independently of each other. Hence we can manufacture a part that has a round cross-section on one end and a rectangular cross section on the other end. The technology of wire EDM's allows us to produce components that just aren't possible on conventional metalworking machines.

Our Toolmaker team is at it again manufacturing tight-tolerance, precision tooling for a special machine builder. The custom drill bushings were made from O-1 tool steel hardened to 58/62 HRC. The turning and milling ops were done before heat treatment, and the OD/ID grind was performed as the last operation. You have to admit that the cross-hatching from the OD grind is so cool on the finished product. Nice job!

Our highly skilled toolmaker staff specializes in the manufacture of precision chuck jaws and end of arm tooling. We just finished this set of hardened alloy steel jaws, complete with serrations. Depending on the customer design tolerances, we can either wire EDM or mill the mounting serrations. This set of jaws passed final inspection and was shipped seven days early. Nice job!

Our 5K-96 CNC DeVlieg Jigmil with Fanuc control has a machining envelope of 50 X 96 with 72" in the vertical axis. The 50 taper spindle allows for fast and accurate material removal. The Heidenhain glass scales in all three axises ensure machined features are precisely located.

Our Toolmaker just finished milling a 2,200 pound plate for an industrial application. On to the next job in the staging area of weldments, burn-outs, rails, castings, bases, etc.

Got chips? It's always amazing on longer runs how quickly the shavings from a CNC turning operation will amass. These 6061-T6 aluminum chips will be removed from the manufacturing bay and recycled. As the 5S saying goes: "A place for everything and everything in its place."

We enjoy the variety of toolmaking as each day brings a new part geometry that must be programmed, turned, milled and ground. Throw in some tight-toleranced arcs and slots...no problem as we'll finish the parts to hold run-out and flatness well within the required .001".
Job well done!

As we wind down 2022, it's important to reflect on what made Northwest Tool successful over the past year. We of course have a solid customer base and a supply chain that supports us every step of the way. What differentiates us from other precision machining companies is our total dedication to quality. Thanks to our toolmakers and quality assurance staff for averaging close to 99% conforming product shipped to customers in 2022!

Another team effort by our toolmaking staff to build this precision cover for a customer's special machine. This precision-machined weldment was built with a combination of milling, welding, and wire EDM (electrical discharge machining). Nice job!

Our company gathered for the holidays and Christmas Saturday night. The people, food and venue all made for a wonderful event. We celebrated our success in 2022, and only three more weeks before the start of the new year!