H&W Manufacturing

What are some of the benefits to domestic manufacturing?

While global manufacturing has traditionally been viewed as a cost saving strategy, many businesses are revising their onshoring/offshoring approach. The pandemic has exposed the vulnerabilities of global supply chains which require interdependencies between businesses and international suppliers. Varying levels of government mandated lockdowns, closed borders, and slowed productions have caused worldwide supply shortages, affecting businesses in every industry.

Here are five reasons to consider switching your manufacturing processes to onshore partners.

1. Transportation Freight Costs

Shipping costs involved in offshoring and nearshoring processes continue to rise. According to recent research by Freightos, the rapid growth of global eCommerce and the upcoming holiday peak shipping season are contributing to record freight rates. This means that the significant savings that incentivized offshoring in the late 20th century have been largely reduced or eliminated. Domestic shipping processes are easy to implement and are becoming more cost efficient.

2. Proximity to the Market

By keeping your manufacturing processes stateside, you will reward yourself with shorter shipping and turnaround times. With an offshore machine shop, production typically needs to be planned months out to account for production and delivery. With a domestic machine shop, you can place and fulfill part orders with much shorter lead times. This translates to improved product inventory management and increased responsiveness to demand for your product.

3. Superior Quality

Some large companies might have the ability to have employees stationed at overseas factories to ensure quality, but most small businesses must operate in faith that goods will be produced to quality standards.

Upon receipt of product from offshoring partners, it is not uncommon for entire batches to be inspected piece by piece upon arrival to separate defective units from quality product. This is because effective quality control is not practiced by all international manufacturers, and differing product standards. The time and expense to do this, along with the cost of either reworking or scrapping products, can quickly wipe out the savings offshoring promised and even exceed the made-in-America cost.

4. Ease of Communication

The time zone difference is one of the most obvious pain points of offshoring. Many offshoring manufacturers operate within a 5-12 hour difference from their client, meaning work schedules may need to be adjusted to accommodate timely communication.

Onshoring operations and using domestic partners often allows companies to operate in the same/similar time zones as the companies they hire. It also reduces language barriers, cultural barriers, and transportation complexities.

The ease of communication also allows you to react to fluctuations in demand more quickly.This will increase your ability to deliver quality products in a timely manner.

5. Market product as Made in the USA!

Critics of offshoring note that the level of unemployment in America increases as more jobs move overseas. Moving jobs overseas can hurt the national economy and livelihood of cities and towns across the country.

Choosing a provider in the US creates more open positions for qualified local individuals and helps to bolster our national economy, along with the other benefits mentioned above. If you’re looking for a new onshore machining partner, contact us to see how we can partner.

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Custom Shear Components and Shear Testing

What is the purpose of a shear component?

Engineered shear screws, pins, rings, and bolts are designed to provide a predictable outcome when a specific amount of force is applied. There are two main roles these components perform:

Sacrificial Components: Shear parts are designed to fail and protect equipment from potential harm should it experience a sudden impact or excessive load. For example, in the case of a motor with a rotating piece, a shear pin can be used to prevent failure to the motor should something be caught in the moving component.

Conditional Operators: Shear components can prevent a part of the device from functioning until a predetermined level of force is applied. For example, in a slickline application, a shear pin could be used to keep sliding elements in a fixed position until enough force is applied to break the pin. Once sheared, the absence of a pin allows sliding components the freedom to move, and the tool is able perform its function.

While some shear fasteners are available for purchase as commodity items, at H&W we have the ability to manufacture custom shear fasteners with a predictable shear force that will meet your application needs.

Choosing a Shear Component Material

Metal such as brass or steel are common choices for manufacturing shear components because the properties of these materials allow the components to shear completely when force is applied. Choosing material based on its mechanical properties is an essential part of the process to ensure that the component will shear when the desired level of force is applied. 360 Brass, 464 Naval Brass, and C675 Manganese Bronze are some materials of choice for producing these components because of their properties and price point.

Predictable performance is essential when producing parts that will be used in a shearing capacity, as the functionality of the machine is dependent on these components carrying out their intended jobs. When selecting a heat of material to manufacture a fastener for shearing, we pay close attention to the tensile strength, yield strength, and hardness strength. At H&W, we take every measure to select material that will achieve your desired shear force, and we ensure that material traceability is maintained throughout every part of the manufacturing process.

To learn more about how we maintain material traceability, visit our quality management resource.

Confirming a Shear Component’s Strength

Testing fixtures and procedures are necessary to determine a component’s shear force. When selecting a shear fixture and testing method, it is key to keep the end application in mind to ensure that the method replicates the way a component will shear as closely as possible. Shear testing fixtures are designed to impose mechanical stress on a sample part so the maximum shear force can be observed and measured.

To provide more accurate testing results for different application needs, fixtures can be designed to measure shear strength through a single or double shear. In the case of a single shear, the load is applied on one transverse plane, which shears the fastener into two pieces. In a double shear, the load is applied across two parallel planes, and the fastener is sheared into three pieces.

To ensure that testing results are as accurate as possible, it is necessary to create conditions for shear testing that are consistent for each sample. In effort to provide the most accurate results possible, we work with customers to clarify specific needs and expectations prior to producing parts. At H&W, shear testing is controlled by a limited group of authorized personnel to ensure that all processes and procedures are strictly followed and documented. Written procedures for testing provided by our customer are always followed when available; however, if a customer procedure is not available, we have developed standard internal procedures to guide our testing. Similarly, we have standard shear fixtures for testing, and we are also able to produce customer-designed fixtures to adhere to customer shearing requirements if specified.

At H&W, we offer on-site shear testing and reporting available up to 60,000 lbs of force, and our testing equipment is capable of both single and double shear compression testing. To further guarantee the accuracy of our test results, we certify our shear testing machine annually by an accredited third party.

Here is an example of a custom shear test report.

Custom Examples

Below you will find a few examples of shear components that we have produced and tested for our customers.

Broached Head Dog Point Shear Screw

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Material Grade: 464 Naval Brass H02
Dimensions: 5/16”-18 x 1/2” Long

To meet our customer’s desired shear force value, we were able to suggest a smaller grooved diameter that would lower the material’s shear strength while maintaining the design requirements of the component in the final application use.
Shear Ring

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Material Grade: 675 Manganese Bronze H02
Dimensions: 1-3/8” OD x 11/16” ID X 3/8” Thk

For this customer’s shear ring, we manufactured a test fixture that replicated the customer’s design to ensure that the shear strength would provide predictable performance in a composite frac plug application.
Shear Pin

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Material Grade: 675 Manganese Bronze H02
Dimensions: 3/8” DIA x 1-7/8” Long

When manufacturing this shear pin, we worked with our customer to mimic the application of this component by utilizing a double shear test fixture to record the maximum shear force.
Slotted Shear Screw

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Material Grade: 360 Brass H02
Dimensions: 1/4"-20 x 1” Long

This shear screw was tested using a sliding sleeve testing fixture as designated by the customer; however, we utilize different testing fixtures based on customer’s intended application for the component we are manufacturing.
Shear Pin

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Material Grade: 360 Brass H02
Dimensions: 3/4" DIA x 3/4” Long

For this customer, we followed their written shear component testing procedures. When provided, we always adhere to shear testing procedures set forth by our customers, and we also have an in-house standard procedure in place for customers that do not have their own.
Slotted Dog Point Shear Screw

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Material Grade: 1144 Stressproof
Dimensions: 3/8”-16 x 5/8” Long

This customer required that this shear screw be manufactured from a mild steel to achieve a higher shear force range than a screw made from brass or bronze could achieve.

Do you need a custom shear component?

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Our Quality Assurance Process at H&W Manufacturing

At H&W Manufacturing, we are committed to meeting all the expectations and requirements of our customers, especially when it comes to quality. We know that quality starts from the moment we receive an RFQ, and that is why our quality management system is built into each stage of manufacturing, from quote to ship.

We take pride in training each of our employees to understand and implement our quality processes with top management, who are ultimately responsible for its implementation. Below you will find an overview of the process we have developed to produce parts that meet your needs every time.

Standard Fastener vs
Specialty Non-Standard Fastener

Sometimes it can be unclear if a piece requires custom manufacturing. Many commonly used standard size fasteners are stocked for off-the-shelf purchase by fastener distributors. There can be many reasons why a particular fastener may be a non-stocked special. However, some of the more common reasons are: non-standard size, material, quantity, and/or service requirements. If your fastener has one or any combination of these factors, it will likely require custom manufacturing.

Simplifying your Machining Supply Chain

One of the best ways to simplify your machining supply chain is to reduce the number of vendors you manage. At H&W, in addition to our machining capabilities, we provide a variety of value-added services that allow us to offer turnkey manufacturing. Providing these services offers our customers shorter lead times, an easier-to-manage supply chain, and significant logistics cost-savings.

Celebrating 40 years at H&W Manufacturing

As we celebrate 40 years since our company opened, we realize how much our business, and the industry, have evolved throughout the years. To remain competitive for four decades, we have integrated modern technology and continually invested in growth opportunities that align with our business principles. A quick look back shows how our company has changed with the times, while remaining centered on customer service and quality.

Choosing the Right Machine Shop

Choosing the right machine shop to work with your business is important for your budget, process, and product quality. It’s critical to choose a shop that is adept at handling challenges that may arise during manufacturing and will be an efficient part of your larger supply chain. Here are a few key factor to consider when you are looking for a new machine shop to work with.

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