Duggan Manufacturing is a humble background and was founded by two friends Rodney Westich and Tony Pinho. Its main goal is to build a prototype business and provide better services to customers. Westich and Pinho have many years of experience in the automotive industry​​. In 2000, they strengthened their conviction and went to friends and family to raise seed funding for their new contract manufacturing company. They purchased several second-hand machines and started operations in a former dairy farm and welding shop in Almont, Michigan. They initially specialized in automotive professional sheet metal prototyping and limited manufacturing.

From the beginning, Duggan Manufacturing has worked hard to meet challenges, such as labor-intensive and tight tolerance parts that few competitors want to solve. Although these jobs are not always the most desirable, they provide opportunities for a new, hungry company because they will redouble their efforts and provide unprecedented attention to detail, thereby creating a good reputation. This has been part of the company's DNA from the beginning and has never left. The company now has more than 90 employees working in the main facility of 72,000 square feet (6,689 square meters) and the satellite building of 28,000 square feet (2,601 square meters). Today, Duggan is a Tier 1 supplier that provides precision metal manufacturing, prototype manufacturing, and short-term production for Tier 1 suppliers and original equipment manufacturers in the Midwest.

"We have developed a plan for how to make Duggan Manufacturing's business run. Since then, it has been a stable reinvestment plan for the latest machine technology," Westich explained. "We will return as much funds as possible to the company."

A large part of this investment plan is dedicated to Prima Power 3D fiber lasers.

Duggan purchased a 2 kW Prima Power Rapido fiber laser in 2010 and another Rapido in 2011. Prima Power Rapido is equipped with fiber laser sources of different powers according to the production type. High-energy, environmentally friendly and maintenance-free high-brightness fiber lasers have the greatest advantages in mass production. Many applications take advantage of this source, thereby shortening cycle time and reducing the cost of each part.

"We have achieved such excellent results with two Prima Power Rapido fiber lasers. When we need a limited-production laser with a turntable, we no longer have to guess what we are going to do," said Pinho, President of Duggan Manufacturing. "We purchased Prima Power 4-kW Laser Next in 2016."

Auto parts manufacturers need highly specialized products to cut sheet metal parts. With more than 35 years of experience in this field and continuous dialogue with customers and partners in the automotive industry, Prima Power designed the new Laser Next 3D laser machine mainly for automotive users. The main advantages of Laser Next 3D include:

Maximize throughput by significantly reducing cycle time. With Laser Next, the productivity of a typical benchmark assembly (B-pillar) has been increased by 25%; four Laser Next systems can produce up to five machines of previous models.

Space-saving layout for single-machine and multi-machine configurations. Space is money, and a well-designed layout helps to save space and optimize factory logistics. The compact installation helps the workshop to install more machines, because the workshop can have up to three units, one connected to the same magnetic waste conveyor side by side, without the need for excavation work. In the same area, more machines can be installed-for example, four Laser Nexts instead of three of the previous model.

Improve overall equipment efficiency. For Laser Next, Prima Power used its experience of hundreds of installations in the 24/7 manufacturing of high-strength steel components, which are widely used in automotive production. Every detail has been studied to maximize the machine's uptime. Maintenance has also been simplified to reduce non-productive time and the need for dedicated resources dedicated to these activities.

Laser Next has a working range of 3,050 × 1,530 × 612 mm, and is equipped with a 3 kW or 4 kW high-brightness fiber laser. Its compact focusing head is completely sealed to provide the best protection, with direct drive motor, dual protection SIPS, all-metal sensor and focus control.

"We try to make key investments, just like we did with Prima Power," Westich said. "In 2010, we were the first sheet metal prototype company with a fiber laser in the region. This is a good investment for us. It reduces our maintenance and management costs, and we can save some floor space One fiber laser machine will replace two CO2 lasers. Fiber lasers allow us to continue to be competitive in the market. As our CO2 lasers age, we will replace them with Prima Power fiber lasers. We have three Prima Powers Fiber lasers can easily replace five CO2 lasers. These investments help us grow."

According to Pinho, Duggan Manufacturing serves a variety of industries, including automotive, battery technology, aerospace and defense, printing, shelf and material handling, off-road freight, robotics, and more. "By purchasing Prima Power equipment, we are able to enter different industries," Pinho said. "Using Prima Power lasers, we can achieve higher output [so] we can reduce working costs. Once upon a time, automobiles accounted for 75% of our business. Today, the automotive prototyping industry is only a small part of when we started. This is our diversity The reason for this is that the automotive prototyping industry is evolving. Simulation and software are getting better and better, so you don’t have to build so much physics."

"We usually use Laser Next for high-volume jobs," Westich said. "When we are doing limited production work, it is very suitable for Laser Next. We can cut parts that would not be possible without it. It has allowed our company to grow from a small team operating outside a dairy farm to a major manufacturing and prototyping facility The talents and enthusiasm of the people continue to push us forward today."

For information about Duggan Manufacturing, please visit dugganmfg.com or call 586-254-7400. For information about Prima Power North America, please visit primapower.com/us or call 847-952-6500.