Author Archives: rentapen

About rentapen

Susan Straley, aka Queen of Lean Machine Design, is the President of Rentapen Inc. in Waukesha, WI. She helps manufacturers reduce costs through excellence in 3d desing services, RAPid Tooling Components(TM), and Just-in-Time Laser Cutting Services(TM). Susan can be reached directly at 262-542-8891.

3D Models of Tooling Components Assists in Growth of Weld Fixture Design Company As New Part-Holding Tooling Pieces are Added.

By | |
Leave a comment

Rentapen Inc., of Waukesha, WI, Continues to Expand the Number of Components and Product Parts Available for 3D-Model Download.

In January and March 2013, Rentapen Inc., a 3D CAD Design Company added several new components to its 3D-Model download web page, www.WeldFixtureComponents.com.

Rentapen Inc., offers a large custom line of RAPid Tooling Components™ that can be downloaded for free to help manufactures save time and money while designing and building their weld and assembly jigs and fixtures.  RAPid Tooling Components™ are a new American standard for the machine design Industry.

An alternative to NAAMS, Rentapen’s components along with the 3D models have changed how Machine Design Engineers and CAD Drafters design their weld fixtures.

 “In 2001 we discovered we, as weld fixture and assembly fixture designers, were designing the same parts over and over again.  So we realized if we standardized on those parts we could save our customers lots of time and costs.  So we created RAPid Tooling Components™,” said George Straley, Founder of Rentapen.

Rentapen Inc., has a total of 9 different types of RAPid Blocks™ that can be ordered to fit different tooling fixture needs.  In the beginning, customers would buy the RAPid Block™ and then if the block needed to be altered, they would place the part in their CNC or take it to another vendor. RAPid Blocks are often altered to add a hole in it to hold a locating pin or a rest pad or to chamfer a corner.   In 2011, Rentapen Inc., began to offer customized alterations to their RAPid Blocks™.

Rentapen Inc., manufactures each block as it is ordered.  This allows them to keep inventory low and provide a valuable service to their customers.  Rentapen Inc., will customize the RAPid Block™ per the customer’s specifications. “Need a chamfer? No Problem.  Need a hole for a locating pin?  No problem,” said Susan Straley, President of Rentapen.

Productuon Part Holding MachineryAll of Rentapen’s RAPid Tooling Components™ are made in the U.S.A. This is in line with Rentapen’s vision as the U.S. Leader in machine design and tooling components.  Rentapen is dedicated to reducing costs for manufacturers. And their free 3D service is greatly help manufacturers on their lean journey.

Rentapen Inc., is the weld fixture specialist, and is home of RAPid Tooling Component™s. Rentapen Inc. has been providing machine tool design services to manufactures since 1976.  A Certified Woman Owned Business and owns RAPid Tooling Components™. For more information Rentapen Inc., please call 262-542-8891 or visit http://www.rentapen.com.

 

Weld Fixture Tooling Company Filled A CAD Drafter Internship

By | |
Leave a comment

Rentapen Inc., Located In Waukesha, WI Is Dedicated To Hiring CAD Drafters, Weld Fixture Machinist and Employees of All Ages.

On January 29, 2013 Rentapen Inc. filled a CAD Drafter Internship position with a young and experienced  student from Waukesha County Technical College. He is joining a CAD Drafting team made up of men and women of all ages.  Christopher Doll, has been a part of Rentapen Inc.’s, team since 2005 and is the Engineering Lead Designer and has a Masters of Science in Engineering from University-Wisconsin Milwaukee.

Design Fixtures and Jigs using Pro/E and Solidworks

According to The Social Liberian “There are eight different age generation categories.”  Rentapen Inc. the Weld Fixture Specialist, is currently employing four different age generations.

This local Waukesha, WI, company is employing generations as young as Generation Y (Born: 1977-1994) and as experienced as the Baby Boomer I Generation (Born: 1946-1954).

Rentapen Inc., has been in business since August 20, 1976 and has been able to stay in business through many different generations, but there is one key piece that holds this company together; they are excepting of all ages and are willing to teach their employees.  Have you ever heard the saying “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” in the case with Rentapen Inc. you can.  Every day the younger and older generations work side by side to reach a common goal; to build, design, and create the best weld fixture components in the manufacturing industry.

“I am in the Baby-Boom Generation and I am learning new things from the other team members all the time,” said Susan Straley, President of Rentapen.  “Just last week our staff was teaching me about our website and social media.”

 

Teach and Guide CAD Drafters and Interns

There are many conflicts in the manufacturing industry when it comes to generation differences.  Like any business today, conflicts can come from recruiting, building teams, the many different changes in a company, and different styles of management.  However, Rentapen Inc., is embracing the generations and changes; in their industry change is a good thing because it allows for growth, efficiencies, and cost savings.

The weld fixture specialist is excited for the growth of their line of RAPid Tooling Components™. With the different generations working together there has been an increase in the orders for RAPid Shims™ and the CAD Drafters in the office are busier than ever.

Rentapen Inc., is a Waukesha, Wisconsin based company that provides Weld Fixtures and 3D CAD models to manufacturers.  Since 1976, Rentapen Inc has consistently saved customers time and money.  Rentapen Inc., is a Certified Woman Owned Business and owns RAPid Tooling Components™.  For more information Rentapen Inc., please call 262-542-8891 or visit www.rentapen.com.

 

 

Weld Fixture Design 101 Posts A New Blog To Educate Manufactures and Engineers

By | |
Leave a comment

Rentapen Inc.’s President, Susan Straley, Educates The
Engineering Industry With Her Weld Fixture Design Blogs.

On February 25, 2013, Susan Straley posted her latest blog educating the engineering industry about an easy and practical way to determine fastener length. Susan Straley, known as the Queen of Lean Machine Design and President of Rentapen Inc., has been educating the manufacturing and engineering industry about weld fixture designs since October 2011. Her blog is called Weld Fixture Design 101. The lessons are being published as often as every two weeks.

The Weld Fixture Design Blog informs the audience on how to design a simple weld fixture, the use of their RAPid Tooling Components™, and trends in the many different outlets in the manufacturing industry.  The Blog is also designed to help Rentapen Inc., gain knowledge from their readers about what is important to them.  This helps Straley connect to her audience and potential customers.

 “I enjoy posting the blogs in machine design groups on Linkedin because there are both experienced designers and new students of engineering who participate in discussions and add their experiences and viewpoints to the mix,” said Straley.  “Then I also get ideas for future lessons.”

Rentapen Inc., has been active in the hiring and training of interns from many different colleges in the Greater Milwaukee, WI area.  Along with the Weld Fixture Design 101 Blog Rentapen Inc., has created a series of videos and instructions that have incorporated what Straley has written about in her blogs.

Design Fixtures and Jigs using Pro/E and Solidworks

 “I remember when I was just starting out as a CAD Drafter.  There was so much of the practical stuff that wasn’t taught in the classroom at school,” said Straley.  “And when I learned that 40% of the Engineers in the U.S. are going to retire within 7 years, I knew I had to start sharing some of the knowledge that comes from years of doing the work.”

The Weld Fixture Design 101 Blog demonstrates how to use Rentapen’s standardized yet versatile RAPid Tooling Components™. Rentapen’s precision weld fixture components are made up of RAPid Blocks™, RAPid Shims™, Clamp Risers, RAPid Plates™, and standard shims that precisely hold your product in your weld fixture while it is being manually or robotically assembled or welded.

Subscribers to the Weld Fixture Design 101 Blog are sent notices directly to their email when a new lesson is posted.  However, the blog can also be found on the various social media sites that Straley participates.  There has been 47 different Blogs published and they cover a variety of topics from creating a tapped hole to steps to design a product-holding jig or fixture.  You can connect to Straley and Rentapen Inc., via Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin,YouTube, and many other social media platforms.

Click the link to view the latest YouTube video: Easy and Practical Guide to Length of Fasteners in Machine Tool Design

Weld Fixture Design Company Engineering Manager Seeks to Grow With the Company.

By | |
Leave a comment

Rentapen Inc.’s, Design Engineering Manager, Blake Peterson, Continues His Education To Improve Productivity.

On January 7, 2013 Blake Peterson started another fast paced group of classes toward his Bachelor of Science Degree majoring in Business Management. Peterson joined Rentapen, the Weld Fixture Specialists, in November, 2011 as Engineering Manager. Rentapen designs machine tools for companies that manufacture a product. Rentapen specializes in Weld Jigs and Shims.

The company also manufactures a line to weld tooling components called RAPid Tooling Components™. These RAPid Tooling Components™ consists of RAPid Blocks™, RAPid Plates™, Clamp Risers and Shims.

Lindsey Frick, Associated Editor for MachineDesign.com, found information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics which projects a need for 17,830 additional engineers each year for the next 10 years. Lindsey also wrote in her article that Community colleges are an untapped resource for potential engineering students.

Currently, Peterson is conducting interviews for an Engineering Project Manager that will quickly grow as Peterson grows. The Machine Designer position will involve the conception and design of weld fixtures and guiding and teaching CAD Drafters and interns as they learn.

Peterson, Engineering Manager, is expected to graduate in 2014 from Cardinal Stritch, located in the greater Milwaukee, WI area. Peterson is taking the necessary actions to get ahead in his engineering and management career. He is taking advantage of accelerated on-line classes to improve his ability to lead and expand his knowledge base. Some of the classes Peterson is looking forward to taking are Management of Leadership, Business Ethics, and Strategic Organizational Leadership.

At Rentapen Inc., Peterson is already seeking responsibilities outside the Engineering Manager title that he currently holds. He works closely with the shop to solve issues and evaluate scheduling needs. He works with the Leadership Team to expand Rentapen’s capacity to build small to medium weld jigs.

Peterson already has an extensive background of engineering management experience; however, Peterson decided to further his education in business management to understand more of the financial side of the business. The role that Peterson plays in the company, he hopes will transition from Engineering Management to more of the total Operations Management. Since joining Rentapen he has had to learn Pro/E CAD software. He has also learned each of the customers’ engineering standards to help him as he guides and checks the work of the machine designers.

Teach and Guide CAD Drafters and Interns

For the past three months Peterson has been guiding the Design Engineering Team as it focuses on reducing costs for manufacturers through lean weld fixture design. He has also been working with the Leadership Team to enhance Rentapen’s RAPid Tooling Components™. RAPid Tooling Components™ are an extension to Rentapen’s mission to save manufacturers time.

The role that Peterson is aiming for is to oversee the operational side of the business. He wants to move into leading the managers and participating in the planning. His new education will help him to know what to do to increase profits, increase cash, and reduce costs.

Rentapen’s Culture includes an emphasis of constant learning and self- improvement. The machine tool company’s culture statement says, “Rentapen is only as good as its team members. We aim to hire and retain the best … We are flexible. We are constantly improving ourselves and our processes. We delight in learning new skills, improving ways of doing things….”

Growing Weld Fixture Design Company Enhances Their Web Presence.

By | |
Leave a comment

Rentapen Inc., the Weld Fixture Specialists, has been using a variety of social media sites to increase sales and educate the manufacturing industry.

Since April, 2011 when Susan Straley took over as President of Rentapen Inc., the use of social media has taken off in a positive direction. A new version of Rentapen’s website was also created in 2011 to help the company introduce CAD Drafters and Engineers about Rentapen’s time-saving RAPid Tooling Component™ line; increase brand recognition as the Weld Fixture Specialist; and educate beginning machine tool designers in the manufacturing industry through Susan Straley’s Blog – Weld Fixture Design 101.

 “I knew we needed to grow in sales and customers in order to become a stronger company. I asked for help from the SBDC. They sent a consultant to help us with our marketing strategy that includes social media marketing” said Susan Straley, Owner and President of Rentapen.

Merriam-Webster, defines social media as forms of electronic communication (as Web sites for social networking and micro-blogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (such as videos). Rentapen Inc. is utilizing social media to find and connect with Machine Designers, Manufacturing Engineers and others. Through social media Rentapen can announce the launch of new products and educate CAD Drafters and Machine Tool Designers about how to save time with Rentapen’s products and services.

Rentapen Inc. created RAPid Tooling Components™, consisting of RAPid Blocks™, RAPid Plates™, RAPid Clamp Risers™ and RAPid Shims™, to help save time for manufacturers. Rentapen’s website makes it easier for CAD Drafters and Engineers to download the right Block, Plate, Riser, or Shim for their product part holding tool design. Rentapen’s website also makes it easy to connect with Rentapen and its President on various social media platforms. One of the largest social media sites that Rentapen Inc. uses is Linkedin. Via Linkedin, Susan Straley, has been able to interact with targeted customers, Engineering and Mechanical Design Instructors, and CAD Drafting students. She keeps in touch with key targets by posting updates to her profile with educational blogs and industry news.

Rentapen Inc., as the weld fixture specialist uses the blog and internships to educate students in CAD Drafting, Weld Tooling Design, and building Weld Fixtures. Another, large social media platform that Rentapen Inc., has been using since June, 2011 is Youtube. According to Youtube this site has been designed to allow billions of people to discover watch and share originally-created videos. Rentapen’s youtube channel attempts to educate and entertain machine designers and followers. The company created a video that has been seen by over 3,000 viewers.

“I am very grateful to the help we received from the SBDC. Before they met with me, I didn’t know what a blog or a tweet was. Now I am using this medium to attract customers and help mechanical design students learn some of the practical machine design tips they can’t learn in the class room,” said Straley

Social media sites that you can find and follow Rentapen Inc. on are Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Youtube, and Google +. These are great ways to stay connected and to gather valuable information about Weld Jigs and Assembly Fixtures and an innovative company, Rentapen Inc.

Another Big Year for Weld Fixture Tooling Components Company

By | |
Leave a comment

Rentapen Inc. Sees Increase In Sales For Their Weld and Assembly Fixture Tooling Components in 2012

President, Susan Straley Featured With Weld Fixture

In January, 2013 Rentapen’s President Susan Straley sat down and calculated the numbers from 2011 to 2012.  The growth is a reflection of both an
interest in lean manufacturing and the increased speed at which manufacturers are trying to go from product development to production.

“Our components save time in the design, build and testing of weld jigs and assembly fixtures,” said Straley.  “That is what manufacturers are looking for, lean and fast.”

The year 2012 is over, but the increase and growth of Rentapen’s RAPid Tooling Components™ that are used in weld jigs and assembly fixtures is still something worth talking about.

“I knew we were busy, but with December’s numbers in, I was happy to see a growth of approximately 40 percent in the sales of RAPid Tooling Components™,” said Straley.

Rentapen’s RAPid Tooling Component collection is made up of Standard and Custom RAPid Blocks™, RAPid Plates™, Clamp Risers, and Shims.
These products precisely hold a customer’s product in their weld fixtures while it is being manually or robotically assembled or welded.

Rentapen introduced a new website feature in March, 2012 that has played a large role in the increase of sales for their RAPid Tooling Components.  3D Models of their components are available for
machine design engineers and CAD drafters to download and use in their 3D designs. Rentapen’s 3D model download process insures the customer’s order is as accurate as possible.
This ordering system is free to use, convenient, and time saving.

 

 

Milwaukee Area Machine Design Company Gets Big Order From Southern Company.

By | |
Leave a comment

Rentapen Inc., Weld Fixture Specialists, lands large tooling
component order from machine builder and manufacturer in Tennessee.

In the beginning of January 2013, a machine tooling company
contacted Rentapen with a request for quote on a large order for weld tooling
components to be to be completed within twenty 20 working days.  Rentapen won the order and its team quickly
started the production process in order to complete the order on time.

The customer, located in Tennessee, has placed multiple
large orders with Rentapen in the past and continues to be a repeat customer.
The customer is in the Wood Household Furniture Industry and continues to be
successful in the industry with the help from Rentapen.

The anonymous company put in an order for both custom and
standard RAPid Tooling Components ™.

Rentapen’s weld tooling components are
made up of:

Adjustment Bocks; Mounting Blocks;  Mounting Plates;

Guiding Plates; Clamp Spacers; Clamp Risers;

Precision Adjustment Shims; and Die-Sharpening Shims.

These components work together in a weld or assembly fixture to
precisely hold product parts in place while they is being manually or
robotically assembled or welded.

“We are very pleased that this customer, who came to us with
their first order in 2012, has returned to us in 2013,” said Susan Straley,
President and Owner of Rentapen.  “We commonly
win repeat orders.  Once a customer sees
the quality and time-savings of our precision machine tool products, they are
usually return for more.”

Straley added that what is special about the customer from
Tennessee is their order is exceptionally large.

RAPid Tooling Components™ are made in the USA.  They were invented in 2002 when Rentapen’s
design team realized they were designing the same clamp risers, blocks and
plates over and over again. To help their customers reduce costs in the machine
tool design and build process, Rentapen developed their
standardized yet versatile line of weld fixture tooling components.

Manufacturers can download the 3D models from Rentapen’s
website, save the model to their purchased parts CAD library, and then place
the RAPid Tooling Components into their weld or assembly fixture designs. This
approximately takes 4 minute to complete in full.

“Quality and on-time delivery is of utmost importance at
Rentapen,” said Straley, “When a customer such as the one in Tennessee is
satisfied with their order there is a greater chance they will reorder in the
future.”

Weld Jig Design and Tooling Company Introduces Wolverine Clamp Riser

By | |
Leave a comment

Rentapen Inc., Located In Waukesha, WI Has Added A Brand New RAPid Tooling Component™ To Their Website.

On Monday, January 21, 2013, Rentapen Inc. launched their new spacer and riser to go under Wolverine Clamps. They immediately made 3D models available for customers to download from their website and place in their machine tool designs.

Rentapen developed a new line of clamp risers that will work with a variety of Wolverine brand clamps. The Wolverine clamp is designed to hold parts in place while the parts are being welded or assembled with other parts during production. Often times the machine tool requirement is that the clamp needs to be attached to a mounting block to be in the right position for clamping the production part.

“We have several new products that are being launched early this year that will be offered to help manufacturers and machine tool makers save time,” said Susan Straley, President and Owner of Rentapen. “Our team is excited about this first new product launch of 2013.”

Wolverine clamps are available in a variety of styles and sizes. Rentapen’s new risers are able to hold straight-line clamps and manual or pneumatic hold-down clamps. When Machine Tool Designers are creating jigs or fixtures, they find it is faster and cheaper to use purchased products as often as possible to reduce design and build time and to reduce errors.

By using a purchased component the manufacturer saves time needed to create a custom clamp riser from start to finish. For example, they would have to go through a timely and expensive process that includes: designing the part; detailing; checking; ordering material; writing the CNC code; creating the part and finally inspecting the part. Time studies have shown that Rentapen’s RAPid Risers™ saves manufacturers as much as 73 minutes in design and build time.
“We experienced phenomenal growth in our tooling component sales in 2012 as more manufacturers learned about the quality and versatility of our product line,” said Straley. “More and more, RAPid Tooling Components are becoming the new standard in assembly fixture and weld fixture design.”
Rentapen Inc. has been designing machines since 1976. In 2002 they developed the RAPid Tooling Components™ line in response to their customers need to reduce costs. The new clamp risers will be made in the USA.

Weld Tooling Company Helps Educate Engineering Students and Machine Designers About Adjustability.

By | |
Leave a comment

>Rentapen, Weld Fixture Components Manufacturer, Provides Lessons in Machine Design Using Videos and Youtube.

On January 2, 2013, Rentapen added another lesson for new machine designers entitled, “Product Piece Part Holding with Precision — Why use Adjustability with Shims

The lesson is part of the on-going tutorials put out to help prepare CAD Drafting students and new engineers on the art and science of Weld and Assembly Fixture Design. A fixture is used to hold product parts in place in the factory while they are being manually or robotically welded or assembled.

Rentapen’s President and Queen of Lean Machine Design, Susan Straley, has created a Weld Fixture Design Blog and posts bi-weekly educational and helpful information for individuals in the Manufacturing Industry. Rentapen has created a series of videos and instructions on best practices.

This latest Weld Fixture Design Blog addressed 3-way adjustability with weld fixtures that corresponds with the latest video that has been released on Youtube and on their website. Visitors to the blog will find a plethora of different categories on the Weld Fixture Design 101 page. Some common categories that Staley blogs about are locating pins, metal shims, machine design, fasteners and RAPid Tooling Components™.

There are over 50 different videos that a subscriber may choose from when viewing Rentapen’s Youtube channel. Most of the videos are designed to inform the viewer and will educate the viewer on how to design or use purchased tooling components.

“I am pleased that George, who has been designing machines for over 36 years, agreed to be a part of this lesson. He does a great job explaining why Machine Design Engineers should consider including adjustability in their weld fixture designs,” said Susan Straley, President of Rentapen.

Rentapen is a Wisconsin Certified Woman-Owned Business Enterprise that has been designing machine tools for over 36 years. The Milwaukee area company was voted a Top 10 Business in Waukesha County.

Rentapen Featured in December Issue of Welding Journal For “Green” Practices.

By | |
Leave a comment

Rentapen Inc., a manufacturer of Weld Tooling Components, has been recognized by the American Welding Society (AWS) for being a “Green” company.

On December 3, 2012 the Welding Journal produced a five page article in its magazine entitled “For Weld Tooling Design Company Being Green Is Second Nature.”  The article can be found on pages 32-36 of the magazine.

 Rentapen designs and builds weld fixtures and is the home of RAPid Tooling Components™.  These tooling components are products that Rentapen developed to help engineers and manufacturers save time in the design and build of weld fixtures.  Rentapen manufactures these metal shims, locating plates, and clamp risers at its plant in Waukesha, WI.

Rentapen has been a “green” company for over twenty years.  In the early 1990’s Rentapen’s President, Susan Straley and Vice President George Straley, became part of a Household ECO Team program.  Rentapen’s Owners were reducing, reusing and recycling long before Wisconsin took action and made recycling a state law.

Rentapen not only recycles in their shop, they also recycle and reuse in their office too.  Rentapen does not buy paper towels; they use cloth rags in all areas of the office and shop. Also, in every room at Rentapen there are separate bins for recycling and for garbage.

“I am very proud of this recognition.  George and I have been advocates for protecting the environment and reducing waste for a long time,” said Susan Straley, President and Owner of Rentapen.

The shop team is also conservative and mindful of waste.  They first consider the boxes of discarded material before going to the inventory of new material to build new tooling components and metal shims.

 All the paper in the recycle bins located in Rentapen’s office is shredded and used as material for shipping.  Employees are encouraged to bring in their old newspapers for use as packing material. Recycling makes good business sense for Rentapen.  In the first 9 months of 2012 Rentapen received over $3,500 back for recycling their metal waste.

The article can be found on the American Welding Society (AWS) website, under the December Issue.  AWS was founded in 1919 as a multifaceted, nonprofit organization.  The main goal of the organization was to help the advancement in science, technology and applications in welding.  The website provides thousands of articles related to the field of welding and will benefit instructors, students, and individuals already in the field.