When a precision machining operation runs 3 shifts, 7 days a week – on aerospace components, medical devices, and defense hardware – the cutting tool supply chain cannot be an afterthought. At OCD, it isn’t.
Our Tool Crib team, led by Alex Marcum, has built a tool management system that rivals the sophistication of the machines it supports. Here’s a look at what happens behind the scenes.
| PRECISION PRESETTING — THE ZOLLER ADVANTAGE |
Every cutting tool that enters a machine at OCD has been measured, verified, and digitally loaded before the job starts.
Our Zoller presetter measures critical characteristics – diameters, radii, and angles – to a spindle concentricity of 0.000079”. Custom measurement programs developed in-house ensure that each tool family is measured efficiently, accurately, and consistently every time.
Using the Zoller venturion cnc presetter, tools are built, measured, and QR-code tagged before a new job begins. When the machinist is ready to run, they grab the preset tools, load them, scan the offsets directly into the machines with the Zoller zidCode scanner, and go. No manual entry. No guesswork. No wasted time searching for offsets.
What this used to look like vs. what it looks like now
Beyond primary tooling, the Zoller system allows the team to build, measure, and stage spare and redundant tooling in advance. When a tool reaches end of life mid-production – particularly on super alloys and exotic materials – a pre-set replacement is already waiting. Production doesn’t stop. The machine keeps running.
Why this matters
Preset tool assemblies staged and QR-coded, ready for the floor.
| INVENTORY MANAGEMENT BUILT FOR SCALE |
Managing cutting tool inventory at a high-mix precision shop is not a simple task. At OCD, it’s treated like the operational discipline it is.
The Tool Crib operates on a Lean Six Sigma-derived inventory management framework – not a generic parts-bin system. Inventory and procurement decisions are data-driven, customer-needs-focused, and built to scale alongside OCD’s growth.
As customers increase quantities and tighten tolerances, the tooling has to keep pace. The team has systematically expanded cutting tool inventory, holder and accessory storage, and measurement capabilities to ensure OCD is never the bottleneck when a customer’s program grows.
| CUSTOM STORAGE — DESIGNED FOR THE FLOOR |
Organization in a precision shop isn’t aesthetic. It’s operational.
The Tool Crib team designed and implemented custom 3D-printed storage solutions to maximize space utilization while maintaining clear, intuitive visual organization. Every item has a designated, purpose-designed location.
The result is a storage system where inventory control is simple, location is immediately obvious, and downtime from a missing or misplaced tool becomes a non-event. When you’re running 70 tool transactions per day across dozens of active jobs, that kind of organization isn’t a luxury – it’s a requirement.
Labeled tool inventory — every tool has its place.
Full cabinet — organized by size, always ready.
The team people trust with the work that cannot fail earns that trust one decision, one part, and one tool at a time.