1987
One room.
Kenneth L. Heins, a journeyman tool and die maker, starts KLH on July 1 in Slinger, Wisconsin. One computer, one machine, one full-time employee and one part-time employee. The first EDM equipment arrives in September.
GERMANTOWN, WISCONSIN / SINCE 1987
Held to
the print.
Custom parts per print. EDM, CNC, waterjet and CMM inspection under one roof, for OEMs and their suppliers.
The print sets the terms.
Move the tolerance. See which of KLH’s processes can hold it.
Hold the print.
A tolerance study / inchesCustom parts per print
Typical capability comparison
Typical capability comparison
KLH Industries, Inc.
Germantown, Wisconsin
Germantown, Wisconsin
Illustrative print. Tolerances are KLH's published typical values.
Generated erosion footage is illustrative.
Print toleranceYou drag it
LOOSETIGHT
All seven cuts hold this. Loose tolerance, so waterjet is the cheaper route.
Waterjet±0.0050holds this toleranceSmall hole EDM±0.0010holds this toleranceCNC milling±0.0005holds this toleranceCNC turning±0.0003holds this toleranceSinker EDM±0.0002holds this toleranceWire EDM±0.0001holds this toleranceSurface grinding±0.0001holds this toleranceCMM inspection±0.00007 contact / ±0.0001 non-contactholds this tolerance
Routed to: Waterjet, small hole EDM, CNC milling, CNC turning, sinker EDM, wire EDM, surface grinding, CMM inspection
Eight ways to hold a print.
Seven cutting processes. One dimensional inspection service.
The material, the geometry, the tolerance.
Start with what your print calls for.
| Process | What it does | Typical tolerance | Capability notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waterjet Cutting | Pressurized jet of water pierces and cuts through virtually any material: rubber, metals, cork, exotics, and more. | ±0.0050" |
|
| Small Hole EDM Drilling | Brass or copper tubes are rotated while lowered into material, also called fast hole popping or micro hole drilling. | ±0.0010" |
|
| CNC Milling | Computer-controlled, rotating cutting tool produces a shape or form with great reliability and repeatability. | ±0.0005" |
|
| CNC Turning | Cutting tool is applied to a material spinning at a high RPM, creating a part with rotational symmetry. | ±0.0003" |
|
| Sinker EDM | Custom-shaped electrode is lowered into material, to produce the negative or reverse shape of the electrode. | ±0.0002" |
|
| Wire EDM | A continuous strand of wire cuts with an intense electrical current, without inducing stress into the material. | ±0.0001" |
|
| CNC Surface Grinding | High-speed abrasive wheel removes small amounts of material to produce tight tolerances. | ±0.0001" |
|
| Dimensional CMM Inspection | Contact & non-contact CMM machines inspect dimensional size, location, alignment, & feature relationship. | ±0.00007"contact accuracy±0.0001"non-contact accuracy |
|
KLH's Alliance program teams with trusted partners to provide additional services beyond precision machining. The Alliance program includes forming, bending, welding, plating, coating, metallurgical evaluations, nondestructive testing, and more. About the Alliance program
Your project might make more than one stop, but you wont.
From the shop record
KLH’s published figures ↗16.3 M
parts shipped
since 200395%
on-time delivery
since 201399%
customer acceptance
since 201370%+
repeat business
within the same year1,100+
customers
250+
procedures
The stamp.
Machining to a print means keeping a record.
These are KLH’s credentials.
ISO 9001
Certified March 2000View certificate PDF
AS9100
Certified August 2010View certificate PDF
Nadcap
Nonconventional MachiningWire EDM and fast-hole EDM
View certificate PDF
ITAR
Registered since May 2008A registration, not a certification.
Registration information
KLH Industries, Inc.Quality
Held tothe print.
Precision machining
& dimensional inspection
Germantown, Wisconsin
& dimensional inspection
Germantown, Wisconsin
Cage Code1N0A6
DUNS199866005
NAICS332710 (primary)
332510, 333514, 336415, 336992
332510, 333514, 336415, 336992
One.
One room in Slinger. A wire EDM shop built by a tool and die maker who knew he “could make quality parts if given the chance.” The shop has doubled its square footage five times. It still counts with ones.
1988
The heat adds up.
A move to a Hubertus strip mall doubles the shop. Taking the next unit doubles it again. Seven wire machines throw 294,000 BTU of heat into a space that needs a controlled environment.
1993
Room to control it.
KLH builds in Germantown to control the heat. Connie Heins gets an office of her own after running the books from home.
1996
Waterjet arrives.
Waterjet cutting opens the door to hundreds of new materials.
1999
Add CNC.
A CNC machining department joins the shop.
2003
A shop carries on.
KLH buys the assets of a closed machining company and brings much of its knowledge into the shop.
2006
A room for accuracy.
A high-accuracy CMM turns an inspection room into a temperature-controlled quality lab.
2010
Flight-critical work.
AS9100 certification. Within a year, KLH hardware is on the International Space Station.
2011
Two buildings.
A second Fulton Drive facility marks the fifth doubling. A second temperature-controlled quality lab gets a matching CMM.
2013
Waterjet in five axes.
An articulating head brings five-axis waterjet cutting to the shop.
2014
Milling in five axes.
Five-axis CNC milling arrives. Within a year, it is the shop’s most sought-after service.
2016
Make room for the robot.
A robotic cell serves two wire EDM machines. Ken says: “We'll never invest in another piece of equipment that isn't automation capable.”
2017
Mill meets turn.
Simultaneous five-axis mill/turn joins the floor.
2018
Keep the work moving.
A five-axis CNC mill adds a six-station pallet changer.
2019
Another cell. One system.
Another wire EDM cell arrives, alongside the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS).
Where the
hard prints go.
KLH often excels at precision machining where other companies wont even quote. R&D projects with a high degree of difficulty often find their way to KLH. The recipe for success is over 20+ years of experience, with a dash of creative machining techniques.
Degree of Difficulty / from KLH’s own words ↗
Aerospace
Aerospace machining services for life or flight critical components, including development parts and spare parts.
- AS9100 & ISO 9001 certified
- Inconel® & Hastelloy® machining
- Nadcap accredited (EDM)
Automotive
Automotive machining services with a history of progressive dies, stamping dies, form dies, draw dies, and more.
- 20+ years of tool & die experience
- die modification & sharpening
- reverse engineer die repairs
Contract
Contract machining services for high volume and production runs, with weekly, monthly, or yearly releases.
- Annually machine 1,000,000+ parts
- lean manufacturing environment
- cost-down eligibility
Defense
Military & defense machining services for complete project management. CCR registered as a small business.
- AS9100 & ISO 9001 certified
- ITAR registered & compliant
- NAICS: 332710
Electronics
Electronic machining services capable of producing one or one million parts. Not affiliated with KLH audio.
- Exotic material experience
- vision inspection to +/- 0.0001"
- high volume EDM capacity
Energy
Energy machining services for various applications, including offshore oil drilling, excavation, wind, and solar.
- Finish machined forgings/castings
- full service project management
- R&D or development parts
Food Processing
Food processing machining services for custom parts, repair parts, consumable parts, mating parts and more.
- Austenitic stainless experience
- burr-free finishing
- foreign part reverse engineering
Medical
Medical machining services for surgical, diagnostic, and dental equipment, including R&D and modification.
- Micro hole drilling to 0.004"
- non-contact inspection
- design for manufacturability
Aerospace material experience
Stainless Steel, Titanium, Nickel, Alloy Steel, Hardened Steel, Plastics, Inconel®, Aluminum, Brass, Bronze, Graphite, Rubbers, Hastelloy®, Waspaloy®, Copper, PCD Diamond, Delrin, Composites.
Your print.
Our next conversation.
“Contact KLH to setup a private tour.”
See the shop, or send a print for a quote. Please keep ITAR-controlled information out of the online RFQ form.