Vote for Stillion Industries in the 2022 Coolest Thing Made in Michigan Contest

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UPDATED: 10/10//22As a special treat for our 75th Anniversary, we were included in the round one voting for the 2022 Coolest Thing Made in Michigan contest. We are so grateful to all of you that voted for us because we made it to round 2!  Our Metal Disintegrators are among the 10 coolest things made in Michigan. We didn’t make it into the top 3 for the contest this year, but we will try again next year. We were nominated in 2020 but didn’t make it to the second round. We were recently accepted as a member of Proud to Manufacture in Michigan, which is a wonderful campaign designed to support manufacturing in Michigan.   It is really cool to see Michigan returning to its reputation for manufacturing and to be part of that movement. Shop local and Made in the USA were a big deal in the history of this country.  After Covid, supporting local businesses seems to be more important to customers once again.  Electro Arc metal disintegrating machines have always been Made in Michigan.  As Electro Arc celebrates our 75th anniversary, alongside Stillion Industries’ 50th anniversary, we have learned more about the history of Electro Arc and the evolution of these metal disintegrating machines.  This product line has expanded from 3 to over 40 different models and the acquisition of competing companies proves these machines are high quality and high value. The community is such a big part of support, without other local businesses, our staff, and our customers, success would not be possible.  Thanks to those of you who voted for Stillion Industries in this year’s Coolest thing Made in Michigan contest. Round one of the contest ended October 7, 2022.  While we made it into the Top 10 Coolest things Made in Michigan, we’ll have to try again for the top 3 spot. Why are Electro Arc Metal disintegrators the Coolest Thing Made in Michigan? The EDM technology that makes metal disintegration machining (MDM) possible was created in part by the founder of Electro Arc.  EDM has evolved to the point that most people are familiar with the concept, but it was a very new technology in 1947 when we started to sell these machines. You may not know that Metal disintegration machines are tools that remove broken bolts, taps, screws, drills, and other fasteners fast!  You can disintegrate out this broken tooling in minutes while preserving the thread and saving your part – not to mention money! These machines are portable and require no training to use.  We make a model for every application including DC machines like our Bolt Eater which can remove 2” and larger bolts. These machines can disintegrate at any angle and come with a variety of options, allowing you to customize your machine. The US Navy has been a long-time user of our metal disintegrating machines on their submarines.

The Expansion of Stillion Industries

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Stillion Industries has been in operation since the 1970s as a favorite local machine shop in Southeast Michigan.  Keith Stillion, the current owner purchased the company from his father, Chuck Stillion in 2007.  The recession led to a decrease in machining clients so Keith moved the business to his pole barn, doing what he could to save the company. Keith has fond memories of his father running the shop when he was just a teenager and was not ready to see the company’s doors close.  Keith worked full-time for Chelsea hospital while running the company out of his pole barn part-time. I am sure you can imagine the disappointment of seeing your family business close down in the midst of hard times.  With determination and a bank loan, Keith was able to save many of the machines he watched his father add to the company business over the last 30 years.  Converting his pole barn into a machine shop, he continued to run the shop as his father had all those years, servicing many of the same customers his father had. As the economy improved, so did business and Keith made a very smart business decision to purchase Dexter manufacturing when its doors were closing.  He is happy to continue providing reliable, friendly service to their customers as he always has for his own.  You may be wondering what kind of machine shop services Keith has been providing to his customers all of these years.  Services provided by Stillion Industries include turning, milling, and other services provided on the Okuma and other machines.  With the expansion of customers, Keith had two full-time employees and was ready to move the shop to a larger location.  Moving to its present location, Keith originally rented out two of the buildings in the 5 building complex.   In mid-2019 Keith changed the machine shop forever when he purchased yet another company and long-time customer  – Electro Arc manufacturing.  Electro Arc operations expanded the use of the company to all of the available buildings.  Electro Arc came with a lot of stock, and components turning Stillion Industries into a Michigan manufacturer overnight.  No longer creating just for others, Electro Arc and its two product lines became Stillion Industries’ largest clients machining 99% of the Ames portable hardness tester parts and 60% of the Electro Arc metal disintegrator components.  Additionally, Stillion Industries began making the molybdenum electrodes Electro Arc had been known for.   This addition was a huge challenge causing delays on new orders for months, a situation that was compounded when Covid hit.  Stillion Industries faced a number of other challenges in taking over Electro Arc operations, such as obsolete parts, which required research and development, staffing issues that necessitated outsourcing local contractors, and technical issues which came with lost website sales and created new service requirements. Now, having produced the Electro Arc line of metal disintegrators such as the model 2-S portable disintegrator for 3 years and producing the Ames Rockwell Portable Harness Tester operations have improved significantly.  With upgrades to our websites, you can now purchase Electro Arc accessories online as well as build a metal disintegrator to suit your needs.  All of the websites have been updated with chat features to offer better service and you will find the websites looking and operating better than before.  We published a new website in 2022, metal-disintegrators.com which is dedicated to providing technical assistance for metal disintegrator owners. You can rest assured that all of the products and services offered by Stillion Industries are made in Michigan.

Stillion Industries and Electro Arc 3 year update

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Stillion Industries was closed down for nearly a month in 2020 due to Covid-19.  This was a huge blow to our business less than a year after purchasing Electro Arc Manufacturing, the original Metal Disintegrator manufacturer.  Based in Ann Arbor Michigan since its inception in 1947, Electro Arc has been a top US producer for metal disintegrators worldwide.  By joining forces and continuing the legacy established by Electro Arc, Stillion Industries is providing top-quality machining services and its lines of products. We are still recovering from the loss of customers, changes in supply chain, and product availability. As a local manufacturer for the Washtenaw county local community, Stillion Industries has been dedicated to supporting fellow local businesses in our 50 years of business.  We source as many items locally as possible, if not in the southeast Michigan area, then from the United States. Chuck Stillion, the founder of Stillion Industries, and Keith Stillion, the current owner are both dedicated to supporting the local community. Stillion Industries often provides discounted services to local farmers. We are grateful to our hardworking employees who have continued to work with us through this difficult transition.  We understand that many people’s lives have been changed forever and that includes the lives of our employees and owner. Long-time Electro Arc employees Tim Kinser and Doug Peterson retired in 2022. In addition to providing their line of Metal disintegrators, Stillion Industries is proud to manufacture the Ames line of portable hardness testers.  You may choose to purchase any of the Ames products online or give us a call to determine which product is best for you. Stillion Industries has been working hard to improve these products and the customer experience. This year, Stillion Industries celebrates 75 years in business and Electro Arc turns 75! In late 2021, Shadow our shop cat went missing which was very sad for all of the staff. After months, and assuming the worst, Keith agreed to get new shop cats for pest control. We welcomed two kittens into the shop in March 2022 and named them for our product lines: Ames and Electro. Much to everyone’s dismay, Shadow showed back up to work this spring and was not happy to find her little replacements. They have managed to coexist, but they are not friends (Shadow won’t allow it). You may have noticed that we have made a number of updates to our online presence in the last 3 years. The Stillion Industries website just underwent its second major redesign, both Electro Arc and Ames websites experienced some serious problems as we returned from the covid shutdown, and we hired a full-time marketing person to redesign and maintain the websites as well as manage our social media and online presence. You will notice more products available for purchase online, including Electro Arc accessories. Every website has a chat feature so you can reach out to us during our business hours. We have also added more contact forms for ease of contact online. We also added a new website as a resource for Electro Arc machine owners. Metal-Disintegrators.com

Using a Metal Disintegrator for Off Road Applications

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Heavy-duty equipment and machinery is classified as “off-road”, these massive vehicles are necessary for development, as a key component of infrastructure, things must be moved and lifted quickly and accurately.  Excavation for development or discovery sends us miles into the earth to discover and build. Innovation is upon us and we rely on off-road machinery like dump trucks, excavators, and cranes to take us there. When using off-road equipment in construction, mining, agriculture, and marine fields you need high-quality, long-lasting, and powerful tools to keep your machines running.  Tabletop Metal Disintegrators are great for Large Parts: You can use our large tabletop metal disintegrators to remove broken taps and drills in engine blocks, heads, and power trains. Besides broken tooling, broken 10MM (3/8″) exhaust manifold studs are disintegrated and the old threads are cleaned in three and a half minutes. You will want to use our largest tabletop metal disintegrators for jobs like these. The model H-K6VQT (referred to as the “Tap Zapper” in the past) features our IQ head which can handle small and up to 2 inch/50 mm diameter in one pass.  Standard with a 30-inch workspace you can request a custom tabletop. The model HK-10QT also features the IQ head and comes with a 20 KVA power supply for extra power.  The huge table is 46 by 25 inches and has a capacity of 8000 pounds with customizable table options as well. The Auto-Feed feature allows for hands-free operation and minimal electrode consumption for long-lasting use. and the ultimate 10SG are often used Our Portable metal disintegrator unit line includes 2SQT which can be used to remove large and small broken taps and bolts in hard-to-reach places. Perfect for extremely large castings like the arms of bulldozers or radiator housings on the D10. Electro Arc Metal Disintegrators are a tool for you to reduce waste. Remove broken taps and drills in minutes with little effort while leaving the original hole and threads intact. The Electro Arc process: Use our durable Metal disintegrators to remove broken rear wheel studs from large dump trucks quickly. Save customers thousands of dollars in just a few minutes with the Electro Arc process.  Clients like Bobcat, Komatsu, Volvo, Caterpillar and John Deere have experienced the benefits of our metal disintegrators for off-road applications

Maintain the Highest Quality with Metal Disintegrators in Space Applications

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When it comes to Aerospace accuracy is essential.  You can count on our metal disintegrators to deliver accuracy in your industrial applications with aerospace production. Aerospace organizations may conduct research, design, manufacture, operate, or maintain aircraft and spacecraft.  The Department of Defense (DOD) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are the largest consumers of aerospace products in the United States.  Due to strict guidelines, parts and repairs must be certified for use.  Electro Arc has experience with government contracts and all of our products meet the highest guidelines. Bolts and nuts may fail in aerospace applications due to a variety of factors. Higher-strength bolts which are harder, tend to be more susceptible to failure. Fatigue, fractures, and cracks can lead to bolt failure causing bolts to break. Vibration fatigue, corrosion, and fretting wear can result from temperature swings and load transmissions in the normal operation of aircraft and aerospace vehicles. As a time-sensitive and in-demand industry, there is no question why companies in these industries would want an Electro Arc metal disintegrator to assist with the replacement and repairs of broken bolt issues. If you are Manufacturing parts and equipment in the aerospace industry, you are producing massive vessels. When it comes to building space vehicles, airplanes, guided missiles,  propulsion units, and aircraft engines precision, quality, and consistency are required. Maintain the highest quality level by removing broken drills, taps, and rivets from production parts such as engines, wings, and landing gear with ease and speed. Electro Arc Metal Disintegrators will assist you in generating less scrap and sticking to your stringent timelines.  You will find Electro Arc metal disintegrators essential in maintaining your production equipment and aircraft by removing broken rivets and distorted or frozen bolts in minutes. You will probably prefer our Electro Arc model 2-S portable metal disintegrator for use in aerospace applications. Equipped with the mini-magnetic fixture it is perfect for use in hard-to-reach places. When you need maximum portable power, our newest model the Bolt Eater perfect for general purposes. Use this heavy-duty metal disintegrator to remove broken large drills, bolts, taps, and more on your production parts and prototypes. Electro Arc Manufacturing has a history of working with NASA, North West Airlines, Delta Airlines, and Boeing.

Stillion Industries one-time conversion for your disintegrating head

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Did you know that Stillion Industries purchased Electro Arc in 2019?  As you can imagine, with any new company purchasing another company there are a lot of new things to do and know.  The name Electro Arc is known worldwide as the world’s best metal disintegrator manufacturer.  This is because of the sturdy design long-lasting nature of this machine.  As with any good thing, we have made necessary improvements to the Electro Arc product line since we have taken over as the manufacturer.  We have created new boards for our Auto-Feed feature and we have been researching to design our own pump to replace the pump we use in the machine since this machine has been hard to find since we took over. Due to supply chain issues, we replaced a connector used in the vibration of your Arc-er disintegrating head.  This new part can be easily replaced and we provide detailed instructions to walk you through the process of upgrading your machine.  The new part number is A6113, for connector assembly, panel mount, Arc-er or Servo head vibration.  We will detail these instructions for you below, please read and understand them before you attempt any changes.  Do not make an attempt to make this modification if you are unclear or do not understand the instructions.  Consult with a licensed electrician if needed. 15 Steps to Install the New Pigtail Adapter For Your Disintegrating Head: Step 1 Turn off your machine. Step 2 Disconnect power from the machine (refer to your company’s procedure for lock out tag out if needed.) Step 3 Locate the ROUND 2 PIN connector on the back of your machine.  Note: your machine may have more or less connection points than the picture below.  There should only be a single two-pin connector. Step 4 Remove the Allen drive button head screws on the outer edges of the back panel of the machine.   Step 5 Locate the two wires on the back side of the existing panel mount connector.  Note: wire colors may vary based on the age of your machine. Step 6 Cut each wire roughly 2″ away from the existing connector. Step 7 Unscrew the nut and lock washer from the back panel to remove your old connector. Step 8 Insert the new connector into the existing hole and mark the 4 mounting holes. Step 9 Drill 4 places with a 9/64″ (3.6mm) drill bit.  A center punch may help keep the drill bit on location. Step 10 Install the 4 screws from the front face of the back panel and place a washer, then lock the washer and nut over the screw.  DO NOT overtighten, this will crack the plastic on the new connector. Step 11 Strip back the wires from the hardness inside the machine cabinet. Step 12 Connect the wires from the connector to the wires from the harness.  Polarity or color coordination does not matter for this.  A number of methods can be used so long as both wires are properly insulated from each other and from the machine cabinet. Step 13 Reinstall the back panel of your machine using the button head screws.  Use caution to ensure no wires are pinched during reinstallation. Step 14 Connect the vibration cord end from the Arc-er Head to the new panel mount connector. Step 15 Reconnect power to the machine.  Consult your company’s lock out tag out procedure if needed. If you have any questions about the installation of this new pigtail assembly, please contact Cody for Technical support on Electro Arc’s main line, his extension is 105, or email crobbins@electroarc.com