Second-generation family-owned Quasar Industries, a supplier of prototype and short-run production parts and assemblies, has a history of staying ahead of the curve in order to keep up with supplier needs. It's pushed the envelope once again with its recent investment in a complete hydroforming production cell. The never-ending quest for safer automobiles keeps prototype suppliers looking for ways to increase their capabilities. In the last decade, prototype shops went from supporting the assembly of 10 to 20 prototype vehicles per year of any one model to generating components for hundreds of test vehicles, as OEMs added dozens of crash tests for manikin testing, barrier impact testing, etc. This evolution in safety testing has driven many prototype shops into small-lot production. And now, many prototypers not only support this expanded production for vehicle testing but also are equipped to support OEM manufacturers should their lines go down. In the case of Quasar Industries, a hugely diversified prototype and short-run stamper and fabricator in Rochester Hills, MI, this has led to a still-expanding foray into laser-beam cutting and welding, robotic arc welding, stamping, automated inspection and, its most recent investment, hydroforming. In December 2004, Santa Glaus stopped at Quasar and dropped off one of the largest hydroforming presses around. The 19-ft. 5500-ton Schuler press stands ready in a new 10,000-sq.-ft. addition to the Quasar plant to handle "85 percent of the hydro formed products being made today," according to Terry Higgins, Quasar senior account engineer, sales and tooling, and the firm's resident hydroforming expert.
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