The USAF has been doing this forever with their CTK's (consolidated
Took Kits). Each and every tool has a place so inventory before and
after can be done to ensure a tool is not left in an aircraft which
has the potential to make problems........We used to spend coountless
hours laying out tools in a toolbox drawer on foam rubber, and
arranging them how we wanted them, and outlining them with a majic
markerm and use a router to cut the tools profile into the foam
rubber......Real easy to see a missing tool that way sicne the cutout
is empty..........I did it with all my tools in my home shop as well,
but things are grossly different in most home shops, as you always
have a few of each or newly acquired items, and it takes time to make
additional cutouts, etc, so things normally get stackedup or shoved
in a drawer over time........Its a good concept to control tools, not
only to save money from haing them lost or forgotten about on a job,
but also prevent potential for damages or cause an accident in
aerospace industries, but for most home users its a waste of time
unless you jhave lots of time to route the foam out. We had priced
that factory option with Snap on but the USAF shot it down, as it was
cheaper to have new troops set there for hours cutting out foam for
the tool boxes, laying out and tracing the tools on the foam and then
routing it all out..........

On Sat, 27 Aug 2005 00:33:58 -0400, "Chris" wrote:

===
==="carl mciver" wrote in message
arthlink.net...
=== "Chris" wrote in message
=== ...
=== |
=== | Took me a little bit to understand what this was.
=== |
=== | http://www.snaponspecialproducts.com/toolcontrol.html
=== |
=== | Sure did help. I would be the coolest. Never will happen. Although it
=== is
=== | cool as heck, and I am sure it is a significant cost saver.
===
=== My area did a half assed implementation and I told them when it started
=== that if they didn't do it right it would all fall apart is six months. It
=== didn't even last that long. Good thing I never brought my rollaway home!
=== Snap On has the implementation process all mapped out and if followed it
=== works. I lectured the powers that be about the old saying that if you
=== fail
=== to plan, you plan to fail.
===
=== | Saw another article that mentioned safety as a benefit as well. Story
=== was
=== a
=== | screwdriver left near a cable in an elevator. Would not of happened
=== with
=== | something like Snap Cal.
===
=== Well, it would be far less likely, I will say that much. Military
=== aviation has been practicing tool control for a very, very long time, and
=== still **** happens. If they do happen to find a tool somewhere it doesn't
=== belong (the stories can be a whole newsgroup in their own right!) they at
=== least will be able to track where it came from, when it was noted missing,
=== and who used it. Further investigation will come up with all kinds of
=== stuff. Most industries aren't looking to point fingers nowadays unless
=== you
=== tried to pull a fast one, which is very, very bad. They want to know what
=== they can do to keep it from happening again, which when the lawyers get to
=== it, that's all that matters.
===
=== | Ever seen emachineshop.com? Imagine Snap On could come up with
=== something
=== | like that, geared toward homeowners or small shop owners. I would be
=== first
=== | in line.
=== |
=== | Chris
===
=== Well, let me ask a few questions. First off, how many folks can afford
=== this stuff for their home? Small shops might benefit, but I don't know
=== the
=== cost. Would it be easier for the shop to make their own, since they are
=== just doing one offs, and likely not a bunch of them?
=== I did it this way for awhile: With about three hours worth of work and
=== some assorted kinds of razor blades (you can also get electric foam
=== cutters
=== for the job) I can fill up a 12"*18"*2.5" foam pallet with lots and lots
=== of
=== very small tools and a few bigger ones. The foam can be had from a few
=== different places, but the trick is that it has to be able to stand up to
=== hydraulic fluid and abuse. I glue layers of foam together to more easily
=== make the cutouts, and the top layer is a different color than the lower
=== layers, so you can see that's you're missing something. Toolfoam.com
=== sells
=== foam, but it isn't cheap. I'm sure there are places that sell the exact
=== same stuff for less. They give you a good idea of what can be done,
=== though.
=== The samples they sent were way cool, but I improved on their instructions
=== greatly when my shop bought a couple rolls to try out.
=== What gives Snap On the edge is that they have damn near every tool from
=== just about every vendor in their system, and can cut foam to fit
=== perfectly,
=== with the minimum of hassle. Others charge you more, make you provide your
=== valuable tools for templating, and make you wait awhile.
===
===Well we are talking foam are we not? How expensive can that be? If it was
===modeled after emachineshop.com customers would do the leg work. Snap on
===would proof it then send the foam to the waterjet (I assume that is what
===they are using to cut it).
===
===Although I think we are seeing a small market with very little competition.
===You mentioned the cost of the foam at Toolfoam.com. I am sure that it is
===high, but again we are talking foam here. It does seem like they are geared
===towards large manufactures and the military. Tough markets to get into,
===thus the cost as well.
===
===Come to think about it, should I be talking about this out loud, or should I
===be selling my idea to emachineshop.com? To be honest all they would need in
===their program is a diagram of all the tools. Probably the most valuable
===part of the whole process.
===
===Again Snap On already has the investment done with the tools database. Put
===something like emachineshop and the database together and think about it.
===
===Dare I ask how much the foam costs?
===
===Another question. Can you add tools with the Foamtools system? Or does
===laminating it end the process? Static cling (if possible) would be a cool
===way to add tools.
===
===Chris
===


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