A while back, I was with a customer helping to work out a problem they were having with PTFE pickup (coating percentage by weight) applied to an insulated wire.  We, of course, manufacture the PTFE Coated Fiberglass Yarn over-braid, but they were putting another final pass of PTFE on top of the finished cable.  The problem was that the “saturant coat” was not picking up enough additional PTFE.  They had run out of ideas as to how to increase the pickup and decided perhaps we could help.

Since we manufacture many different PTFE Coated Fiberglass Products, (including PTFE Coated Fiberglass Yarn, PTFE Coated Fiberglass Sewing Thread, PTFE Coated Quartz Sewing Thread, PTFE Coated Fiberglass Draw Cord, PTFE Coated Fiberglass Lacing Tape and Tie Cord, etc…) they were wondering if we had any ideas to increase the pickup without making major modifications to their coating line.

We were hashing out ideas when it got to be time for lunch… off to the local diner for some “hot roast beef with gravy on the fries”.  I know, I know, but this was a few years ago and I was less concerned with my aging arteries!  Anyway, I culled my memory banks and recalled that a simple modification to the pan containing the dispersion could be the answer they were looking for. That’s when I pulled out my pen and drew it up on the back of  a napkin… literally!  They took that drawing back to the plant and a few days later advised that the minor modification was all that was needed.  No need for changing formulations, adding dispersion modifiers, etc…   Just a simple modification to the stainless-steel pan.

It was a simple change, but the knowledge needed to suggest a likely solution came from years of experience in the field.  W.F. Lake Corp. started in 1991 and has grown steadily and with purpose ever since, including layers of vertical integration that created opportunities for new product development, improved skillsets, employee growth, etc..

I’ve always heard of stories where an idea was drawn out “on the back of a napkin”.  After that day I could say from first-hand experience that some of those stories were true. Mental note: always bring a pen to lunch … the local diner will supply the napkin.

This morning, while employing my sophisticated “Management by Walking Around” technique, I swung into the Maintenance Shop out back and checked in on what Rob was doing…. It turns out he was fabricating a small but critical part that is used to set an intermittent “stop” on a braider. Interesting.

Why wouldn’t we just order the part from the machine manufacturer? Not so simple. We had to adapt this machine to produce a unique PTFE Coated Fiberglass Braid required by a customer. The manufacturer simply doesn’t offer this option. We do this sort of thing regularly and Rob is darn good at it, building on the extensive experience he already had when he joined us 6 years ago (time flies!).

In fact, all our proprietary equipment and tooling is designed in-house, with much of it also built in house.  That also allows for modifications done quickly as needed. This true vertical integration of both manufacturing processes and equipment design/build enables us to quickly adapt to specific customer needs. I know that many of our customers also operate this way, giving them those same advantages in a demanding manufacturing environment.

We have LOTS of equipment here that produces what many would consider a relatively small amount of product.  From numerous vertical coating towers to take-ups, winders, twisters, braiders, heat clean ovens, etc… The list goes on and on. Much of it is custom fabricated right here; some of it is purchased used and then rebuilt / modified here; while still other pieces are purchased new having been designed in-house.  

All this equipment built up over 35+ years makes for an impressive list indeed and is necessary to fulfill our customers’ unique and ever-changing needs quickly and effectively. We are proud to have one of the shortest design-to-delivery cycles in the industry.

So, when you come up with a need for a Teflon* Coated Fiberglass Sewing Thread with 4 ends of stainless-steel wire twisted in, wound on a double flanged bobbin, let us know.  If you need a blue PTFE Coated Fiberglass Yarn wound with 3 ends of green yarn, let us know. If you need a new style of custom wound package… well, you get the idea.  If we don’t already make it, we can quickly adapt to meet your needs.

Give us a call (a real person will pick up!).  We stand ready, willing and able to meet your needs quickly and cost effectively. 

*Reg. Chemours

We are pleased to announce that W.F. Lake Corp’s. TFQ-18 PTFE Coated Quartz Sewing Thread and R753-24 PTFE Coated Fiberglass Sewing Thread are approved for use for Fire Shelters by the Forest Service division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. These newest approvals cover Specification 5100-606E, SHELTER, FIRE, M-2002. 

Our latest approvals include:

FOREST SERVICE, U.S. Department of Agriculture

Specification 5100-606E, SHELTER, FIRE, M-2002:

3.3.2.1, Quartz Thread Construction.                            TFQ-18

3.3.5, Thread, Glass Fiber, Type I, Class 3                   R753-24

              of Mil-C-20070.

6.4.2.1, Material Sources, Q-18 Quartz Sewing      TFQ-18

                 Thread (3.3.2), W.F. Lake Corp.

W.F. Lake Corp. remains committed to developing the highest quality Teflon* Coated Fiberglass Sewing Thread and Teflon* Coated Fiberglass Draw Cords, Tie Cords and Lacing Tape available.  As an ISO 9001:2015 Certified U.S. manufacturer, we remain committed to continuous improvement throughout our entire organization.

Reg. Chemours

Recently, I saw an article that said 7,000 steps per day is good for your heart (… used to be 10,000 steps… but, whatever).  I have never actually counted my steps but those that do have told me that the many “laps” I make around the building are likely adding up to way more than 10,000 steps (50,000 square feet of manufacturing space means you cover a lot of ground getting from the office to the twister room, or over to the PTFE Coated Fiberglass Braid department,  PTFE Coated Fiberglass Yarn and PTFE Coated Fiberglass Thread coating operation, winding and shipping area, etc… you get the idea).

This is all part of the process when you employ the highly sophisticated methodology of “Management by Walking Around”.  My business partner and I have been employing this cutting-edge method since day 1 (almost 35 years ago now!).  But as it turns out, staying in touch with your manufacturing operation is a good idea for even the largest of companies, considering that the new CEO of Boeing, Kelly Ortberg, employs basically the same technique.  A quick Google AI Overview (I know, I know, but this one pretty much matches the articles I’ve read in various trade journals) tells us that his philosophy emphasizes having executives on the factory floor, listening to employees and implementing values important to the organization. We didn’t invent the term “Management by Walking Around”, but I bet if you asked Mr. Ortberg, he’d say that pretty much covers his philosophy.

You can learn a lot about how well the business is running; issues facing employees, ideas for process changes in the Teflon* Coated Fiberglass Sewing Thread winding department, feedback on the latest ISO improvement, how Ned’s son did at football practice, whether Jill made it up to Camp last weekend, picking up the loose poly bag and putting it in the trash; all very important to the daily function of this business… really.

Now, we’re not claiming to face anywhere near the complexity of managing an operation the size of Boeing, but we feel the benefits are significant and seem obvious, never mind that I’m “getting my steps in”.

                                                                                                                                *Reg. Chemours

We are pleased to announce that W.F. Lake Corp’s. R753-24 PTFE Coated Fiberglass Sewing Thread and our E761-1330 Round Braided, PTFE Coated Fiberglass Tie Cord have both been tested and approved for use in applications requiring nonmetallic, sewn thermal insulation for austenitic stainless-steel components. These newest approvals cover NRC 1.36, ASTM C795 and Mil DTL 24244. 

Our latest approvals include:

ASTM C795 – Standard Specification for Thermal Insulation for Use in Contact with Austenitic Stainless Steel.

                –R753-24, PTFE Coated Fiberglass Sewing Thread

                –E761-1330, Braided PTFE Coated Fiberglass Tie Cord (Round).

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

NRC 1.36 – Nonmetallic Thermal Insulation for Austenitic Stainless Steel.

                –R753-24, PTFE Coated Fiberglass Sewing Thread

                –E761-1330, Braided PTFE Coated Fiberglass Tie Cord (Round).

Mil DTL 24244 – Insulation Materials, Thermal, with Special Corrosion and Chloride Requirements.

                –R753-24, PTFE Coated Fiberglass Sewing Thread

                –E761-1330, Braided PTFE Coated Fiberglass Tie Cord (Round).

W.F. Lake Corp. remains committed to developing the highest quality Teflon* Coated Fiberglass Sewing Thread and Teflon* Coated Fiberglass Draw Cords, Tie Cords and Lacing Tape available.  As an ISO 9001:2015 Certified U.S. manufacturer, we remain committed to continuous improvement throughout our entire organization.

                                                                                                                                                *Reg. Chemours

Sarcasm, when carefully employed, can be funny.  I’ll spare you the Webster’s Dictionary definition… classic high school essay trick!

But let’s have some fun with it!  When one of our crew members comes up with a good idea to improve a process, I like to remind them to “Please observe the NO THINKING signs posted throughout the facility!”. Everyone seems to get a laugh out of it. (Is that because I’m the boss and they feel like they are obliged to laugh?  Nah, I’m sure it’s because I’m genuinely funny… yeah, right!).

We are fortunate to have a great crew here, and it’s worth noting that the first person we hired 33 years ago is still part of the team!  We truly try to “hire the personality and train for the job”. There is no school for Teflon* Coated Fiberglass Sewing Thread production.

More often than you might imagine, our people come up with good ideas that can be used to improve a process.  It seems that when you focus on a task, there are sometimes “Zen Moments” that bring great ideas forward. And of course, who better recognizes opportunities for improvement than a committed operator?  The trick as a manager is to maintain a work environment that encourages people to share those ideas with others.  Remember, too, that a big part of maintaining ISO standards is continuous improvement, and acting on good ideas from operators is one way to facilitate continuous improvement.

It so happens that we had a great idea come forward just the other day; Kayla came up with a way to reduce cleanup time in the PTFE Coated Fiberglass Draw Cord braiding operation.  It was a simple idea that involved a little bit of fabrication work from our PTFE Coated Fiberglass Belt department, made with our PTFE Coated Fiberglass Fabric. Using some of our unique capabilities, we did a little cutting and heat sealing, then finished up by sewing with our Teflon* Coated Fiberglass Sewing Thread.  We quickly had an ingenious little improvement fabricated and put into operation.

It only took a few minutes to pull off, but the payback is two-fold and provides lasting benefits in both regards.  First is the obvious time and effort savings in a clean-up operation, but more important is validating Kayla’s idea and recognizing her genuine ingenuity and effort.  She is a valued member of our team, and we appreciate her dedication. 

Not all ideas are pursued, but we want them all to come forward.  If it isn’t a viable idea, we’ll explain why not, with the understanding that other better ideas may spring from that seedling.  Sometimes we try it, and it doesn’t pay off, but there are no bad ideas (you know the saying about “the only bad question…”).

By now, pretty much everyone has heard my little joke at one time or another, and our “NO THINKING” signs have paid huge dividends over these 35 years (Note: We really don’t post NO THINKING signs, in case you were wondering!).

I could site numerous other examples in various areas of production, like PTFE Coated Fiberglass Yarn or in the maintenance shop but you get the idea.  

Sarcasm has a bad reputation, rightfully so in many instances, but used jokingly in a positive way, it can get the point across, and everyone gets a little laugh out of it.  Just remember that if you ever join our team, please observe the “NO THINKING” signs posted throughout the facility!

                                                                                                                                    *Reg. Chemours

I have a great story. Actually, we have lots of them, but this one stands out in my memory.

We recently purchased some used twisting equipment from a mill in North Carolina. Now, recall if you will, that until the mid-90’s, there were tens of thousands of textile jobs in the area of western North Carolina. Then, for a variety of reasons, those jobs went overseas, devastating that part of the Country. Truly a terrible situation, but I’ll stay out of the politics and economics of the whole thing.

Anyway, we bought several twister frames from a broker. They came out of a mill that was shut down. We brought them up to Northern NY to add to our existing operation that twists very high temperature threads, yarns, and other products. The drivers and riggers that delivered these frames were all quick to point out how great it was that they didn’t deliver them to some port on the east coast to ship out on a freighter to another country. Rather, this time, those twister frames were actually going to a new industrial building in Upstate N.Y., USA! What a great feeling for all of us here at W.F. Lake Corp.! Working together, we were all investing in the future of the United States of America!

W.F. Lake Corp. manufactures all of its products in the U.S.A. and we’re proud of it. Since our founding in 1991, we’ve been especially aware of the need to produce products here at home. We’re fortunate to have been born here and we appreciate it!

It’s interesting to take a look at how important it is to have manufacturers here and to support them when you can. We like to point out that when it comes from the US, the box it came in was likely made in the US, the poly bag in the box, the truck driver that delivered the materials lives here, the guy repairing the truck, the company that put up the building, filled the vending machine, cleans the carpets, plows the driveway… well, you get the idea.

Statistics abound as to how important manufacturing is to the US Economy and I’ll spare you the details, save one.  The highest multiplier effect of any economic sector in the US is manufacturing. Don’t forget the person at the bakery who bakes the cake for “birthday month” and makes the buns for the hot dogs for the impromptu “bosses turn to cook” cookout, and… Sorry, got carried away again.

Made in the U.S.A. matters and we’re proud to say that is what we do!

Send us a note to find out more about what we do and the products we offer! 

I was walking the shop floor the other day and stopped to chat with Kayla and ask her what she was winding. It was four ends of Type T, Thermally Heat Cleaned yellow 450 ½ fiberglass yarns onto a 4 ¼” tube. At another station, Jamie was winding 2 ends of 150 ½ white on a 5 ¼” tube, also Thermally Heat Cleaned, and the other operators were all winding something different still. The thought occurred to me that we offer LOTS of different possible combinations of PTFE Coated Fiberglass Yarn. I wondered how many there are.

How many combinations of PTFE Coated Fiberglass Yarn could we possibly make? The formula is more complicated than I remembered from High School math class… so off to Google to find a combination calculator! Given that we have 7 sizes of fiberglass yarn products that we regularly coat (ex: 450 ½, 150 ½, etc…), in a natural Type R yarn and in 9 Type T Mil-Standard colors, then add the number of parallel ends we wind, the package we can wind them onto, etc. and you come up with over 6 million possible combinations! Wow. The reality is that some of those possible combinations will never happen. But a quick look at last year’s production reveals we wound over 200 different combinations, some in quantities as small as one pound. OK, nowhere near 6 million, but still impressive, I think.

 And remember that we do not require minimum order quantities for most products we manufacture. If we’re coating an “odd duck” product, we do an entire coating run.  This means we’ll be carrying inventory on that product for some time, but if someone needs 3 ends of purple 225 ½, we’ll be able to respond quickly and, almost always, with no minimum order quantity. Sure, we carry inventory that some “consultants” would consider ridiculous, but when our customers need it, we’re ready to supply them quickly.

The possibility of many different combinations of PTFE Coated Fiberglass Sewing Thread also exists, but our standard products pretty much cover the gamut. Of course, we’re always developing new products in response to customer needs.  How about a UV Resistant, PTFE Coated Kevlar Sewing Thread, black in color… we’ve already done it (R722-80BLK)!  And we can do many other combinations. But even without calculating all the possible combinations, we currently offer over 50 different types of PTFE Coated Sewing Thread as standard products. It’s worth noting that our ability to twist products in-house allows us to offer such a wide variety of products quickly and cost effectively.  It also enables us to react quickly to new opportunities.

PTFE Coated Fiberglass Lacing Tapes and Tie Cord along with PTFE Coated Fiberglass Draw Cord have an impressive 23 options as well. That number would expand exponentially if you considered different package types, possible colors, etc…

Suffice it to say, our product offering is extremely large, especially when considering possible combinations. It takes a willingness to invest heavily in coating and winding capacity, as well as inventory, to produce what really is a small amount of product by volume.

After 35 years, our operators continue to get it done quickly, accurately and efficiently… impressive indeed.

We recently started a project to increase our capacity in PTFE Coated Fiberglass Braided Tie Cords and Lacing Tapes.  We’ve seen an “uptick” in this area recently and we want to be sure to keep safety stocks in place and then quickly respond to larger orders. We are committed to the markets we serve, and we are quick to invest when it makes sense.

In this case, we were reviewing our forecasts and made the call to add capacity. Note: PTFE Coated Fiberglass Lacing Tape is a flat braid, while PTFE Coated Fiberglass Tie Cord is a round braid.  Without getting into the details, it takes different kinds of braiders to make flat versus round braid. Braiding equipment is typically available, but like everything else around here, “off-the-shelf” requires our Maintenance Shop to works its magic and modify these braiders to meet our unique needs.  Running PTFE coated fiberglass yarns on braiders is not a “plug and play” operation.

So, let’s look at some of the more common specifications we’re dealing with in this product group. 

Round Braided PTFE Coated Fiberglass Lacing Tape:

                MIL-C-20079, Type III, Class 4                  W.F. Lake Corp. P/N: E761-1330

                MIL-C-20079, Type III, Class 6                  W.F. Lake Corp. P/N: E761-314SS

                MIL-C-20079, Type III, Class 3                  W.F. Lake Corp. P/N: R753-24

Flat Braided PTFE Coated Fiberglass Tie Cord:

                A-A-52083B Size 2                                          W.F. Lake Corp. P/N: E779-303

                A-A-52083B Size 3                                          W.F. Lake Corp. P/N: E779-476

                A-A-52083B Size 4                                          W.F. Lake Corp. P/N: E779-680

                A-A-52083B Size 5                                          W.F. Lake Corp. P/N: E779-1075

                A-A-52492, Item 2.1.1                                  W.F. Lake Corp. P/N: R755-24

                MIL-T-43435B                                                 W.F. Lake Corp. P/N: E779-303

The Marshall Space Flight Center along with NASA/TP-1999-209263, Multilayer Insulation Materials Guidelines lists all our PTFE Coated Fiberglass Lacing Tapes and Tie Cords in their reference literature, as well as Teflon coated fiberglass sewing thread (Teflon* is Chemours trademark name for PTFE).

It’s worth noting that we manufacture lots of other lacing tapes and tie cords that meet other A&D specifications, and we’re always developing new products to meet ever-changing customer needs.

Braided PTFE coated fiberglass tie cords and lacing tapes are one of the many product groups we manufacture right here in our Northern NY facility.  We’re proud to say they are Made in the USA!

The idea of Vertical Integration is once again gaining steam for manufacturing operations. The pendulum that swung over to outsourcing is swinging back to vertical integration. Here’s a link to a “pre-covid” blog post we put up in September of 2018.  VERTICAL INTEGRATION.   It’s worth a quick read again in light of this new-found (history repeating itself) understanding of the benefits of vertical integration. 

It’s easy to look at a Profit and Loss Statement and determine what your labor and raw material costs are.  A simple answer to a CEO looking to cut costs is to say, “if we stop making input material X, and just buy it from some other company, we can dump all of this labor and carrying cost” … simple.  The savings can start tomorrow.  OK, go for it!  But wait a second, does anyone in the board room understand how that operation keys into the overall Jenga game that is your business?

But as the pendulum swings, the realization has come that dropping that labor and equipment also means eliminating the immense knowledge base that took years to build, it means slowing down new product development, it means giving up total quality control, it means dragging out “fail-fix” cycles that drive innovation. And when you are manufacturing products that are often mission critical and safety critical, lost knowledge and loss of quality control is a risky proposition.

Now, of course, no company can do everything and trying to do so creates a lumbering giant of a beast that can be impossible to tame.  So, you must be smart and realistic about your options for vertical integration.

Let’s look at one of our product groups. We at W.F. Lake Corp. manufacture our PTFE coated fiberglass tie cords, lacing tapes and draw cord in-house.  No, we don’t manufacture fiberglass filaments, that is simply not within our reach.  But we pretty much take it from there.  Here in our Northern New York factory, we twist fiberglass yarns, we run coating lines to produce PTFE coated fiberglass yarns (individually coating each yarn with PTFE prior to braiding), we wind it onto braider bobbins, we do the braiding to make Teflon* coated tie cord, lacing tape and draw cord  and wind it once again onto the final customer specified package. (In some cases, we apply an anti-slip coating over the braided product).  And all along the way, we have our operators applying their extensive knowledge to produce these critical products.

By controlling the process from start to finish, we can quickly address any issues that arise, we can trace the yarns back to the raw material, we assure quality outcomes at every step of the process, we can innovate quickly, and we can adjust our scheduling internally to meet customer needs.  It’s all good. And it’s all due to smart Vertical Integration…something we’ve been pursuing for over 30 years.