The challenges facing CNC machine shops continue to escalate, as customers demand better quality, tighter tolerances, and faster delivery. Meanwhile competition from down the street and around the globe keeps the pressure on to hold down customer costs, which impacts your profits. The solution, of course, is to optimize machine tool performance while increasing worker productivity.
For this to happen, your CNC turning centers must be up to the challenge. The hard truth is this: CNC lathes that were sufficient for the demands of yesterday may not be capable of meeting today’s challenges. Here are 7 questions to ask yourself about your current lathes. Answering them will help you determine if you could benefit from the advances in design, construction and technology that the new generation of CNC lathes offers.
- How reliable is your turning machine? Downtime is costly, and if your machine isn’t performing consistently over time, requires excessive servicing or doesn’t deliver repeatable results, it’s costing you time and money. You need a high-performing CNC lathe that is extremely rigid, highly accurate and thermally stable.
- Are setups and changeovers fast and easy? Every minute your machine operator spends setting up a job adds cost to the part. Dual spindle lathes, machines with Y-axis capabilities and 5-axis machining centers enable even complex parts to be completed in one or a few setups. This significantly reduces part costs.
- Is the lathe’s CNC control user-friendly? While the CNC control must be capable of handling complex part programs, it shouldn’t take a rocket scientist to program. It should have easy-to-follow menu-driven programming that leads the operator through the process, step-by-step.
- Are chips causing bottlenecks? Even the most efficient chip conveyors won’t perform well if the lathe isn’t designed for optimum chip flow. For example, lathes with a 45º wedge keep coolant and chips flowing more freely, preventing costly backups into the cutting area.
- How precisely does the machine move? Digital servomotors in all axes provide smooth and accurate motion control for faster throughput while holding tight tolerances.
- Are workpieces properly supported? You can’t make consistently accurate parts if the lathe lacks structural rigidity, the spindle heads pass on excessive vibrations to the part, or the tailstock cannot be programmed for precise support.
- How easy is it to get routine maintenance parts and service? Every minute a CNC lathe sits idle while waiting for service or parts impacts production, customer deliveries and your bottom line.
If the answers to these questions have you wondering if a new CNC lathe could improve your productivity and profits, it’s time to talk your Torrance, CA Haas Factory Outlet consultants. They’ll introduce you to the new ST generation of Haas CNC lathes and turning centers that meet the demands of today’s machining challenges and those of the future.
To learn more call (310) 381-0750, email: jphillips@haasfactoryoutlet.com, or visit www.haasfactoryoutlet.com.