New Milling Machine Boosts Capacity

END USER

Sawyer Composite

817-926-1517

www.sawyercomposite.com

SOLUTION PROVIDER

Zimmermann Inc.

248-305-9707

www.zimmermann-inc.com

CHALLENGE

Meet increasing capacity requirements reliably and accurately.

SOLUTION

Purchasing a new portal milling machine.

Sawyer Composite experienced a significant increase in customer demand, requiring additional machining capacity to maintain delivery performance, said J.R. Tubb, CNC supervisor and main programmer for the manufacturer in Fort Worth, Texas. The company is ISO 9001 and AS9100 certified, providing customers turnkey offerings in the design, engineering, manufacture and qualification of advanced composite tooling and structures, and metal parts. “How can we accommodate some of that extra capacity to be able to get more projects done on time?”

The answer was to add a third machine tool, with an existing machine being about a decade old and the other one being twice that age. Sawyer considered various different machines, Tubb noted, but decided to buy one from Zimmermann Inc. in Wixom, Michigan, after visiting the machine tool builder at a trade show. That was the FZU22 portal milling machine, which the company launched in the U.S. market in 2024, and Sawyer was among the first customers. “This one pretty much fits the bill.”

One of the major advantages of the machine for Sawyer’s carbon-fiber cutting applications is the enclosed workspace, Tubb said, adding that the process generates a lot of dust. “The carbon dust stays within the machine and doesn’t reach sensitive components.” Helping to dissipate the airborne debris is a dust collector that’s mounted to the back of the machine.

Sawyer also appreciates the machine’s minimum-quantity lubrication (MQL) system, Tubb said. “It has reduced our lubricant consumption, leading to lower costs, less waste and a much cleaner working environment.”

Previously, the manufacturer used smaller, portable MQL units, but having MQL integrated into the machine with the aerosol mist delivered through the spindle provides better tool coverage, he added. “It works like a champ and saves a huge amount of time as far as drilling holes. You’re actually getting coolant down at the tip of the tool where it’s needed the most, and that allows you to run faster.”

Compared to a 15,000-rpm spindle on one of the older machines, the new machine’s 24,000-rpm spindle also enables Sawyer to cut quicker, Tubb said. “We just got finished running an aluminum plate that we had originally estimated would take about four days on one of the other machines that we were able to get done in about three days on the new machine.”

In addition, Sawyer has a program for a component that runs on every machine, Tubb explained. “When we machined this part on the FZU22, we finished almost 30 minutes faster and with much better surface quality. The finishing work now takes only half as long.”

He added that depending on the surface finish of the part coming off of the machine, the people performing the benching work might reduce the number of passes from five to three. “Anytime you can save on benching time, that’s worth a whole lot.”

On top of those gains, Tubb said the Siemens Sinumerik ONE CNC can be operated quickly and intuitively. “Just perfect for our five-axis machining at Sawyer.”

Siemens reports that the control’s innovative system architecture and software functions leverage the potential of the latest processor technologies and enable various processing functions to run in parallel without impacting the performance. Also, high-resolution, multi-touch operator panels offer easy machine operation.

The accuracy of the older equipment is still acceptable for Sawyer’s requirements, Tubb noted, but a new machine is typically engineered to achieve better accuracy “straight off the truck.” After delivery, Zimmermann spent about a week installing the machine and “getting everything dialed in. Choosing the FZU22 was absolutely the right decision for our company.”

The FZU22 helps Sawyer Composite to effectively meet its production requirements, though the scenario is subject to change. “We will continue to assess future five-axis CNC investments in alignment with production requirements and customer demand,” Tubb said.

Captions: Credit for all images: Zimmermann

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The Zimmermann FZU22 portal milling machine in operation at Sawyer Composite.

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Sawyer’s FZU22 machine features the C2 milling head, which is equipped with a swivel axis mounted on two sides and is made of cast iron.

Pull quote:

‘We just got finished running an aluminum plate that we had originally estimated would take about four days on one of the other machines that we were able to get done in about three days on the new machine.’