Big market for colossal parts

As product miniaturization continues, micromachining continues to make inroads into the manufacturing industry. CTE will once again provide a special section about micromachining in our May issue.

At the other end of the size spectrum, I’ve noticed more developments in large-part machining. Coincidentally, our April issue will include a focus on that topic. As part of our planned coverage, I visited Coldwater (Ohio) Machine Co. and will present a profile about the shop’s expertise in producing short runs of massive components, many of which are for the special machines CMC builds.

Prior to visiting Coldwater, I had the opportunity to drop by the production facility for FlexArm Inc./FlexDrill CNC in Wapakoneta, Ohio. While there, I saw an example of FlexDrill’s GRD-series gantry machining center. The 3-axis CNC machine has an X-axis up to 30′ (9.1m) and a 4′ (1.2m) or 6′ (1.8m) Y-axis, enabling long parts to be processed in one setup.

When it comes to machining large parts, getting it “done in one” is a huge benefit. A single setup not only avoids the dimensional-tolerance stack-up and setup errors that can occur but minimizes movement of cumbersome workpieces.

Turning to the current issue, the Industry Briefs section includes a report about the new Emco Mecof Powermill 5-axis vertical machining center at Baker Industries Inc., Macomb, Mich.