Replace an outdated vertical machining center with a new one

END USER: Stock Drive Products/Sterling Instrument, (800) 819-8900, www.sdp-si.com.
CHALLENGE: Boost productivity when machining hubs and other parts.
SOLUTION: Replace an outdated vertical machining center with a new one.
SOLUTION PROVIDER: DMG/Mori Seiki USA Inc., (847) 593-5400, www.dmgmoriseikiusa.com.

An old machine tool may still function properly, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s an asset to a contract manufacturer or job shop. Stock Drive Products/Sterling Instrument typically replaces its machines after about 5 years of use to keep pace with machine technology and take advantage of ongoing improvements, according to Robert Zeisler, manager of the application engineering group for the New Hyde Park, N.Y., company.

SDP/SI offers more than 130,000 line items, including pulleys, timing belts, gears, shafts, bearings, U-joints, couplings and right-angle drives. Zeisler noted 80 to 85 percent of them are primarily manufactured at the company’s two machine shops. The company also machines parts for domestic and foreign customers. SDP mostly produces parts for commercial and medical applications, while SI generally targets the aerospace and military fields.

Courtesy of SDP/SI

Dharmdeo Sookhai, foreman for SDP/SI’s CNC milling department, with the company’s DuraVertical 5100 5-axis VMC from DMG / Mori Seiki USA.

Courtesy of SDP/SI

SDP/SI machines the Fairloc hub on its DuraVertical 5100 VMC.

Some of SDP’s machine tools are from a builder that’s no longer in existence. After examining various offerings to replace an outdated 4-axis vertical machining center while adding another machine, SDP/SI selected a DuraVertical 5100 5-axis VMC and DuraVertical 1035 ECO 4-axis VMC from DMG/Mori Seiki USA Inc., Hoffman Estates, Ill., noted Dharmdeo Sookhai, foreman for SDP/SI’s CNC milling department. Not only was the parts manufacturer familiar with the machine tool builder’s products and their capabilities, SDP/SI previously purchased a DuraVertical 5100. “It’s a very high-precision and fast machine tool,” he said. “The productivity from it is outstanding.”