Distributed in North America by Parker Industries Inc., Affolter Technologies SA presents its most recent innovation. "The GEAR AF110 sets a new benchmark in regards to flexibility, high precision and stiffness. It is tailored to the needs of all micro motor industries, such as automotive, aircraft, dental and medical equipment, and watchmaking," states Marc-Alain Affolter, Managing Director of the Swiss family enterprise. The AF110 complements the existing GEAR product line towards the realization of larger parts with diameters of up to 40mm and a module of up to 1.0mm.

In 2010, the Affolter R&D team in Switzerland started to design the AF110. The result is a robust and flexible gear hobbing center, according to the company. "Compared to the AF100, we doubled the clamping force to 1000 newton. Torque and stiffness of the spindles were increased, the Y-axis is more robust and there is only one clamping axis moving, optimizing the overall rigidity and minimizing vibrations," explains Affolter.

The AF110 is compact, using the same base and volume as the AF100. The Affolter experts are currently developing the add-on "Unit 90": After a quick changeover, the AF110 will be able to perform worm milling operations.

Marc-Alain Affolter said:, "We will introduce this optional feature in the second part of 2014." The Affolter engineers aimed to reduce cycle times to make the machine as productive as possible. The AF110 is equipped with the user-friendly, internally developed CNC Leste control, making communication with the micro gear hobbing center easy and quick.