ShopSolutions Case Histories of Manufacturing Problem Solving Shop Chooses CNCs with Conversational Programming W
robel Engineering (Avon, MA) has been providing companies around the globe with engineering fab- rication, assembly, precision sheetmetal and preci- sion machining services since 1976. This family-owned business attributes its success to comprehensive customer service built on quality and integrity. Wrobel manufactures components and subassemblies for the military and commercial sectors. They support a diverse group of industries including medical, electronics, telecommunica- tions, industrial automation, and retail. At their 60,000 ft2
(5574 m2 ) facility,
90 employees process 1 million lb (454 t) of 16 and 18 gage pre-plated steel each year. To bring business in-house so they would have more control, Ed Wrobel, vice president, said the company wanted to add more CNC mills. Be- cause the average quantity for each job ranges from 1 to 100 or so parts, Wrobel Engineering needed a CNC mill
“We went with Hurco because the conversational pro- gramming is so easy to use, which means that we spend less time training employees. In addition, the conversational pro-
Ed Long, operator at Wrobel Engineering, at one of the company’s three Hurco machining centers. “The upgrades in the software and in the control have helped us in reaching our goals. With the control’s ease of use and the software built in, work sets up faster,” said Wrobel.
that would reduce setup time while improving throughput and quality. Wrobel said another key factor in their decision- making process was to find a reliable system that was easy to use so training would be minimal.
Wrobel looked at used equipment and new equipment, including new Hurco CNC mills. Ultimately, he decided to pur- chase a smaller Hurco VM machining center with XYZ travels of 26 × 14 × 16" (660 × 355 × 406 mm), then a VMX50 with
gramming reduces setup time, which is critical to maintain- ing profit margins when you run a high mix of parts in small to medium volumes to support customers’ JIT initiatives,” said Wrobel.
The machinists at Wrobel Engineering find the new prob- ing interface with the part probe and toolsetter features of the Hurco control extremely useful in minimizing setup time. Since installing the Hurco CNC machining centers, Wrobel
The upgrades in the software and in the control have helped us in reaching our goals. With the control’s ease of use and the software built in, work sets up faster.
XYZ travels of 50 × 26 × 24" (1270 × 660 × 610 mm), fol- lowed by a VMX42 with XYZ travels of 42 × 24 × 24" (1067 × 610 × 610 mm).
has been pleased with the benefits. The time to train opera- tors has been minimal. Wrobel has seen reductions in cycle time, increased accuracy, and reduced scrap. He also doesn’t
May 2014 |
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