Astro Machine Works specializes in custom machinery manufacturing while also offering a broad spectrum of spe- cialized manufacturing services, including machinery rebuild- ing, welding, fabrication, panel wiring, reverse engineering, and extensive parts manufacturing. Industries served include medical, pharmaceutical, energy, food processing, govern- ment, aerospace, packaging, material handling, electronics, telecommunications, and general manufacturing. The ability to perform a wide range of services under one roof allows Astro to maintain greater control over all phases of its machine-building projects and to shorten lead times for its customers. It also gives the company a portfolio of individual services it can sell to customers in addition to large capital projects. This has kept the shop busy even during recession- ary years when many industries weren’t investing heavily in capital equipment. Astro Machine Works isn’t a production manufacturing shop. “For short runs we are prepared to take on just about anything our customers throw at us,” says CNC department manager Eric Tanger. “A maintenance person for a local company will pick up a $70 sprocket we fabricated on short notice. At the same time, we’re anticipating a contract for a new machine that will cost more than $1.5 million. What- ever the customer needs, our goal is to make the path to our doorstep the path of least resistance. We make ourselves very user-friendly.”
Astro is continually looking at technologies it can bring in- house to better serve its customers. For example, the past two
Using a combination of five-axis positioning and full five- axis cutting, Astro’s machinists are able to cut a part in one setup saving programming and cutting time, using Mastercam’s Flow five-axis toolpath.