Tooling technology has industry on the right track

Global developments in machine tools continue to meet a wide range of challenges from end users in both high-end technology and traditional markets

Notwithstanding the vagaries of global consumption, machine tool builders (MTBs) continue to invest in new production capacity to meet demand from increasingly sophisticated users. Mazak exemplifies this, announcing the completion of the first construction phase and the start of assembly operations at its new Inabe plant – its sixth in Japan. The plant will manufacture large, five-face machining centres and five-axis machine tools, mainly for the aerospace, construction machinery and energy industries; and raise production capacity in Japan by 20 per cent.

Meanwhile, more than £2m has been spent upgrading Heller Machine Tools’ manufacturing plant in Redditch, Worcestershire, providing a 30 per cent boost to output of horizontal machining centres.

Commenting on the underlying production strategy, David Evans, UK operations manager, said: “As part of our expansion, we installed an 11-station Strothmann flow line and new logistics system for complete manufacture of horizontal machining centres – originally, our machine assembly was purely a mechanical process on an adjacent flow line and the machine had to be lifted off to be finished in a separate part of the factory. When we first moved from block assembly of machines in one location to the old flow line, there was an immediate 20 per cent increase in productivity. The new Strothmann system has resulted in a further reduction of at least 20 per cent in overall assembly time and we intend to improve on that by making the process even leaner.”