Heidenhain
Assembly Line
Large-Format Multitasking Simplifies Tube Manufacturing
For decades, the shop relied on two three-axis machines to produce the necks and threads for its tubes, but the machines relied on manual programming for each part, a time-consuming process that also required a wealth of experience for smooth operation. Loading and part flipping also proved difficult for these machines — after all, the tubes can range from seven to 42 feet long — with both operations requiring the use of a large crane. The difficulty of finding people to operate its machines and the lengthy downtime waiting for the crane became bottlenecks for FIBA. Amid increasing demand from companies in the space exploration, alternative fuels and electronics industries, the shop decided to invest in an additional machine that could bypass some of these issues. It found a suitable solution in the Soraluce FLP 14000 multitasking machine.