Top-class technology from Hall 8

High technology has been deployed in Hall 8 for around a year with great success. This deployment has paid off.

Manitowoc invested in a 5-axis HEDELIUS RS 100 Magnum machining centre with rotation/tilt table. This gave a new dimension to the effective machining of bell cranks in the first clamping setup for all crane models.

Cooperation

Thanks to the new machine tool, the machining operations of two previously separate job processes with different machine tools have been merged into a single job process. Specific clamping fixtures, clamping devices and special tools are used for this purpose. Thanks to the use of innovative technology, such as high-speed reamers, solid carbide drills and special milling cutters, the machining time has been reduced considerably. The HEDELIUS BC 100 three-axis machining centre handles the machining of the bell crank in the second clamping setup.

Thanks to the successful deployment of high-end fabrication, a second machine tool has been in service since February.

Innovation Mark II

This represents another major advancement. The larger clamping area and longer travel distances make it possible to machine all of the bell cranks, even from the second machining side, without additional reclamping. The drive power (55 kW) and torque (600 Nm) of the machine tool are another advantage.

Everyone benefits

The investments pay off. Shorter lead times, reduced fabrication times, and savings in tooling costs all lead to improved quality. This gives us an advantage relative to our competitors. And ultimately, it secures the jobs of everybody in the department.

Team effort

The preparation phase for the investment in the two machine tools took around 18 months. A significant factor here was that the employees in the mechanical department were involved in the project during the entire preparation phase.

Thanks to this cooperation between the involved employees, the production planning group and the external specialists, the project was able to achieve the desired top-quality results.

KRANTEC

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