Think done-in-one

Tornos is the singular source for productivity, Swiss precision, service, and support.

 

September 13, 2010

 

If you want to get your productivity flowing like never before, there’s only one company to turn to. Since 1880, Tornos has been forging the path for the Swiss turning industry. And now, Tornos has more to offer than ever. Not only does Tornos have the finest Swiss turning machines in the world, but now, the company also offers the finest Swiss horizontal and vertical bar milling machines, high speed machining centers, and rotary transfer machines. All these diverse technologies from one source. All with Swiss-made quality and precision. And all backed by Tornos’ first-class service and support.

 

Why “one source”?

 

One operation: dropping parts complete.

One large benefit of a Tornos is being able to drop parts complete in one operation. One key Almac customer (a world-renown dental parts manufacturer), has experienced this first-hand. Where they used to rely on separate drilling, de-burring, and polishing stations to finish a part after it was machined; now they feed bar stock into one side of their Tornos machine and get ready-to-ship parts out the other side. Dropping the parts complete on one machine saves time (since they no longer have to transfer parts from pre-setter to milling machine to drilling machine, and then to de-durring, cleaning and buffing stations); but they are also saving the maintenance and labor costs on those secondary machines. And they’ve greatly reduced the scrap that was inevitable with all that moving around. The Tornos equipment they purchased – Almac bar milling machines – had the capacity and axes of movement they needed to fit ALL the tools necessary to complete the part in a single operation. And the surface finishes achievable completely eliminated the need for separate finishing processes. Being able to drop parts complete in one operation has transformed their business to such a great extent that they have purchased 19 Tornos machines in 2 years!

 

One modular machine.

 

If having one machine that can perform all the processes you need on a part in a single operation is a good thing…then having one machine that can grow with your business to handle all your parts in the future is like getting icecream with your cake. This is something Tornos has always done well – and it’s still true with the Tornos Almac line additions. One versatile machine can carry you from initial part print to all those you encounter down the line in the future. Almac machines, like all Tornos equipment, are truly modular, single source systems. Here is an example:

 

Let’s say you’ve got a precision part about the size of a watch face to cut from hard steel or noble metals. You start by choosing a rigid machine – a cast iron base is ideal for reducing vibrations. You determine how many axes you’ll need to cut your part efficiently. Three axes will do for most parts; but those with lots of angles will need a few more axes to be able to approach the part from a direction that will conserve motion (and thus time and wear) and raw material. You’ll want to make sure those axes of movement are smooth, fluid, and accurate. For this, you’ll select ball screws with precision guideways – and you’ll make sure those axes of movement are driven by AC brushless motors for positioning speed, and long, reliable life. You’ll want to make sure the cutting spindles – the heart of the machine – are the best available: fast, powerful, and accurate. You’ll make sure the control on the machine makes sense to you – that you can understand the interface and easily find the software tools you need to command the mechanical movements. All these things are standard on Tornos’ Almac FB series.

 

Then, when you put tools in the machine to do your cutting, you’ll want this to be easy to do; and, ideally, you’ll want to make sure you can fit all the tools you’ll need to cut your part in one setup. Again, this is SOP on the Almac FB series. When you’re cutting your part; scrap material, mist, and heat will be created and you’ll want those things to be carried away from your workzone so they don’t affect your accuracy. So you might choose an optional integrated oil mist extractor, heating cycle, or coolant system with refrigerator. You can add these at any time in the future – without retrofitting or downtime. Finally, an optional articulated arm for parts removal lets you carefully collect your finished part so that nothing happens to mar its perfect surface finish and dimensions. For your next job, you may realize you need different tool holders and attachments – not to worry; Tornos offers an impressive selection from NC tilting head and block spindle for 6th face machining, to a vertical block spindle attachment with high frequency spindles.

 

A versatile Almac milling machine from Tornos lets you very easily grow your operations from simple (but perfect) 3-axis parts, to any 6-axis part you can imagine. And if you opt for an Almac CU 1007 vertical machining center, you don’t even have to stop there. When you’re incredibly successful and your customer places a large production order, a 6-axis robot that will integrate perfectly with your CU 1007 machine and give you unbeatable autonomy of movement in loading, unloading, palletizing, deburring, buffing, flipping and reloading your machine. Adding a second machine as a mirrored unit creates a cell with two machining centers flanking your robot in perfect integration. The Swiss Almac machine line will impress you from the starting blocks…but its modularity will keep you coming back for more. Got a special project that doesn’t fit any of our existing products? We’re flexible – our modular approach means we can build a custom Almac solution just for you!

 

Customers who have seen demos on the Almac machines are learning about the difference between high speed milling and high performance machining. Any machine can go fast in a straight line, but throw a curve or steep climb at it and you’ll quickly see what high performance means. Almac high performance machines are built from the ground up to enable 80,000 rpm speeds and true 1G acceleration/deceleration – they aren’t simply milling machines with high speed spindles tacked on. The kinematics of the Almacs are designed for versatility and high performance: from surface finishes to extreme tolerances, to tool life utilization. All while maximizing unattended operation.

 

One global provider: for machines, service, and support

 

The Almac product line is manufactured in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Its Swiss-made quality, like that of all other Swiss-built Tornos machines, is evident in the machines’ rigid construction and very high precision output. The complete Tornos/Almac product range includes horizontal milling machines with 3 or more axes, vertical milling machines, high speed machining centers, and rotary transfer machines. All Almac machines are backed by Tornos’ global first-class service and support team.

 

The Almac line is very well respected in Switzerland and enhances the Tornos product portfolio here in the U.S. and abroad. These machines are the high speed, ultra- or nano-precision solutions that many of our customers have been seeking for years.

 

Customers like that they can drop the parts complete without secondary and tertiary operations. The 5-axis milling machine with 80K rpm has an ROI of less than 12 months! One customer purchased 17 Almacs for their dental applications in the last 2 years. They were impressed with the machines' Swiss precision and done-in-one capabilities. When they found out that Tornos turning centers offered the same level of precision and modularity for larger part diameters, they also purchased a Tornos Delta and a Deco 20a and integrated the machines together to manufacture instruments. More and more customers are looking for one source for service and support globally and they’re getting it with Tornos.

 

So, whether you need the best Swiss turning machine or the finest Swiss horizontal and vertical bar milling machines, high speed machining centers, and rotary transfer machines, Tornos is the source for Swiss-made quality, versatility, precision and world-class service and support.

 

The word ‘singular’ means ‘one’. But it also means ‘one-of-a-kind’, ’remarkable’, ‘exceptional’, ‘unique’. That is why it is said: Tornos. The singular source for Swiss precision.