Siemens CNC-and-drive packages power the Emco Maier Emcoturn 420 MC Plus (above) and Hyperturn 665 MC Plus lathes at Kimray (below).
Kimray Inc. in Oklahoma City manufactures control valves and related equipment for oil and gas-producing companies. It reports a 40% to 50% increase in machining efficiency due largely to CNC-based production machines.
The company's turnkey manufacturing facility houses dozens of lathes, grinders, and turning, milling, sawing, and bore-finishing/honing machine tools. Nearly all have CNC systems, including its Emco Maier Emcoturn 420 MC Plus and Hyperturn 665 MC Plus lathes, which sport Siemens Sinumerik 840D CNCs and Simodrive 611D drive packages.
"I can do so much more with the Sinumerik 840D, such as programming and cut-and-paste operations, while the machine is running," reports one of Kimray's lathe operators. "Each screen lets me go into a lot of detail for such tasks as separating mains from subs with part and workpiece programs."
The operator uses the Siemens CNC for axis and spindle movements on both Emco machines. He easily accesses programs and data and transfers it back to the machines (from the company's main host system) as needed.
He also comments that on a typical setup, he "likes the sensitivity — the ability to move the axis a ten-thousandth to a hundred-thousandth at a time." He goes on to say that "the control's program-test feature is useful for new programs. Each tool has its own geometry page and up to four offsets, which makes my job less complicated."
According to Tom Jackson, director of sales-support operations for Emco Maier USA, the company's 420 machine permits simultaneous production of two parts without interruption or collision. The Siemens digital drives produce dynamic performance in both the main spindle and X/Y axes.
Siemens Machine Tool Business
Elk Grove Village, Ill.
siemensCNC.com
