Wisconsin’s D&S Manufacturing recently added a new horizontal machining center to its operations, largely in order to respond to demand, according to the shop’s production control manager. “In the research process for the machining center, a cross functional group ranging from managers to shop floor employees carefully evaluated a variety of equipment alternatives and it was clear that the Toyoda FH1250SX would be the right choice,” according to Rob Bucek. “We had great success with the recent integration of a Toyoda FA800 system. Adding another Toyoda unit means the implementation process will be easier and more effective because less employee training is required.”
The Wisconsin machine shop and fabricator is increasing its capacity for larger components, and reducing process time with shorter changeover capability. A cross-functional team of managers and operators — including Erik Brown, Rob Bucek, Adam Hunter, Tim Swartz, and Benjamin Wood — evaluated various equipment options before selecting the new horizontal machining center.
D&S Manufacturing, in Black River Falls, WI, is a custom manufacturer of large scale components, assemblies, and complete weldments for OEMs that include Caterpillar Inc., Oshkosh Corp., Parkson Corp., The Trane Company, and CNH. Its capabilities include machining, laser, high-definition plasma and oxy-fuel cutting, and manual and robotic welding. It also provides value-added services like liquid spray-painting, shot blasting, assembly, and testing.
Toyoda’s FH1250SX is a three-axis machine — X travel (column) 86.6 in (2,200 mm); Y travel (spindle vertical) 63.0 in (1,600 mm); Z travel (worktable cross) 72.8 in (1,850 mm) — with a 49.2×49.2 in. (1,250×1,250 mm) pallet, and a workload capacity of 11,000 lb. (5,000 kg.) Its 40-hp spindle motor achieves spindle speeds from 50-6,000 rpm, for a federate of 42 m/min. in any axis.
Bucek said the new system allows D&S to expand its machining envelope from 60 inches to 94 inches in order to accommodate larger scale components. It also has a pallet shuttle so the operation can reduce part changeover in certain production scenarios, and the machine’s high efficiency is expected to help D&S to reduce overall costs for customers.
D&S Manufacturing president Michael Dougherty explained the company continues to expand its capabilities “through significant ongoing investments in technologically superior production equipment. As a result, we are able to provide the resources necessary to assist corporations in meeting their increasingly challenging outsourcing requirements.”
