Product category:
Vertical machining centres (VMC)
News Release from: Matsuura Machinery | Subject: Vertical machining centre life
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 03 October 2006
21 year old VMC 'still going strong'
"Our 21 year old Matsuura MC500 is still a 'fantastic' machine, which underlines the build quality and longevity of Matsuura products," said Qualtronic's Milling Machine Shop in the UK.
"Our 21 year old Matsuura MC500 is still a fantastic machine, which underlines the build quality and longevity of Matsuura products - and the main reason why Qualtronic's Milling Machine Shop is solely populated with Matsuura CNC Products," said Ian Heaton, of Qualtronic Matsuura Machinery asks, whether as customer endorsements go, could any company supplying any product ask for a finer compliment than that? The MC500 vertical machining centre was originally supplied 21 years ago to machine aerospace components and is currently deployed to produce components for all Qualtronic's main markets - including aerospace, medical, oil and gas and electronics
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 21 Jun 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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21 years later, the machine is still tasked with high accuracy work, and is trusted to manage tight tolerances.
The MC500 is used as work dictates and is utilised by exactly the same scheduling method as all of Qualtronic's machines.
Typically the MC500 is cutting for 60h/week, on average.
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Stama has combined a 5-axis machining centre with a trunnion-mounted turning unit - horizontal and vertical attitudes - and which also functions as two-axis positioner for milling.
VMC adapts to long or short components
Adaptable production capability is offered by a VMC in single- and twin-spindle variants - a long X-axis table allows long parts to be machined, or parts can be machined in 'pendelum' fashion.
Correct M-C choice produces growth, stability
Always believing that investing in new state of the art technology offers reliability, speed and accuracy, accurate machine tools are seen as the key to a subcontractor's growth and stability.
Still with its original ballscrews, the MC500 was released with an MX2 NC - and those of you of sufficient years to be in the know may well remember the real advances that this NC bought to machine tool processes and applications all those years ago.
The only major components to be changed over the last 21 years are the spindle (upgraded to current day Matsuura tolerances) and x1 Axis Drive Board.
Located 30 miles from Edinburgh, Qualtronic are no strangers to Matsuura's UK Service and Support - and know that Matsuura will always respond to any problem or query within 24 hours of receiving their call - guaranteed.
Matsuura UK has invested heavily in after-sales support departments and personnel for many years, and recognise that customers in today's marketplace seek long term partnerships with their chosen machine tool suppliers.
John Jones, Matsuura's UK managing director, summing up the business ethos and philosophy at Matsuura, said: "Promoting and investing in long term partnership with our customers is the core business value at Matsuura." He added: "Repeat business and new business, from leading Blue Chip OEM's or small to medium sized subcontractors, does not just happen for any company in any business supplying any industry - for us, it has been a reward for conscientiously adhering to our customers needs and their market demands - pre-empting their future business requirement for quality manufacturing solutions and long term technical support partnerships with their machine tool supplier." Qualtronic's MC500 is by no means the oldest Matsuura still performing critical machining duties in the UK, and we do have customers involved in aerospace that still utilise products from our early MC Vertical ranges that are approaching their 27th year of service.
With proven performance like that, is there any wonder that a second hand Matsuura Machine is a rare commodity in the UK? As returns on investment go, we can only guesstimate how many times over the MC500 has repaid for itself, showing that investing in a higher quality machine tool really does pay dividends in the long term - even if the initial cost is higher than a competitor machine.
Residual values for pre-owned Matsuura Machines are amongst the highest achievable for second hand metal cutting machine tools.
With additional investments in recent years including an H.Plus-405 twin pallet horizontal machining centre, Qualtronic have consistently upgraded their machining capabilities by investing in the very latest Matsuura CNC Technology.
The result of this continuous investment programme has been constant improvements in work processing, tolerances, quality and the all important return on investment, maximising profitability.
This enhanced machining capability and capacity has resulted in many new orders, proving once again to them the old saying: 'quality is not expensive - it is priceless'.
Matsuura asks: how many of us are still running the car we purchased over 20 years ago?.
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