Ann Arbor, Michigan – Güdel Inc. is investing several million dollars on a custom bridge mill designed specifically for machining TrackMotion and gantry modules built in the US. Installation of the machining center is slated for the first quarter of 2015.
With a bed that measures 16m x 1.5m, the new machining center is ideal for milling Güdel’s longest beams. Additionally, it has the ability to machine three faces and both ends of a beam in one setup which, compared to standard bridge mills, is a significant advantage for throughput and time savings.
According to Güdel’s CEO, Stefan Nilsson, “This is a strategic investment by Güdel. This new machining center increases our capacity and improves throughput as North American demand for TrackMotion and gantry robots increases.”
The machining center has a moving portal bridge and is equipped with an automatic tool changer for 40 tools. The machine uses a Heidenhain iTNC530 HSCI contouring control for milling, drilling, and machining. Two similar units are already operational at Güdel world headquarters.
Güdel Inc. is the US subsidiary of Güdel Group, a global manufacturer of robotic automation products, systems, and services for welding and metal fabrication. Güdel supplies linear motion modules, robot track motion units, gantry robots and components to OEMs, systems integrators, and machine builders serving the automotive, aerospace, logistics, heavy industrial, and power generation industries. Güdel Inc. is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with 45,000ft2 in dedicated manufacturing space, providing North American customers with engineering, design, production, and customer service support. Güdel also operates a satellite engineering office in Troy, Michigan.
Source: Güdel Inc.