A New Take on a Production Machine (Includes Video)
This high-mix, low-volume manufacturer of plastic injection molds and other parts relies on a machine that’s based on a design originally targeted toward high-production environments.
The machining of this intake socket isn’t a moldmaking application, but it does showcase the table’s range of motion, the “turtling” spindle and other notable features of Grob’s G Series machines.
Machine tool builder Grob Systems began earnest efforts to expand its horizons last year, and the company says its efforts are now bearing fruit.
Based in Germany with U.S. headquarters in Bluffton, Ohio, Grob has long been known for the sort of high-production machining systems commonly seen at major automotive OEMs. Yet, the experiences of customers like Sable Engineering, detailed in this September-issue case study, demonstrate that machines built with high-production applications in mind can be a good fit for high-mix, low-volume operations, including mold shops.
Granted, you wouldn’t see the machine Sable uses, a G350, on the production line of a manufacturer like Ford or General Motors. Nonetheless, the company’s standalone, G Series universal machines are built on the same, modular platform as its production models. Differences, such as making the work area more accessible to better accommodate frequent changeovers, tend to be geared toward user-friendliness and ergonomics.
With the technology at the ready, the company moved in earnest last year to get the word out to new market segments. For one, you might have already visited the company at any of a number of trade shows and open house exhibitions, which it attends far more frequently than the past. The company has also conducted numerous demonstrations at its own facility, and constructed a new technical center that provides a dedicated venue for such events. It has also significantly expanded its distribution network for the universal machines, with new agents appointed in Michigan, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia and Pennsylvania.
Visit the company’s website for more information on its technology and activities. Meanwhile, check out the video above to see the machine in action, and read this case study to learn about how Sable Engineering uses the machine in the field.
