Large-Part Machining

Large-Parts Manufacturer Wins Big with Vertical Bridge Mill
Napoleon Machine required new equipment to compete in large-parts machining. Toyoda’s LB63324M vertical bridge mill with right-angle head increased quoted job wins from 6 to 52 percent. 

Precision Profiler Opens Chances for Larger Aerospace Parts
Fort Walton Machining could only process smaller aerospace parts without investing in large, expensive-to-operate equipment. Mazak's Vortex 160 horizontal profiler increased the shop's part size capabilities.

Big Multifunction Machines for Big Castings
Turn-mill technology enables this company to minimize lead times and handling for its large machined castings.

Inserts Withstand Heavy, High-Feed Cuts
Swapping standard button inserts for a new grade from Ingersoll helped this manufacturer of downhole oil-drilling equipment double throughput on a troublesome arbor milling job in hardened steel.

Larger Equipment Helps Expand Vision
The largest vertical-capacity Carl Zeiss CMM in the Western hemisphere and four large boring mills from MAG Giddings & Lewis prove critical to machining massive wind turbine components at Three-M Tool and Machine.

Shop Finds Perfect Fit in New VMC
A Feeler VMC from Methods Machine Tools helped this shop produce larger parts more efficiently and accurately.

Portable CMM Slashes Inspection Time
For very large parts, portable measuring solutions can be more practical than traditional CMMs and gages. One such unit from FARO helped this shop reduce inspection time by 80 percent on a large, cast iron housing.

Abrasive Waterjet Helps Make Composites Affordable for Boeing
Boeing overcame fixture costs and other challenges of machining large composite parts by opting for waterjet instead of milling.

Realizing Large-Scale Savings On Large-Scale Parts
Converting big square bars to largely round tie bars used to require 24 hours per piece at Oak Products. The Sturgis, Michigan, company can now complete the same job in 8 hours. How did the company slash its machining times and realize substantial c...

Tangential Milling Helps Foundry Speed Operations While Reducing Costs
There are always exceptions to those 'hard and fast' machining rules. A tripling of edge life and a 3-to-1 reduction in cutter count on a tough-cast steel milling job at Harrison Steel Castings Company (Attica, Indiana) proves this.