Machining Center for Fabricators Boosts Profit for Any Shop

In Booth A3023, the new FlexDrill CNC Machine from FlexArm Inc. (Wapakoneta, OH) is the first machining center built for fabricators. Available in custom sizes up to 80 ft long, it has a large open machine bed and mobile spindle that makes working with large parts no problem at all. FlexDrill CNC incorporates a variety of smart fixturing solutions to eliminate downtime, maximize productivity, boost profit for any shop. Its unique and innovative Pendulum Mode dissects the machine bed into multiple work cells, separated by a mobile light curtain. This allows the operator to safely set up a job on one side of the machine bed while the spindle is simultaneously machining on the other side to eliminate downtime. With Pendulum Mode, the operator can machine 27 bases for an S-36 Tapping Arm in less than ten minutes – three times what a traditional CNC can do. With zero spindle downtime, productivity can be tripled.

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Also on display will be the FlexArm Tapping Machine that takes care of prep work, such as reaming, chamfering, and deburring. When a machining center isn’t milling, drilling, or boring, it’s costing the shop money. Tapping is an inefficient and costly CNC operation that is best done by the FlexArm. The CNC operator can use it to tap holes up to 2 in offline with a hydraulic system while the machining center works on the next part. Using the FlexArm in conjunction with a machining center saves money, time, tools, and materials. Eliminate setup in the mill and reduce material handling. Save time and money by easily articulating a FlexArm tapping arm directly over the workpiece.

FlexArm also offers an extensive line of optional equipment and accessories to make the FlexArm Tapping Machine the most useful tool in the shop. By tapping offline, several CNC tool changes and up to 15 seconds of machine time per part can be eliminated (assuming the machine tool allows multiple parts to be fixtured at once). For a run of 2,000 parts and 10,000 holes, up to 8.5 hours of machine time can be eliminated, and an entire workday can be added to production with a single run. Then there is the payback through tooling savings: FlexArm might break one tap in every 3,000 holes vs. the CNC machine tool average of breaking a tap after only 300 holes.

FlexArm Inc., 851 Industrial Drive, Wapakoneta, OH 45895-9243, 800-837-2503, www.flexarminc.com.