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mmsonline.com April 2017 MMS 97 BETTER PRODUCTION Shops Using Technology techspex.com IN PARTNERSHIP WITH: Search Machines Smarter. Machining Center Drill/Tap Boring Mill Milling Machine Machine Type: The Machine Tool Search Engine high-speed machine tools. CEO Rob Simmons says that, beyond product quality, the company aspires to deliver the highest level of precision. This can be seen in the aircraft landing gear parts it produces in 300M steel for both commercial and military sectors. In a 150,000-square-foot facility, the com- pany's 155 employees run 62 CNC machine tools for milling, turning and grinding. In the work- preparation phase, designs and drawings are prepared with a Pro/E CAD/CAM system, and a high number of the necessary CNC programs are created there as well. The company says its strength lies in the seamless process chain from data transfer to finishing the final workpiece. To reduce throughput times for large parts, in particular, and especially in order to be able to work more efficiently on parts with a high propor- tion of rotationally symmetric operations, MSI purchased the M120 Millturn complete machining center and put it into operation at the end of 2010. With its centers distance of 5 meters and turn- ing diameter of 1,100 mm, it is possible to process very large components in only one clamping, says Ben Baggerly, U.S. sales manager at WFL. The Y axis features 650 mm of travel to offer sufficient clearance for comprehensive machining opera- tions in the radial plane, and a 55-kW (74-hp) B-axis milling spindle provides sufficient power reserves for demanding machining operations, he says. The B axis enables active compensation of long and heavy tools, and can counteract cutting Aircraft landing gear requires machine opera- tions that are both oriented perpendicular to the rotational axis and also offset radially. The M120 machine's large turning diameter and long Y-axis travel make this possible.