St. Paul, MN — Reprint from Shop Metalworking Technology
From the start, Camatech Inc., a supplier to the alternative fuel, general industrial and aerospace markets formed in 2000, knew it would have to invest in top notch machining technology to meet the tight tolerances of parts demanded by its customers.
A steady increase in complex machining work lead to the purchase of two Matsuura five axis machines acquired from Elliott Matsuura in 2010 and in 2011.
The Acton, ON, manufacturing business operates out of a 13,000 sq ft facility which houses other machining centers from Matsuura and the two MX-520 5 axis machining centers.
“We’re machining more complex parts that need a done-in-one type of machining to reduce set-ups and that’s why we went with the 5 axis machining process,” says Paul Culumovic, vice president. “We have other machines, including other Matsuura’s and they’re reliable machines with little downtime.”
Culumovic adds the machinists in his shop are comfortable with the Matsuura machines because they’ve worked on them for several years. “The controls are the same and although the software program is a little different—it’s more user friendly—at the end of the day it’s a Matsuura and our employees know how to work with this machine.
The machine is also better ergonomically designed, says Culumovic.
“It’s easy to load and unload the parts; you can step into the machine and load the parts, so during setup you don’t need to be a contortionist.”
While Camatech likes the design of the machines, it’s the productivity gains of five axis machining that cinched the decision to purchase them. Five axis gives the company the ability to machine a variety of parts from simple to complex faster and in one set-up.
The two 12,000 rpm Matsuura machines are five axis vertical machining centres that can hold workpieces up to 520 mm in diameter by 350 mm in height. Machine load is made easier because of the 385 mm distance from the machine door to the table centre and a front door opening width of 805 mm.
X, Y and Z axis travels are 630 mm, 650 mm and 510 mm respectively. The rapid traverse rate in X, Y and Z axes is 30m/min. In the A axis it’s 10 min-1 and in the C axis it’s 25 min-1.
New to these machines is several support functions that are now standard, but were optional in the past. Among them is a collision avoidance system, Intelligent Protection System (IPS), and the new generation operation system, the Matsuura Intelligent Meister System (MIMS).
More about Camatech, Inc.
Camatech Inc. was established in May of 2000 and has since become a key supplier of Alternative Fueling and Aerospace components to a number of High Technology companies in North America.
The three principles of Camatech Inc. bring a baseline of experience to the company, which extends over a 35 year period with extensive exposure to the Aerospace, Medical and Industrial sectors.
The personel at Camatech Inc. form a skilled and knowledgeable team with direct experience in the above sectors, including Quality System Management AS9100 D/ISO 9001:2015 and applications. Camatech Inc. is registered to the Controlled Goods Directorate (CGD).
Camatech’s automated manufacturing software provides detailed real time tracking of customer orders throughout the production cycle. Key operations are scanned and recorded providing part production history and traceability and are available upon request.
Matsuura Machinery USA, Inc., located in St. Paul, MN is the U.S. subsidiary of Matsuura Machinery Corporation in Japan. Since 1935, Matsuura has been the forerunner in designing innovative technology and manufacturing solutions to a variety of industries around the globe. Matsuura Machinery USA, Inc. delivers unmatched excellence in 5-axis, vertical, horizontal, linear motor, multi-tasking CNC machine tools and machines with a powder bed metal AM platform with machining capability. Matsuura Machinery USA, Inc. provides the service, applications and technical field support that have always been the Matsuura standard for business. For more information on Matsuura products, contact: [email protected].