In 2022, when we added our Matsuura MAM72-35V 5-axis machining center, we had high hopes for the new abilities this advanced piece of equipment would bring to our CNC machine shop and our customers. From improved precision to increased productivity, the potential seemed limitless.
Two years later, the machine has outperformed our lofty expectations. We’ve discovered new efficiencies and unexpected applications that are transforming how we operate and are constantly delivering more value to our customers, from faster lead times and higher accuracy to improved pricing.
Discover four key ways our MAM72-35V has changed Wagner Machine Company and learn how your next project could benefit.
1. Family of Parts Manufacturing for Cost Savings
One of our most exciting use cases has been mastering “family of parts” production. While we’d always planned to expand this capability when we purchased the Matsuura, we’ve been impressed by both the efficiency and versatility of the machine.
A family of parts is a group of components sharing key characteristics—this usually means the parts have similar features and overall size as well as identical material. Ideally, these parts would even use the same blank size so that setups wouldn’t have to change at all between parts. With the Matsuura, we have been able to expand the definition of a part family. With over 300 tools to choose from, 35 pallets, and quick change work holding, parts within a family can have drastically different sizes and features with virtually zero changeover time.
By minimizing setup time, a family of parts offers cost savings over any individual part’s price. It also allows us to deliver parts in sets as opposed to large bulk orders of individual parts. The enhanced setup efficiency reduces lead times and enables schedule adjustments on relatively short notice as part of our 5-axis CNC machining services.
2. Flexible Setups for Greater Efficiency
Our machine currently has two standard pallet configurations on 25 pallets, and 10 pallets dedicated to custom fixtures. Our standard pallet configurations have been chosen to accommodate a wide range of small to medium part sizes and allow us to run between 1-6 parts per pallet with no workholding changes at all. Quick change workholding allows even more flexibility, and our 10 pallets for custom fixtures allow us to work on parts up to 350mm diameter and 300mm tall.
Recently we have been able to quickly switch between four different production projects with only program changes while also running some prototype jobs. These parts have required a combination of standard and custom workholding and vastly different tooling, and changeovers only take minutes.
3. Transformed Quality Control for Faster Lead Times
The MAM72-35V has also allowed us to restructure our quality control process. In the past, machines would typically sit idle as our quality department checked first-article parts. That added a lot of pressure and often interrupted other work in quality. Now, with the Matsuura, after we machine an initial part, we can return to producing other proven jobs while quality fits the inspection of the new part into their schedule.
This simple change helps address a bottleneck in our shop and keep spindles running. Once a part is approved by the quality department, we can resume its production with complete confidence in its accuracy, thanks to the MAM72-35V’s exceptional positioning accuracy and repeatability. This enhanced efficiency has reduced our overall production time while maintaining our rigorous quality standards.
4. Mixing Prototype and High-Volume Machining for Optimized Production Schedules
Being our most accurate 5-axis mill, we have found that we need to adapt to a mix of prototype machining and high-volume production machining on the same piece of equipment. A traditional machine with average accuracy would make this almost impossible, but we have been able to manage this smoothly on the Matsuura due to the extreme accuracy and amazing flexibility.
We were skeptical about this possibility at first, but as the machine has proven itself up to the task, we have been able to integrate prototypes and production runs easily. This works so well that we intentionally schedule the machine with a set number of hours dedicated to prototype and production work every week. This flexibility helps our scheduling as well because if one job gets held up for any reason, we can switch to another and keep the machine productive. This ensures delays in one project don’t ripple through to others, maintaining steady progress across all active jobs.
Our Commitment to the Cutting-Edge
There are countless ways, both big and small, that this machine benefits our customers, from quick responses to urgent requests to faster turnaround on repeat parts. The foundation of these improvements is the efficiency and flexibility provided by the new machine.
The MAM72-35V is only one example of our commitment to constantly researching and investing in productive new technology. As we continue to leverage the Matsuura’s capabilities, we’re excited to discover even more ways to serve our customers.
Request a quote from Wagner Machine to experience how our advanced machining capabilities can benefit your next project.