Hurco open house highlights automation and new driven tool lathes

2020 has been brutally tough on public events but things are slowly starting to change as the industry comes back to life. One of the first companies to bite the bullet is Hurco Europe: during October it successfully hosted a COVID-compliant open house at its headquarters in High Wycombe. Dave Tudor popped along – observing social distancing guidelines of course.

A criminally unfortunate victim of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in manufacturing circles has been the demise of exhibitions and open houses. And it really is unfortunate – the manufacturing industry thrives on face to face contact and when investing in new equipment, there really is no substitute for getting up close and personal with the latest technology. People tend to buy from people after all.

Hurco Europe managing director David Waghorn and his team certainly put safety first in the organisation of its recent open house. Moving into a clean, modern, spacious and well-ventilated 500m² facility around a year ago certainly helped – along with strict additional measures such as attendance by appointment only, a maximum six people per visiting company, and no more than three companies allowed in the showroom at a time.

This is quite possibly the first open house ever where the primary objective was NOT to be too busy!

For those customers that couldn’t attend in person – bearing in mind the current regional restrictions in place – Hurco provided the next best thing with remote sessions carried out either via Microsoft Teams or TeamViewer – but this capability certainly wasn’t confined to the open house as David Waghorn explains.

“In the past six months we’ve engaged with a number of customers using remote methods,” he says. “We’ve carried out everything from full machining demos through to training and desk-based hands-on sessions where the customer can take control of the CNC and take it for a test drive. It’s been a really positive experience.

“In a recent remote session with a customer from Estonia for example, we carried out full cutting trials with a video camera located on the machine. We were able to hold a detailed discussion with the customer during and after the demonstration which included a comprehensive presentation.”

He continues: “By observing strict social distancing procedures and following government guidelines, we have been able to host some customer visits here in the showroom as well as remotely so we’re very much open for business. Indeed, one of the main reasons we decided to go ahead with this open house was to prove to ourselves and our customers that we could host an event without putting our own staff or customers at risk. I think we’ve achieved that objective.”

Wheels of industry keep turning

With all exhibitions decimated by COVID-19 – including MACH 2021 of course – open houses, being much easier to control, are definitely a viable alternative. Mr Waghorn has decided to postpone Hurco’s customary December 2020 open house until late January/early February. It may or may not include a supplier village, depending on government guidelines at the time.

Despite overwhelmingly difficult conditions for everyone, David Waghorn takes heart from the fact that the wheels of industry are still turning: “The past six months have been unquestionably challenging but we’re still doing business and every day something new – enquiries, requests for quotations and/or enquiries – come in,” he affirms.

“I’m encouraged by the fact that many of our customers across a variety of sectors are still busy and there is still a desire – albeit somewhat restrained at the moment – to move forward and invest in new technology.”

Driven by productivity

A highlight of the October open house was the official launch of a new range of driven tool turning centres from Hurco, represented at the event by the TM8Mi. The number denotes the chuck size and the entire range comprises 8, 10 and 12 inch variants. This is a step up from Hurco’s existing TMi range of 2-axis lathes. The new additions sport a programmable C-axis and feature driven tools.

With impressive damping characteristics and torsional strength derived from a Meehanite cast structure, TM Mi machines are ideal for off-centre drilling and simple milling operations on a turned part. Hurco’s Max 5 (powered by WinMax) control allows quick and easy programming whilst the VDI tooling ensures a rapid set-up and quick turnaround for small batch production.

All TM Mi lathes are fitted as standard with a fast, servo-driven, highly reliable 12-station Duplomatic turret. The TM8Mi model in Hurco’s High Wycombe showroom has a maximum turning diameter of 256mm, a maximum turning length of 497mm and a maximum bar capacity of 64.5mm. The overall footprint is smaller than its predecessor and yet still weighs in at a reassuringly robust 4,400kg.

Globally, Hurco machines are renowned for the simplicity and power of their proprietary WinMax CNC software. The TM Mi series of turning centres all feature Hurco’s Max 5 lathe control software which is based on WinMax.

The whole concept of Max 5 is to streamline the journey from drawing to finished part. The control features an interactive touchscreen for conversational NC programming and to provide a graphical representation of the job in hand. DXF files can be read directly into the CNC.

“Development of our range of turning centres is an ongoing, evolutionary process,” Mr Waghorn advises. “We began with the 2-axis TMi range; and now we have the 3-axis TM Mi machines with driven tools and a C-axis. The next logical step will see the introduction of a Y-axis and sub-spindle so it’s certainly a case of watch this space.”

Embracing automation

The end of 2019 saw Hurco take its first steps into automation with the introduction of a series of portable cobots from its US subsidiary ProCobots – designed to illustrate just how simple and inexpensive machine tending can be. At the open house, as part of a demonstration, a cobot was set up alongside a TM8i turning centre. Take a look at this short video here: https://www.pesmedia.com/hurco-procobot-robot-22102020/.

It’s well-documented that the UK manufacturing fraternity needs to ramp up its levels of automation to compete on the global stage but COVID-19 has only accelerated that need. Hurco is keen to highlight the productivity and cost benefits that come from maximising spindle uptime and freeing machinists to perform more high-value tasks.

“The great thing about the ProCobots range is that the robots are really simple to program, have a compact footprint and are totally portable,” Mr Waghorn explains. “Indeed at our next open house – hopefully in January/February next year – we’ll be showcasing exactly how simple it is to move a cobot from machine to machine with a live demonstration.

“It can take as little as 30 minutes – they’re literally plug and play – and the WinMax control recognises the cobot as soon as it’s plugged in. It’s a great solution for precision subcontract manufacturers wanting to take their first steps into automation.”

A double gripper is fitted to the cobot to load billets and unload workpieces. It uses an optional QR code that the robot scans to reference the robot location when it is moved from machine to machine, without the need for additional set-up.

Hurco www.hurco.co.uk