Train to gain

Called CNC Profitrainer, the realistic simulator is fitted with a full version of the Siemens 840D sl control and can be used to provide training for any make of machining centre. It will be of interest to OEMs and subcontractors as well as industrial training establishments, colleges and schools.

Heller is a machine tool company renowned for its commitment to education. At any one time, apprentices account for 10% of its global workforce, a figure mirrored at the UK factory in Redditch. The company is keen to transfer this ethos to the outside world and ensure that its customers’ employees are also trained to a high standard.

The fully configured, functional equipment is a faithful replica of a 4/5-axis, horizontal spindle machine tool. Even functions that cannot be performed, such as operation of the tool magazine, are simulated using control runtimes. The facility provides realistic skills training without tying up a machine on the shopfloor, which would result in lost production. Furthermore, the risk of a crash occurring on a real machine is eliminated, avoiding potential repair costs.

Other benefits of the training unit are that its small size is less intimidating for trainees and the mobile equipment may be moved anywhere within a customer’s premises, allowing flexibility of use. Versatility is helped further by being able to power the unit from a normal single phase or a three phase electrical supply.

Once an apprentice has undergone a training programme, he or she becomes a fully-fledged machinist capable of operating any make of prismatic machining equipment, regardless of which CNC system is used. However, skill level will be highest when operating a Heller horizontal machining centre controlled by a Siemens 840D sl.

Profitrainer is equally useful for mechanical and electrical maintenance courses as the use of original components supports realistic handling of fault situations. Feedback from more than 6,000 students who have used previous iterations of this unit for personal qualification over the past decade confirms the success of the concept.

Heller Machine Tools www.heller.biz