April 17, 2006
INDIANAPOLIS—Hurco’s prominent presence paid off at the WESTEC 2006 show in Los Angeles last month with a 29% increase in sales leads compared to the 2005 show. In addition to the Hurco booth, Hurco machine tools were featured at the North-South Machinery booth and the Greenleaf Corporation booth.
Hurco demonstrated the power and versatility of the VM and VMX Series of vertical machining centers and the TM Series of turning centers to an enthusiastic crowd.
“The positive response at WESTEC indicates that we’re gaining momentum in the West with strong representation from our western distributors—D&R Machinery Exchange, North-South Machinery, Rosco Precision Machinery, and Western Machine Center,” said Jim Kawaguchi, General Manager of Hurco USA. “Our strategy of providing customers with the highest quality products at the best price is paying off,” continued Kawaguchi.
Global competition and lean manufacturing initiatives put additional pressure on the owners of small and medium sized job shops. “At Hurco, we design our machines and our flexible Hurco control to help job shops be more competitive by offering features that make a difference in the real world. Our focus at Hurco is to keep finding ways to save setup time and process time because we understand that efficiency is the key to American shops staying competitive,” said Kawaguchi.
A feature of the Hurco UltiMax® control called Graphical Data Block Search created the most buzz at the booth. With the UltiMax control’s dual screen, the part’s graphic and the programming code are visible at the same time. To edit, simply touch the interactive graphic and the corresponding code appears on the twin screen—whether you’re using conversational or traditional G-Code.
The Hurco control gives owners more flexibility over their shop because programming can be done on the shop floor using conversational programming or G-Code. Conversational programming is easy to learn and easy to use—allowing shop owners the ability to cross train employees easily.
In addition to demonstrating the flexible, easy to use, control that is included with Hurco machine tools, customers were attracted to the powerful and versatile VM Series of machining centers. “With large work cubes and small footprints, the VM1 is perfect for shops struggling with space issues and high premiums they pay on leases,” said Kawaguchi.
Hurco featured its signature line of vertical machining centers—the VMX Series. Due to Hurco’s decision to design the VMX Series with larger linear rails, larger ball screws, and heavier servo drives, these vertical machining centers produce exceptional part accuracy and surface finish.
The increased metal removal rates and higher feed rates on the VMX machines decrease part cycle times significantly.
The newest addition to the Hurco line, the TM Series of CNC slant-bed turning centers, was particularly popular with owners of job shops and contract manufacturers who need efficient processing of small to medium sized lots.
Based in Indianapolis, Indiana, Hurco manufactures sophisticated, yet shop-floor friendly machine tools designed for virtually any application or budget. The popular VM Series and the new TM Series of lathes combine small footprints with huge work cubes and best-in-class features. The VMX Series is a production-oriented line designed for speed. The VTX/HTX Series features application machines with 5-axis and horizontal offerings. Every machining center and turning center from Hurco utilizes one of the industry's most flexible controls. Parts can be programmed on the shop floor using Hurco's easy-to-use control via conversational language or using off-line CAM generated programs. The optional UltiMax 4 control or Max Classic control provides expanded memory and network software to facilitate large CAM generated programs. Converting CAD drawings is handled with the DXF transfer software option.