INDAÇO success story: milling machine retrofitting

INDAÇO has been a Fagor Automation customer since the founding of Fagor Brazil. Sergio Paolino, Director of INDAÇO, tells us about the results of one of their projects developed with Fagor, where the end results of the retrofitting of a milling machine far exceeded the initial expectations.

Retrofitting of a 4-axis milling machine

INDAÇO has been a customer of Fagor Automation since 1994, when Fagor began operations in Brazil. This company in the high-precision metal working sector offers cutting tools and special projects for different segments of the industry.

Sergio Paolino tells us about one of the more than 20 retrofitting projects carried out using Fagor products, a project he remembers especially fondly; when asked about projects that made a big difference, he immediately remembered this work done in mid-2010.

What to expect from a retrofitting.

The basis of a machine tool retrofitting lies in understanding what challenges and demands from the customer must be met so that the entire project is oriented towards them. Paolino tells us that at the beginning of the project, he presented the following situation to the Fagor team: “Our production is characterized by small lots, and since we were using a conventional milling machine, we had machine setup times that were too long, leading to low productivity”.

The goals of the project were to reduce machine setup times and increase productivity, so together with the customer, we designed the transformation of the conventional machine into a machine equipped with a CNC. As Roberto Gimenes, Sales Manager of Fagor Brazil explains, “Our CNC 8055 was chosen for this project, combined with servo motors and digital drives”.

The project and its results

Gimenes reports that: “Besides offering our CNC and servo motor drives suitable for the project, our Technical Support team worked with the customer to develop an action plan and provided all the support needed to guarantee the perfect application of the components.”

Sergio Paolino tells us the project was a great success because, “With the installation of the CNC in the milling machine, we have reduced the machining setup time by almost 70%”. But the results do not end there. Besides the impressive reduction in machine setup time, INDAÇO’s Director tells us that, “With the installation of the CNC, it was possible to program the speed and feedrate for each part in engineering, also achieving a significant increase in productivity”.

That is why Sergio Paolino states he would recommend Fagor products to other customers: Because they are a cooperative company that has competitive prices and, most of all, agility in their technical support”.

In more than 20 years of operation in Brazil, Fagor Automation has accumulated many good experiences, and what is fundamental in their work, delivered projects that add value to their customers’ businesses and exceed quality expectations.