Opening up to the Options
Metalworking shops have more machine tools to choose from than ever before, allowing them to determine the best machine and process for their application.
The DWS 250-4 vertical center for turning shaft-type parts is one of the Rasoma machine tools now available through the GMTA.
It’s always interesting to encounter equipment brands with which I am not familiar while visiting machine shops. Whether the machining center was built in Europe, Asia or elsewhere, it seems to signify a growing openness among machine shop owners to consider products built by OEMs from around the world. One such line is Rasoma, a company launched nearly a century ago and headquartered in Döbeln, Germany, that is now represented throughout North America by German Machine Tools of America (GMTA).
Used primarily for gear making, Rasoma machining centers primarily target the automotive powertrain, off-highway and other high-performance markets. The line includes vertical turning centers, four-axis shaft turning centers, end machining, double spindle and various special purpose machining centers with full automation.
Rasoma machines for gear milling, hobbing and shaping are available in a variety of configurations. According to the company, they offer high rigidity due to separate X and Z slides. In addition, the machine head is designed as a monoblock with polymer concrete fill. Thermal stability is enhanced by cooled motor spindles, and rapid traverse rates range to 60 m/min. at high acceleration, with feed and removal speeds ranging to 120 m/min.—less than 6 sec. from part to part, and turret indexing typically under 1 sec.
GMTA is a supplier of gear making, laser and finishing machines and systems with locations in the United States and Mexico. Watch this video of heavy crankshaft machining on a Rasoma FZS-3200 modular manufacturing center. Also, consider Techspex a resource in your search for the right machine tool for your particular application.
