Lead Time For Gantry Automation Cut By 50%

Doosan’s new pre-drilled bed castings can reduce lead time for gantry-equipped turning centers from six or seven months to as little as three months, says Bill Carr, director-applications & systems team for Doosan Infracore.

This capability is a result of engineering castings for 11 models of the company’s Lynx and Puma turning centers at the factory to accommodate gantry load/unload systems. This enables the company to install the systems at its domestic headquarters while retaining the precision and rigidity previously achieved only with factory installation, Mr. Carr explains. “By using machines and gantries already stocked in our warehouse, we can design a system to our customer’s specification, install it, and have it out the door in less than half the time required for a delivery from the factory,” he says.

While many retrofit systems are simply gantry elements mounted on non-integrated posts, the Doosan system is a fully integrated, rigidly constructed package that can withstand routine abuse and relocations without losing precision, Mr. Carr says. This helps avoid hours of downtime often required to restore alignment in the event of an accident. Additionally, material-handling components used in conjunction with the gantry systems are readily available from domestic sources, saving time when replacement parts or retooling are required.