Stories of Swiss First Additions

Bringing in a new machine tool platform offers new opportunities, but adding such new technology comes with its share of challenges. For Swiss-type lathes, it can be a matter of getting used to programming these multi-axis machines or becoming comfortable with their signature sliding headstock design overall.

In the following stories, four shops detail the reasons for adding their first Swiss-types and how they’re leveraging this machining platform to their advantage.  

CAD/CAM’s Role in How Shop Benefits from its First Swiss-Type

This manufacturer of high-end RC cars leverages the capabilities of its CAD/CAM software to get the most out of its first Swiss-type lathe even when job batch sizes are relatively low.

Moldmaker Finds Value in Swiss-Type Machining

This multifaceted manufacturer has added CNC sliding-headstock turning technology to complement its established mold tooling production and new injection molding capabilities as it continues to pursue complex medical work along a vertically integrated path.

Swiss-Type Turning Point

This northern Ohio shop recently added its first Swiss-type lathe to gain long stretches of unattended machining largely because its continuous efforts to find new operators for its more conventional equipment had proven to be unfruitful.

How to Start a Swiss Machining Department From Scratch

When Shamrock Precision needed to cut production time of its bread-and-butter parts in half, it turned to a new type of machine tool and a new CAD/CAM system. Here’s how the company succeeded despite the newness of it all.