Triumph Aerospace Boosts Production by Retrofitting with New FANUC CNC
Triumph Aerospace halved processing time and eliminated scrap by retrofitting legacy skin mills with FANUC CNC controls.
Challenges
- Increase productivity of old machines without replacing them
- Reduce damage to processed parts due to power bumps
- Improve machine capabilities
Results
Story
After decades of using Cincinnati Milacron skin mills to manufacturer the airframes for Boeing 747 and 767 aircrafts, Triumph Aerospace noticed the performance of these legacy machines dwindling. Triumph considered replacing these “old iron” machines, but after receiving quotes of $2-3 million per mill, the company turned to Microtrol Engineering, a FANUC authorized CNC system integrator, to retrofit their existing equipment.
Microtrol’s solution retained the existing machine, while stripping out and replacing all of the electrical equipment, controls and components. The three Cincinnati Profiler machines are now equipped with FANUC 31i-MODEL B5 controls, which provide accurate, high-speed machining. The dual-head skin mill required up to 9-axis simultaneous machining, so a FANUC 30i-MODEL B was installed.
By retrofitting these machine tools with FANUC technology, Triumph Aerospace was able to cut their processing time in half and limit the damage to parts caused by power outages, reducing the amount of costly processed parts they were forced to scrap to zero since the retrofit and drastically improving their production overall.
FANUC is a solid platform. I install and I forget. I don’t have to come back, I don’t have to worry about it breaking down.
Brandt Fine President – Microtrol EngineeringFANUC Products Used
30i-B Plus
FANUC 30i‑B Plus CNC delivers high‑speed, ultra‑precise multi‑axis machining with multipath control and proven reliability for demanding applications.
Meet Microtrol Engineering Inc, FANUC Authorized System Integrator
Microtrol Engineering is a leading provider of CNC retrofits and other machine tool services. When tasked with retrofitting Triumph Aerospace's older machines, they knew that FANUC was the right choice. With FANUC controls and technology, Microtrol was able to retrofit their old machines and improve their performance.
About Triumph Group
Triumph Group designs, engineers, manufactures, repairs and overhauls a broad portfolio of aviation and industrial components, accessories, subassemblies, systems, and aircraft structures. We partner with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and operators of commercial, regional, business and military aircraft worldwide, to provide products and services that solve their hardest problems. So, whatever the part, component or complexity of assembly, Triumph Group is committed to quality, service and meeting the specialized needs of each customer.
