For their 2016 summer workshop Okuma welcomed more than 200 visitors at their European headquarters in Germany to explore the latest gear machining solutions. The workshop “Gear Up” was hosted in cooperation with Swedish tool manufacturer Sandvik Coromant. In multiple live demonstrations the hosts presented ways to economically perform gear cutting on Okuma multitasking machines, thus effectively eliminating the need for expensive additional machines.
Outsourcing gear machining to subcontractors
An increasing number of manufacturers are outsourcing gear machining to subcontractors, believing this to be the only way to balance quality and productivity. With their three-day workshop, Okuma and Sandvik Coromant set out to bring gear cutting back in-house.
Live machining
Live machining included gear hobbing on an Okuma MULTUS B750 – a process that traditionally requires a dedicated hobbing machine – as well as power skiving, bevel gear machining and Sandvik Coromant’s patented InvoMilling. The latter enables cutting of many different gear profiles with a small number of tools to effectively reduce set-up time. The presentations served to show that Okuma multitasking machines increase productivity while machining various types of gears and splines with supreme accuracy.
Engaging in individual discussions
Over the course of three days, Okuma and Sandvik Coromant welcomed 221 visitors from over a dozen countries and from a wide array of industries. Especially the bridging of theoretical and practical content met with a very positive response. Following the demonstrations, participants seized the opportunity to engage in individual discussions with both Okuma and Sandvik Coromant experts, thus rounding off an informative and exciting event.
