| |
Excel
Foundry, a Pekin, Illinois-based manufacturer of machine parts for
the mining and power generation industries, purchased a used TOSHULIN
vertical turning lathe two years ago. At the time, the 1991 machine
had only 1,500 hours on it. Today, the machine runs two eight-hour
shifts per day and has cut many of the company’s processes
in half.
“With
the TOSHULIN in place, we don’t have to take extra time for
setups. The part never leaves the machine,” says Bryan Hammock,
Electrical Machine Repair Technician for Excel. “The machine
only has one head, but you can put a part on there and you can perform
all your processes from beginning to end, whether it be to cut,
mill, tap, or groove.”
Mr.
Hammock adds that Excel’s TOSHULIN VTL is customizable to individual
customers’ specifications and is simple to monitor and maintain,
which makes it easy for Excel to fill special orders on a regular
basis. “It’s great for reverse engineering,” Mr.
Hammock says. “We can assess a customer’s problem and
then create equipment to solve the problem using the TOSHULIN. And
I can just look at the integrated Fanuc control on the machine to
see what’s going on with it at all times.”
After buying their TOSHULIN, Excel called on Pilsen Imports to service
the machine. Pilsen has an exclusive agreement with TOSHULIN to
sell and service its machines in the United States. Since opening
its doors in 1993, Pilsen has discovered a growing acceptance of
and appreciation for TOSHULIN VTLs.
“When
we started our business in ’93,” says Bob Pruden, President
of Pilsen Imports, “we knew TOSHULIN was the right product
to recommend to our customers, but we did have concerns about how
potential customers would perceive a VTL that’s made in the
Czech Republic. Happily, we made the right choice. Our customers
are very satisfied with the TOSHULIN machine. The rigidity of the
machines is outstanding and our customers appreciate TOSHULIN’s
ability to adjust to specific customer requests.”
Mr.
Pruden refers to the days, and sometimes weeks, of on-site installation
and training that both TOSHULIN and Pilsen provide to customers.
Pilsen employs service technicians who focus solely on TOSHULIN
machines supplied to both domestic and foreign customers. Ed Richter,
a veteran machine-tool technician, travels weeks at a time to various
Pilsen customer account locations. “I was really surprised
by how universal and flexible the TOSHULIN machines are,” Ed
says. “Actually, I’d say TOSHULIN is very concerned with
satisfying the customer in all areas compared to other companies.”
Service
also includes the detailed, yet easy-to-understand customized user
documentation TOSHULIN provides with each machine they ship. Pilsen
and TOSHULIN also work together to make sure user documentation
is translated properly into the appropriate language per customer.
“Pilsen and TOSHULIN get me to the point where I can get around
the documentation pretty quickly,” says Mr. Hammock, “making
my job a lot easier.”
The TOSHULIN
Advantage
Founded
and based in the Czech Republic, TOSHULIN a.s. has manufactured
more than 11,000 VTLs during its 51-year history and has sold machines
to companies in 58 countries throughout the world. The company opened
in 1949 as a state enterprise branch of MEZ Olomouc. The company
launched its first VTL in 1952 and was established as its own state
agency in 1969 under the name TOS Hulin. In 1995, after having created
its own sales network and Sales department, the Czech Republic government
sold TOS Hulin to the management team. Today, the company manufactures
VTLs with table diameters ranging from 800 mm to 7000 mm.
TOSHULIN’s
most advanced product is its POWERTURN line, which the company introduced
internationally in 1999. This new design incorporates TOSHULIN’s
field proven heavy-duty cast iron base and column and the highly
accurate C-axis, for which TOSHULIN is lauded worldwide. Major industries
benefiting from TOSHULIN’s VTLs include Aerospace, Automotive,
Power Generation, Heavy Equipment, Defense, and Oil and Gas Machinery.
With more than 400 employees, “TOSHULIN has more people dedicated
to the production of VTLs than any company in the world,” says
Mr. Pruden. “They learn of new market expectations daily, and
then work together—sales, engineering and production departments—to
provide the best solution to the customer request. It’s an
ever-evolving process.”
Mr.
Pruden emphasizes that TOSHULIN provides an entire productivity
package to customers, rather than a few add-on components. Features
include the following:
- The
base and column are strong, rigid and field-proven.
- High
pressure and high volume coolant offer specific advantages in
various materials.
- The
cross rail is the largest and strongest in the industry. This
provides the basis for precise geometric alignment and stable,
accurate parts production. Hardened and ground programmable locating
positions let operators know exactly where they are when operating
the machine. Rail parallelism to the table surface is maintained
in each rail position.
- The
cross rail length provides the flexibility to move the rail left
of center to do in-process gauging. The ability to move the rail
left of center provides the ability to machine and measure both
sides of a work piece.
- All
machines feature fully enclosed guarding that is designed to keep
mist, coolant, and chips away from the machine components, such
as linear scales, wires, and motors. This feature reduces potential
maintenance needs.
- The
tool changer offers the ability to automatically exchange Kennametal
KM or Sandvik CAPTO cutting heads in the vertical and horizontal
orientation. Additionally, TOSHULIN exchanges CAT 50 tools in
and out of their vertical and horizontal live adapters automatically,
eliminating the need for numerous, expensive adapters.
- The
proprietary tool exchange software is based upon years of field
experience and can automatically self-correct many operational
mishaps that might occur.
To
learn more about TOSHULIN a.s. Czech Republic and Pilsen Imports,
Inc., visit www.pilsenimports.com.
Pilsen
Imports—Your Vertical Turning Machine Specialists
Pilsen Imports is a leading supplier of vertical turning equipment,
specializing in the installation, service, and support of TOSHULIN
vertical turning machines. Pilsen’s highly skilled machine
specialists have an average of 23 years experience in the machine
tool industry. We are dedicated to providing our customers with
24/7 service and support, including overnight delivery, phone and
on-site support, and comprehensive operators’, programming,
and maintenance training for every machine we sell.
|
