VMC Helps Manufacturer Bring Product to Market Three Years Ahead of Schedule
Outsourcing molds to make a new boat would’ve been expensive and slow, so Hudson Boat Works acquired a Datron MLCube VMC capable of machining large molds in house to slash time from its projected product launch.
Share
Hudson Boat Works was experiencing growing pains. The official boat manufacturer for the Canadian national rowing team had plans to build a new line of boats, but the projected leadtime would be three years in the making: It had neither the machining capacity nor the floorspace to make the molds necessary to create the Ultimate Super Predator (USP) boat’s carbon fiber parts.
The slow turnaround time and the high costs of outsourcing spurred the shop to find a better solution. An MLCube vertical machining center from Datron Dynamics fit the bill. It features a 60- by 40-inch machining area and a 95- by 90- by 77-inch footprint—enough space to accommodate the shop’s largest mold model, yet small enough to fit in the 200-square-foot area on the shop floor that Hudson had allocated for such a machine.
In just over a year, the company was able to make its own molds and move into making production parts on the same machine, ultimately bringing its product to market three years ahead of schedule.
Related Content
-
FANUC Details Robotic Vision, ROBODRILLS and More at IMTS 2024
FANUC’s IMTS 2024 booth includes real-time demonstrations that show the abilities of its equipment, including robots, controllers and machine tools.
-
The Cut Scene: The Finer Details of Large-Format Machining
Small details and features can have an outsized impact on large parts, such as Barbco’s collapsible utility drill head.
-
Tsugami Lathe, Vertical Machining Center Boost Machining Efficiency
IMTS 2024: Tsugami America showcases a multifunction sliding headstock lathe with a B-axis tool spindle, as well as a universal vertical machining center for rapid facing, drilling and tapping.