–    To enable manufacturing customer achieve higher productivity and sustainability goals

–     The partnership reinforces Mobil Industrial Lubricants’  commitment to facilitate ‘Make in India’ goals

–    One of the first lubricant companies to build a technology and innovation-centered relationship with India’s largest machine tool manufacturer

19 July, 2016, Delhi/Gurgaon – ExxonMobil Lubricants Private Limited is the official lubricant partner of Micromatic Machine Tools Private Limited, the marketing and service company of the 1,200 crore Ace Micromatic Group that is India’s largest machine tool conglomerate. Through this partnership, Mobil Industrial Lubricants will support Micromatic with its advanced range of industrial lubricant products and services, backed by its leadership and expertise in the lubricants market.

Micromatic Machine Tools is the preferred supplier for many Indian OEMs and component manufacturers. Through this collaboration, ExxonMobil aims to offer Micromatic customers its high quality products addressing application needs supported by the Solcare program for coolant management. Mobil distributors’ ability to collaborate with the Micromatic service team will ensure customer satisfaction through technical services and on time product deliveries.

In addition, the joint partnership will create greater awareness of using the right oil, at the right time and at right place through training programs, customer education seminars and knowledge enhancement sessions  with  Mobil  and  Micromatic  engineers. All  of  these  will  contribute  to  the  success  and strengthening of the long-term relationship.

Mr. Glen Sharkowicz, Industrial Lubricants Marketing Manager, Asia Pacific, ExxonMobil Fuels & Lubricants, said, “ExxonMobil works closely with equipment builders (EBs) to analyze machinery and equipment trends, as well as identify effective solutions that improve equipment efficiency and performance. Our collaboration with EBs has led to the development of advanced high performance lubricant solutions that our customers can rely on. Our partnership with Micromatic, one of the leading machine tool developers, will help us push the boundaries of lubrication formulation and performance”

Mr. TK Ramesh, CEO, Micromatic Machine Tools Pvt. Ltd, said, “With over two decades of experience and supplying more than 25,000 machines in India and abroad, we understand the demands of manufacturing industries. ExxonMobil’s team has used its application expertise and enabled partners like us improve product performance and efficiency of our machines. Micromatic welcomes this partnership with ExxonMobil in light of the growing global demand for Indian-made equipment and we look to leverage our collective knowledge and expertise to bring improved performance and productivity to our customers. We also look forward to Mobil’s expertise in selection of appropriate fluids which is in line with our commitment to promote Green environment.”

“In India, the machining industry is the backbone of growth for industrial manufacturing. India is progressing towards becoming a technology focused manufacturing hub as part of the government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative. Mobil Industrial Lubricants is proud to partner Micromatic to better understand the needs of Indian component and equipment manufacturers, provide them with customized solutions that will help them achieve a winning advantage,” said Shankar Karnik, General Manager, Industrial, ExxonMobil Lubricants Pvt. Ltd

“As part of our partnership, we have developed a program, which includes a quick reference guide for customers on lubricant management and ensures all Micromatic customers across India have access to the right lubricants at the right time, resulting in customer delight and assurance. This allows both Mobil and Micromatic to bring their combined capabilities to achieve new heights of equipment productivity and efficiency,” added Imtiaz Ahmed, Asia Pacific Mobil SHC Brand Manager, ExxonMobil Lubricants Pvt. Ltd.

With over 100 years of experience, ExxonMobil’s EB Group works side-by-side with leading manufacturers in more than 150 markets. Since the inception of its EB Group, ExxonMobil has been able to consistently elevate its application expertise and enabled partners to help advance their equipment productivity. Comprising technical experts and engineers with backgrounds across many disciplines, the EB group has been collaborating with leading equipment manufacturers to optimize industrial equipment performance and design – from the start of equipment conception, through to design and construction.

About ExxonMobil Lubricants Private Limited

Customers have relied on ExxonMobil’s lubricants for more than 120 years. Marketed in nearly 200 countries and territories worldwide, Mobil branded lubricants stand for performance, innovation and expertise. As an industry leader in synthetic lubricants, a full range of Mobil products is available in the automotive, commercial and industrial business sectors. ExxonMobil recognises that business success and social responsibility go hand in hand. To that end, ExxonMobil works closely to support the communities where they operate and pledges to maintain the highest ethical standards, comply with local laws and respect local and national cultures.

Mobil Industrial Lubricants is  a business of  Exxon Mobil Corporation. Today, Mobil Industrial Lubricants are used extensively in many industrial market sectors – including power generation, general manufacturing, metal working, food and beverage processing, pulp and paper, cement, construction, metals and mining.   Every day, Mobil-branded lubricants help enable industrial companies to successfully boost  productivity,  enhance  the  performance and  life  of  their  equipment,  increase profitability and reduce downtime.

About Ace Micromatic Group

Ace Micromatic Group is India’s largest machine tool conglomerate with a market presence in several countries across Asia, Australia, Middle East, North & South America and Europe. Formed with the intent to provide its customers a one stop shop for all machining needs, the group specializes in the manufacturing of CNC controlled turning, milling and grinding machines along with subsystems like tool turrets, ATC etc. The group offers its customers a wide and comprehensive range of machine to suit a broad spectrum of applications.

Building on its expertise in machine tool manufacturing, the group has further diversified into manufacturing of components for various industry segments. In addition, the group also offers products to enhance its customer’s productivity through real time machine monitoring. Some of the core strengths of the group are the rich engineering experience of its leaders, who are considered pioneers in the development of several technologically advanced products and a very strong shared value system.

Micromatic is the marketing and service arm of the Group. The key product manufacturing companies of the group are Ace Designers, Ace Manufacturing Systems Ltd, Micromatic Grinding Technologies Ltd., Pragati Automation, AmiT

Heavy floods have battered Chennai’s industrial and business hubs leading to losses that run into thousands of crores of rupees, claimed experts.

Most automobile companies in Kanchipuram, which houses plants of a dozen bigwigs, registered huge losses. The rain not only hampered production process for days, but also triggered shortage of essential supplies for production to resume. In many plants, workforce remained less than what was needed for full-strength operation due to limited connectivity and transportation.

Sensing the emergency of the situation India’s largest Machine Tool Group, ACE Micromatic has started various flood relief support to companies in that area such as dedicated flood helpline number. Through this article B.Harish, General Manager, Micromatic Machine Tools (Pvt) Ltd explains what to do when your machine get wet.

FAQs for flood affected machines of Ace Micromatic Group

My CNC shop floor is wet due to flooding till Level 0. What precautions should I take for safeguarding my CNC Capital Equipment?

• Do not switch on the Machine
• Dry the floor completely
• Use a halogen/high voltage bulb to remove moisture in Electronic Cabinet, Voltage Stabilizer & Operator Panel for four hours.
• Check the incoming cable from mains to stabilizer & from stabilizer to machine for damages & water entry. If damaged do not switch on the machine & immediately replace the cable.
• Check the presence and also connectivity of the machine earthing.
• Call the authorized CNC Service engineer for the final check and switching on power on the machine.

My CNC machine is flooded till Level 1. What additional precautions should I take?

• Repeat all the points listed above from a to d
• Call MICROMATIC Engineer for removal of Transformer, Spindle motor, Lubrication motor, Hydraulic motor, Power Supply unit etc.,
• Coordinate with MICROMATIC Engineer for sending the above items to CNC system manufacturer for drying and repairs.
• Completely drain the hydraulic tank, lubrication tank & coolant tank and replace with fresh oil & coolant. Do not reuse the water contaminated oil, unless it is cleaned and verified by authorized representative
• Check the presence and also connectivity of the machine earthing.
• Call the authorized CNC Service engineer for the re-fitment of all parts and for final check before switching on power to the m/c.

My CNC machine is flooded till Level 2. What additional precautions should I take?

• At this level the spindle, axes motors, hardened or LM guideways, ball screws, part of electrical cabinet etc are likely to be under water. The repairs or likely replacement for the above equipment needs to be done by authorized MICROMATIC Engineer only.
• The spindle needs to be removed and sent to m/c manufacturer for replacement of bearings, greasing and assembly, and testing.
• Depending upon the m/c model, it is likely that the complete CNC package may need to be sent to CNC system manufacturer for washing, cleaning, drying and checking.
• Check the presence and also connectivity of the machine earthing.
• Call the authorized CNC Service engineer for the re-fitment of all parts and for final check before switching on power to the m/c.

My CNC machine is completely flooded beyond Level 2. What should I do to salvage the machine?

• At this level of flooding, the damage to the m/c will be quite severe. The damage will be higher if the m/c is under water for a long time
• Drain the water in the shortest possible time.
• Call the authorized service engineer who will recommend and estimate if the m/c can be salvaged economically or scrapped.
• If the m/c can be salvaged, actions detailed in Point no.3 need to be followed completely.

General Recommendations

• Call the insurance company representative as soon as possible and lodge a formal claim
• Take plenty of photos of the damaged equipment
• Do not send the damaged mechanical or electronic parts, CNC system, drives etc. to unauthorized persons. It could lead to irreparable damage to the machine, either immediately or after some time.

Author: B.Harish, General Manager, Micromatic Machine Tools (Pvt) Ltd

If you own a machine from ACE Micromatic Group, you may call in their dedicated flood helpline numbers +91 9840785520 and +91 9840785523 or send mail at connect@acemicromatic.com

India’s largest machine tool group ACE Micromatic is all set for INTEC 2015. The machine tool major will demonstrate its latest technologies and is gearing up to showcase live demonstrations of its machines like Apollo turning center from ACE Designers, Gemini Mini Vertical Machining Center from AMS and Simple Grind from the grinding wing of ACE Micromatic Group, Miromatic Grinding. The products being displayed for INTEC has been specially selected to meet the demanding requirements of the Coimbatore and the Southern markets. The exhibition is scheduled from June 5-9, 2015 at Codissia Trade Fair Complex, Coimbatore. 

Apollo, CNC Turning Machine
‘Apollo’ is an extremely cost effective CNC turning machine with compact foot print. It is suited for small parts machining up to dia 190mm.  Machine is equipped with just enough standard features. The rigid slant bed design ensures better rigidity and also helps in chip disposal. The cartridge type spindle design ensures high rigidity and the bearing configuration gives you higher stiffness. The spindle can run up to 4000rpm. It has a bi-directional tool turret with 8 stations (BTP-50 as standard and BTP-63 as an option). Apollo machines are also widely used in educational and training institution.

Milling Machine, Gemini
To meet the requirements of high speed compact applications, a smaller twin spindle named, “Gemini-Mini” has been introduced by AMS. The Gemini-Mini is more suitable for smaller components requiring frequent tool changes. The machine is designed with two BBT-30 spindles driven by a single spindle motor. The product is an attractive alternative to many of the faster machining centers available at a dearer price. The Gemini Mini is also available with an optional rotary type automatic pallet changer. By nature the twin spindle machine has higher productivity and the automatic pallet changer enhances it further by masking loading unloading time of the components.

Simple Grind from Micromatic Grinding
Micromatic Grinding Technology has been providing precision grinding solutions for the last four decades to the indian manufacturing. Simple Grind CNC  is an Economical External Cylindrical  Grinding Machine suitable for straight plunge & traverse grinding solution . Infeed and table slides are powered thru Servo Motor whereas workhead  is driven thru induction motor. This machine is most suitable for straight shaft grinding applications. Machine is available in two model  SG 50 and SG80. The machine is equipped with Fanuc Mate Oi CNC System with Beta series motors for X & Z Axis for wheel & table slides is provided as standard, Optional: Siemens make 808D CNC System can be offered. The Machine can achieve around 0.01mm size tolerance on a 750 mm long component without In process gauging.

Ace Micromatic group is the largest machine tool group in India. It has market presence in several countries across Asia, Australia, Middle East, North & South America and Europe. Formed with the intent to provide its customers a one stop shop for all machining needs, the group specializes in the manufacturing of CNC controlled turning, milling and grinding machines along with subsystems like tool turrets, ATC etc. The group offers its customers a wide and comprehensive range of machine to suit a broad spectrum of applications. It also offers turnkey solutions, tooled up options, innovative work holding, Cp/Cpk evaluation, TPM friendly machines and more.

Please take us through the journey of ACE Group…

ACE Micromatic Group is an amalgamation of 11 companies that represent different areas of machine tool industry. This core group was started in between late 70s to early 80s. ACE designers started by B. Machado, AV Sathe and SG Sirgurkar formed a major link for these companies. ACE Designers had a very humble beginning in 1979. The founding members of ACE designers were technically very sound and had worked with each other during their Center for the Advancement of Manufacturing Technology (CMTI) days. They started designing projects for several players, including some established names. I would say it marked the beginning of ACE designers. From 1979 to 1982 the focus was only on designing and nothing went beyond prototypes, but very soon they realised the potential of a CNC machine. It was in 1982, gauging the market demands our founding director decided to take a plunge into manufacturing. That was a turning point.

All the group companies such as Pragati Automation, Micromatic Grinding, ACE Manufacturing System, etc had started independently but since the founding members had a steady professional relationship they joined hands.

During those days importing a machine was not easy, the process included long government procedures and 300% duty among others. Our aim was to make import substitute affordable CNC machine in India. It was a common trend among business houses during the late 70s and early 80s to have technical collaborations with foreign players. But together, our founding members started manufacturing without any external support.

During the late 80s, when Maruti and other Japanese companies entered India, there was a surge in demand for high quality machine tools. Sensing the demand, we started taking feedbacks from customers and accordingly came up with our first CNC lathe. It was later exhibited at IMTEX 1986 and won the best product award. Since then we have won several awards at IMTEX.

We understood that in order to do grow, there should be dedicated focus towards each and every product and process areas of milling, turning, grinding, component manufacturing and marketing, we decided to form different companies focusing on their respective forte. Later this became the ACE Micromatic Group. ACE was dedicated only for turning, AMS for Milling, Micromatic Grinding only for grinding, Micromatic Machine Tools focuses on marketing and Pragati Automation for turret and ATC’s.

By creating separate entities we made sure that every entity gets due attention. It also helped us get right people for specific operations. Totally we are a group consisting of 11 companies, some are product specific while other are service based.

Can you share something about your R&D activities?

When it comes to R&D, mostly it is done together for all the group companies. Together we focus on what needs to be developed next, learn about research activities, practices and training activities. But working on any specific technology is done by individual companies.

For the machine tool industry, 5-6% expenditure on R&D is considered to be good and 10% is considered to be very good. But in India, it’s very low, you can say even below 1%, but we always spend around 2% of our revenue in R&D activities. We undertake some fundamental R&D activities, but most of our R&D or I would call it as D&D (design and development) has been fueled and driven by customer requirement.

ACE Micromatic group has no foreign collaboration or foreign investment but we have been successful in developing machines that are import substitutes. We are proud to say that AMS and ACE Designers have been recognised by Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) for its research activities.

How do you train people in your company?

We continuously recruit people from ITI, diploma and engineering institutes; we also have some Phd degree holders in our engineering team. On the training front, we work both on internal training thru our Ace Micromatic Institute of learning and with many external specialists and associations like IMTMA. We have also worked with IISc on joint management program with them. We have also identified senior experts who have rich technical experience; they visit our factory to train our employees. In fact, we have some machines dedicated for training purpose in all our facilities.

You said ACE Micromatic has manufactured several import substitute machines, but when it comes to high-end machines we are still dependent on imports. Can ACE Micromatic compete with the global players, what are your focus areas?

We are very much focussed to make CNC machines affordable for everyone and I can say we have been very successful. I believe, we played a very significant role in making CNC technology affordable. If you look at ACE Group about 60% of our customers come from the SME sector.  We sell the highest number of lathe CNC machines in India. The CNC machine that we sell for about Rs 15 lakhs now is cheaper as compared to what people used to buy 15 years ago with less number of features and power. It used to cost anywhere from Rs 20-30 lakhs. That time the price was affected by imports and since the volume was low, cost remained high.

Speaking about making high-end machines, our focus is to make affordable machines for small players which are as good as or at times better than many of the imported machines. And as the demand was less for high-end machines we are mostly present in cost effective CNCs. We are perhaps the manufacturer of the most affordable CNC machines in the world. Having said this, I would also add that we manufacture high-end machines too, but probably out of 4000 machines that we sell only 200 must be high-end. I would like to say again that our strength and forte is in making technology affordable, but we are capable of making high end machine and are very much equipped to compete with other players.

There were established players in the market when you started and today India has attention from various global companies, how do you manage to have such a large share of the market?

We made a decision to help our customers throughout their journey. As I said before, 60% of our customers are SMEs, which could be 10-12 man shop and for them investing in machines worth Rs 15-20 lakh means a lot, so we hand hold all our customers, train them, help them attain productivity. I think it explains why we have the maximum share in the Indian CNC market.

Many believe that only Japanese and Germans can come up with the best technologies in machine tool. Your views on the same…

Yes many believe that Japanese and Germans are the best when it comes to technology and I personally believe that there is nothing wrong in that. But I would also like to look at it in a different way. Need leads to innovation. We all know that earlier India was banned to use several technologies related to nuclear and space, but then we developed these technologies on our own and we are successful. In a similar way after World War II Germans and Japanese worked very hard and developed their manufacturing industry as a result they are the leaders. So talking about mind-set, yes it’s there and its natural, but I feel it will change gradually.

Do you think Asian countries like China, Taiwan and Korea are a threat for Indian companies?

More than China and Taiwan, it’s Korea that can pose as a threat. Korean players like Doosan and Hyundai, who are not only present in machine tool but also in other engineering areas with vast experience in manufacturing. Also, Korea has an added advantage of extremely good infrastructure and government support. They are ahead of us by 20 years in practices and technology. Now, Taiwan is looking to expand through making in China and controlling in Taiwan or with some JVs. But, we feel there might be some threat from Koreans as they are very strong and have huge investments and setup.

The industry-academia partnership has been very successful in developed countries, but it’s still in a nascent stage in India. Your views…

You are very right. It is still in a nascent stage, all these years no one ever talked about it, but now there is awareness and it is getting stronger. Thanks to IMTMA which is very proactive to bring in the positive changes in the industry. Government of India is also very serious about the machine tool industry. The entire machine tool industry could be around Rs 10-12000 crore which might be very insignificant when compared to industries like automotive or textile, which is the biggest reason it is usually over looked. But it is the back bone industry, so I would conclude the need for industry-academia model is fast gaining pace in India.

What are your future plans?

We have made our vision statement that “we want to be among the top ten machine tool producer companies globally by 2020”

To achieve this we will continue to invest in R&D, expand our current facilities and enhance our export. We recently started foundry facility to support our own group companies and also cater to external customers. As said earlier we will also be introducing machines for some complex machining for aerospace and medical industry.

by Nishant Kashyap

A series of engineering product marvels were exhibited by the Ace Micromatic Group at the most sought-after machine tool exhibition IMTEX 2015 in the Silicon City of India, Bangalore. The company launched few CNC technologies that are import substitute. The new launches includes SHA 12, CNC Sliding Head Automat; LCXT-12G, Twin Spindle CNC Lathe with Gantry, GEMENI H 330, Twin Spindle Horizontal Machining Center, CBN3263, High Speed CBN Grinder and and G 670, Five Axes High Precision Vertical Machining Center

The following products of Ace were seen at the exhibition:

SHA 12, CNC Sliding Head Automat

• Powerful built-in motor for main & sub spindle
• 5 axes capability
• Collet holding system with synchronous revolving guide bush, fixed guide bush & without guide bush options
• Houses 20 tools including 3 rotary tools
• Simultaneous machining on both main & Sub spindle
• Continuous run with bar feeder from ø3mm to ø12mm

GEMENI H 330, Twin Spindle Horizontal Machining Center

• First indigenously built horizontal twinspindle machine
• Rigidly designed with 330 mm CD between the Spindles.
• Versatile Twin Spindle machine for high volume production.
• Rotary Automatic Pallet Changer canbe offered.
• Import substitute

CBN3263, High Speed CBN Grinder

• Lower Cycle times – 80m/sec cutting speed with CBN wheel.
• Space saving – Compact layout by adoption of moving wheelheadsystem.
• Easy to use – Customized screen based HMI.

V 160, Inverted Vertical Turret Lathe

• Robust machine bed made of heavily ribbed cast iron.
• High quality linear anti friction guideways
• Thermosymmetric headstock withcontrolled heat transfer
• Extremely rigid sturdy main spindle
• Enhanced speeds and torque
• Spindle Motor itself serves as workhandling device

G 670, Five Axes High Precision Vertical Machining Center

• Simultaneous 5 Axes with built in Rotary tables.
• Compact foot print machine.
• Ergonomically designed structure for outstanding dynamic rigidity.
• High Dynamic rotary axes with Direct Driven Motors.
• Totally isolated working zone for better chip and coolantmanagement

The Ace Micromatic Group, a total solution provider for the machine tool industry, specializes in the manufacturing of turning centers, milling centers, grinding centers and also provides automation and productivity solutions.

Alankar Group has been around for more than 31 years now. What first started as a machine shop has now grown to include a foundry as well. And Mahadev Chougule, with the support of his three brothers, has not only braved many storms but also emerged triumphant.

We reach Belgaum on a pleasantly cloudy day. On our way to meet someone we have heard has made his journey through many struggles, the scenery consists mostly of green in the horizon and many emblems of the thriving machining industry.

Once inside the modest office premises of the Alankar Group near Udyambag, we meet the man himself. Mahadev Chougule, who has seen the worst of financial times and yet has had the courage to swim up through it all.

“My father had an automobile repair factory. This was a business that saw money come in steadily because of a new dam that was being built nearby. At that time, the total repair cost of an automobile would come to about 90 rupees. Even then, people would request my father to do the job anywhere between 60 and 70 rupees”, remembers Chougule. It is this considerate and giving nature that finally cost Chougule’s father his flourishing business.

“In my father’s time, there was no concept of saving money at a bank. So, all the money we made through the business would be stored in pots at home. Father was a kind-hearted man who would not stop at helping whoever came asking”, he confirms.

The automobile business that, once upon a time, had many takers fell subsequently. And this happened mainly because the construction of the dam was completed and as a result, the demand for automobile repairs that had been created, fell.

“I was 12 when all this happened but I was deeply affected by the distress my parents were going through. It’s then that I decided I would have to step in, in whatever small way I could. Our financial situation prompted me to turn into a newspaper delivery boy. That gave me only 15 rupees a month but I felt I was doing my bit”, says Chougule.

Once he appeared for his SLC exams, Chougule decided studying anymore would drain his family’s finances further. Soon, thanks to his father’s goodwill, he earned the position of a helper at a lathe factory nearby. “The first three months for a helper were not only probationary but also non-compensatory. Once three months were over, a helper would be paid 30 rupees a month. The only thing that kept me going was a strong urge to keep learning about lathe machining. As a helper, I wouldn’t be allowed to handle machines on my own. So, I kept watching work happening until one day, out of the blue, I got a chance to display my skills. It was a risk because the original turner had been fired. However, I took a shot and before I knew, the factory owner had promoted me to the position of turner ”, he recalls.

At the age of 18, after he had worked on lathe machining for a while, Mahadev Chougule set up his own business. “After working in that first job, I went on to work for Polyhydron for a year or so. But soon, I felt the need to start on my own. At the time, it was my first employer who put faith in me and gave away one of his machines to me. I didn’t have money so I opted for an old machine, to pay for which I had to ask
for money from mother. She gave me her jewelry but I promised her that I’d pay her back in a year’s time. That’s where the name ‘Alankar’ comes from”, says Chougule. Once Chougule had crossed this first stumbling block, he got to know about a Yojgar Yojana scheme that had recently been started in Belgaum. “This scheme helped me take a loan of 25, 000 rupees with a repayment period of seven years. However, luck was on my side and I was able to repay the loan in six months flat”, recounts Chougule.

What, though, changed his life was the way his relationship with Ace Micromatic Group was formed.

“From 1990, I had wanted my factory to have a CNC machine. What always stopped me from thinking ahead was that I neither had knowledge of English nor computers. The other major factor was the investment I would need to make. A CNC machine would cost me
anywhere between 12 and 15 lakhs – the total value of my business”, he points out.

Fate, of course, had other things in mind because in 2002, he met an Ace Micromatic representative who did not force him to buy but left him thinking about how great a possibility he was missing out on. “Initially, I was apprehensive to meet Mr. Nandan. And then, even when I
did, I saw no way of buying a machine that costly. But Mr. Nandan asked me to approach KFFC, a co-operative bank. If I could obtain a loan, I could obtain a CNC machine”, says Chougule. After this, events just fell into place in a way that despite Chougule not having many of the documents the bank needed, he got a 15 lakh loan. “This was just the start of my journey with Ace Micromatic Group. In time, I took many such loans and paid them off – a process that led me to buy 14 machines manufactured by Ace Micromatic Group”, he adds.

The high productivity of these machines combined with Ace Micromatic’s excellent service principles has made sure Chougule stays happy at what he does. “Recently, I got a call from a huge multinational company where I got the feedback that the jobs we are producing are of wonderful quality. The company gave us a project for which they said they would give us time till four days. But the machines from Ace Micromatic Group have served me so well that I had the confidence to say I could do the same in a day. The customer was so happy with the result that the next thing he wanted done was machining”, he clarifies.

Alankar Group has been around for more than 31 years now. What first started as a machine shop has now grown to include a foundry as well. And Mahadev Chougule, with the support of his three brothers, has not only braved many storms but also emerged triumphant.

Courtesy: ACE Micromatic Group 

Ace Micromatic group, India’s largest machine tool conglomerate, recently concluded their house show at Hyderabad. This was the first house show in Hyderabad where a live machining demo was made, specifically for turbine blade manufacturers.

The Vertical Machining Center, “Super Winner” manufactured by Ace Manufacturing Systems, an Ace Micromatic group company, was displayed. This machine has a table size of 800 X 400 mm, standard spindle speed of 6000 rpm with an option for higher spindle speed up to 8000 rpm. The machine is provided with BT-40 spindle and HSK spindle is also available as an option. The machine can be provided with either Fanuc or Siemens CNC control system.

The component which was machined during the demo was twist and tapered turbine blade of 190 mm length. This was machined from rough to finish with a cycle time of 2 hour 10 min, which is approx. 20% lower than the cycle times achieved on similar machining centers available in the market.

The house show attracted majority of the visitors from Patanacheru Industrial area and Balanagar Industrial areas. More than 100 customers visited the house show with total footfalls exceeding 300 nos.

The house show evoked tremendous response and appreciation from all customers who showed keen interest in the outstanding machine performance and features.

Ace Micromatic, India’s largest machine tool group is showcasing its latest CNC machines at ongoing Die Mould India 2014. The event is currently taking place at Bombay Exhibition Centre Goregaon, Mumbai. The company is demonstrating its DM 800, CNC machine suitable for die & mould and aerospace applications and ACER which is suitable for volume productions with large batch quantities.

DM 800
The DM-800 is discerned by a completely new design, the box in box design supports the spindle headstock. The concept of allowing the table to move only along y axis lets a variety of components to be loaded on to the table, especially the large sized heavier ones to be machined on it comfortably. High precision cartridge type spindles, high spindle speeds and feed rates ensures the demand for superior performance is met. Apart from its rigid and symmetric structure the machine also boasts of machining components with complex geometries and smaller tolerances. The structural configuration of the machine makes it suitable for a die – mould or aerospace applications. The new design ensures free flowing chips, giving them an uncluttered space for easy chip disposal. The minimized overhang of the axis structure provides superior machining accuracies.

ACER
Acer is been serving as an exemplary for productivity and accuracy. The machine is more suitable for volume productions with large batch quantities. Machine’s structure is adroitly designed and tested to allow high speed slide traverse. Acer can also be equipped with a Linear or a Rotary pallet changer ensuring customers achieve high productivity. Well engineered ergonomics makes this machine easy to operate and structural rigidity ensures one achieve higher accuracies and surface finish.

Ace Micromatic Group is the largest machine tool group in India with a presence in many parts of world. The group specializes in the manufacturing CNC Turning Centers, CNC Grinding machines, CNC Machining Centers, and Automation equipment. The group also specializes in the manufacturing of components for diverse sectors namely, Automotive, Aerospace, Medical, Die & Mould, Railways etc.