Precision is key when it comes to quality machining, and Enshu Machining Centers have this down to a T. When Northern Gear, a precision gear and machining company based in southeastern Wisconsin, approached us looking for a machining center that had the high accuracy they needed to produce end flanges to hydraulic parts, we had the right machine to get the job done.

The end flanges they were producing demanded a tight tolerance of ±4 microns for perpendicularity, parallelism and flatness. Northern Gear produces approximately 15,500 end flanges per year, and they needed a machine that could be dedicated to making these parts efficiently. Their previous horizontal machining center was able to achieve the accuracy needed, but it was always at the high end of the tolerances. It also required additional set up and adjustment times, which slowed production down.

For a job like theirs, the Enshu GE480H was the ideal choice. Not only did our horizontal machining center meet their demands for precision, it excelled in speed as well. With a rapid traverse rate of 3,543 IPM as well as a 1.2 second tool-tool and 3.2 second chip-chip tool change time, the GE480H was able to reduce cycle time by 12 minutes per part.

Paul Dawson, Engineering Manager at Northern Gear, has been in the machining business for many years and knows what you need for a great machining center. “Enshu machines are built strong. I’ve worked with their machines before, so I knew what to expect before purchasing the GE480H. But once I saw this machining center in action, I was very impressed with its accuracy and repeatability. This machine has gone beyond my expectations.”

Paul was also very happy with the rapport Northern Gear has built with Enshu. “Working with Enshu has been great. Whenever there is an issue, someone will be out here the next day, or they’ll walk us through the process over the phone. They even helped us create a warm up program for our machine.”

With its accuracy and efficiency, Paul and the Northern Gear team are glad to finally have a machine built to last for many years—and gears—to come.