Posted to News on 31st Jul 2007, 19:15
Heidenhain delivers 200,000th NC control unit
In June 2007 Heidenhain shipped its 200,000th NC control and, in the process, reached production levels never before seen in its 30-year history.
With over 30,000 units now in use, the current iTNC 530 has become Heidenhain's most successful control systems, succeeding the TNC 426. This success is scheduled to continue with over 10,000 units of the iTNC530 expected to ship from the company's Traunreut facility in Germany during this year.
The popularity of the iTNC 530 speaks volumes for the control's ease of use and acceptance by the machine tool using market. Heidenhain's controls have their roots in the workshop, where they overcame machinists' reluctance towards the new technology. This remains the same today, with the user-friendly conversational programming ensuring Heidenhain retains a high percentage of the market share in customers requiring a shop-floor programming capability. Plain-language, conversational programming has won its place in the metalworking industry with Heidenhain controls guiding the user with questions and prompts and automatically generating the program.
Since 2004, the smarT.NC operating mode has offered even more convenience with straightforward (simple to complete) forms, interactive graphics and quickly understood user aids.
Heidenhain controls are used across the spectrum of machine tools and application areas. At the high-end – on machining centres and complex milling machines for five-axis machining – the iTNC 530 delivers short machining times, high contour accuracy, short block processing times and optimal path control. In the mid-range, the TNC 320 provides precision and efficiency for machines with up to four controlled axes. The TNC 124, a well-proven straight-cut control for simple machine tools, meets customers' needs for less demanding control tasks. Controls for lathes such as the MANUALplus 4110 complete the product range.
