Decreased Cycle Times and Accelerated Subassembly Production Drive Major Equipment Expansion
WORCESTER, Mass. – July 27, 2021 – Lutco, Inc., a leading manufacturer of high-quality stamped and machined components and assemblies, announces its Swiss turning capability expansion. Lutco’s newest Swiss turning equipment utilizes a CAD/CAM-guided precision turning process with multi-tool, multi-axis, spindle, and sub-spindle capabilities to produce high-quality, low-cost CNC turned components.
“Investing in this state-of-the-art equipment will enhance our ability to produce complex geometries and decrease cycle times. These machines increase our capacity and ability to respond to market demands,” said Anthony Romero, Chief Engineer, Lutco, Inc. “It’s a key step in the development of cost-effective, high-quality components.”
Swiss is a multidirectional turning process that utilizes cutting-edge CAD/CAM software to simultaneously locate and machine multiple features. Multi-axis cutting eliminates the need for costly, space- and time-consuming multiple machining operations to produce a single component.
“Many of the turned components we produce are just one piece of an assembly; Swiss machining further enhances our ability to support full assemblies and subassemblies. These machines enable us to streamline manufacturing operations for our customers,” said Lutco’s head of Sales Bob Santoro. “Long lead times are a problem for manufacturers at the moment. Increasing our complex turning capacity allows us to take advantage of shorter cycle times to compensate for lengthy raw material lead times. Lutco is experiencing a major increase in demand, volumes are through the roof, and hiring is highly competitive. Having machines that can run dark is important to throughput”
This acquisition of new equipment will complete a 6-month growth initiative for Lutco’s Swiss turning services, effectively doubling the available resources for complex turning on the floor. This latest expansion continues Lutco’s decades-long pursuit of innovation and efficiency, from the earliest days outsourcing inner raceways to moving to Acme screw machines, and eventually initiating an in-house CNC program approximately 25 years ago. Today, Lutco’s facilities include an entire CNC turning department of the company, which is constantly evolving to meet customer demand.
