IGW welcomes innovation

Process innovation is a concept that we live by at IGW. It partly involves investing in new ways of working so that we keep growing as a solid partner for our clients. Another part of process innovation involves investing in new machines and infrastructure. An example of the latter can be found at our plant in Oostkamp. Since November, a second, new horizontal turning-milling centre is fully operational.

The new turning-milling centre, made by Emco, is used to make complete shafts, which in turn are placed at the heart of various gearbox systems. As an added value and an advantage in relation to older installations, this new installation has three functions: turning, milling and hobbing. The last one of those functions, hobbing, is a considerable advantage compared to older machines as it allows us to eliminate a step in the process for which we would otherwise be needing an entire specified hobbing machine. When an item has been finished with this machine, we can immediately proceed to the heat treatment. Furthermore, our new addition runs on more modern technology. A consequence of this is that it runs a lot more stable. Because of this, the installation can handle heavier machining and allows us cut away superfluous material more easily, and, thus, work more precisely and efficiently.

Extra capacity

As said earlier, this new machine came as a reinforcement for a similar turning-milling centre that was already in place in Oostkamp. Because of a significant increase in our workload, however, a second machine was needed. Basically, both installations will carry out the same functions and, that way, will guarantee an even smoother, quicker and higher-capacity production line. Because our colleagues in Oostkamp specialise in the manufacturing of relatively large shafts in terms of length and diameter, our plant over there is the only one with such an installation.

Furthermore, the new turning-milling centre was only one of three significant investments made. In order to guarantee an even higher standard of quality, we recently welcomed two more additions in Oostkamp. First, there is the Wenzel LH 2317, a measuring bench used in the production of aluminium prismatic parts. Second, we also welcomed the KNM 20X, an interlocking measuring bench for parts that are up to 2 metres long.

A wide variety of applications

So where do these parts end up that are produced by our Belgian colleagues? Mainly, the applications for the shafts produced by our turning-milling centres can be found in industrial applications such as pumps and compressors, engines and oil and gas applications.

In short, new investments help us to improve and increase productivity. We are convinced that this particular investment in a new turning-milling centre will help us to answer to our clients’ demands even better.