Momentum VTL Lathe Gives Fabcorp the Flexibility Needed to Turn & Mill Large Components

Fabcorp, a full service fabricator in Texas, recently acquired a Momentum MVL-16M heavy-duty vertical turning center to take on several new jobs requiring large, cylindrical components. According to Tyler Hohman, Vice President of Fabcorp, “…the Momentum MVL-16M vertical turning lathe checked all the boxes.”

“The MVL-16M’s 63-inch chuck, 78-inch max turning diameter, and 63-inch max turning height gives Fabcorp the ability to perform full mill/turn work,” adds Oscar Hernandez, Plant Manager at Fabcorp. “I've turned up to 3/8s, radial cuts on tough materials and have no complaints, the machine pushes it with the 75 horsepower main spindle.”

Hernadez goes on to explain the advantages of the MVL’s full cross rail and full wrapped cast iron bed design, which allows them the ability to reach both sides of the check for turning, boring and probing. “I can place two tools in a single tool holder, and turn ID and OD, I can bore an ID, turn the OD, and face the lock ring with this one setup, which relieves another pocket in the 15-station automatic tool change, for a milling tool or a right-angle head,” adds Hernadez.
Henandez also points out that compared to the time it would take for two setups, they saved 12 to 13 hours by keeping large components, like the lock ring, in the Momentum for both turning and milling.

Some of the jobs Fabcorp has since thrown on the Momentum range from subsea work for oil exploration to space exploration work for SpaceX. A good example is a lock ring for a subsea gas mat which slips over a rough machine forging, also turned on the Momentum, which holds a wellhead together. The large diameter part requires very tight tolerances to fit seamlessly together. Once they leave the machine shop, they’re put on weldments they fabricate, weld, paint, and ship complete to their customers.

Fabcorp started in 1992 with six employees in a 30,000 square foot rented facility and today employs 192 across four facilities totaling 192,000 square feet, all owned by the company. Fabcorp capabilities include plate processing on Oxy fuel, high-definition plasma, water jet and laser. They have 38 TIG stations, 16 MIG stations and bending capabilities that go up to and include a 500-ton, six axis press brake. The machine shop has 38 CNC milling turning up to six axis capabilities.
Fundamentally, Fabcorp is a job shop, so according to Hohman, they don't know what the next customer is going to bring to our table, which is why they need equipment that does light and heavy manufacturing.

“We're very selective on, not only our customers, but on our equipment too. Because of that, it's taken us to another level of manufacturing in other areas that we frankly didn't anticipate. So, we are constantly growing, constantly moving, and constantly improving and the Momentum gives us that flexibility to do just that,” concludes Hohman

If you're in need of large capacity multitasking CNC machining solutions, contact us at Select Machining Technologies today!

www.selectmachiningtech.com
Telephone: (860) 687-3530
Email: [email protected]

Select Machining Technologies
910 Day Hill Road
Windsor, CT 06095