Looking to Buy a DATRON CNC Machine?
When interviewing potential candidates to join our DATRON team, I am usually faced with a mix of common questions like: “Why did you start DATRON?”, “Who are your competitors?”, “Do you offer a 401K plan?” The one common question, that is somewhat challenging to answer is “Why would a company buy a DATRON CNC machine?” This is a very good question … but the answer is complex. When I look at our customers who have purchased systems over the past 22 years, in most cases, they have decided on our technology for not just one, but a number of reasons. This got me thinking, what are the top ten reasons you should consider when buying a DATRON milling machine? Everyone loves a top ten list, so here goes:
High Speed. This is the heart and soul of DATRON milling machines. Not every customer of ours has purchased because of how fast we can machine a part, but most often this is one of the main reasons. If the application fit is right, meaning you need to machine parts with intricate detail, we likely are a very good solution. In a lot of benchmarks (test cuts of the customer’s part), it is commonplace that we are between 4 – 6 times faster in reduced cycle times over a conventional CNC machine tool.
Our Probe. This unique and fully integrated option on DATRON milling machines allows you to reduce set-up times and can reduce part rejection rates. The automatic edge measuring allows you to get started on a job quickly and can also be used to measure a surface, compensating for surface variances. This is great for large parts (like sheet material) that is difficult to mount perfectly flat. It is also helpful for materials that vary in surface thickness, such as plastic. Whatever the case, our customers have stated that our probe can virtually eliminate part rejection rates or allow them to machine jobs that were not even possible, before having this feature.
Our Support. We view support as a partnership, so our Customer Service team takes great pride in the expertise they provide and the relationships they build with our customers. In fact, it’s not unusual for an Application Engineer to support a DATRON customer over the phone at no cost; sometimes years after they purchased the machine from us. Whether you require a service technician on-site or just need us to ship locally stocked components, we are there when you need us.
- Large Traverse Area/Small Footprint. In this vast world of wide open spaces, we are often approached that there is not enough floor space for another machine tool in their manufacturing operation. Crazy to think but often obtaining more floor space translates to building additions or relocating. This can be very expensive or cost prohibitive. With the DATRON milling machine, the large machining area relative to the overall physical machine size, means our customers get significantly more machining capacity in a fraction of the floor space required for a typical machine tool.
Oil-less Coolant: Can you imagine machining a part that comes off the machine with zero, yes zero, oil residue. No part washing required with the DATRON milling machine. Our high-pressure, minimal-mist system evaporates clean as it meets the cutting tool. This also allows for more creative approaches to workholding, when you are not dealing with a flood-based system. Not to mention it saves on maintenance costs, oil coolant recycling fees, cleaning filtration systems and downtime associated with flood coolant, based systems.
Vacuum Tables: Unfortunately, vacuum tables seem to have a bad rap. So often machinists have struggled to get them to work and have been unsuccessful for many different reasons. Due to the oil-less coolant and low cutting forces of our high-speed spindles, we have developed a vacuum-based work holding system that can successfully hold tiny small parts that our customers had no chance of securing before. Our unique design allows you to profile cut (batch machine) small parts that can fit in the palm of your hand. Always one of the most fun, jaw-dropping capabilities witnessed by our customers when seeing for the first time.
Accuracy: Yes, there are more accurate machine tools on the market. So why mention accuracy? Because of the gantry-style design, we are commonly recognized as a “router” which is viewed as a low-accuracy machine. With the DATRON however, we use precision ball screws, linear scales, thermally matching materials and X, Y compensation in the control software that allow us to achieve impressive accuracies, comparable to much larger and heavier machining centers. This is particularly important when you consider the cost of the equipment required to produce a large-scale part, in a tight-tolerance range.
Automation: In today’s manufacturing world, the need for automation to reduce labor cost is often a key consideration in the buying decision. Our large machining area allows us room to configure very simple, automated, pick and place systems, without involving expensive, external third party robotic or pallet changing add-ons. Our self-contained system, operated from our machine software, permits you to place a part in a clamp, perform the machining operation and then place it back in a simple tray. No extra floor space or additional systems to install and learn are required. Now you can let the DATRON milling machine run for hours, without any operator interfacing, only to magically drop by at the end of a shift and claim your multitude of parts.
Operational Software: One of our best-kept secrets. Spending a day at DATRON usually never shows off the power of what our operating software can do, and I certainly won’t be able to pull this off in a short paragraph. Quite simply, taking G code from any CAD/CAM software combined with the ability to customize it, has enabled a lot of our customers to achieve production flows they could never do before. Asking custom questions to the machine operator, interfacing with bar-code scanners, serialization or importing data from Excel files are just a few examples of how our customers have leveraged our systems to automate and reduce costs.
The Cool Factor: When you buy a DATRON milling machine, you get form and function. All you need to do is take one look at our award-winning design to realize our technology is different. Many of our customers have chosen to showcase our systems front and center of their facility and are very proud of their DATRON milling machine. Our unconventional approach to the machining mainstream has become very disruptive to the manufacturing world. A new breed, a new look and an uncommon approach to machining parts gives our customers a unique competitive advantage. A very common expression that is stated after seeing our technology is simply that “it is really cool”.
DATRON Milling Machine Cool Factor: from the ergonomics of a touch-screen control to status lights on the gantry and monitor, DATRON machines look different … because they are different.
So, the next time someone interviewing for a job here asks, “Why do companies buy a DATRON milling machine?”, I will simply share this article.
Bill King
President of DATRON Dynamics, Inc.
