The Adams Company, a custom gear and shaft manufacturing company located in Dubuque, IA., recently announced the delivery of a new Okuma LU4000 EX turning machine.  This is a state- of-the-art shaft turning machine that will greatly increase both The Adams Company’s capabilities and capacity in shaft manufacturing.

Features include: 4-axis movement, upper & lower turrets, a retractable tailstock, 2 meter bed length, maximum 158.75 mm diameter turning capacity, live tooling and y-axis functionality, and capability of holding a +/-.00025” tolerance.  Additional unique features with this machine include a self-centering chuck and balanced cutting or “pinch turning.” With “pinch turning,” you not only get reduced cycle times, but “chatter” is eliminated during the machining process.  The specialized workholding will allow The Adams Company to finish shafts complete without having to move them to multiple different work centers.

“The goal,” said Steve Arthur, president & CEO, “was to find a machine that would enable us to make complete shafts with keyways, splines, holes, etc. in one operation. The machine had to produce shafts fast while holding some rather tight tolerances.  It was a tough challenge, but Okuma hit a home run with the LU4000 EX.”

“The Hartwig team has worked closely with The Adams Company for several years, and we knew that addressing their shaft manufacturing was a big priority. We sat down with the team at The Adams Company and together we created an entire process, not just a machine tool,” said Jay Montgomery a sales engineer at Hartwig, Inc., the company representing Okuma. “With the LU4000 EX machine we proposed some unique features that allow them to take full advantage of their investment; The Adams Company will now have state of the art shaft turning capabilities that will make them globally competitive in shaft manufacturing. It’s incredibly exciting to have truly world-class technology and manufacturing capabilities coming to Eastern Iowa. Their investment is a huge win for them and their customers.”

“Not only will this machine enable us to increase productivity with our current customers," Arthur added, “but it also has opened the door for new opportunities.  It will be an excellent addition to our current custom gear and shaft manufacturing capabilities.”