New Machines
We recently added two new Eurotech Elite CNC machines to our machine shop to enable us to increase our production. Since our Machine shop only had room for one more machine, and we also wanted to get rid of a machine that wasn’t working out for us, as well as move another machine to make room for one of the new machines, it was a pretty lengthy process. Moving the CNC machines we use requires a crew of professional riggers, several hydraulic jacks, some heavy duty dollies, a medium sized forklift, and one of the larger forklifts you will see- each of these machines weigh upwards of 12 thousand pounds, and stand 6 or 7 feet high.
The second machine still on the truck. The first machine was delivered to us last week, and was sitting under a tarp.
Moving one of our drill presses out of the way. We still have four or five of these Bridgeports in regular use.
Looks like that tool chest had sat there for quite a while before they moved it. In the back ground, the crew prepares to remove the third machine. The machine with the blue stripe on it in the left foreground will be moved to where machine 3 was originally located. For a machine that’s been in use on our shop floor, the process begins with some surprisingly small hand powered hydraulic jacks, cranking up first one end of the machine, and then the other, and sliding blocks of wood under neath them until the wheeled dollies can be slid into place.
Pulling machine 3 out on the wheeled dollies. We’re getting rid of this one, it didn’t live up to our expectations. It was dragged down to the garage door, where it was placed into position to be picked up by the big forklift.
Picking up machine 3 on the big forklift.
Backing out of the garage door with machine 3. When your payload weighs 10,000 pounds or so, it’s a good idea to make very sure you don’t run into anything. These guys are very good at their jobs.
Time to pull machine 2 off the truck.
The wooden skids that these machines are shipped on are large enough to be used as a pretty big party deck for a lucky kid’s tree house.
Holding up traffic. Local motorists are surprisingly patient, however.
Yes, we really make everything right here.
Lifting the machine off of the pallet. The machine is bolted and nailed onto the pallet, then the forks have to be wedged under the machine. It’s not as simple as just driving the forks under the machine and lifting it, it’s more like lift one end of the machine a few inches, slide a block of wood under it, then to the same to the opposite end, then lift up the first end of the machine to wedge taller blocks under it, then repeat the process on the opposite end, so there’s finally enough air under the machine to properly lift up the machine solidly enough to transport it. Profile owner Jim Alley, in the striped sweater, keeps a watchful eye on the procedure.
Finally clear of the pallet.
In the building.
Getting the dollies into position. Then the forklift lowers the machine, so it can be dragged into place.
Dragging five or six tons worth of machine is surprisingly easy if you know what you’re doing.
Getting the machine into precisely the correct location is a little tedious, but important. Once it’s there, the hydraulic jacks and wooden blocks come back out, so the machine can be lowered to the concrete.
The next step was to slide one of our existing machines about 25 feet down so that machine 1 could go in its place. Once this simple step was taken, on to removing machine one from it’s pallet.
Close up of wedging a 12,000 pound machine off of a pallet with the medium sized forklift.
The medium sized forklift is enough to lift the machine, but not enough to move it anywhere. At this point, the machine will be placed on 4×4 wood blocks, then the big forklift will be called in.
The big forklift, ready to move the machine into the building.
Into the building.
Dropping the machine onto the dollies, turning it 90 degrees, getting it perfectly positioned, and then dropping it to the floor.
The new machine with it’s bar feeder in place. The bar feeder, as it’s name suggests, feeds bars of steel, aluminum, or titanium into the machine so that it can run semi-sutomatically.
All machines are now in their positions. In total, one machine was picked up and removed from the building entirely, two machines were picked up and moved to new locations in the building, and two machines were moved into the building. In addition, two bridgeport style drill presses were re-located, as well as some tooling chests. It was a pretty big day.
Birds eye view shows all but one machine, which is more or less directly below the camera’s point of view. Our machine shop is pretty much full these days. Thanks to the guys at Rodgers Brothers Services for their hard work moving these state of the art machines in for us. These Eurotech Elite machines will allow Profile Racing to keep producing the best bike parts with the latest manufacturing technology!