June 2007 saw Heidenhain ship its 200,000th NC control and in the process reached production levels never before seen in its 30 year history.
With over 30,000 units now in use, the current iTNC 530 has become the company's most successful control system, succeeding the TNC 426. This success is scheduled to continue with over 10,000 units of the iTNC530 expected to ship from the company’s Traunreut, Germany facility during this year.
The popularity of the iTNC 530 points to the control’s ease of use and acceptance by the machine tool using market. Heidenhain's controls have their roots in the workshop, where they overcame machinists' reluctance towards the then new technology. And today, user-friendly conversational programming ensures the company retains a high percentage of the market share in customers requiring a shopfloor programming capability.
And since 2004, the “smarT.NC” operating mode has offered more convenience with straightforward, simple to complete forms, interactive graphics and quickly understood user aids.
At the high end—on machining centres and complex milling machines for 5-axis machining — the iTNC 530 delivers short machining times, high contour accuracy, short block processing times and optimal path control. In the mid-range, the TNC 320 provides precision and efficiency for machines with up to four controlled axes, while the TNC 124, a control for simple machine tools, meets customers' needs for less demanding control tasks. Controls for lathes such as the MANUALplus 4110 complete the product range.
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