Czech-built Fermat machines to be offered by 2D CNC

The range takes in axis travels up to 28 m in X, 7.3 m in Y and 3.6 m in Z and a range of milling centres with axis travels up to 28.1 m in X by 600 mm in Y and 1,500 mm in Z. Says 2D CNC director David Holden: "The product range is complementary to our blue-chip portfolio of Mitsui Seiki, Toyoda, Wele, Reiden and MAP machining centres, cells and flexible manufacturing systems. Fermat uses similar levels of technology and often includes projects involving automation. The company provides a greater capacity for us that suits, for example, the oil and gas, heavy construction equipment, railway, mould and die, turbine and power generation sectors." The Fermat range machines are all configured around horizontal spindles and include full 5-axis, combined turn and bore, universal ram and head-changing, and independent table models. Through specialising in the use of interpolation techniques the company has eliminated the need for boring heads, while it has developed its own 'zero backlash' table that enables positioning to be maintained within 0.015 mm/metre. The top selling machine in the range, taking up some 60% of production, is the WFT 13 series of horizontal boring mills, available with heavy duty box or higher speed linear ways. The machine has a 130 mm spindle with 56 kW drive and a range of X-axis travels between1.5 m to 5.0 m. The vertical Y-axis is between 2.0 and 3.5 m and the Z-axis is either 1.5 or 2 m. In addition, a spindle extension W-axis is 730 mm and the longitudinal headstock travel (V-axis) is 600 mm. The maximum table load can be up to 30 tonnes and up to five pallets can be incorporated into a machining cell configuration. Jan Kropacek, Fermat's executive manager, says that with 2DCNC's experience with high value installations incorporating integrated automation, it is the application engineering capability to present the latest turn/bore and multi-axis machining techniques, head-changing and pallet systems that is seen as being very important to the UK market. Fermat employs 605 people in its Prague headquarters where a 33,200 m2 factory is located. It has additional facilities in Prague and Bruno, and boasts its own spindle manufacturing and heat treatment capability. The company is the second largest user of Heidenhain and Fanuc controls in its home country and recently invested almost £1 million in a high specification Taiyo Koki grinding centre to extend its machine tool capability and production. Traditionally the home market of Fermat has absorbed 60% of sales, but in 2012 it sold 110 machines to a customer base in 40 countries to create a turnover of £51 million. It has 50 machines installed in the USA, Canada and South America, and in recent years wind turbine hub machining using a tilting headstock machine design has drawn significant levels of business.