Hurco Open House promises significant machine and technology developments
1 min read
Hurco Europe's forthcoming Open House, to be held on 23, 24 and 25 April from 9.00 am until 5.30 pm each day at its High Wycombe showroom, is said to be one of the most significant so far held, with new machining centre announcements, innovative technology for control, diagnostics and networking, plus a complete rebranding of the company logo and machine tool livery.
Four vertical machining centre introductions will underline the higher level of technology being incorporated into the manufacturer's machines. Two are high speed models - VMX24HSi and VMX42HSi - with an 18,000 rpm, 47 HP (35 kW), motorised spindle, 45 m/min rapids and 4 seconds chip-to-chip time.
The new VM10UHSi is a compact, high speed, 5-axis machine, with 30,000 rpm spindle, 30 m/min rapids and direct encoding on the rotary-tilt table. The VMX42SRTi has a flush rotary table to facilitate easy switching between 3- and 5-axis work.
The new machine designations incorporate the suffix "i" for "intelligent". However, Hurco is keen to emphasise that the updating of all its machine models means significantly more than a renaming and a facelift.
All of the latest models sporting the new logo and livery incorporate Version 9 WinMax software. Five years after the first integration of the Windows operating system as part of the Hurco control, a number of developments and performance improvements have been added. Version 9 includes Ultimotion software, with up to 10,000 blocks variable look-ahead. This is now a standard feature on Hurco machines, giving up to 30% faster cycle times and improved surface finish.
Another new software enhancement is the addition of Ultimonitor networking to allow remote diagnostics functionality. Hurco will demonstrate how 'lights-out' operation can be monitored via the Internet, giving real-time visibility of the control screens and live video via webcam.
Furthermore, the control hardware has seen additional improvements to reduce the number of electrical connections, improve reliability and at the same time simplify service operations in the field. The new Mini-ITX platform boasts a 2 GHz dual-core Intel processor, 2 GB of RAM and a 64 GB solid state hard drive. This is fitted to all Hurco machines, as are the latest Yaskawa Sigma V drives and high intensity LED lighting.
David Waghorn, Hurco Europe's managing director, says: "In a competitive business such as ours, it is essential that we strive for continuous improvement.
"We are delighted with the appearance of the new machines and, by any standards, the latest product enhancements mark a significant technological step forward as well for Hurco."
