Schaffer Manufacturing has added an SF-4120 vertical machining center (VMC) from Vision Wide Tech (VTEC).  With 161 inches of X-travel and 79 inches on the Y-axis, the new VMC is at the high end of the work-envelope range. The capacity makes the new high-speed, high-efficiency and high-precision machine another Schaffer production floor system that is uncommon around the region.

Large-format, heavy-steel fabrication has been a Schaffer Manufacturing core competency since the company’s start in 1993. “We make it a priority to continually ‘up our game’ for customers needing a single-source supplier with the versatility to fabricate large parts and weldments and then machine the projects post-welding,” said company owner Steve Schaffer.

The new VMC comes into play for customers in multiple industries, including products using large “framework” structures. OEMs requiring large frames with post-welding machined surfaces, for example, can ask Schaffer to fabricate the tool frame and then put the large-size weldment in the VMC for the precise and accurate machining that type of application requires.

The same machine versatility is important for another specialty – processing Hardox® wear plate. The VMC’s large work area enables Schaffer to reduce the number of set-ups required when machining large-feed bed liners, oversize perforated plates, screens and other large mining plates. Customers benefit from production cost savings and high-end accuracy, even when processing large components or weldments.