ST. CHARLES, IL—To shorten lead times and increase design flexibility, Dukane has installed five new HAAS CNC machines at its headquarters facility here.

Several of these machines have five-axis machining capabilities that can create complex surfaces and intricate geometries with high precision. Faster processing speed, ease of programming, and the convenience to switch setups between machines will help reduce cycle time.

Each five-axis machine provides full simultaneous five-axis motion and can position a workpiece to almost any angle for machining. Among other things, the machines will be used to create large, complex tooling for the company’s line of hot gas, laser and vibration welding equipment. The machines feature a large T-slot table and an integrated two-axis trunnion rotary table to access nearly any angle on the part for complex shapes, undercuts and five-sided machining, which is often required to create tooling for exterior automotive lighting applications.

“Our customers are designing plastic parts with complex 3D geometries and demanding high precision tooling and fixtures,” says Mark Mars, senior buyer for Dukane. “The new machines will add to our capabilities for seamlessly machining complex tooling in house. We will be more cost-effective and will provide shorter lead times to our customers.”