Some technology upgrades at Leemark Enterprises in Dresden was showcased on Wednesday as part of Tech Demo Day.
Leemark put on display their 2016 Okuma Machining Centre, a 5-axis Computerized Numerical Control (CNC) machining centre – the first of its size in Canada.
“There are smaller ones like this in Windsor, Cambridge and Toronto,” said Dave McCaughrin, owner of Leemark.
“It’s larger than the ones that have been installed. The technology is new enough that is actually monitors the cut while it is cutting. It can detect vibrations, it can adjust its own speeds as necessary to eliminate the vibrations that it has. It has the capability of doing its own alignments, it will check its own tolerance.”
The new piece of equipment manifests its power in process-intensive machining, from single chucking multi-sided machining of complex shaped parts,such as for aircraft and the energy industry, to simultaneous 5-axis machining and “turning + 5-axis” multitasking.
The machine has a trunnion table that uses a roller gear cam drive on the A axis (dual axis drive) and a direct drive motor drive on the C axis, quality machining of multi-sided, complex shapes performed with high speed, high accuracy positioning and easy, smooth movements.
Leemark was busy with various activities throughout the day, with hundreds of people coming through the shop for an open house, including some students from Lambton-Kent Composite School in Dresden.
McCaughrin said Geoff Wright, economic development officer for business development in Chatham-Kent, made it possible for the students to come in to participate in the Tech Demo Day.
“Geoff has put a lot of work into organizing and making it possible for the students to come in from the local areas to see what is in industry and help them make career choices in the future,” McCaughrin said.
“The industry we’re in now, machining, die making, mould making, aerospace, medical machining, is lacking skilled help. Having the opportunity for the students to come in and see this it may help them pick their career choice, some will look at this and think this is great, this is wonderful and some will have a realization that they want to do something else. This is a perfect opportunity for them to see it first hand.”
McCaughrin said many students don’t get the chance to have an up close look at this type of equipment,
“From what we understand, from people like Geoff Wright, people that have been to bigger shops, bigger cities… you can’t walk up and touch any of them,” he said.
“They have lines on the floor, roped off areas and you can look at it from a distance but you can’t get up close and personal and actually see the screens and what there is available.”
Leemark Enterprises is a family owned business, operating for over 35 years manufacturing moulds and dies primarily for the automotive industry.
Leemark was established in 1976 as a metal fabricating shop.
– Photo: Bev Shipley, MP for Lambton-Kent-Middlesex, chats with Dave McCaughrin, owner of Leemark Enterprises.
