The largest machine tool in Prague is an AXA
Prague railway machine factory celebrates grand opening
The hall in Vinoř now houses a giant: the largest machining centre in Prague
The new giant machining centre, which is probably the largest of its kind in Prague, is the pride of Pražská strojírna. The massive machine with a total weight of 77 tonnes, consisting of two main parts and other components, was supplied by the manufacturer AXA Entwicklungs- und Maschinenbau in Germany. The new machine will significantly increase production capacity and shorten the time required to process tram track components.
The giant, which will be used in the production hall of the Prague Machine Factory in Vinoř, is probably the largest machine of its kind in Prague. The company, which claims to have a tradition dating back to the 1820s and has been a major manufacturer of track superstructure elements for trams for a hundred years, including switches and tram crossings made directly to measure, has acquired a huge machining centre from the German company AXA.
The machine was a real challenge: two massive 100-tonne cranes were needed to bring it in. The VHC 50 9000 XTS machining centre is now in the production hall and everything is being prepared for commissioning. The official inauguration ceremony is expected to take place in mid-February when the installation is complete.
Faster production, higher capacity
The massive machine, which was transported from Schöppingen in Germany to the production area of the machine hall in Vinoř on the northern outskirts of Prague, was initially assembled from two parts, Eva Pospíchalová recalled on behalf of the company. ‘This included several accessories with a total weight of around five tonnes,’ she said.
The assembled subassembly then had to be pushed directly into the hall with a forklift truck - with centimetre precision. It's easy to say, but with all the necessary manoeuvres, it's real hard work. It took up to five hours to bring them to their final location, recalled Robert Masarovič, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Pražská strojírna.
‘It was necessary to turn the two main machine units 90 degrees and then zigzag between the existing machines through the production area of the hall. It is therefore a precise job that involves overcoming obstacles such as cable routes, height differences and so on,’ he explains. [...]
The new machining centre is an addition to two machines from the same manufacturer that the company purchased two years ago for more than CZK 26 million. Thanks to the possibility of dividing the working area of the machine into two independent working areas, it is possible to machine in one of the sectors and simultaneously clamp another workpiece in the other. It is also no problem to take over certain parts (e.g. simple welded parts for tram crosses) from another machining centre. This helps to reduce the time required by up to half and increase the company's production capacity.
Source: prazsky.denik.cz/zpravy_region/praha-strojirna-vinor-obrabeci-centrum-tramvaj.html
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Read more: The giant machine tool has been put into operation.
Read more: The giant machine tool has been put into operation.
The currently largest machine tool in the capital was purchased by Prague Machine Works in Vinoř, which produces tram track elements not only for the metropolis, but also for customers in Europe and even Australia. The new machining centre, which cost CZK 35 million and was purchased without subsidies, will increase production capacity. Prague will need it: The local transport company is planning extensive construction and renovation work on lines and carriages.
On Wednesday 19 February, the Prague Machine Factory in Vinoř put the largest machine tool currently operating in the capital into operation. Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda (SPOLU pro Prahu/ODS) pressed the green button during the ceremonial commissioning of the AXA machining centre, which weighs more than 80 tonnes - and was not sparing with words of praise. Strojírna is a public limited company in which the city has a stake, but it is not only Prague's public transport operators that purchase switches, crossings and other elements for tram tracks from the company.‘It is the only municipal company that can export to more than a dozen markets around the world,’ said the mayor. In addition to Prague and Bratislava, it has customers in Warsaw, Berlin - but also in Melbourne, Australia, said Jiří Pařízek, deputy chairman of the supervisory board of Prague Engineering, who is also the transport company's economic director.
Completely exhausted production capacities
Pražská strojírna is working at full capacity and has even had to turn down two major orders due to capacity constraints, according to Robert Masarovič, the company's managing director. ‘The company's current capacity is fully utilised,’ he said, adding that he expects demand to increase by up to a third in the future. ‘This is due to the growing importance of public transport worldwide,’ he believes. This is another reason why he sees the purchase of a new machining centre for CZK 35 million, which is to be paid off within five years, as necessary. ‘The machine will increase the capacity of the production centre for machining,’ says Masarovič.
Pařízek recalled that in addition to the interest from the world, which appreciates Prague's rail elements for their precise workmanship, the ability to manufacture each product exactly according to local conditions and needs, and fast delivery, the Prague transport company also wants an increasing volume of products. ‘This is related both to the need to maintain Prague's tram infrastructure and - above all - to the extensive plans for the construction of new lines and carriages,’ explains the transport company's head of economics. For this reason, the Vinohrady machine factory is even considering the construction of a new production hall.
A machine that speeds up work considerably
Technician Erik, who operates the new machining centre, praises the new machine, which, unlike the two AXA machines purchased previously, can also machine wider parts (and the work area, which can be divided into two independent parts, offers the option of machining one part and clamping the other at the same time to avoid downtime). ‘It doesn't really make my job any easier, because I've been working with CNC machines for thirty years. But it will speed things up,’ he said, summarising the benefits in layman's terms. Petr Kahoun from the management of the machine workshop pointed out that a third of the time will definitely be saved. Next week, the new machine will also start producing rail elements for the tram line being built on Wenceslas Square.
Source: prazsky.denik.cz/zpravy_region/praha-obrabeci-stroj-strojirna-prazska-koleje-tramvaj-dpp-svoboda-vinor.html
translated by DeepL