2017cnc10-11

44 www.CNC-West.com CNC WEST October/November 2017 Weiss manufactures sets them apart. “Most watchmak- ers here only know the basics,” clarifies Cameron. “They know the same table top mill work and hand crank lathe techniques that I learned in Miami, but nothing about manufacturing.” Here at Weiss, Cameron will sketch out his design then give that to his head of engineering and manufacturing, Grant Hughson to build in 2D and 3D on the computer. They figure out the best way to manufac- ture it, and tweak the designs to meet the best manufac- turing methods. The watch cases are the largest item in the manufacturing process and are one of the few items not manufactured in house. “The cases are machined from a solid block of stainless steel,” explains Grant. “Our case is the largest part of the watch, but to most shops it is considered a very small part. The really small specialty parts are what we want to control in house. It is easier for us to find a local shop to produce the case then one of our actually small parts with ultra tight tolerances.” Weiss moved into their Torrance, Ca. manufactur- ing facility two years ago and have been filling it up with equipment ever since. Originally the thought was to put a mill and lathe inside the garage at their apartment, but they thought better of it. Having the added space gave them the flexibility to select the right machines for the right job. Each timepiece has more than 150 parts in- side. Some repeat like screws and gears, but total parts exceed 150. After a lot of research Weiss decided on a Fanuc Robodrill vertical machining center and a Tornos Swiss Nano. “The Robodrill has such a great reputation and a lot of capabilities for the price,” tells Grant. “There are so many of them sold all over the world that it was almost a no brainer that we get one. It has a compact size with a lot of bang for the buck. We added probing and tool setting to ours for extra capabilities.” The Swiss as- pect of watchmaking required a little more thought due to the nature of the parts. Each of the parts inside the watch is a piece of art. They are different than normal parts. You look at the print and there are dimensions and surface finishes, but there is whole other set of challenge that are different than most parts. Literally if you drop a part or grab it wrong it is scrap. So, when it came time to purchase a Swiss style machining center they looked no further than Tornos. “Tornos has an undeniable pedi- gree in watchmaking and is a Swiss company,” continues Grant. “They have experience in making watch parts and the Swiss Nano machine can actually produce 2/3 of all watch movement components. We’ve been able to look to them for assistance because of their experience. It is