2018cnc8-9

36 www.CNC-West.com CNC WEST August/September 2018 just that, machinists,” details Allen. “We don’t have operators or button pushers. Our people program, they setup, they run, they inspect. They are all high skill level. We do low production numbers so having just an operator doesn’t work for what we do. A long run for us is in the hundreds, but most of the time it is 1 to 10 parts total.” The old adage of the sky being the limit doesn’t really apply at Astro Machine Co. For Astro, the sky is just the beginning, and for over 50 years shooting for the stars is just called a typi- cal Tuesday. A typical use for the Fanuc Robocut wire EDM machines is to start with a block of titanium and machine the outer dimensions before sending it over to the milling department. Astro fixtures enough parts on the table to run an entire extra shift unattended, doubling the production for the day. The lights out capabilities of the EDM make it a very productive machine tool. An added bonus is being able to dispose of the waste piece instead of dealing with millions of chips. As a job shop parts come in all shapes, sizes and materials. For more than 50 years Astro Machine has specialized in space, aerospace, and defense.