Rotary transfer machines: Eclipsing the past

Some machine tools are modified so much and so frequently it becomes a common practice. That’s certainly the case with rotary transfer machines.

Kevin Shults, director of marketing at rotary transfer machine builder Hydromat Inc., St. Louis, said the company offers several standard machine platforms. Each model can be customized to machine a specific part or family of parts. These adjustments can be made quickly, and, afterwards, the machines are often used to produce millions of parts annually.

With the traditional rotary transfer concept of the past, once a machine was set up, it could run for years. If changeover were needed, retooling could take days or even weeks.

Rotary transfer machines are highly customizable and able to complete even complex parts in seconds. Image courtesy of Hydromat.