Producers Hone Their Competitive Edge With New Technology

Nanotechnology and other new technologies have been causing much excitement and are breathing new life into Taiwan's grinding machine sector, as players in the industry team up with R&D centers to develop sophisticated new models.

This June, the government-backed Precision Machinery Research & Development Center (PMC), one of Taiwan's leading machinery research institutes, unveiled new nanotechnology grinding machines suitable for the dyeing, pigment, chemicals, pharmaceutical, and plastics industries.

PMC general manager Chan Ping-chih says nanotech is one of the most promising industries in the 21st century and predicts that nano materials will become widely used in a variety of industries.

To help domestic manufacturers tap the potential of nano materials in their products, PMC will focus on selecting appropriate nano materials and establishing interface-control mechanism and efficient manufacturing equipment. He believes there are enormous business opportunities for the sale of nano processing equipment.

PMC's nano grinding machines are divided into three types, including research (desktop), laboratory, and mass production, weighing 70 kilograms, 500 kgs, and 1, 300 kgs, respectively. The ball-grinding rooms of the three types measure 400cc, 600cc, and 3, 000cc, respectively. The research and laboratory types are suitable for use in laboratories and instructive institutions, while the remaining type is used in industries for volume production.

The desktop-type nano grinding machines are small, lightweight, structurally simple, and easy to operate and maintain, according to PMC. They are also much cheaper than imported models and suitable for small-volume production by laboratories, instructional institutions and small-quantity producers.

PMC recently completed a prototype of the mass-production nano grinding machine and is now conducting manufacturing tests.

PMC has also applied virtual-reality technology to the newly developed nano grinding machines to familiarize users with the interactive communication interface.

Big Prospects for Molecular Processes

Falcon Machine Tools Co., Ltd., Taiwan's largest manufacturer of computerized numerically controlled (CNC) grinding machines, recently started volume production of CNC grinding machines using a molecular decomposition process (MDP), in cooperation with Compositron Corp. of the U.S.

Falcon notes it has obtained exclusive sales agent right for the distribution of the new machines in the Asian market. The company plans to introduce the new product sometime in June next year.

Founded in 1987, Falcon specializes in milling machines, lathes, machining centers, and grinding machines, which are sold in 70 countries worldwide under the "Chevalier" brand.

Hsu Chao-kuei, vice president of Falcon, says the new products are mainly sold in the U.S. medical supply market, though he expects there to be huge business opportunities in mainland China.

Hsu notes common-type grinding machines are priced on the basis of market competitiveness while the MDP-based CNC grinding machines are priced according to customers' production value.

Falcon posted a profit last year after suffering big operating losses in 2002. The company earned NT$17 million (US$507, 000at US$1:NT$33.5) on sales of NT$1.1 billion (US$32.08 million) last year. Thanks to the continued introduction of new products, the company expects its sales to reach NT$1.3 billion (US$38.8 million) this year. An institutional investor estimates Falcon will post earnings of over NT$2 (US$0.06) per share this year.

Falcon says it raked in revenue of NT$285 million (US$8.5 million) in the first quarter of this year, up 35% from the corresponding period of last year. Moreover, it has recently received NT$500 million (US$14.92 million) worth of orders, which will help it keep production lines busy in the second half.

The company says it completed a second-phase expansion at its mainland production facility early this year. The mainland facility is expected to generate sales of RMB120 million (US$3.58 million) this year, up 65% from last year's RMB72 million (US$2.14 million).

Falcon says MDP-based CNC grinding machines are suitable for use in the medical supply, aerospace, national defense and other industries with high-precision needs.

Smooth Finisher


Joen Lih Machinery Co., Ltd., established in 1988, manufactures various types of surface grinder, including high precision CNC profile surface grinders, hand-operated surface grinders, and semi-automated precision surface grinders. Over the past few years, the company has been making all-out efforts to upgrade its production technologies to make sophisticated machines for the global upmarket, says company president H.T. Lin.

This June Joen Lih debuted a new line of high-precision wafer grinding machines for the high-tech industry.

The wafer grinding machine inherits much from a vertical grinding machine in terms of design. A diamond grinding wheel is fitted to the air floating spindle. The wafer grinding machine performs vertical grinding on hard and brittle workpieces, which require a high degree of surface accuracy and flatness. One evident example is the use of water surface grinding in the semiconductor manufacturing processes. This process will decide the minimum sizes for wafer sealing.

The machine is designed for precision grinding on various workpiece materials, such as, wafers, ceramics, quartz, glass and gems. The motor of the machine is built in the air-floating spindle. Variable spindle speeds range from 1, 000 to 5, 000rpm. The air-floating table meets rigorous requirements for grinding accuracy. The rapid traverse rate is 300 mm/min, and a powerful Fanuc Oi controller provides full digital control.

The wafer grinding machine comes standard with diamond grinding wheel, ceramic vacuum suction table, spindle temperature controller, vacuum pump, and tool box with tool kits. There is also an optional precision air dryer, height gauge, and high-precision spindle.

The machine is equipped with a high-performance temperature controller, employs a highly efficient plate-type heat exchanger, and has a comprehensive safety protection device to ensure safe operation.

The optional air dryer removes dust in the compressed air and has a highly accurate pressure and temperature control.

Joen Lih mainly sells the high-precision wafer surface grinding machines to Southeast Asian countries, the United States, and Canada.

Double-Column Grinder


Chung Wei Machinery Co., Ltd., established two decades ago, is a specialized manufacturer of precision surface grinding machines. The company has traditionally concentrated on small and medium-sized surface grinding machines, but in recent years it has developed large-sized models, such as double-column grinders.

The production of large-sized surface grinding machines relies on more sophisticated manufacturing technologies than do small and medium machines, says Joseph Chen, marketing manager of the company.

Chung Wei plans to sell its first double-column surface grinder soon, and the company expects overseas orders to soon follow. At present the company exports its products mainly to Germany, Sweden, Portugal, Italy, Norway, South Africa, the United States, Canada, and Japan.

Chen says large-sized grinding machines command higher margins than conventional small and medium models due to the lower level of competition. "At present only a handful of manufacturers in Taiwan can turn out double-column surface grinding machines with high operating accuracy, " explains Chen.

With grinding area reaching 2, 000 x 6, 000mm, the company's double-column surface grinder is capable of heavy-duty grinding. The machine has an automatic lubrication system for slideways, screws and gears. An alarm alerts the operator when oil runs out, preventing damage to the gears due to insufficient lubrication.

The machine also has an interchangeable spindle mounted on the rigid wheelhead. It is driven by a dynamically balanced motor via a flexible coupling to eliminate deflection and vibration, which permits an exceptional high-quality grinding finish.

Optional accessories for the machine include an electromagnetic chuck, parallel dressing attachment, radius dressing attachment, angles dressing attachment, magnetic dust separator, wheel flanges, and band-filter coolant clarifier.

Chung Wei says its double-column surface grinding machine is suitable for making large mechanical parts and molds used in a variety of industries.

Cutting Edge

Chi Tseng Machinery Ind. Co., Ltd. Is one of Taiwan's leading manufacturers of grinding and cutting machines.

Company chief executive Wu Cheng-sheng says his company is committed to constantly upgrading the capabilities and quality of its products to meet evolving market needs.

Over the past one year, the company has enjoyed brisk sales in both Taiwan and the United States, Europe, and Southeast Asia.

The company consistently adds new models to its long line of products. One of its main products is the CT-610 universal tool and cutter grinder, which has a steel-roller driven worktable to ensure smooth workpiece movement and a sturdy structure to enhance stability.

The CT-610 also has a pneumatic axis seat made of heat-treated aluminum alloy for easy operation and high accuracy. The main spindle is able to operate up or down 160mm. The grinding wheel's swivel and angle are adjustable to meet the specific needs of any job at hand.

Wu says the column of the machine is able to swivel 360 degrees. The standard accessories for the CT-610 universal tool and cutter grinder include cup wheels, saucer wheel guards, adjusting tools, and a seven-piece collet set.

Strong R&D and after-sales support are among the company's other competitive strengths.

High Capability at a Not-So-High Price

Since its establishment in 1966 by C.S. Lu, the reputation of Kent Industrial Co., Ltd. Has grown steadily and it is today one of Taiwan's leading machinery manufacturers. The company focuses on making advanced machine tools, mainly grinding machines and machining centers, featuring advanced technology.

Over the past several years, the company has invested heavily in product development and to keep its machines on the cutting edge of an ever-changing marketplace.

Kent says it is committed to listening to customer needs and incorporating these requirements into its new machinery designs. It has also made an all-out effort to improve service quality, manufacturing techniques, and management. All of these efforts have made it an internationally competitive supplier of high-quality and environment-friendly machinery, delivering, the company says, superior functionality at a reasonable price.

Kent employs over 230 workers in its 12, 000-square-meter Taipei County plant in northern Taiwan. Major products rolled out from the plant are surface grinders, cylindrical grinders, creep-feed grinders, electrolysis/electrical discharge creep-feed grinders, CNC grinders, double-housing surface grinders, high-speed stroke grinders, and other grinding machines and accessories.

Kent exports machinery to several overseas markets, including the U.S., Japan, Italy, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Thailand, and Hong Kong.

The company claims that the successful development of a high-precision and durable machine tool of optimal quality lies mainly in a maker's technical know-how and R&D capability, areas in which Kent has earned a solid reputation worldwide. The company says that all of its machines retain their original level of precision and normal functions even after decades of operation under a variety of environments. These advantages have made Kent's high-quality machines a popular choice among leading manufacturers of information-technology hardware and other high-precision products.