New LIFT Machining Facility

Detroit’s Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow (LIFT) manufacturing institute and Michigan’s Heller Machine Tools revealed a plan to invest $1.5 million in a five-axis Heller FP 6000-based machining facility at LIFT’s Lightweight Innovation Acceleration Center in Detroit. The goal of the new facility is to develop new machining techniques for lightweight materials used in a variety of industries, including automotive. The Heller FP 6000 is capable of machining five sides of an object using five-axis motion for rapid repositioning of the tool and machining spindle, resulting in a high-quality machined part surface finish.

Heller officials say it was important to partner with LIFT in offering the new machining center in order to illustrate how LIFT members can achieve lightweighting goals. The center is scheduled for completion later this year.