Collaboration between FAT and Gildemeister? Is it possible?

There are several interesting episodes in the history of our company that few people remember today, but they constitute a significant contribution to the development of the production of Polish machine tools.

This is the case of the cooperation agreement from 1970 between PONAR-WAFUM (today's FAT HACO) and the German machine tool manufacturer Gildemeister (now part of DMG MORI).

The communist system carried out a number of experimental activities, leading to the establishment of the state body PONAR (Union of the Machine Tool Industry), which included many state-owned industrial enterprises, including: WAFUM (Wroc?awska Fabryka Urz?dzeń Mechanicznych).

Paradoxically, the economic incompetence of the communist system of the USSR led to an increase in machinery exports due to the decline in the country's demand for machine tools produced at the plant. Even though WAFUM's processing capacity was very high and the machines produced were of adequate quality and reputation, the central production plans turned out to be unrealistic.

Low demand on the domestic market made it possible to conclude a trade agreement outside the plant as part of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance with the West German (FRG) machine tool manufacturer Gildemiester. WAFUM began to fit into the model of a socialist enterprise that was implemented in a capitalist economy.

Already in the times of the Iron Curtain, machines produced in Wroc?aw gained recognition in the eyes of Western economic secret service. WAFUM's production capabilities and its export potential were noticed. The benefits of cooperation were mutual. WAFUM received a multi-year contract for the production of multi-spindle automatic lathes under the Gildemeister license. The German manufacturer, in turn, has gained a proven partner in the sale of machines. What is interesting, it was from these machines in 1974 the company adopted the name "FAT" Factory of Automatic Lathes, which it uses to this day.

Multi-spindle automatic lathe licensed by Gildemeister. Type ASH 160

It is primarily a multi-axis machine, each of which has a dedicated work zone, enabling simultaneous work on many details. It has many spindles (e.g. 6), which, operating simultaneously, can also produce several parts at the same time. This enables large-scale production and significantly reduces the overall production time.

Multi-spindle automatic lathes are particularly efficient in operations such as drilling, boring and threading, enabling the production of detailed components requiring high precision. Thanks to their versatility, they are perfect for large-scale production of complex parts.

Construction of a machine tool

The bed is box-shaped in the form of a spacious chip tray. Chips can be removed without any problems during operation through large tunnels located on both front sides of the machine. The lower part of the bed serves as a coolant tank with a capacity of several hundred liters.

The housing of the driving unit contains the main drive, feed gear, spindle drive for thread cutting and spindle drive wheels for fast drilling and reaming, as well as a device for threading with a comb knife.

The spindle stand contains a spindle drum with spindles, to which the bar feeder is connected. Each spindle position except the clamping cylinder head has an associated side support. During the machining process, tool movements are controlled in accordance with the work cycle.

FAT ended production of these machines in the second half of the 1990s.

Read more about FAT history on our website

Pictures sources:

Pic. 1? – Z. Chudzikiewicz [i in.], Projektowanie form przemys?owych obrabiarek i narz?dzi, wyd. 2, Wydawnictwo Przemys?u Maszynowego WEMA, Warszawa 1975, s. 128.

Pic. 2 – Projektowanie wsz?dzie. 40 lat Wydzia?u Wzornictwa Akademii Sztuk Pi?knych w Warszawie, red. nauk. C. Frejlich, M. Kochanowska, Akademia Sztuk Pi?knych w Warszawie, Warszawa 2018, s. 80.